HOUNSLOW TERRITORY CLAIM

[reticence]

As per this month's faction reward, the Hillingdon Clan will successfully take the territory of Hounslow from the Redbright Institute.

Here is how that comes to pass and the agreements made to make it possible...

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Closed to Hillingdon & Redbright members; Sunday, September 4th & onward

[reticence]

Say what they will, but the negotiation is done. Hillingdon has Hounslow, in exchange for their support of Redbright against Islington, on offense or defense. It is not, as Faolan will stress to whoever brings the word up to him, an alliance. Faolan is rather against the idea of any sort of blind alliance. It is an agreement against a common enemy. It remains to be seen how such an agreement will play out should said common enemy be placed under control, but that is neither here nor there.

For now, Hillingdon is to work with Redbright. And as such they need to know what it is that they are dealing with. Faolan encourages Hillingdon members into the territory, to seek out those of Redbright as an escort of sorts. Have the Redbright members show them the lay of the land. And if they should happen to be able to weedle information out of them about Redbright itself, then that is encouraged as well...

For Natasha

[dirtyredneck]

Daryl didn't really know anyone from Redbright except Natasha. But he'd been avoiding her because she was a vampire and he hadn't exactly had good relations with vamps lately. The one that had helped him out of the fighting pits he was okay with, of course. In theory. Same with Nat. But knowing that and feeling it in the moment when he was near a vampire? That was hard.

Still, he needed to learn the territory he was going to help defend and she was the only one he knew for sure was part of Redbright. Aside from Lance, who he assumed was probably still recovering.

So it was Natasha he called up after Faolan announced the successful negotiation. A gruff, hesitant (for him) message was left. Asking her to meet him for a patrol of Hounslow.

[outstandingbalance]

Natasha texts Daryl to confirm the plan. Sure, she'll be there on time. She hasn't heard from him for a while, but she's had other things to concern her too. She doesn't blame him for having other priorities—or for not wanting to talk to her, not with the state vampires were in.

But now it looks like they're on the same side officially, at least for now and against this particular enemy. She can fall in line. It helps that she'll be escorting someone she already knows.

That evening, she's waiting for him on time. Despite the heat, she wears a leather jacket and boots, arms crossed over her chest.

[dirtyredneck]

Daryl's dressed as he normally is. Checked flannel shirt with the sleeves hacked off. Leather vest over the top. Jeans with holes in the knees. The knives he had were concealed and his gun was hidden, too. Nothing to make him look like he was being illegal in anyway. Just a guy out to meet up with a girl.

He showed up on time, walking from the train station rather than on his bike. He didn't the territory enough yet to pick a spot to park it. And they'd be walking anyway.

When he saw her, his jaw tightened and he looked suitably abashed at not having contacted her in a while before he nodded at her in greeting.]

Hey.

[outstandingbalance]

"Hey," she responds. She can read his expression, but she's not sure exactly what it means. Even without knowing the specifics, though, she can guess at the gist.

"Long time no see," Natasha says rather than ask for the details. "I was thinking we might pick up some coffee? Get it to go, for the walk."

[dirtyredneck]

Coffee. He could do coffee.

Daryl nodded, lips pressing together as he did so. He got up to her and fell in step beside her figuring he'd follow her lead. If she was thinking of it, she probably had a place picked out. He stayed quiet for a bit, just walking along beside her, occasionally glancing up to watch her before letting his eyes drift back to the street.

Eventually he grunted out, "Sorry."

[outstandingbalance]

"For what?" Natasha keeps her eyes ahead for the most part. She knows how shy Daryl can be and she doesn't want to make him feel on the spot. She's content to lead the way. She does have a place in mind—somewhere open late. The students spend a lot of time there, leeching the shop's wifi.

"Last I check, you didn't ow me an apology for anything." Could be there was something she doesn't know about, but Natasha doesn't think that is all that likely.

[dirtyredneck]

"Ain't been around," he answered softly with another shrug. Of course, the same could be said of her. But Daryl had it in his head it was up to him to call her, not the other way around. And since he hadn't, since he'd been avoiding that, it was on him to apologize.

[outstandingbalance]

"There's been a lot going on. I can hardly blame you for being distracted. I imagine we've both been busy." She glaces at him sideways, smiling gently to signal that she accepts his apology none the less. "Nice to see you again, though. It has been a while."

[dirtyredneck]

"Busy's one way of putting it," he agreed in the most general of senses. A slightly forced half smile turned up the edges of his lips. He was fighting with himself to not be a dour asshole. It wasn't like Natasha was one of the vampires that had done what they had to him. She probably didn't know anything about it.

"Nice to see you, too. Redbright got you busy?"

[outstandingbalance]

She doesn't. While she's tried to keep on top of what's been happening, her attention has largely been on Harris and a few other key targets. She hadn't been tracking Daryl, of course. That would have seemed like an invasion of privacy. Now, she takes the hint that she missed something important though. Important and probably relevant.

"Yeah. I've had a lot of work. A lot to keep on top of." She smiles a little, ginger but testing. "No time for nighttime rides. Which is a shame, because they'd be a lot more fun than what I've been up to."

[constantprisoner]

Given that Sirius is still considered a criminal at large, he's reluctant to blindly team up with random Redbright members. That, he figures, could go south in a number of different ways that he didn't want to experiment with. So instead, he's opted for a different method.

Currently in his dog form, he's hanging out around the area, figuring he'll just wait for another team or pick someone at random and follow them. It would accomplish something similar, right? At least in terms of getting to know the area.

He's really got to do something about this whole being wanted thing.

[signare]

Nightingale is busy. Classes have started, and although he'd be happy to help escort Hillingdon members around the area, no one seems to be asking. And as such, he doesn't exactly feel compelled to go searching for someone to escort either.

He sets himself up on a bench in a rather common area. Balancing a carryout coffee on one arm of the bench as he sorts out his paperwork before him. Given the fact that he's sitting doing his grading outside of the Redbright Institute, it's almost definitely obvious he's a professor at the school. And a rather eccentric one at that it would seem, as he sits there in his three-piece suit, a silver-topped gentleman's cane leaning on the bench beside him.

[constantprisoner]

Sirius has mixed feelings about being at the school, as it provides a sense of painful nostalgia for his own school days, which at this point were arguably the best of his life. But it's a good place to find Redbright members to follow, so he'll grin and bear it. Or maybe just bear it.

He really should have asked more about who to approach. Although a professor grading papers might be the best place to start, and so Sirius trots over, watching from a distance.

[signare]

Nightingale can sense the presence of another there with him as Sirius approaches. Another non-human, that is. Of course, this is not cause for immediate alarm. He does work at a school for the supernaturally gifted, after all. It does mean that when he looks up in the direction of the feeling itself, however, he knows that that is not a dog he sees.

"You're welcome to join me," he calls out, before quirking something of a smirk at him and continuing, "I promise I won't bite."

[constantprisoner]

There's always that initial instinct to run that Sirius has to ignore. They've allied with Redbright, he has to remind himself, so if someone notices him, he doesn't have to run right away. Instead he trots over, allowing his tail to wag slightly. His nose twitches, catching the scent of magic and figures the man must be a witch or something. Or maybe it's just bleed over from where they are. He's not really in a position to inquire.

He pauses in front of Nightingale, looking up and giving another wag of his tail, as if to say hello.

[outstandingbalance]

Natasha isn't sure exactly how to feel about all this, but she keeps her misgivings to herself. She can see the political advantage in it and where the necessity comes from.

It just feels like this is only the beginning of headaches for her.

She makes herself available, offering to escort Hillingdon members and helping out where she can. When things start heading south—and they will, she sees where this is pointing—she wants to know who's on her side and she wants them to know that they can trust her.

[specifiercity]

Arthur is doing as Faolan wishes, getting the lay of the land so to speak, trying to gather as much information as possible without ruffling any feathers. He's very cautious, keeping quiet and not making much contact with anyone but clanmates for the time being, but when he sees Natasha he can't really help himself. He observes her helping out some of the others first, and he wonders what capacity Redbright has her working in, but he's sure that's information he can glean just by talking to her.

So he approaches her with a smooth "excuse me" like he's about to ask for a goddamn campus tour.

[outstandingbalance]

Natasha turns, recognizing his voice. She can't claim that she's really surprised. Not after what happened before. Still, it was strange seeing him in such a different context. When they've interacted before, she's largely been pretending to be mortal. The one exception was Harris's party, but even there their interactions were largely superficial.

She recovers quickly, though. "Can I help you?"

[specifiercity]

He shrugs loosely. "Just taking a look around," he says. "It's not every day your organization doubles its footprint."

Organization. Just a house full of hunters and a safe haven for everyone that isn't a vampire. Arthur wonders how Natasha feels about them, knowing what they are, especially seeing as she's not with Islington. He makes a point of only hunting vampires that have already killed indiscriminately, but it's not like he can say for sure the rest of Hillingdon's hunters follow the same moral compass.

[outstandingbalance]

"I imagine," Natasha says neutrally. "It's a bold move."

Nothing personal. She puts on a professional face, keeping whatever her feelings are on the exchange to herself. For the time being, she'd handle this the way he's always handled work; rational, precise, level headed.

Arthur, she hopes, will be the kind of person to appreciate that.

"It's a good strategy."

[specifiercity]

"I think so," he replies easily. He was the one who advised Faolan that it was a good idea, after all, and he wouldn't have done that without thinking it over. Like she said, it's a bold move. He continues cautiously.

"I would, however, be interested to know how someone on the Redbright side of things feels about it."

[outstandingbalance]

She hesitates, but there's a very real reason to answer his question. They're working together, and if she's any judge then it's asked in good faith. Natasha is on this team, and they're working together.

"I think it sends a strong message, and it's a good time for that. I think it'll make people think twice before they side with Islington, and right now that's important. It's a good move for Hillingdon—it's a big get, and even bigger when you figure you got it without a fight or making any new enemies." She figures Harris wasn't going to be on their good side anyway. She meets his eyes, tilting her head a little. "Hard not to worry a little that Redbright is taking one hand off the wheel, but sometimes that's the price you pay."

[specifiercity]

Arthur thinks over what she says for a moment but his expression remains frustratingly neutral.

"It's only one borough," he finally says, "and Hillingdon has the manpower to keep it. Maybe it's better for you to have a smaller focus, have to cover less ground, especially if Islington makes a dumb move like attacking you."

[outstandingbalance]

Natasha can respect that neutrality. It's a professional sort of presentation that's very different from their previous interactions, but suits the situation. Hopefully a sign he won't take any disagreement personally.

"It is," she admits. "But a sharp departure from politics as they've been since I arrived. It'll be interesting to see how they settle."