Fri Feb 15 01:30:37 109 PA - Possible Socio-Cultural Breakthrough for a Friend

From Chronicles

Fri Feb 15 01:30:37 109 PA.

KINGSDALE CITY MUSUEM (GARDEN)

Gabriel has made his way from Uncommon Mechanics, all the way into the city proper then deep through the museum, its gallery, its library and into its eternally beautiful gardens. His full-aura costume never broke, and even in this place of peace, he continues to wear it as he sits on one of the uncomfortable benches near the waterfall. The lunchbox lies at his feet, pushed off arbitrarily to one side and slightly beneath. He looks tired.

"Guess yer gettin sicka coffee now?" Bella smirks 's they pass mosta the places. Ones they goto most times. least they passed up alla books too. "So. What's up? Guessin yer all worried 'n stuff. Since yer still playin dressup."

Gabriel, or whatever it is that he's calling himself, nods wearily. "Yes. Coffee is a luxury that I can't afford right now. Just some water, maybe some fruit juice. One of these days I might go back for the expensive sweet stuff." He doesn't look up to meet Bella's eyes, just remaining weary and resting. "I'm not worried. That's the wrong term. I'm just being careful. When people know that you're messing with them, it's a good idea to make it hard for them to find you." His eyes finally turn to meet hers as he adds, "Which is why my current home remains part of my own private life."

Bella plops her butt onna bench too. "Yeah. Said ya were broke 'fore. Guess ya was doin too much shoppin. 'N know bout ya bein careful. So. What's up now?" She gets more curious. "Somethin get all facked up 'gain?"

"No, no. Things are actually pretty good. Other than being quite nearly homeless and scrounging for food, things are looking up." He finally offers a smile - a genuine one, with twinkling eyes - "Such is the life of the good guy." Wink. "I'm hoping that you can hope me fill in some details about the club, though." Gabriel moves his knee a little as if to get a kink out.

"Ah. Ok." Bella goes back ta smirkin. "Just fishin fer info. Whatcha wanna know now? Figgered ya checked ev'rythin out lots already."

"Indeed I have. I'll show you a good time when I'm not being sought after with tooth and nail," Gabriel promises. Then he takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Please tell me about the basement."

That gets her more curious. "Good time? That'd be fun. Maybe." Then she's shruggin. "What 'bout it? It'sa basement. Was fer wine 'r somethin I think."

Gabriel gives Bella a harder look, quickly becoming completely Gabriel now. "Bullshit," he states flatly. "You tell me I can trust you, put my faith in you, put my neck on the line, send something my direction. Tell me about the basement. Please."

Bella pops a brow 'gain. "What? S'what it was fer. Least looked like it. Course now she's gotta li'l fixer shop goin. Fer puttin straws in I betcha." She shrugs. "Why's't so special? Ain't thinkin she's sleepin there if that's whatcha think. Be pretty fackin stupid ya ask me. Maybe her people. But not her."

"The tapped girls sleep down there? Any security?" Gabriel raises both eyebrows. "What exactly is down there? You've seen it. If it would be stupid to sleep in the basement, and yet she never seems to leave the club, where does she sleep?"

"Dunno." Bella smirks. "But her leavin 'n nobody seein ain't hard. I do that alla time. Go in places 'n nobody knows too. Ya oughtta know that."

Gabriel continues to be direct. "How? She have some little tube the size of a straw running for ten miles, a hundred feet underground to a lair? How does she get in and out when she's there when the doors open, and there when the doors close?" He points at Bella. "What would *you* do, if you were her?"

Bella reaches up to point her pointy finger ta his pointy finger. "Easy. Don't gotta be all connected. S'what the air's fer. Don't gotta walk outta the place. Li'l crack. Li'l vent. Ain't nothin built all locked up tight. Squeak out. Go over ta some totally diff'rent place ta sleep. Can be anythin. Long's it's dark. All kinda places inna Dregs. With ev'rythin all busted up."

"The club opens and closes dangerously close to sunup and sundown. Are you sure she wouldn't live there?" Gabriel asks, "How many vampire guards does she have with her? Again, do the tapped girls sleep in the basement?"

"Dunno." Bella shrugs. "Ain't thinkin'a girls sleep there. Never saw none down there. Course didn't see nobody sleepin' there. 'N only was there one time. 'N just cause the place's open early 'n late don't mean she's there alla time. She's gotta go eat too. Ain't never seen Donna there first thing. not 'til later. When mosta the folks're done 'n headin out."

Gabriel arches a brow again. "She only shows up at closing? Both times I was there she seemed to be happy to be out and about, out in the open and seen during its busiest hours."

Bella shakes her head. "Not closin. Just later. Like 'round midnight." Then she's eyein him. "Why ya askin me bout alla this anyways? Since ya weren't gonna do nothin with me 'til it's all over. 'R did ya give that up?" Now she's smirkin too.

"I'm not. But if you can give me information, that's helpful, and I’ll give you a cut of my reward if it pans out. Fair enough?" Gabriel stops and allows time for contemplation. "Now. The basement. You've been there, with good eyes. Please described it to me, in as much detail as you can manage." You paged Ninsun with 'I'm sorry to bother you again. When Gabe took his shot at the club to determine sdc/MDC, the scale dimensions on the map made it about 200 ft by 100 ft. Is it really like a warehouse strip club? Makes a difference, perhaps I read the scale wrong.'

"Already did." Bella thinks some of the green stuff growin looks more interestin. Cause she looks that way. "Why don'tcha ask Seb huh? He's been there too ya know."

"I know," Gabriel says. "That's why I know that you must have seen more. Now, either you just don't want to say, or you're holding out on me for some reason. Which is it?"

Bella shrugs. But least she looks back at 'im. "Ain't they both the same? Ya just said ya didn't want me 'round. not fer this. But ya want shit I know. Make up yer mind. Ain't gimme no reason ta tell ya shit." Smirk gets bigger. "A cut? I got creds. Maybe more 'n I'm gonna need. Sides. I ain't thinkin yer comin back. 'Cept in pieces. Ain't no cut that way."

Gabriel sighs. "I said I didn't want you around because you were in danger. If you could come and fight, I'd love it, but you can't unless sunscreen has really gotten better at doing its job." He offers another shake of his head. "There's absolutely nothing to lose by telling me what you know, Bella. I come out, you get credits. I don't come out, nothing's changed. What do you want? I'm offering friendship. I'm offering credits. I already offer protection from folks who want to kill you." There's a pause, and he lowers his voice. "What the fuck do you want, Bella? If you're just going to jerk me off with the best information being 'you might get killed' I won't bother coming to you for answers anymore."

"Maybe ya oughtta just stop tryin'a protect me. Ain't yer fackin kid." Bella thinks she's said that a coupla times. "'N never said was keepin nothin from ya. Was there talkin. Not peekin't ev'rythin. 'R takin pictures. 'R 'Memberin every li'l thing. Nothin like that. But course ya figger I'm bullshittin ya. That parta yer friendship too? Don't trust ya. But need whatcha got so we're best buddies." She snorts. "Had lotsa friends like that 'fore. Don't need no more."

The older man sighs, genuinely sad at the situation. "Bella, I don't think you're my kid, or anyone's kid. I try to protect everybody. Not trying to screw you over, either. I'm asking, you were in the basement and all you've been able to say is that it's for wine. Everybody keeps wine in their basement, if it's a bar. I don't know, I guess if that's it, that's it. I can't make you trust me." Gabriel looks at Bella, waiting.

Bella blinks. "Uh. Told ya they gotta li'l fixer setup goin. Bed. Med gizmos. Stuff like that. Only big thing I seen." Now she's eyein him 'gain. "'N what I want is humans stoppin their thinkin they're better 'n me just cause they're breathin. If it ain't wantin me dead it's wantin me ta go hide so I don't get dead. 'R wanna try out some new bullshit on me seein if it's gonna hurt some other vampires. Sides." She smirks. "Seein's how's pretty much ev'rybody else't ya protected ain't here no more's got me thinkin I'm way better if ya don't. Who ya gonna save me from anyways? Seb? He's a fackin idiot. Had 'im in my pocket 'fore he even knew what I am. Jax's a fackin idiot. Li'l girl witha bear? Ain't scareda 'em. Who's left? You?"

"Then I'll just stay out of your way," Gabriel says. "Fair enough if that's what you want. Never meant insult or harm, if I did, I apologize," he says, dipping his head politely and in a very old-fashioned manner that he simply can't help. "So, the guard vampires stay there, right? Three, four? Stashed in the basement?"

"Weren't none there when I was there." Bella shrugs. "Less one came in with us. Course if any're sleepin there I ain't gonna never see 'em. Cause it'd be daytime." This time she eyes 'im like she oughtta be addin him to that list with Jax 'n Seb. "Could be sleepin anywheres too. Cause she gets in trouble she can call 'em. Alla 'em. Fer like millions a miles 'round. Four?" A shrug. "Betcha more like four hundred."

Gabriel nods his head. "Yes. But has she ever done that? I don't think so." He straightens up and becomes more authoritative. "I don't think there's ever been more than three with her at any given time. I think that the seven others that showed up with her have been cast away to the 'Dregs by other forces, and they may not have much further interest in supporting her. During the day, it shouldn't matter anyway." Perhaps he's done at least a little homework and doesn't deserve to be lumped in with idiots. "I think that she sees herself as some kind of priestess, at though she may have the ability to call from thousands of miles away, if she's dead or if they can't get to her, it won't matter. Particularly if they have no original allegiance to her." He taps at his lunchbox for some reason. "I think that there's a large dormitory in the basement where the tapped girls stay. I think there are four morgue-like living spaces and it only makes sense that with three guards, the fourth is for her. I think that she keeps eleven armed and armored zombies down there because she's afraid that someone might try to hit her when she's vulnerable, but she's too full of herself to sleep somewhere safe and sensible. I think she either has to come out of her hole to fight, or she dies where she sleeps." He closes his soliloquy with, "I'm not saying I have all the answers. I'm just saying that I'm not a moron."

Bella's brows pop up. Eyes get bigger too. Then she's grinnin. "Guess ya ain't. 'N yer right. Bet she's all uppity 'n fulla herself. So maybe she's thinkin ain't nobody can touch her. Guess she's just askin fer somebody ta show 'er she's wrong."

Gabriel smiles pleasantly and looks as if he were to playfully poke his friend, but pulls back and doesn't. "See, I've been busy! Just being busy very quietly. I've even made some, ah... very good friends who are supplying seven foot soldiers to back up us... ah... experienced soldiers?" He shrugs a bit, not entirely sure how to express it without sounding pompous. "I'm sorry that you can't come along, but I think you'd be sleepy. I'll still cut you in for credits, if you want."

"Nah." Bella waves it 'way. "Told ya ain't credits I'm lookin fer. Guess maybe I oughtta get busy. Ain't been doin mucha nothin. Been borin."

Gabriel allows a small, contented sigh. "This is also why I'm walking around as Marek. Kingsdale's a very, very small place, really. Plus, people are always suspicious -" Bella receives obviously overdone wide-eyes. "So, Gabriel needed to disappear until it happens, just in case Donna decided that someone knew enough that ever her air of superiority became a little rocky. I thought about Lance, but he doesn't exactly fit in," he allows with a chuckle.

Bella smirks. "Gonna be hard fer me ta 'member alla these names. Dunno how ya keep comin up with 'em. Stayin atta new place. New face 'n shit. How ya keep tracka that?"

He whirls a finger around his head in the international, temporally-understood symbol for, "I'm loony." Gabriel does offer a grin. "I'm not meant to be on the front lines fighting people, like Bart or Sebastien. I fight sneaky and I don't fight fair. Ever. Best way to do that is to get the information, and getting the information often means being different people for people who need a different person. It's just acting. You keep your essence aware enough to do what needs to be done, but - in this case Marek - stays out front." A few pokes and tugs with his fingers address his head and hair. "Putty, paint, dye... it's amusing what you learn in my business. A business of professional men and women who do this. In fact?" He snaps his fingers. "I bet that I could open a beauty salon and apply women' makeup and hairdos to them better than three-quarters of the people who live here." That last sentence rather falls away into laughter, being not quite clear at the end. "Marek is by father's name."

"Cute." Bella laughs a li'l. "Maybe oughtta try that. have ya do me up all fancy." A wink. Then she hops up to 'er feet. "Damn. Ya gotta be sneakier 'n yer thinkin. Said we're goin fer coffee. Now I'm thinkin I wanna get some." She smirks. "Guess ya got me all thirsty."

Gabriel chuckles and rises, forming back into Marek as he does so, but with a little gesture to all of the gloriousness of the fountain. "A little too close to a lot of running water?" He lifts his large industrial lunchbox, and offers, "Lead on, madam."