The Fox Theatre is quiet and dimly lit as you walk up to the designated side entrance. A loose playbill flutters in the late Winter wind, advertising whatever performance went on here tonight. It wasn’t important enough to make the papers, or to go on late. By 11, the theatre belongs to the Kindred.
It appears that if an armed society is a polite society, a monstrous society is a punctual one. Even the handful of Kindred you might expect to show up fashionably late slip in the door a few minutes before 11. Small pools of lamplight mark several gathering areas around the auditorium, with track lighting on the floor leading in between and the theatre’s ceiling starscape twinkling above. Nothing seems particularly unusual, save perhaps the speaker-augmented CCTV mounted above the right entry door into the back of the room; Burdell apparently gets a pass for not showing up in person if he makes an honest effort.
Initially, most seem to congregate with their coteries. The Vigil on the stage to watch the Prince as he takes audiences. The other elders sit spaced around the front rows, socializing or waiting to speak to Joseph. The neonates spread out at the back under the balcony, or on the balconies themselves: The Signal around Burdell’s camera, the Pane Consortium and the Beautiful Minds on either side of the first balcony, and Phoenix Holdings on the upper balcony.
At around 11:30, Joseph announces that it’s time for clan meetings. The Ventrue join him at stage left while Lola stays behind at stage right and collects the other Toreador in the space closest to power. After his audience, Sinclair shows no indication that he was leaving the front rows nearest the Prince, so Anna and Vincent wander to the rear (Anna more grudgingly than Vincent), establishing the meeting spots for Malkavian and Nosferatu. Since Lucille was left alone in the other side of the front rows and Silas was right there, Gangrel meets in the shadow of the Toreador. Burdell can’t exactly move (or can he?), so Tremere congregates in the back across from the Nosferatu. Impressed with their childer taking the high ground, Montoya and Devin actually go to the rest of Brujah in the second balcony.
At midnight, Joseph indicates that he wants to talk, and everyone leaves the stage and balconies to somewhat awkwardly try to sit in a way that conveys status spread among the main seats. He manages to speak for half an hour, covering diverse topics, most of which he’d mentioned last month (and most of which are listed as common knowledge throughout the wiki). One piece of business is something he mentions has recently come to his attention:
“There appears to be some new crimelord organizing the mortal underworld in town. We’re still gathering information as to whether this is a threat to Camarilla interests. If you’re approached by anyone claiming to represent this individual, or find out more information, bring it to your Primogen member, who will relay it to me or the Sheriff. Avoid upsetting this particular balance without express permission.”
After he finishes, Basil returns to sit next to him on the stage while the other elders split into groups of two to four, apparently pursuing various agendas. You group back into your coteries to socialize and try to pay attention. Several elders glance at various groups, perhaps to decide who should take point on various tasks they may be planning to reveal during the next few weeks.
And by one in the morning, you’re released into the February chill to do as you will with the rest of your Saturday night
