By the time Tabetha got back to the Chantry after her friendly visit with Jeanette, The Prince had sent a message calling for a Gathering of top priority. That night, the Tremere smiled thinly. It appeared that her theory was correct; Jeanette was the one in control of which of the Vooreman sisters had visible occupation of their shared body. Evidence pointed towards it; clearly Jeanette knew that Therese would have to call the Gathering in regards to filling the now vacant office of Harpy, and waited until she was well and away before giving Therese her chance to do that. This was perfect; just perfect. She was well on her way to befriending the dominant personality, and then it would be a simple matter of persuading Jeanette to take control of their body full time. She might even be able to pull her away from Marko.
That was last night. Now, in her quarters, Tabetha prepared herself for the Gathering. The way things were looking, everything was going right; Bertram would refuse the offer to be Harpy; and Therese would act offended in order to convince Bertram he was sticking it to her. This should throw Cameron off his game just enough that he'll start making mistakes out of frustration. The only shade of uncertainty was with VV; it was unknown if she would step up to the task. In the end it wouldn't really matter, though; even if she didn't, Tabetha was in a good place to take on the role of Seneschal once Therese mysteriously 'disappeared' and the role of Prince needed filling. That was where the real power in any given city was; The Prince certainly had the authority, but the Seneschal had the power, if she knew how to wield it. Under the mentorship of the Founder himself, Tabetha had such knowledge. There was one other factor to take into account, of course; the Nosferatu. Even with Bertram under such firm control, there was the rest of the Clan, and they had no small talent for meddling and spoiling even the best laid plans. In this damned city, Cameron Hastings had forged a very strong alliance between his own Clan and the Clan of the Hidden Ones. Already, the Seneschal was likely to know about the time she was making with the younger of the Vooreman sisters, as at least one of the Sewer Rat ghouls was observing her at the Asylum. As she was leaving, she caught a whiff of bleach in the air. See couldn't see Ajax; his obfuscate was too advanced for that; but that scent was unmistakable.
The fact that Ajax was onto her was a bigger problem than most might realize. True, he was not able to get into the Chantry, but then he didn't really have to. She would have to come out. She knew already that the Nosferatu would be on her like a wet t-shirt the second she stepped out of safe confines of her home. Even if he wasn't personally around, he would have somebody on hand as a placeholder. Not that that she would let that stop her, of course; in fact, with Bertram throwing away his opportunity to be Harpy all but done and in the books, there was actually very little he and Imalia could do to stop her or save Cameron's position. Not even with this so-called wunderkind from wherever they have.
Tabetha topped her formal dress off with a smart-looking hat and put matching heels. She decided she might as well look her very best for the Prince's little game. She even made a point to ensure the entire outfit she chose tonight was a DeVries. Ready, she stepped out of the Chantry and found a cab to hail down, making note of any sign of any possible Nosferatu agents in her vicinity. She would also have to remember to make a point to watch even more closely as the cab neared Chinatown; where there would not only be Nosferatu crawling in literally alley and corner, but likely a Ventrue in just about every place of business.
Entering Chinatown, the use of Auspex told her that she was right; in a manner of speaking. Though there were no Kindred outside that were not clearly on their way to the Garden, plenty of ghouls and agents were around. She supposed that really came as no surprise; the Prince did say everyone was to show up. As she set to enter the Garden, she anticipated it to be a crowded night. Though she would be quiet about it, she would revel in the fact that everyone would be witness to her first steps in her rise to real power.