[Tenebrae16][Bad Wolf]

[Bad Wolf]

Reza gave Nathan a small smile in return. "No, you don't," he assured him. "I'll be with you no matter what." He squeezed Nathan's hand lightly, silently promising him that everything would be fine. Reza wasn't going to let anything happen to him. He couldn't. If he lost Nathan, he didn't know what he'd do. He'd never felt this way about another person before, and he didn't want to feel this toward anyone else. He only wanted Nathan.

"We should get going," he said, moving to prepare himself for leaving. He had to make sure he had some weapons with him, though he knew he couldn't bring them into the building where Elysium was taking place. That was considered a breach of etiquette, and he knew the Camarilla wouldn't appreciate an Assamite going armed to one of their "peaceful" meetings.

[Tenebrae16]

He smiled and leaned into plant a small kiss on Reza's forehead, "I know." He murmured, giving a final squeeze before letting go and letting Reza get ready. He trusted the man, he could say with his life since he already had. Who knows how many times he would have plain gotten himself killed by a vampire if Reza wasnt there. Eventually it had to happen, but at least he had a while longer as a human and it wasnt a permanent death. He could just continue to almost get himself killed while Reza was there he thought jokingly as he gazed fondly at his lover. His eyes flickered to the window showing the dark night and he stood up, waiting for Reza. He had left his gun at home, though he felt much safer with it on him, it wouldnt do any good against a whole bunch of vampires and he didnt plan to have a reason to use it at all tonight.

[Bad Wolf]

Once Reza was fully prepared to leave, he strapped on his scimitar and headed for the door with Nathan. It would be a long walk to Elysium, so they were going to take a taxi there. Besides, being out in the open could easily invite trouble. Reza didn't know if the Bishop had people out looking for Nathan.

Getting a taxi was easy enough, and shortly afterward they were on their way to Elysium. It was taking place in the basement of an old theater that wasn't used anymore. Sad how the arts were on the verge of dying out nowadays. At least there was still one active theater left in the city, but even that one's ticket sales had been steadily on the decline. He'd heard some other vampires lamenting over that fact.

"I can't go in there armed," he told Nathan as they neared their destination. "I'll have to stash my things around the corner. I have a good place to do so, so don't worry about them getting stolen."

[Tenebrae16]

He stared out of the window of the taxi, unable to help but think about how his patrol route usually would take him along this street and around a corner. It felt sort of weird not going for his job at a time like this or talking to his partner over the radio. Instead he was in a taxi on the way to a vampiric meeting that could possibly go very very wrong, still not the strangest most scariest thing that had happened to him, at least he hoped not.

He found it rather ironic that the Elysium was taking place in an abandoned theatre, it was classy and seemed to just fit in. He always did like going to places with history, that side of him was most likely from his mother who loved old things. The place looked far from old though, definetely not being completely neglected once the ticket sales dwindled into nothing.

"Hopefully they wont be needed tonight." He said softly, glancing at the door that separated them from the Elysium. He took a breath that really wasnt needed, but it calmed him down all the same. Cool calm and collected, he could be that with what he dealt with as a cop.

[Bad Wolf]

"I really hope not," Reza agreed. He slid out of the taxi once it came to a stop, moving with his usual grace. He waited until Nathan was out of the taxi as well, then walked off to stash his weapons. There was a clever little spot behind a dumpster that he'd found, and once he was weapon-free he went over to the backdoor to the theater with Nathan.

There was a guard at the door, of course. A burly man in a sleeveless shirt, dirty jeans, and combat boots. He looked like he meant business, and Reza did the talking for Nathan.

"Hello," he greeted the guard. "We're here for Elysium."

The burly man looked at Reza suspiciously. Not Nathan, though. Nathan he didn't even spare a second glance. "I don't trust you, Assamite," he said, to which Reza just shrugged and offered for the man to search him for weapons if he wished. The man didn't, though. The offer actually seemed to do the trick on its own. "Go on in. I was told that I needed to let your Arab ass in here, anyway."

"Glad to hear it," Reza returned, unbothered by the insult. He went in, trusting that Nathan would follow him. Just because Nathan didn't look like an Assamite, the guard just let him on in. This was actually going a little easier than Reza had hoped.

Inside the theater, there were vampires all over the place. Groups of them were chatting casually, standing about the theater lobby while they waited for Elysium to begin. A decent number of them had already made their way to their seats, and sections of the theater were divided among clan lines. A sign bearing the symbol representing each clan rested in front of the various seating sections, though Reza went and sat down in an unmarked section. He motioned for Nathan to take the seat beside him, as if Nathan needed that particular direction.

"Those symbols represent the Camarilla clans," he explained to Nathan, indicating the signs. "The wolf head represents the Gangrel clan. They're a wild bunch. Literally." One of the Gangrel present was a good example of that. She had real cat ears sticking out of the top of her head, and her face was covered in fur. "The broken mirror is for the Malkavians. Be careful around them. Each one has some manner of mental illness. It's in their clan's blood. The rose is for the Toreador. Social climbers, artists, etc. They're a civilized bunch, though they are a bit stuck-up at times. Many times."

He glanced around the room, trying to get an idea of how much time they had before the meeting began. Figuring that they still had time, he continued, "The scepter is for the Ventrue. They're basically the closest things vampires have to nobility, though there really isn't much that is noble about them. They just like to occupy high places, like political positions. And most of them are filthy rich with a vast array of contacts and people who occupy the insides of their pockets. Let's see... That mask-looking thing is the Nosferatu's symbol. You know them when you see them. They're the ugly ones. Something happens to them when they're Embraced that turns them into monsters. I recommend being nice to them. They're very good at gathering information. I try to be their friend as much as possible."

It was right after he said that when a Nosferatu looked his way from the clan's section. His face was very much like that of a rat, and he waved at Reza, who gave a little wave back. "That's Rat," Reza told Nathan. "I'd consider him a friend. Anyway, moving right along..." He looked over at the final two sections. "That mark with the upside-down A in it is the Brujah sign. The guard at the door was a Brujah. They've got much brawn, but seldom have much in the way of brain. Still, I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of one when they're mad. And they do get mad." He gave a little shiver at that, then finished, "That last section with that square-ish thing is the Tremere section. Assamites and Tremere don't get along. They're warlocks. I do mean that in the magical sense. They cast spells, some of which can be very long-lasting and devastating to an entire clan..." He was referring to his own clan, there.

[Tenebrae16]

The guard may have looked burly and big, but the days of being scared by bullies and criminals were over for Nathan long before he had been Embraced. He still knew though that the muscles weren't for show or anything this time and the guard could probably very easily snap his neck. Heck, almost every vampire could snap his neck, but at least he followed Reza's word and stayed calm as he let Reza do the talking. He didnt really feel comfortable without his gun by his side when he was heading into what could be considered dangerous territory, but it must have been worse for Reza without his sword. Nathan couldnt really recall when Reza went for long periods without his scimitar. The last time and ended horribly even if Reza was safe at the end. Ironic, that he was the one worried for Reza when he should be more worried about himself.

He gave another glance towards the guard as he followed Reza in. He looked very much like a bouncer he had arrested for drug abuse and possession. At least he could distract himself with memories of old cop stories while he followed Reza through the crowd. He often did that just so he wouldnt have to focus too much on the crowd, unless he was keeping an eye out for a suspect or was on patrol. He was brought out of his reverie when his gaze idly wandered over to the symbols in each section. They were rather eye catching to anyone that was new to here after all and they did arouse his curiosity. His curiosity was his weak point. At least so far, he hadnt gotten into too much trouble because of it.

Reza seemed to sense his curiosity, he was getting used to someone around him that could literally read his mind. Especially since it was someone he was close to. He could just pretend it was because Reza knew him that well. Listening with interest as Reza explained, his eyes wondered over to each symbol and the vampires sitting in that section. He gave each a quick once over, not wanting to stare. Hard to believe vampires had been hidden from humans from so long with how much they sort of stuck out now in their own way. He chuckled softly, "Every social gathering needs a wild animal, the crazy one and the stuck up snob."

"Don't worry, I'm not one to judge on appearance." He assured Reza as he glanced up at the vampire that waved at Reza. Not the prettiest sight, but an ugly friendly face was better than most things. Things seemed to be going quite good so far though the Elysium still hadnt exactly started yet. So far so good at least. "I seem to recall you saying something about fireballs though that was a long conversation ago." He said softly recalling when he had first met Reza when he started to speak about the Tremere. They didnt sound all that great, but he would think any clan was better than the Lasombra.