The sun had passed across the horizon twice since the Gathering; which was also the night of Tyler's very messy extraction plan for Damsel and the night Tabetha observed Marko obtaining from Mr. Ox the mirror she once returned to him in exchange for the bone required to detect lies.
To be fair, Xavier did manage to salvage some good out the mess Tyler, Fenris, and Ajax had made; his workings within the media not only covered any Masquerade breeches, but also put considerable pressure on the government to pull funding from their 'anti-terror' project in downtown Los Angeles. The public seemed quite convinced that this was in fact a secret police force intended to initiate a state of Martial Law. Xavier even managed to put together a decent protest group, with demonstrators and the whole lot. According to the news, these demonstrations were growing quite healthily; word also had it that he convinced the fill in house band at his club to plug for the movement in their shows. There were also demonstrations in Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, and San Francisco. Even the Russians were considering pulling out of this endeavor, evidently. It was early yet to say for certain, but it was starting to look like Brightstone might have to back off; at least for now.
Nothing yet had come of the wunderkind and his possible detection of diablerie signs on her. Tabetha wasn't sure how to process that; it struck her unlikely that any report was filed, since neither Prince Therese nor Sheriff Damsel had come for her. She had yet to be approached by any Nosferatu on the subject; or at all lately. While she wanted to be relieved about that, she found she was strangely distressed. Why were they keeping quiet? Was it that they lacked proof, or were they biding their time?
On a more positive note, her friendship with VV was developing nicely; the two of them were certainly becoming a little bit better than casual friends. There was definitely a sort of 'girl-talk' rapport building up between them; Velvet believing herself the sophisticated dominant half of their dynamic while Tabetha allowed herself to come off as the bright-eyed neonate who was all too eager to please the Keeper of Elysium and soon to be Harpy of the city. Following the council of the Founder, Tabetha was letting Miss Velour think she was the one playing the upstart Tremere in order to ensure she'd have unwavering support. Miss Velour hadn't exactly said this in so many words, but it was clear to both her and the Founder that Miss Velvet Velour had her eye on the Praxis Seat. Miss Velour was playing a very long game to get there, but that is something to be expected from anyone who plays well. This of course made it all the wiser to stay on good terms with Miss Velour; to walk closely with her on her journey. If she could gain enough confidence, Tabetha reasoned, she could very well set herself up as Seneschal. Let Miss Velour have the authority, the real power was being the one whispering behind the ear of authority.
...why was she referring to Velvet in such formal terms?
It could be the Founder's thought meshing even more deeply with her own, she supposed, but somehow this felt different; it was more like someone else entirely. It was more like Strauss was somehow emoting in her mind. Was this a side effect of what the Founder did through her? Or was this some kind of transference from her relations with Jeanette? She hoped not. The last thing she needed or wanted right now was to lose her faculties. Not even the information she was getting from that Kook was worth it. It helped to know that Therese had already decided that VV was going to be next Harpy as well as Keeper, but she could not afford to lose her mind, no matter how exhilarating Jeanette's company was...
She deliberately set that thought aside. In doing so, she redirected her thinking and plucked up a handbill she found stuffed under the Chantry door yesterday evening. It was an advert for the opening night of a band called Naked Fire at Xavier's Pit. She had received things like this before, as she imagined all the local Kindred did. As always before, the handbill had a black card with the letters VIP embossed on it; the letters were all wrapped in elaborately drawn roses. How droll... Normally she simply discarded these invitations. Most of the time the music and clientele that Xavier typically catered to was not to her taste. This time, however, she had a feeling she should take note. She had no intention of attending, but she might make a very brief appearance; make sure she is seen and then lost in the crowd. Jeanette would probably be there; more importantly, Marko will likely be with her. If Jeanette is at the Pit, then Therese cannot be at home, regardless of what Jeannette says. That meant she could search both her room and Marko's crappy apartment for the mirror.
The delicate part of this operation, of course, is to ensure that neither she nor Marko even have reason to suspect her involvement in the damned thing going missing. Even better, if this was done right the Malkavians won't even realize it's missing at all.
The first step would be to appear as if she is at Xavier's ridiculous concert. She must make certain that enough people see her there that none will question or investigate her testimony in the unlikely event it should come to that. To her it seemed an unnecessary step, but the Founder insisted on being thorough. Unwilling to defy the Founder, Tabetha returned to her quarters and changed her clothes into a leather ensemble; that seemed like it would be appropriate for attending a punk-rock concert in a dive bar on the ass-end of Hollywood. Conveniently enough, the same ensemble is also functional if your intent is to commit potentially larcenous acts. For appearances, she even went so far as to apply a little make-up.
Once ready, she called the Chantry car and gave the driver instructions to take her to the Pit. Getting there was simple enough; traffic was being cooperative for once. Tabetha directed the driver to park around back of the club and wait; she wouldn't be here for very long.
"As you wish, Regent" he driver replied. "If I may be so bold, though, Naked Fire is really very good. The singer is especially enchanting; almost hypnotic, actually. There's quite the following for them; almost cult like."
The Founder came forward for a moment; almost sooner than Tabetha was even aware. "I will be sure to keep that in mind." He said. "Thank you for the input." Slowly the Founder receded as Tabetha stepped out of the car and strode towards the entrance of the Pit.
Is this singer Kindred already, Child?
Yes, Founder; he is of the Rose Clan, I believe.
That is unfortunate. We can always make use of cult leader types.
Perhaps we still can, Founder. Tabetha offered. I will grant you that he is quite the Anarch, but that may be a way to control their Movement without compromising the integrity of the House and Clan.
That is a good thought, Child. We shall go into detail on that soon.
And then the Founder fell silent. Tabetha approached the front doors to the Pit, presenting her special VIP invitation to get through the members door as the regular ticket holders stood in line.
Once inside, the first person she saw just beyond the front foyer was Fenris; she was standing with arms crossed, looking agitated and bored as always. This was clearly not the place she wanted to be. Tabetha surmised that her presence likely meant that either Therese or Jeanette was somewhere in the building.
"Well, yours is a face I never thought I'd see at one of these deals." The Gangrel commented. "I always figured you to be one those hardcore introvert types that sit at home with her nose in a book and a cat in her lap."
Tabetha grinned thinly. "How cute;" she retorted. "I'm being judged by the quintessential run away turned errand girl." She paused to scan the floor, making a point to ignore the Gangrels' scowl. "So what is the errand of the night? Are you protecting the Prince, or baby-sitting her baby sister?"
Fenris actually laughed. That was a first if there ever was one. "What do you know?" She said in mock surprise. "The big-brain witch-bitch got something dead wrong. I'm here in a purely investigative capacity."
Tabetha responded with a scrutinizing hum. "Let me guess;" she said. "The nature of your investigation is confidential."
Fenris said nothing.
"I'll go one farther." Tabetha went on. "If I don't already know, then I don't need to. You could tell me, but then you'd have to kill me; some kind of action movie bullshit like that."
Fenris said nothing.
The Tremere was impressed; as was the Founder. "The Prince has chosen her agent well, I see." The Founder spoke through her. That was a first; she couldn't recall Him wresting control like that, other than that thing with Strauss. Fortunately, Fenris didn't seem to notice anything amiss. Tabetha turned away from the Gangrel to scan the crowd on the floor more carefully.
She saw Marko almost immediately. Even though she couldn't see Jeanette just yet, if Marko was here chances were good that she was here too. If Jeanette was here, then Therese was bound to be 'otherwise occupied' and therefore 'unavailable'. That was good. It was for her own best interest if she stayed clear of the Malkavian for now; at least until she had the mirror. Next she saw Tyler talking with X at the bar. For all the background noise, she couldn't quite make out what they were saying. There was something about Damsel and ghouls, and then a name was mentioned; Norton. X also brought up a name like Sheila or Kaila, but she missed the context. Tyler seemed happy about whatever the Toreador said. "It's starting to look like a win all around in the long run" Tyler said; his voice tended to carry better than Xavier's, or perhaps Xavier was better at making sure his voice didn't carry.
"Archie and Betty report they've done all they could in Seattle." Tyler had said. "They're heading back now."
From across the Club's floor, Xavier raised a glass and tipped it towards Tabetha. Tabetha raised a hand as a wave of acknowledgement. She didn't mind that Xavier spotted her in his Club; it was really a good thing. That was the real reason she bothered to come here at all; to be seen here so her whereabouts can be accounted for. She noticed Tyler got suddenly quiet. That didn't matter.
Tabetha continued her scan. As unlikely as it seemed, she noted Damsel and Miss Velour talking. It could be that the Sheriff was trying to play nice with whom he figured was going to be the next Harpy as well as Keeper of Elysium. While it was smart politics to curry favor with the one who manages accounts of boons and status, it seemed odd that one as well noted for Anarch tendencies like Damsel would play any kind of politics. It seemed unlikely that Damsel was starting to see the error of her ways. Glancing over her shoulder at Fenris, the Tremere had an idea that her investigation on behalf of Therese had something to do with Damsel. Next she thought she spotted a motion in the shadows near the lavatories; that was quite possibly the Nosferatu Clan checking in on this event; given it was Hollywood, most like Primogen Imalia herself. Tabetha had to wonder where Ajax and Adam the wunderkind were; and just how much of their speculation- if it was only speculation – they had revealed.
From behind a faux-wall with a legend reading "NAKED FIRE" in letters designed to appear as if made of flames, Cameron's stripper Toreawhore slinked out and across the stage. From there she slithered across the floor to where Xavier and Tyler sat at the bar. Tabetha noted that as she passed people by, they either stared at her wantonly or gave her a wide berth; in some cases both. Even the shadow Tabetha presumed was Imalia by the washrooms flinched back a step. Maybe there was something to what the Founder had said a number times regarding that one. As she approached, Xavier signaled for Tyler to leave them, and the Brujah complied; opting to catch up with Damsel, who was apparently done with VV.
This was her chance. By her count, at least three Kindred had now seen her here; that was probably adequate for cover, but she wanted to be sure. While it was likely Imalia – if that was Imalia – had also spotted her, having the Keeper recall seeing her here seemed like a good idea. She approached Velvet with a warm smile, and made ready with the 'girl-talk' that the Keeper seemed to like so much.
"Look who's here." The Keeper greeted.
"Hi, Keeper Velour," Tabetha replied, taking care add just the right amount of apprehension in her voice; the Tremere found that it seemed to help get what she wanted out of the Toreador if she felt like others were in awe of her.
"You can call me Velvet," the Toreador assured her. "We're friends with a lot in common...especially Max. So...what brings you out tonight?"
"Two things, really," Tabetha answered. "First, I thought it would be good to get out of the Chantry for entertainment. The walls seemed to be closing in on me a little. I'm sure you understand that."
Velvet hummed her agreement.
"Also, even when living in my books, I've heard a great deal about this Norton man; I just had to see for myself if he lives up to his press."
"I'm sure you will not be...disappointed in him." Velvet said. It appeared that the Keeper bought her line. That was very good news.
Deciding to add a little icing on the proverbial cake, Tabetha added; "While I have you, Velvet," she said, "I've heard that you're way ahead in race to replace Max as Harpy. I'd like to be the first to congratulate you."
"Thank you." Velvet replied. "On that note... I'd like to thank you for suggesting I step forward...I like to think it honors Max."
"I have no doubt that it does." The Tremere said. "Well, I'm certain you have a lot to do, I won't keep you. Besides, I want to find a place to get the best view. Enjoy the show."
"You too," Velvet said as Tabetha moved away from her. Satisfied her presence was established, the Tremere casually made her way towards the fire exit near the rear of the building. Her route took her past the faux wall and the backstage area.
Once outside, she quickly found the car she was driven here in and wasted no time getting in.
"You're not staying for the show tonight, Regent?" the driver asked.
"No" she replied flatly.
"Are we going home, then?"
"Not yet" the Founder spoke for her. The idea that He was doing that made her a little uncomfortable, but then it was the Founder of House and Clan; who was she to question him? "First we go to Santa Monica. There is a Pawn Shop there that I wish to visit."
"Very well, Regent," the driver said, clearly oblivious that anyone other than the Regent had given him instructions. He pulled out of the rear lot of the Pit and began the drive to Tripp's Pawn Shop in Santa Monica.