In some ways, Hiroshi missed his penthouse suite in Las Vegas. Here, however, things were much more peaceful, and he didn’t have the stress of trying to maintain the status quo while simultaneously fighting off invaders. Here, he could once again meditate, and practice – something he’d been missing. In life, he’d been a samurai, raised by other samurai, though it was nearing the end of an era. He still valued the skills he’d learned so long ago.
When the era of the samurai died, he’d gone on to study in foreign lands, and it was there he’d met the man who would embrace him. A Frenchman, by name of Antoine Chastain, was a politician in the area who was observing the new foreigners, and took an active interest in Hiroshi, although to this day he didn’t understand why.
He’d been made into a ghoul and blood bound before he learned what was going on, but by then it was too late to do anything. He was touted around like a prize, and gradually taught the intricacies of Western politics, though some differed not much from what he’d been used to. From there he’d applied what skills he knew to better himself, eventually surpassing Chastain’s status and making his way further West, ultimately becoming Prince of Las Vegas.
He sighed, shaking his head out of its reverie. While he was grateful for the calmer schedule, he found that he had more free time to fill. After arrival, he’d spent time searching for a home of his liking, and laying it out in the Asian fusion style he preferred. The basement was a dedicated dojo, and he had a room devoted to artifacts from his breathing days displayed in cases, such as his armor and daisho.
Presently he was down to one ghoul, having established no one else in the city, and he’d only brought Marisa, his housekeeper, with him. He’d had no interest in getting any others as of yet, and had ventured out little, save to feed. His limitation used to be a difficult one to procure, but was now abundant, and he counted himself lucky in that regard.
Now that I’ve settled and have things the way I like, I really should socialize – get involved more in general he thought. But how? he shook his head. He knew only one other Kindred in town, the one who;d convinced him to move out this way. He assumed, however, that as he was in charge, he was a busy man, and thought perhaps it were better to contact his Sheriff and clan mate. Retrieving his phone, he scrolled through his contacts until he found her name. Pressing the call button, he waited to see if she would answer.
“Hello?”
“Is this Petra?”
“Yes. Who is this?”
“Hiroshi.”
“Did you need help with anything?”
“Nothing important. I simply wished to ask if you knew of anyway I could become more integrated into the community.”
“If you’re looking to invest in local businesses, that might be difficult – Brandon owns most of them, I believe.”
“I’ll get to that in time. I still have outside interest, after all. No, I was hoping to become more familiar with the others.”
“I see.” she paused for a minute, then spoke again. “Do you play poker?”
He smiled. “My dear, I do hail from the gambling capital. I could hardly have called myself a proper Prince of Vegas if I didn’t know some of the games, now could I?”
She laughed. “I suppose not. Well, believe it or not, there is a regular poker night that we have. Different people host, and the majority of the time everyone is in the know, so we can be ourselves. The rare time we can’t, it’s only one individual. Thankfully, he’s usually working.”
“Sounds opportunistic. Shall I consider this an invitation then?”
“Of course. This week it’s being held at my ghoul’s residence. I’ll relay the address.” she waited for him to be prepared to write it down, then gave the address, the name of her ghoul, and the night of the game.
“I’ll do my best to be there.”
“I’ll let others know to expect you.”
They conceded the formalities at that point and said their goodbyes. A part of him felt relieved – such a simple thing could get him well enough connected that he shouldn’t need worry – neither for contacts, or potential friendships. He looked forward to it.