Tabetha was stopped by one of the rail thin pretty-boy attendants once she was just barely outside of the building. She thought it was the one the one at front door coat check, but she couldn`t be sure; they all looked the same to her. As annoying as she found these frail little daisy-boys, she did her best to be pleasant to them; they were, after all, in the employ of the Keeper of Elysium and VV was an important pawn in the Plan- whether she knew it or not. She turned and started back towards the entrance, smiling.

"Is there something I can help you with?" She asked the coat boy.

"Well..." he stammered. "Miss Velour said she needed to speak to you, Miss Toussaint. She told me to ask you to come to her private room. It's..."

"I know the way." Tabetha said sharply but not cruelly. "Thank you...I'm sorry, I don't believe I caught your name..."

"It's David, ma'am."

"Thank you, David." Tabetha finished. She then entered the building and headed straight towards the back room where VV attended to her private guests. Based on the way some of the clientele turned their heads and leered at her as she passed, she was willing to guess they believed she was auditioning for a spot on the roster. Some of the comments confirmed her guess.

"I'd come to see that... a little too skinny... gothic fantasy... duet with Kaila..." It was nauseating. Climbing the steps, she flipped the audience the bird over her shoulder before escaping their line of sight.

"Come in, Primogen." VV invited with that sultry moan of hers. "I see David caught up with you. I'm glad. I just wish it was under...better circumstances."

Tabetha came in and took a seat in a chair opposite the love seat that VV was sitting on; the Toreador was wearing next to nothing, as usual. "Good evening, Miss Velour. How may I be of assistance tonight?" She asked.

"Velvet" VV gently insisted. "I need to know...is it true? About Max, I mean. Was he really..." she paused and swallowed hard. Did she know what it meant when one the Clan was called back? "Was he really called back?"

"I'm afraid it is." Tabetha confirmed, adding much more remorse in her voice than she actually felt. She didn't need to ask how VV caught the news so quickly; either Cameron told Kaila who told her, or VV had more ears in her Elysium than anyone really knew. Either way it was no cause for alarm; that was all part of the Plan. "I sense that you might have an idea what that means."

"Yes" VV answered, her voice cracking ever so slightly. "I don't need to know the details. That is a matter for your Clan to...settle. It saddens me, though. You see, Max and I were close once...very close. This was before I met Isaac."

"My condolences" Tabetha offered.

"And mine to you" VV returned. "I'm sure it's hard on you, too...for different reasons."

"I think I'll manage." Tabetha said, lowering her eyes as if in grief. "It helps to focus on the tasks on hand with his sudden absence; somebody has to make sure there is no slack. It looks as if that responsibility is to be mine. I will be acting as Regent on a provisional basis."

"I'm sure you will do well. Will Rutger be taking over as Harpy, then?"

So far, this was going exactly as Tabetha hoped. Cameron's play to load the Court with his pawns was about to be foiled. She knew he would try to shut down her recommendation that VV double clutch and the offices of Keeper and Harpy be merged; she even knew why. Velvet was both popular and strong enough to challenge Therese for Praxis, and the merging of offices would likely be enough to prove it. She was expecting him to recommend Kaila, but then Bertram made sense too. Part of the Plan was to get the Toreador in Praxis, and then become that voice closest to her ear.

"Both the Seneschal and I agree that Rutger would be served if he retained his place as assistant Harpy." She said. "Cameron felt it would be wiser if someone more experienced in our ways took the Harpy office on. He suggested that Bertram Tung be offered the role, and after some deliberation, I said I would endorse the call."

"I see." VV said. It was hard to tell if she was disappointed or not. All the same, now was the time to bait the hook.

"May I tell you something in absolute confidence?"

VV hummed her consent.

"In my conversation with the Seneschal, I initially recommended you. There are a number of successful precedents in the merging of Harpy and Keeper. Also, I knew of your previous...relationship with Master...with Max, and thought it might be a way to honor his memory. You see, he may have come off as cold towards you in person and in public, but in private he was still quite fond of you."

VV smiled. "Thank you for that." She said. "You're very kind."

"As I'm sure you know," Tabetha continued, "even with an endorsement from the full Primogen Council, you could make a bid. You are well liked among the Kindred here in Los Angeles – even with several Nosferatu – and I'm sure the Prince herself would jump at the chance to have an alternative. It's no secret how Therese feels about the Nosferatu; Bertram in particular."

"That's true." Velvet admitted. Tabetha could see the wheels turning in her mind. Many others had a tendency to underestimate Miss Velvet Velour; they would dismiss her as a flighty airhead that wrote bad poetry. Doing so was a mistake; Tabetha suspected the poetry was part of a trap that VV set up years ago to make sure the others would underestimate her. She would have to be very careful and watch her very closely. Even if the Toreador did make a move as Tabetha anticipated she would, Tabetha would have to take every possible precaution that she made only the moves that would benefit the Plan. "I'll consider the notion long and hard."

"You are as wise as you are beautiful, Velvet." Tabetha said, ingratiating her host. She found over the years that flattery went a long way with the Keeper. "Was there anything else I could do for you tonight?"

"As a matter of fact...yes." VV responded. She slowly leaned forward and plucked a ring off the table between them. She examined it for a moment, and then nodded as she handed it over to Tabetha. "Max made this for me several years before you were turned. It is enchanted so that whoever wears it will be shielded from the sun's rays for up to one hour. I used to put it on to...watch the sun rise. I was going to make it a part of the Museum Elysium downtown as a tribute to him. In retrospect I think he would want...you... to have it."

Tabetha took the ring and on examination recognized the gem arrangement instantly, even though she was sure she had never seen it before; playing host to the Founder was strange. It had obvious benefits, of course, but the experience itself was strange. She put the ring on her right middle finger- the only one it would fit – and felt a slight tingle when she did. Normally such a sensation would make her wary, but in this case she knew it was completely normal.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Velvet." She said. "Thank you. It means a lot."

"You're welcome." VV purred. There was a moment of awkward silence; just long enough for Tabetha to wonder if maybe VV was pondering trying to seduce her while her boy toy Xavier was off to Washington State on some important matter or another. "Well... I hate to love and leave you, but I do have a busy night ahead of me. Thank you again for your time. I appreciate it...very much."

"Not a problem at all Velvet." Tabetha replied, standing up. "I'm glad we had a chance to have this heart to heart; just a couple of the girls getting together. It was good."

They said their goodbyes and Tabetha went down the steps and back into main area of the bar. Kaila was just leaving Cameron's table, and Cameron was about one step away from drooling all over himself. He would have to control that nonsense if he wanted to keep his position of Seneschal much longer.