Bottom of the Barrel - Part 3

**Bottom of the Barrel - Part 3** is the third part in a *Vampire the Masquerade* mini-series on *Another Bad Side Quest*. The Montersang Coterie investigates the new bar in their city and uncover new questions to ask.

## Bottom of the Barrel - Part 3

### **Synopsis**

#### Pre-Show Shenanigans

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### Summary

Aisling drove the coterie to the seedier portion of downtown, past *The Bottom of the Barrel* and parked in a nearby garage. The group stepped out of the car and Aisling asked Alexander when and how he planned to get into the bar. Alexander took a look around for other entrances as they got closer and found culverts along the sides of the building that revealed windows that would be high up on the wall in a basement. Alexander noted what he saw, but mentioned he had ways of getting into the front doors if necessary and pulled out a professionally made fake ID, that showed his age was 31, but also had a medical condition listed that explained why he looked so young. Addo remembered making portions of that *Mask* and noted the kid would be fine. The group moved on to around the other side of the building, where there was an alleyway and a small stoop and saw a bouncer standing beside a door that was currently roped off. Aisling, wasting no time, activated *Awe*, and approached the bouncer with a smile. The bouncer asked if the others behind her were with her or if she was by herself and, after a moment of hesitation, Elvira joined her to say they were a group. The bouncer let them through so long as Aisling agreed to come back out to see him and she agreed, slipping a tip into his coat pocket as she did so, followed by Addo who walked past without issue. Alexander was stopped briefly for ID and after happily handing his card over was let in as well.

Past the front door was a set of stairs, leading down to a set of metal double doors, where loud thudding music could be heard on the other side and while Alexander liked the music Addo lamented it would be a lot to handle. Aisling told him to chin up as she pushed open the doors releasing the scent of smoke and sweat that assaulted the sensitive Kindred noses. They entered onto a platform, down another set of stairs to the main floor and saw a bar in the far left corner, with seating around the edges of the room, as well as a neon lit DJ’s booth at the front of the room, with all types of people flooding the dancefloor, from goths to hipsters, and people who were well aged out of this kind of scene.

Addo activated *Sense the Unseen* to check the area, but found nothing of concern before he headed for the bar. Elvira split off from Aisling, to avoid her aura of *Awe* as she drew attention to herself, and kept an eye out for anyone who seemed less than impressed by Aisling’s display on the assumption they were not human. Meanwhile Aisling headed to the bar to grab a drink, intending to find a place to sit and wait for someone to approach her. Elvira looked over the crowd, but was unable to pick out anything interesting in the massive crowd, while Alexander ordered a drink as well. Aisling asked if there was anywhere more reserved to sit and the bartender said there was private seating in some of the backrooms, but only for people that the boss liked. Aisling asked who the boss liked and the bartender replied that he had never met the boss. Meanwhile Addo posted up at the far end of the bar to keep an eye out for anyone who seemed less interested in the club than the usual patrons, in hopes of spotting more Kindred along the bar. Alexander activated *Heightened Senses* to try and smell any Kindred or blood, and despite pushing past the overwhelming scents of the club, had a hard time pinpointing anything. Alexander immediately deactivated *Heightened Senses* when the scents started to become to strong.

Aisling left the bar, brushed past Addo to say she was headed to the back rooms and if she wasn't back in 10 minutes, and Addo understanding what she meant agreed to come looking. Addo continued to look around the bar and decided to watch the people at the bar as it was easier then watching those on the dancefloor, while Elvira got a water bottle and kept her distance from Addo at the bar. The bartender approached Addo for his order, but after being ignored by Addo paying more attention to his task left him alone. Addo spotted, at the other end of the bar, a tall man who almost looked deathly thin, though he wore a nicely tailored suit, stood up and made his way over. Addo immediately took a seat next to the man, without a word, and flagged down the bartender for water. Meanwhile Aisling approached the back rooms and was stopped by another bouncer, though her continued *Awe* helped smooth some of the interaction. The bouncer said he doubted she knew the boss and when Aisling asked why he thought that explained that pretty girls usually came with an escort, that he thought she may be good, but didn't think she was that good. Aisling told him to let her back and she could prove how good she was and the bouncer relented and led her back into the hallway, while the others watched.

Alexander looked at the crowd to see if he could spot anyone well-known or would not expect to be here and spotted an anchorman and his assistant in a booth, as well as a few TV personalities on the dancefloor, but no one of special note. The bouncer led Aisling into one of the VIP rooms, asked what seeing the boss was worth and Aisling insisted she couldn't just put out if she didn't know he could get her where she wanted to be. The bouncer asked where she would like to be and when she said she wished to meet the boss said they would have to work up to that. Aisling commented that her drink was no longer doing it for her and asked him to get her another and the bouncer complied and left Aisling in the room, with strict instructions not to leave. After waiting a few moments, after he left the room, Aisling left as well, looked around the hallway and saw it had four rooms on either side of the hall blocked off by curtains, along with a door at the very end. Aisling slipped out of the room without a sound, made her way to the door, entered it and found a concrete stairwell. Far enough away from the music, Aisling activated *Heightened Senses* to increase her hearing, focused on what she could hear above and below her in the stairwell and picked up the sounds of a bar kitchen upstairs, while below her was oddly quiet, with the sound cars.

The bouncer returned to the room from the bar, cursed and left the hallway, back into the main area looking angry and started to search the dance floor. Elvira pulled out her phone as she pretended to sip water, sent a text to Aisling to ask where she went with an emoji of a face with the monocle. Aisling descended the stairs as she texted back for Elvira to distract the bouncer and Elvira texted Alexander instead to do while she headed for the back hallway where she saw Aisling go earlier. Addo used the interesting view of the searching bouncer to note it was a crazy night to the gaunt man sitting next to him. The man said it was always crazy and when Addo asked if he came there often the man told him often enough. They cheered their waters and the man told Addo not to play coy before he introducing himself as Charles. Addo returned the favor with his own name before they both fell back into silence.

Alexander spilled some of his drink, stumbled to the bouncer searching for Aisling, pretended to be drunk and overfriendly to the bouncer. The bouncer helped to escort the 'drunk' Alexander out to the front door as Alexander continued to stumble around and drunkenly complimented him. Elvira used the distracting spectacle of Alexander being escorted out to slip into the VIP hallway, listened to see if there was anyone in the rooms, found they were most definitely *in use* and made her way to the door at the end. Addo patted Charles on the back, said goodnight as he activated *Premonition*, saw a vision of an awkward encounter Charles had with a prostitute in one of the club’s backroom. Addo shook it off before he headed for the VIP hallway, moving quickly and quietly, and waited for the bartender to watch the hallway, while the bouncer was gone, and slipped behind the curtain. Addo spotted Elvira at the end of the hall, called for her to wait up and she hushed him, told him not to call her that around Kindred, and expressed confusion at the rest of them using their real names around humans.

Meanwhile, Alexander, having been lead entirely out of the club, drunkenly thanked the bouncers as he swayed his way to the alleyway and out of sight and the two bouncers commiserated that he didn't seem able to hold his liqueur. Alexander pulled out his phone, texted Elvira to let her know the bouncers were distracted and asked what was happening. Elvira dismissed his text as she texted Aisling to ask up or down and Aisling, now at the bottom of the stairs with a short hallway that ended with another steel door, responded down. Elvira texted Alexander about the downstairs and met with Aisling while the three convened at the bottom of the stairs.

Alexander moved deeper into the ally, found the culverts in the ground that showed windows to the basement, windows that were frosted over and safely assumed led to bathrooms. Alexander peeked in, as best and awkwardly as he could, till he was sure he found the men’s room. He took a second to remember the inside layout and realized that the bathroom doors were right next to the bar, which would mean running across the dance floor to get to the VIP hallway. Alexander quietly tried to open the window, with the opening only half as big as the window, managed to wriggle his way inside and luckily, no one came in while he worked his way inside, but Alexander did realize someone had been in one of the stalls the whole time. Alexander hustled out of the bathroom, looked to the bar and knowing if the bartenders spotted him he would be caught. He attempted to across the dance floor quick and quiet, but the Beast having other ideas, Alexander felt his hunger stomach pull as the Beast growled back inside him causing him to stop in the middle of the dance floor. Alexander started to sweat, and thought he resisted the Beast’s hunger to increase, still felt it thrum through his veins as he grabbed a random person’s arm, sunk his teeth into them and quickly ran to the others.

**That is where we leave Episode 3!**

1. ↑ Kindred slang for a fake identity