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Vincent Drake:
Vincent had texted Arthur that he had something that he wanted his input on, and so after leading him to the abandoned stash house with the basement that led to the underground tunnel, he led him to the Spring Garden station.
Vinny was dressed in some non-descript black cloths and leading by an electric lamp.
"Place was closed off in eighty nine, so it's all sealed off, save for how we got in, one of the mages was looking around for it, wanted to have an out of the way location for her spell stuff, as a finders fee she's agreed to be flat mates as is where, two platforms so we will be able to use the one." he said, giving a nod to a biker whose already down here, sure enough assorted goods, drugs and weapons, where being stashed, "Your the logistics man of our op, so tell me, how much do you think this will be useful in the long run?' he asked turning the Lost
Avery Frisk:
happy bird on shoulder noises
Arthur Franklin:
Arthur was glad that he'd chosen to dress casually for this particular outing, following behind Vinny as they went through the underground area and giving the place a proper once-over along the way. "Handy find, that..."
He glanced over the stash already in place, nodding to the guard already in place before looking back ti Vinny. "It definitely has the space to work in, I will say that. What're we looking at as far as getting materials in and out? That tunnel's a little tight for some larger loads."
Vincent Drake:
"So far we've just been using that basement, lighter things like cash, coke, rifles to store, not big enough for a central warehouse," he agreed, "But the idea of a backup facility, was intriguing, but what I'm thinking of," he hopped down to the old tracks and walked to the edge of the tunnel, "Philly is criss crossed with old tunnels, abandonded and such, a thought came to me, what if we could use them as a distribution network?" he turned to Arthur, revealing why he brough the merchant down here
Arthur Franklin:
Arthur listened intently as he followed after the Daeva, a grin forming at the mention of the tunnel network. "I see what you're getting at, yeah...may take some work to get them cleared enough to be safe to travel, but it could definitely work."
Vincent Drake:
"It's the start of something good," he grinned when Arthur saw what he was getting at, "Idea came to me when I had a lil vacation to New York, subway tunnels are amazing, their built then abandoned, aye it's gonna take some work to map out, but if we can properly map this out, clear it of anything like were-rats," he joked but hey, ya never know, "we can transport shit across the city, no checkpoints, no reason to fear an ambush, maybe find other pockets of underground like this as way stations....maybe even connect it to the Corax's tunnels." the grin on the young lordling grew wider
Arthur Franklin:
"You went back to the motherland and you didn't tell me?" He put a hand over his heart, his features forlorn. "You wound me, sir."
After a moment he chuckled, giving a nod. "Definitely doable. Will have to see what the state of the tunnels are and where we may need to have a blind eye turned to get them set up properly, but it's worth working towards."
Vincent Drake:
"It was a throuples retreat, and I never left the city," he said a tad cryptically, "And it really opened my eyes on thing, made me realize shit." he said, grin never leaving his face, "It's a wonderfully City, Avery," lil scritches to the bird on his shoulder, "got to drawing again which is great, Maria had has try New York Pizza, it is the best, and they had a store dedicated to anime and manga, but that's beside the point."
Arthur Franklin:
Dangle a mystery in front of an Autumn Courtier, will you? Cheeky...
"Never left the city, eh?" His eyebrow arched at that, watching Vinny curiously. "Do tell."
Avery Frisk:
happy bird noises from scritches!
Vincent Drake:
"It's my Kith, I never would have realized it had I not took that vacation," he grinned, before kneeling down, touching the concret of the tunnel, with reverence, "My Kith, we connect to the City, I can hear it constantly, when I was in New York I connected to Her too...it's the same, New York, Philly, same voice, same feeling, all cities, their the same, just different clothes."
Arthur Franklin:
"...fascinating." He replied with a grin. "That must've been wild when that clicked."
Vincent Drake:
"It was, and it made me realize, it's not just Philly, it's the Urban Envorment itself, the community, the people, all of them I need to aid."
Arthur Franklin:
"That's a lot to jump on for one man, or even one organization. How do you plan on tackling that?"
Vincent Drake:
he gave a sad sigh, "I'm afraid I'm confind to Philly at the moment, one step at a time, and with my condition, those are long and slow, Philly is still my primary concern, and to be frank, I realized I'll need help."
Arthur Franklin:
Arthur nodded quietly, finding a convenient piece of wall to lean against. "Happy to help where I can, of course."
Vincent Drake:
"I...I want to create a group, not the crime group, we're already forming that well, I mean I group that's dedicated to serving and protecting the city, with a hand in it's diffrnet aspects, goverment, community," he gestured to himself, "crime, closer then just a criminal organization, I want to make a group and true companions and alllies, sibling in arms and ideals."
Arthur Franklin:
"Alright...you've got me on board so far."
Vincent Drake:
"Stewards, a society that seeks to improve the city, aid it's community, and defend it against those who would destroy it, Slavers, Huntsmen, Seers, that would be the evil mages, Strix....our huntsmen, those robo-pigs, and the Philly Mafia...who I know for a fact are an actual demon worshiping cult."
Arthur Franklin:
Arthur nodded along, his eyebrow arching high at that last little tidbit. "Really...good to know."
Vincent Drake:
"Keep it close to your chest," he said, eyes flashing crimson, the Philly Mob was a...point with him, "This city...it's biseiged on all sides, it needs people to actually serve it instead of using it, and I'm already working on properly contacting her." the air about him shifted for a second, his usual joking candor was gone and he seemed driven, inspired, for a second he seemed more...regal even.
Arthur Franklin:
"Lips are sealed." He even did the 'turn a phantom key in front of his mouth and toss it over his shoulder' motion for extra affirmation.
As Vinny's demeanor changed the smile that always sat on Arthur's face to those who could only see the mask dimmed as well, with the Wizened giving him a long, proper look. "As in contact the city? How?"
Vincent Drake:
"That....is for those who join this society, for Stewards....which I want you to be among the first recruits." he smiled, but the smile had more confidence then playful, diffrent like the rest of his mannerism at the moment
Arthur Franklin:
"What all would be involved in that?"
Vincent Drake:
"As I said, the goal is to better the city, gain influence to do so, key members in key positions in the cities various spheres, I plan to recruit Yllka and Snowy, that would be the Underworld, we'll have to find people for Law Enforcement, Goverment, Industry, Media, the Arts, small group but making sure our members are in the right places."
Arthur Franklin:
"Right...I mean as far as solidifying membership goes. Are you expecting a proper oath, gentleman's agreement, what?"
Vincent Drake:
"Honestly, part of this will be 'don't divulge our secrets'....so when he have proper core founding membership, an oath might be needed, even among our societies, this a secret one."
Arthur Franklin:
"Gotcha...can cross that bridge when we get to it." He nodded quietly. "I'm willing to help where I can, like I said."
Vincent Drake:
"I would like you to be apart of this, we've been working together a short time, but I've come to trust your judgment."
Arthur Franklin:
"Long as it's not something that would butt up against my people's work, I'd be down."
Vincent Drake:
"Your peoples work will be one part of a new machine, to be nurtured and grown and aid the Stewards," he assured, still with the air of some regal lord, voice confidant, like a lord accepting a vassal, "My plan with those we have are simple, you will handle the logistics and supply, Snowy will become the eyes and ears, if Yllka accepts she shall be our primary voice among the street gangs, I shall be the condiut to the City and will use my powers to sway those in positions that need greasing, I have accesses to the Country Club and the right whispers can open the right doors."
Arthur Franklin:
"'New machine', eh?" His eyebrow arched a touch at that but he nodded. "Think I can handle that."
Vincent Drake:
"The Stewards of the Mother," he nodded, "This group will hopefully be made up of those from all corners, Lost, Mages, Sleepwalkers, all with shared vision and purpose," he extended his hand, "I want the best and brightest with me, those who are willing to work for the greater good, people like you."
Arthur Franklin:
"I'll take the compliment." He said with a smirk, taking the offered hand. "You got me."
Vincent Drake:
he shook it, strong and firm, looking him dead in the eye with a smile and nod
"When we have a strong founding membership, say Yllka and Snowy, we'll get to oathing, now, I've been spending the last few months looking for a location in the City, the first place the native Lenape settled in the area, the start of what would become Philadelphia, I intend to build a shrine dedicated to the City Spirit, I have it on good authority from Mages that their is indeed a god like Spirit representing Philadelphia, also apparently me contacting it is good for the time line, don't ask me I'm not a mage, but I take it as a good sign."
Arthur Franklin:
Arthur returned the firm handshake, meeting Vincent's gaze without issue. "Sounds...interesting. Spirits are out of my wheelhouse, but color me intrigued."
Vincent Drake:
Vincent let go of his hand
"I'm handling it myself so far, I'm going to talk to the Sakima-our Crown, she might know where such a location is, as I told Avery, I'm handling this aspect myself because it feels.....like it's apart of my growth, something for myself to complete, if that makes sense." he looked at the platform around them, "I don't know how a vampire can interact with Spirits yet, but I'm sure I'll find something, I have a wide range of Diciplines, Contracts in your lingo, and I'm sure some combination of them will do the trick."
Arthur Franklin:
"That tracks, yeah. We all have our own story to follow." He nodded, sparing a glance about before looking back to Vincent. "Best of luck."
Vincent Drake:
"Thanks, if you find any occult genuine articals in the Black Market, shit that might actually contact Spirits, we might be able to make genuine use, but for now, it's about finding the shrine location, and who knows if the spot is big enough, we could make a temple, a base of operations for our new society." he beamed
Arthur Franklin:
Arthur gave another nod, his features inscrutable. "Suppose we'll see."
Vincent Drake:
"One step at a time, for now, I'm just looking for a good shrine location." he nodded, "It's like I've finally found my purpose in life, something greater then myself....it's a good feeling."
Avery Frisk:
Avery nips his ear gently and happily croaks.
Arthur Franklin:
"Happy for you on that front." He offered with a smile. "It's always good to finally see the path laid out before you."
Vincent Drake:
he smiled and nodded, "And it's good to have people you can trust to walk that path with," he said, giving some scritches to Avery, "That's mainly what I wanted to discuss, I'll see Snowy about the Stewards, what's your thoughts on Yllka by the way, I think she shares our vision."
Arthur Franklin:
"She seems solid. Had a talk with her myself to offer what I assistance I could for her operation."
Avery Frisk:
Avery nuzzles the vampire's cheek cause got scratchies!!!
Vincent Drake:
"I like the cut of her jib and I trust my gut," he smiled, "I need to see to some things this night, got a raven I need to cuddle before Dawn," he chuckled, "I'll be seeing you, and when we get the foundation good, we'll meet for oaths, mission statements and all that jazz."
Arthur Franklin:
"Sounds good. Catch you later."
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