Number of fucks given in this post: 2
Yeah, well, that was another intense night! Doyle wasn’t about so Pat was there to hold the fort. He did a good job, although it didn’t stop Carter sneaking about talking to anyone he thought had influence trying to worm his way in.
Carter mostly stuck his nose in my Manchester business but nothing I did there this month wasn’t done in secret so I didn’t avoid the subject. I’m still convinced he’s the biggest threat in the city but it’s one for Doyle to deal with and not me. I’m just going to keep trying not to make him an enemy if I can help it… easier said than done though. He did give me some interesting info though… his coterie “gave” Sophia the docks and they’ve been working with her and with the Anarchs to support their bid for Liverpool. Lovely. Just what we need. Folks from Glasgow working both sides of the conflict.
Talking about Manchester and Liverpool, one of the Camarilla Brujah came up all wound up about his missing friend – the one mentioned in Dark Times and the one I’d already promised to hunt down. Pat and I double-teamed him to reassure him and find out what we could about the circumstances of the disappearance. Seems like the only thing that actually links it to the Anarchs is a dead guy in combat gear and the location of the warehouse. His pal had basically called him up in the middle of a firefight and then the call cut off. By the time the Brujah, along with Doyle, turned up everyone was dead or gone. One of the dead was an Anarch so he’s been linked with combat gear guy. Anyway, I promised him that I was pure dead brilliant at this stuff and that I’d find out what happened. Pat and I suggested that it probably wasn’t the Anarchs and that the evidence that there was is circumstantial. Pat suggested the Sabbat rather than the Society of Leopold, even though we know they were down in Manchester last month, so that no one was going to run in and attack the Society in a rush of mad vengeance. Certainly, Manchester has had experience of the Sabbat stealing faces and infiltrating domains.
So yeah, my plan is for Victor and McGregor to cover the scourge shit while I run down south to try to keep the Camarilla and Anarchs from escalating everything and see if I can maybe find out if this guy is still alive.
Loads of new kindred in town. Some of them said they were visiting but it wouldn’t surprise me if they hung around. We had shy-girl who knows the 2 girls from last time (who mysteriously had forgotten to mention her when they said that they’d never meet any other vampires apart from each other until now). Simon, a mouthy Brujah currently on tour who was originally from Dunfermline. I’ve gotten too used to competent clanmates so if he doesn’t buckle down and get serious instead of trying to push McGregor and myself then he’s going to regret it. There was Michael who is a Toreador in town whose does movie directing. Lastly is a Malk from Manchester who says he’s escaping the conflict but is quite happy to fight up here instead.
Al Capone from Chicago (yeah, that Al Capone) came to pay his respects to Ricky. I didn’t talk to him much, but hopefully I didn’t come across too badly when I did.
Lessee, picked up a few other bits and pieces of info that might be useful. That Russian Ravnos that saved my bacon at the Black Hand Assault is pushing Underworld connections. Barker has access to police reports. The Tremere now all know that I’ve been visiting their Academy and Primrose can’t keep her mouth shut in from of her boss about our night out, even though she was the one that wanted us to keep it a secret, haha! Oh, and I’m also going to teach Victor some hand-to-hand moves so he can get better with his claws – not that we’ll be fighting with his claws out.
The big thing of the night, however, was what happened just before court. Victor, McGregor and the newbie Sabbat Hunters, including Kyros and the ghoul, had been over at Hamilton after tracking down a potential Sabbat lead to a bunch of neds… who they found covered in blood and who had been lifting people off the street to feed to the shovelheads who’d been holed up in a mostly derelict tower block. Turns out the 3 shovelheads were from the bunch of Dutch old folks that had gone missing from the bus that McGregor had been wanting to track down! Anyway, they fight them and it’s a hard fight but just as they are picking up the torpored bodied SWAT turn up.. except that it’s not SWAT it’s the Society of Leopold. There was a priest that seemed to have some effect on their beasts and their touch burned Victor. Sounded seriously fucking scary. Somehow they managed to escape, partly by setting the place on fire around them, and were able to bring back the torpored bodies. They also stole one of the Society vans to escape and had the presence of mind to park in deep enough under a bridge that any tracking should be blocked.
So yeah, McGregor was well wound up after that. Quite understandably. Kyros had almost got him killed, I think. Half my night was dragging him away any time someone bugged him, with special notice for Carter. I had to physically get in between them to break eye contact or it was going to get messy.. specially because for some unknown reason the people about him kept crowding in firing questions at him and sticking their noses in when what he just needed was space. That place is so fucking crowded if a Brujah kicked off it would be like sitting inside a food processor. I literally had my stake out and was poised to stake McGregor… or maybe Carter since he wouldn’t shut up even when I told him to stop talking. Carter asked me later if I’d been threatening him with the stake… I mean, I wasn’t really not threatening him with the stake but mostly I was just holding it in my free hand waving it at him while holding back McGregor, so I still said that I wasn’t.
Had to have a word with the newbie Sabbat Hunters later. Mostly pointing out that the use of fire should be kept to the end, and that it’s a bad idea to set fire to the building when you are still in it! Also, they had told the Keeper of the Masquerade about it but neglected to mention to him when it had happened. Daniel had come to me quite grumpy about it when he found out later that evening.
I don’t envy Pat having to tell Doyle what went on, but rather him than me!
