Adrian leans in and says quietly,
"I was hoping you could tell me. This is my first meeting and only the second time I've met the Prince. I was afraid today I was going to be told to leave, or something else bad like that. I've been told to avoid gatherings of large bodies of our kind ... by my sire. I think I know why now."
He tries not to let his gaze do more than dart to Ashe.

He smiles weakly,
"I ... are you sure you aren't going to get involved with this ... case? In essence, our Boss/Landlord asked for our help and its not too healthy. I can understand not wanting to take the risk on some unknown, but there is a risk in saying 'No' too."

"I would also appreciate it if you would come along. I'm not good at any of the forensic science stuff, and I somehow doubt just how up on modern criminal technique our other fellow Kindred are. Please reconsider."

Adrian isn't quite begging, but he is pleading his case.



Adrian's voice drops to a whisper as Larry approached and now he let's his gaze flit over the newcomer.
"Please do ... sit down that is. Aaahh ... I'm Adrian Moss, Ordo Dracul. Ummm ... we all, I think, need to talk with Pietro Schaivone real soon. Someone's gone missing - don't know who yet - and the Prince asked for our help in locating this guy ... or girl."

Adrian looks more and more furitive.
"Have you been in town long? I've only been here a few months."

Adrian seems torn between the impulse to back away (and slink out of his chair) and to (surprsing himself as much as anyone else) interpose himself between Larry and Angie.

"Oh, not long," I say airily, glancing around and shifting in my seat. "Just fifty years. Unfortunately I don't get out much."

A mystery, eh? Well...we'll see. "The Prince hasn't identified this person? Then yes, we need to talk to him soon."

"Hi, Larry," Angie says. She can't help but stare, fascinated by the living tapestry of his skin. "I'm Angelina."

She blinks and shakes out of it, then has the grace to look embarrassed. "I'm sorry...those tattoos...did you get them before or...?"

I smile. Not alot of people appreciate my tattoos. They tend to find 'em off-putting. "Most of them I received before my embrace, but I have added to them since then."

Adrian is now totally fearful and confused. He has been so fearful for so long at this meeting that only two outcomes are likely. Most likely, Adrian knows he should just get up and run away. Really, he should. He doesn't want to be here. He doesn't want to be doing this. He probably won't even be missed.

The other alternative is that Adrian do something about all of this - something constructive.

Adrian's emotions drain away and he stands up.
"Forgive me, but this needs to be done," he says to Angie and Larry. Adrian walks over to Pietro.

"Pricus, what other information can you provide us about this missing Kindred?"
He readies his notepad and pen.
"Who is he or she, when were they last seen, and were was their haven, or havens for a start?"

Galiana had been making her slow way toward Pietro, but she slowed when she saw the shaking Young One approaching him as well. She purposely timed her walk so that she drifted to a silent halt behind the shaking Adrian. She gazed calmly at Pietro - careful not to meet his eyes - and tilted her head, her scarred face as inquisitive as Adrian's was afraid. She clearly was seeking answers, too.

Pietro did not seem too terribly concerned with the rapid fire questions from the neonate before him. Not terribly impressed either. He could also smell his fear, which only partially excused the speed. Or at least it would have had the speaker not been of the Ordo Dracul, and thus (theoretically) beyond such frivolities. "The individual's name is Sir Lucas del Sol. He never was one to make his haven known to all but his closest associates though I can say with confidence that he is without peer when it comes to predators and quite literally turned hunting into an art form. If you seek to catch him as he is on the hunt, then you would do well to at least attempt to approximate such a mindset"


---------------

Galiana spoke then, her cold voice whispering over Adrian's shoulder. "How do we know he is missing? Could he be elsewhere? Who noticed him missing and why?"

Galiana's voice was normally cold and distant, but now it burns with a rage. Her beast shrieked in her mind as the Gangrel barely retained her hold on her temper. How dare someone strike against Bishop Del Sol? she raged to herself. I'll show them that the Lancea Sanctum is not their personal prey.

From Adrian's naive perspective, this was good news. In fact, it was more than good news. One of the Prince's thugs was missing and might be dead. Maybe whoever did this would grab Nathis next. Adrian was so happy, he failed to jump out of his skin when Galiana spoke up right behind him.

Instead, he nodded, mumbling almost to himself,
"Good questions ... "
Only then did he notice the anger in Galiana's voice and he took a small, half-step so that she was more to his side and less behind him.

The investigative part of his mind still churned on. What Pietro had given him wasn't particularly useful. Adrian wasn't much of a hunter and he wasn't sure he wanted to step into a Monster's footsteps. Maybe Ashe or Galiana could do it?

There were no photographs, no haven to start a search from, and no one was mentioning the names of these closest associates who needed to be questioned. How could he get some real answers?

I lean forward in my seat, listening intently to the neonate's stumbling attempt to extract information from his elder. An unfamiliar voice chimes in, and I cut my eyes over to the owner, a small dark woman do not recognize. Unsurprising. I really don't get out enough. What little influence I'd built up and respect I'd earned with the mainstream kindred body has withered to nothing. But it was worth it.

Angie, distracted for a moment by Adrian, looks at Larry blankly, then snaps back as she recalls what his response was.

"They're very striking."

She pauses then asks, "So...how much of this do you understand? It seems like the...well, the prince, wants a friend of hers who's gone missing found."

Something occurs to her abruptly.

"I should get a physical description. He could be in the morgue. Excuse me a sec..."

Angelina gets up and makes her way towards Pietro, Gallina and Adrian.

"Hi, me again. Sorry to barge in, but do you have a photograph of him? I could check the John Does at the...oh wait, right...no photos. How about a drawing, or a description I could use for reference?"

For a moment, Adrian was happy to see Angie come over to were he was. She had a good idea and found the flaw in it too. She was smart. For just a second he wanted to stand up to Pietro and ask for some real answers - who were Sol's closest associates, who had he been hunting recently, and who his enemies were. Thankfully, he realized that this course of action would probably lead to his rapid ex-sanguination and possible staking.

It also begged the deeper question:

Why should he care?

He couldn't find a good reason to give a damn about the missing Vamp.
Maybe, and it was a long maybe, this was a threat to all Kindred in the city, but that made it the Prince's and the Sheriff's problem, right?
What would he do if he confronted something that had killed this Freakingly Powerful Vamp? Could he run fast enough? He doubted it. He probably couldn't slink his way away by clouding reality, or could he?

No, this was other people's problems. Missing meant death, more than likely. Why should he put himself forward for a Prince he disliked.

Oh yeah ... he had volunteered.

Maybe this was a chance to prove himself. Maybe this was a real chance to die for no good purpose.
Was there a good reason to get killed? Not likely.

For some reason he found himself looking at Angie again.

I can't get away from this now. Maybe later.

"Unnecessary," Galiana spoke, her dark eyes meeting Angie's. "I know Del Sol. I can identity him, if we find an unashed body." Just the thought of him being killed sent another shiver of rage scurrying up her spine.

Angelina turns and looks at Galiana with a blank, surprised look, then politely, diffidently offers a hand.

"Hi...I don't think we've met. Angelina. Are you a friend of his too?"

Adrian was just digesting Galiana's rage when Angie approached.

A friend ... of Galiana? That could cause problems. Especially if I don't want to do anything about his Lucas guy.

Adrian glanced over to Angelina. Into the pregnant pause, he leaned into and whispered,
"She's Galiana. Gangrel. Lancea Sanctum ... she was/is covenant-mates with Sir Lucas I imagine."

To Galiana he says,
"Do you know anything of his hunting habits or favored feeding spots? Any place we can start the search?"

I guess I am going to be doing something about this, aren't I?

I sidle up behind the group, doing my best not to creep. People generally don't take it well when they think I'm sneaking up on them. "I wish to assist in this search," I say simply. "And I have been a long-time resident of this city, though somewhat of a recluse in recent times."

Antoine waits for what seems like an enternity for an answer from Robin but none appears to be forthcoming. Fine, I don't need some uppity "elder" trying to tie me to her apron strings anyways. He stands, straightening to his full height as he does and stretches. Offering his has to Ashe he says, "Shall we go find out what we so kindly offered our assistance with?" He waits for Ashe to rise and put her arm through his before he strides to the knot forming around Adrian. Poor kid, went and got himself all involved.

"So what errands have we to take care of this night?" he asks in a mildly bored tone.

Ashe was glad that Antoine managed to maneuvre both of them out of that embarassing situation. Getting away from the elder eased her enough to calm down to a manageable degree. Smiling at Antoine she leaned her head casually at his shoulder listening into what the others were discussing.

The four became six and it was a marvel to Adrian that the Vamp ... Kindred weren't all snapping at each other, still...

Antione had missed out on Galiana's ties to Lucas and was bordering on some serious level of disagreement with her. That would truly suck, with Ms. Sick'em on his arm and Angie, Peat and himself between them. Plus Pietro ... plus the Bully.

Adrian turned to Antione and began bringing him up to speed.
"Sir Lucas Del Sol has gone missing. Galiana here knows him and can identify him if we find him. We don't know were his haven is, or what districts he most likely hunted. He ... is ... a formitable hunter and it has been suggested we get into his mindset to track his movements."

"That's about it so far."

Robin shook her head, coming out of a reverie of one of her apparently errant childer. This had happened from time to time when she awoke from long torpor, so while she was annoyed with her daydreaming she simply moved on. She sidled up to the group of neonates that were beginning to pool information and form their plan of attack. She placed herself near Galiana, in case there was need to restrain the usually stoic priestess, but otherwise kept out of their way.

Erik nods to Larry as he comes in through the door and returns a predator's grin. It looks like Erik is trying to be friendly, but the decades of being awake and active have obviously eroded his humanity to the point where it is a fine line between Erik being nice and wanting to rip your throat out and drink the blood as it gushes from the stump. Either way, he makes no other action, and returns his attention back to the rest of the gathered kindred.