Fifth Night. Part 3.

Alexander Kane follows the clues to the Simple Life Diner, a meeting place for the lycan pack allied with the Agorean Movement.

Before anything, let's do some retcon: I have been allowing the use of cellphones in this game, because in the truths of the scenario I've established that internet is forbidden, but not cellphones. However, I did it inspired by the V5 scenario, and it has come to my attention that vampires aren't allowed cellphones because, at some point, a government agency was able to hack them and cause serious harm to kindred.
With that in mind, I'll consider that cellphones are strictly forbidden, even though pagers and beepers are allowed. All previous communication via cellphones will be considered to have happened face-to-face, or via small and concise pager alerts.

Wednesday. 11:30pm. Evelyn March's Haven. Industrial District.

My plan is to visit Evelyn at her home and talk about the weird activies in the district. Let's test de scene. Rolled a 9, over the chaos factor, so the scene is unchanged.
Question: is Evelyn at home? 50/50. 67. No, she isn't. Well, that changes plans - Kane goes to see his sire, and one of the staff allows him inside... but Evelyn isn't home. Where do we go from here?

Alexander sits in a sofa at Evelyn's haven, re-reading the files in his black folder and checking his notes. "Creating chaos" is definitly not something he's an expert at, loving order and balance as he does. He reviews his plan, folds the folder and stuffs it into a courier bag he grabs at Evelyn's, and then hits the streets.

The streets of Santa Maria’s Industrial District buzzed faintly with life, a subdued energy lingering under the muted glow of scattered neon signs and flickering streetlights. Factories loomed in the distance, their silhouettes jagged and lifeless against the cloudy sky. The air was heavy with moisture, clinging to the wet pavement like a second skin. Somewhere out of sight, a distant horn blared, a single sound punctuating the quiet hum of the city.

Alexander Kane stepped through it all with measured precision, his coat sweeping softly against his legs. His thoughts were elsewhere—back in the silence of Evelyn March’s haven.

He’d arrived there thirty minutes earlier, his expectations tempered by the knowledge that Evelyn wasn’t always where he hoped she’d be. Still, when one of her ghouls allowed him inside, he’d harbored a quiet hope to find her within. Instead, the place had greeted him with absence. The faint scent of her—lavender and something sharper, like steel—lingered in the air, a ghostly reminder of her presence.

He’d taken a seat on her worn leather sofa, the black folder of notes resting on his lap. For a while, he’d read through his carefully constructed plans, turning over each possibility in his mind. Chaos, disorder—it wasn’t his forte. After reviewing the details one last time, Kane had risen, slipping his notes into a courier bag he’d borrowed from her collection. The strap settled against his shoulder with a quiet familiarity as he left the haven, the streets swallowing him up once more.

The Agoreans gather at the Iron Vault Industries ruins. What is it close to? 2. It's close to the Flex Pulse gym - "big gym club that only opens at night".
Where do the Lycans gather, at the Industrial District? 7. They gather at the Simple Life Diner, "a traditional diner open for 50 years. It's a family business, and the family are wolves.
Ok. Alexander plans going to the Diner, doing his best to look and act human, even concealing his sword underneath his coat.
Let's first roll the scene... 10. Over the chaos factor, so for now we're fine.

Wednesday. 11:59pm. The Simple Life Diner. Industrial District.

His destination was clear. The Simple Life Diner, nestled in the heart of the Industrial District, lay not far from where the Lycans made their gatherings. Kane’s plan was simple: go in, observe, leave. Infiltration wasn’t his strength, but blending in? That he could do, especially when the situation demanded it.

Ahead, the diner’s glowing sign emerged from the night, its red letters casting a warm but slightly distorted glow against the damp pavement. The building itself was modest, a low-slung structure of chrome and glass that looked like it had been preserved from the 1970s. Warm light spilled from its wide windows, illuminating the figures within—workers, night owls, and, he suspected, wolves.

Kane paused just short of the entrance, adjusting the strap of his bag and settling the coat over his concealed katana. A group of young men in heavy jackets stood nearby, their conversation low and muffled. One of them glanced his way, curiosity flickering in his eyes before returning to his companions. Kane ignored him, focusing instead on the gentle hum of the diner, the faint clink of plates and low murmur of conversation reaching his ears.

He stepped forward and pulled open the door.

---

Inside, the warmth of the diner enveloped him, a stark contrast to the chill outside. The air was thick with the smell of coffee, fried food, and something earthier, muskier, that Kane recognized instantly. The wolves had marked this place, and not just figuratively.

The diner was exactly what its name suggested—simple. Chrome-lined counters gleamed softly under the fluorescent lights, and the vinyl booths were the kind that squeaked when you slid into them. A jukebox in the corner played a soft blues tune, the sound blending with the hum of the ceiling fan overhead.

Patrons occupied a handful of booths and bar stools, their faces marked by exhaustion, indifference, or quiet camaraderie. Kane noted each one in turn, his sharp eyes cataloging their movements. At one booth near the back, three men sat close together, their postures relaxed but their conversation deliberate.

The wolves.

Kane approached a booth by the window, choosing a spot that allowed him to observe both the interior and the street outside. He slid into the seat with practiced ease, his coat brushing against the edge of the vinyl. The courier bag rested beside him, its strap looped over his knee. His movements were deliberate, every gesture calculated to appear calm and human.

The waitress approached, her smile faint but polite, a practiced mask. “What can I get you tonight, hon?” she asked, her pen poised above the notepad.

“Coffee. Black,” Kane said evenly, his voice low but warm enough to deflect suspicion. “No sugar.”

She nodded, offering a small smile. “Coming right up.”

As she moved away, Kane turned his attention to the wolves. One of them glanced his way, their eyes meeting for the briefest moment before the man returned to his conversation. It was a small test, subtle but deliberate. Kane responded by leaning back in his seat, his body language composed, his gaze unthreatening.

He rested his hands lightly on the table, his mind running through the steps ahead. This was just the beginning. Observe. Establish patterns. Decide what came next. For now, he would wait, blending into the warmth of the diner while the cold night pressed against the windows outside.

Question: is this the first time Kane deals directly with lycans? Unlikely. 60. It's not.
I'll roll vs Glamour to appear human - I need color on my cheeks, and I need to be able to drink this coffe. 10, 7, 8. It's a miss. I appear human, but get hungrier. I'll be able to drink that coffee, even though I'll be throwing it up with a lot of pain in about one hour.
I'll activate Sixth Sense, rolling vs 7. 2, 8, 2. It's a weak hit. The power activates, but I'll have to spend more blood. I'm getting hungrier, and it could get real bad, real quick.

The weakest person in the room is the waitress. The one that looked Kane's way poses a threat - he's suspicious. The best person to give him what he wants is the waitress, too. Kane suspects she's not a wolf, even though certainly wolf blooded.

Question: does any of the wolves approach? 50/50. 55. Almost a yes, but a no.
Question: are the lycans aware Kane is a vampire? Unlikely. 61. No.
I'll now roll a Gather Information move, as Kane sits and watches the movement, pretending to read his notebook. Rolling vs Int (7) + 1. 4,1,4. It's a Strong Hit, and thankfully that 1 wasn't on the hunger dice. "you discover something helpful and specific. The path you must follow or action you must take to make progress is made clear. Envision what you learn."
Let's roll on the action table: 84, 88. Stop tactic.
Let's roll again: 19, 64. Close opposition.
It seems to me that even though I can't really hear much of what the lycans are saying, I hear enough bits and pieces to figure out that they aren't happy with Kael having their allied with the vampires. Things like "Kael", and then "vamps", and "Iron Vault", said with a lot of pent up anger and frustration. That is very good - that is something that Kane can use.
Kane will leave the Diner now.

The Simple Life Diner exhaled its warmth onto the cold streets of the Industrial District, a cocoon of amber light against the gray sheen of damp pavement. Inside, Alexander Kane sat in the booth closest to the window, his body angled just enough to offer him a clear view of the room. The air carried the scent of coffee, grease, and something earthier—a primal musk that clung to the space like an unspoken claim.

He lifted the steaming cup of coffee to his lips, the warmth brushing against his face like a lie. Beneath the practiced motions of appearing human, his hunger coiled tighter, sharpening with each moment. He’d spent blood twice now—once to give his pale cheeks a semblance of life and once more to ignite the strange sensitivity of his Sixth Sense. The price was a gnawing hunger that curled under his ribs, hissing like a caged beast.

Kane swallowed the coffee, letting the bitterness coat his tongue before setting the cup down. He would pay for it later—his stomach would reject it with cruel efficiency—but for now, the gesture served its purpose. To the wolves seated at the back booth, he was just another late-night stranger.

But they were watching him.

The one on the left, the one who had looked his way earlier, sat with his elbows braced on the table, his body language casual but deliberate. His gaze lingered just long enough to raise questions, a faint suspicion flickering in his dark eyes. Kane felt the weight of it but didn’t react, instead turning his attention to the open notebook in front of him. The blank pages betrayed nothing, though his pen moved as if noting something profound.

The waitress approached, her footsteps soft against the linoleum floor. Kane’s gaze flicked to her briefly as she refilled his cup, murmuring something polite before retreating. Her scent—subtle but distinct—confirmed what he already suspected. She wasn’t a wolf, but her blood carried their lineage. The pack wouldn’t abandon her, but she didn’t carry their strength.

She was the weakest person in the room. And the most useful.

---

The wolves didn’t approach, though the air between them felt taut, like a wire pulled too tight. Kane’s enhanced senses caught fragments of their low conversation—enough to piece together the tension beneath their words.

“Kael,” one of them said, the name carrying weight.

“Vamps,” another muttered, the word steeped in frustration and disdain.

“Iron Vault,” the third growled, his voice a quiet snarl.

Kane’s mind clicked the pieces together as he pretended to scribble in his notebook. The wolves weren’t happy with Kael, and their frustration extended to the alliance he had forged with the vampires. It was a fissure, and Kane knew how to exploit it. Divide the pack, stop their cohesion, and close the gap between opposition.

He stood smoothly, the motion deliberate but unhurried, as if he’d finished what he came for. The strap of the borrowed courier bag slipped over his shoulder as he dropped a few bills on the table, the gesture a quiet punctuation to his presence.

The bell above the door chimed as Kane stepped back into the night, the cold air brushing against his face with sharp clarity. He adjusted his coat, settling it over the concealed katana at his side, and paused for a moment under the flickering red glow of the diner's neon sign.

Behind him, the wolves remained oblivious to the predator in their midst. But their discontent with Kael was something Kane could work with—a tool to pry open the fragile balance in this district.

The damp streets stretched before him, their gleaming surface reflecting the fractured light of a city caught between shadows. Kane turned his steps toward the darkness, the faint taste of coffee still lingering bitterly on his tongue. This wasn’t the end. Not yet.