[Ariyah – Downtown > Fremont – Gasworks Gallery – BoL – NA – PRE-RESET]
Ariyah hurried out of the Lyft and up the steps of 3815 4th Avenue. The meeting with Collin had gone as well as could be expected, but she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to analyse the mission given to her.
Her hunger was roiling inside her; it had taken all her self control to remain calm and collected in front of the Camarilla representative, but now she had to feed.
The Toreador walked into the art studio and through the long corridor of closed doors. It was not hard to tell which studio still had people working in it; music blared through a sticker-covered door halfway down the hall.
Ariyah composed herself; smoothing down her hair and pushing up her glasses, before raising her hand to knock on the door. It took a couple of attempts – the music was quite loud – but in the end, the music was turned down and the door opened to a mop of brown curls and piercing blue eyes.
“Can I help you?” The owner of the hair and eyes asked.
Ariyah didn’t waste any time in turning on the charm and offering out a hand, “Hi, my name is Ariyah. I just recently rented a studio here and thought I’d introduce myself to my neighbours.”
[Awe Activated]
The man looked to be in his 30s, and he blinked at the proffered hand for a moment before taking it in a slow shake. His hands were covered in paint.
“Hi. Robert.”
Ariyah peered into the studio behind the man and was relieved to find it empty of any other people.
“Do you mind if I have a look at your studio? I’m just kind of curious about how other people set up their workspace.” Without waiting for an answer, Ariyah breezed into the room. She took the opportunity to breathe in the man’s scent as she walked past.
[Bloodhound: Resolve + Awareness: 4 successes vs 4 diff | Success | Phlegmatic | 1WP]
The room was longer than it was wide, with a workbench set up against one of the walls underneath the windows and an old couch at the other end of the studio. In the centre of the room, a large canvas was raised off the floor on two wooded bench stools, with a myriad of paint containers and empty plastic cups arrayed around it. From the plastic sheeting on the floor and the finished pieces laying about to dry, Ariyah could tell she had walked into an intense session of acrylic pouring.
She was impressed by the pieces; the colour choices and the compositions were all on point. She didn’t hesitate to voice her opinion, and she could tell the man was warming up to her, even more with Awe activated. She told the man of her interior decorating company, and how she’d like his contact details for when she needed a commissioned piece. The man gave it to her willingly.
Ariyah made sure the door was closed when she made her next request.
He acquiesced eagerly.
[Scene Queen Hunting Check: Manipulation + Persuasion + Awe: 3 successes vs Diff 4 – 1 Fame | Success | 1WP | Fleeting Phlegmatic]
[Hunger 3 –> 1]
She licked the wound closed while Robert was still breathing heavily from the “make out” session; they had ended up on the couch with the Toreador lying atop the curly-haired man.
Ariyah played with one of those brown locks; she didn’t want to wipe this man’s memory. The Kiss’ euphoric effects covered up most of the act and having a “booty call” might come in handy if she ever finds herself in the same predicament again.
What did it matter that he thought “heavy petting” was payment for using his art in her next project? It’s the perfect excuse for future “sessions”. And the man was cute.
Ariyah removed Robert’s hand from under her skirt as she sat up. She combed her fingers through her hair and straightened her clothes before standing to leave. Robert watched her with blurred eyes, a combination of lust and blood loss making him woozy and hazy.
Ariyah bent down to give him a lingering kiss but side-stepped out of the way when he reached for her again.
“I’ll call you.” She said, as she sauntered to the door. She picked up her discarded purse and Robert’s business card that he’d handed to her earlier.
Robert Banks. That’ll be another name to add to her book.
[Ariyah heads back to her haven for daysleep]