Vampire Alliance

Derrick Lin
[Ian be rollin' the things. Same as before, mind protection, base diff 5 -1 (resonance) -1 (practiced)]

Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (3, 4) ( success x 3 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[extending +1 -1 (goin' slow)]

Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (3, 3) ( success x 3 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[One more]

Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (4, 4) ( success x 2 )

Kalen Holliday
[How awake are we?]

Dice: 7 d10 TN7 (5, 6, 6, 8, 8, 9, 9) ( success x 4 )

Derrick Lin
[Aaand resonance masking. Diff 5 -1 (resonance) -1 (slow)]

Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (5, 8) ( success x 3 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[extending +1]

Dice: 2 d10 TN3 (7, 8) ( success x 3 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[one more]

Dice: 2 d10 TN4 (6, 6) ( success x 2 )

Grace
[Mental Protection is cool. Let's do that. Base diff 5 - 1 taking time]

Dice: 3 d10 TN4 (6, 6, 7) ( success x 3 )

Derrick Lin
[For my records, Ian will have these effects active for the next... month. Or until such time as he decides to drop them. *g* Mind Shield level 5, Masked Resonance level 5]

Grace
[Extends with WP]

Dice: 3 d10 TN5 (4, 7, 10) ( success x 3 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[And Grace has a lvl 3 mind shield for one month]

Grace
[Corr 2, Prime 1, Entropy 1: Scan for the duplicitous vampires we're totally expecting. Entropy for detecting other vampires, Prime for detecting other magics. Base 5, -1 taking time, -1 Resonance (Keen), WP (2 spent)]

Dice: 3 d10 TN3 (3, 8, 10) ( success x 4 ) [WP]

Grace
[Extending, WP (3 spent)]

Dice: 4 d10 TN3 (1, 9, 9, 9) ( success x 4 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[Grace spies on all the things]

Grace
[Extending with actual dice numbers again -_-]

Dice: 3 d10 TN4 (2, 7, 10) ( success x 3 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
There were certain types of food joints that tended to attract night crowds. Asian noodle places usually fell into that category, and Saigon Bowl was no different. The restaurant was highly rated within its (moderate) price range, which made it a popular destination for college students and bar hoppers and anyone having a late night craving. The setting was casual, but the food was excellent. Not that a man like Derrick Lin was likely to be able to appreciate that. Perhaps the scent alone was enough to bring back fond memories. Perhaps he'd picked the location with more of a mind to strategy. Either way, he showed up on time. A few minutes early, actually. And he ordered a vietnamese beer and a bowl of Pho, neither of which he'd touched. Instead he sat with both elbows on the table, messing around with something on his phone.

He looked very much as Kalen remembered him. Dark, shoulder-length hair. Mixed asian and caucasian features. Tonight he wore an old leather jacket and a band t-shirt for the Strokes. He was seated at a table all the way in the back, a reasonable distance from the other diners, most of whom were occupying tables closer to the windows.

Ian was there too, seated alone by the wall a few tables away from where Derrick sat. He'd been there for a while, slowly consuming a stir fry while he talked to someone on the phone. A couple of students on a date were seated next to him.

Derrick Lin
[Once Grace gets her effect up, she'll be able to both see and sense Derrick's presence in the restaurant. Beyond that, she won't pick up on any active magical effects. At present, he is the only vampire in the immediate vicinity, but with Grace's senses extending out beyond the restaurant, she will feel a dark spot of frozen entropy in a parking lot a few buildings down.]

Grace
Grace has been at work for a while now. Having a set place and time for this worked out in her favor, as she was able to arrive early and set up her surveillance net.

And where are we doing this from? Her car, across the street and down a ways from the restaurant. For all anybody can tell, she's an individual who has become so distracted by her phone that she's pulled over to park for a while and deal with her voracious Words with Friends addiction.

It's not Words with Friends.

No, she's extending her will into the universe and gathering holographic data from it.

Kalen will get a text before he enters:

There's another one a few buildings down. Currently immobile.

Kalen Holliday
Kalen comes into the Saigon Bowl looking...a bit less like Derrick remembers.  Derrick met Kalen out for dancing.  But this version of Kalen...well, this one is new to everyone.  Even to Kalen, who is trying on a new skin.  He's wearing jeans and a moss grey long-sleeved tee-shirt and a brown corduroy jacket.  Other than the coat, which is vintage (and new to him), everything he is wearing is new.  He pauses at the entrance, looks around the room, pulls out his phone, taps out a brief text (reading simply: 'Thanks.  Keep advised.'), and then heads toward Derrick.

He hangs a leather satchel across the back of the chair opposite Derrick and then settles into that chair.  He smiles a little.  "Hey," he says, as though he and Derrick are two people to whom coming here for dinner should seem perfectly normal.  "How are you?"

[How distracted by Resonance are we?]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (2, 4, 4, 8, 10, 10, 10) ( success x 4 )

Derrick Lin
[When Grace shifts her visuals to the parking lot where the other vampire is waiting, she narrows her focus down to a silver BMW, and its occupant - a very smartly dressed black woman who, at present, seems to be fixing her makeup in the visor mirror.]

Derrick Lin
Derrick looked up when Kalen walked in, tracking him with his eyes while Kalen approached the table and sat down. After a moment of silence, he smiled and sat back in his seat. The appearance was one of relaxed ease. (Like a meeting of old friends.)

"Ah, I do remember you." Whether he remembered Kalen fondly or otherwise was another matter, but for the moment he did not appear either overtly suspicious or aggressive. "I apologize if I seemed suspicious before. I'll admit I wasn't thrilled at the way you chose to contact me, and I needed to be sure you were who you said you were." There was a pause. "I looked through the information you sent me. There's a lot of pretty damning information in there."

Derrick Lin
[Edit: "I looked through the e-mails you sent me." (oh repetitive words)]

Grace
Grace shifts the audio-visual input down to that other spot of frozen entropy, and finds a black woman in clothes that would normally make Grace second-guess someone's motives. That is to say, she is dressed to impress. And that on a vampire? Doubly second-guessing now.

Huh. Someone has the same idea she has perhaps?

The other woman's looking into a mirror, seeming to fix her makeup. Let's take a closer look, shall we? Is that what you're really doing?

Derrick Lin
[As it happens, that really is what the woman is doing (putting on makeup.) Grace won't pick up any active magic - of any variety - in the area around the car. After a few minutes, the vampire stores her mascara in her purse and sits back to check her phone. When she sees there are no notifications, she puts it away and gazes out the window. It looks as though she's waiting for something.]

Kalen Holliday
"I apologize.  It isn't usually my first choice, as contact methods go, but we had only so many options."  Kalen rests his forearms against the table and leans into them.  "And, yes, I suppose.  Though it may vary, to some degree, upon how one defines damnation and the conditions warranting it."  The words are a little bit at war with the new skin.  Well.  It will take practice.

He looks up at the approaching server, smiles, and orders tea and lemongrass stir-fried tofu.  Once the server is gone, Kalen returns his attention to Derrick.  There is a quick, curious glance at the food.  He remembers Wesley rescheduling dinner.  Wesley who is the only vampire to feel...so completely, maddeningly, perception-shatteringly human.  At least Derrick has the decency to feel a little bit spooky.

"Thank you, by the way.  The other night wouldn't have gone so well, if you hadn't-"  Let us walk away instead of shooting Alexander from about two feet away.  "Done things the way you had.  And considering what you told me, I thought you would likely feel similarly about that information as I do."

[How do you remember me?  What do you think about that information?  Per+Empathy - WP]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 6, 6, 7, 10, 10) ( success x 6 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[Manip+Subterfuge]

Dice: 8 d10 TN6 (1, 3, 3, 3, 7, 10, 10, 10) ( success x 4 )

Derrick Lin
Derrick made a noncommittal sound, rolling his shoulders lightly. "It was a less than ideal meeting, but I like to think we can move past it." He shifted position, leaning forward so that he could drop his voice when he spoke next. "And I believe, in this, we may in fact have similar goals."

Derrick let that settle in for a moment before continuing. "I have a proposal for you. But first I need to know... how many of your group do you speak for?"

Grace
Okay, so the lookout is just waiting for a signal. On her phone.

Seems like a fairly normal contingency plan. After all, Grace is doing something similar, right? How are the vampires supposed to know that they aren't being trapped? Okay. Shifting the sights back to Kalen and Derrick...

Kalen Holliday
And once again, Kalen is leaning into a vampire.  The reasons are ostensibly the same, but whatever he saw in Wesley that let him really relax he does not see in Derrick.  He doesn't have any reasons but practicality.  And everything for him has always been easier.  He doubts that he will give Derrick any jars of lightning bugs.  Or that Grace will.  This is...a very different meeting.

"Directly right now, as regards what we will do, none.  We're...sort of into making communal decisions.  We are all opposed to what is happening at that club, that I can confidently say.  We are, honestly, of varying minds as to the nature and scope of what constitutes an appropriate response.

"My willingness to speak to you is...less unusual here than it is in other places I have been.  It was a bit less complicated before, but this shadowy woman encountered a couple of my friends and they are, for understandable reasons, a little spooked.  Still, they know we're meeting.  There were no objections, only some concern that I might be walking into a trap.  I believe they'll consider your proposal as seriously as I will."

Derrick Lin
Derrick listened to this with a guarded expression. He gave a little nod, sitting back a few inches. It made it look less like they were conspiring. "Myself and some friends are interested in a temporary alliance. Neither of us will be able to achieve what we want alone. But... together? I believe we can. I'm not really the one you should be talking to though. Are you willing to walk with me?"

Grace
So far, everyone seems to be playing nice, but Grace perks up at that last bit. Walk with me? To that BMW maybe? To meet the other entropy hole?

Eeh.

Kalen will do what he will do. And she will shift her perceptions and watch over his steps.

Kalen Holliday
There is only a slight pause while Kalen thinks about that.  At least Ian and Grace will be pleased to note that he does not pour himself onto this vampire's arm.

Even if they are less pleased by his answer.  "Yes."  He rises, picks up his bag, and pulls out a pack of cigarettes as they head toward the door.

Derrick Lin
At Kalen's agreement, Derrick smiled and reached into his pocket to produce a leather wallet. He dropped a few bills onto the table to pay for their (uneaten) food and got to his feet. There was a brief delay as he sent off a text to whoever might be waiting for them, then he walked with Kalen to the door. Unlike Wesley, Derrick made no attempt to initiate contact between them. On the contrary, he seemed quite aware of Kalen's personal space.

Once outside, Derrick gave a little nod over one shoulder. "I have a friend waiting a few buildings down. She asked if she could meet with you. She'll be able to fill you in on the rest of the details."

So unless Kalen objected at this point, the two of them would walk the distance to the nearby parking lot. Derrick was quiet on the way over, leaving his hands free where Kalen could see them. As they approached their destination, Kalen would see a smartly dressed black woman leaning against a silver BMW. She watched them approach with a coolly appraising gaze.

"Pleasure to meet you - I think." Her mouth ticked up in a smile at that. "My name is Iris. What should I call you?"

Grace
From her vantage point, hunched over in the car, staring at her phone -- the tenuous tether to the Data feeding her -- she realizes that Kalen forgot her udon.

Gonna kill him.

She's nervous, but hopeful, as things seem to be looking up. Or at least, they are not yet trying to shove shadows down his throat. So, not looking down exactly.

Derrick Lin
[Ian - sneaksneak]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10) ( success x 4 )

Derrick Lin
[Derrick Alertness]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (4, 4, 6, 7, 8) ( success x 3 )

Derrick Lin
[Iris Alertness]

Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 5, 7, 7, 10) ( success x 3 )

Kalen Holliday
Kalen fiddles with the cigarettes, but after a second drops them back into his bag.  He'll have to come back for lemongrass tofu.  It's alright though, he promised Grace udon, and this place had about every noodle but udon.  He'd have had to go somewhere else anyway.

He isn't exactly perfectly relaxed as they approach Iris, but he returns her smile with one that is actually real enough.  He can appreciate that greeting.  Also that the cosmos has decided to grant him pretty vampires instead of vampires with skin like melted wax.  Of course.  That had ended much more quickly.  Violently.

That night had ended with new allies.  New information.  He'll take that.

What should she call him?  He pauses.  Because he, for a few seconds, cannot quite remember who he is.  He isn't giving them who he might be becoming though.  These are not the people to give shards of your still forming dreams.  "Kalen," he says quietly.  "And, likewise."

Derrick Lin
"Kalen, then." Neither Iris or Derrick seemed surprised at the name Kalen chose to offer them. Either Wesley hadn't mentioned anything to them about Kalen, or they were hiding it well. Iris took a step away from the car, drawing closer to Kalen. Derrick hung back a little, throwing glances over his shoulder. None of them (including Grace) saw where Ian went after Kalen and Derrick left the restaurant. (In fact, he went out the back entrance and came around the other way.) The parking lot was lit by a couple of street lamps, but was presently empty of life - apart from Kalen and his... rather unliving companions. A few other cars sat empty in nearby stalls. Occasionally someone passed by on the sidewalk, but otherwise, they were alone.

(Well, almost.)

"You probably aren't aware, but there are some of us who've been looking for a way to remove Grayson Addario and his employers from Denver for quite some time. We just haven't had the leverage to do it - until now. The trouble is, if you remove the agents, more will be sent in their place. If you burn down the business, insurance will pay for a new one. These are all temporary measures. If you really want to get rid of Lilean Holdings, then you need to make sure that their losses are greater than their profits. Then they'll have no choice but to withdraw. If we can make them believe that they are outnumbered here, then I believe they will leave willingly. Derrick and I have prepared an offer to buy the club, but they'll laugh in our face if it isn't backed up by some real leverage."

Derrick Lin
[That was Iris speaking, btw. Sorry for not making it clear in the narration.]

Grace
Oh, that sounds peachy. Lets let one set of vampires take over the other set of vampires? And then what? They end up doing the same?

Grace grimaces into her phone screen. At least Kalen has found some of these... people don't just set out to kill everybody. Not like that asshole in the park. They might be the lesser of two evils. Might.

Will have to keep an eye on them.

That one did have a point though. Burning down the Orchid would be satisfying, but they don't appear to live there. And their parent company might just set up a new shop, eh? What if she burned down 5 fucking clubs? That would draw attention. She sighs.

Kalen Holliday
Kalen blinks.  He had mentioned that endless vampire war was less than desirable, but buying the club hadn't occurred to them.  Minimize their losses and they would more likely withdraw.  They'd just be in another city, but Grace can monitor their holdings.  Maybe if they get chased out of enough cities moving locations will drain enough of their resources they will stop.  At any rate, they don't have the resources to take out an international vampire organisation.  And, as his cabalmates once said, they need to mind their limits.

"You definitely have my attention.  What kind of leverage did you have in mind?"

Derrick Lin
Iris seemed pleased by Kalen's response, but the pleasure was sobered by the nature of their discussion. Leverage, in this case, could only really mean one thing. Threats.

"They're more afraid of you than they let on. Not least because your kind are so... unpredictable. What you've done here? Hacking into their private e-mails? That's impressive. Right now, they have no idea how big of a threat you actually pose, and that's good. We can use that to our advantage. Make them believe that the entire company is in danger, and they will scramble to protect what they can. Denver has the youngest and least profitable of their holdings. They will cut it off if they have to. We just need to make sure they understand that it won't be worth defending. Which... is where you come in. Or rather, all of us. Together. Presenting a unified front. They won't be expecting it, and that... will scare the shit out of them. We probably won't even need to fight. The mere appearance of a gun is often enough to command a response."

Grace
Grace smirks. If they knew that she can find out where they all sleep. And that changing where they do so won't help.

Then, Derrick would probably be just as afraid of her. Well, you know... Too bad.

Grace kind of wants to fight. She kind of wants to remove that shadow monster from the equations that hold her stuck in place. It's personal, but also -- she showed the kind of callousness to human life that Grace cannot abide. Her victim may not have been dead yet, but he was close. And what would have happened had Sera not been there?

That's a question she doesn't really want answered.

Kalen Holliday
"We might well be able to come to terms.  But I am curious.  Why are you interested in removing them?  I'm all for not having that kind of evil in my city.  But...I have little reason to expect that your motivations are compassion or empathy.  What will you do with whatever you get from this?"  There is no hostility evident in the question.  Kalen doesn't think they're doing this to make the world better, but he's not terribly disturbed by that thought.  Predators are, after all, predators.  Some are more easily tolerated than others.  And removing international vampire crime organisations from the equation certainly seemed like a step forward.

Derrick Lin
"A fair question. To which I will tell you... despite what you may have heard, not all creatures of the night are monsters. Many of us wish only to live our lives in peace, as you do. The people who work for Lilean Holdings do not want that. They are careful, because they have to be. But make no mistake, if they gain the kind of power they desire, no one will be safe. I don't want innocent people getting killed. I don't want my friends getting killed. And I don't want this city to fall to chaos. That benefits no one. Believe me, I hate those fucking assholes as much as you do. Probably more, since I know them better."

Iris crossed her arms over her chest and eyed Kalen for a moment, her expression shrewd and considering. "I don't know if I can trust you. Truthfully, there was a fair bit of push-back against this idea from those that I spoke to. Many think that you'll lure us into a trap. There are stories, you know. Of the things you can do. But I don't think we have a choice, and I don't think you do either - short of inaction."

At this point, Derrick stepped closer, turning to Kalen to offer his own response. "My company is making the offer to buy the club. And my intention is to run it as precisely what it is: an entertainment venue, and a safe space for our kind."

Grace
Ugh. Again with the vagueness. What kind of power do they desire? Why would no one be safe?

Truth be told, Grace would rather receive an annotated version of those emails. Explain what the hell they're talking about, besides the obvious.

But, if she sends Kalen another text, it'll probably just tip them off at this point. And, barring actual danger, she's not going to do that. She just keeps watching for other vampires to show up, further horrible things? But so far, nothing.

Kalen Holliday
"I expect to hear no little bit of resistance when I take this offer back.  Still, I want no part of an unwinnable war, and I cannot imagine they do."  Kalen nods, and he smiles, though it's a bit muted by their topic of conversation.  "I do realize, now, that it is true that some of you are not monsters.  All of you are dangerous, which leads me to be cautious.  But I suppose you have the very same dilemma there.

"There are, I suppose, three things I know will be asked.  The first, and most obvious, is how we threaten together.  We can come to that.  The second is that, while I imagine you'd like us in general to avoid running off hunting in the streets, there is one associate of Grayson's we definitely want to see gone if she doesn't withdraw.  I doubt you'll miss her.  Third," and here he glances at Derrick.  "Your future club has some ghosts.  We would like to...help them.  If we can.  If, at some point during the transition you could allow us access, we would appreciate that."

[And - Per+Empathy on Iris' explanation in that last post - WP because Kalen hates having all his WP]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 10) ( success x 5 ) [WP]

Derrick Lin
[Iris Subterfuge]

Dice: 8 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 4, 7, 7, 9, 9, 10) ( success x 5 )

Derrick Lin
Derrick and Iris looked at each other. Something silent passed between them, and when Iris returned her attention to Kalen, she nodded. "I'd like to arrange a meeting with them. I won't lie, it will be risky. If things go wrong, there could be bloodshed on both sides. But it's the quickest and most effective method of dealing with them. As for... Grayson's associate. I bear no love for any of his friends. Just... be certain that however you handle her, it does not interfere with our negotiations. The third matter? I'll let Derrick decide."

Iris glanced at Derrick, who seemed wary but... amenable. "If everything works out, I can give you access while the place is closed to do whatever you need to do. So long as you promise not to leave any... hidden magic behind."

Grace
If Derrick had the capability to detect hidden magic, he likely wouldn't be so gung ho about this whole thing. That he's willing to offer despite that incapability? Maybe it says something. Or maybe he knows somebody who is better at that sort of thing.

All in all, he's being a lot less useless than last time. Still, she can't fathom why it was so important to be face-to-face. Maybe someday she'll figure out how to project images of herself at people so they'll stop being all fucking weird.

Because that makes sense. To her.

Kalen Holliday
And again Kalen nods.  "I ask only so that we can help the souls trapped there."  And that is the truth.  God knows what the Spirit Mages will want to do, but Kalen's intentions there are pure as the fucking snow.

"I will see what I can do about arranging a meeting.  Do you already have a particular location in mind?"

Derrick Lin
"We can decide that once I know all of the particulars. For now... I think both of us have people we need to speak to." Iris pulled out her cell phone and opened up her contacts. "We'll need to exchange contact information. This is my number..."

Iris waited until Kalen was ready, then rattled off a series of digits. When they were through, she offered him her hand. "I hope this will prove a valuable alliance for both of us. I'll be in touch."

And with negotiations at an end, Iris and Derrick got into the silver BMW and drove away.