When Nefertiti and Hank appeared from the mist she was standing there ever so elegant and graceful, dressed in a very sleek black evening gown that was from fitting to her body. A very low cut cleavage area almost revealing all of her perfectly formed breasts.  Her hair was hanging down her back straighten, not a curve or curl.

Her eyes looked at those standing on the other side of the open plaza.

"Bonjour Archmage" she replied in a calming tone.

"Yes and time seems to have been kind to you. she looked about as she took notice of the area warped in some from of Arcana.  She still had the gift of sight be in of Prime Arcana.

Her eyebrow slightly arched at the mentioning of mutual friend, for she can't remember ever seeing them speaking as friends or even Milo speaking of knowing her so well to be called a friend.

"I'm friendly to all that wish to enlighten me on my nouvellement formed condition.  One that our mutual friend is aware of. she replied to her.

As Mistral opened a vision portal to Milo she gazed over at him and was pleased to see that the stake was still in there.

"Perhaps not, Archmage.  I don't know what condition he might be after his time with Reginald. her eyebrow arched again when Mistral called her Queen.  "There is my sweet Mistral that I knew, calling me by my true name.

She turned to Michael "Thank you for not allowing them to be hastily and removing it.  Was you able to determine anything else that might be altered in my adopted Sire.

Then she looked back to Mistral. "If you wish to inform his Sire of his condition, please do.  I'm sure the city would enjoy seeing him again.

A bit thrown off by the sudden shift, Hrafen had dealt with such things before, but never comfortably. Teleporting made him uncomfortable, after all. Still: he knew that he was standing amongst Kindred, and others with gifts that he did not wish to invoke, so he maintained his peace.

A simple pair of jeans, and a black t-shirt sort of made him stand out like a sore thumb amongst those present who were dressed for far better social situations than a haphazard meeting of strangers near Lady Liberty.

Glancing sideways at the other man, as he seemed to invoke something or other, he watched in idle curiosity, but nothing more. He did not want to stand out here. Them calling him Hank was preferable, as he'd always used that as a little trick to separate those who knew him from the Old World, and those who had met him recently.

Mistral...

He chalked that name up, knowing it a bit already from passing. When she addressed him, he nodded his head in respect, but did nothing more. He really didn't want to stand out here, as his instincts were telling him far more was going on here than was obvious.

Michael closed his eyes and opened them again to look upon the beauty of the reinvigorated Statue of Liberty. It was a beautiful sight. The priest decided against the ward since the others were not being as hostile or vengeful as he expected them to be. He stood a little closer to Nef and Hank than the others were making sure he was the first line of defense should Nef’s associate not be polite.

Michael still had all of his gifts in full bloom as not much time had passed since invoking the gifts of the Father. From the ground up, the priest was ready for war. The black combat boots rose up to green fatigue pants with bandoliers of wooden stakes on one thigh and silver throwing knives on the other. A white sleeveless shirt rested under a black Kevlar vest. The weapons he carried were several: Excalibur hung in a sheath attached to his belt, collapsed compound bow with a quiver of various arrows on his back, and a Zweihander named Mage Breaker strapped to his back. Two items did seem out of place: a small lantern hanging from his right hip and an intricate rosary hanging from his neck. The five o’clock shadow and short black hair gave him a sort of rugged look. This of course was in slight contrast to the spectral armor, Angel wings, and halo that encased his for currently.

The priest nodded to Nef. “Good to see you again Nef. Well met Hank. Not too hard to figure out your a vampire. Nef, if you want me to inspect you for Reginald’s marks I can do so now. Same with your associate. As for the stake in Milo, I did communicate that it may not be the best idea. Hopefully you can explain to everyone your current situation.”
This message was last edited by the player at 03:20, Thu 25 Aug 2022.

Nefertiti looked to Michael and nodded her head "Only me.  He has nothing to do with it she needed to know if there was what she thought was true.

Noah smiled one of his smiles when he wanted to figure something out. He looked at Hank as he rumbled enough to shake bricks under his feet, "Who do you say you are? I would be delighted to know the name, title, and goal of a new contender. Or if you are feeling silly, three facts about yourself to establish report."

"I am Noah, the dragon of purgatory, I have a fancy with technology, and I have a education in psychology."

Raising an eyebrow at Michael's words, Hrafen turned to face the rumbling voice of the dragon of purgatory as he spoke as well.

What on earth did I get myself into? he thought to himself, trying to keep his facial features locked stoically. He knew better than showing interest in anything being said: that would only draw attention.

Attempting to respond to the dragon, now that he was on the spot, he cleared his throat, and spoke in return,

"I am Hank. The farmer of ordinary lands. I have a passing interest in politics, and a mild interest in causing no trouble." he said flatly, leaving it at that. He attempted to match the dragon's format for a response, in the hopes that he was left out of things, but it was obvious that he was slightly awkward with it.

"Politics, much like a herd of pigs, bring many wonderful benefits. But one should wonder after the mess it can make."

"Though you've fallen into strange company if you wish to live a troubled free life. Excitement is your tack and gruel it seems. But your company has a knack for getting out alive."

"Whom do you represent? If I may ask, the prince or someone else?"

Clearing his throat again, clearly uncomfortable with the implications of the question, Hrafen shook his head,

"Only myself. I support the current regime, whomever that may be at any given time, but I represent noone." he said clearly, not wanting to be dragged into any political battles right now.

Sal appears to be a tall Nordic man in his mid twenties, but Hank could sense the predator's taint of a Kindred likely much older. He wore an expensive, dark-blue pinstriped suit, the right-side of which bulged slightly below the shoulder. He stood stock-still, eying Nefertiti cautiously. "Pleased to meet you Hank. I'm Sal. I don't mean to be rude, and I'd be happy to chat with you later, but I'd really like to hear what Nefertiti has to say. But first, Nefertiti, thank you for keeping Milo safe. There's no telling what would have happened, had you removed the stake."

"'Sweet' is a word very rarely used to describe me, as I daresay 'Queen' is rarely used to describe you in these days.  As titles go, I find it... incomplete."


"Milo's soul and mind remain his own, but his memory has been tampered with.  Recollections have been given to him seemingly for the purpose of torture."  Mistral gestured to the circular portal that looked upon Milo suspended in a featureless white void with stake still embedded in him, then explained, "I have taken due precaution.  You now see Milo in Noplace, a space sans dimension nor connection to reality beyond that which I allow.  We here may enter if desired, but no result of the stake's removal may interact with this world."


After Sal said his piece, Mistral seconded, "As would I.  Once we hear how Milo came to this state and have done due diligence in understanding his condition, the stake must be removed.  Milo has had quite enough."


"I bore firsthand witness to his sire's prior visit, and I daresay none would enjoy such a return."  Mistral cocked her head just slightly, gleaming hair swirling around her upon unseen breezes as she asked Nefertiti, "You understand that what Reginald has done is a declaration of war against the Prince and against Milo's sire, non?  Considering how gladly you suffer assault and and insult to your adoptive sire whilst consorting with and taking aid from Reginald... one wonders which side you are on."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:55, Fri 26 Aug 2022.

Nefertiti was waiting for Michael to respond to her request before speaking more.  Seeing how the group was so quickly to start and not giving any time to wait.  She only shook her head in sheer sorry for this is the reasoning why she didn't fully like being around them.  They were always in such a rush.  Because of them, in their rush to attack Carmilla, things went wrong and there was repercussions that they surely didn't expect.  What dangers are they now willing to risk and blame others on their errors.

She listened to Sal and all the words coming out of Mistral's mouth.

To Sal "That is not my place to do.  As it shouldn't be anyone's at this time.  My adopted Sire shall and should remain that way until his conditioning is fully understood. she thought for a moment. "Its all new to me.  And his safety is my responsibility.  No ones else.

My adopted Sire

PM

Michael calmly walked forward to Nefertiti and gave a slight nod. “If I have your permission, I would like to do a visual inspection of your person to see if Reginald has left any of his blood marks on you.”After his circling of Nefertiti, he moved to stand in front of Hank. “I don’t know you that well. For security reasons, may I do a visual inspection of your person for Reginald’s blood marks? I won’t touch you, but I will need you to lift your shirt to see if there is a mark underneath.”

Nefertiti looked to Michael “Only me. You already asked about him and it is not needed.

Unless you have picked up rude habits from Noah

Noah just smiled as he started drawing runes on the brick with his cane. The gaslighting wouldn't get to him.

Michael looked at Nefertiti. “You know me better than that. I am actually being polite asking for permission and consent. No offense Nef, but unless you are his Matron he is free to decline of his own accord without consequence. It would be a good show of trust.”He looked over to Hank. “May I ask how you know Nefertiti? You were not present last time I saw her nor did she mention you.”

She looked to Michael “Yes I do know you and this is truly out of character. Have you changed so much as to not trust my judgment or my word. As part of this Cabal. That should be good enough. her eyes gazed at the symbols “I would removed them of your own will. Or I will. her beautiful face seemed to show signs of sadness as those before her act as if she was the enemy.

“We are here of our own free will.  Please don’t have me regret that decision.

Noah nodded once, "Not everything I do is of wild plotting and planning. First time I've been to the statue of liberty." He pointed out the markings. "G and D. It's a very good wine, you should try it some time. Now, you're not here to talk to me. So I will remain right here, nice and calm."

He smiled at lady liberty. "God bless the French."

Michael sighed and stepped back. “As you wish. Please do not speak to me as if I am your subject to obey your every whim. That is not how friends treat each other. I was worried about your safety with someone unfamiliar when we all know Reginald can alter people’s minds and swap their souls. I apologize if my concern for your safety crossed a line.”He noticed the runes being drawn by Noah and Nefertiti’s response to them. The distrust between the sides clearly present.

“What is the point of this meeting? Nothing has changed. Reginald is the symbol of chaos seeking to disrupt vampire society. Once upon a time, I would have led my Conspiracy to stoke those flames so that you would all kill each other. I would like to think I have been enlightened at least a little by recent experiences once the veil had been lifted. The Hunters tortured and killed innocent people just because how how they came to be. That was wrong. If Milo and Victor were not allies to Sal and our Cabal, I wouldn’t care what happened to them. My concern is for those innocent bystanders getting caught in the crossfire. In this upcoming conflict, I will stay neutral until one side or the other threatens the lives of the meek and innocent. Upon that fateful decision, I will exact divine retribution upon them with extreme prejudice.”The priest then moved to in between the two sides but out of the way with his hands crossed physically declaring his stance.

Mistral said drily, "What a marvelous job you have done of it."  She then turned to the portal and added, "Need I remind you that we speak of a man with a will of his own, not a possession of yours to do with as you please.  The choice of the stake's removal is his, not yours.  I have asked him, and await his answer."


After Michael's rather magnanimous response, Mistral asked bluntly, "Why should any of us trust your word, even as we discuss the sire you have betrayed?"  The blindfolded archmage went on in an icy tone, "Allow me to spell it out for you, Reine de rien.  We have not come simply to discuss the stake in Milo's heart, but what it represents: a declaration of war upon the Princedom of New York and upon Milo's lord sire.  You consort with and take aid from Reginald, the author of this deadly provocation.  Under the circumstances, I believe suspicion to be rather justified."

"Yet, we meet now upon neutral ground to offer you the opportunity to explain matters, and to prove that you are not our enemy.  We are prepared to listen, but I will thank you to trifle with us no further."

She waved her hand as to dismiss the tone and words coming out of the Archmage’s mouth.

It is interesting how you can claim to know the laws of the kindred when you are not one or even mortal now. Milo granted me freedom to do as I please.  Why don’t you ask Victor. He too knows that have interacted with Reginald.

She looked to Hank “If you wish to stay here with them you are welcome but I grow bored.

Mistral had been prepared for the likelihood that this diplomatic effort might go poorly, but even she hadn't expected such absolute disdain for any degree of accountability on Nefertiti's part.  "I make no such claim, but it takes no exclusive knowledge to appreciate what Milo's lord sire does to those who harm his son.  This is why we have gathered to discuss, so you may enlighten nous la paysannerie ignorante."  The tragedy of the matter was that there surely was common ground to be found here, but Nefertiti refused to give even the barest explanation nor meet anyone halfway.  She had the hubris of a queen, at least.

Mistral added, "We did not ask Victor.  We asked you."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:09, Sat 27 Aug 2022.

 As the two sides argued about the ramifications of what had occurred, Mistral noticed that Milo began to move. Not much (just his right arm and maybe only 6 inches) and not very quickly, but he managed to move nonetheless. Then he stopped and returned to his previous position.

Raising an eyebrow at Michael's cautious questioning, he feared that perhaps the man, clearly blessed in the arts of war, could almost sense his own capabilities, and was probing to see if his suspicions were correct.

Thankfully, Nefertiti stepped in and defended him, which surprised him in a very positive way. A loudly speaking queen worked wonders for a silent, brutal murderer like himself, and rekindled some deep seated thoughts about Corina... Wherever she had ended up.

When Nefertiti offered him a quick chance to escape, noticing a mage performing some arcane scribblings, and the tensions rising, he knew that now was the best time to remain unknown... A silent, easily forgotten memory to those more arrogant than himself. Nodding to her words, he stepped a foot closer to her, indicating his desire to leave matched her own.

Noah kept drawing on the bricks. This time it was a lower half moon, within very roman letters of ARK. "Nef, if you can't understand why people are angry, that is something that can be considered. There are people who cannot fathom the emotions of others. That hasn't changed how we treat you, if you recall I pulled that caustic blood that was going to destroy you when you attempted to devour Carmilla entirely."

"I lost face with my mentors getting you checked out, and as it turns out the soul you had been granted was as sour a gift as I have seen from the villains I've worked with before. The bad guys don't give gifts without a motive. I would do that for any member of ARK, in your case not just sacrificing my arm in a great debt of pain, but also blocking her attempt to finish you off with my wing, losing it also. In turn you've been gaslighting which can be forgiven."

"Right here and right now you are being asked to tell your side of the story. You don't get to say we didn't reach out to you. You don't get to say we did ask not hear your side of the story in spite of how we feel or think. This is your bridge to burn, your olive branch to break. The people who are extending it to you have been been burned, insulted, and wounded by you. Yet they still extend that bridge and olive branch."

"Are you going to burn us? Because you won't be leaving here without clearly stating you choose to not tell your story, even then I myself will hold you here until I recover my lantern spirit from you. StarLight is absolutely terrified."