St. Charles Guest House - meeting another big cheese

Melissa stands outside of the St. Charles' Guest house and looks up at the building, thinking about its' history that she had looked up prior to arriving. Perhaps it's because it was a former asylum that it resonates with her, given that mental health in that time was not exactly great. It seems funny to her that it would occur to someone to turn it into a bed and breakfast but then she figures it's better than nothing. She enters the building, dressed casual business attire which are dress pants, a white button up shirt and a jacket but no tie. She carefully scans the area inside, paying more attention to how her inner predator is feeling in case the Senechal should approach.

As Melissa enters the building, she finds herself in a large sitting room furnished with comfortable looking turn of the century chairs, a few side tables, and lamps. The interrior is dim and quiet with the musty smell of furnature plish and old books. The place is clean, however and the wood seems to glimmer in the light. It is obvious someone takes good care of the place.

The front door closes and a slight tinkling sound can be heard off in another part of the house. A tall, thin, reed of a woman comes around the corner and enters the sitting area. She looks to be about 45 with greying brown hair, a long thin nose, and a face that seems to be in a perpetual pleasent smile.

"Good evening Miss, welcome to St. Charles Guest House. I'm Miss Fernando, the owner. How may I assist you this evening?"

She steps forward and extends a thin hand with skin that looks like brittle paper.

(Please give me a wits + composure roll)

As Fernando extends her hand, Melissa notices a small silver ID bracelet like one worn to tell people she is allergic to penecillon. Instead of words, however it has an intricate symbol on it. Melissa looks at it briefly, but from what she can tell it isn't anything she recognizes off hand.

Melissa gently takes Ms. Fernando's hand and shakes it, saying "It's a pleasure Ms. Fernando. I am Melissa Watkins, I am because I was supposed to be meeting someone. Do you know if by chance there was anybody expecting me?" Melissa is insure if the symbol implies Miss. Fernando's connection to the Senechal or not, but is still careful not to assume she has any ties to Kindred. She still was unsure as to what the overall attitude mortals in New Orleans had to kindred, hence her ambiguous language.

Fernanddo nods. "Oh yes of course, Dr. Watkins, I was told to expect you. If you would please follow me. I was also asked to explain to you a little bit of the history of our city while I escort you."

She turns and begins heading down a hall to the right of the sitting room. She speaks as she walks in a clear and concise manner. Melissa gets the impression this woman has a no nonsense attitude toward everything and very little in the way of a sense of humor.

"Our patron, Prince Vidal has been holding this city for the last two centuries. While some of the younger individuals of your kind do not see this as anything of import, the Seneschal most certainly does. It is very difficult to keep a city intact for such a long period of time and Seneschal Maldonato commends the Prince for his resilience in the face of such recent changes. As I am sure you are aware, your kind are very slow to change and this upset is still rocking those from an older time. It also comes at a very bad time for our Prince, but I believe the Seneschal can explain that to you much better then I can." Fernando leads Melissa past three closed doors and up two flights of stairs, chattering all the way as if they were old friends. "When the changes came, our Prince was quick to recognize the wisdom of such actions and backed them immediately, thus he retains his position."

She leads Melissa down to the last door in the hallway and opens it. "Well here you are dear. Seneschal Maldonato should be in the office to the right."

As Melissa enters the room, Fernando shuts the door behind her and is gone. The room has similer furnishings to what is in the sitting room. Melissa can hear a pen scratching on paper as it dawns on her how quiet this room is.

"Please come in, Ms. Watkins. No sense in waiting over there." A soft voice can be heard coming from the right.

Melissa politely nods as Fernando brings her up to date with the history of the city, paying close attention when she hears Prince Vidal's name. The instructions from Mr. Brown are still in her memory and make her curious as to how a Prince who has been able to hold onto his position for as long as Miss Fernando says could seem unfit in mind. Could it be possible disorganization due to the many years of distress in running a city or are there rivals going after his position using mental illness as an excuse? The mentioning of a "bad time" for the Prince makes Melissa suspect it could be the former but it's far too early for her to decide.

After thanking Miss Fernando before she shuts the door, Melissa takes a few steps towards the door on the right and carefully tilts her head to make sure it's the right office before stepping inside. "Good evening, Seneschal Maldonato." she says "I received your request to come here tonight from Sheriff Donnavan, thank you for meeting with me tonight."

The man seated behind a large wooden desk looks to be in his mid to late forties, rather old to be turned. He has greying hair at his temples and a lot of worry lines around his eyes. He looks as if the weight of his years have lain heavily upon him and it makes him seem tired and old.

He waves a hand at a seat in front of the desk in an absent minded fashion. "Yes yes of course. Can't very well be the Seneschal and not accept new comers, can I? Have a seat young lady and we will have a talk." He pulls a large book out of one of the desk drawers and opens it. Flipping through the pages while muttering to himself, he finally finds the page he is looking for, picks up a pen, and gives Melissa his full attention.

"Dr. Melissa Watkins hmmm? Well I am sure you know the drill and all of the usual questions. You look like someone who's been around the block a time or two. Where do you come from? Why are you here? Is this a permanent stay or is it merely a visit? And exactly what are you a doctor of, if I may pry?"

Melissa sits down and smiles at the politeness of the Senechal in getting acquainted with her. "Not at all." she says in response to his questions "I have a doctorate in Clinical Psychology I attained from Baltimore Maryland where I previously lived. That is actually what has brought me here. Back in my old home I had a practice in which I saw other kindred in need as well as assessed other Kindred whose mental states were of concern for the Prince. I did this not only to help our kind but also as research to understand our condition and how it affects our behavior. Not in an invasive way but more as a scientific understanding that can be used to prevent further prejudice and discrimination we face from mortals and other supernatural beings." she takes a moment to direct her thought back to the original question. "What brings me here is a combination of desiring more autonomy from my sire in addition to continuing my clinical work. I felt that New Orleans would be a good place to move given the cities longstanding history with it's...folklore" She is unsure if occult or voodoo would upset, offend, humor the Senechal which is why she is careful with her words.

"This is of course only if the Prince will grant me permission to do my work here, I did not want to assume I could open a practice without it." She pays attention to Maldonato's body language as she speaks, wondering exactly what the reputation mental health had in this city. Even amongst mortals it was sometimes viewed as taboo.

Maldonato frowns slightly as he listens to Melissa's answers but nods slowly as she speaks. He doesn't respond to her statements right away, instead he leans back in his chair and steeples his fingers in thought. After a few minutes of staring off into space, his eyes finally connect with Melissa's.

"I don't see any reason why you couldn't open a practice here, young lady. You seem knowledgable enough of your prefered field and I can understand wanting to come out of the shadow of a sire. But there are a few more questions I have to ask before I can give you a complete yes or no. Please understand, these questions may seem invasive but they are very necessary."

He leans forward and brings his attention back to the large book. He picks up a pen and begins to write, muttering under his breath in low, mumbled tones. Melissa has a hard time making out what he is saying, but the words she can catch lead her to believe he is writing down what she told him almost verbatim. Finally, he looks up at her.

"Clan? Covenent? And what is your signet?"

Melissa wonders what exactly she said that evoked the frown from the Senechal but doesn't let it bother her too much. She recalls some of the elders in Baltimore frowning on the idea of her opening her practice again to kindred and kine.

She hesitates at first at the mentioning of signet. She then thinks back to Miss Fernando and the symbol on her bracelet and wonders if that's what he is referring to. Do all kindred here belong to a certain group or house that has a sort of coat-of-arms? Either way this puts her in an awkward position because she does not have one. She thinks of her words carefully before responding.

"I am part of the Mekhet clan and I am also an Acolyte with the Circle of the Crone. As for my signet, I'm afraid I'm not quite sure what you mean. I do not have any other association with others besides my friends and family but I do not believe their signets are the ones you are referring to. So I would have to say that I do not have a signet, but is there something I'm overlooking in response to your question?"

She knows this is an old city, but wonders if its supernatural inhabitants are so old that all of them have ties to families that originated here.

Maldonato stops writing and looks at her sharply at the mention of the Circle of the Crone. He leans back again as she says she doesn't have a signet and tilts his head slightly. "Do you not have any retainers that call you master? And if you do then how do you display your ownership? I know in some places they use a tattoo or other type of marking, branding that sort of thing. But here we consider it barbaric and choose a simple piece of jewelry. We all have our own symbols of ownership here. If you don't have a signet I suggest you design one. I will take it to our jeweler and have a few bracelets made up for you. Silver is what we use with exception to the Prince. Only Vidal's people are allowed gold."

He makes a few more notations in the book before giving her his attention again. "As for your covenent.......I apologize for having to ask this but are you a voodon?"

Melissa shakes her head and responds “Not at the moment. Up until now I have had no one to claim as my own but that does not mean I won’t seek out some in the future. That was actually something I wanted to find out from you or the Prince in terms of what is prohibited in regards to mortals for ownership. But in the meantime I will design a symbol and get in touch with you when the time comes.” She now realizes the purpose of Miss Fernando’s bracelet and finds it an interesting custom. She wonders if this is to prevent any misunderstandings between mortal and other supernatural law.

Upon responding to his question about her covenant, she shakes her head and says,“I am not. I am actually a Semiotician.” Melissa is familiar with the term “voodon” and feels that it is safe to inquire on his question. “Is there or has there been in the past a conflict with them?” Acolytes always had a reason to be careful in announcing their affiliation, especially when entering a new city so this is no surprise to Melissa.

Maldonato nods his understanding when Melissa explains her lack of retainer situation and pulls out some sort of form. He looks it over quickly then hands it to her. "When you are ready to bestow your signet upon someone, fill this out and bring it to me. I will have the apropriate bracelets designed and delivered. Mortal ownership is pretty standard around here. You find someone whom you are willing to take care of and who is helpful to you and you offer them the bracelet. Of course, you explain what it means, but I think you will find most people in the city are fully aware of what the bracelets stand for. You do not need the Prince's consent to take a retainer so long as you understand you are responsible for that person and their actions."

He shakes his head at her question and leans back in his chair again, this time folding his arms and looking troubled. "Prince Vidal and I are members of the Lancea Sanctum. Thus our city is run in a manner in which we feel adheres to the tenets of Longinus. There are some in the city who disagree with these tenets. As I am sure you know, New Orleans is made up of more Voodoo followers then any other religion so it makes for some interesting debates. The current leader of the Voodon priests is a man named Baron Cimitier. He is not the leader of the Crone, mind you but he has quite a number of followers and the current leader of the Crone does not think it would be a good idea to try and unseat him from his small empire. Therefore he is left alone. Prince Vidal finds this to be a thorn in his side, as I am sure you can imagine. He is not fond of Circle followers. I will not deny you entry into the city or the right to feed, but I will warn you to watch your step. Not all are created equal in this city and religious preferances stand for a lot here."

Melissa finds it interesting the dynamic between the Hierophant and Baron Cimitier, she wonders how united the other Acolytes are in this city. Perhaps they haven't been given their lack of popularity with the Prince. That being said, what was it that made the Prince decide to make Cimitier a Baron?

Well I'd say that's a big yes

Nodding she says, "Thank you for allowing me entrance into the city, Seneschal and I will take heed of your word. You mentioned one Baron, are there any others I should know about and are there certain areas, besides the parks and French Quarters, I should avoid to feed at?" Faeries and Werewolves were easy to avoid, but if any other elders had territories that they prohibited feeding from, that was a different matter.

Maldonato thinks for a moment before making a decision and nods once. "Yes there is. I only tell you this because you seem an intelligent women and you are here looking to help our kind rather then hinder it."

He settles into his chair before he continues speaking, the book in front of him forgotten for the moment. "There is only one Prince in this city and that is Vidal, however there are others who seem to think they should be given the chance to do a better job. Baron Cimitier is one of them. Since the recent changes of coming out to the public, however he has gone underground with his circle of followers and has not been heard from for a decade or so. His known territory used to be the shabbier parts of downtown, but none of us can say for sure if he is still there. Cimitier is a reasonable man, for the most part and does not have a reputation to over reacting to intruders, but the same cannot be said for his followers. He is not a Baron because the Prince gave him leave to claim the title. He calls himself Baron because he is a follower of Baron Samedi, and claims his title for religious reasons."

Maldonato watches her face carefully as he speaks, looking for any signs that she might be a problem in the future after giving her this information. "The second contender is Lord Savoy. Right now he has taken over the Garden District and has been keeping himself busy with other interests since the changes, however the Prince and I know this will not last much longer. He has quite the following as well but his aim is in the more political circles. He is handsome, well-spoken, intelligent, and very convincing. I have no doubt he will approach you soon. I cannot tell you what you can or cannot do as far as where your loyalties may lie but I can tell you if your sympathies lie with him your life here will get very difficult. Mind you, this is not a threat Dr. Watkins. It is merely a fact of life here. I do what I can to keep the innocent bystanders safe, but there is only so much I can do."

As Melissa listens to the Senechal disclose the information regarding Baran Cimitier, she keeps a stoic face, nodding only to convey that she is listening. This is similar to the way she responds to patients in that she keeps essentially a neutral face to show objectivity, even though she has her own hypotheses running in her head. Specifically, who does Mr. Brown allign himself with?

When Maldonato is finished she lets a brief moment of silent go by before speaking, "What you've told me just now is something I will take very seriously during my stay. You are correct in that my goals are to help rather than hinder the kindred population and part of that includes maintaining a level of objectivity in working with clients. Had you not shared this with me it could have been very hard for me to carry out that aspect of my job and so for that i am thankful for your being candid with me Seneschal." she watches his face to see how he responds to her gesture essentially implying that she truly has no interest in dealing with the politics between elders, especially this early into her tenure here. She then decides to shift gears by saying "I realize you are busy so I won't take up anymore of your time. I just wanted to know if the head for the Circle of the Crone and if there is one, my Priscus, had any contact information so I could get in touch with them. Unless of course you had any other questions for me.

Maldonato closes the book and stands offering Melissa his hand and a smile. "No Dr. Watkins I have no further questions for you. I welcome you to our fiar city and give you acknowledgement. Feel free to find blood doners within the business district of the city as well as downtown. If you cannot find willing doners, visit the bloobank on Main and they will give you what they can. We try to make it as simple and painless as possible to feed our kindred residents. Sometimes it is hard for the locals to trust new comers. If you have any problems or questions feel free to contact me."

He hands her a business card with three names on it. "My name and number is here. Your covenent leader is Nathaniel Blanch his number is here. Your Primogen is Coco Duquette her number is the last. I do not know when either one of them will be available to speak to you as they both have very busy schedules. But if you call those numbers you should recieve their secretaries and they will be able to set you up with appointments."

Melissa smiles and accepts Maldonato's handshake as she gets up from her seat. "Thank you again Seneschal for all your help." She reaches into her jacket pocket and hands him a business card with her number on it and says "I do not have an office yet but in the meantime if you or another official of the city should need my services, you may contact me here. Have a good evening." She waits to see if he has anything to add before she leaves his office and to return to her haven, ready to attend to other business.

Maldonato nods and accepts the card, before returning to his desk and going back to his paperwork. After Melissa has left and he hears fernando's soft voice wishing her a good evening, he picks up his phone and begins to dial. May as well tell the Prince about the new Acolyte before he hears it from someone else first.