22:37 <banana> The greybox isn't an asset of Aster Biologics... but maybe it's a perk of the other job. Are he and his unpaid partner going to plan their approach there, or in his own safehouse? 22:38 <VoxPVoxD> Aster Biologics isn't a safehouse, because people know where it is. If Willie sees the inside of Aaron's safehouse something has gone disastrously wrong. 22:38 <VoxPVoxD> Which it hasn't! :) 22:38 <Crion> He's already described how unappealing his safehouse is to be in for any length of time. But the Greyhouse is definitely comfier than the lab. 22:38 <banana> An obvious next step in this thing is to talk to the vampire Henry - the last true &c, &c. Everyone has their own truth in this case. 22:39 <Crion> Does Aster have a direct line of communication for the registrar himself? If so, has he been told it's only for mundane business matters? 22:39 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's brought fresh hot coffee wherever they go. For some reason the mortal threats, communion with Hell, breaking down crying in front of a dour 40something have all aggregated to see her in the best mood Aaron's seen her in in the, what, 8? 10? weeks they've known each other. 22:39 <VoxPVoxD> Feelin' fine. 22:39 <Crion> It feels like longer. He'll gladly accept the coffee. 22:40 <banana> Dylan Pritchard's own meager thoughts are being overwritten in turn by a mad dead queen and an esoteric progress-impulse. The former haunt views the ultimate crime against her - although she was already long-dead at the time - to be the survival of, you suspect, the very same "Henry the First". 22:40 <banana> Due to his position, you could literally just call him on the phone. Aster hasn't technically been given any warnings about what it's for... 22:41 <banana> It's becoming clear that's not how they operate. The vampires of Manchester mix business and pleasure as a matter of policy. 22:41 <VoxPVoxD> Yeah! 22:41 <Crion> Mmmm. Aster has already warned Willie about the one clear exception to that: Ultim Vados. 22:43 <Crion> If he has a phone number, he'll attmept to give Henry I a call three hours past sunset to set up a meeting in-person. 22:43 <VoxPVoxD> She's very curious what the Illuminus will make of her ability to wear down the veil between living and dead, or how the three(!) interlocking destinies pertain to the question of her herness. 22:44 <VoxPVoxD> But king is a higher rank. 22:45 <banana> It's been 886 years and multiple civil wars. The House of Normandy has no claim to her allegiance. 22:46 <VoxPVoxD> Allegiance, no, but attention... attention is another matter. Willie's attention is quite easily claimed. 22:47 <banana> The phone rings several times. It's answered by a voice you've heard a couple of times before, bold and cheery. "Good evening. Mr. Aster, is it?" 22:47 <banana> "What sort of meeting do you need? We have plenty of times and places." 22:48 <Crion> Aster: "Yes, it is. Good evening, Henry I. Private and on personal business, somewhat related to the Court but not to your position or its material interests, business or otherwise. I was intending to bring Willie Wellesley. Again, not business involving any of...that." 22:48 <Crion> Not related to your current position, anyhow. 22:53 <banana> Registrar: "I'm intrigued. Assuming you don't want to make some horrible deal involving somebody's blood... let's pick somewhere discreet, but audible. I'm on the lounge list at Konnections. Do you need the bouncers notified?" 22:54 <Crion> Aster: "It would be appreciated, thank you." 22:55 <banana> Registrar: "A.A. and W.W. can skip the velvet rope tonight. Look for me some time after eight, please!" 22:56 <Crion> Aster: "Will do. Goodbye." 22:56 <banana> The overall impression you've got of this guy's character, on this and other occasions: jovial but bland. 22:56 <banana> If he's one of those still waters types they run very deep. 22:56 <Crion> It's an excellent persona for the job he has. Lubrication. 22:56 <VoxPVoxD> He might just be like that, also. A lot of real-deal royals are. 22:57 <Crion> They've got some time to kill; Aster has a suit hanging out in the van he'll change into when appropriate. 23:04 <banana> Given Friday night parking, it might be easiest to just walk from the safehouse. The way Manchester works, it's only a couple of blocks from the dilapidated ex-factories through offices and carparks to the clubs and shops. Convenient, if you don't want surburban peace at any point. 23:05 <banana> By 8, the late-night chippies are just starting to open up; nobody's on a real rager yet, but the GMP are out on police horses to keep things calm as the mask-free crowds begin to rowd. 23:06 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's wearing her Carolina Herrera, a long sleeveless crimson dress that's not made for club dancing. She's got a comparatively modest leather jacket over it. She does her level best to avoid the horses. 23:06 <Crion> How out of place are an aging American in an expensive, perfectly-tailored suit and, well, Willie Wellesley? 23:06 <Crion> Aster doesn't realize until it's too late -- they're already getting waived through the line -- that they should arrive separately in the future so that he doesn't end up in the fucking tabloids. 23:07 <Crion> Well, it's Manchester. 23:07 <Crion> Maybe those people aren't out here. 23:07 <banana> At 8PM... it's not too bad. Later on in the night and you'd be at serious risk of hurled things and enticement into dark alleys. But the city center smartens up a little as you approach Konnections. 23:08 <banana> From the street level, it's just another of those anonymous doors that hide a basement-level stairway; you've walked past it before in the daytime. There's a rope line outside now, with proper security, and groups of young people yelling over each other and their drinks. People call Aster "Daddy" as he walks along it; comes across as respectful, somehow. 23:08 <VoxPVoxD> Willie tries to suppress a smile at that, but not very hard. 23:10 <banana> There are a pair of big pacific islanders on the door, letting in the hot ones and the rich ones. The line's moving fast enough that nobody gets too upset when it becomes clear you're on the list. 23:10 <VoxPVoxD> We're the hot ones and the rich ones, anyway, sooo 23:10 <Crion> Aster stays carefully aloof; that's what they expect regardless. 23:12 <banana> Down the stairs (just a little sticky) the noise grows rapidly, and it's just what you expect: flashing lights, people packed together, a loooong line of bars around two sides of the floorspace. Razzia bellows inaccurately from the speakers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLqb0nUo6Cg 23:12 <banana> You can ignore all that and turn hard left for the side stairs. Unless you don't want to. 23:13 <VoxPVoxD> If we've got to take a hard left turn to meet the Court Registrar, then, that's in keeping with the spirit of the thing. 23:14 <banana> Is it? You've heard Seele's TrackCheck now. But compared to the other guys... 23:14 <Crion> Aster is here on business. 23:15 <banana> The mezzanine is well insulated, with baffled glass that lets you look down on the dance floor without hearing much of the treble. There are low conversation pits up here, some with fluffy beanbag-like seating and some actual heavy swivel chairs. Anonymous well-dressed groups sit around, talking, passing around documents. In one corner there's a ring of sofas where some libertines are, you 23:15 <banana> think, playing Strip Twister. 23:16 <VoxPVoxD> This is the kind of place Willie spent all her free evenings in London, before covid. She feels nostalgic and overstimulated. Still, she tries to focus, looking for a king among men. 23:18 <VoxPVoxD> She'll say this for Aaron: the man can wear a suit. 23:18 <banana> Henry Registrar looks kind of kingly, to be honest - like a warrior king. His long, thin nose reminds you of the official portraits, but the blond and bushy hair doesn't fit at all. He's seated by himself on a low leather stool; there's a cylindrical table and two other stools, each empty, with one glass in front of them. Something green and fizzy containing icecubes. 23:19 <Crion> Aster will approach and greet Henry I cordially, in whatever manner the Court has established -- for Aster, it's usually a handshake. Then he'll unbutton his jacket and take a seat. 23:20 <Crion> Unless Henry I takes it a different direction, of course. 23:20 <Crion> What's in the glass? 23:21 <banana> The Carthian doesn't have any obvious backup with him, but... he's a vampire. He sets down the placemat he's been playing with - you don't have any, the tables are washable - and shakes and offered hands, smiling benevolently. 23:21 <banana> Smells like.. melon. And alcohol. 23:21 <VoxPVoxD> Ah, Midori. 23:21 <VoxPVoxD> My old nemesis. 23:21 <banana> Henry: "Nice night for it... or so I assume." 23:24 <VoxPVoxD> Willie shakes his hand. She won't sit before he does; knowing he's a king, even a disinterested pretender, has deeply ingrained protocol kicking in. She would've curtsied, probably, but there isn't the room. 23:25 <banana> Something about her attitude gets a sharp but brief glance from the putative pretender. 23:26 <VoxPVoxD> ...well, if he'd feel more comfortable, she can compromise by faffing about on her phone. 23:32 <Crion> Once they've all sat down: "Before we begin, I'd like to make it perfectly clear why we asked you to take this meeting, in case you decide you don't wish to continue this conversation any further. It will also make it clear why I didn't want to do it over the phone. It concerns your name, your face, and a tomb in the English countryside bearing both of these things, which some of Stella 23:32 <Crion> Savoy's ghouls disturbed roughly a fortnite ago." 23:36 <banana> Henry: "Alright. You've got into something interesting." He picks up the placemat by one corner and begins to spin it on the leather again. 23:36 <banana> "Let's go off the record, okay? This isn't Court business, or House business, but I don't mind questions." 23:36 <Crion> Aster nods. "Off the record it is." 23:36 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's put her phone away; she'll see the readout later. 23:37 <banana> He's interested, but you're not seeing any particular tension. This is a well-fed vampire, one that's comfortable with his position and the circumstances. 23:37 <Crion> "Our interest in this is that one of the ghouls was foolish enough to remove a valuable from the tomb; a torc, to be precise. He's now cursed by the ghost that lives in the tomb." 23:37 <Crion> "She is both awake and displeased." 23:38 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "The ghost is, as best we can tell, of Abbess Cristina, Edward the Exile's daughter." 23:39 <banana> Henry: "Woof. The consequences of arranging your business around muscle guys, right? Or the consequence of being a muscle guy. Gangrel are scrupulous about their consent procedures, but the question has been asked - how meaningful can that really be." 23:39 <VoxPVoxD> Willie smiles, just a bit tightly. 23:39 <VoxPVoxD> She appreciates the ethics of the Carthians... but let's not pretend they're a higher order of monster, mm? 23:40 <Crion> Aster: "The good news, perhaps, is due to said 'muscle guy' condition, none of them have put things together like we have. One assumes whoever is bossing them around is not so dull...but that's not our concern, beyond giving you the heads up." 23:41 <banana> Henry: "I've heard about the Berkshire expedition, but I hadn't heard there were 'valuables'. Guess that sort of thing falls under spoils." 23:41 <Crion> Aster has already siloed away the vaguely ridiculous notion that he's sitting here talking to the actual Henry I King of England, grandson of William the Conqueror. 23:41 <banana> "Let's, you know, flip the cards- you'd like to ask me questions? Not just provide a helpful tip?" 23:42 <Crion> Aster: "That's part of this conversation. The previous part -- the current part -- is making sure that we're not overstepping our bounds onto a landmine by aggressively pursuing a resolution for the ghoul. Up to and including an exorcism of the ghost." 23:43 <banana> Henry: "You haven't overstepped, but the details are going to matter." 23:44 <banana> "All else being equal, I'd like to see Savoy's ghoul - or Savoy's childe's ghoul - freed." 23:45 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "The operative question, then, is to what extremity can all else remain equal?" 23:45 <VoxPVoxD> Kind of the Court's whole 'deal', isn't it? 23:47 <banana> The big man blinks. "D'you mean, where are the red lines? I'm not planning to interfere in your work. The tomb, the ghost, the ghoul - I'm not asserting an interest." 23:48 <VoxPVoxD> Willie smiles. "That's very good to know, sir, thank you." 23:48 <banana> "I should tell you that I don't even know whether any of it is true." 23:48 <banana> "I'll help if I can- and maybe I can't." He smiles too. 23:55 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Do you recall the circumstances of your Embrace? How far back do your memories go?" 23:59 <banana> Henry: "Twenty-five years, Ms. Wellesley. I arose from my grave, remembering nothing but finding the world familiar. The city I knew, England, latter-night Europe in the age after wars. I spoke the same language as the solemn kindred who gathered around me." 23:59 <banana> "So you can imagine it was a surprise to be told I'd been King of England." 23:59 <Crion> Aster: "I can confirm it was your face on the tomb, and in the visions of your Embrace." 00:00 <Crion> "For as much as visions and tombs are worth." 00:00 <banana> Henry: "The vision is news. How do you come by them? Not Auspex." 00:00 <Crion> Aster: "This one was a joint effort between my Wintergreen Process modules and Willie's own talents." 00:01 <banana> "Mysterious!" 00:01 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "When you awoke, did the Kindred who received you try to press you into any kind of service related to your lineage, as opposed to the usual way?" 00:04 <banana> Henry: "More like the other way around, to be honest. They were afraid of me, suspicious. This is second- or third-hand information now they'd been told that fifty years hence - some time just after the wars - I arose from my grave, knew nothing, slightly out of time and was informed, then as more recently, that I'd been the First." 00:04 <banana> "Funny, don't you think? Henry feels right. And the other thing is absurd- but a nice imagining." 00:05 <Crion> Aster: "Well, the tomb is yours by some form of historical right. I wouldn't go visiting, however; there's not only the hateful ghost there but some kind of language plague. That's the bit that's really bothering the ghoul." 00:05 <banana> He's stopped spinning the mat and gives you a slightly more serious look. "I've seen your disclaimer on file, so I should clarify the politics there. The Kindred of '96 were afraid of me because they thought I was an elder, an aristocrat, like the monsters they fought against. Maybe I was - but I don't remember." 00:06 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Yes, I think I would find that funny, had I the requisite buffer of safety." 00:06 <banana> "It's such a long time ago." 00:06 <banana> Henry: "How can anything that happened in the twelfth century matter now?" 00:06 <VoxPVoxD> Yeah, it is. He means 1996, right? 00:06 <VoxPVoxD> Oh. 00:09 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "A question the nation of Britain asks itself semi-regularly. You say you don't have any experiential memories from before '96; what about practical ones? What do you know about land management? Ecclesiarchy? Parles-tu la langue Normande?" 00:09 <Crion> Aster is quickly coming to the conclusion that they're far more informed on these matters than Henry I himself is, which is fine: he's gotten what he really wanted here, which was clarification of the relationship and tacit permission to move forward without worrying about Henry I getting displeased they're clattering the pots and pans in his house. 00:10 <banana> He's shaking his head before Willie's even finished talking. "I've looked these things up on the Internet. That was a shock; I can only hope I don't forget how to Google. Honestly, if you want my alleged history, it's not me you want to quiz." 00:10 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Oh?" 00:11 <banana> "Samwise claims, and Samwise is very knowledgeable when he feels like telling the truth, that he met me when I came to this city in the 60s. The eighteensixties. Apparently I made a good impression!" His eyes sparkle a little. 00:12 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "The Mekhet Primogen?" 00:13 <VoxPVoxD> Gardener's second childe. The rebel. 00:13 <Crion> Samwise. The man responsible for the current political structure, in a way. Samwise the Traitor. 00:14 <banana> Henry: "He's a really good guy for someone old - I know that sounds weird, but I only live for thirty years at a time. Sam's still got his joie de vivre, or maybe he got it back at some point." 00:14 <banana> He pronounces the modern French phrase completely differently from Emily de la Warr. 00:15 <Crion> Aster: "There's probably a story there." It's almost certainly not a nice one. 00:15 <VoxPVoxD> What sort of accent does he have? 00:15 <banana> Northern! 00:15 <VoxPVoxD> Lmao. 00:16 <banana> Henry: "And I bet I knew it once. But to me, that guy, the one who knew the story - it's someone else." 00:17 <banana> "I have dreams, I know that much. Processing things, like you do even in living sleep, and then.. they're gone at sunset. Processed to nothing!" He sounds quite cheery about it. 00:17 <Crion> Very morally convenient, on the balance. A different man for every season. 00:17 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Do you ever find yourself overtaken by seemingly-inexplicable moods, sharp changes in demeanor or emotion triggered by seemingly-random things?" 00:19 <banana> Henry: "There is the 'Beast'. It's a vampiric affliction - they say we're cursed, you know, and it does feel that way sometimes. Territory, status, feeding, it's a sort of ersatz instinct that impels you in unhuman directions. But I'm very good at managing it." 00:19 <banana> "I assume I've had practice." 00:20 <banana> He studies the hunters. How do they look like they feel? 00:21 <Crion> Aster looks like he always does. He's a bit more comfortable now, if anything, but his posture is still extremely straight. 00:23 <VoxPVoxD> Willie is absolutely fascinated. Her eyes are lively, her pulse is up; she could talk to him about this all night if he let her. For several nights, probably. There's some sense of ease, born not of comfort but of a higher sense of vocation. A true passion. 00:24 <banana> Henry: "You take this well. In the right context, this kind of information doesn't have to be shattering - some of what we keep in the shadows is just habit." 00:24 <VoxPVoxD> There's no trace of fear or judgment, that much is for sure. Maybe there was earlier, but if so it's all gone now. 00:24 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "It's addicting, I think. Secrecy." 00:25 <VoxPVoxD> "Comes with a feeling of control which I believe to be more seductive than practical." 00:25 <banana> Henry: "Yeah, I get you. Doing the research while having that edge that hints at deeper things - it's been pretty thrilling. Sometimes I wonder... did I have a fake tomb built, three or five hundred years ago just to create this puzzle?" 00:26 <Crion> Aster: "If so, you managed to do a real number on that ghost." 00:26 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "You pulled out all the stops, if so, yeah." 00:26 <banana> He nods at Aster. "Possibly not, then. But definitive evidence is quite unlikely." 00:27 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "There is some question of whether historical continuity is even possible on a metaphysical level." 00:27 <VoxPVoxD> "There are other worlds. There are bindings that break, seals opened and shut, again and again over centuries. Perhaps you are a traveller from a past which was, on a bone-deep level, more mythic in character." 00:28 <VoxPVoxD> Remembering herself a bit: "Still! Not entirely why we're here. What's your relationship like with Stella Savoy?" 00:28 <banana> "I like that idea, because it wouldn't have to be believable to be true. You can sit here in the comfort of modernity and feel a connection to things that never were." 00:28 <banana> "H-hem." He coughs for a moment. 00:29 <Crion> The social stuff is more Willie's wheelhouse than Aster's, so he's content to let her keep going in this vein and merely be brought in for consulting on specific aspects of the case. 00:29 <banana> "We did have a, relationship, yeah. Thaaat was years ago." 00:30 <banana> "She's an impressive woman and a novelty-seeker. I like new things too, but not in the same way." 00:30 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "An amicable parting?" 00:30 <banana> Henry: "Mostly. We're on good terms now - she told me that she was going to try and find the tomb. She didn't tell me why." 00:31 <banana> "Would your ghoul friend know anything?" 00:31 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "About what?" 00:31 <banana> "About why." 00:32 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I'm not sure. We haven't bothered to ask about that sort of thing, on the assumption that the Kindred do not share their thinking freely with their underlings. Perhaps that was precipitate. In any event, few of Dylan's opinions are his own thesenights, owing to the curse." 00:32 <VoxPVoxD> "In your estimation, would the Primogen be amenable to a meeting?" 00:33 <Crion> Aster: "Dylan freely volunteered in our survey meeting that he had no real idea why they were there. I take him at his word." 00:37 <banana> Henry: "Rip. Yeah, Samwise will have heard of you, buuut... there would be some sort of price. He doesn't give out information without getting more in exchange. Think of his team as something like an undead intelligence agency." 00:37 <Crion> Aster, his tone now decidedly chilly: "How charming." 00:38 <VoxPVoxD> Willie nods. "More information, you mean." 00:38 <VoxPVoxD> Not the worst thing a vampire spy can want from you. 00:38 <Crion> Aster would not be so optimistic. 00:38 <banana> "It's not a personality trait, it's a job." 00:39 <banana> "Meeting with Richard Moore would be just as fraught," he points out (or asserts). 00:40 <Crion> Aster: "I've had to work with government intelligence employees on both sides of the Atlantic. My feelings on the experience are what they are." 00:40 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I imagine moreso, considering Samwise at least at one point fought for something of some moral value." 00:41 <VoxPVoxD> "Speaking of jobs, though- how do you find yours? Are you broadly satisfied with your lot in unlife? With the state of the Court?" 00:41 <banana> Henry: "Ha ha. Yes, living through these 25 years of Britain... well, I'm glad I'm not in charge anymore." 00:42 <banana> "Record-keeping suits me for now. A few more years, and then.. the blood thickens fast." He shrugs. 00:42 <banana> "I believe it's been a good run." 00:43 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Have you given any thought to your next retirement?" 00:43 <VoxPVoxD> He really reminds her of Olly. 00:45 <banana> "I have a couple of ideas, but I'll leave myself the choice. It all depends on conditions on the ground, doesn't it? I do have one recent hobby which I'm hoping carries over:" 00:45 <banana> Henry: "我一直在学习普通话." 00:45 <Crion> Hah. 00:46 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: <你明智地选择了。> 00:46 <banana> He's delighted. "Your accent is much better than mine." 00:47 <banana> Henry of England | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz9akqofziE | "Where there are fine things, things are fine -- You kind of learn to trust your own handwriting." 00:49 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's got one pod in her ear as she walks back to the offsite with Aaron. What a good night.