Avalon (open)

Hector smiled in a amused sort of fashion, looking whole healthy and alive, still entertained by the Howling Moon comedy club coming up with the alternate mocks to werewolves or invites to said monsters. He'd decided to make a much more direct approach as he hadn't met any real locals prior to his sickness, not that he'd been making it easy for them until only recently but still. So he figured an older trick would work by picking the most posh Invictus tagged place and go knocking, whether the door in a manner of speaking or heads quite literal was remain to be seen. He also wanted to feed again and remove the vile vitae he'd consumed earlier, for while nourishing it's source was less than desirable on any level, thankfully he wasn't an ignorant to think it would make him less of who he was. Coming around a corner he spotted his prize, the Club Avalon, such a nice ring to it and the stench of Invictus that he'd have noticed a long way off had he not been so amused.

He stood across the street attempting to get a feel for not only the area but the club and it's clientele, this was prime rack territory and not a single beast to play with, that was odd in a very Hitchcock sort of way. Looking around he was just considering what it'd be like to be the only Kindred in the city when he was interrupted by a despairing rough male voice asking, "Can you spare me a few bucks?" Looking to the source of his interruption Hector was witness one of the many fabled California homeless, long dirty hair with a faded slightly worn beach tank top and filthy cargo shorts hand out as though seeking the fabled holy grail. The homeless man was about to say something when something in Hectors gaze looking him up and down as though on display thought the wiser while Hector replied, "You have two arms, legs, a head that houses a brain enough to formulate a sentence and are not at all close to falling over from either exhaustion or starvation. You had best use what you have, for the next time I hear you utter such a phrase while in a similar condition I will change your condition to one less than you had." Without another glance Hector makes his way across the street to Avalon and enters wondering what he'll find, the mortal looking after him in terror forgotten till next time.

Hector finally felt the strong reaction of his beast to another one rather than something else, the feel was always different, more for that later though he thought. Smiling as though having just won the lottery he walks over to the identified Kindred while looking to ensure there weren't any lurkers.

"Evening." The first word is filled with a certain warmth as though he's actually happy to be meeting with another of his kind. "I'm Hector." He extends his hand in a polite manner while his tone remains rather respectful if warm.

Arnold arrives at the Avalon, walking inside. He ignores any disgusted and uneasy looks he gets from the kine as he scans the place for the Prince.

He actually looks pretty hearty and hale for what had just happened to the Kindred of the city.

Twist found a parking spot and after snagging it took a second inside her vehicle to adjust her hair. Finally satisfied she stepped into the warm evening air and locking the car behind her, made her way to the door of Avalon. Black heeled boots mostly hidden by black silk slacks, a cream and black kimono/corset mix, an upswept French twist with black pearls strung throughout to match those hanging from her ears and and she easily passed dress code. ((Outfit image: http://www.fairygothmother.co.uk/newimages3/large/fgm-kimono1l.jpg ))

Inside she was able to pinpoint the strange niggling feeling at the back of her mind- the place was nearly empty. Oh, there were a few hits that had her beast urging for her to return to the car. But only a few. This was Avalon...she should be having hits coming in waves. Careful to keep her face blank she slowly moved to the bar. She thought she sensed a beast as strong as Asa's, the other's were also powerful and she would rather not risk it. From the bar she would be able to watch the majority of the club and would hopefully be able to spot the Prince. If she couldn't within a few minutes...then she would seek out the other beasts she felt.

Arnold hurries over to Asa, and likewise inclines his head to him.

"It is good to see you well, Majesty."

He then immediately begins eying Hector up and down. He doesn't recognize him.

If anything as the others approached, he took note of each as his smile widened. "Well isn't that just wonderful, get nothing and then get the creme of the crop." He takes a less familiar pose although nothing to offer onlookers any great clue as to what was transpiring and again looking about to ensure none but other identified kindred were within easy earshot. "Would you prefer someplace else for formalities?"

Regina has become distressed. Her goal of starting a new chapter might just run into a serious lack of membership. Forget members in the invictus, there might not be enough vampires at all. Looking around, she decided to head back to Asylum, maybe she could sneak into the boss' room, find some way of contacting him or her. On the way however, she spotted a line of people trying to get into a club with a proper sounding name, Avalon. High class, and the clientelle backed that up.
double checking with her ghoul that her swords were indeed obfuscated

Spoiler:

She headed inside, and was startled by the beasts she encountered. One, two, three, and one more powerful than the next. A knight does not run, and so Regina did not flee, despite everything telling her to. She headed to the gathering, keeping her distance, lest they assume she was some sort of assassin (paranoia was not a fun trait in Regina's opinion, but was too common not to take appropriate precautions), and gave a deferential nod of her head.

Regina nods her head. "I hope so; I am looking for members of the Estate. I noticed this place had the Estate markings on it, and hoped to meet members here."

Fingering the drink she had ordered but yet to taste, Twist scanned the crowd again and still not spotting Asa. She kept telling herself that she ought to just get up and head toward where she could feel other kindred gathering but her beast was still rattling for more blood- but to get it elsewhere...and she couldn't bring herself to it.

Deciding that it wasn't wise to keep a Prince waiting just because she felt like shit she pulled out her cell phone and began to type out a text. It was a cheap way of getting out of searching but she wasn't in the mood to care.

Twist felt her phone buzz in her hand and flipped it open to see that the Prince had sent a reply. Reading and then rereading it she grinned viciously. She knew she would get it some day! Letting the phone snap shut she gave one last quick glance about the club before setting her untouched drink on the bar behind her and dropping enough cash to cover it twice over. Couple that she just got the hound position with the fact that she could leave and her night was steadily looking better.

Now she just needed another feeding session and she would be peachy. But first things first...Veritas.

Slowly she made her way from the bar, to the exit and back to her vehicle. Now, where to find Veritas?

Arnold follows them back to the office.

He keeps his eyes on the two new arrivals.

Hector at first seems a little surprised at the openness of titles and such but that disappears quicker than most would have caught. As the Prince moves away he takes a moment to look over each with an appreciative look despite appearances and holds a friendly face let alone infectious smile.

As he's indicated to head to somewhere more private with everyone he falls in step with the others not bothering to jockey for any sort of spot, simply going with the flow to see who goes where with what looks.

To the Prince's question, "That would be correct, about a week now," so casual, "I'd have come sooner but only seemed to run into oddities and rogues not apart of the city structure, which proved a little troublesome." He wondered at the odd state of the current situation and hoped this wasn't some inept run city with immature power hungry childer without guidance, it would make things so tedious.

Unsure of everyone's relationship, honesty proves the best policy.
"Yes. I just arrived recently."

Arnold moves to shut the door, standing in front of it.

"I am Dame Lady Knight Regina Pia, esteemed member of the Daeva clan." She says this with only a hint of pride.

Hector's voice smoothly picks up perfectly where Regina's prideful one stops. His smile at this Clan mates pronouncement could only be described as pleased. "Hector Hastipolis. Acolyte and Daeva." He made sure to keep on most reactions to his added announcements. While wondering just how painful this would be on his mind, he so wanted to go out and set up things already, but he reminded himself to be nice in order to make things run smoothly.

It doesn't take much to put two and two together. The non-vampire talking for the vampire. The vampire being able to enter the back rooms without comment. This was obviously an Invictus test if ever she saw one. "I have been sent by the Most Noble Order of the Thorned Wreath to establish a chapter of Knights in this city." That it was this city by Fate's choosing was of little consequence. She had been sent.

Looking over at his associate kindred in being new Hector nodded once while thinking, Nice and bold, trouble for certain, then turned back to the Prince while responding to the others query. "Simply looking for a new city to reside in which is not being raped, plundered and murdered by bloody handed fools." He could've just read a passage from a technical manual for the matter of factness to his statement leaving no doubt he was being forthright.

Regina drops gracefully to a knee and bows her head. "Then I would offer you the services of this Knight. Do you wish for me to declare the Oath of the Thorned Wreath here, or at some later time, most powerful Prince of Sacramento?"

If not interested Hector at least showed respect to the knight and the Prince in the highly unusual circumstance to which he was only partially aware of fully. He held his tongue after such a pronouncement till the ritual obligations were done, his smile slid away to a more stone like countenance, hard to read.

Now full with blood and his wounds healed, Dr. Ith Lazarus felt it was time to leave the safety of his haven and go see how other kindred of the city fared against whatever it was that left him so damaged and in a short-lived torpor. None of the Doctor's invictus contacts were answering his calls, and he wondered if whatever had happened might not have affected the entire Invictus, or perhaps the city's entire Kindred population. If so, he might be of the few Kindred, perhaps the only, left in the city. With little choice as to where else to go, Lazarus was aware of the Avalon Club and its tendency to be a Kindred gathering point; if there was anyone left they would be there.

Dressed in his typical wrinkled lab coat and other clothing, Lazarus entered the club and looked around from behind his mask; his long hair was a mess, as always, part of which was draped down across the white expressionless visage. It did not take long at all for him to locate other kindred in the room, as he could sense their beasts., but he'd arrived just as they were heading behind closed doors. Lazarus noted someone he thought might be Alder Lord Asa Clarke. Although he had never met the other Invictus face-to-face, Lazarus had heard enough through his Invictus contacts about the man to spot him in a crowd.

Lazarus thought to himself. Perhaps the trip here wasn't entirely for naught.

((some edits by ST for continuity purposes))

Not wanting to interrupt the proceedings, Dr. Lazarus simply took a seat and waited.

~Step on a crack. Break your mother's back.~

"What if your mother is already dead?"

Arms out. Balancing along the curb. Mel isn't the most graceful of people, though his steps are silent. Blue eyes watch the curb with a determination that he rarely put into anything that wasn't Divining.

He refuses to trip.

A strong hand pulls him off of the curb by his wrist, and he looks at Joshua--his thrall--just a little betrayed. Didn't he understand that it's important to listen when you're told to do something? They sent Joshua to act as his liason because sometimes the world just doesn't make sense.

At least, if you ask Mel.

"We're here, Mel."

A blink. Two.

"Oh."

Avalon. Where They told him to go. Otherwise, this city is bereft of a Kindred presence, and from everything that he's been seeing, something big happened here not long ago.

Lots of death here.

A step inside and a wave for Joshua to stay there. Time to find others and let them know he's here.

He looks down at the floor, and frowns.

~Step on a crack. Break your mother's back.~

He scowls at something unseen, and shoves his hands into his pockets.

And still keeps himself from stepping on cracks in between looking. There are others here, and even if he couldn't feel them?

They'd told him where to find them.

Reeve? Sherriff. This was fantastic. But what had become of Ishani Natesh, he wondered?

It really did not matter to him in the slightest, however.

He bows reverently to Asa, and says in his smooth voice "Right away, Majesty. Let's be off, Dame Lady Knight Pia." He opens the door, holding it open for her, and then following her out of the office.

Regina rises, and gives a bow to the Prince. "As you wish, Alder Prince." She takes two steps backwards, and then turns and walks out. "Thank you, Reeve Culler." She says as she passes him. So pleasant these americans were turning out to be. She would have to write a letter ot Fillipe. Exiting the back room, she runs smack into the new beast. "I do beleive that we have our first mark." She indicates the young man with the two metal studs on his face. Not studs, a bar, in front of his lower jaw. "what on earth could that be for?" She wonders, as she assesses the threat.

~Where-oh-where-have-the-Beasties-Gone....~
Oh.

There's one. Maybe two.

Were Kindred universally predisposed to backrooms of bars and clubs? Mel's sire had owned a club, and somewhere he remembers having been in many, many of them. He acknowledges that they aren't his memories but his sire's. Memories his sire never bothered to retrieve.

Things get so mixed up sometimes. Hopefully there will be some kind of order here when and if he starts working for someone else.

But he tilts his head to the side, looking up at the Beasties from his spot on the floor of the bar-club-thing, careful to be standing not on a crack because he remembers being superstitious.

He also remembers being a girl, so that means nothing in the scheme of things.

A blink and a half-here smile.

And he waits.

Arnold looks down at the smaller Beast before him. His own wounded Beast snarling weakly. Arnold frowns at Mel "I am Reeve Arnold Culler. Sheriff. Who are you?"

Regina finds herself on the Reeve's left. She looked down on the kine, weak, fragile things, and they receded from her cold demeanor, giving the sherriff plenty of room to work.

(( Asa and Erika are still in his office, they left the common area some time ago to talk to the others ))

Hector didn't even bother to look after the others as the left but rather studied the two left before him and considered his next move, as much as he'd like to get right to work on building he thought that perhaps he should see to his new home first.

In a respectful and still charming voice, "Thank you Prince Asa I would be happy to explore some more sights. However," He made sure to take them both in with his look friendly and apologetic as it was, "is there another Acolyte that I may be directed to and may I be of any assistance with the problems of my new home?" The dice cast, it was time to see how the Prince would fare, Hector hoped for good as he hated the alternative.

Well that makes some things easier. Hopefully the Sanctified had similar numbers or more wisdom than the last ones. Still needed to come up with a proper gift to send them, but that could come later. "Very well." Without another word or look he casually walks out the office and closing the door, only to run into the little spectacle in the common area.

He stops and waits behind the Knight and Reeve, almost right out of the office, as they bore down the other intriguing Kindred to which he resisted the urge to play as a musical instrument. Now this could be interesting and helpful or just a annoyance. He simply watched the scene making no move to indicate he was there at all.

First thing that comes to mind is 'Duh...I know what a Reeve is.' though how he knows is probably best left unsaid. It's not his memory, after all. It's someone else's

A head-tilt, this time to the other side. Real name or someone else's name, though in retrospect his sire has taken his real name from him. This one he's not sure if it's someone else's, or if his sire has just given it to him so that he has something to call him.

Funny thing, that.

His eyes flicker to something else. Something no one else can see--or something that isn't there. Whichever.--before he finally answers.

"Me? I'm Mel." On hand touches his chest. As though he's claiming the name as his own. "I'm new. The cards told me to come. The Tower. Death. King of Wands. Arthur and his dead Kingdom"

He shrugs.

"Avalon."

Arnold doesn't answer. He turns his body, and raps a gnarled knuckle against the door they'd just exited before opening it a crack so that his voice can be heard inside. "Another one new to town out here, Majesty. Shall I send him in?"

Arnold ushers Mel into the office, closing it behind the two of them and standing in front of it as he had before. He leaves Hector and Regina outside the office while he escorts Mel inside.

Looking to the Invictus knight a friendly smile flashes across his face as he then proceeds to leave the club. AS he leaves his thoughts lead to a single question: Where to start?