((OOC: I tried to post this to the Emergency Conclave thread, but apparently it was locked before I was able to submit my reply. Sorry about the long delay, work's been killing me lately (days off are for other people, apparently).))

As the Construct comes online, Sam's eyes lose their focus, the awakened spirits of the city screaming at him for attention, drawing him further from the meeting. As it winds down, he listens not to his fellow mages, but to the City itself, feeling it's agony as the cold hard Construct clamps down on it. He doesn't seem to come out of his daze until everyone is leaving.

He swallows and shakes his head, rubbing his eyes as he focuses once more on mundane reality. "Vincent," he said in a much shakier voice, "I believe I may have met one of these... 'threemere' did you call them? And I think he wants to help us."

(OOC: We can play this like it was in discussion, but the meet with the Tremere will go ahead as planned, and i understand about work.)

"Tremere...wait....you've met one?? When?  I'm honestly surprised that You're alive, most one on one meetings with Vampires don't go so well.

What did you guys talk about?"

Vincent offers Sam a chair, knowing he must be reeling since the awakening of the monolith, and hands him a bottle of water.

Sam takes the water and drains half of it before continuing. "He approached me, actually. Thomas Arturo, he's an architect when he's not, I guess, being a blood sucking hermetic. He warned me that there was another group on the way, much worse than his. He thinks they'll need our help holding onto their territory." His gaze travels along the wall of the meeting room, coming to rest at the spot behind which the Construct rests, "And I think we might need theirs, as well."

Vincent and Sam may have a stressed history, but in this they are one mind.  

Vincent looks over to the same wall to which Sams eyes seem affixed, both mages immersed in the ways of Spirit, both able to see the Monstrosity in its (true?) umbral form, and that storm....

"Arturo, isn't he the one that owns that Casino?  The Lucky Star or some such?  And something worse than Fangbangers, or rather those which they are afraid of?  Hell that could be anything, the Garou, Spiral Dancers, even other Vamps...

But I have to agree with you, i don't know if we have the power to take that thing down alone..."

Sam nods, drawing on his knowledge of his City, "Yeah, he runs the Lucky Star. I've been in a time or two, seems like a nice enough place, if that's your thing. Plenty of Spirits to talk to, though they look at you kinda funny if you chat up the slots too often. As for taking that," he says the word as though it leaves a bad taste in his mouth, "on on our own, ask yourself this: 'Could we build something like that?' Unless you have a pocketful of Masters I'm unaware of, I'm gonna go with 'not only no, but hell no'."

He shakes his head sadly, "No, Vincent. Without help, we are well and truly fucked. Right through our collective pants."