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Vincent Drake:
Vincent was currently in Elysium, sitting down and reading a Vampire Hunter D book. It was a slow night so he thought it would be best to check in on his peers, jeans and Bullet for my Valentine shirt, sometimes he wondered how out of place he looked in the up-scale aesthetics of the Hotel bar room.
Samantha Riley:
Samantha walks in wearing a black skirt with boots stopping just below her knees with a red sweater and holding some note books while she walked. She felt out of place and probably looked it as well. Still nervous being in a new city since she was embraced kinf of reminded her of leaving for college all over again.
Seeing Vincent Samantha walks over to a vacant chair "Hello, mind if I join you?"
Vincent Drake:
Vincent turns to the new comer and gives a friendly smile, "Sure, it's been a slow night," he gestures to the empty chair, "Vincent Drake," he offers a hand, "Friends call me Vinny, haven't seen you around."
Samantha Riley:
Samantha takes the offered hand, shaking it as any professional would....firm bit not hurtful. Then having a seat as she introduces herself
"Samantha Riley, or Sam if you prefer. I recently arrived a few days ago. After the formalities and getting settles from the move I figured it would be best to socialize and get to know some others maybe learn about the area if I get lucky" she chuckles
Vincent Drake:
"Welcome to Philly then, it's a weird city but it's home," he chuckles, "I heard that compared to other cities night societies, but honestly, I think I'd be dead if I wasn't in Philly, been at this three months." he shrugs, "Sire's dead too, illegal embrace."
Samantha Riley:
She closes her eyes for a moment when he mentioned his sire being dead as she couldn't imagine hers being gone "thank you. I have been embraced for 4 years now but this is my first move from my Sire. I'm glad to hear a good review of the place. You mentioned it was a slow night? Is there a high population of night folk here?"
Vincent Drake:
"Their's a sizable amount, mostly the same old faces," he thinks, "I'm mostly associate with Titania and Visigny, a Crone and Carthian respectively, I find myself running into a Dragon named Guy more and more, recently joined the following of the Mother Crone, Henevi." he lists the names that he's dealt with more than most, "Visigy is one part of a Triad, a Carthian coterie known as the Trio, other than them I don't know much of the cities Coterie's, we mainly follow a Family based system, something I'm told is unique to Philly," he shrugs, "I honestly find myself in company of Lost and Mages more."
Samantha Riley:
"I cant speak for every other city but yes Families are unique to where I'm from anyways. I am intrigued to learn about them and join one. But I'm happy to hear there is a good size here."
Vincent Drake:
"Well, I was in the Rodriguez for a bit, I thought it was best to keep my eggs in multiple baskets. . .and then I found out about Dynasties so I fell in line with my Covenant," he shrugs, "the Estate snatched me up my first night, the Wright family is the Estate for all intents and purposes, otherwise Family comes before Covenant here."
Samantha Riley:
"Good to know, I will be looking to the Rodriguez family for now. So whar is there to do here most nights." She thinks for a moment, "any popular hangouts?"
Vincent Drake:
"The place to be normally is a waffle House, Maddy's, Kindred, Mages, Lost, if your more than the average human, your welcomed, it's the cities Switzerland basically, good place to network, meet new people and contacts, first time I went their I met the person who is now my partner." he smiles brightly, "Here, no one bates an eye at a vampire dating a changeling."
Samantha Riley:
"Where I am from there wasn't an 'alliance' if you call it that between the groups. I know of them but never had any socialization with them. That will be a nice change." She smiles
Vincent Drake:
"Not much of an official alliance as much as, mutual understanding," he shrugs, "Although we're facing common threats, so an official one might be needed one day." he muses, "What brings you to Philly?"
Samantha Riley:
"I got a job offer here, the money was to good to turn down. Though I would have if the environment wasn't what it is here. My Sire was inpressed with that the Sakima is doing here. So between that and the job...here I am. Are there many threats here at the moment?"
Vincent Drake:
"Some elders where killed," he reveals, "it has to do with that group, seven, also encountered a Strix who was working with them, my partner manged to beat it and we brought it in, don't know where that led," he shrugs, "their have been robot police that have been hassling all of us, seem to be built by foes of the mages, I heard they use dead people to make them."
Samantha Riley:
She seems to take a moment to process what she was just told. "I see.. sounds interesting. I will have to get more Info and see if I can help" she smiles. "Thank you for all the information."
Vincent Drake:
"Happy to help," he smiles and nods, "what's your job, if you don't mind me asking, I'm in Blockchain technology and mood stablization."
Samantha Riley:
"Im an illustrator. Did some freelancing stuff for a bit and still do from time to time but I like doing stuff for books in particular. Blockchain technology...is that like coding? I'm sorry if that is way off" she hopes she doesn't offend if she is wrong.
Vincent Drake:
he just smiles, "Something like that, I do. . .sales and recreation as it where." he chuckles, "I would love to see some of your art sometime."
Samantha Riley:
"Of course" Sam smiles, opening up her notebook, "here are just some doodles and sketches"
The pages she shows him are of beaches, buildings, nature related things. Very rare were there people in them. "The major things are back home" she smiles
Vincent Drake:
"Looks good," he compliments, "Makes me want to see the major ones sometime, my partner does landscapes," he gestures the wall, "Even have their painting up." he smiles, "There a reason for the lack of people?"
Samantha Riley:
"No, they just take more time to draw compared to how little space they take so I tend to not include them in sketches."
Daniel Hawthorne:
As the pair talked Daniel slipped into the lounge area, dressed neatly in a sharp-looking all-black ensemble rounded out by his every-present black sunglasses. He gave Vincent a nod and Samantha a brief once-over, taking in the unfamiliar Kindred. "Evening."
Vincent Drake:
Vincent nods to Daniel, "Evening, come meet the new girl," he gestures to Samanth, "Sam, Daniel, Daniel, Sam," he smiles, "She was just discussing her art."
Samantha Riley:
"Hello Daniel. Nice to meet you" she smiles at him.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Good to meet you as well." He perked up at the mention of artwork, moving to join the pair. "Oh? Do tell."
Vincent Drake:
Vincent just sits and smiles
Samantha Riley:
"Oh, Vincent just was asking what I did for a living and then asked to see my art. Im an illustrator. Are you an art enthusiast as well?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Definitely. I'm a clothing designer myself." He motioned to his current ensemble with a small smirk. "Just left a show, in fact. Went pretty well overall."
Vincent Drake:
"Everyone is an artist except me-oh. . .wait I technically am one." he laughs, thinking of a private joke
Samantha Riley:
"Im glad the show went well. Seems like creative talent is in abundance here so far. That's awesome."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Taking up creative works is a good way to fill time as the years go on. I've been doing this kind of design work since I was a teenager, though; my great-grandmother was a seamstress and I started learning under her when we realized I had a knack for it."
"Technically?" He asked Vincent with a curious look.
Vincent Drake:
"I mean. .. it is called con-artist," he laughs, " so it counts right?"
Samantha Riley:
Sam smiles at Vincent's response "yea I suppose that is a form of artistry."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Fair enough." Daniel chuckled, smirking a touch. "There is a certain level of artistry in a well-executed plan."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
Stepping in through the door was a tall, mixed latina woman, clad in a leather jacket and jeans. She gave off an aura of "dont fuck with me" that broke with a shit eating grin as she spotted Vincent. She didn't give off a Beast of course, but it was the aura of someone who had been in a dozen brawls and came out on top. (Air of menace and intimidate 4)
As she steps over she gives a half wave to Daniel, and a grin as she looked at Sam.
"I sure hope this nerd isn't causing you too much trouble. I'll take care of him if he is."
She tosses an arm around Vincent's shoulder, giving the Daeva a playful noogie to mess with him.
Vincent Drake:
Vincent smiles at the noogie, "Val, your timing in impeccable as always yes, question for ya, would you consider my work to be art?"
Samantha Riley:
"He has been a tremendous help to this newbie. " she smiles," if anyone is causing trouble it's probably me giving him a headache by asking a bunch ch of questions"
Sam chuckles and grows a bit more comfortable seeing them all jest with each other. It reminds her of her friends back home.
Daniel Hawthorne:
Daniel smiled as Valeria made her way into the lounge, chuckling as she gave Vincent a 'proper' greeting. "Hey Valeria. Good seeing you as always."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
She stares incredulously at Vinny. "Which part? You swindling people or your knack to get into trouble?" She cackles and squeezed his shoulders. "I'm just kidding. Eh, I guess anything can be art if you are good enough at is. I know people have called me an artist before but."
She shrugs and offers a hand to Sam, staring more at her chin than her eyes. "Sup Daniel, nice to see ya. Like Daniel said, I'm Val, nice to meet ya, gorgeous. Glad Vinny could help ya out. How ya adjusting?" After the handshake, accepted or not, she offered Daniel a fist bump.
Vincent Drake:
"I mean, I've survived eleven years off my words, in some sense that must make me some kind of poet?" he shrugs, "I help people, it's what I do." he laughs
Samantha Riley:
Sam will take the offered hand giving Val a firm but not hurtful handshake. "Adjusting has been going well. Can't complain about it anyways."
Daniel Hawthorne:
Daniel returned the fist bump with a smirk, nodding to Samantha. "Just get into town, I'm guessing?"
"Things been going alright on your end as well?" He asked to Val and Vincent, finding a convenient something or other to lean against rather than taking a seat for the moment.
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Your words and your ego, yep." If the best friend/ found sibling vibe wasnt apparent, it never would be.
Val's handshake was firm, professional. And also STRONG. Not as strong as many vampires, but it was up there.
"Decent I think. Lots going on. I...uh....pissed off some of the Lost and we are working on fixing that."
Vincent Drake:
"Yeah, things are going nice, looking into new buisnes opportunities." he smiles, "Expanding into mood stabilization and matchmaking."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"I think I saw something about that at Maddy's. Good luck in getting that squared away." He nodded to Val, then looked to Vincent with a curious arch of the eyebrow. "Sounds...interesting."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
She grimaces. "Yeahhhh. Not my proudest moment."
Vincent Drake:
Vincent shakes his head, "Yeah, it really wasn't, oh, I'm making an anime club!"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"We've all been there." He gave Val a reassuring look, smirking at Vincent. "So I saw. Not really my thing, but it looked like you had some interest."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
She shakes her head. "Yeah yeah, shush." She playfully swats Vincent's arm. "If Ima be honest...Guy is having to go fix a lotta the stuff which uh...hits harder than making me do it. Ya know?"
She leans on Vinny. "Wait why haven't I heard of this?"
Vincent Drake:
"Because you don't check the bulliten board?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"I follow, yeah." Daniel nodded, giving Val an understanding look. "The weight of disappointment from the bond even if they assure you that it's not as much of an issue as you feel it is."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"I haven't been to Maddy's since I saw you there last time. That was like what...a week ago?"
A nod to Daniel. "It sucks. It really does. Which makes me all the more determined to fix what happened."
Vincent Drake:
"I mean, I don't think you'll run into DA much."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Maybe, but taking the initiative to smooth things out can make it easier down the road if you do."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
She starts tapping her finger absent mindedly on the couch, eyes occasionally flicking to the door like she's thinking about something else.
"That's my hope. My girlfriend is one of the Lost too so I also wanna smooth it over for her."
Vincent Drake:
"Yeah, reason why I went to that party was to smooth things, make the work friends like me even just a little, even made home made garlic bread."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Nice. You bake much or just a one-off thing?"
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Yeahhhhh...sorry for fucking that one up Vinny."
Vincent Drake:
Vincent sighs, "It's. . .what happened happened," he says, "Yeah, I bake, I cook, it's a hobby I'm good at, my garlic bread is the best is Philadelphia and no one can change my mind."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Good stuff. My sister cooks a lot, and I help her on occasion." He nodded, smiling a touch. "Even if you can't enjoy the product as thoroughly as before, it's a hobby worth keeping up I'd say."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Look, as long as I get some, I'll be happy. I'm glad you finally found something to work at."
She shrugs. "And Alice might enjoy cooking with you too, hint hint." She of course elbows him gently with each hint.
Vincent Drake:
"We hung out after the superbowl, we're cool." he says to Val, "ya don't need to hint."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Good to hear. Staying close with mortal relations can be rough at times, but usually worth it in the end. I had the luck that my immediate family is all in the know, although I don't speak much with my parents these days."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Good, do more stuff like that or I'll hint you more." She sticks her tongue out.
"My parents don't know...at least as far as I know. They've always had my back, but this isn't the kinda stuff I want them to be a part of. Athletics, absolutely. Not this."
Val looks over to the bar, and down to Vinny. "Ya want anything? Don't worry, I'm not getting alcohol."
Vincent Drake:
"My folks can die for all I care." he mutters
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Mine would've preferred I had, I think, so I understand the feeling."
Vincent Drake:
he rises from his chair, "I need to get going." he nods and walks off
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Have a good night." He replied to Vincent, giving him a nod before looking Val's way. "I'll join you, actually."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
Val was smiling at the bar, getting a coke.
"Oh hey Daniel."
She looks back.
"Oh did Vinny dip? Sounds about right."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Mmhmm. Not sure if the conversation hit a nerve or he just had other business to tend to." He glanced over the bar selection before just getting a hot tea for himself, looking Val over. "Family issues can be touchy subjects, I know."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"His dad is someone I would beat up just cause I got the chance to. Or for bragging rights." She shrugs, sipping her drink.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Gotcha." He nodded quietly. "I'll admit I was doted on by my parents for a time, especially once my regnant chose me as his primary servant and then eventual childe. I could do no wrong in their eyes as long as Lord Gardner also approved of it. After my Embrace, however, all they felt for me was pity and disgust; only my sister still cared in any way that mattered."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
She looks confused. "Wait I'm...confused. Why did they...huh?" She shakes her hand. "So they encouraged you until you were liked well enough to be Embraced, then regretted it?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"I wasn't Embraced by my regnant as expected." A wry smirk flickered across his features, lingering only a moment. "In a fit of jealousy at being chosen over him my older brother cornered me at my studio in Boston and slit my throat, saying it should have been him before leaving me there to die. Another vampire, a Nosferatu of no real renown, decided to 'save' me with the mind of getting some reward from my regnant in return. Instead he was dragged in front of the Prince and killed, and I would have followed suit if not for my regnant's pull in the court."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
Val blinks several times and then shakes her head.
"I- well I'm just glad I'm an only child now. I guess Vinny counts? I'm sorry all that happened. Especially that they would have killed you for...well your brother killing you and some Kindred you didn't know trying to use you to get a reward."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"In most places an illegal embrace is a death sentence for both parties barring notable outside circumstances as was my case. The Sakima is more lenient on the childe here, as was the case with Vincent and Alex Shaw, if you've run into her yet." He sat back in his seat, letting out a quiet breath. "I hated myself for what I had been turned into for a while, and likely would have shown myself to the sun if I had stayed in Boston. Coming here gave me the opportunity to find a new path forward of my own making, though, and I'm grateful for that."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Yikes, no I haven't met her yet. That's uh...kinda terrifying. Like I get with the Sire...but the Childe? Even from like...a heartless view, the childe would be a chance to like... you get me?" She shakes her head.
"I'm glad you got that chance at least. You're a cool dude."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"At its base level its a thing of population control - too many Vampires in one place can cause issues if someone gets sloppy and the normal citizens begin to notice - and as a prize for gaining the Prince's favor. It's not a fair system, but it's worked for the most part over the centuries."
"Thank you." He smiled slightly. "I'm considerably more pleasant to be around now than I was then, so I'll take that as a sign of improvement."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Jeeeeez. Yeah, okay, I guess." She shakes her head, moving on.
"I think you're really pleasant, fun to chat with. Although, you do like...always wear sunglasses which makes it hard to tell where you're looking. We all got our quirks."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Bit of Masquerade preservation there. I could take them off in here, in theory." He smirked a touch, tapping one side of the glasses' frames. "Remember I mentioned before that I used to have a wound on my neck before one of the willworkers here altered how my clan's curse manifested itself? It shifted to my eyes instead, and it's noticeable enough that I need to keep them covered when I'm out and about."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Ohhhhh, makes sense. I'm glad you can hide this at least. Probably makes your life way easier than the neck wound. Er...unlife? Life part 2?" She shrugs.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Considerably; being able to speak at a normal volume has been amazing, among other things. I made it work, though, and have a sizable collection of neck scarves as a souvenir." He added with a chuckle.
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Respectfully, neck scarves are sexy as fuck. But uh...yeah, I think I would just constantly suffer if I couldn't talk."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Tend to agree, although I'll admit I'm biased." He smirked, nodding as she continued. "I could, but it was just above a whisper. Add in the social miasma that surrounds me from the curse and I had a rough time in most social situations, which did wonders for my self-confidence as you can imagine."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Yeahhh, I could see how that would absolutely suck. Glad one of the...what did you say...helped you."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Willworkers, mages...heard a few other terms for them bandied about. I don't think the one who helped me is in town anymore, but I've had a healthy respect for what they can do since."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Ohhh, yep. Just haven't heard that phrase yet. Turns out my old babysitter is one. He...sorry. They helped me clear out some of my addictions. It helped me a bunch."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"I remember that coming up that day we met at the diner. That was Bones, right?"
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Yep, thats the one. After finding out Mages existed...well I'm in no way surprised they're one."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"The ones I've met here have been an interesting bunch. Actually got asked if we sparkle by one of them, which sent me into a coughing fit from trying not to laugh." He shook his head with a smirk.
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
Val snorts. "I'm sorry...if you sparkle? Why would you sparkle? Is there some vampire myth I'm missing?"
A small cackle. "Vincent would sparkle if he could. I almost guarentee it."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"It's a Twilight thing. The vampires in the series sparkle in sunlight, apparently."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
She shakes her head. A smile on her face as she tries to not laugh.
"I uh...haven't seen it happen but I'm assuming its not that. I'm picturing more...uh...bursting into flame and dramatically screaming 'nooooooo' at the climax of the movie."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"It depends on how strong the blood is and how close to your humanity you are, but pretty much, yeah. I can technically last about ten minutes before it starts to burn, but it's still not a pleasant experience."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"I'm gonna go ahead and suggest not trying that." She winces.
"And that's why Ghouls are a thing. We can go out in the sun and whatnot and live...sorta normal lives. To a point at least."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Not planning on it any time soon." Not that he hadn't indulged in that sort of solar outing once or thrice since mastering the Coil of the Ascendant, but that was neither here nor there at the moment.
"One of the major ones, yes." He nodded, thanking the bartender when they finally brought his tea around and holding it in his hands for the warmth. "Some days the cons outweighed the pros of the arrangement, but overall I look back on my service fondly for the most part."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"I'm happy being a Ghoul. I know that some parts can suck...but I'm happy. I'm stronger, much harder to hurt, and have a kickass Regnant that teaching me as we have time."
She takes a breath. "Guy is genuinely amazing. Yeah, yeah, Bond stuff, but he isn't abusive or anything like that. Just genuinely wants me to be the best me I can." A big smile hits her face.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"You definitely lucked out on that front." He replied with a small smile of his own. "I've seen the gambit when it comes to the treatment of ghouls, ranging from treasured dolls put on display to be admired to broken husks shaped by their regnants into extensions of their will. Lord Gardner trusted in my loyalty to him even outside the bond, so my leash was kept relatively loose."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
She grimaces.
"Yeah I'm...super glad Guy found me. I'm not any of that stuff. Best we've decided on is more like teacher-student vibes. Hell, he's encouraging me to train for the Olympics next year, and helping me work on other stuff. My one regret with the whole thing is the addiction to Vitae. I just...suck at controlling myself."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Really...that's amazing. Good luck with that." He nodded, a flicker of something briefly flashing across his face at the mention of her lingering addiction. "It's a tough one to face."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Its the hope. Dunno if I'll make it, but...I wanna try. Especially since I couldn't make it last time to Tokyo."
She pauses at his reaction. "It is, yeah. Something tells me you're biting your tongue. Penny for your thoughts?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
He glanced her way at the question, stalling his answer with a sip of his tea before setting the cup down on the bar. "Not the best place to talk about it."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
She pauses, looking around.
"Noted. I'm easy, I don't push. Anyway, Olympics, right? You ever watch gymnastics?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"I have, always been impressed by it. Usually watch the fencing events as well, since I'd been taught in it from an early age."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
She nods. "The fencers can be pretty cool, yeah. I don't know much about it as a sport, to be honest."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"It's pretty interesting, the dance of being sure enough to strike while avoiding your opponent's blows at the same time. I trained with my father when I was younger and picked it up again here more recently."
The quiet hum of his phone broke into the conversation, a small smile forming as he saw who the message was from. "If you'll excuse me, my sister is needing me back at the house. It was good running into you, and if you want to talk more about...you know, let me know when."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Definetly. I should probably get back to my mom's anyway." She writes down her number and offers it.
"See ya around Daniel."
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