Elizabeth had been on her laptop browsing the internet when she noticed an email from Edwinda. At first, she thought it was nothing but the content of the email seemed urgent. Ever since her embrace she had been quite close to her the two vampires. She wanted to know what was going on. Driving towards the mansion as soon as she heard. The others that the two vampires had adopted had been notified via email. The email sent was written as such.



Elizabeth was the first person to arrive at the manor, parking her car in the long driveway of the estate. Getting out of the car she was greeted by Quentin who was the butler for the owners of the house. “Hi, I came as soon as I got the email. Do you know what is going on?” She asked to which the butler nodded. Inviting her inside to the living room, and letting her sit down on the 20th century couch. It reminded her of the furniture that her grandmother had. During her first few years of being “adopted” by the two elders, she would lie on this couch and draw to keep her mind occupied. Noticing Edwina coming down the stairs and towards Elizabeth. Liz quickly got up and walked over to hug her. “Do you know what happened? What’s the emergency?” She noticed Edwina smiling softly but had a look distorted.

“Well I would like to tell the news to the other childe, but I should let you know what is going on.” She looked like she was going to cry something Elizabeth could sense. “Someone had kidnapped Ludwig. We do not know who did it yet, but we have some clue that could lead us to the perpetrator.” Edwina looked sadly at her feet. “I am just worried someone had murdered him, or worse diablerie him.” Elizabeth hugged Edwina tightly. She was close with Ludwig and Edwina who treated Elizabeth as a daughter.

Elizabeth asked Edwina what kind of clue they had found. “What kind of clue did you find?” Moving away from Edwina from the rather intense hug.

“Ludwig was coming back towards the manor while attending some business when he was abducted from his car. The only clue we have is a matchbook that the perpetrator dropped.” Edwina handed Elizabeth a small matchbook for a local club called “SHEOL.”

Elizabeth thought the club name was a bit tacky sounding, she was not a club owner so she couldn’t judge the name. But she and the other childe would have to investigate this club. She hoped this minor clue would lead to finding the kidnappers.

---

Ian watched as the television showed the boxer in the red corner scoring a victory against his opponent with a knockout, just as he predicted. There were lots of factors that went into boxing, of course, that a 'prediction' would never be 100% accurate, but as someone who was involved in boxing when it was still in its infancy, Ian had developed a good sense for these things. Of course, he never competed officially, and his 'fights' weren't exactly the highlight of his life, but he enjoyed the sport enough to keep practising it long after his underground fighting ring day, and even to the present day.

He had just put the finishing touches on a speech for some CEO regarding sustainability in business. The client would be holding a gala soon and wanted to tap into the rising climate change awareness to attract some investors by presenting an 'SDG-compliant sustainable Business Model'. It was simple enough, and Ian finished it earlier than he estimated, which was why he ended up watching the tail-end of a boxing match to kill some time until his next appointment.

His next appointment being, an invitation to the Strauss Manor from one of his 'adoptive sire', Edwina Adamson. The pragmatic issue of snubbing his benefactor aside, Ian did feel he was indebted to the two. Having their protection did afford him the freedom to act outside of either the Anarch or the Camarilla...not to mention the utterly ridiculous Sabbat. A freedom that Ian quite appreciated, especially as to how in the modern nights, when many elders had departed for the beckoning, having 10th-generation kindreds as patrons was quite the boon. And so Ian had little complaints about doing the occasional work for the two.

A call from the lobby via the intercom a few minutes later informed Ian that one Alex Boering was here to pick him up. Ales was Ian's ghoul, as the CEO of Ian's startup company, Speechcraft Oratoria, one would think he did not drive his own car, but unlike Ian—whose interest in cars was merely in the realm of pragmatic utility—Alex was a total car enthusiast. Something that was apparent from the customized black Toyota GR Corolla.



The car was something Alex was proud of, though Ian could only nod when he started talking about it. At least, Ian thought, being a car enthusiast came with being a skilled driver, which was why Ian would always have Alex drive for him if he was available. Ian could drive well enough, but nowhere near anyone with actual skill. And one could never be too cautious. If his ghoul's customized car and driving skills gave extra insurance for a kindred, then he would take it.

The drive from Manhattan to the mansion went relatively smoothly. A bit of traffic but nothing too bad. Once he arrived, Alex parked the car, remaining inside on standby while Ian entered the manor.

Quentin, the butler of the manor greeted him.

"Apologies, I'd like to arrive earlier but a bit of traffic from Manhattan," Ian said.

Quentin nodded, as he led him inside.

'Well then,' Ian thought, 'Let's see what this urgent matter Edwina wanted to speak about.'

You see, tonight, it could go either way. Hearts balanced on a razor blade...

A pair of noise cancelling headphones hugged the side of the boy’s head, as Ed Sheeran’s voice played in his ear while the child sang along with all his heart, as if enshrined in his own world. Head bopping to the rhythm, fingers clattered across the brightly lit keyboard.

Legs drawn up into the chair, the boy sat cross-legged before a widescreen monitor, opening, minimizing, and shuffling various Excel spreadsheets around while keying in different formulas. A gaming PC sat on the desk, it’s transparent panel illuminating the inner workings of the machine.

Finally, the child’s brown eyes looked up as his hands paused over the keys. Two fingers keyed ctrl+s before the boy kicked out with one leg to send his chair wheeling across the room to a small refrigerator that was behind him.

Cracking open the chill box, the boy’s fingers perused three blood donation pouches, before deciding on the one labeled AB Positive and then pushing off to wheel himself back over to the computer.

That was enough work on the Ventrue account.

Popping the blood bag into his mouth, the child’s fangs slid down through the plastic as he held and sipped on it like a kid’s juice box, all the while closing Excel and opening a secure email to send the files over to his client.

The mouse cursor then hovered over Steam. He could get in lots of Baldur’s Gate 3 before sunrise...

There was a ding as an email arrived.

The boy hesitated a moment. He’d already launched Steam, did he want to look?

Curiosity got the better of him, and he brought his email back up.

A summons? The frown was fleeting, but a twinge of regret at not being able to play Baldur’s Gate was felt nonetheless.

---

It was fortunate that in the modern nights one need only have an Uber or Lyft account. Much more convenient than the bygone era of trying to hail a cab in the streets of New York. Especially in the small hours.

The boy was dressed in a vintage The Lost Boys graphic tee. Black paint was chipped and fading from his fingernails. His bangs were brushed so that they fell over one side of his face, with the most prominently visible eye displaying an application of guyliner. Finishing the look was a choker that looked as if it were a spiked dog collar around his neck.

The Uber driver caught one look of the kid’s fangs in the rear view mirror and just shook his head, muttering something about Marilyn Manson and posers as they made their way toward the mansion.

The smile that spread across the child’s face was genuine.The popularity of the chain store known as Hot Topic had somehow made possible what would otherwise be a flagrant violation of their oldest Tradition.

Certainly, COVID had been nice. Wearing face masks always helped when one had fangs that they could not hide. But in the absence of masks, playing into what had become a cultural norm made him almost invisible.

Just another goth kid.

Fake goth. Mall goth. Whatever label one chose to apply to it.

Getting out in front of the mansion just cemented the preconceived notion that was in the driver’s head. The kid was just a spoiler white brat stuck in some cosplay fantasy.

In contrast to his informal appearance, the boy bowed graciously to the butler at the door – once upon a time, he’d been the butler doing the door answering for his master – and then proceeded repeat the gesture as he entered to find Ian and Elizabeth already present.

“Buona notte,” the boy offered in his native tongue. Then, looking around the room and the assembled faces, asked, “Mi dica?” which was a simple phrase meaning how can I help?

If Edwina shared the information about the club, Enzo wouldn’t be able to join Ian or Elizabeth there, but it was possible he could make inquiries with the spirits and ghosts in the area to see if they’d seen or heard anything.

@Randomguy @Bounce



Edwina had left the room to greet Ian and Enzo. She embraced both of them in a big hug. “It is so nice to see you again. How have you two been?” Releasing her rather tight grip on the other two vampires. “Your sister Elizabeth is here as well. Although I am not sure if the others are coming.” She looked worried as she led the two into the living room. The blonde vampire stared at the fireplace before noticing the two walking in. “Hello.” Her tone sounded quite cold and distant. Standing up she walked over to give them a half-hearted hug before sitting back on the couch.

After everyone sat down Edwina sat down beside Elizabeth on the couch. “I am glad you are all here, the reason for me summoning you here is to tell you some bad news.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “Your adoptive father has been kidnapped while he was returning from work a few days ago. We do not have many clues but this matchbook is from a club called Sheol. And I wanted to ask you all to help me find him. And I know this is a lot to ask of you, but I just want to see Ludwig again.” Placing her hands over her face hiding her anguish from her “children.”

“Don’t worry mutter (Mother) we will find Ludwig, right?” Elizabeth's icy gaze looked over at the others in the room. The blonde vampire started rubbing Edwina’s shoulder to comfort her. She was sure that the others would agree to help her find Ludwig.

“Thank you, Elizabeth, but I do not want to force all of you to do something that could be very dangerous. But if you are going to investigate his disappearance, your best bet is to visit this Sheol club.” The tall woman stood up and handed Ian the matchbook. She knew that he would take good care of this important item. “I only hope you will be able to find Ludwig while keeping yourself from any serious harm.” Her eyes peered over towards Elizabeth who at times could be quite reckless.

---

Ian had just entered the living room when he noticed the door opening once more. He turned around, only to see Quentin ushering in a fellow member of his 'family'. A boy who almost looked like he was dressed for Halloween as a vampire, or perhaps some avant-garde new fashion that harkened to the gothic style. Of course, that was a privilege afforded only to a vampire whose apparent age was that of a child. Someone like Ian would look out of place were he to try hiding in plain sight like Enzo was. Ian did find it amusing that for his youthful look, in terms of experience in the world of vampires and the rest of the supernatural forces, Enzo was definitely on the more experienced side, having spent almost his entire life as either a ghoul or a vampire.

As Ian was about to greet his fellow latecomer, their 'mother', Edwina pulled the two of them into a hug. Truth be told, despite having been part of this family for a while now, Ian had never fully bought into the idea of this 'family'. Edwina and Ludwig were always kind to him, and Ian had no issue reciprocating and playing—what in his mind was—a charade family. Perhaps it was more his paranoia, having spent 93 years as a Kindred, but Ian had always felt there was something off about their entire idea of altruism. To Ian, Edwina and Ludwig's adoption was less out of pure altruistic reason but more so that they felt they had done something good, fulfilling their desire of having 'a family'.

Ian would be glad to be proven wrong, of course. And regardless of their reason, Edwina and Ludwig had helped Ian and the others a lot, including but not limited to seeing to their safety. Therefore, while Ian might not have fully bought into the idea of a family, he was more than happy to think of them as his trusted allies, a coterie in the truest sense.

“It is so nice to see you again. How have you two been? Your sister Elizabeth is here as well. Although I am not sure if the others are coming," Edwina said once she released Enzo and Ian.

"I'm well, Mother.Thank you," Ian greeted her somewhat jovially. Ian remembered that it was weird calling someone who looked much younger than he was 'mother'. But if that was what Edwina and Ludwig wished, Ian saw no reason not to do so.

He then continued, "Apologies for somewhat arriving late. You mentioned talking about an urgent matter?"

Edwina then ushered everyone to take a seat in the living room as she explained how Ludwig had been kidnapped, with the only clue left being a matchbook from a club named Sheol.

Ian's first thought was that if Ludwig was indeed kidnapped, they were most definitely dealing with someone who spelt trouble. Ludwig was an old Kindred of the 9th generation. In modern nights, after the Beckoning compelled many of the older generations of Kindred to the Middle East, there were not many among Kindred who could have kidnapped a 9th-generation Kindred like Ludwig.

But speaking of the Beckoning...Was it possible that—

“Don’t worry mutter (Mother) we will find Ludwig, right?”

Ian's train of thought was interrupted by Elizabeth, as she looked icily at Ian and Enzo as if daring them to disagree.

Elizabeth...she had always been the one among Ian's 'siblings' who bought into the idea of this 'family' the most, so Ian was not surprised that she was fully committed to finding Ludwig.

Edwina, perhaps trying to smooth things over before Elizabeth inadvertently caused unnecessary conflict, spoke again “Thank you, Elizabeth, but I do not want to force all of you to do something that could be very dangerous. But if you are going to investigate his disappearance, your best bet is to visit this Sheol club. I only hope you will be able to find Ludwig while keeping yourself from any serious harm."

Ian nodded at Elizabeth, "Don't worry, of course we'll help Mother out, won't we, Enzo?"

If nothing else, having Ludwig with this 'family' meant extra safety. While refusing to help would be detrimental to this mutually beneficial arrangement of theirs.

He then turned to Edwina, "Though, if I may ask, Mother...You said that Father was kidnapped, how do we know that? Do we have some evidence that points to that being the case? Just to be safe, he...hadn't exhibited any signs of the 'malady' that had beset many Kindred of your generation, had he?"

The Beckoning was said to affect Kindred of 9th-generation and lower, after all. Ian hoped that wasn't the case, because that would...complicate matters. And the matters were already complicated enough with them possibly dealing with someone that could took on an old 9th-generation Kindred like Ludwig.

Being drawn into a hug was still a new experience for him.

Kindred might joke that Giovanni were all kissing cousins, but affection wasn’t a quality many within the Clan - mortal or otherwise - associated with La Famiglia. Enzo was fairly certain there were a few who’d never hugged anyone that wasn’t a corpse.

Given that outlook, it went without saying that some of their necromancy rituals were obscene.

As a result, the flinch that the boy displayed as Edwina reached to pull him into a hug betrayed an instinctive fear at having a hand outstretched toward him. Potence was one of the Clan Discplines after all. It left an indelible mark upon La Famiglia. And how they interacted with one another.

The boy was tense at first, only relaxing in Edwina’s embrace after a moment in which he had to remind himself that this Family was not Giovanni.

Considering how most Kindred were distrustful of other Clans, it was probably odd that Enzo felt safer around this Family than those of his Blood.

Giovanni were right bastards though. Achieve victory through any means necessary and, in the absence of strength, deception. It was the lesson by which the Giovanni had emerged from out of the Cappodocians, the manner in which Augustus Giovanni had led La Famiglia from the start.

When he’d finally relaxed, the boy hugged Edwina back. “Madre,” he uttered softly.

It was formal, but a Giovanni was never familiar.

He listened to the situation, doing a double take at the revelation that Ludwig could have been taken against his will. Ludwig was a Brujah, like Ian was, but far older.

It would take some next level, very bad shit to force a Kindred like that into something against their will, a fact that Ian seemed to pick up on as he spoke.

The boy’s brown eyes glanced up at Ian, then over to Elizabeth before they finally settled on Edwina again. If they were investigating a mortal club, then Enzo’s child-like appearance was going to cause him to stand out.

Unless one were Ventrue or Toreador, standing out in a crowd was generally something Kindred avoided.

“I can plant suggestions in one or two of the mortal’s minds, but I’m likely to draw attention in a club,” Enzo remarked, his voice displaying something close to a British accent as he swapped to English.

It wasn’t a no, he’d do whatever they asked of him. After all, he could see benefits and consequences either way.

As a Giovanni, Enzo could investigate the Shroud in or around the Club to try and get answers. He could also plant suggestions inside the minds of any mortals that might present an obstacle to them.

...and if things got regrettable, he could move the bodies. Or, rather, get the bodies to move themselves so that it didn’t look like... well, a murder.

At the same time, he wasn’t going to pass for any older than thirteen. That made it very hard to go clubbing in the mortal nightlife of New York. Unless it was a Pokemon Go event.

...or, that was probably dating him now. Did mortals still play Pokemon Go? The older he got, the faster it seemed fads such as that passed.

The possible exception seemed to be Skyrim. When Gehenna came, they probably still wouldn’t have Elder Scrolls VI.

@Randomguy @Bounce



Edwina thought for a moment if Ludwig would have any enemies. The only person she could think of was a kindred named Micheal Quinn. But this person has been dead for twenty years. “Not that I can think of, although I would think someone would want to hold him hostage for a ransom.” Placing her finger on her lip wondering who else would want to kidnap Ludwig. “Mmm I wish I knew who could have kidnapped Ludwig, but I can’t think of anyone now.” Looking sad she couldn’t help them.

“Perhaps we can find some answer at this club.” Elizabeth said while trying to think of possible culprits. Nothing came to mind unless there was something Edwina was not telling them. Squinting her eyes while staring at Edwina, as if she could get the answer telepathically. She was sure a Malvakian would know, but they probably would not get any information out of them. “I think we should get out of here and investigate this club, perhaps we can find some answers there.” The blonde vampire stood up from the couch. Feeling determined to not lose another family member. “Is it okay if we use my car? It'll be less suspicious to use.” She knew that Enzo could not drive even though she offered to teach him multiple times.

Edwina gave all of them a hug not wanting to release her grip on them. She didn’t want to lose them like she did with Ludwig. After saying goodbye to Edwina she walks outside towards her car. A beat up grey 2003 Honda Civic was parked in the driveway of the manor. The only issue would be trying to get Enzo in since he looked quite young. If anything she could lie and say he is her's and Ian's son. With the added excuse that she was visiting the owner to talk to him.

A buzz on his phone was the only indication to Steele that anything was amiss, that being said his phone buzzed a lot. The would-be rockstar had his fair share of apps with notifications set up and rather than turn some of the off, he opted to ignore them all and tonight was no exception. Tonight he was in the zone, tuning his guitar backstage despite the interference from the bass-heavy music being blared in the repurposed cathedral slash church. The irony wasn't lost on the Cainite but it was hardly at the fore-front of his thoughts tonight. As he continued to tentatively pluck guitar strings the familiar face of Magnum, the band's drummer, popped into view.

"DJ's wrapping up. You ready hot stuff?" Magnum asked in a frayed but excited tone.

"Like a teen on prom night." Steele replied, slinging his guitar and following Magnum to the third and final member of their crew, Farce, who seemed equally riled. Steele was nervous too, not as much as the others but he still had the same pit in stomach he'd had for the past couple of decades. Lately it was getting harder to tell how much of that feeling was genuine (if any amount) and how much of it was a facsimile conjured up by the part of him that once was human. Regardless, Steeled slipped on his sunglasses and pasted a smile on his face. Maybe it was fake but it still felt good to fake it.

---

After playing their set to a mostly positive crowd, the trio parted ways. Magnum had her own club to wrangle and Farce had an opening shift at the Apple store he manned. With some light ribbing and pleasantries exchanged, Steele was left alone at the club as he scanned the crowd. He was in the mood for a light snack if he could sneak it but even he had second thoughts about doing so in a place that once was a house of a higher power. Instead he went to check his phone, reading his summons much too late to act on it.

---

“I can plant suggestions in one or two of the mortal’s minds, but I’m likely to draw attention in a club,” Enzo remarked.

True enough. Ian and Enzo would look completely out of place in a club. Enzo was too young while Ian, on the opposite side of the spectrum, looked too old to be partying in a club, and potentially drew unwanted attention. Elizabeth could pull it off though, but considering they're dealing with someone who could potentially take Ludwig down, sending Elizabeth alone seemed unwise.

What to do...Ian thought. As he was thinking of possible solutions to their issues, the name of the club, Sheol, somehow sounded familiar in his thought. It was then he realized. Ah, yes. That was the club Steele was performing at tonight, wasn't he? Ian remembered the Caitiff mentioning it in passing. Well, that was a fortunate bit of luck.

"If I remember correctly, it so happens that Steele is performing at that very club tonight," Ian said, before turning to Elizabeth, "Enzo and I will look too out of place in a club, worst case scenario, we might even tip our potential kidnapper. So I propose that Enzo and I investigate the club from outside while you rendezvous with Steele and see what you can find inside."

Ian then took out his phone, about to contact Steele. Contacting Steele was one thing Ian was glad he didn't use burner phones like Ian, that meant contacting him was simple. No need to keep track of what number he was currently using. Still, Ian would have preferred if everyone used burner phones. He didn't agree with the Camarilla on some things, but Masquerade being paramount was something he agreed on, and unless one was sufficiently adept at modern technology, using phones—smartphones especially—was too big of a risk.

Ian scrolled to Steele's contact before sending a message. Now then...how to write it in an inconspicuous way, just in case. After a bit, Ian nodded and started typing



With the message sent, they talked some more about their plans.

“Is it okay if we use my car? It'll be less suspicious to use.” Elizabeth suggested.

Ian replies, Hmm..do you think Alex's Toyota would be too conspicuous? I was hoping we could have two cars just in case. Considering the circumstances, I'd like it if we have as many alternate ways to quickly escape as possible. And Alex is a good driver."

The Italian boy just watched the room as the adults chatted.

"Enzo and I will look too out of place in a club,” Ian remarked. Not an inaccurate assessment to say the least. Internally, the boy felt a bit of relief at the idea of not being dragged along to the club.

“So I propose that Enzo and I investigate the club from outside,”

Large, brown eyes just blinked. They were doing what now? The former ghoul tried to maintain his composure as he gave a slight bow toward the older man. “Bene, grazie,” the boy offered. Purely perfunctory. As one might respond to receiving a task from one of the nonni.

Internally, he was screaming.

Enzo didn’t even go hunting on the streets. These oversized bloodsuckers wanted him to play Watson to Ian’s Holmes? Subconsciously, the boy’s hands grabbed the hem of his t-shirt, fidgeting and fiddling with the fabric in his hands as he tried to process the anxiety.

He was just the book keeper. A Giovanni of the main family, not some La Putanesca from Sicily. Such hitting the streets was not really his strong suit.

What if they came across the Sabbat? What was Enzo supposed to do? Haunt them?

Still, putting on a brave face, the boy looked up at Ian and said, “Andiamo?”

In Venice, they would have had people for this sort of thing.

Unfortunately, right now, they were the people.

@Randomguy @Bounce @rocketrobie2



Elizabeth thought it would be a good idea for them to split up since Enzo could not be inside the club. Perhaps they could find different clues that could lead to Ludwig’s whereabouts. She and Steele could meet at the club and look inside, while Ian and Enzo could investigate the outside of the club. “It doesn’t matter what car we use, I don’t think we’ve broken the masquerade. So i think we don’t need to change cars.” Her eyes look over at Enzo and Ian wondering if they had done something they shouldn’t have. “We need to go, be safe mutter.” Elizabeth moved over to hug Edwina. The two of them were quite close and assumed she was the favourite of the “siblings.”

Edwina then hugged both Enzo and Ian. “Stai al sicuro, figlio mio. Ti amo moltissimo.” She said to Enzo hugging him quite tightly. “Be safe Ian.” She said with a sad smile before she released her grip on both of them. “Oh and say hello to Steele for me.” And with all of their goodbyes, the group left towards Sheol.

The group drove together in the same car. Elizabeth was looking out of the window while Ian was driving all of them to the club. Her mind seemed to be more focused on if they would be able to find Ludwig. She didn’t seem to focus on making small talk with the other two vampires. Although if they did want to make small talk with her she would do so.

At the club, Elizabeth told the others to search high and low for any clues “If you find anything shoot me a text or a photo of what you found. I’m going to go in to find Steele. Hopefully, he’s finished with his thing.” Walked into the club trying to find Steele. Ignoring the shitty nu-metal song that was now playing. Shoving her way through the crowd until she found Steele. “Hi did you get that email from Edwina?” She assumed he did but perhaps he was too busy to care about their “parents.” “We need to investigate this place for any clues of Ludwig’s whereabouts. And you're gonna help me.” Elizabeth expected Steele would try to argue with her. If he wanted to argue she was ready to scream over the music to get her point across.

---

Ian noticed Enzo's somewhat discomfort when he suggested the two of them investigate outside. It was not as if Ian did not get his sentiment. Certainly, there were risks involved. He himself had thought that, considering that whoever was responsible had possibly taken down Ludwig. Still, there really weren't many choices in the matter. Whether they liked it or not, all of them were very much tied with Edwina and Ludwig, and so it really was in their best interest to at least try finding out what had happened so they would not be caught off guard in the worst-case scenario.

Had this been Steele or Elizabeth, Ian might have entertained having some words to address their concern, but Enzo was the sort to keep to himself, furthermore he had always been the more professional sort, so it would probably be more conducive to let him be and take the 'wait and see' approach for now.

The group arrived in Sheol with little fanfare. As Elizabeth started heading inside, Ian turned to Alex, who was sitting in the driver's seat.

"Do not turn off the engine. Be ready to make a quick getaway just in case," Ian said to his ghoul. Alex nodded, before giving Ian a two-finger salute "Got it, boss. Good luck with...well, whatever your business is," he then turned to Enzo, "You too 'course."

Ian gave him a nod before turning to Enzo, "Well, then, any suggestion? You are the one with access to more...esoteric arts, do you have anything useful that might identify any supernatural activity around here? Kindred or otherwise."

The timing had been just right. Steele was debating whether or not to head over and be fashionably late or take his absence in stride when Elizabeth did the striding. She didn't look all to pleased but given the situation he could see where she was coming from.

"Always my pleasure Lizzy." Steele sad with a mock bow. He wasn't one for this serious of a circumstance. He was fine being sequestered into his own little piece of the supernatural night-life and doing his own thing but he wasn't one to forget good deeds. He'd needed a helping hand and now the man who had extended it was missing. Tardiness or not if what he was piecing together was true, he was willing to overlap his little slice of the night with his siblings.

"Email just said there was something urgent going on and I'll have you know I didn't blow off the family reunion, just couldn't justify checking my phone in the middle of a show. So what's up with Ludwig? Taken? On the run? I haven't seen him around tonight but I'm more than happy to help with some snooping."

He had a very bad feeling about this.

Of course, Enzo was a vampire. He had bad feelings about pretty much everything. The Camarilla-Sabbat War. The fabled coming of Gehenna. A whole family of undead Italian grandmothers. Not to mention tax filing season.

“...do you have anything useful that might identify any supernatural activity around here? Kindred or otherwise."

The boy turned his head, taking his eyes off the street as he looked up at Ian. “I’m better with corpses than I am with spirits,” the necromancer admitted, before turning his gaze back to the streets and alleys before them.

Closing his eyes, the child was quiet for a moment as he listened. Not to the traffic passing behind them. Not to the people mulling about. “It’s what you’d expect,” the boy offered finally, as he opened his eyes and looked back up at the Brujah. “Lots of lingering regret.”

Glancing off to an alleyway between the club and an adjacent building, he remarked, “An overdose in that alley.” Turning to indicate the street, he added, “Someone killed in the crosswalk.”

But that was it. Which, was neither good nor bad. Lots of Kindred activity never reached the Shadowlands. “The ghosts don’t seem particularly concerned about anything here. It feels like an ordinary street,” Enzo remarked, as a hand came up toward his neck. His fingers played with a locket that he wore, as if by nervous habit.

“Vieni qui, Bruno,” the boy uttered softly. It was possible that Ian would feel the haunting presence as the necromancer called upon the spirit haunting the antique piece.

“I’ll send my ghost around to the other side of the club to see if there’s anything there,” Enzo offered.

Then the boy turned, as if engaged in another conversation with something unseen, and said, “I’ll help you look at ancestry-dot-com later. E lo faro, lo prometto.”

@Randomguy @Bounce @rocketrobie2



“He’s been kidnapped he didn’t run anywhere.” Elizabeth frowned feeling like she couldn’t hear her thoughts. “Let’s go talk to the bartender to see if he knows anything.” Having to scream so Steele could hear her. Once he agreed to join her she elbowed her way through the dense crowd. Getting some glares and looks from the people she was elbowing. Finally getting to the bar she waved and yelled for the bartender to come over. A short fat man soon came waddling towards them holding a bar mug.

“Yeah, what do you wanna drink?” He asked while cleaning the mug he had in his hand with a rag.

“We’re looking for a man named Ludwig Strauss, he may have been at this bar a few days ago. He went missing a few days ago, and we’re looking for him. Or have you seen any suspicious people in the last few days?” She then started describing what Ludwig looked like. All of the information she was giving to the bartender didn’t seem to phase him.

“I don’t know anyone named Ludwig coming by the bar here. So I don’t know how I can help ya find him. Now if ya excuse me I’m a little busy with my customers. Nor have I seen any suspicious people around, there’s a lot of weirdos here.” The bartender left to serve some drunk humans. Meanwhile, Elizabeth looked livid and was very close to jumping over the bar. Of course, if Steele was quick enough she wouldn’t even start climbing the bar.

“Fuck.” She looked around the room after composing herself. “Let’s go talk to the local alkies around here and see if they know anything.” She started talking to anyone that she assumed was an alcoholic. The few she was talking to she had tried to put the charm on them. From what she did learn there was a small group of people. They seemed to mention this group looking very pale and wouldn’t have any drinks. One of the drunks mentioned one person in the group talked about moving the package to a safe location. This caught her interest but when she pressed for more info the drunk started rambling. She hoped that Steele would find some good clues.

==========================================

Meanwhile, Ian and Enzo were walking investigating the club. As Enzo closed his eyes he could hear the faint whisper of ghosts and those who had lived in this area in the past. Most of them are hobos and vagabonds. Nothing that would be useful for their investigation.

But the ghost that Enzo was communicating would be able to see more than what the group could. “You better keep your promise or I’ll be in a world of hurt…” The ghost seemed to frown hoping that Enzo would be able to keep his end of the bargain.

This particular ghost has been working for the Skeletal Legion for a couple of years now. He wanted to know more about his family and his ancestors. So he had been working with Enzo who promised to help him.

The ghost looked around the area asking the other spirits if they had seen anything. It took half an hour perhaps a little longer. Returning a few moments later. “From what I could find a group of guys were talking about where to find Ludwig and where they would be holding him. They might be holding him in a house in the Lower East Side. Now you gotta hold up your end of the deal. I wanna know about my ancestors.” The ghost was now moving so he was standing right in front of Enzo. Having his arms folded while looking down at the vampire.

On any given night Steele preferred to be the one being wrangled rather than the wrangler but he begrudgingly fill the roll after Elizabeth nearly tore out the bartender's throat. Things were more serious than Steele had thought (and hoped) but in spite of the raised stakes, Steele was still more than willing to help though he hope none of those stakes found their way near his chest. Keeping a long leash on Elizabeth, Steele decided to be a little less confrontational with his approach.

Buying a beer and promptly dumping half of it, Steele began chatting a group's collective ear off, using his minor star power and dashing good looks to win them over. A couple of funny stories from the road (time periods changed, of course) and the group was all too willing to share any insights with the Def Leopard reject. His approach took a lot more time to set up but now he had a captive audience to interrogate.

"Any of you hear about that fella going missing recently?.. More recently I should say. Older guy, well put together? You'd think he'd stick out like fetch in a doorway but I can't seem to find anyone else who's seen him around! Make's me feel like I'm going nuts!" Steele half yelled over the music from his booth seat, surrounded by his new entourage.

The boy just blinked.

That had actually... worked?

"There was some mention of Ludwig," the deceptively young vampire remarked, even as he pulled out his cell phone. Swiping over to the Ancestry app, he continued to talk to Ian even as he started to scroll through the online registry. "The ghost believes that they could be holding him in a house on the Lower East Side, but that's not narrowing it down much."

Well, he supposed it was narrowed down in the sense that they knew Ludwig might still be in New York, but there were hundreds of homes in the Lower East Side.

But, there was definitely a link between Ludwig's abductors and the club if there were people discussing Ludwig. It was not, one would imagine, a very common name in the present night.

That being the case, he hoped that Steele and Elizabeth were doing okay inside.

"Can you text that to one of them?" the boy added, as an aside. "I'd do it, but the ghost is going to be browsing on my phone for a bit."

---

"There was some mention of Ludwig. The ghost believes that they could be holding him in a house on the Lower East Side, but that's not narrowing it down much."

Ian nodded, "That is still a wide area to cover, but it's something at least. Good job."

Despite having gained a lead, however, Ian frowned. The fact that 'some groups' were holding Ludwig confirmed that it was a kidnapping, rather than Ludwig simply wandering off on his own. Meaning, that whoever they were dealing with had the means or resources to subdue an old Kindred of the 9th generation like Ludwing, which was...concerning, to say the least. He was confident in his boxing skills, especially enhanced with the Brujah disciplines, but something or someone who managed to subdue an Elder like Ludwig was not someone to be taken lightly.

Enzo then continued, "Can you text that to one of them? I'd do it, but the ghost is going to be browsing on my phone for a bit."

"Browsing on your...? Never mind, I'll leave you to it then," Ian replied. He then took out his phone and messaged Elizabeth.

As was the case when he messaged Steele earlier, just in case, he wrote it in a coded message.

@Randomguy @Bounce @rocketrobie2



Walking around the club and speaking to the other patrons. But she felt she was getting nowhere to find any information on Ludwig’s kidnapping. The people she had spoken to didn’t seem to know Ludwig or anyone who could have kidnapped him. She hoped that the others would have found some clue on what happened. While she was talking to a male who very obviously wanted to bring her back to his place, she felt her phone vibrating. Ignoring the human and looking at her phone. “Come on sweetheart I got wine back at my place, we can have a great time.” The male said while having his arm around Elizabeth’s shoulder. Elizabeth had a face of disgust pushing the man away with her other hand.

“No thanks.” She screamed over the music while looking at the text that was sent. They had found some information that could lead to Ludwig’s whereabouts. Putting away her phone but not before feeling the male touching her shoulder. She grabbed his hand and effortlessly flipped him onto his back. “Sorry, you're not my type.” Speaking coldly before heading over towards Steele. Looking annoyed as he was chit-chatting with the humans. To her, it didn’t even look like he cared their adoptive father was kidnapped. She stared at their drunken or redden eyes it looked like they would find no information from anyone in here.

As the two headed out of the bar she could see the bouncer coming over towards them. He asked her to leave to which she responded with a smug tone of voice. “We were leaving anyway. The beer was shit, and I saw a rat running along the dance floor.” Leaving with Steele to meet up with Ian and Enzo in the alleyway.

“What have you found?” She asked both of them but stopped as she felt a presence in the alleyway. But she shook off this feeling as there were many more important things on her mind. The ghost meanwhile was looking at Enzo’s phone. While they were talking a group of men walked into the alleyway. Most of them were armed with beer and wine bottles, and bike chains. One of the men was the guy Elizabeth had thrown onto the ground.

---

Ian watched Enzo browsing something on his phone—presumably as part of the deal with the ghost—as the two waited for Elizabeth and Steele to meet them.

Before long, Elizabeth and Steele arrived in the alleyway, with Elizabeth in the lead, looking somewhat irritated. If Ian had to guess, she was probably irritated that Steele appeared to be taking Ludwig's disappearance lightly. After spending about a century together, Ian was reasonably certain that was what happened, judging from the two's temperament.

“What have you found?” Elizabeth asked as soon as she approached.

"You'd have to ask Enzo the details once he's finished with our 'ghostly informant', but in short, Ludwig's possibly held in a house on the Lower East Side. Listen, we cannot go without a plan, if they did manage to kidnap, we're dealing with—"

Ian stopped, as several men entered the alleyway, armed with makeshift weapons such as bottles and bike chains.

Ian sighed, as he threw an exasperated look at Elizabeth and Steele. Why couldn't they have kept a low profile?! They had already have enough issues as is!

Still, remembering this was not the time or place, he pushed down the boiling rage that was common to Brujah and regained his self-control.

"Friends of yours from the club?" he asked sardonically.

He then turned to Steele, "Look, just do your thing."

Ian was skilled enough in oratory skills, but his was mostly intended for a reasonable audience open to reason and dialectics, drunk people from the bar... were most certainly not the types of people amenable to reason. For people such as these, Steele's repertoire was much better suited. Furthermore, in the worst-case scenario, Steel was more trained in the Presence Discipline than Ian was, which should take care of these mortals easily enough.

Gesturing for Steele to come with him, Ian approached the group of men.

"Good Evening, Gentlemen. Anything we can help you with?"