{V:tM - IC} New York by Night

[KitanaVorr]

The table nearby caught her attention as Caitlyn sang, initially only because it held the only child in the room. How strange! A child in the midst of what seemed so obviously an adult gathering of some kind. And what a beautiful little girl as well, so innocent…but what was that strange expression on the child’s face? It certainly made her feel very...uneasy.

I will pray for you
I will pray for you

Her sweet voice echoed out to her audience as she wrapped herself within her words until she noticed who else sat at the table with the young girl.

I will sell my soul for something pure and true.

So strange.

Someone like you.

Two other men sat at the table with her, a very dark mysterious looking man and a younger handsome one. And such eyes they had! Captivating and yet so very strange indeed. She had seen men looking at her before, knew what the gaze of attraction was like, but their gaze seemed very different from the others very…feral.

See your face every place that I walk in
Hear your voice every time that I'm talkin'

And there sat Valentine, the strange man who had contracted them for the night. He seemed pleased with her performance which made her very glad indeed, but she remembered the way his lips seem to twist into some kind of smile whenever he said the name of the band.

Why was that?

You will believe in me
And I will never be ignored

 

[reapersaurus]

Nikolai entered the room with a sense of foreboding, his senses increased from both Auspex powers.
He thinks . o 0 (Going into a snake's den, one must always be Alert.)

He has been anticipating/dreading attending Elysium ever since he learned of its existence, something he surpringly didn't know until recently even with his decades-long interest in Kindred Lore.
Actually attending the decadent ritual he finds ironic, since when he was a Hunter, a group of vampires together was something The Brotherhood always wished to find out, so they could dispose of many birds with one big stone.

Now he was here, among Them, and while a part of him rebelled at the sick play that danced before his eyes ; vampires acting like the cream of humanity ; a part of him schemed, wondering what paths he could plot to gain power or prestige from such a Gathering.

Nikolai made his acknowledgments to the vampires he knew attending. He looked around for Aisling, his Chantry's Regent, not finding her in attendance as yet. His Sire, Mikhail, was not present and Nikolai hadn't seen him since Nikolai left Knight City a month ago.

He made the rounds that Etiquette demands, surruptitiously bowing in respect towards the corner of Power where the Prince looked to be wanting to be kept alone.
Nikolai's Appearance was augmented this night by a ritual he had performed to allow his animal magnetism to make up for some of the gifts that the Embrace didn't provide him (Impressive Visage, App of 4).

As he came round to Qadir, he was pleasantly surprised at his invitation to stand nearby, and Perceived it as perhaps a desire on the powerful Sherif's part to speak to someone who was not a stuffed shirt.

"Ah, Qadir - you look so ready to jump to action - as if we may be so lucky that tonight's schedule might include such excitement!
Have any Elysium's you've attended needed your palpable services as yet?"

Nikolai stands beside Qadir, his back to the wall looking out at the crowd, and makes a joke intended to make fun of Nikolai's less-than-awe-inspiring physical threat :
"Yyyyyep! You just let me know if anybody here gets uppity and in need of getting their skulls cracked, cause I'm yer man!"

Nikolai blusters up and cracks his knuckles like a bouncer to further illustrate the absurdity of the statement.

 

[Shalimar]

The woman on the stage was so beautiful... it was so easy to lose yourself in the her grace and wonderous voice. Or it would have been, if not for that burning in her throat, that craving.

She had never wanted anything as much as she wanted to sate this thirst, and to top it off her mouth was all tingly, it was almost intolerable to her. She made low whimpering sounds in the back of her throat as she tried to force herself to remain sitting and patient for her treat.

I can wait for my treat, I can, they promised I could have something in a little while. Besides I don't want to embaress uncle Nathan after he went to all the trouble to bring me here. Despite these thoughts bouncing around in her head, it was only with a great deal of willpower, and keeping her hold of her brother's hand that allowed her to stay in her seat.

OOC: 1 Willpower point spent.

 

[reapersaurus]

After speaking with Qadir awhile, attempting to ingratiate himself to the Sherrif so that Nikolai might be able to tag along any upcoming raids or official duties the Sherrif might perform, Nikolai encountered the song piercing thru the room, all the way to the back where he stood.

Its unmistakable power and beauty did not entrance him like some silly distracted Toreador might, but its purity resonated with a part of him that did not see the light that much these days.
He listened to the song, losing himself in memories of a time long ago for him, when such strains might have played his heart strings with wild abandon.

He shook himself free of the painful yet undeniable memories that Caitlyn's performance arose in him, and proceeded to watch the impact it had on the audience.
Knowing how close to the beast we Beasts are at times, he began to fear for the obviously-human girl's safety, what with her assets being displayed prominently for the enjoyment of all.

He began to concentrate on picking out any Auras that may show up a deep red, or even worse, an aura of rapidly rippling colors indicating that Kindred being Embraced by their Beast.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

Qadir cracked a slight grin at the Tremere's antics. "You have much to learn yet childe....", he said with a heavy eastern accent.

After a moment he added, "I do not think my services will be needed tonight. Assuming of course the little one can get a hold on herself." He nodded at Sabrina sitting at the table.

"She thirsts. She should have fed before arriving..... better yet... she shouldn't exist at all. Her maker should have been destroyed. The child should be destroyed."

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

Nikolai

Concentrating, Nikolai's gaze pierced the veil of the natural world and fell upon the very souls of those before him. He could see that the young child pointed out by Qadir was indeed suffering from the hunger, though she appeared to have it under control.

The other Kindred in the room seemed to be well at ease, as at ease as kindred ever got around each other. He noticed that the band playing on stage seemed to be very nervous. They should be.

As he continued looking around, his gaze finally landed of Qadir. He appeared calm and in control, but black veins of energy coursed through his aura.

He raised an eyebrow at the young Tremere. "Take care where you cast your scrutiny Nikolai. You know it is forbidden to use the dark gifts in Elysium."

 

[Vychtorya]

As Caitlyn finishes the set, Vychtorya leans in to Carrick and tells him the lead singer MUST sing at the club.

"She is just simply scrumptious.
Maybe if we present her a sweet enough deal, we could get rid of that band YOU had in the club last week.
I hope you learned to let me pick the performers from now on."

"She seems very talented, and on the verge of becoming known. You know how well that would promote the club if we can have her perform there before she gets her first record deal.

In fact, maybe you can talk to some of your contacts in the recording industry. Talent like hers NEEDS to be discovered."

Carrick agrees with Vych's assessment, telling her he will consult Valentine to see his thoughts on the matter, and that Vych should talk to the singer at the next break to see if she would be interested.

Carrick says, "You can make the offer to her entire band, or make the invitation to just her personally."

Vychtorya stands and excuses herself from Carrick's table. With that, Carrick rises from his chair and leans in to kiss Vych on the cheek.

Vych adds before taking her leave, "I also see that Hellene and Mazz are here. Decorum advises that I spend time with them tonight.

I shall return shortly my love."

 

[KitanaVorr]

Who where those men standing over there by the door? They looked like bodyguards for the group, probably security. Even though they didn’t look armed, Caitlyn felt strongly that they would be any match for anyone who wanted to disturb the gathering.

One of them seemed more excited than the other, as if something within him was barely held in check. The way he looked around the room as if willing something to happen was almost a little disturbing.

I will burn for you
Feel pain for you

Those eyes. Some kind of pain in his eyes when he listened to her sing. But what was it? As her words rolled off her tongue, they seemed to fall right into his thoughts and touch something else there. A memory perhaps. He stared at her, but not her.

I will twist the knife and bleed my aching heart
And tear it apart

Not enough light in this place to even qualify as a child’s night light, and yet everyone seemed to move so comfortably. Even stranger, with the exception of the child, nearly all of them looked beautiful and young, as if frozen in at the cusp of perfect adulthood.

I will lie for you
Beg and steal for you

Yet there was something about that man. The way he stared at her and moved his eyes. He knew something more beyond the enrapture of the crowd. The electricity of whatever his thoughts may hide crept into her words and she watched him as she sang.

I will crawl on hands and knees until you see

Something about him that wasn’t quite right. Something bestial, a font of unrestrained power locked within those muscles. Something kept within and hidden from the light, a darkness that reached out with a thin finger to add a hint of flavor to her timbre.

You're just like me

 

[KitanaVorr]

Violate all the love that I'm missin'
Throw away all the pain that I'm livin'

The time seemed to pass so quickly, but still she felt locked in this moment forever. How could her voice possible hold, but it did, and the audience with such discriminating taste seemed completely mesmerized.

You will believe in me
And I can never be ignored

Her dark eyes passed over each of the occupants, noticing the beautiful redheaded woman who stood up as her song was coming to an end. She seemed so sure of herself, this woman, with a confidence that Caitlyn had always wanted for herself. Perhaps it was having someone like that handsome blonde man by her side that gave her the strength. Or maybe she just had an incredible inner strength to begin with.

I would die for you

Wait there was someone else in the audience she recognized. Was that her neighbor from across the hall? Why was he here at this gathering?

To be close to you

And who was that man way in the dark corner where she couldn’t see his face. No one else seemed that aloof and yet they paid a great deal of deference to him.

To be part of you

Definitely the strangest, most unsettling audience she had every played for which was saying quite a lot considering some of the clubs in NYC that her Gothic rock band had been playing in lately.

'Cause I believe in you
I believe in you

Her voice halted softly as her song finally came to an end.

I would die for you.

 

[Festy_Dog]

Max looked at Morgan, giving her a brief smile as repayment for her reassurance. He thought for a minute on the child present, how horrible it would be after her mind matures within that juvenile body, these thoughts were whisked away though in an instant. He looked up at the stage to see his neighbour, certainly as attractive as always, if not more so, he couldn't look away.

Wow, not just a pretty face, I wondered what she did for a living.

It was forunate he wasn't hungry, though the sight did make him peckish. The music seemed to end too soon and his thoughts became his own again.

Well, she's done hijacking our senses for the moment. Is that the Prince back there? Heh, they're all as hideous as the next, I guess its the Prince's honour and sense of duty that sets him apart from the rest.

He sits quietly, glancing at Morgan now and then to gauge her reactions to things.

I hope this doesn't take long...