Re: Block Party - Regina & Jamilah

[Jedi_Master_007]

Ken was just about to say something, but then you got your break from the conversation. A big guy in a pair of cutoff jeans and a red hoody sweatshirt came up to Ken. He looked like he was in a hurry, even for a big buff white guy with a shaved head. "Yo Ken," he blurted out. "I gotta talk to you man. It's about that T-Shock, and Tatiyanna thing. I know what happened at the Pawn Shop too--"

Ken tried to shut him up before he said too much but it was too late. You knew who Tatiyanna was. She was the reason you were hear. You knew who T-Shock was too. That was the Anarch nickname for Tyler. The Pawn Shop you didn't know anything about, but you probably would soon enough. In any case it was too late to try and keep you out of it (even if that had been their intention anyway) now that you knew this guy had something useful to say.

If there was time for you to say or do something cool, this was it.

[dejavue]

I gave a slight chuckle at his question, "Remember how I told you that I was never allowed out on my own..." I gave a small pause to phrase my few words carefully. I didn't want Ken to think that I was the biggest loser on the planet. "When I was allowed out, I was chaffeured and chaperoned. So I really had no need of my own car. Don't get me wrong, I can drive alright, but nothing like what you got." I was beginning to hate this conversation more and more by the minute, I didn't like not being able to follow the topic at hand. And cars were one of those things that I knew pretty nada about.

[Jedi_Master_007]

Regina: Ken shook his head. "The experience isn't pleasurable. Trust me." He looked at the blunt again, and, seeing that it was a little more then halfway gone, flicked some more ashes and took another long drag off of it. Slowly changing the subject, he looked back over at the block party that had assembled. He didn't see Chris (and neither did you) but it didn't seem to bother him. "This may sound lame, but what kind of car do you drive? Ever do anything fun with it? Trust me, the back seat of a Volkswagen is extremely uncomfortable. The only thing I can compare it to is being crunched up in the backseat of one of those tiny cab trucks." He crinkled his nose. "Not fun."



Jamilah: You had made a few jokes with Chris and went back and forth. He tried getting you to hit the blunt a time or two and had more then enough wise-ass remarks to let you know that playing the wise-ass game with him was not one you could win easily. On the other hand, his block party idea was a little on the impressive side. Not necessarily at first, but by the time a hundred or hundred and fifty people showed up and had more then a few kegs of beer, all kinds of drugs, and more then a few vehicles of note, you had the distinct impression that all of this was Masquerade friendly... which was saying a lot. Few kindred could put together something like this without weeks of planning and still keep it all under the Masquerade.

And yet, Chris got lost somewhere in the mix. Ken was around. He was with someone on the hood of his VW Bug (the one clearly on steroids)...

[dejavue]

I was going to correct him in his misunderstanding of what I was saying, but quickly I thought twice and decided to just let him run with it. I knew I had said something that put us on even ground and that, in my opinion, was a huge accomplishment. "The name is not unknown, I've heard rumors about how she is this big shot bad ass Brujah, but I can't really say as I have had the pleasure of meeting her." I eased back on the car a bit more.

[Jedi_Master_007]

Ken looked at you a little funny. Maybe it was because he was stoned. Maybe it was because you were stoned. Maybe just maybe it was because you said something that weirded him out a little bit. "He kept you blood bonded? I always heard that was against silly little wizard rules. Anyway, that sort of thing isn't really our deal around here. Leashes are pretty horrible because they fuck with your head. They mess with your loyalty, and they make you do dumb shit."

Ken shrugged. "You ever meet Eve? I had a fling with her for a while, but that bitch is all tied to the shovel heads, and Caine knows what else. She fuckin' shot me... and now I want to see the whore fry." Ken seemed pretty serious about that. "Only thing worse then a leash is what happens when you break it."

[dejavue]

I took the blunt and hit again, making sure not to hit it as hard as before. That's when the light bulb came on, this is how Tyler and Dragon made all those allies and contacts. They faked it. They would pretend to be friends and be on the same level when in reality they couldn't stand this or that person. I needed to think of something that Tyler did that pissed me off. "You know now that you mention it, there is something that pisses me off about Tyler, his leash that he kept me on. I can't think of a time when I wasn't under some sort of protection. There's also the fact that he never let me stand up for myself. No doubt he was only trying to keep me safe, but a baby never learns to walk without falling a couple of times."

The small tidbit of him owing Edge 3 different boons made me smile inside. Let them be pissed, let them hate him for being the only one that could get away with trying to kill someone and still be allowed to walk away. That took brains.

[Jedi_Master_007]

Ken just laughed at you. It was a genuine, funny laugh. He added that he tried to warn you but he didn't think it would stop you anyway. Then once you started trying to think straight, you realized it was impossible. Then you realized that no it wasn't impossible, you just thought it would be. But because you were high, you could see things more clearly now, and that because you could see things more clearly your thoughts were only limited in how...

Huh? Distraction. Fuck.

"No, no... not his notepad. That might be nerdy but it makes sense." Huh? Oh. Shit. You needed to pay attention again. You were thinking about what Tyler did that annoyed you. "Going off for long periods of time could be a pain I guess, if you had a collar. But I'm not whipped like that, so I could care less if I see my sire again. Fuck that shit. But here's one for you..." Ken hit the blunt again. Then he used his pinky finger to slide the glasses back up his nose. He handed the blunt back to you. "You're not going to be a one toke choke. I'm not going to let you."

When you took the blunt again, he continued. "Tyler tried to kill Edge three different times. He fucked up, all three times, as you can probably guess... and now the word is he owes Edge three times in three real major ways." Ken cocked his head. "I bet he never told you that, did he? Now ask yourself this, do you really think he's ever going to keep his word and pay her back? How do you think that looks to the rest of us?"

[dejavue]

After coughing for more then I had cared to count, I wiped the blood tears from my eyes and nodded that I was ok. "Next time warn the person your offering to." I said light heartedly. Once I could think clearly I tried to think of something that Tyler did that annoyed me. "Sure there's a few things he does, like his constant carrying of his pen and paper, his tendency to go off for long periods of time with not a word to me. But those aren't reason enough to hate him."

[Jedi_Master_007]

Ken watched you go to hit the blunt. He blinked and went to reach for it. He was about to say something and instead decided to just shake his head. It had been too long since you smoked... and you never smoked anything like this! Even Dragon's favored, kindred effecting vices didn't do anything like this. You hit the blunt waaaay too hard. You coughed.

You coughed a lot.

In fact you coughed so much your throat burned. Your throat burned. Your eyes watered too. Before you could drop it, Ken took the blunt out of your hand. When you managed to gain some measure of composure, you seen he was holding back laughter while still shaking his head. "You going to live? That's not normal stuff. It's basically a super potent pot plant that's been ghouled and then spliced with more super-potent ghouled plants." Ken nodded and already you were having trouble with your eyes. They were watery, and felt a little itchy, and even though your throat didn't burn as much, it still burned a little. But still. Coughing was funny...

"You ask why so many people hate Tyler... come on. You tell me. Isn't there SOMETHING he does that annoys the ever living piss out of you?"

[dejavue]

Placing the blunt between my lips I took as big as a drag as possible and held it in for the count of 10. It had been a long time I smoked any of this and then it really didn't do much for me. I hadn't lied about that part, maybe it would effect me a little differently as a vampire. Only time would tell. "Good guess there Ken, there's a crap load of shit I'd like to say but somehow I doubt it would do me much good." I paused and passed the blunt back to Ken. "What the hell, never hurts to ask right. Why does Tyler have such a bad rep with others?"

"And uh, yeah Mary Jane suggested I not to refuse. But just between you and me, I'm not doing this to please her. I'm doing it because I want to." And I smiled.

[Jedi_Master_007]

When talking about Tyler and you had your internal monologue, Ken seemed to read you like a book again. You had the ability to read people alright, but Toreadors were supposedly really good at it. "What is it? You look like you want to say something?" Ken hit his blunt and leaned back a little on the car. He nudged you with his elbow. "No offense, but Tyler is a duche. Anybody dumb enough to try and kill Edge on three different occasions and fuck it up as bad as he did isn't ever going to be cool in our eyes."

Ken handed you the blunt after you asked for it. He looked a little surprised. "Now that's the spirit. Besides, I know Mary Jane told you to not refuse the blunt."

[dejavue]

I shook my head at the blunt that Ken was offering. "No offense but I'm thinking that any distraction for me right now would be bad idea." I listened on as Ken spoke. A few things made sense but one thing stood out to me and raised a lot of questions. Why was Tyler so hated? What had he done to make him an an enemy out of so many Kindred? I doubted Ken was going to give up that information and I could only think to go back to his place and question him.

"You bring up alot of good suggestions to go with Ken, but going to the Guardians themselves would be to risky. You've already told me that they are in with Tatiyanna. It would be like handing them the knife to stick in my back the moment my back was turned." I looked around at the party happening around us and suddenly realized what Ken was trying to tell me. Everyone here had someone to back them. Someone to turn to should they need it. I had Tyler but that was it. Take this moment for example, I had no one here to watch my back had this conversation went south. Yeah I needed that.

I focused my attention to Ken once more, "On second thought," I reached back out for the blunt he had previously offered, "Taking a hit of that doesn't seem like such a bad idea."

[Jedi_Master_007]

Ken ashed his blunt. He offered it in your direction even though the look on his face said he was certain you didn't want it. "At least you're good enough to see that beef with the Guardians is a bad idea. You want this?" His head tilted towards his blunt.

"I ain't going to lie to you kiddo, there aren't many bleeding hearts in this city. I don't really know anyone who is going to help you for free, and everyone is going to want you to at least join up with one coterie or another. It's all simple logistics. If you choose a coterie it's like choosing a side. Everyone then knows where you stand, even if it isn't on their side. Right now..." Ken just shrugged. "Right now you're an unknown factor sired by everyone's mutual enemy, beefing with someone everyone here seems to like okay. I'm not going to lie, Tatiyanna may be a sick fuck, but she hasn't done me any wrong. It's better, yanno, to deal with the devil you know and all."

Ken sighed then. He was silent for a long moment. He looked at you, using his off hand to push his glasses back up to his eyes. "That's part of the problem though, Kiddo. You have to fit in with somebody, or else you fit in with nobody. I don't know what school you went too, but isn't always better to be a somebody then a nobody? I'm thinking though. I'm thinking the Desert Spiders might be willing to help you start some shit with the Guardians just because. And Ratman's click of daredevils might help you out just for something funny to do." Then he looked thoughtful. "The Guardians themselves might be interested in your story and abilities too. Have you tried going directly to them? I don't suppose it would be easy, and it clearly has risks, but it is a straight line to the end of your problem."

[dejavue]

I sat there and listened to all that he had to say till he was finished so that I could respond to everything in turn. "So you know the worm has a name. And no I never assumed you were all a bunch of ignorant Anarchs. But if you have your ears that closely wired to the ground then you also know that should the worm manage in fest my picnic there will be nothing to stop it from infesting yours." I realized that I might be coming off as a bit arrogant and so I softened my tone and tried again.

"Look I'm not here to play like I'm a big bad ass ok. I know I'm not. There is always something out there bigger and badder then yourself. And your also right in stating I'm not one of you, that I don't fit in. You have your things that you do and enjoy and so do I. Doesn't me any better or any worse. Just that I have my own mind and that I'm not going to do something just to be accepted. Fuck that. I had enough of that shit growing up, I sure as hell don't need it now." I stood up and turned to look at Ken.

"As for what would happen should the police come barging in with guns blazing.. it would be blood bath. You want to stay out of that. I get it and I'm cool with it but could you at least give me a name or something to go on where I might look to get some of the help that I need.?"

[Jedi_Master_007]

Ken shrugged apathetically after listening to you. "There's no place more private then this to talk. What needs to be said can be said here." Ken ashed his blunt. He hit it again, then ashed it again. He exhaled the smoke slowly. "But to be honest, Chris is leaving town to make a run out east. There's something to take care of out there. So knowing that, and having heard what you just said, why would I even think about getting my nose stuck in whatever business you and your sire are up too? I know, or at least I have a good idea about what's going on with your sire and Tatiyanna." Ken's eyebrows raised when he saw your reaction on your face.

"What? You thought we were just a bunch of dumb, ignorant Anarchs?" Ken took another long hit off of the blunt. He exhaled and ashed it again. "If you're going to make any assumptions about us, assume that we know everything, see everything, and will learn everything. It's much, much safer, and far, far less insulting that way. However..." Ken sighed. He looked stoned at this point. He slouched and shrugged his shoulders.

"However. You're still new, so I won't hold it against you. It's just that you and Tyler aren't thinking very clearly. You come here. You announce you're not one of us. You don't fit in, don't really have much desire too, and then want our help. Except that there are consequences you don't realize. Try to think outside of the narrow little picture Tyler painted for you." Ken's hands traced a small box in the air in front of him. He paused to put the blunt in his mouth again, and then drew a bigger box in the air with his index fingers.

"Try to see the bigger box. What happens if we get involved to help you and Tyler deal with Tatiyanna? Then her friends come and help her. Her friends are the Midnight Guardians, which are basically the po-po in this city. Now think, what would happen if the police started fighting with the top notch group of criminals?" Ken made eye contact while ashing his blunt one more time.

[dejavue]

I looked at the spot Ken was looking at and took the hint. I slid back and sat next to him. "Seriously, drinking and smoking don't a thing for me. Sad but true I'm afraid. And I never said I do everything I'm told. I had said I do whatever my Sire tells me to do. There's a big damn difference there ya know." I was working hard at keeping my body language relaxed and non definant. "And I'm here to speak with you and Chris. Seems there is a nasty worm in town fucking with some that near and dear to me. Your names were dropped as two of the best in town. I need the best." I looked around at the crowd that seemed to be growing and growing still. "Is there a place we could speak a bit more openly with alot less ears?"

[Jedi_Master_007]

Mary Jane slipped her arm around yours and immediately found her way to Ken and the weed. She made the quick introductions. Ken seemed a little distracted, but he was trying to carry on a conversation with four different people, and was simultaneously trying to avoid checking Mary Jane out while still sizing you up. He was also high, judging from the blunt he was holding. He was also drunk, judging from the big 40 oz bottle in his other hand.

He made some brief conversation for a second or two, and then pulled away long enough to talk to you a little bit while Mary Jane took over. He was careful to grab his blunt back. Ken led the way to his VW Bug, an old 60s model, and then hopped up on the hood, which was actually the trunk. The beetle was a definitely not of the stock variety. It had a wide body kit on it, and was jacked up on truck tires with chrome rims. It had tinted, mirror reflective windows, and a neon green and neon purple tiger stripes all along it. Something told you this little bastard was on a lot of steroids. "So what's up Regina? You don't smoke, don't drink, and I hear you say that you do whatever you're told. That's pretty much bullshit if you ask me, so... why are you really here? I mean, if you're not here to party." Ken took a long, long, long drag off of his blunt. He exhaled away from you and then looked over at a spot on the hood next to you.

[dejavue]

Once I had climbed out of the truck from hell, I looked around and around. I was awed struck at the turn out at this little get together. I wondered what it might look like if they were to throw a larger one. My senses picked up the smell of beer and other sorts of alchol, and there was a sweet smell on the air. I couldn't place it but given that Mary Jane had already told me there would be pot at the party I was able to put two and two together. Mary Jane pointed out Ken and Chris, although I would have been able to pick them out eventually by just watching the number of people flocking to their sides. If Tyler wanted me to befriend these two I would have a better chance with one at a time. Now the question was which one did I choose.

"So do you introduce me or do I do that myself?" I asked Mary Jane as I nodded across the way towards the two partiers in charge.

[Ac1ds0ld13r]

Team NOS knew how to do several things very well. Fight, smuggle, and party. This little gathering was quickly turning into a full scale block party. Someone showed up with a full set of amps and speakers and some guitars. Mortals began popping up out of buildings and ambling over with beer, drugs, and their friends. Ken and Chris seemed to know all of them, and all of them seemed to be eager to get on their good sides. The cars were pulled out of the garage and the music was cranked up. All of Team NOS had turned out managed to show up for the event, and when Mary Jane and Regina showed up, after being dropped off in a large pick up truck. Things got even better. Chris immediately took an interest in the new childe, but had not actually said anything to her since she got there.

Ken was watching the guy with the guitars and anyone listening to the conversation heard "Rock Band" come up several times as he walked around hitting a blunt that he had not passed to anyone except his fellow Team NOS members. The amazing thing is that the stuff had a mild effect on all of them. Ken and Chris had found some incredibly rare and powerful stuff. Anyone that bothered to ask found that if one willed the Blood to do it, the natural body functions, with practice, could resume long enough to get you a mild high. Ken and Chris didn't seem to need that. Some quirk of their Blood allowed them to get stoned. Chris had even been reported to have a nicotine fit once or twice when he ran out of cigarettes...

However, the focus was definitely on mingling and taking in the sounds of Team NOS being cut loose. Jamilah got a lot of attention as a probationary member. Lots of congratulations and awed stares. It was a rare thing indeed when Team NOS took on a new member, and tonight, that was the primary cause for the celebration, and...of course... To have a damned good time.

[Jedi_Master_007]

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