Shortly after the conclusion of her conversation with Thomas Arturo at the casino, Illuminata will place a phone call to the offices of miss Sasha Moreau. She, of course, fully expects to be answered by a secretary.  

--Last edited by Illuminata de Borbón-Sicilies on 2009-02-08 08:46:03 --

The somewhat chipper, but very professional Patricia answers the line almost immediately.

"Venture International Enterprises, how may I direct your call?"

"Oh, hello, miss. I would like to speak with miss Sasha Moreau, if at all possible. Tell her I'm calling on behalf of Mr. Arturo, if you would, darling."
Illy speaks into the receiver, all charm, hoping that Thomas' name will have some impact. Otherwise, she will just have to leave a message. The Blue Bloods always do their best to seem very important, mostly because they are.

A flurry of rapid keystrokes can be heard over the second of silence.

"Hold please."

There is a click and another half-second pause.

"Miss Moreau Speaking."

"Ahh yes, Sasha dear, I believe we met a Elysium, I'm Illuminata, the whip for the clan of the Rose?" she says, with a slight tone of inquiry.

"It would appear we have a slight PR problem, and Thomas thought you would most definitely be the person to help with it."

Short greeting for purposes of recognition, then right to business. There are times when Sasha would give her entire portfolio if some of the other Kindred in Sanfield would just adhere to this protocol.

"Yes dear, I remember you, you made quite the splash. What can I do for you and your family? Or would you feel more comfortable talking about this in a more personal setting?"

"Well, my dear, truth be told," Illy says, sounded pleased that the Elder Ventrue remembered her, "it might be better if we could meet and discuss this in a manner more private and, indeed, personal than a phone call."

Thinking briefly on it, she adds, "Would you rather meet in your offices or at the Casino? Or do you have another place in mind? As I am the one asking for a favor, I will of course abide by your decision."

It would be stranger still for the Ventrue not to have remembered Illy's introduction. After all, it is not every court that one is spoken for by anyone outside her own clan, much less by such an ancient and powerful Tremere...

"Of course. I am always inclined to conduct business face-to-face whenever possible, and by the sound of it, this is something that will require my attention in a timely manner, as these things are wont to, thus it might be best if we meet here, for the sake of expediency."

"Oh, absolutely. I will get a car and arrive as soon as possible, Primogen Moreau. I don't believe it will take me any more than half an hour, if that is acceptable," Illuminata replies.

"By your leave, I will get off the phone and depart right now."

"Excellent. I will make arrangements to see that you are expedited through security, simply take the elevator to the penthouse when you arrive."

"By all means dear. I shall see you soon."

Just a little over half an hour later, Illuminata arrives. She is indeed expedited through security, and a scant few moments later, is stepping out of the elevator into the penthouse area.

Sasha stands in her usual spot, ten feet outside the doors to the elevator, wearing an off-white double-breasted suit and matching fedora, blazing pink cigarette with a black and gold filter in hand.

"Greetings dear, you are looking radiant as always. I trust your trip here was without incident. Can I offer you anything to make you more comfortable?"

Illy exit the elevator, smiling radiantly.

"Why thank you dear. The only thing I need for my comfort, I see is allowed here," she says as she places a cigarette in her holder and lights it up, taking a pleasurable drag before speaking agan.

"It would appear we have a small problem wiht one of our clanmates, dear, and I'm sorry that it appears you are the one who is the best at changing the appearances of events."

With a drawn-out sigh, Sasha flicks her cigarette ash on the floor.

"Another one?" She says this as more of a resigned statement than a question, she turns, walking into her grand office and to the floor-to-ceiling windows, as the little vacuum-robot emerges from a wall and follows in her wake. She looks down, allowing her gaze to fall on the lights of the city below as she continues.

"It becomes more and more apparent that no one in this city respects the Law any longer. Or perhaps it is the law-giver for which that respect has waned. Sometimes I believe that I am the last bastion of reason in this mad-place..."

Turning back toward her guest, she takes a long drag of her cigarette. "But I suppose this is not important at the moment, and perhaps I am getting ahead of myself by assuming that we are discussing yet another in a long line of Masquerade breaches. Are we discussing such a situation?"

Illy frowns.
"Have breaches become so casual lately? That is a bad sign, especially when all that might tell us apart from the invaders is our adherence to the Masquerade...But I digress."

She sighs, and takes a long drag off of her cigarette. "I do not believe it is a masquerade breach of which I speak, rather of a coverup for an unusual explosion at one of my clanmates'..." she smiles helplessly at the silliness of what she is about to say..."knitting shops. The neonate herself should be in the sheriff's custody by now, since she took it upon herself to attack Thomas. It was his suggestion that I come to you to inquire whether the explosion could be made to look more innocuous than some terrorist act or other, say, a meth lab gone bad?"

She looks at Sasha, smoke from her cigarette swirling in front of her face as she finishes her tale and takes a drag.

"What do you think, Primogen Moreau?"

Sasha nods gravely in silent agreement with Illy's astute observation. A bad sign indeed.

She listens intently as her guest relates the details of the situation and the begins to pace back and forth in front of the long windows as she works through the problem aloud.

"Well dear, what I think depends entirely upon what your Clan's intentions are. I can certainly see to it that the public comes to perceive the explosion as the result of a hidden amphetamine facility, and this would certainly go a long way to make the civilians turn an apathetic eye on the ordeal. However, it will likely have additional repercussions for what I must assume is now the former Toreador Whip; the Mortal authorities will likely take a much greater interest in your little rogue Rose."

She pauses a moment to study Illuminata's face and begins to pace again, waving her cigarette around as she speaks to punctuate her ideas.

"This could of course go badly for your Clan, and possibly any other Kindred to whom she had ties that can be traced, although, if your Clan has no intention of allowing her to part company with Zaine, that would alleviate the possibility of her bitterness causing her to implicate anyone else should those selfsame Mortals get their hands on her."

She stops once more, near the corner of her desk and stubs out her cigarette and turns back to Illy.

"But if, for whatever reason, Arturo finds himself in a forgiving mood, we can just as easily make it out to be a faulty gas-pipe. The buildings in that areas of downtown are old and faulty, and such a scenario would not necessitate a criminal investigation. But as I said, it all depends upon your Clan's intentions."

She pulls out another cigarette, placing it lightly between her lips. She lights he lighter a few inches from the tip, though her lighter produces no flame, the shielded burning laser inside casts an eerie green glow upon her face, causing her to look at once menacing and knowing.

"So tell me Illuminata, what are your clan's intentions?"

With this, Sasha allows the laser to lick the tip of her cigarette with a sizzle, and puts the lighter back in the pocket of her suit. Her face is once again warm and genial as she awaits Illy's response.

Illuminata laughs.
"Now, my dear, that would be telling. I'm afraid I am not at liberty to discuss my clan's intentions, even if I knew fully what they were. However, I can tell you that Mister Arturo is most angry with Rose's egregious breach of protocol, and displeased with her utter lack of performance as clan whip. He believes this bit of trouble may spring her out of her apathy. I am merely relaying his request to make the accident at her haven to appear drug-related."

She taps the by now long bit of ash from her cigarette into an ashtray, inhales, and sighs.

"Neonates, these days. They need to learn to respect their elders, at least. There is a reason we have survived for so long, we could teach them a lesson or two."

Sasha offers a wry smile in response to Illy's diplomatic evasiveness. She knows there is something more to the woman than she has let on. Regent Thaddeus Von Austice does not stick his neck out for someone else without due cause, especially for someone outside of his own Clan, but she also does not expect Illy to spill her secrets, or those of the Toreador, without sufficient reason or, failing that, trust. But it was worth a shot.

"Of course you are right, there are a great many lessons which we could impart upon the brash younglings, but this would require from them enough wisdom to actually listen. Unfortunately there are some lessons that only adversity can teach, but I see no reason that we should not thrust adversity upon them to facilitate the process..."

Her smile becomes hard-edged and almost malevolent for a moment before she adds. "... for their own good."

"Is there anything else pertaining to this matter that I should take under consideration?"