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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2017 0:01:35 GMT
Rose closed the door of As Black As Ink behind her and Nikolaus. Then, she pulled out a 'shopping list' from her purse and handed it to the other Tremere. "First," she said out loud before finishing her sentence as a thought to Nikolaus. 'I need owl blood.'
It was something the Regent did quite naturally, switching from spoken to thought when she was with Nikolaus, to the point that she would not always even notice she did it.
"I know that shop over there has it." She spoke up again, pointing at a shop which sign read "Cobb and Webb's". She started to head there, careful about not walking too fast so that Nikolaus wouldn't have too much trouble catching up with her. This way of walking slower than her usual pace when she was with her Whip had become second nature to her too.
"You should take avantage of this shopping trip to ask about our friend." Rose added before thinking to him: 'What did you say his name was, again? Max?'
It was almost disappointing that such a powerful and mysterious wizard would have such a boring name. Rose loved reading and if anyone was to ever turn this into a bestseller, they'd have to do something about that name.
The blonde pushed the shop's door, greeted by the sound of croaking toads and the sight of the ever grumpy looking old witch standing behind the counter. She looked around to see how busy the shop one and if there was anyone she'd recognize. She also used Auspex, because it was always interesting to see if any Kindred was around.
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@nikolaus @thulilemasters
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2017 0:49:50 GMT
Nikolaus read over the list as he followed her. Owl blood? Which ritual used that again...? It was shopping night; one would expect someone who looked as young as Rose to hit the Westfield Mall or go look through wizarding fashion shops, but no. This shopping list was a grab bag of the good, bad, and ugly of objects needed for Thaumaturgy rituals, most of which, thankfully, could be found in potion ingredient shops and wizarding trinket shops, both in Diagon and Knockturn Alley. All except the vitae, of course; but that wasn't an issue for them, either.
So, Cobb and Webb's it is. He had visited once or twice to grab a few ingredients of his own, though the shopkeeper who worked the night shift there could use a crash course in customer service. Typical of Knockturn Alley, he supposed. He limped alongside her, leaning on his cane, when she mentioned their 'friend.' Of course; he'd been so wrapped in what he had read in the paper and what was all over the news on the various feeds on his phone that he'd almost forgotten.
'If he was watching us, he hasn't come for us, Nikolaus thought back. 'Maybe it wasn't a trap. Maybe Maxie is just paranoid.' And if he's smart, he's not even on this continent anymore.
"Bonsoir madame," Nikolaus said as he followed Rose inside. As Rose scanned the area, he'd approach the witch shopkeeper. "We have a craving for owl blood, and a friend of ours said yours is the best."
His eyes narrowed, watching her reaction. "Max? Blue eyes, brown hair, won't take that ridicule mask off? He said to send his regards."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2017 5:34:52 GMT
Thulile had a way of looking at the world. Where even in the darkest places she could find the good and beautiful. It was something she took pride in, and it still showed through. Three deaths in such a short amount of time had an effect on her, and she was trying to deal with that. Trying to push forward as if nothing had happened. But it had, and deep within her there was a sadness, mourning the loss of human life; one not deserved and two in her defense. Still, she stepped into the apothecary with a smile, a bright spot in the dingy underworld of Knockturn Alley. Her hair was back to white with her floral cover keeping the slightly cooler night air from causing her to become chilled, small and slight as she was. "Hello," she said brightly, though to anyone who could see they would noticed how at odds she was with herself, from the outside to what was inside. [@rosebelmont] |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2017 23:29:36 GMT
Rose briefly turned around as she heard Thulile's enthusiastic greeting. She was about to focus on the shop owner again, eager to hear what her answer to Nikolaus' question would be, when something occurred to her. The witch that had just entered Cobb and Webb's, she'd already seen her. Granted her outfit and her hair color were different back then, but it was definitely the same woman. And the place where she'd seen her was: Mary's club.
Rose clenched her fist. There was no way to tell if she was close to any of the Sabbat members but it was more likely than not. The Tremere Regent thought to Nikolaus.
'Be careful what you say from now on. The witch who just came in was at Mary's club.'
The blonde looked back at Thulile one more time. There was something odd about this woman's aura. Despite how cheerful and bubbly she tried to be on the outside... her aura told Rose a completely different story. Interesting.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2017 0:59:51 GMT
The shop keeper looked at Nikolaus. These two leeches were regular customers, and good at paying, unlike some, but she still didn't like them. When the male one asked after a friend, one with dark hair named Max, she froze inside. "Sorry, sir. Don't know who you mean." She said. Dont think of Max, don't think of Max, pink elephants and orange mice. she thought.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2017 3:00:08 GMT
Had Nikolaus been paying attention to anyone other than the shopkeeper, he might have recognized Thulile as well despite the changes to her appearance. Auspex can sharpen your senses, but if you're focusing just one of them on only one specific thing (or person, as the case may be), it's easy to unintentionally tune other things out. And as he detected the shopkeeper's blatant lie, complete with her aura suddenly turned bright orange, his eyes narrowed further.
But Rose's voice in his head was a hell of a lot harder to ignore.
He glanced at Thulile. Oh, yes, he recognized her, now; dyed hair and all. She could very well have just been a witch that enjoyed muggle nightclubs (they were a bit different than the night life of Diagon Alley), but Rose was right: Caution was warranted.
'She's lying,' he thought back at Rose, in regard to the shopkeeper, as he returned Thulile's greeting. "Bonsoir", he replied. Yes, he noticed the aura, as well; not really his business, but he knew that look on Rose's face. He turned to the vials of liquid potion regents. "How many of those do we need?"
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2017 12:30:37 GMT
Thulile's smile kept in place, perhaps widening a bit as the man returned her greeting, looking less put on and more genuine for that moment. Thulile was, at her core, a happy person and social. Even now when she was struggling with herself there would still be moments it showed through.
Not wanting to interrupt them more than her greeting already had, Thulile adjusted the cover so it sat more properly on her shoulders, holding a little clutch in front of her. Dark eyes looking around the store, though she had been here before. It wasn't her first time coming here to get certain ingredients no one else around seemed to carry. Nothing illegal for her, just particularly hard to come by. Not knowing she was recognized, nor that the others were wary of her. She had eyes that night only for Erskine, and was ignorant of the vampire politics. Ignorant, in fact, that these two were vampires as well as their identities.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2017 18:39:06 GMT
'Of course, she's lying.' Rose sneered in her thoughts. It could never be easy. People always had to try and hide the truth. 'Try to learn a bit more if you can. I'll go be social with the newcomer.' And by 'being social', the Tremere meant distract her from the conversation that Nikolaus was having with the shopkeeper, of course. "I think three vials would be enough, for now," she said in answer to his question. "I think I saw some other ingredients I need on a shelf back there. I'll be right back."
Rose left Nikolaus and the shopkeeper to their discussion about Max as she headed to the part of the shop where Thulile was standing. Rose was thin and she moved smoothly yet, as she passed by the witch, her shoulder somewhat brushed against hers. The blonde immediately stopped and turned toward the white-haired woman. "Oh, I'm very sorry... I didn't hurt you, did I?" She paused, looking down at her shoulder before meeting her eyes. "Do we... know each other? You look familiar."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2017 4:04:48 GMT
Nikolaus nodded at Rose, and turned toward another section of the store. He couldn't ask anything too obvious in front of Thulile, and he couldn't risk spooking the shopkeeper any more than he already did. He'd have to be subtle.
Nikolaus scanned the shelves. Candles were a relatively mundane, hardly magical item by themselves, but shops like these tended to have anything a magic ritual could need. Quietly listening to Rose and Thulile, Nikolaus looked through the aisles necessary for magic rituals, looking for the exact same type of candles Max had used.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2017 4:23:10 GMT
He finds them. It doesn't take too long. Isle three with tapers, lamp oils, and incenses. They have a number of colours and thicknesses, but the forearm thick black ones seem to feature most popularly, there's even a discount for buying in bulk.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2017 1:25:04 GMT
Looking over the shelves, Thulile didn't expect to be addressed until the shop keep was free. Thulile wasn't in a rush, so she hadn't felt the need to wait in a line behind the couple for the woman's attention. So when the pretty blonde bumped into her Thulile gave her a glance with a long blink for a moment, surprised. Then a smile. As genuine as could be given the turmoil within. Thulile was an open and social person, always enjoying meeting new people. In this moment that was welcoming. Any distraction was nice from the thoughts within.
"No worries," Thulile said dismissively with a little wave of her tattooed hand. "No, I don't think so. I'm rather good with faces, so I know I would remember you if I've met you before." Thulile said with a little shrug of her shoulders then a sheepish smile. "Artists memory." She pointed to her temple as she said that.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2017 5:58:19 GMT
Rose gave her a barely there smile. "Oh, you are an artist? How nice. Then, I guess, I should trust your memory about that." Although her voice did not betray any of it, the Tremere was still positive this witch was the one she saw back then. You don't see a witch with pink hair everyday. And Rose always trusted her own memory over anyone else's anyway. She quickly used Auspex to make sure Thulile was not pretending not to remember her.
"What is the form of art you specialize in, if I may ask?" She enquired politely.
Out of the corner of her eye, the Regent briefly followed Nikolaus. Not that she actually needed to look to know where he was, she could sense his presence almost naturally. 'Anything interesting regarding the candles?'
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2017 6:59:03 GMT
'They're the definitely the same type of candle,' Nikolaus thought back, getting a closer look. 'Though I will confess that I don't know how common they are. The shopkeeper clearly knows him, though, so it's possible that he bought the candles here. And they're on sale.' Candles were a common ritual implement, but by themselves, candles rarely did anything other than provide a source of light. Of course, this was the Wizarding World. For all he knew they had candles as bright as fog lights.
It was possible that Rose could repeat the 'Eyes of the Past' ritual and allow her to see when Max had bought these candles, or if he's a regular customer. There was nothing else at the ritual site that he could see that could have come from anywhere other than his own magic; just these candles. Rose hadn't said if there was anything special about the knife he used; it was probably just your garden variety hunting or butcher knife.
'If he's a regular customer here, maybe we can stake the place out. See if he comes back.' They didn't really have much else to go on, at least not without interrogating the shopkeeper. Of course... with their rituals and Auspex, they almost didn't need her. He glances back at Rose and Thulile, before moving to another area of the shop.
He knew there was no way they had books on Thaumaturgy here (gods help them if they did), but maybe there was another source of information on dark magic rituals somewhere in the store. He had to have gotten the idea from somewhere. Even if it wasn't from here, it was worth a shot.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2017 12:48:06 GMT
Thulile chuckled a bit and swished her hand back and forth in front of her a little bit along with a little shake of her hand. "Oh no, you should trust yours too. I mean, I kinda stick out like a sore thumb sometimes. Maybe you just saw me in passing? I mean," Thulile picked up a bit of her stark white hair. "White is pretty tame for me." Thulile then grinned. Pulled further and further from the turmoil within as they spoke. Feeling herself calm, even, as she conversed with this stranger.
"Oh, just about anything really. I paint, draw... do street art. My main thing these days to pay the bills, though, is tattoos. Which I also enjoy. Really, anything that lets me get to be artistic I feel I have to try at least once." Thulile then offered her hand. "I'm Thulile Masters."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2017 6:15:36 GMT
Well, at least, she was not lying. She truly didn’t remember seeing her. Rose could work with that, and even use it to her advantage.
"Rose Belmont." She replied, taking her hand and shaking it once. "A pleasure to meet you."
The blonde looked down at the tattoo on Thulile’s hand, as if noticing it for the first time. "Would that be one of your creations, then? Though I might be saying something silly here… It would be quite difficult to tattoo oneself, wouldn’t it? Unless…" She paused. "Unless you use some sort of magic to do it." It was a fair assumption, they were in Knockturn Alley, after all.
Without ever taking her eyes off Thulile or even looking remotely distracted, she thought back to Nikolaus. 'Okay. Keep looking. I can perform a ritual here too, later, if need be.' Great minds think alike.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2017 1:41:35 GMT
"Nice to meet you too, Rose." Her words were genuine, as she saw no reason not to bed. Never mind they were meeting in a store in Knockturn Alley.
"Oh," Thulile held out her hands to show them off. "Yes. Well, I did the left hand the right is my design but I'm not confidant enough to use only my left hand in tattooing, so my mentor and teacher is doing the work for that one." She explained. "And it can be, yes. You have to have a pain tolerance and steady hand. Also helps if you're a bit of a perfectionist." Thulile grinned a bit guiltily. "The only magic I use is in the special inks I brew for my inks. The colors last longer and are more vibrant. I'm also able to give a leve of realism that no-maj artists can't quite accomplish with my inks."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2017 1:56:43 GMT
Nikolaus kept looking for a bit as Rose had instructed, but found nothing of interest. Granted he didn't have time to look through every ritual book in the shop, and there was a definite possibility that the most interesting tomes were kept away for special customers. One thing was certain: the shopkeeper definitely knew Max, and there was a good chance that she also was the one who sold him those candles. That was enough for tonight. Max obviously wasn't coming for them (he'd have done it by now if he was), and might have even fled the moment he realized the Tremere were on to him.
"An artist, hm?" Nikolaus asked, limping up toward the two women, after casting one last side glance at the shopkeeper. "Any friend of Mademoiselle Belmont's is a friend of mine. Nikolaus Oberlin." He held his own hand out for Thulile. "By any chance, do your paintings move, as well? I've always found that form of art so fascinating."
Yes, he's completely serious.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2017 21:32:28 GMT
[ Might as well lock this thread. ]
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