The year is 2020 and Seattle has quickly grown to become one of the vampiric society's finest cities.
The Camarilla rules the city with an iron fist, ensuring the survival of the Kindred, and with it, the
rule of the Masquerade: Their existence must remain a secret to humans, and the Prince of the City sits
at the top of the hierarchy, enforcing the laws of the undead.
The clans of the Camarilla fight for power: It's a game of chess and your next move might determine
the future of all. When push comes to shove, which side will you take - and as a character with the
potential to shift the game, what will your next move be?
SOME RULES ARE UNBREAKABLE
In the past few months, the rate of newly embraced vampires have skyrocketed - most of which has
not been sanctioned by Prince Algernon: The Camarilla have worked day and night trying to track
down the one's responsible, but where one lead ends, another begins. Unable to figure out the culprits
behind the mass-embrace, the Camarilla finds itself caught between trying to restore power and ensuring
that the laws of the Masquerade are not broken - again.
A Blood Hunt has been called, and the Scourge has been sent out - and so the Caitiff are being hunted
down: Nothing but Final Death awaits them.
It must have been nice, to be able to just... walk up to the bar and buy a drink. Kindred, such as the lovely lady in black sitting alone at a table tonight, had to resort to other methods to get a buzz. That's all she was here for tonight, a buzz. Still, she went to the same place humans did - a bar. This one in particular was a surprisingly nice place, at least by her standards. Posters of previous and upcoming live shows covered the walls. The air inside was thick with cigarette smoke - she could see it swirl in the light as she looked across the room. It was a decently large place, not grandiose or expensive but with a certain element of grunge that she appreciated. There was some human nobody on the stage, too many beers deep to be coherent, belting out a song. She counted the seconds until it was over.
Serena had spent the previous hour or so sitting there, drink in front of her (though she couldn't enjoy it) and had even gotten up to sing a single song earlier. The number of people eager to partake in open mic night had decreased slightly now, as they were mostly nursing a drink. Long black fingernails tapped quietly on the side of her cold drink glass, condensation heavy. Inside was a rich red beverage, now watered down by the melting ice. It was of little use to her, except that having a cocktail on hand helped her blend in with the crowd. That's what she had to do right now, blend in. Her usual shtick was to wait, all alone in plain sight, until approached. Or sometimes she would do the approaching, if she saw someone particularly tasty. Tonight she had not yet had such luck, which was a blessing and a curse. She could people-watch. The elegant vampire wasn't too particularly hungry tonight, just looking for a good time, and so she was in no hurry. In fact, if she left without a meal, well that would be just fine. Finally, the intoxicated individual on stage toddled back to their seat. There was now a chance for another human to go up on stage, and to be honest, they would look pretty damn good compared to the previous performance.
There were a couple faces that night that interested her, be they easy targets or simply good-looking. Now, there was something that wouldn't be half bad. If she could feed from a hottie in the pitch black alley beside the bar tonight. Sometimes it was the small pleasures that made un-life worth living. She had kept stealing glances at one such face in particular since he'd arrived. Serena was curious about him, he had a certain look that was somehow different than everyone else there that night. He had the face of someone cool as a cucumber, but the way he seemed to carry himself was something else entirely. Interesting... Her dark eyes, the color of a storm over sea at twilight, followed him more and more as time passed.
Alex was prepared for the night, it was gonna be a good one. He had been preparing for this open mic night for about a week, not that it was all that great but he had some amount of ambition as a singer and these little things helped get his name out and spread about. He had a few people he knew that were going to be there and that made him all the more nervous. He had spent the earlier hours of the day preening himself until he looked acceptable to be seen on a stage. The outfit was always the part to agonize over, though he settled on a black tanktop, tight black jeans tangled with chains and black fingerless leather gloves. He felt they helped him grip a mic better.
However that was earlier and now all the jitters were gone, with a whiskey in hand he felt relaxed for the day. He had been wandering around blankly talking to a few people, a few polite responses and curt smiles was the most he gave though, he hated the social part of these things, the 'oh hey please like me and stay for my song' It always made him cringe a little bit that it was a popularity contest in some ways. The more attractive and likeable you were the less often people picked your song to skip out for a smoke to.
He had been checking out mostly for the person on stage, going on with a light buzz was fun and acceptable, but the second you got drunk was when you started to make a fool of themselves. He tapped his fingers on the rim of his glass as he waited, and then finally once the man got off stage he let his body relax. It was his turn now to go on stage and he let himself blank out finally, feeling the time was right to drop his guard.
He strode on stage, boots clicking slightly as he grabbed the mic. "Hey i'm Alex, and this is an original song." He kept it brief as he cleared his throat, his demeanor changing as he began to sing, the low rough voice taking to a melodic purr. He locked his eyes on a woman that seemed to be paying a special bit of attention to him, cocking his head with a sideways smirk he began. "Nothing Left now i'm feeling numb, and just like you I couldn't love someone. There is no one I can belong to. Take you out never bring you back again."
He sang his song and finished perfectly, like this had been rehearsed a thousand times, and it practically had been, well closer to a hundred but who was counting. He stepped off stage after the song and walked to the bar, getting another glass of whiskey and making his way over to the spot where the woman sat, his stride was neither confidant nor reserved, it just was. "So was it that terrible?" He chucked softly as he spoke, sipping the amber liquid.
She was, admittedly, impressed - although Serena came from a different time and place, and grew up hearing very different music, this new stuff was really her jam. Something about it... It was more real, more from the heart. It still came from the hearts of mortals, and how much value did their little hearts really have, but still. Alex, she noted his name. Although the man himself was a stranger, the name was comfortably familiar, more or less. The Kindred wondered for just one brief moment where her Alexander had gone, and if he was even alive still. She didn't particularly care about the answers to either, but it was worth a wonder. The human's singing inspired her to take some time to think, although thankfully she at this moment felt like sadness was a far away emotion. Oh, Serena had sadness - deep, deep sadness and fear - but nearly three centuries of experience enabled her to push it aside. Focus on other things. Like her would-be meal. He was leaving the stage now, and he seemed to have been well-liked by the crowd. There were cheers and clapping. But Serena, she sat stone still and silent, nothing but a gentle little smirky-smile on her lips. She watched him like a predatory big cat as he approached her.
"You've been practicing that for awhile," she noted, pretending to drink her cocktail as he drank his whiskey. "I like it." Closer now, she could take in the sight of him better. He looked delicious, just her favorite flavor. The sort to wear all black like herself. Together, the two of them looked like they were either going to a rock concert or about to put the fun in funeral. It was a welcome respite from the usual sort. Serena contemplated her plan, and all the while, played her role just as she had done a million times before.
"Alex, right?" As if she didn't already know for sure. "I'm Serena." The vampire gave him bedroom eyes from under thick black lashes, crimson lips now smiling mysteriously. "Sorry - I saw you across the bar, I guessed you would be pretty cool." This seemed like the sort of guy that she would have to take the lead with, considering he hadn't already. No problem. In fact, it would almost certainly be fun. She traced the edge of her glass with one black fingernail, tossing her hair out of her face with a practiced flip. Serena rested her head casually on her other hand, looking up at this human man. Suddenly, a playful smile lit her face up. "Well, do you think I guessed right?" His answer could be useful, to suss out exactly what kind of person this 'Alex' was.
Alex let his gaze run her up and down, not in the way most men would probably eye her, He simply wanted to take a full look of her and get some picture of the type of person he was talking to. She was clearly a bit of a seductive sort, now the part to decide was if he was going to play into it. It could be interesting to, though he had never had to play this particular part. He gave a genuine small smile and a nod of his head as he brushed his hair back slightly. "I do in fact practice a lot. Practice makes adequate right?" He chuckled softly at his albeit bad joke. [break][break]
He had to admit he was quite interested in her look, like a doll dressed to die. He tended to be interested in people with a similar aesthetic to his own, it usually meant he had less pretending to do, less emotion to fake. He motioned to an empty chair at her table, his own way of asking permission to actually join her for a conversation, though most people would have just taken it, he got the distinct impression from the way she was gazing at him that she was a woman who enjoyed being in control. [break][break]
"Yes, Alex. Pleasure to meet you Serena... though i get the feeling it's my Pleasure." He tilted his head a little bit to the side, that was a look he had seen before, though never directed to him by anyone who knew him. He was unsure of exactly how to handle the situation, but that never really stopped him. "Cool... Hm.." He let the words play on his lips as he thought for a moment, a seductive smile forming on his lips and his eyes narrowing slightly.[break][break]
"I mean I have a very... very special interest in tiny bottles with even tinier ships... Is that cool?" He couldnt help but give a small laugh and shake his head at his own stupid joke. He was very very far from cool, he was the kind of guy who enjoyed table top games and read way too many comics. He was a nerd, the only reason most people didn't think he was, he was hot, he was readily knowledgeable of the fact that his outward look tended to mask the geek inside. [break][break]
" Sorry, stupid joke.. I am about the farthest thing from cool you'll get here.. But I like to think I can look the part. You've certainly got the look down yourself." He had to admit, she was gorgeous. "So are you just here to rate someones cool factor.. or do you usually come around here?"
It must have been nice, to be able to just... walk up to the bar and buy a drink. Kindred, such as the lovely lady in black sitting alone at a table tonight, had to resort to other methods to get a buzz. That's all she was here for tonight, a buzz. Still, she went to the same place humans did - a bar. This one in particular was a surprisingly nice place, at least by her standards. Posters of previous and upcoming live shows covered the walls. The air inside was thick with cigarette smoke - she could see it swirl in the light as she looked across the room. It was a decently large place, not grandiose or expensive but with a certain element of grunge that she appreciated. There was some human nobody on the stage, too many beers deep to be coherent, belting out a song. She counted the seconds until it was over.