Nick was idly doodling in the margins of a spiral-bound notebook he kept potential lyrics in while on break at work. He didn’t have drawing skill, but it was something to pass the time as he thought over the events of the past week, and tried to think of where to go moving forward. Currently, the doodle was taking the shape of a butterfly. A simple design, but unmistakable in what it was. He paused for a moment, thinking of his sister, and smiled slightly. He was happy they were on good terms again after lunch earlier that day.
Chase took the opportunity at that moment to whine a little. Nick closed shut the notebook and headed back to his locker, placing it in his bag before taking Chase out for a walk before he needed to go back to his shift. While Chase took care of things, he mulled over a little on his decision to allow Chase to become a drug-sniffing dog. Was it the wisest choice to let his service dog do that? He didn’t know, but it was an in with the boss, and as long as he or Chase didn’t get hurt, it would probably ok.
After glancing at his phone, he made sure Chase was finished before cleaning up after him, making a stop in the men’s room to thoroughly wash his hands before clocking back in and heading to the floor for the usual work routine. The job wasn’t hard, in his eyes, and he could almost run on autopilot, as long as he kept a sharp eye on things.
~
It was later in the day when his nerves began to creep up on him. It was the night of the Elysium, and he didn’t know what to expect. Not only that, he wouldn’t have Chase with him to help in case of an attack. They didn’t happen often, but when they did, they could be bad. Upon arrival at home, he let Billy and Sayuri do their thing while he went to go drop off the dog at his parent’s and pick up dinner for all of them.
He smiled to himself as he headed back, the order from the taco truck on the seat beside him. His time off, except for the trip to Japan and Sayuri’s business when he got back, had been a good one. The issue with his sister was resolved now, and he’d had a great night last night with both his partners, and looked forward to more in the future. Certainly, he shouldn’t keep himself bottled up, and be more forthcoming about needs, as Charles suggested.
Singing along to the radio, he felt more confidant about the evening. He kept his thoughts positive, telling himself that they would receive some good information, that they would do well, that they wouldn’t make Marcus look a fool.
Marcus…
His thoughts turned to the stranger in their midst. He was in awe of the man, simply due to his being Mark Anthony, but also wary of the man he didn’t know. He was trusted by Endrik and Emilio, however, so he would put faith in both their trust in him, and his desire to help Petra. It would work out in the long run, he told himself. It had to, for Brandon’s sake.
~
He growled slightly as he looked in the mirror, untying, and then re-tying his tie. He could get a good Windsor knot, but he could never do it right off; it always took a time or two. After finally getting it right, he pulled on and buttoned up the vest, then worked on rolling up the sleeves. The outfit itself may be high-end brands and materials, but he still felt the need to look somewhat casual. More formal than that was not something he was comfortable with, and he needed to be focused tonight, not fidgeting over a suit.
When he finally felt himself presentable, he met up with the others to head over to Brandon’s. All of them were, perhaps, a little on edge. Not only because of Elysium, but Brandon had contacted them earlier, asking to see them before they went to Elysium. None of them knew what to expect, though judging by his tone over the phone, he seemed in a good mood, so that was a plus.
The healthy part of that skepticism began to wane after their arrival. Emilio seemed perturbed, as did Endrik. Something was off about Brandon, they’d said. Something was weird.
They hadn’t been wrong. After leaving the meeting with Brandon, he felt the same way. Something just seemed…off. Since there wasn’t time, he made a mental note to try to speak with Brandon at length in the near future, and just… ask about the changes, or just a catch-up session in general. He considered them friends, right? So it shouldn’t be too unusual.
~
At Elysium, they followed protocol, as it had been taught to them. The meeting with the Prince had gone interestingly, simply due to Marcus’ age and reputation. From the Toreador, he learned he was gaining information, a potential ally, and a potential boon for Brandon, by learning that the man they were speaking with, Sebastian, was one of the Harpies. If he recalled properly, they were ranked low on the totem pole of political affairs, however they collected and kept track of favors and information, spreading things around as they saw fit.
Nick considered it a win that he was willing to speak with them, and tell t hem about there being an Archon in town, as well as handing over one of the business cards Brandon had given him to hand out earlier in the evening. He was a little less sure of the glowing praise Sayuri had received of her art, or he for the song he performed at Sebastian’s behest. Much like it had when he had performed it at the campsite, he’d caused some vampires to cry tears of blood – something he wasn’t sure was appreciated.
Another thing to note was that Sebastian seemed to take an interest in Nick, based on the intense stares, and the proposition given shortly before leaving the Toreador table. He’d been tempted, yes. There was a part of him that desired to know what the man could do. There was another part that remembered what could happen if a vampire didn’t stay in control. So he’d politely declined, letting the other man come to the conclusion that he belonged to Marcus.
The Malkavian table was more troublesome for his mind. One there knew all too much about Nick and his sister, and though he played along with the conversation in an effort to gain information, it didn’t sit well with him how much the man knew. It wasn’t until later, when speaking with Marcus, that he found out why. Something he might discuss later with his sister, though that was an undecided matter at the moment.
The Tremere table was polite enough, though they disclosed no real information. He’d managed to leave a card, though, and gotten the hint that talking to the Ventrue might be a good idea.
~
Lonestar Security was a good place to start. He made a mental note of that, and of the possibility that Sayuri and Timur, or Billy, or perhaps a combination of the three, might be able to get into the building or their systems, and figure out any big standing orders for something local. Between that and whatever kind of deal Sayuri had managed to broker with the Nosferatu, he hoped they would be in the good graces of all the vampire show were keen on getting to Kauffman for Petra’s sake.
That he was old was good information as well, and hopefully at some point they could get a gauge on how powerful the man might be, in order to better be able to help whomever was going to go after the fiend. He was cataloging this information for a later relay, when Bethany, their conversationalist at the Ventrue table, let a bomb of sorts drop. Nick was trying to push away the feeling that part of his world was falling away, after Bethany had mentioned that Kauffman had someone he saw on the regular, that might be a lover, and had gone on to name Alyssa. Sure, it could have been some other ‘military brat’, but it seemed decidedly unlikely.
Talking to Alyssa about this was needed, and possibly overdue. He’d known she had done a job for him, but it had never occurred to him to ask follow-up questions. A part of him, he supposed, had figured that Brandon may have gone over that when he spoke with her at length out in the desert, so he no longer had to face that u uncomfortable choice. Another part of him whispered that he forgot more out of convenience, so that he didn’t have to think about his lover still working for, or potentially sleeping with, the enemy.
What he wanted then, was a drink, but he maintained composure until the conversation with the Ventrue was done, and he and Sayuri had left their table. Part of him wanted to seek out Charles, if only to touch base. But honestly? Honestly, he was likely to seek out one of the wait staff to get a drink. In the state he was in, it was likely a bad idea, so he’d need to try and steel his resolve. Instead, he opted to focus on memorizing the information he’d been given, and not focus on the bothersome things of the evening so far.
What else would the evening bring, before they left Elysium? He didn’t know. But he had to stay focused. He could break down later, if he had to.