Information - Part 4

**Information - Part 4** is the fourth episode in a *Vampire the Masquerade* mini-series on *Another Bad Side Quest.* The Montersang Coterie continue their search into the missing people of their city, making new enemies and new allies along the way.

## Information - Part 4

### **Synopsis**

#### Pre-Show Shenanigans

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### Summary

Alexander released the human he bit and, overwhelmed even as the Beast rumbled happily at having successfully taken over, rushed away from the dancefloor, made his way to the VIP hallway, ducked behind the curtain without issue, as he checked his phone, and followed Elvira’s directions to head down the stairs. The group was brought together in the shorter hallway below and facing a metal door at the far end, but the three who had been waiting stopped in their tracks when they saw the blood on Alexander’s face and where it had dripped carelessly on his collar. Aisling said they needed to move on and asked Alexander if he could deal with it and Alexander said he would find a way to. Elvira pointed out he already didn’t deal with it and insisted he was a walking *Masquerade* breach and when Addo said they would deal with it later Elvira added they couldn't deal with what had already been done. Addo noted it was a rave and was sure people got bit all the time and Aisling asked if he thought that sounded accurate when it came out of his mouth.

Aisling reminded them they were in too deep, that they were a floor underground and needed to get out and the group turned to face the metal door at the end of the hall. Elvira began to pull out lockpicking supplies, noting she used them when she didn't have keys to areas in the hospital and Aisling interrupted to says they should try knocking before they broke into something when they didn't know if anyone was home, proceeded to knock on the door and Elvira kept Alexander behind her thinking his current appearance would not be a good sight. Once a minute had passed and no one came to the door, Aisling said she had done her due diligence. Elvira went to work on the lock, but before Elvira could Addo bit open his thumb, swiped some of his blood over the metal and activated *Corrosive Vitae,* failing to fight back the Beast’s hunger as he roused the blood for his attempt. Elvira noted she could have done that less invasively and asked if they were all walking *Masquerade* breaches and Aisling took offense and said she had done very well for a very long time. As the group sat in silence for several long minutes, waiting for Addo’s corrosive blood to eat through the metal of the lock Elvira commented they were being just as messy as the people they were sent to catch and Alexander replied if they were lucky people would assume this was just one of those people. Elvira noted that the others reminded her of someone else who was also careless at keeping the *Masquerade* a secret.

While they waited, Alexander cautiously activated *Heightened Senses,* smelled the area and told the group, over the burning of the metal, a musky and floral scent that was getting stronger. A moment later Alexander he heard a footstep, and at Alexander’s concerned look, Addo grabbed the lock, attempted to break the rest of it off, and as the group heard deliberately slow footsteps began to make their way down the stairs and coming closer and closer, managed to break it free after a few tries. As the door opened it revealed a dark underground parking lot Addo activated *Eyes of the Beast* to see better, along with Alexander and Aisling who activated *Heightened Senses* to see in the dark, and the group flooded into the area and out of the hallway. As the footsteps grew closer Aisling shut the door behind them, spotting the shoes of the person as they descended the stairs in the process. The group scattered throughout the nearby area to hide, with Aisling going as far up the ramp to the exit as she could get, before she heard the door began to open, and ducked behind a car for cover and Addo did the same while he deactivated *Eyes of the Beast,* as it made his eyes glow red in the dark. Meanwhile Elvira ducked into a nearby porta potty while Alexander made his way under a nearby car as well and hid behind one of it's tyres.

The door opened with a squeal before the footsteps continue, followed by the gentle tap of a cane or walking stick on the asphalt, and a male voice called out that they were sloppy inside, that they didn't want to have a breach, that they wouldn't and assured that it had been dealt with. While Alexander realized the floral scent came from the voice, the man added that if he was going to cover for someone, he would like to know who he was covering for and when no one responded threatened to start throwing cars around. Aisling, not liking that that implied he was capable of doing that, stepped out from behind the car where she had been hiding. The man dismissed her as not the one who caused the breach and insisted on seeing the “young one”. Alexander came out of hiding as well, playing up his apparent age, and stepped to hide behind Aisling. The man asked what he was thinking coming to the club so hungry, but Aisling offered that Alexander wasn’t thinking and that he was “only a *Fledgling*”. Addo, as he listened from his hiding place, recognized the voice as Charles from the bar. Charles went on to say he may have to beat Alexander for the problems he caused and apologized saying he got protective when people messed with his work. Aisling told him they came to protect their own things, noting that it was likely he had come to notice someone important to him missing recently and Charles admitted as much and that someone important to him had also gone missing. Aisling started to explain their investigation, but was cut off by Charles who said he did not care what the *Anarchs* are doing. Aisling says he did not have to know then and turned to leave with an abrupt good-bye, with Alexander following. Charles told Aisling to tell the Baron "they" were coming for her and when Aisling wondered if he was too much of a coward to tell her himself said he likes to keep his head intact and would not go see “that ruthless bitch”.

As Aisling and Alexander left, Elvira texted the Baron from the porta potty to warn that the owner of the *Bottom of the Barrel* has it in for her. Charles watched the two walk out of the underground parking lot, stood and waited, and after a long minute scoffed, said they could keep to themselves and turned back to return inside through the metal door. Addo activated *Eyes of the Beast* again, saw Elvira step out of the porta potty, the two commiserated that they were definitely in trouble now. Addo asked if she texted the Baron, let her know the man’s name was Charles, and Elvira added it to a second text to the Baron. Aisling texted Elvira that she and Alexander were outside waiting and Elvira noted it would be dawn soon, that they should hurry to the Baron and to wherever they each spent their days. The four regrouped outside the parking garage where Alexander resisted the urge to punch the brick wall in frustration. Elvira asked Addo how he knew the man’s name and Addo explained his conversation at the bar. Aisling pointed out that there was an important detail here, that both *Anarchs* and *Camarilla* had missing people. Elvira received a text from the Baron to come back to her office and the group agreed to go now. As they took Aisling’s car Alexander called Louis to meet him there and with a new shirt.

They arrived at the office building and, after Alexander received new shirt from Louis and changed into it, headed straight for the Baron’s office. The Baron asked what they found out and Elvira summarized that they didn't have someone in particular to pin it on, but did know that the *Camarilla* wasn't behind it. Aisling happily added that Charles was afraid of the Baron and she agrees that was good, otherwise she would have no way to maintain her power. Aisling admitted she was confused now, though, since the *Camarilla* had missing people then they weren't behind this, but the Baron said it made sense as they would have no reason to want to break the *Masquerade* anymore than they did. Elvira wondered what could be connecting the gang activity and the missing people, as well as the rise in anemic patients in her hospital. Elvira said they might get some more underground information and the Baron agreed that could be a place to look, but that the bigger concern was that if this wasn’t the *Camarilla's* doing that they had to consider this might be the *Second Inquisition*. The Baron also posed the question of where all the missing people had gone and the worry of it breaching the *Masquerade*. Elvira said it may be too late in the night to investigate that and the Baron agreed and told them to go wherever they would go. The Baron added that the four should consider themselves a group for now and when Aisling gave attitude to that Aisling told her to fuck off.

The coterie left the office and split off into the early morning before the sun rose. Aisling headed for her gallery, to below the basement where she kept her private collections and spent the daylight hours in front of her favorite painting. Addo returned to *Whodunnit,* spent the last of the night hunting rats to stave off his hunger. Alexander found one of his hideaways amidst the city to rest and recoup from the night while Elvira returned to her apartment.

The next evening the four woke, with all but Aisling able to fight back and resist the Beast’s hunger as they prepared for the new night, and headed for the Baron’s office. Alexander wrestled with having bitten a person without their consent the night before and took his time as he walked the quiet streets, while Addo left a key under the mat for Adrianna and a note that he would be back closer to dawn. Aisling waited outside the Baron’s office building and tried to text Scott again, that he better not be fucking around, even as she knew it was unlikely she will get a response. When they arrived to the Baron’s office, the group discussed avenues to follow in their investigation, with Aisling suggesting possibly talking to the police about the recent gang violence, while Elvira thought seducing a gang member would be easier. Addo offered that he may have leads of his own to chase and the Baron encouraged him to do so, but also suggested the group might talk to the group of three Nosferatu that lived in the sewers, knowing how that clan tended to be about secrets. The group decided to split up, on Addo's insistence that his lead might be better followed on his own and the group cautioned him to be careful. The Baron told to figure it out, commented on the idea of babysitting them and Aisling said they would report back before dawn, and if they didn't might be dead-dead.

As they left the office Aisling dug her heels in against going to the sewers immediately and tried to say they could start elsewhere. Elvira said they shouldn’t waste time, with Alexander in agreement and when Aisling asked who knew how to get to the sewers as she most definitely didn't Alexander said he had wandered through the sewers before. Elvira asked if he knew the best place to enter so they didn't have to be down there longer than necessary. Alexander said he knew generally where the Nosferatu liked to stay, offered that he could get them there with about a 20 minute walk through the sewers, but deferred to Aisling that they could find a manhole cover closer to there and be down there for a shorter amount of time. Before Addo tried to split off, Elvira insisted if he was to go alone they should have a way to get a hold of him and he relented and offered his personal cell number. He also explained that as one of the two people whose cover wasn’t blown the night before that he thought he could get more information from Charles for their investigation before the group split of in opposite directions.

Addo made his way to the *Bottom of the Barrel* and the bouncer, recognizing him, told him his friend had gotten pretty messed up the night before and Addo corrected that Alexander was just a friend from work. Addo headed inside and was hit with the same overwhelming mix of sweat and bad alcohol and loud music as he entered as he headed for the bar and immediately took a seat besides Charles when he spotted him. Charles asked what he was doing there again and Addo said Charles seemed interesting to talk to. Charles asked what he wanted to talk about and when Addo asked what he liked, from sports or the news or anything Charles said he watched the news occasionally but he usually wanted to *forget* it and activated *Cloud Memory,* but Addo pushed back against his attempt. Addo went on to ask if Charles knew anything about the recent disappearances from the news and Charles placed a hand on Addo’s shoulder, squeezed hard, and suggested they take the conversation to his office. Charles led Addo back into the VIP hallway, behind a curtain on the left, just before the door at the end of the hall, to a set of stairs that led to another door and an office beyond that.

Charles asked what Addo wanted, insisting he didn't need someone like Addo snooping around and Addo said he wanted information about the disappearances and offered something in trade or to find something out for him. Charles said he didn't trust Addo to come back with information for him but when Addo insisted he was a man of his word Charles added that what was said there did not get back to the Baron. Charles explained that the *Camarilla* were attempting to set up shop in Montersang and that the university students flocked to them due to the addictive nature of their abilities. He added that when they couldn't get it from Kindred anymore they looked elsewhere and that last he heard there was a dragon coming. Addo asked how bad this dragon was and Charles replied he was a sixth generation that coveted people, that he had a plantation about 45 minutes northeast of the city that was still operating as a winery and that they were getting greedy. Addo said that Charles seemed pretty confident this was related to the disappearances and Charles said while this creature might be similar to them, they were worse, played by different rules, with little care to the *Masquerade*, and that if it wanted more people it would take more people. Addo thanked Charles for the information and offered if he heard anything about Charles’ people Addo would get word to him and Charles in agreement offered to accommodate the same. Addo then left the office and headed into the city to look for his own way into the sewers.

Further in the city, Aisling, Alexander and Elvira stood around a manhole cover in a dimly lit alleyway. Alexander used a bit of undead strength to shift the cover out of the way just enough to squeeze through and headed down first. Elvira followed soon after with a sigh and, after a moment’s hesitation, Aisling followed, while silently grateful she didn't need to breathe. As they started to walk Addo texted them where he was in reference to the streets above and that he was only a few minutes away from them so would be easy enough to meet up with Alexander as their guide. As they walked together Alexander asked what happened on Addo's end and Addo said he would rather wait to tell them when they could talk altogether with the Baron. Elvira wondered if the information he had would make it so they no longer have to trudge through the sewers and Addo said, much as he didn't wish to be there, that they may still want to see what the Nosferatu knew. The coterie continued on their trek through the sewer system and slowly picked up the gentle stench of rot and decay in the air. They made their way into a larger area within the sewers.

**That is where we leave Episode 4!**