As tensions mount further, Pippa and Felix make preparations for Elysium and the raid on the Sabbat Haven.
Pippa contacts Adie. As per their protocol for these situations she uses a one time email, telling the hacktivist to… “Grab your ‘go’ bag, you’re in danger. Disappear for a couple of days…”. She then informs Mal she is planning to put herself in danger the following night at 20:00, but asks him only to intervene if she seems to be in trouble.
Meanwhile, Felix prepares to follow up on the apparent Juliana lead. He reaches out to Christiana, asking her if anyone can accompany him as an observer. She sends Giulia, her Lieutenant. She arrives on schedule for their pre-meet rendezvous, asking Felix what she should look out for.
“Keep an eye out for familiar faces,” Felix asks, noting with quiet approval the woman’s choice of nondescript t-shirt, jeans and leather jacket, picked for the occasion. Christiana has already offered reassurance as to Giulia’s credentials as a former mystery shopper/store detective, making her perfect for observation. As an added aid, the thin-blood has brought a vial of Obfuscation-laced Vitae to imbibe, should the need for a stealthy get away arise. Together they set off for the biker bar that was Felix and Juliana’s customary meeting place.
Across the city, Mal drives Pippa to her meet. She is dressed ostentatiously, a caricature of herself in elaborate mask and punk street wear. Mal remains across the street, observing through a telephoto lens. Matthew is at her side, perched on one shoulder. The staff of the cybercafe she and Adie frequent are unfazed by either, PIppa being a familiar ‘face’. A survey of the room shows there are only a few other patrons present, and no one she recognises. Ordering her usual, she goes to her customary booth and sits. Opening her laptop, she sets it to record, looking out over the booth and the wider cafe. Pippa settles in to wait, using the screen to watch her own back.
She does not have long. At 20:10 Magdalena walks in. She is dressed in a simple t-shirt and ripped jeans, plus the burgundy leather jacket she wore for the video on Nikki’s phone. She looks around the room herself before making a beeline for Pippa’s booth, sliding in opposite to peer over her rose tinted glasses at the other vampire.
“You’ve gone up in my estimations, didn’t think you’d actually turn up,” she offers. “I’m pleased you took the invite.”
“Yes, well, I was hoping we might be able to discuss some way of settling things without blood shed,” Pippa responds.
Magdalena pulls a face. “I fear we may be a bit beyond that.” She pulls out a crumpled pack of cigarettes, Blushing with Life as she lights up. One of the bar staff moves to object, but a single look from Magdalena sends them scurrying back behind the counter.
She turns back to Pippa with a smile and a wink.
The pair discuss the current situation, moving back and forth over points of contention. Pippa notes the current violence, asking if they might come to an agreement about the sword. Magdalena counters by asking what Pippa knows about the Gehenna War. She confesses to know little beyond what is commonly discussed: the Elders, the Beckoning. Magdalena explains that the war is indeed a struggle between the Elders, but that it is not isolated to the East as many believe. She states that in fact it is spreading, and that she has information suggesting it will soon spill across Berlin, citing Pippa’s sire The Scholar as one of those who may be responsible for this turn of events.
She wants the sword to counter that spillage, to stop the Jyhad from swallowing the city. Magdalena notes her approval of what has been carved out by the city’s Kindred, a free haven few other city’s can claim to match. “Only Chicago, Buenos Aires and a handful of others can boast the same level of acceptance, regardless someone’s affiliation.”
Pippa, who is a little taken aback at the news around her sire, asks if there is any way they might work together.
“If I give you the sword, will you leave Berlin?” Pippa asks.
Magdalena admits she likes Pippa, wants to help, but doesn’t feel it is her choice any more. “Events are forcing my hand.” She regards Pippa through the cigarette smoke. “Anyway, how will you get this past the Prince?”
“You’re assuming I’ll tell the Prince,” Pippa responds evenly.
“Oh I like you!” Magdalena crows, laughing. “Won’t you join us?”
Pippa smiles innocently. “Maybe leave me a brochure.”
The pair haggle terms, Magdalena final agreeing to give Pippa until Friday (the day after Elysium) to deliver the blade. “After that, all bets are off.” She gives Pippa one of the troupe’s business cards, pulling out a pen to scrawl a phone number on the back. Then, with a smile, she evaporates into a cloud of mist which drifts lazily up one of the air vents.
While this is happening, Felix and Giulia arrive independently at the biker bar. The thin-blood has taken up a position to one side, nursing a beer at the end of the bar itself, where she has a good view of the tables, dance floor and pool area towards the back. Her clothes and natural talent for blending in make her all but invisible.
Felix on the other hand sticks out like a sore thumb in his usual work wear (shirt, loafers, an out-dated suit). He does however walk through the crowd with the assurance of someone who has run many rowdy youth groups, which earns him a certain amount of leeway.
Juliana is not difficult to find, as her pool table has drawn a small crowd. She is currently whooping the arse of a youth who appears none-too pleased about it. The kid looks like he might start something, when a pair of heavies materialise from the crowd to manhandle him away.
Felix snags the kid’s attention in passing, arresting their progress. “Allow me to demonstrate how a gentleman looses with dignity,” he suggests, placing his euro on the side of the table. The kid looks like he’ll try and take a swing, one of the heavies restraining him. They look to Juliana, who smiles, offering a slight nod of inclusion in Felix’s direction. They offer Felix a nod of their own in approval before removing the individual from the premises.
“Felix, it’s been far too long,” Juliana offers, coming to embrace him.
They exchange pleasantries and familiar jibes, Felix ribbing her about her ability to guess a coin toss without fail thanks to her Celerity. They discuss her absence, Juliana admitting she “…didn’t want to create trouble for myself as much as anything…”.
“You’ve heard the latest?” Felix asks as they rack up the balls, Juliana of course having won the toss. “We appear to have family visiting.”
He goes on to explain the current situation, and his and Pippa’s suspicions about Magdalena’s identity as Alexandr’s Childe.
“I thought they were all dead?” Juliana posits. “What do we know about provenance of this individual?”
Felix confesses she does genuinely appear to be Alexandr’s daughter.
Juliana nods thoughtfully, having just delivered a string of killer shots (again), stepping back graciously to allow Felix his turn. “And is she the source of our current Sabbat problem?”
Felix, who is never comfortable with such easy breaches of the Masquerade, looks about in concern. But his intuition reassures him they are in a safe space. He cannot see any other Kindred and is relatively certain even the heavies were not ghouls, but at the same time looks exchanged between them and Juliana, and with the bar staff, make him think the Brujah owns this place in spirit, if not actual name or blood.
He makes his shot, ceding the table to her once more as he confesses this to be the case. “We do need your help,” he admits hopefully.
Juliana admits to previous experience with the Hand. “What do we know of their resources?” she asks.
Felix tells her about the troupe, and the thing under the city they now suspect to be one of Magdalena’s creatures.
The pair go on to discuss Alexandr’s role in all of this, the issue of his return should Magdalena attempt to facilitate that. Felix confirms they are currently working to place his body beyond the reach of others.
Juliana confirms she has been in the process of reaching out to her former networks, and should be able to provide some aid. Felix highlights the current issue of the Childer army the Sabbat are amassing. Juliana suggests (with a small smile) her people should be able to help with that.
They then go on to discuss Elysium, which is to be held the coming Thursday night. Juliana confirms she had planned to attend, and formally present herself to Michelle as Prince. Felix explains about the Danny issues (which does not surprise Juliana), noting they may need to take him out, permanently.
“I can certainly be on hand to assist with that,” she confirms. Felix suggests she might remain incognito, acting as their ace in the hole, should things with the former Right Hand turn nasty.
“Everything will come to a head that evening,” Felix cautions, outlining their plan for the orchestrated Second Inquisition raid on the Sabbat hide out. Juliana agrees to aid as much as she can, gives Felix her phone number in order to aid more efficient and effective communication.
They prepare to part company, Juliana having soundly beat Felix as expected. “Next time, perhaps we can play chess,” she suggests with a small smile, which Felix returns.
Felix heads out towards the nearest transport link, Giulia joining him once they are a discreet distance from the bar. She confirms Felix’s reading of the bar as belonging to Juliana, unsullied by other interests. She notes she will be on hand should Felix need her again, stating Christiana has asked her to extend her own services as well should Felix need them. She also has a message for him, that ‘our mutual friend is safe’. Felix nods his thanks, finding he can relax a little knowing Wulf is beyond the reach of whatever trouble is coming.
Having met with Magdalena, Pippa then makes her rendezvous with Marcus, who will take them to meet the city’s werewolves. Mal accompanies them with ALL the guns, Marcus highly entertained at the size and variety of the man’s fire arms. The Gangrel is driving a people carrier, something he appears mildly embarrassed by but notes it’s practicality in functioning as somewhere to sleep on the road, should that be necessary. The group are not taking Alexandr with them, but preparations have been made to move him the next day, should the Lycans prove amenable to their offer.
As they travel across the city, Marcus offers reassurances about the coming meeting, recommending Pippa keep an open mind. For herself, she continues to foster hopes of building bridges with the werewolves, born out of her concern for the city’s safety and her desire to protect the mortal world.
They arrive in a typical well to do neighbourhood, not quite the white picket fences of America, but as close as Europe ever offers. Marcus leads them up the drive of a well appointed detached house, where an imposing woman in suburban chic waits for them at the open door. She introduces herself as Elsbeth, inviting the three of them in, where a further three women (all obviously also Lycans, to Pippa’s vampiric senses). She makes no move to relieve them of their weapons, noting she is happy for them to keep hold of their guns if it helps put everyone at ease. As a peace offering, she has freshly warmed blood presented to the two vampires in homely mugs. Pippa drinks hers, despite the damage this will do to her, keen to make a good impression.
Elsbeth gets straight to business, explaining their awareness of the current Sabbat issue. She gestures to her fellow pack mates (they jokingly refer to themselves as the Desperate Pack Wives), explaining they have been doing what is necessary to handle any local violence.
Pippa explains about the coming war she has been warned of. She pulls out a tablet, bringing up the diagram she has been working on which shows the pattern of the attacks slowly spiralling in closer and closer to the centre of the city. She notes a couple of particular areas of suburban trouble, asking if the wolfs might extend their efforts to help with any of them. Elsbeth confirms they can do this, but notes one in particular as a known Thin-blood haunt, suggesting the Duskborn make themselves scarce, noting their permanent surrender of the territory as the Lycan’s price for helping. Pippa agrees to arrange this, feeling certain Christiana will see the sense of it. She offers to provide any support the Lycan’s may find they need, though Elsbeth politely reassures her they will be fine, a small smile touching her lips.
Pippa is open about her surprise as to the Lycan’s knowledge of the current issues.
“We do follow your politics,” replies Elsbeth. “My ladies and I even tentatively approve of your new Prince and her regime. She appears to rule with a fair hand.”
Pippa then moves on to the main order of business, offering the Lycan’s custody of Alexandr. She highlights the temporary nature of the arrangement, stating they may want him back at some point, but notes he is “temporarily out of favour…” at present, a sentiment which makes Elsbeth laugh for it’s understatement.
There is some discussion of the details, after which the Lycan’s tentatively agree to the proposal, noting Miranda, one of their number, has some land that includes a safe space where the Gosudar might be secreted. Marcus makes arrangements then to deliver the staked corpse the following night.
During the leaving pleasantries, Pippa takes a whiff of the werewolves’ blood, finding it a heady mix quite beyond anything she has ever experienced.
As they set off in the car, Mal gives her a side long look. “Are you high?”
Pippa laughs, pressing send on the video she took of her meeting with the Magdalena, which wings it’s way to Felix. “No, I just got a really good whiff of cat nip.”
Mal rolls his eyes, grinning.
Zak's Midnight Show 