https://youtu.be/_OUAYfJv2Z8?si=DSKsk5Xt2alcGR6Y

behind the southern charm lies razorblade smiles and hearts of Darkness monsters we are you know the rest of that sentiment and the reasoning behind it the truest lie ever sung it is not in seeking monstrousness that we Stave off the monsters of Our Hearts and Thoughts We Are Monsters dead and truly so yet our monstrousness is solely in seeking to live seeking to be that most human of animals Monsters We are monsters we are the better to embrace the truth of our dead Humanity the coast after dark is a mature themed Discord play by post server based in and exploring the V5 world of darkness in and around the Mississippi Gulf Coast region it has a small local population with over 14 million tourists that visit annually roughly an hour's time is all that is needed to travel from end to end the geography and size of the region has created a unique power structure that is formerly known as the Council of Twilight it is sometimes called the pentart sometimes affectionate sometimes oozing with disdain come explore and safely experience the darker parts of this sun-kissed landscape imaginations thank you thank you thank you thank you for tuning in this is officially without a shadow of a doubt the coast after dark nth number of one shots in and tonight's episode will be you must understand nothing could stop Mississippi I am your story teller your hosts and your number one fan nobody and we're just waiting the other players to arrive hello hello hello greetings and salutations how we doing we're doing fine enough fine enough okay so there's a there's a metric to measure fine I will have to keep that in mind sliding gradient scale of overall content versus physical pain ah must be nice being completely free of physical pain or thereabouts what's been keeping you you've been a little um absent you you're mostly okay mostly okay yeah um I've what is it I've just been losing track of time that's all uh I've I've put in place some Mind Tricks I would say uh to try and help me remember to do things see and so I'm looking forward to uh actually being on top of [ __ ] into the future it's just weird that I have to effectively game my own brain to have it do what I want otherwise I'll get i'll get stuck in something and not realize that I've spent way too much time on it until like the [ __ ] sun is down and I'm tired of [ __ ] no understandable we all Chase dopam mean in our own little ways mhm um there is something to be said about the uh what is I was talking to Sensei and it it might just generally be better for me to push to be more of an st than a player since I I do seem to be have such have such a hard time keeping consistent posting um with Oliver and I don't know what means since I came across as what he believes to be the the general problem we made the two characters as a pair and he's no longer playing all hos so it just feels weird to play Oliver though in the same light I think it's I think it's just a uh uh me being gone for so long and then coming back in it just kind of feels unfamiliar no fair enough it it does um get easy and easier to stay away based on just absence and time it's harder to come back cuz you know unfortunately uh we get good at what we do and whatever that is is what we becomes easier and easier to continue doing and trust me I get it it's not a easy thing with any semblances of frustration or any signs of discontent it makes everything immediately worse speaking of Sensei we were just talking earlier today it's one of those situations where once once annoyed the source of annoyance where there is actually annoying or not continues continues to annoy and fight it though we will it just everything we uh we we had a very similar conversation I I've pretty much established myself that I just need to suck it up and Soldier on as it applies to my particular annoyances on this uh uh on this server and just enjoy the server rather than hanging on to the things that I get annoyed about fair enough because truthfully I do enjoy the server I enjoy you guys and I enjoy the story that we're trying to tell here I just I don't know I feel I feel like uh what is it what is since I said since I said that with uh with our current player base being with our current active player base uh hosting it's almost inevitable that one would get tied up and if if I find it frustrating to the point to where it makes me want to go do something else rather than you know sit down and and ride out of seat it it's just not helping yeah what's up bud how you doing what's up how is your sojourn going my sojourn into the coast not just in life in general you know all that all that good stuff you understand what the word sojourn is because I [ __ ] do how are your travels no uh you've traveled a little too close to your [Music] mic hello hold on oh oh any better oh yes much okay so I cannot wear my headphones and have my mic plugged in at the same time okay that's odd the wonders of electronics mhm yes are are they uh bone conduction which one uh your headset is it is it bone conduction no they're just some like Sony noise cancellers ah ah yeah so they're working and fighting against themsel to to do their job oh you're probably right I should turn it off maybe that would help yeah suffice to say if uh um I'm I'm going to step forward and try and help you out with your with the with the stories and stuff because as it stands you know I I I look at it and I kind of think hot damn he's getting a little bit swamped out there yeah yeah it's fine it's fine I'm a cousin of being outnumbered it's okay it's all right you've got a lot of moving pieces he does he does there are um that gives me that that Segways almost beautifully into it is about that time to to light the fires with the tires um this is a mixed bag of downpouring scents and I'm not sure which ones are which cuz they're colorcoded but there was never a key given for which color is which scent so is literally the luck of the draw we have a tur koise a sand and a uh pale Violet to choose from which should we go with so turo I'm just trying to think of like what come what generally comes according to each color oh we can give turquoise a shot I imagine it's going to be like a really smooth scent really soothing one just because of the generally Blues are assigned to those kinds of things that are could be really fruity we'll see yeah yes let's find out um let's see I'm also going to try to reconnect my earphones so I can hear you all a little bit better okay okay sounds like a plan let's see what this one comes out to be it's going to take a little bit heat up um my previous Dragon holder died so this one's a down um a downdraft incense holder and it takes for some strange reason takes a little bit longer to get the Cherry going so that it smokes and I'm still using the same lighter like the same torch uh the little cheap gas station torches so it's not a change of anything else do I sound all right yes hey Perfect all right try to keep my Waters and my coffees and my cookies and popcorn away from the microphone oh no do eat we I'm sure someone will enjoy the a I'll mute myself all right so we're technically just waiting on Ernie and well I've already asked a question I've already you know tossed my head out there for the acceptance of the consensual wisdom of our players does anyone else have a question suggestion I've got millions millions well in that case give me one second let me step over to the fridge and grab a drink be right back right and that'll help me formulate my ideas no but uh mostly you know my thoughts are just kind of racing on just the whole life play aspect going to be a lot more fast-paced than play by post for sure of course that's we are back to the nice plain um nice plain coconut water but I'm also chasing it with I've not tried this one before it is wired x344 has anyone else tried that um bage wired I have yet to it says wired x344 welcome welcome Ernie how we doing that's annoying [Music] never seen it before my the thing that sits in front of the microphone to keep it from getting too breathy um your your Shield Pop popard I was trying not to say that because you know I don't have a shield I don't have a guard I just going in raw it it is just raw and live and all of the unnecessary necessary salvations and all of that it's just going to happen it's just going to happen yes I have a very splashy s so you guys are going to enjoy that oh dear lord yeah I'm tempting to fix that so I should probably mute while I'm fiddling absolutely no bro wait so we're going to have splashy s's we're going to have some fiddling we're going to have some uh guarding and all of that that's we're in for it tonight got a little ASMR drinking and yeah it's gonna be fun all right oh and and there's a story playing out by as well yeah no we're also to do stories yeah yeah it may be secondary to the ass spashing but it's still there while I while I you know push don't mute I will try to catch and mute any cough that comes through cuz that I have found is extraordinarily annoying both to myself and anybody else who's listening in I have recently set up a a push to like a toggle dein and uh I think that should be extraordinarily helpful in ridding myself of any outbursts all right so we're going to need outbursts um we we're going to need 10 toes down gripping on and hanging on as tightly as you can now for those of you who haven't played with me often who haven't played with me in live play going to give a little bit of triamble as we cycle up to get going and dive in I love this hobby multiple variations on the theme whether it is the science fantasy and futuristic or the barely there often European based Dark Ages all of that is perfectly fantastically acceptable to me this system the storytelling system and this game uh has a special place in my heart because of several misspent youthful afternoon evenings weekends and between classes but it is only a facet of what I enjoy the play and the telling the story of these characters exploring what it might bring is where the heart and soul of it is for me and it goes without saying but I'm going to say it anyway I am extraordinarily appreciative of every instance of getting a chance to play of every instance of being able to step sideways from our reality and explore what lies out there on the edges of our imagination your efforts and presences are greatly appreciated and I thank you all for being here to answer a question that has not been asked this is in fact the coast after dark our play by post our server for those who have not been paying complete attention is telling a tale there is an overarching MAA plot going on there are hundreds of different aside and moments that we managed to capture throughout the course of play and all of it even as far removed and seemingly unconnected as much of it can be is in fact a part of the hole a part of the tapestry weaving threads making it stronger warmer larger than we could have ever imagined tonight's episode tonight's one shot you must understand nothing could stop Mississippi and is part of that fabric it's part of that tapestry so unlike usual where we have a set codery of characters that have interacted with one another we've built their backstory we've done their Blue booking we have an idea as to their mod is operandi how they connect and associate with one another whether it's in passing or they their lifelong friends and Associates whether they're death mates and died at the same time any and all of those permutations have typically been worked out in advance of gathering together it takes a little bit of the guest workout it makes things a little bit easier but tonight we won't have any pregenerated characters tonight we won't have had the opportunity of building this this codery of these characters interactions tonight we are in for a treat because you all much like during our daytoday Play on This Server will be constructing the story on the Fly the backstory how these characters got to where we will explore their evening and that means that this is in fact February 10th Friday a relatively warm and moist evening the new moon is just dwindled and doled out of the skyline the two to three days prior it was a smaller Moon than usual which normally means there's less whole there's less light there's less brightness to the night in this particular case even with it being a smaller Moon than usual a micro moon is what the uh astronomy and asro astrologers call it but it's a smaller Moon than usual even with it being smaller than usual the pull towards lunacy was considerably more rampant throughout the coast and to help Envision what the coast actually is um Mississippi Gulf Coast Area the secret coast of America sits on the Gulf of Mexico it is encapsulating five separate counties in Mississippi the three prominent being Harris Hancock and Jackson and the stretch from one end to the next you can reach one edge of the Coast all the way into New Orleans in just about an hour if you drive straight through and there's several ways to do it you can take the 90 down and around or a 10 down and around but either way from end to end if you're driving straight through you can be there [Music] from Al the Alabama coast to New Orleans in just about an hour it's an unusual ual place for Kindred because it is several cities several Urban centers laid so Clos as to be considered right on top of each other it has five County capitals it has over 12 major metropolitan areas and 17 different unincorporated areas countless miles of space North and South along its domain and over 14 million tourists that visit every year many come because it's close enough to New Orleans without having to pay well let's just call it what it is getting done over by the Lan Yap there in New Orleans and everyone with their hands out understanding that the tourist trade is their you know milk bread they're milk and honey so many people thinking that they're wiser than wise will stay in Mississippi they'll stay just north and East along 990 or just north and east along 10 and just drive in 30 minutes down the road across a couple of bridges and you're in New Orleans you're there in the quarter you're there in the home of the dark Supernatural Voodoo encrusted area the place of your dreams where you've read seen and watched countless hundred times over through various media all without realizing that by staying in Mississippi all without realizing that you are in the originator of MRA the MRA parade that is world renowned throughout New Orleans all without realizing that along the coast from the John SE tennis Space Center all the way to bo b is nothing but history hundreds of years of History all without realizing that the Gulf Coast of Mississippi is also an import Center for things both extra legal and and legal all without realizing that that same magic that same darkness that same handout massage of tourist is all around you from secluded resorts to speak easys to Riverboat it's just as magical it's just as dark say if they have a little more common sense they keep a little a few more things close to their chest the skeletons in their closet while taken out and cleaned are no less dark than those in New Orleans so as I uh offered and still hold true as we prepare to dive in with both feet and hang on with both hands are there any questions suggestions hypotheses or Corners we need to round off um I think I'm solid just from a mechanical point of view do we need would you like us to Rouse before this or uh is the weekly considered fine no need for rouss as we are picking up midstream when we last left our characters when we last left the most active moments of these characters for this night for February [Music] 10th Sasha Zaza was near the uh Grand Theater in daville Ernie was luxuriating in the peace and quietude of his most recent Adventure taking a moment to free from all of that turmoil that that caused that disruption of the quiet and orderly night his attending to his forc the pond student and Oliver boss to his friends and often times enemies has just had the conversation with the high Mucky mucks of bliss the anarch capital of the coast he is just come to grips with understanding that there's information out there in the night that could point fingers and solely because he knows what that particular individual looks like he can pick out the strange oddly shaped blur and blob that were there in those grainy distanced photos that he received so while he could easily identify based on knowledge it is highly unlikely that anyone not familiar with anyone in those photos whether they'd be able to pick them out whether they'd be able to fill in the blanks and come up with 1 + 1 equaling 11 all right yeah get getting that was certainly a highlight that was a very interesting moment in my life uh curiously I'm not quite sure if there are any photos of Sasha in there oh there are not sure oh there are well I won't know that until then and that's the best part learning as we go um Sasha uh having um been out in the uh the theater uh having seen you know another remake of a you know' 60s jellow film um and writing on some really good blood has um felt a pulling he's felt uh some sort of um command from the network that he is a part of um and he's not quite sure how to follow it as best he can but he is learning some new things about himself tonight um and is seeking out which way to go mostly Oliver going out and about in the night and and stepping free from his uh Fortress of Solitude as it were for the first time in a couple nights uh is realizing just how quickly things can go to [ __ ] if you let it go to [ __ ] and um learning that even if you do have your Slice of Heaven uh that doesn't stop others from wanting a piece of the pie so as he's finished up his conversations and gotten his Revelation as it were uh next steps are definitely in the M having reached out uh digitally in coded speech oh my gosh something everyone should learn uh towards uh towards his Ward uh now it's time to set about exploring the night and seeing what else has gone bummed [Music] um only you would be sitting in the office in the hotel having tied up several Loose Ends IE the previously thought missing woman turned out to not actually be missing uh who actually came to pick up her luggage after being missing for a couple days um the incorporation of the business with kon's help different things that he's having to do uh having visited the Chantry and dealt with things there it's just all kind of swirling in his head and he's very much deep in thought as to what next uh and how to call calm his life back to a semblance of where he likes it rather than all this hella blue that has happened recently um and then he knows he's probably going to have to go back to the chry at some point tonight and follow up with whatever things uh might be lingering there so he is preparing himself to uh disappear for the evening by making sure everything at the office is taken care of before he does so okay excellent so to simplify because I am a simple man after all every character Ernie Oliver Sasha are dancing on the precipice of exploring and trying to come to grips and understand what has gotten them to where they are now and how to incorporate what they've learned to move forward in short each of them in their own way are [Music] living what a Fring slip after all none of them are actually living none of them are alive by any quantifiable simple understanding of the word yet for beings who have the potential and promise of forever just like the living they are compounded conflicted and constrained by time it is an immutable carrying them forward into the future the past weighing them down like change or lifting them up like wings time is the one thing that is consistent and constant and ever present that in the hands of fate and the relevance of that becomes clear because we will move anti- alphabetically to get started the Grand Theater dville is is and has been and facelifted into its modern seeming there's always been a Grand Theater there's always been entertainment for the masses to keep them inoculated and pliable and daille being right on the edge of the espressway and being right at the mouth of one of the poorest areas on the coast much like the gladiatorial arenas from ancient Rome is there to keep the masses sedate just like their religion just like the constant church activities is there to Plate them to say that your just deserts will happen in the next life if you are but strong enough and if you are but understanding enough if you suffer enough and you hold true to these moral and ethical underpinings in the next life later later you will get your Just Desserts while entertainment allows you to not look at it allows you to avoid it allows you to inoculate yourself with all of the fanciful flights of imaginings so that you don't try to or you don't know how to or you're unable to align with how to better improve your situation how to take those dreams and apply Sweat Equity and build something that you would like to have and as such The Grand Theater has always been here what most don't realize is that the Grand Theater of dville is in fact a it's more than an inoculation of the public it is more than the illusion so that no notices that their reality it is a center of power it always has been the high Mucky mucks the uh attorney generals the assistant Governors the local mayor the police commissioner and several families who have money going back to the East India Trading Company meet here the reason for it the reason why they're able to get away with it is no one pays attention to the details no one takes in the fact that the police commissioner wouldn't know Don Giovani from anything from Bang Bros no one pays attention to the assistant Governor is deaf in one ear and could not possibly understand or appreciate anything that's happening on stage or on on the screen no one pays attention to that it's the red carpet syndrome everyone is there to take in the entertainment to be seen and not be noticed and while is a center of power for The Mortals in the area it is also a center of power for the Kindred having set through a piece of art that causes the heart to soar that causes the mind to open like a flower and bend towards Beauty having set [Music] through your daily nightly brainwashing of being soaked in art Sasha is attempting to make sense of the world around him he's attempting to understand the emanations The Whispers And The trimers bombarding him would you be so kind I Sur roll your wits plus awareness for me unless your total dots are less than three as long as they are three or better you okay do not be is this something to look for for concealed items or anything like that no no the the almost the antithesis of of concealment the reason why you are getting the opportunity of rolling is because you even if it is not being utilized have the gift of aspix otherwise you would be able to roll at all this is something new this is something that has just happened only a few hours ago untrained ungiven let's see oh roll this is a difficult three as high as you can okay that is a three that is exceptional and the reason why it's exceptional is because and very factually other Immortal monsters might not have even had the opportunity the chance the option of realizing that everything that you are seeing and feeling is as unreal as everything that is bombarding through the neurons firing in your brain none of it what would have been none of it and all of it is real there's a often tossed off aphorism that it is all true especially the lies and in this moment as the world spins and shifts and that smiling darkhaired gentleman moving towards you seems to be stepping out of a dream proves itself to be very factual it is all true especially the lies you should not be able to see him yet you do his Bright Smile his dark bushy brows his hair just shoulder length and glistening as if he has the very essence of the perfect product and perfect maintenance of his koif his suit is a strange for you and for most other people shade a strange Hue it is a plum Blazer that he's wearing beneath which is a cream colored vest with a slightly you'd say green but the truth of the matter is is right on the cusp of blue shirt beneath with matching slacks and to make matters worse the the shoes that he's wearing are so polished as you can almost re see your own self in them as he closes his hand moving out of his right pants pocket and extending forward to you hey thata how we doing we should probably meet before things get too much more confusing oh [ __ ] you are real to some to others maybe not so much I've been warned not to pay too much attention to y'all oh that you should probably not if I was anybody else I swear you'd probably be imortal trouble than you are then Mt Sasha you can call me zah interesting ain't that what them Northern is called pizza but we ain't we going to get around to that by to bye I'm Luke you do it one more time you got my name though Zaza I see I'm Luke we have not been formally introduced as a [Music] yet look you take walks around here at night not without a [Music] reason what's the reason tonight let's walk let's talk you isin't that obvious if you had sat still longer we could have uh made a nice approach but as it stands you constantly moving to thr and here and therei requires a little bit more of a direct approach let's step over here toward the teer a little bit we got a room getting put together a little bit of this and that to handle that and the [Music] other all right I can do that tonight um is it going to be okay I mean I'm ain't showered yet yeah that I noticed [Music] not going to be bothering nobody a little late for that but that's a nice consideration thank you you're welcome you're you're better Mana than some yes sir now don't no need to call me sir that's probably for my mother but um yes Luke Luke would I do I normally would be far too busy to do this and make this introductions and get you moving in the semblance of a right direction but Prince Christopher has decided that being as this is well your spor is all over the place and clearly you've been out here long enough to put this that and the other together for your own parts that perhaps it's time time for you to do more than just simply Coast alone you okay with that right to be I've been trying to figure out a way to get in contact with any of y'all [Music] but all in good time the first no sense of rushing into a mistake when you can take your time and enjoy it right yeah you know slow motion car crashes are always much better to watch something would say something would say now Sasha Zaza as we make our way back into the theater over here you mind just for my own edification this has nothing to do with the prince has nothing to do with what you're being going well you going to be asked to do uh you know anybody by the name of Jalisa Sasha is is frozen absolutely yes uh it it is plain as day on his face but he doesn't say anything just yet and then he makes a a big show about you know H H and then says yeah I do believe that sounds familiar that's a good thing that's a good thing cuz if you didn't I'd probably have other questions but we'll save that to the others that join us we got the back room hopefully you don't mind a stench of pizza and butter popcorn as long as you don't uh mind the scent of rotting Cyprus and wet marsh msh mud oh no ain't nothing wrong with Mississippi Mud except for the fact that everybody walk on it and the people that walk on it as you all make your way into the theater the difference a few hours can make is amazing gone are the lookie L and those who were there for a cheap thrill gone are those who were only here because they had nothing else to do gone are those who well the rank and file of polite Society in its place the parking lot which is best described as a strip mall parking lot has been gone are the Nissan and the Honda excuse me gone are the late model Chevys gone are the everyday average in its place are what could be best described as public armored vehicles there's several dark SUVs a long Town Car that you haven't seen the likes of on the road in Forever it's the sort of things that you would normally see on the way to a funeral Long Town Cars and various sh hes and shades of Grays and dark blues and blacks and gone are the high school kids working their way through paying off their phone bills those barely cleaned oily faces that were acting as ushers and ticket agents and in its place are men and women who are clearly overqualified to be operating as such catching you looking them over as is well most people's affectations he simply says I don't never mind them uh the mayor has some things he needs to talk to some folks about we're going to be in the bathroom they going to be upstairs come on now and as you all enter and move through corridors and behind screens and behind the backstage and up some stairs down another flight into an area that should not be part of this building but in fact is wait didn't we just take three lips indeed and with that indeed we shift to another building which has its own houseon pass its own connotation for those in the know Bliss is the White House of the anarch movement Bliss is the capital building it is the Senate it is the house it is the Pentagon all Rod into one the best place to hide is directly in front of everyone's nose the last place anyone would think to look for Monsters of the night the last place anyone would think because it is so obvious it's over the top in its shinty schaly tves feel there's security men and women in black t-shirts and black jeans and then those and Blazers and then it's just it's obvious that this is cannot be what it actually is there's no way that Kindred operate like the vampires on that uh comic book movie with that vampire hunter that uh day Walker that th blood that was able to take out vampires with martial arts skills and 70 late '70s badassery and it's so obvious that Bliss is that place that no one would ever expect it to actually be that [Music] place so all of it photos in hand information to be parsed preparing to leave where is his actual destination uh from the information given I'm aware that all this [ __ ] went down in Diberville right yes off to diap rville I'm going [Music] that's the last confirmed quotequote location of uh Vanessa and all the [ __ ] that went down so better go see how bad the mess is that's the funny part Oliver's been on the coast long enough to have an idea as which way is North which way is south in other words he knows what side the bread is buttered on he knows that while daville is actually well within the idea of the Hakata pentar truth of the matter is there are places in dville that even Kindra don't really go you go too far [Music] down Daisy vest Vester Road and you going to wind up in places where you will go missing there was a rumor that there was a uh gang girl out there somewhere down that road that put Landry into a tombstone there's rumors that somewhere out that way through taking the 110 on to the 15 or somewhere up vestri or even maybe off of uh laming there is a there are places where Kindred go miss it there are places where it's best to stay in your cars keep the doors locked and with your foot pressed firmly against against the gas pedal until you run out of gas or you see [Music] daylight and North dville is one of those spaces while nominally under the control of the Kata there are places that are just outside and if what he actually shared was accurate and true it is literally just outside of the Hakata protector it is just outside of what is Comfortably believed to be the domain of the Kindred it's north of the 10 it is and short very very dangerous we talking up near Riverside uh on Lamy Bridge mhm just past the 10 if what the information you received is accurate though that makes no sense but there's a lot of things in this world that don't make any sense yeah especially when it really come to whatever the hell that kid gets up to Diberville one of the oldest and poorest areas you wouldn't be able to tell by the houses but there are places in dville where hope not only goes to die but goes to commit seu with his good friend fate and kisman there are places in Diberville that well we'll leave that to your imagination as you make your way there now are you going to take the 110 up and over or you going to take the 10 straight across because if you go north from where you are at Bliss down 49 you can merge on to a 10 and what would normally take you about 20 minutes could take you only about 10 maybe 15 if there's traffic on the bridge though there shouldn't be at this hour the [Music] evening it it should be fun to take 10 if can see in here there's there's quite a few Ro uh split offs up there at the [Music] butterfly would you be so kind as to go ahead and roll your whs plus Drive oh fun uh let's see what is my it's plus Drive we're getting into a our crash kiddos well any crash you can walk away from is what probably well something or another about you know walking away [Music] okay let's see let's give it a shot one [Music] success everyone knows that old turnover Phrase That Old Chestnut about just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you Oliver has lived his existence as a [ __ ] ster I'm just calling it what it is as even before officially receiving the position as Molotov for Baron basilio for the baroness he was a shiter even during his days with the sword he was a shiter him and hos were shock troops but you were the smart gorilla shock troops you were arnor Schwarzenegger in the Predator shock troops you laid Siege you started fires both literally and figuratively to distract the enemy from your in goal that experience that life breeds a certain paranoia that life that existed breeds a certain weariness and while he is very much nearly to his destination too close to do more than make errant and random decisions at this point because he hasn't quite made it to dville Boulevard he is literally that is very much the next exit he'd have to change his plans and not get off on on dville and circle around through urious or make it to Lamey because they there are a pair of headlights that have been back there long enough that he forgot that there could be the option of being followed and it was a momentary slip concentrating on trying to figure out what's what how is this going to add up because while he can look at those photos and pick out what should be Vanessa he assur that other individuals would not the thing that he picks out most the thing that is most glaring about those photographs is that that is a Hancock County Sheriff's uniform if he ever did see that off-white shirt and those dark brown slacks with the m blood stripe down the side that is a Sheriff's Department uniform and standard issue for the sheriffs is body cans the fact that he's wearing armor he's actually has a shell in over his shirt the fact that he is bearing firearms that doesn't speak well as to what M might have been in the offing that doesn't speak well because body Camp means that there's if anything went even remotely Supernatural there are people that might see there are people that might [Music] record and this a vehicle behind me Sheriff's Office markings no worse oh [ __ ] oh no worse it's a high seated vehicle meaning truck or SUV it is a bright lighted vehicle staying just far enough back to not be close enough to pick up license plate or how many people are inside the vehicle or if there's even anybody in the vehicle it could be one of those I don't know raised body Teslas with someone sleeping behind the wheel but it's staying just far enough back for you to not pick up any details save that it's [Music] there ah okay um oh let's see and I'm still on the 10 currently right you are still on the 10 you can either get off at Old Highway 67 because the next Road over is the Clover Leaf taking the 15 North or the 110 South or you can continue on to your destination which happens to be just there off of Lamey Bridge [Music] Road uh let's let's take the more in direct rout if whatever is following me is going to continue following me I want to make it a bit of a Chase rather than going straight on there if these guys are related to the Huns heading straight [ __ ] there is going to be a a bit more of an issue okay um try and try and keep in more lighted areas oh well then you done screwed up several times over because as you make that right onto Old Highway 67 you realize that just there across the river the lighting scheme for Old Highway gets farther and farther apart is called Old Highway for a reason not a 15 is well lit every you know several pairs of tens of feet there's these huge 70 50 however tall feet they are lights that cover the highway is designed for quick fast moving travel but Old Highway 67 well it was finalized back in 1948 and been retrofitted once or twice but that no one wants to pour too much money into dville especially on a route or road that doesn't really go many places Old Highway 67 will take you right to lick Skillet now if you know anything about the way that roads are named a road named Li Skillet does not speak towards infrastructure priorities yeah okay [Music] um let's give this a shot then uh if I can make enough [Music] distance see where is that a lovely turn off yeah if I can make enough distance uh as I'm going down like Skillet I'll uh try and do a neat turn on to Old Li skeleton uh how closely are they following me uh if you would count between lights with them being every 50 or so feet it's uh 2 three [Music] 4 okay yeah um I can't go anywhere while being followed I can't can't do much of anything while being followed honestly Beyond resolving the issue uh and Instinct says resolve the issue so we're going to turn on to uh old lick Skillet Road you see that t there we're going to get on behind those trees there are copes of trees there there are small houses Shacks really that's calling it what it is just off thepress we because Mississippi is still a state where you could squat and if you squat long enough the property is yours you got to pay some taxes but in the grand scheme of things getting a house for $1,500 that you and your family can live in for the next five generations it is definitely worth wor the risk of potentially everything that might happen in a in a building that you are squatting in so the houses there the small shack like residence that's there is very much a place that is worth the risk even as close to the highway as it is even as close to the less than habitable ground all of the trees and the wide spaces and the occasional unnecessary light from the passing vehicles on the on the 15 is definitely worth it more times than not as you make the right onto lick Skillet all of that to set the stage because as you make the turn do you step on the gas or do you slam on the brakes as I make the turn on to Old lick Skillet mhm [Music] H it depends as I come around this curve here and get behind the copes um would I reasonably have enough time to flick my lights off and turn the vehicle around for a potentially fun ramming maneuver you can definitely risk it which you be kind go ahead roll your composure and drive because what you pulling off something that would give evil coneval Paws oh my god you're an evil bastard all right wait a second we're we're [ __ ] we're shooting for the biscuit oh yeah you know yeah do it do it do [Music] it um you know what I've got willpower [ __ ] know I don't apparently all right one success let go all right what does fate say in regards to this extraordinarily hazardous potentially fatal if you are living maneuver there's so many things that could have gone wrong there's so many things that could have driven this into the realm of nonnegotiable pain and violence and it doesn't make it any easier to swallow when it could have been your own doing as the car the truck fish tails the back end going to the left the front end going to the right it's a moment of heart stopping pause for those of us who have been in car accidents is that moment when you realize that nothing is within your control it is that moment as the car just like Major Tom spaceship knows the way where it is decided where you will end up and as the slightly drier than usual Miss mississipp mud goes splattering and flying Skyward as the sound of rubber gives on asphalt gives way to well slipping sliding and keming off nothing visible and you come to a rocking stop as the lights are off and if not for Providence if not for the skill of the driver behind you both vehicles would have met collided and melded into one just like the Spice Girl song but instead you have come to a stop with your bumper facing the wrong direction of where you wanted to go and their bumper gently kissing yours not causing the metal to fold in on itself not causing glass to go flying through you and through the night sky but close enough that you can see Drive shaking her head as if she just saw the most fantabulously unbelievable thing ever she has been relatively implacable to the three times you've bothered to spend time in her Association the conversation about who should come out on top the exchange of information the delivery of information each time she's been capable competent and relatively unlap the fact that she is shaking her head her eyes just slightly wider than expected says a lot she might might as well be screaming and tearing her hair out and punching the roof from everything you've seen of her she's been calm and collected and that headshake it's again just seeing her scream into the night sky I see just popping out the window having noticed who it is he'll give a a big wide angled wave hey I thought you somebody else how you [Music] doing mov if I didn't know any better I'd swear that you were trying to make sure that we both don't wake up dead tomorrow night she says that she opens her door the dome light going on letting you know that for all of her local understanding that she's clearly not from Mississippi everyone knows you keep that dome lights off because it attracts bugs the last thing you need is bugs all through your car cuz they will lay eggs in the blink of an eye before you know it you will have an infestation and it's too hot to be trying to drive with your windows down at all hours of the night or during the day it's amazing the information you can get from small little things like that the fact that her dome whites on lets you know that she is not and has not been a local she closes her door and makes her way towards yours the sluck sluck sluck of her through the mud to get to your car let you know that well it will definitely take a little effort to get you out of there oh don't worry about that thing I was just trying to play a little bit of tag so what's it you follow me for well to be perfectly honest I didn't want to but I was trying to catch up to you before you got too far ahead but you kept pulling further and further further ahead and every time I try to catch up you step on the gas so I figured I'd follow you to wherever you were going so that you could get the message from Landry there's there's a meeting at the Grand Theater dville something to do with the actual pin talks and you as a ranking member of the movement need to put on and show face oh all right well that makes a lot more sense now you know you you could have just like H to flict your lies or something let me know you want them but you know I ain't going to hold that against you instead why why you you going to hook me up and drag me out of the mud or am I going to be wrong with you no I'll take your car back to to Bliss and park it in the uh parking garage and she hands her fob over to you it's a a push start be gentle with her oh don't worry about that I'm about to GLE is what anyone can be whenever it comes to vehicles to matter she looks down to her feet nearly ankle deep in the mud that you've trapped your vehicle in and back oh I said Vehicles matter don't worry about this one now nobody I have a question uh if I have weight with feather on am I like legalist on snow walking across this semi-dried mud yes all right as uh she is scking through I'll walk upon it as if it's solid earth I I'll wish you a lot of luck whenever it comes to that I I do have AAA Services if you would like to you know call them up and get it out of that real easy no no is fine I will reach out to hos as he's been working with the other twin they should be here in about 15 minutes all right well I wish you luck that tell H I said hi you um you know you you need to relax a little bit you sound like you got some [ __ ] going on I do with Derek missing these last few days has been extraordinarily more difficult keeping up with the uh Joneses so to speak I understand I understand he is just missing right I not going to lie with you I ain't got a clue as for that I can look into it though for you as you speak having played games that started fire both literally and figuratively you can tell that that was a baited question she is she tossed it out there to see your response not that she expected anything she was gauging you again this is the second time that she's tried to see which side of the bread you're you're buttered on I've been having my own thing going on in the background so as applies to the the happenings of bliss I've been a little bit out of the loop dereck's a good man though so I'm willing to put in some time and look for him good that's good to know you probably should get going they probably already started oh what you have fun with all this he said just generally waving towards the car as he Pat Pat Pat off to the truck the fact that you are heavier than her normally the fact that you should be far more mired than the muck and instead you simply Glide along the top of it as if it was in fact the firmest of firmaments it's not quite injurious and it's not quite insulting but it's close enough that many would have a hard time telling the difference it look what can we say Mississippi recognizes its own Outsiders are some troubles that we don't the grand theat of Diberville is is one of the many areas that you red teamed back before you quite got got grip and grasp on the political lay of the land it's a clear easy soft target lots of people lots of potential to Terror it is the sort of place that if you wanted to stir up trouble would be very high on that list of things to [Music] do the fact that you're going there as representative of the anarchs the fact that you're being asked it raises a lot of questions and speaking of questions Earnie on a night like tonight quiet easy not dealing with a potential murder mystery not dealing with that crazy [Music] kraton the tried and true how would Ernie feel with the computer screen in front of him shimmering and Rippling as if it was made of water either that he had been quote unquote awake for too long or that something else was up um probably leaning towards something else being up and unlike most cliche people who lean further in towards the problem and tap at the screen he knows to not do that leans further back actually waiting for a good couple breaths patiently to see what all comes out out of whatever is about to happen so we so aware as to how bad things could be he Embraces himself for impact so to speak pretty much with the stuff that he dabbles in yeah that's a good way to be that's a good idea and and is all for not because the moment that he leans back there's a tap tap tap like someone gently striking the side of a wine glass to get everyone's attention and as the shimmering pulls and you see the lovely face of your acolyte there's a sigh of frustration it would normally be a sigh of relief but such an act such a tapping being in of power says a lot um um Magister new win um can you hear me Magister wi Magister wi hush you can be overheard here shush I can hear you oh sorry you didn't got to yell Magister win yes what is it the Regent wants you to go to the theater he says you'd understand this would be the moment that if there were a camera pointed at him his eyebrow would be in his hairline yes of course I know which the he means did he say why he said that you would understand like can you hear me hello hello yes yes I can I can hear you I can I can hear you yet okay um sometimes I I I laps into English I know that that's your second language so you may not quite grasp all of the details but when I said that he said you would know that's 20 lines I expect them by tomorrow evening okay I I yeah yeah no worries um okay um yeah tell tell him I will attend this meeting and now that you have other things to do good evening um good [Music] evening she waits to make sure she actually gets off his computer screen [Music] first the huff and the in ental disrespect very much like a child testing their boundaries very much almost antithetical to what you expect and you know for a fact that it's completely antithetical to what the region would expect there's something beyond the expected with that one she's shown extraordinary skill with the blade and as a Act of defiance she's utilizing a skill that mini sixth or seventh circle trir would not even know was possible rubs his temples and packs up the books um The Ledger for the evening and what have you leaves a message for the head of ma sta making sure all his personal papers are taken away and put back into his space before he leaves uh grabs his bag with his tools and Spell components in case because you never know and need to be prepared um putting them over his shoulders thinking very heavily about what he's going to do about his acolyte um she is very talented yes she is an asset yes but she has also a pain in the ass so there's that it's almost night and day speaking with her in private I.E whenever the Regent isn't actually in presence and how she operates when he is when you all are at the Chantry there is the difference between her it's almost as if there's two [Music] people his final thought up towards it before switching to thinking about this thing that he has to go deal with now is he really doesn't want to have to kill her but got to break a few eggs to make a cake you know and there lies a little bit of what seems to be in the offing The Grand Theater dville is a a believed alium it's not by no stretch of the imagination has it ever received the official protection and designation of an alium in fact for the last three terms which is 30 39 years no no one has declared a new elesium the places where the Kindred meet are kept inviolate based on the power of those who called the meetings it is a sign of the powers of the pentarchy as a whole but none of the places are bound by the truth and understanding that doing so brings the full weight of all Kindred down On You by violating Alesia [Music] meaning quite accurately if you feel froggy jump which has been a downfall of many lesser Kindred throughout the years is a testament that without the weight and strength of the tower itself but solely based on the weight and strength of those who call such meetings or who call such Gatherings there hasn't been any major attempt or major assault it also means that in such places violence can and often is [Music] done hello why hello giving you all a moment to understand what you all are being pulled into what this Gathering is for or could be for to say that walking into a room full of Kindred with no outward protections no clearly agreed upon allowances or security is very much exposure it's very much being perceived when you would much rather be invisible it very much does feel as if the weight of the world was on your shoulders because you're in a room full of other competitors some stronger some weaker but all the same you're unsure what anyone else might be bringing to the table and you're walking into a gathering of other Kindred other Predators other monsters in a place that is unofficially just outside of the borders of Good Sense and decorum it is officially just outside of the pentarchy as a whole is just outside of the domain of the secret Coast it is in that gray no man's land that even if it was an elesium who's going to enforce [Music] the whole thing about nonviolence being more a suggestion out here than a rule yes and let to be perfectly honest looking at each of the characters indirectly and specifically we have a Magister of some Renown within the Chantry who is all but an outsider who has an acolyte that is problematically gifted who has spent the last six nights dealing with something outside of the purview of the Chantry we have a freshly turned wild child who was most recently involved in a potential masquerade breach who is just now tapping into the fullness of the potential of the first steps into Kindra society and we have a locally renowned Troublemaker who has stood and is standing as a Counterpoint to the very power structures of the movement from within [Music] and Kindred being Kindred one thing Stand Out above all of those the one trism that every Kindred tries to not actually embrace tries not to actually see it tries not to let affect their decisions and it's quite simply betrayal can only come from those you trust trust yeah this seems like a cleanup [Music] job so as you all arrive and are settled into the seats and make your way into the back spaces and the oddness of the parking lot stands out it's a strip mall for the most part yet there are Vehicles out there in that lot that would be easily trackable traceable findable and would stand out because they are well appointed mhm and the fact that there are back spaces in the Grand Theater is questionable in of itself loose strings and threads and potential challenges taking to a place that there is no safety assured in places that most would never know or think possible to have existed and with that moment as you all are settled into place and make your way there and as you all contemplate the full weight of what lay ahead of you it is 29 after the hour take a quick tin and be back at 39 after welcome back everybody oh hi there welcome back water so when I was boiling water on the stove okay hold on I'm back excellent so as we stepped away Ernie Oliver and Sasha were settling into the back spaces the backstage the unknown to the average mortal to the average person that spent two generations coming to the Grand Theater dville would ever contemplate that this space exists and to give you an idea as to how massively iMed immediately ostentatiously impressive the area is the Grand Theater dville has 14 screens two stages just off Broadway in terms of their massive size and scale behind which in the actual Cinema [Music] areas are from the ground floor to the ceiling 47 feet in a straight line from the concrete to the internal space of the roof the backstage behind the actual stages is exactly 65 ft meaning that you can do a near full Broadway height production and in this space in the backstage in the Kindred spaces of the Grand Theater Diberville you have to descend a story and a half to get to the meeting area that exists [Music] here the area has been sound roofed and decorated by the three most respected toor on the coast for 5 and 1 half terms of pintaric princes there's layer upon layer upon layer of ostentatious bewitchment it is a space designed to overwhelm those who are invited into it because while Bliss is the capital for the anarchs and the Pearl is the capital for the toor on the western arm of the pentarchy and while the hidden moving Gallery is Luke's baby all of those Inspirations have been used time and time again to build upon what's already there to add to to increase the feeling of being made small it is that first moment of stepping out of a warm camarad family gathering and looking up into a clear night sky where you can see stars for years glittering out there in the darkness it is that moment of realing realizing how insignificant One Singular Life One Singular person how small you actually are in the grand understanding of what the cosmos is and it is magnified here because you are in the close proximity of 12 other Kindred not the passing ships in the night that you've all had meeting other Kindred in various places across the coast not the meat knif that you've all experienced when running a file of one chaotic member of your community or another these are Kindred who have all but given up the idea of a ghost of seeming anything other than what they [Music] are and then there's you and then there's Luke and of the others gathered the best thing that can be said is that they are in fact Kindred and for those of you who have had the opportunity of meeting or being in close proximity to the perer you realize how his act because it is an act of [Music] Charisma is so effective because seeing him here now unmat Mas unfurled his skin moist and nearly diaphanous glowing with some internal malice towards the World At Large the Shadows caressing and sliding across his skin like well healed kittens at his back and call his eyes those warm chocolatey orbs that have beguiled and bewitched all manner of investors into the Evan Queen the absence of Life sits there waiting to spill out and give you all your second deaths forever is sitting there literally in his eyes waving at you all beckoning you for to fall into them and lose yourselves forever and besides yourselves and Luke he is the most human seening individual in the room outside of you three and Luke he is the warmest individual present and even that is a pale imitation of what death actually [Music] is this is probably the most Kindred that Sasha has ever seen in his life it's unlife um especially concentrated in one place uh he thought that two nights ago at the at the park was something he didn't realize there were like this many in the city uh you could kind of see it in his eyes you know he's definitely uh being a lot of authority um and kind of at this time just kind of like slink and trying to like hug the edges so this is uh just alation of Kindred from the different sex yes okay as he just Oliver is in this space just kind of it's a pleasure to see everybody here blue P I ain't burned nothing of yours recently right this ain't this ain't about anything I done is [Music] it well there being as you are here for the anox I suppose I should probably be upfront and point blank no it is not about anything that you might have gotten up to this here this gaing of livem minded individuals Luke if you'd be the do the honors introducing everybody if you can well payer far be for me to ever disappoint some of us are not so naturally gifted where we don't have to exert any effort so allow me to be my humble self I am Prince Christopher's CAW I'm his rightand man and I'm sure that each and every one of you all have an on understanding as to who I might be this honorable esteemed individual is the P himself of the leader of all of the Hakata on the the coast and those six members the dawn his retinue are members of the Hakata for those of you all who are unaware as to what that Clan is they are the clan responsible for making making sure that none of us sleep well when visiting graveyards or cemeteries they have called upon the other pent talks and the representatives for this meeting that seem to have been well we'll get to that by by but for the rest of you all so that you all are aware this is majesta way representing the Regent this gentleman and he claps Sasha across the the shoulders is ZaZa he is an associate of Prince Christopher's and part of the retinue of the pentak and we all are well aware of our lovely representative for the baroness the molotov I'll give him a wink so Kindred each and everyone we are here because there have been several m that have taken place inside and near bow the haar's domain that have brought trouble into their homes and they've decided to reach out and get the assistance of the other penty to drive this problem before it grows large enough to affect each and every last one of us can I get an amen well don't worry about that I know some of you all are God fearing heathens we just going to say yes and move along Peter you were saying [Music] yes I was saying thank you for that effort in the last week there have been several Rogue elements that have stirred up trouble it began with what we can only assume is the murder of a priest Pastor man of God it descended into a defilement of a Hallowed Ground it continued into well there's no nice way of saying it someone has roused the spirit years of the Dead on several occurrences and while we have tracked and traced and discern that it was none other than Callaway and his network of Associates the problems have persisted even with Callaway's death there is a gentleman that was utilized as a disposal of such things not far and we believe that they are the calls and may be solely responsible for what's continuing on for those of you not in the know uh stop and chop salvage yard has been for [Music] years a non-aligned contractor to dispose of incidents and accidents and is the last COG that we are able to put our hands on in regards to Callaway's network of Agents throughout the coast instead of moving ourselveses directly and investing just to Hakata as this matter pertains to the entirety of the Kindred of the community of the pentar we are reaching out to those able boded and here to assure that stop and chop is no longer a problem for any of [Music] us is that simple enough for you Luke this the incident and understanding clearly put across that we might pull this to a close and my associate Dawn here will know that the matter is being tended to properly you've never seen a kri go apoplectic before but the gentleman that he motions towards as being the dawn looks as if he wants to chew through the table to get to the painer and is being held back by some Supernatural force of will from doing just that his face goes red his brows seem to be literally giving off steam and it is clear that he wants to say something or do far worse but he manages to stay his hand he manages to not act on [Music] that what was this gentleman's name again perer or uh who went into the dawn simply been referred to as the dawn so far but I I believe I I know this entity right the D yeah you know you've been to a couple of juice shops in your time here on the coast you know what product he pedals you know what the dawn is while there were others that came before him but as a blood Zar he is the point person for all the jeice shops all of the donors in the organized circulatory system M oh these are the guys that I gave the middle F too [ __ ] I mean if that's the worst that you've done to them I you know in a different life one would say I may have killed one of them but that was a different me I'm I no longer that person yes I mean it was one of those things you know people change yeah yeah people change Buckshot changes everything it just um all right that sounds pretty simple uh any particular way you'd like us to handle this or is this one of them we need to figure out exactly how we're cutting up this particular roast uh Peter if I might if I might Luke says Sing once more smoothing jacket into place you've never had the opportunity of being really close to to Luke you've never had the opportunity of really traveling in his circles not just because of the difference of political affiliations but there's the implied Prestige of being in Cal of one of the members of the the pentarchy and there's also the fact that you've never seen an adult male pull off some of the colors that he has who in their ever loving existence could wear wear a plum Blazer and it be tailored to well highlight their physical form his forearms look relatively massive it looks as if he works out looks as if he takes took great care of himself during his living days and you know that's an impossibility the rumors are to be true he's a Louisiana swamp rat ain't many gem that you heard of out there in the back of Beyond in the bayou [Music] well go right ahead Luke go right ahead excellent thank you thank you Peter thank you Don for your kindness and your patience this problem to the Hakata is a problem for us all and as far as you all you three members are concerned chosen by faith by the hand of God chosen by good sense of your elders your personal individual skills is what's being asked your ability to see a thing through is being counted upon your understanding as to the best way to protect the Masquerade and your fellow Kindred being demanded so yes figure it out or don't you have some questions I'm sorry of course you do many of course but this place it was called um Stop and Shop yes it's worked with y'all for a long time no problems or that couldn't be avoided for the most part why this doesn't change when I mean when I want to figure something out as far as I'm aware there's an issue that had a solution and the solution did not work so this is one of the last threads they can put on in order to try and solve the problem that would be about it wouldn't it Master wind I understand that you were recently in involved in a certain Witch Hunt that didn't stir up any witches his eyes kind of narrow just a little bit H well the thing is we were given some interesting conflicting stories so what I find or did not find is a for interpretation but my strong suit yes is an observer and having worked with AATA Loosely before with some of these previous incidences is of spiritual Uprising that is where my [Music] tal seems as we all getting along like peas in the pod course some of us are potatoes it seems like Mighty big Gathering us Mighty big important people they just only issue be gather us three up say point and [Music] shoot P might might again I forgive me I don't mean to overstep your good grace and your hospitality in such a well-controlled and law abiding domain as this as far removed as we are I don't want to ever overstep uh in any so forgive me and and I beg your Indulgence a little bit more because well what's good for one of us is good for all of us it is a might big engagement that you all have been made privy to your considerable trust is being expected after all it'd be very uncool for you all to remark as to the Hakata having multiple representatives in a meeting that decides how we all might not suffer or how we might suffer it would be horrible for you all to go running and gossiping as to what you might have seen or what you might glean from this get together you're chosen for various reasons most of those Beyond me but I can say that your nondisclosure agreement from being Kindred so applies you wouldn't dare run back to your various superiors and spread such information that might be Dam into one or more of us because that would force one or more of us especially uh esteemed Haka Associates to have to seek you all out and take strength of arms to assure their individual and personal [Music] honor gu St Bright Smile oh of course it's expected of us to keep secrets in the category Secrets I definitely wouldn't spread the fact that with so many hikata representatives here the tower is still speaking for him apparently that it is it is so nice that we are all working calmly and peacefully together in this Enterprise ain't that right Zaza Master [Music] way I think I meet his eyes straight up um you know complete in total lengthy unblinking eye contact and just nod my head and uh it might look like he's being a little Sage it might look like he's a little high um but he doesn't say anything but he does make some very meaningful eye contact now Luke I understand you're the one of us here with the most experence one second one second he literally holds up one finger about 6 in from your face as he stares longingly and lovingly into Zaza's eyes there is a very clearcut moment of connection a soft smirk of his lips you didn't realize that his eyes were both blue and green at once is the impossibility of them being purely one or the other oh wow and how they slightly swirl and intermingle with that speckle of caramel right there around the edge and that smile which is bright enough to cause the room to a light would you be so kind as to row your composure and subterfuge for me pleas please as hot as you can absolutely look did you bring us all here just to watch you get your [ __ ] on it's like Ziggy stard do and Lenny kravits had a baby that was composure plus subterfuge yes okay he's got his hands tinted kind of together under his chin and this individual's name again I I I kept trying to get back to it but I got a little sorry Luke Luke Luke this is Luke who's dream boat okay Professor Plum dream booat I mean hey I'm all full I'm pretty sure there's a cam back up in the truck I can go all right so I mood [Music] light this is not right is I think we should be on our [Music] way what is my [Music] subterfuge is it only one okay he's not a very he's not a very uh Sly or subtle individual no is he no he's not but I am I'm going to uh oh he's he's pretty subtle he's pretty Sly but I'm going to roll those successes he's a willpower all right for two successes I kind of [ __ ] forgot that life play dice existed oh yeah two and two yeah that's right uhoh so have I fallen for my my dream Bo as he's staring into your eyes and you're losing yourself in his there's a bit of confusion you can hear Master Magister wi saying let's go you can hear Oliver making suggestions about cameras all of those sound like great ideas if you were not stuck swimming in the forever of this moment it's stretching on for centuries you all opening a quiet bed and breakfast the fixation you have the connection that you have with Luke in this moment is the stuff that they've written epics about countries have fallen because of the sheer [Music] weight of this truth honest endearing entrancement you see your future sprawling out forever in this moment you know that as long as you are here you are safe and secure that there's no other person no other Kindred no other being that might protect you more that might keep you safer that enthralls you as completely as Luke does In This Moment and that smile that smile that goes on into Infinity that holds you transfixed and everyone tells you that magic and love doesn't exist but there it is sitting there right there holding you as if you are a newborn swaddled babe you are as safe as you have ever been as safe as you will ever be and the rest of the world swims away the rest of the world falls into the background of nothingness and sconed in Shadow lost Beneath the [Music] Sea and then he looks away and turns to Oliver moving close enough to rest his hand on Oliver shoulder now mov ain't no reason for us to go get no camera take only memories don't you understand that that's a simple thing it's just the nature of the world you have to give yourself over to these moments and enjoy them to the best of your ability a't that right M Majesty [Music] WI he doesn't stare or he stares at a point just on the left side of their head cuz he knows better he's dealt with [ __ ] like this before so he's staring looks like he's staring at him but he gets just that point of his ear and smiles very slow left ear stare inde the I have social anxiety and cannot make eye contacts there mhm exactly he does he very much does he is very much uh neuroatypical people don't know that until they meet him and get to spend time with him but he's very much Nur Divergent um he stands quietly if that is all we will be on our way uh you said Luke put his hand on me mhm I'll just kind of uh you know pat pat it with my hand on the same side be like now baby you know you can't be hitting on other girls in front of me I get real offended for a second he smiles and leans a hair bit closer and he seeks your eyes out and eyebrows raising his smile turning into a smirk do you see what color eyes he has Hail to the [Music] no I'll just kind of you know as he's as he's leaning in let's go oh we we we're about a headbutt I can do the headbut button thing uh in an effort to kind of uh you know uh diffuse the situation you know I'll uh kind of you know just pick up on it and just uh try to divert their um potential argument uh definite kind of like fwn reaction where he's just like hey guys hey uh you know I got some um you know at least leaves a little bit of info like you know it's not too far from my place um never used it but like you know um I just found like a huge Hub of cameras um all over like what had happened uh recently and including what happened last night just kind of I'm I'm sure that that I'm sure that that were more than entertain you all on your drive over a't that right alliv a't that right Molotov just kind of reaches up Pats him on the cheek turns towards Ernie I believe you're right mag it is time to get out of here and get to work I'm done with the whole what's the word glitzing glaming pretty words type situation I love the tower love it so much but there something about a gold veneer that really rubs me [Music] wrong so it is safe to say that you all are able to extricate yourself from the situation there when dealing with Kindra there are always a minimum of two levels at play and in this case looking at the gathered assemblage it would be very hard pressed for those of you with a street wise of two or higher to not see this for what it was this is a meeting a peace meaning a peace Summit between two different [Music] powers this was a an appeasement this is something horrible as a foot if a clan can turn on itself and still remain under the same banner and if you didn't know any better that's exactly what this would seem to be this matter is an appeasement your success more than likely will determine who or what is still a power within the Hakata [Music] oh gotcha so as you all leave the back space the backstage the hidden Center of power power for the Grand Theater daville there's a matter of Transportation there's a matter of what you all are going to do that sits there for you all in your [Music] side Luke is here with us nope as part of the No No you three are are allowed to leave and slink away on your own Luke is still here in your heart I told him everything he knows my sire I never got to talk to him about that um at least he knows the name of my conversation later oh I have so many hours of [Music] conversation it's really weird seeing somebody else do this makes me feel a little bit morally questionable about what I get up to you know I just kind of like Wonder like you know you know what his pajamas are like I bet I can see him in frill he does look like yeah some crushed velvet some some cup uh cup sleeves all right now majest you got any particulars as to what's going on here because otherwise I'm more happy to do what I normally do the thing is unfortunately the have been infighting for some time I don't know how far back it exactly goes but things I had to help fix were created within their own organization and there have been members of their own organization that have since gone missing so this does not quite surprise me that they are still fighting amongst themselves and need somebody else to mediate for as it what is that what that whole Dawn thing was I think so I was thinking about him and it just seems like he was kind of giv up a piece of land giv up a piece of his his pie yes I there had been many small skirmishes up until this point they were trying to keep it out of the V area but it has gotten to if it has gotten to the point where humans might notice than we are indeed in dire times so it would be best that we get this quietly handled best bu uh I has there any heard of the chop shot before no or is that a new bit of information no she was asking if Ernie has that's a new bit of information considering that sounds all too suspiciously like where you all were looking for a kir now I do got a question which of these two uh war and factions as it were do you Aline with the thing is I have some small ties to the get and the ibon queen but it's loose friendship rather than any sort of real loyalty so take that for what it is he did us a favor and we did him one okay so cuz way I look this well well look at this I see a bunch of hikata I see a bunch of tower I saw myself being about to own an Anar in there so well look at this this ain't really too much in the way of my problem so I'm leaving the the choices up to to you at least as far as I feel comfortable in doing so the thing with this particular situation is that yes the tower is involved do their pent for needing to have their fingers and things and sticking their nose and it is what it is but where you come into it is we are all of the same living situation as it were and should things get too hairy or obvious we will all be in the same amount of danger so what you're saying is if things go right tonight Situation's going to get hairy no if things go wrong that's what I said AR tonight not all right but oh I'm sorry sometimes the accent can confuse you as to what the [ __ ] I'm saying no I said all right all right all right all right all right he it's like oh God no please um he just looks at them both yes then if it goes AR this evening it will probably cause a war amongst that particular faction that will spill over to the point where it can no longer be hidden from those that live in this area and then that will bring the [Music] hunters they are not already here there's a like being composure one there is like a visible like Flinch almost just a ooh as uh as they say that but um just continuing on as if that didn't happen just so Luke's present here was more in the way of a mediator between the two waren individuals there from the way that you've explained it mhm more than likely yes but he probably still at least has some skin as it were called in the game but mostly yes mediation it seems and they penion for getting on people's nerves it appears oh L gets on more than nerves see the funny way he walked that man a bouncer bouncer like Club bouncer oh sweetie you're so [Music] innocent uh okay if Ernie wasn't already pale well suppose we what's that yeah uh the whole Crux of this whole thing is this is all because of that priest getting killed I I think that is one of the first things but it's more like a long line of [ __ ] R this is kind of like you know when you start stiffing people on their on their invoices they kind of stop working this is kind of a what union busting or what I'm not quite sure my my interaction with the political sphere has always has been just a little bit tangential but from the way I look at this way that I look at this um all the way that this comes out tonight I'm more than happy sorry to say that uh majesta I would love love to see everything turn out all nice and pretty but you know if it don't so long as we make it out I'm happy is this run by Mortals probably not probably not yeah no not especially as long as it has existed in our spia it has probably he made quotation marks pass hands among family well if you get what I'm saying so we going to get up to it then you got guys got a r on I got this lovely truck here that I've been just flowing it down the highway yeah I got this car until like this morning like then I have to burn it um what yeah long story long story uh but yeah uh not mine and uh you know uh the person who owns it is a gator food but I do have wheels and thing is was it you say you have to get rid of the vehicle by morning we are going to a chop shop I did not notice that irony good eye good eye be a good excuse to get on in there wouldn't it actually yeah I mean I could just park illegally and just get it towed what no what oh no we can use he nods towards oliva's truck oliva's truck to tow it oh that's not mine I mean I'm going treat it like it's mine but it not mine either way we have an excuse and a plausibility to be there and then we will take it from there as to how we best take out whatever element might be there and go about shutting this whole thing down indefinitely if you will give me but a few moments and he goes back to his vehicle to get any last minute things he might need from it and lock it to make sure that should they make it back here he will have his car where he left it and while he's doing so he will give himself time to do a premonition as to what they might be up against and um noou if I'm not mistaken uh it was stated that this operation used to be under the bullfrog yep 100% so [Music] okay are you're saying you have a a soft spot for the bullfrog no I was just wondering no not him okay I'm just trying to compare all these notes sorry maybe I shouldn't write so many notes oh notes are a very good thing you will need them later um Master wi Ernie when forcing a premonition you will need to tap that Beast baby risk it for a biscuit how are you using that R check to tap into the unknown are you pricking yourself are you slicing open your palm are you taking a silver pin and poking it it into the corner of your eye how are you triggering the necessary release to tap into the unto vistas of yet to be um the blade that he constantly carries on him that is kept at Wicked sharpness and his his ritual blade of course um is reached for in his inner pocket of his duster and he Tak takes it out and slides it across his non-dominant finger okay so we'll handle the Rouse roll immediately after but first things first go ahead and roll your resolve Plus [Music] opic [Music] sh [Music] well now has has Sasha or uh Oliver ever witness anyone go into a near catatonic State before yes yeah probably as Ernie's turning to move back towards you that's exactly what you see happen he goes stock Stone still rigidly as if he's having a full Grand Mall while standing at any moment he'll fall over and do harm to himself his gaze his eyes fill with light nothing spills out there's no glow emanating from him but his pupils swell to four and five times their actual size his brown eyes seem to move and swirl like a tornado starting off the coast and while that brown and dark black ear start swirling one into the next and the the whites of his eyes seem to disappear he stands and stares into forever in front of you and while that is happening go to assist yes how would you like to assist if he falls or anything like that um you know definitely kind of making my way uh down there you know kind of like creat like the neck treating him like a human uh very much so um he doesn't have a whole lot of medic medical you know like uh knowledge except for kind of like whatever he had experienced like you know in like uh the music scene and things like that like people getting like you know crushed in the pit [ __ ] uh but you know he does know how to like Elevate legs at least I hope what see seeing them go through all the trials and tribulations so just walk over it just kind of like slob squat while they're while they're conducting themselves looking at the scene just you are a nice one aren't you tell me what exactly do you have in relation to the the prince to get yourself wrapped up in this situation I heard you were one of his associates or something like that uh he was the one that I got to meet when I was uh made uh yeah and uh we met I I couldn't tell you what we talked about um but that was about 3 years ago I've just been on where I've been since then no one's ever really like talked to me no one's ever really bothered us up until uh well up until like my sire's up and gone missing but and while uh while Ernie is still unconscious in their State uh no one's really bothered you you mean not like all them wonderful Sheriff's offices been shooting you've seen my face before too haven't you oh yeah I've seen you in the pictures which is exactly what he's bringing up now like all them Chef's officers with their guns and their btic vests and all that you heard about that uh yeah that was two nights ago um yeah that's pretty fresh right there is it so tell me what exactly was that little fire starter doing uh a couple of things have come into a light about it but essentially I guess he'd been rolling into my neighborhood essentially uh doing a blood tax about wait wait wait you you talking about saber so yeah sab's a problem for a different day what I'm talking about is the one that I'm responsible for you know uh uh darker skin color goddamn purple highlights going on muscular female oh that's the girl with the hoodie yeah uh v v Vanessa van Vanessa yeah I keep forgetting her name thank you for reminding me I'll probably forget it again later but yeah what exactly was she doing [Music] there at what point I'm done to co over as to the best of your understanding because as I said before I'm kind of the one holding her leash Loose as it may be at this moment it's starting to come to light that I may or may not have to tighten and I'm not looking forward to that so that situation might become a little bit better for all parties involved if you can let me know what the [ __ ] was going on uh at one point in time uh saber cess does involve saber in the sense that he was there at my Park that night um and that is a problem for another night correct okay um it seems like uh uh your associate and uh her associate I I catch like learning not to use names uh but um Sasha does um but he says and they were out looking for him um a fight had broken out uh between the uh pack I guess you could say that because they are the uh the pack ones uh those vampire oh we talking about their mud trollers mud trollers let's go with that the ones that go slipp and sliding around yeah all right so she and hers go out there looking for a fight there as as far as I knew um the fight was already uh about to happen um but they were not a part of that they were not a part of that who who was the fight between then the own pack them themselves oh it was an infight l and how the [ __ ] did they get themselves involved in a pack in fight they got flushed into us by the uh the the sheriff and uh their crew okay we actually didn't really want to engage because they had the the pack had done a huge number on um on the land lady's son uh clam mhm and uh Clen wasn't long for the world so you know somebody kind of got caught on camera doing something unspeakable real shame that all right well is that all you think you could relay to me or is there more of the story uh there was a fight but we got separated mhm we smashed the camera equipment mhm but you know it's not real to real it's digital I mean Cloud exists as I noticed and uh during the night you know a uh a human in my uh a a kind a neighbor got killed I had to take care of that last night I see by myself who else have you told about all this [Music] nobody I see well he Pats I was hoping I we could talk be able to talk to somebody about it tonight but they've already ushered me out just kind of Pat Sasha on the shoulder until uh okay oh the I don't really care uh until I figure out what's going on with that particular situation I would suggest you keep that between the two of us all right sir all right now I and speaking of between the two of us a private communication a moment separate from the whole there are many ways to see the future most for most people it requires going to sleep and dreaming for others it requires just moving from one day into the next for those gifted in the same man manner as Ernie it requires a little pain it requires a catalyst sometimes and other times it comes unbitten it comes whether you want it to or not the roast beast sliced or not it came all the same and it comes all its own way there are just like the drugs that The Mortals numb themselves with to get through the the day the week the day the year there's a cost inherent the better the cut the greater the risk and in this particular moment Ernie Taps into the lightning itself there are some things that are best unknown borrowing someone else's trouble is one of the more hopefully foolish aspects of mortality that Kindred managed to escape usually Ernie is not so lucky the moment the blaz SL across his dead flesh the moment that the blade bites into him he is able to see stop and chop salvage yard it's 3/4 of a mile of land barely fenced in at the edges of his perimeter yet when you drive towards the center of the space there are walls upon walls several stories high of impacted compacted Vehicles one at top the next braced and bolstered into place the lower cars are segmented into place forming basically an impenetrable Bull workk against the world at the center of this Maze of stacked crushed cars is a quanset Hut from the late 20s just before the world war this was formalized into being it was used as a training ground then for the office of special services agents here in the Gulf Coast here on the secret Coast here in a import export location that was just off the map all those many years ago several of the airfields in the area were used to launch covert missions that help to steer the course of the war as well as overthrow several virony countries as well as spy on our allies as well as but it fell out of [Music] favor it became something else and what it became was the resting place for the ashes of the immortal Ernie sees himself walking through the front rolling door of the Quan Hut he feels himself moving from one environment into the other and realizing that the interior of the quantit Hut is cooler and colder than the exterior Ernie sees himself looking taking in the details of the space the several rows of folding car tables the folding chairs the uh bunk bed stacked against the far back wall the exposed restroom area where the showers have STS that barely reach the top of your pectorals and don't reach completely to the ground it is a space designed for a multiplicity of uses and all of them thread bare when it comes to supporting actual life but the air feels cooler the environment feels off even here and Ernie knows this is a clearcut understanding of what is to happen not what could happen it is not a shifting Kaleidoscope of potential this is what it will happen as sure of a bet that the sun will raise to tomorrow even if you're not there to see it this will happen Ernie will walk through that rolling door into an environment that is cooler than the outside he feels Oliver at his back he feels Sasha there on his right and before him is a masked Rhino walking on two legs though Rhino may be stretching it it looks more like a hi a hus it is large enough that it is clearly a pygmy hippopotamus standing on two feet it's bulk blocking out the light at the back of the building and it charges towards Ernie its bright red bloodshot eyes as his hand reaches towards Ernie's face and he can hear gunshots sounding like thunder echoing off the interior of the m metal structure that he's within the last thing Ernie sees is the hand Clos over his face and it is barely a hand because it is as large as his skull Ernie has never felt his death more than as that hand closes and makes contact with his flesh that balaclava masked to bipedal hippopotamus is most assuredly the end of [Music] Ernie he comes to himself sweating like Blood Sweat and flailing reaching for the pocket that had has his notepad in it and it's like Auto writing like when you're possessed he is a man possessed writing down everything he saw before he forgets it whoa and it's hard for him to forget anything because of his memory the way his memory sets up but just that state of being lost he is riding and [Music] riding you what what the [ __ ] problem what what's the problem deadly hippopotamus what serious I asked what was the hippopotamus doing waiting for us in the building he's like drawing like outlining how the rows of cars are in like a little map it's like the pages on his little book are like getting filled he I don't think he knows we're coming but he's prepared either way and he cuts the light from the world he's not going to go out with to fight he's in a shack and he's huge man huge hippo he's like patting his eyes for a minute and then finally having gotten all the writing out takes a deep breath and looks at the two of them we have to do this the right way or we won't make it out of this [Music] tonight I mean yeah that was the General assessment before you went ahead and had yourself a you know touch a God moment what exactly would you say is the right [Music] away hey that's the problem what I have seen will happen no matter what else we do but we being prepared for it hopefully keep it I'm flipping through your pages like as as you as you finished writing yeah getting bad may I may yes yes yes be prepared it's good be prepared is very good sir uh looking through you know he makes a note and you know what if I go on the left side instead of from the right side uh what about no side at all like you know how far away can we do this any kind of accident could happen What a what look you came in from behind in this vision and I came in okay I sorry I I don't [ __ ] too much with this whole life just seeing [ __ ] so I y'all just telling me what exactly y'all was wanting to do and we'll work towards that but like every time I [ __ ] with any kind of like movie or something that's got that future side going on the more you fight against it the more likely it's to happen your phone goes off right then just a small little bird chirp but I'm just saying but it's probably best if uh we take some time we gather ourselves gather what resources we can before approaching this if there is really such a an enormous threat there we can I've got bunch of gasoline bunch of you know acid and some relatively stable homemade molotovs back in my place if we guys want to go there and collect [Music] that I think that would cause a little bit more of the uh thing that neither the dawn nor the P nor the camarilla really want which was discretion uh see what they wanted to happen was to had this place wiped off the [ __ ] map sure and if they didn't want it happening with fire they would not have contacted the moloto [Music] okay would you show me how to use it teach me yeah let me just pull a bottle out of my ass I mean later what were we say no Teach Me How to Doggy Teach Me How to Doggy sure yeah I will you ever played baseball no okay have have you ever thrown a ball or are you more of a catchup uh yeah yeah like a catch you all right all right well then um this going to be an interesting experience uh as I said we can go back to my place it ain't too far out the way it is a little out the way but we can make it there in good time uh collect some resources that we might be able to use to make this a little bit easier for us sure yeah it might be bright might be prety but if we get in and out fast enough the fire truck ain't going to see us as they're talking Ernie kind of TAPS Oliver's pocket where the sound is coming from what what oh pulls it out looks at it oh all right talks it back [Music] in yes I think maybe I need a moment to proess and come up with a plan as to how to avoid my own death well approaching things from quite possibly the most prepared angle there a great way of doing [Music] that I mean you did get the premonition at this moment so at this moment we had not come up with the plan to grab the molotov cocktails but now that we have made a plan to grab Molotov cocktails we have essentially changed the probability and so your um your premonition is now moved hey this is why I don't [ __ ] with that that Tommy W no I I think I get it I think I get it I think it's coming on I'm glad one of us does Ernie Just Smiles at the at both of them but mostly at Sasha basically the smile says oh you sweet summer child but he does not say anything he just kind of nods okay I will accept that I'm starting to get how you connected to the [Music] prince I think Sasha now kind of realizes that people are making fun of him uh and that you know he's kind of getting he's kind of getting pat on the head [Music] uh I'm not sure how I'm going to take it right now though but he does kind of square up a little bit more he does kind of uh you know get a little bit more defensive uh but yeah he was like you know finally you know very decisively goes yeah molotovs that's good yeah Molotov that's good all right well Molotov at a chopping shop in a metal building is there any way to make sure that it burns hot enough to bring the building down on itself well you know what they say jet fuel apparently melts steel beams yes but do you have any jet fuel handy no not at all uh PA see here is a spectator or might I recruit you need something oh we're about to go [ __ ] some [ __ ] up oh don't get H Street all right all right all right I guess I'll do that okay well I do have another associate who's quite skilled at problem resolution you know I'm I'm mostly a talker if if you let me I can really get people to open up oh my friends very good at getting people to open up as well you mean literally don't you you are quite perceptive yeah I'm catching on but this is a good thing sure ignorance is 100% Bliss and in this particular moment there's very little chance that the Bliss of remaining ignorant will be a possibility [Music] mm- this is stuff that I've been shielded from so I guess you no please continue well sorry about that I'm just saying you know like this is this is your world you know obviously you're going to know better than you know what I know so oh May I'll Pi pick some pointers no no no ain't none of this your world [ __ ] this is our world now now and forever so long as you can keep hold of it you want to do some talking you think that'll be the best way about going about it I'll give you the opportunity to do some talking I on the other hand I found more up than not talking just leads people wanting to shoot me more well Daddyo ain't like you don't deserve that fine shooting iron after all you [ __ ] are the reason why things have been going as downhill as they have been now you ain't as Square as expect you're not quite a rectangle there Daddyo but you are very very very close to being on my uh little black book a list of things I'd be more circumspective I was you oh I like to keep myself ni and clean and looks around for the individual which is most likely just still [ __ ] invisible there is no one that is standing here except for you three uh I do have um my world has just opened up um I do have a little tiny aspex one I I am aware oh yes sir okay that would be an active attempt got you if you would like to now I would if I've heard a voice that I can't see oh yeah Daddo you done Heard a Voice you ain't can't quite see probably before you better sense of Sanity but you don't but let's give it a shot shall we Daddyo Ernie is just used to this he sees ghost all the time Jam so right he doesn't even know they're ghosts yet poor Sasha oh what is this with plus hos now Mr M girl are you just here to play peekaboo or you got something to add to this conversation oh I've been adding plenty list here Cat Daddy it's real simple you all got to Big to do hand it down from the h llama himself you all need to get on with get on and while you uh roll that let's give him a roll let's see what fate says do you unmask him before you all is the question no I doubt it only one success dc2 brother you might got t

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