[PRP] Elysium (Alessa Caito & Pretty Boy)

[Kinu]

The bright lights up in Camarilla territory were aggressive when you were used to the half-assed job Hemlock did in keeping the party district lit. Pretty Boy took a drag, his cigarette illuminating his narrowed gaze. ********, who needed anything to be this well lit? He stood out like a sore thumb next to the entrance of the Prince's high rise, not just there though, he stood out *vibrantly* against the crisp, affluent, business energy of the entire district. It was late enough that there were very few Kats around to give him the standard 'you don't belong here' look. It was his favorite look, well one of them anyway. And that was mostly because it provided an opportunity to really make them uncomfortable or cement his image as a degenerate in their eyes.

The ******** clans. His lips lifted into a faint smirk as he took another drag, the smoke curling through his nostrils upon exhale. His claws gave a sharp click as he flicked his cigarette off into the darkness. A little silent ******** you. Honestly, he wouldn't be here if he didn't have a very good reason and the clans didn't generally want the clanless about without a good reason either. But business, his business, required him to do s**t he hated sometimes. Taking a deep breath inward he closed his eyes, steeling himself for his next encounter. Don't ******** it up, Pretty Boy.

He had to repeat this mantra. Not because he wasn't adept at maneuvering the social minefield of politics, he could do that just fine if he really had to, but because of his strong, deeply ingrained desire to be blunt and raw in the face of control. But he would ******** himself if he did that here. The Prince wasn't the one he wanted to make an enemy of. Sure, clanless weren't technically under Camarilla rule but they could order a bloodhunt easily on a clanless and the clans would barely bat an eyelash. Being in a clan had its advantages and.. disadvantages. He just couldn't bring himself to bend over and take the big one. He liked the advantages being clanless afforded way, way, too much.

He waited until a couple of, what were those lawyers?, came wandering out the front doors before slipping in past them, just in case there was a lock or some kind of paging system. He wanted to keep a low profile-ish. Sure, he'd probably get slammed for not having an appointment but he wasn't risking a rejection right off the bat.. or to get put on some bullshit waiting list a mile long. He didn't have time for that. He had to get the club back open. The Prince was probably in the penthouse, it felt like the appropriate place for big bad Camarilla mommy. Keeping a watchful eye on everyone and everything.

Pretty Boy checked the directory, the Ventrue were nothing if not immaculate in their organization of their hierarchies. Lucky for him. He slid a claw up the list of names until it landed squarely on hers. Yep. Penthouse. The male exhaled sharply through his nostrils as his initial guess proved correct. His knuckle punched the call button on the elevator and he slipped inside as the doors opened, hitting the big fancy (P) at the top of the selection of buttons. Pretty Boy leaned against the back wall as the elevator jostled to life, his head resting against the metal while keeping his eyes on the door. This would either be a brilliant idea or a ******** stupid one. Fortunately for him he wasn't prone to making stupid ******** decisions, so there was hope yet.

Noir Songbird

 

[Noir Songbird]

Alessa was, generally speaking, a woman of meticulous schedules. Much of it was managed for her by Equinox; among the many reasons she kept him around, outside of genuine mutual affection, was that she had yet to find a better secretary. Fort he moment, she'd sent him off, though; she was supposed to be in between meetings for a few hours, and that made for a good time for her to catch up on work and for Equinox to....acquire them some dinner.

She glanced out the window, at the lights of the district below, and smiled--a Prince overlooking her domain, deeply pleased with what she saw. There had been some upheaval of late, and it seemed there was a new temple--she supposed it would be appropriate to present herself to the new God of Vampires, to be polite, though she doubted he had too much interest in Clan politics--but for the most part, things had settled neatly.

And settled quite in her favor.

She had a Sheriff proper, now, something she'd never bothered with before; she was looking at filling more spaces in her hierarchy. Butt here were pieces missing.

Ah well. There was always time.

But alas, it seemed that she wasn't to know peace--a small crystal, seated in the pen holder on her desk, lit up, and she exhaled. It was a warning device, enchanted to glow any time someone pressed the "P" button in the elevator, to let her know that someone was coming.

She frowned. Checked the schedule Equinox yhad presented her that morning.

No, nothing, which meant this was a surprise visitor.

Well. She sat back in her chair, folded her hands in her lap, and waited. Whoever it was, they would find that the actual elevator let off into a small entrance area, which had a door that led into Equinox's office; throguh there was the final portal, throguh frosted glass, that led into Alessa's own workspace.

Where the Prince waited.

Kinu

 

[Kinu]

Once he reached the final floor, the elevator dinged, and the doors began to open as the machine came to rest. The Penthouse. Pretty Boy's gaze lifted, his expression steely, ready to get this over with. He was greeted by a small lobby, tastefully corporate in design and style. It felt sterile. Not his scene at all. The male slowly made his way out, a sore thumb in contrast to the meticulous scheme of his surroundings. His bright, mis-matched eyes taking in everything with an air of detachment.

Where the ******** was she? He felt like this wasn't the right door, not for the Ventrue who liked to show off their status, rubbing it in the noses of all their peons. Chill out, Pretty Boy. He needed to calm the ******** down or he'd blow it. This could be a very mutually beneficial deal, and The Prince owed him exactly what he owed her, nothing. He was here asking. For the most part, she'd left the clanless alone, so he needed to stop.

He couldn't hear any movement and the quiet was unnerving. It was a shocking contrast to what he was used to in the party district. He much preferred the loud noise and yelling and general chaos only nightlife could supply to... the silence. He approached the only door and knocked, time crawled slowly by, he quickly got the feeling he was waiting for no one. When he felt there really was no answer coming he reached for the handle and turned it. Unlocked.

If he were the paranoid type he probably would have been worried, as it stood there were very few things that could truly unsettle him anymore. He found himself in an office, or reception area of sorts, someone worked here anyway, but it was currently vacant. His eyes lifted to spy the frosted glass door, somehow his gut told him he was on the right track. Well, here went nothing. He raised his hand, the back of his knuckles tapping firmly against the door as he waited for a reply. He wasn't about to just walk into this one.

Noir Songbird

 

[Noir Songbird]

Well, well. Apparently this visitor had some decorum. The knock on her door made Alessa smile, slowly, and she leaned forward, folding her hand son her desk.

"Come in," she said. "And be quick about your business. I'm not one for uninvited guests."

But she would tolerate this. It took a certain level of boldness to waltz into the Prince's office unheralded and uninvited, and that kind of boldness attracted her interest. Her attention. At least for as long as her visitor wanted to talk.

Or until Equinox returned, and it was time to pay attention to her mate, and not some random off the street. Whichever came first.

Kinu

 

[Kinu]

The summons from the other side of the door broke the silence, and Pretty Boy closed his eyes for a moment, gathering himself. He could do this, hell he'd done worse s**t than this. The male straightened himself out, intense mismatched gaze focused ahead, ready. The handle turned and the door swung open to allow him entry, he was immediately struck by the tasteful opulence of her office, though one couldn’t expect anything less from the Prince of the City.

He pushed the door shut behind him and approached Alessa's desk, keeping a comfortable distance between himself and the actual object. "I know you weren't expecting anyone, and I'll go ahead and apologize for just showing up without an invitation." There, civil, polite even. He’d learned a lot since taking over the club, even if he still pretended like he didn’t own it most of the time. "But I have a business proposition that could benefit both the Clans and my club if you'll hear it."

That intense gaze regarded the Prince calmly, his body language giving away none of the agitations he’d felt earlier, and instead, was rather relaxed, if not a bit guarded. “It would be stupid to assume you don’t know every vampiric club, haven, or gathering spot in the city, so I’ll save my breath.” Pretty Boy’s voice was even as he spoke, and as biting or dismissive as his tone could sometimes be, he held back. “The Sin Bin. I own it now. I’d like to cut a deal with the Camarilla to make it a place of Elysium if you’re willing to negotiate.”

Noir Songbird

 

[Noir Songbird]

Alessa examined her visitor, with a tilted head and a little, thoughtful "hm." Brightly colored. Dressed in fishnets and leather and rainbows. Alessa could hardly say she wasn't used to seeing such types in her office--the clans of the Camarilla were wide and varied, and he would not have looked out of place in Brujah or Toreador. But she made it her business to know as much as possible about the members of the Clans under her purview (and, where she could, the members of those that were not), and she was fairly certain he hailed from neither. Nor from any other Camarilla clan.

He did, however, match the description of the brand new owner of a little place called the Sin Bin--nowhere Alessa regularly frequented on her own, but plenty of her informants liked it there. So, this brightly-colored musician was its new owner.

Fascinating.

She listened to his proposal, thoughtfully twirling a pen between her fingers, and finally, she nodded.

"You are correct. That would be quite beneficial for the both of us." She smiled, the predatory smile of a predator pleased with the prey offering before her. "It's true that I've yet to appoint a place of Elysium, and I suspect the Clans will need it." What with all the upheaval. Surely even the Clanless knew about the rising of a new God. "Why don't you give me an idea of exactly what you want, and we'll see if we can make this happen in a way that is mutually satisfactory."

Kinu