Rain fell hard onto the concrete of Tacoma, disappearing into black nothingness reflecting the night, only occasionally catching the light of a street lamp, headlight, or open business as it flowed down. It was early in the night still, with plenty of people out and about in the fall weather despite the sun's retreat. Still, one, in particular, had groggily gotten off the downtown tram and was walking up the hill of downtown's theater district, passing the two establishments that give the area its name.
It was a hike that the man, known as Jay to his friends, had forgotten was so terrible. He hadn't been back to Tacoma in many months, and the time he was even near the city beforehand were memories he did his best to push out. But, on this night, one he had awoken to very recently, he had a goal in mind.
Making it the relatively short distance, not that his calves would agree, up to the location he was informed of, he gazed down the street at a small brick building and made his way over. Cafe Azure stood next to a small parking lot, paid only of course, and had a delightful open sign and softly lit lobby waiting.
Eager for a chance to get out of the rain, among other reasons, Jay strode inside, taking care to shake off some of the water before entering. With the soft ring of bells, the woman behind the counter, a pale woman with a thin smile lined with red lipstick, slightly covered by a wave of long stark white hair and dressed in a dark turtleneck and apron, welcomed him in with a smile and three waves of her hand.
She almost looked like a direct opposite of Jay, with his larger frame, dark skin, and short, tightly curled black hair, with their only commonality being their dark choice in clothing. After nodding at the woman, returning her silent greeting, he looked around a little bit, scoping out not only who else was in the cafe at this time, but also where he should go to avoid tracking in water.
"If you'd like, there's a coat hanger to your left." The woman said, in a soft, almost crackling voice. It spooked Jay a bit, but with a glance to his left, he indeed saw the empty coat rack and hung up the partially wet raincoat.
"Not too busy tonight, huh?" He asked, as his voice echoed slightly in the empty cafe.
"Not yet anyways, although I suspect the night customers will come by soon enough." She said, taking to drying a coffee mug.
"You stay open late enough for those? Figure you get end-of-shift people more." He asks, walking to the bar-style counter the woman was at.
"You must be new to the area, there's been a recent trend of night cafes around here. Something for the night owl on the prowl, the late-night student, or the graveyard shift." She answered, going over the rim of the mug three times. "Yes, many new things are happening around here at night. We finally have a nightlife, I suppose you could say."
"Not new, but I've been away for a bit. Didn't think too much would be different."
There was a long stare between them, in which the woman's soft smile grew a bit wider, and her eyes a bit narrower. "Dear me, I've blabbered far too long. What could I get you?"
"I'm actually looking to chat with someone. If she's here, could I speak to Ms. Winther?"
At that, the woman's thin smile turned wider still, showing off a peak of fangs. "Present. I do believe that means my original question still stands."
Despite being alone in the establishment, Jay still leaned in and matched the volume of his host. "I'm looking to get set back up in the city. Honestly, I'd like to stay around these parts, so I was told to speak to you." Smiling in a way to show off his own pointed fangs, he produced a notecard, as small as a business card, with the directions on the front, and a decal of peacock feathers on the back.
Gently taking it from him, the woman gazed at the art and traced the eye of the peacock thrice with her finger. "Ah yes, dear Argos. What a dutiful young Kindred. Honestly, if more were like them, I'm sure things would've been much smoother. But, come with me." She said, gesturing to the side.
As they moved, the woman sent a quick text, and a few seconds later another individual came to take over the front counter, with a positive affirmation towards the two as she passed them.
Through a bit of a winding corridor of different rooms, not too far away from the main establishment but also clearly not a part of its original floor plan, the two arrived in a small, peaceful meeting room. The walls and table were made of dark wood, the desk had an eclectic assortment of books and memorabilia, and there was a mini-fridge with a small lock on it in the corner.
"Please, have a seat."
"Thank you, nice place you got here Ms. Winther, wouldn't expect it behind a cafe."
"Do call me Hanna, we can speak freely here Mr. Darrell, or do you prefer Jay?"
"How did you-"
"Liquor tends to loosen lips, but many people forget that a nice cup of coffee can open a mouth just as easily. That is to say, I hear many things, and I was foretold of your arrival. You are one of the Cleansers, after all."
"The Cleansers? Is that what people are really calling us? Sounds like a bad X-Men villain."
Hanna chuckled once more, fiddling with her lock for what seemed to be quite a long time. "To be fair, it is not a name I would've chosen, but the taste of the name doesn't belie its flavor, rather, your contributions are not to be downplayed."
"It's not like I'm any different from the other hundreds of Kindred who took part. I just did a lot of punching. What about you, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I was more of the planning and subterfuge part of the operations, although I would like to think I was quite useful. It's how I became overseer of Antique Row after all." She said, opening up her fridge, revealing a stack of blood bags, seemingly meticulously sorted. "Would you care for a refreshment? Unfortunately, bagged is all I have 'on tap' as it were."
"Hey I'm not picky, haven't had territory to hunt in months. I've been meaning to ask, what even is this whole structure in town like? Cause all this overseer and domain stuff just sounds either like Camarilla nonsense or just making a million mini-Barons. No offense, of course." He said, getting a fresh, cold blood bag gently handed to him, before Hanna took one for herself and set to relocking the fridge, fiddling with each number three times after closing it.
"None taken, it is a bit eclectic. And, you're not entirely incorrect. Tell me, how much do you remember what it was like before? Not everyone who took part in the Cleansing Nights was around for long before the invasion occurred." After affixing the lock once more, Hanna sat down next to Jay.
"I was fresh off the train, actually. Sire fucked up royally down in Portland, I had to make a break for it, and I found out he got some primogen up in Seattle in shit before, so here I was in Tacoma. God, it was such hell, I mean Anarch v Camarilla every night, territories and claims changing before you could blink, just absolute idiocy! I had this one pal, fed on some random guy in some random corner on a Tuesday, then Friday rolled around it turned into private cammy territory and he's getting hunted down for it!" He began to drink out of the blood bag, feeling the energy rush through him.
"Of course, the sheriff that was hunting him was whacked in half the time so he got away just fine until they firebombed his haven cause a friend three steps separated didn't act right. It was just sheer shit, and then...well then came the real shit."
"Yes, the Sabbat invasion. So many blinded eyes looking inward, there weren't enough left intact to look outward." There was a sigh from both, and a few long seconds of silence, broken by tense, individual drinking.
"If I might ask, where were you when it happened?"
Jay exhaled intensely as if drawing the answer was physically taxing on him but he met her eye. "Shit you not, I was down at the ports."
"The ports? The ports?" Hanna asked, raising her voice above a whisper for the first time this evening.
"Yep! I was one of the first people who saw the Sabbat invasion start. Actually had a bad run-in with a Tzimisce too, took me almost a full month to get my arm back right." He said, waving his left arm in the air.
Hanna looked a mix of fascinated, shocked, and horrified, as she cleared her throat and looked away from Jay. "Well, I must ask for details later, but I should return to the subject at hand."
"To answer your question about my status as Overseer, among others, it comes down to the necessity of middle management. Like I said before, much has changed in Tacoma and its surrounding cities, and Baron Fiore can only handle so much in one night, even with his dutiful staff. So, in order to help with relocating, peace-keeping, as well as getting the right names in the right places, some of us who have been proven skilled at such things are tasked with keeping an eye on the hot spots of the cities, at least for the time being." Hanna took an extended sip of her blood bag, taking in a delightful shiver as she did.
"In any case, we do not technically have any real political power, aside from community influence, but we often can speak directly to Fiore or their associates, and are in charge of keeping things sorted and filed. Some of my fellow overseers are also quite astute businessfolk and entrepreneurs, so they've helped revitalize certain sectors as well."
"Yeesh, we still got that many kindred around here to require that kinda thing? I mean, when you put it into words, having trusted eyes on the money-makers makes sense, but to need essentially housing registration?" Jay asked, having almost finished the blood bag by the end of Hanna's explanation.
"Oh yes indeed. Within Tacoma itself I've heard we have around 400 to account for, more than 600 if we include the surrounding areas as well, I've only personally seen about 30 getting settled, but we are still in the early hours of this night, that is to say, more will be coming. Of course, there are also those that might come from elsewhere, or that are a bit harder to track down. But, I'm sure they are quite resourceful on their own as well." She said, pointing downwards, a hint towards those of their kind that lived in the hidden sewer systems and passageways of their world, and a hint that Jay easily picked up on.
"Numbers aside, the time comes to ask what you'd like, Jay. You mentioned wishing to live near the theater district, hence why you were sent to me, and I have a few places I feel would suit your tastes, but what else from there?" Hanna asked, getting up and moving to her desk, opening and closing a desk drawer the accustomed three times, before grabbing a small folder.
"What I'd like?" Jay coughed on the last sip of his blood bag as if taken aback.
"In terms of employ? There might be plenty of resources for us Kindred, but we must sadly yet live in the mortal world. But, with what we do have available in these dark nights, there is no end to the things you can do." She sat down next to him once more, her bright teal eyes gazing into his own hazel eyes.
There was a period of stunned silence, as the world fell away from Jay.
He was of Clan Ventrue, natural 'born' leaders, and businessmen who stood atop all other clans in terms of sheer influential power. At least, that was what his sire had always told him, convinced him of. And yet, before he could even be properly taught how to manage a business at any level, he was tossed to the wind and had to scrounge in Tacoma for months, before he spent the rest of his unlife to the present fighting and running. The concept of returning to that ideal of business and success felt like it would never be in reach, at least not in this lifetime.
But there it was, and this phantom of a woman was all but handing him the resources to really go for it.
There was an intense urge within him to take the easiest route. He had watched his sire maneuver the financial sector, the corners to cut, the loopholes to abuse, the lies to tell, and with supernatural manipulation on his side, the world was his oyster and he could spend the rest of his nigh-infinite life doing barely anything.
But, where had all that landed him? Helpless in an unfamiliar land on the brink of an all-out war, without a single soul who wanted to lend his sire or even himself an ounce of help. It was a lonely life.
"Honestly," he began, taking a heavy gulp.
"I don't really know. I've only ever known banking, got turned before I could make my own way that much, but I'm good at accounting. I think until I know for sure what I want, and what Tacoma has for me, I'd rather start small though." He said as the bestial storm within him began to fade away at its denial.
A smile was passed between the two, a recognition between fated monsters that at that moment they felt no different than they would have if they were alive once more.
"Well then," Hanna said, breaking the silence and opening her folder.
"Let's start you off small then."
