Hyacinth met the twins just outside Dallas, at a filling station. Geeves and Chad were inside picking up what they hoped would be dinner; Rod and Ray were topping off the tanks. Hyacinth pulled up on her little Japanese motorcycle and gave the guys her sweetest smile. Spotting the clever logos on their jackets, she took a chance and flashed a bit of fang, knowing that if she were mistaken they'd probably not even notice. Ray caught the light off the cute girl's sharp tooth. He nudged Rod, who took a second look. Black leather jacket, biker chick... sure looked like a recruitment opportunity. On the spur of the moment, before their leader got back out with the evening's main course, Rod invited Hyacinth to join them for a ride. Cheerfully she accepted - first contact with local kindred already - and bikers to boot. Sweet. Neither Ray nor Rod wanted to attack Hyacinth as a test - look what happened to Chad with that other sweet looking woman, Sally. She gunned her bike and followed as the four Steel Fangs pulled out of the station, Geeves with a plump teenager hugging him round the waist. Should feed five, no problem. Off in a closed storage facility, low rent and medium security, they did the deed. Geeves had the key to this one, he'd got it off a squatter who'd made an earlier meal. Hyacinth looked happy and a bit less pale when they'd polished off the last of the blood feast. As the girl lay quickly dying, Hyacinth offered to show them her trick for disposing of the bodies. Pulling a wooden stake, she impaled the heart of the mortal girl then let a droplet of her blood fall between the girl's softly parted lips. "We leave this in the dump, y'see, and the sun takes care of the evidence." Geeves and Chad exchanged glances. This girl was definitely an anarch in spirit, if not in name. Rodrick gave her a steel- capped grin. "That's brilliant," he said. None of them had high standards for brilliance. Raymond seemed for a moment lost in a daydream and didn't contradict his twin as he'd normally do. "Why thank you," Hyacinth told Rod with a winning smile. Not even a droplet of blood marred the whiteness of her teeth. "And thank all of you for not getting on my case about the rules, and the permission to embrace bullshit." She was sounding them out as to their adherence to the Traditions, is what she was. Rod was impressed. As the trainer, he knew when he saw someone who didn't need training. The ease with which she'd staked the girl spoke of her supernatural strength as well. "What clan?" Ray broke in abruptly. Rod glared at him - his twin had no manners. His girl, he'd picked her up even. Hyacinth pretended not to notice this byplay, though it didn't escape her for a moment. "Brujah," she answered. "You?" "Yes!" Ray assented, punching the air to emphasize even more. "Us too. Except him." He jerked a thumb at Chad. "He's Ugly." Hyacinth laughed softly as she turned to look at Chad, who, recognizing his cue, dropped his Masque. Though she was taken aback like anyone at his hideous appearance, she quickly hid the fact and gave him a smile just a watt or two dimmer than the one she'd given Ray. "Good to meet you, I'm Hyacinth." Chad smiled - a friendly smile in intent, if not looks - and turned around; when he faced them again, the Masque was back. "Likewise. Chad. Can I call ya Cin?" He laughed. "Sure, if you want." Hyacinth seemed unfazed. "It fits." Ray made a bid to regain her attention. "That's Geeves, he's the good looking one. I'm Ray, and my brother there is Rod." Geeves stole Hyacinth's focus again though, leaving Ray a bit frustrated. "A pleasure, indeed, Hyacinth. We don't make acquaintances of your caliber every night. In fact, the last one to impress me so well was that fellow Bryon, and he was not even of our clan." Geeves took Hyacinth's hand and held it lightly in his for a moment. She looked past the pretty face and saw him for what he was - useful. At least a bit. She would make him even moreso. "Pleasure's mine, Geeves. Nice group you got here. Stay out of the elders' way? Or get in their way, if you know what I mean?" "We try to do each at the proper times." Geeves let a tone creep into his voice indiating more to that statement than the words indicated. "Well. The way the typical Prince runs things is bullshit. As I'm sure you know. So, is it that bad here, or is it worse? I'm new. And where do they all hang out? I oughta at least show my mug eh? Just so's they don't pop me off on a whim?" Ray cut in. "We don't hold with that crap, introduce yourself and all. I got a right to exist without his say so and I ain't gonna go kowtow to any old bag for my night's meals." "Well sure, Ray," said Hyacinth, having no trouble distinguishing the brothers due to their distinctive tattoos, "but how'm I supposed to learn their weaknesses and get something on them if I don't meet up with them? You gotta know your enemy eh?" She paused, looking them over. "Maybe you guys just don't know how to behave proper in society? I mean, how to lie without words, eh? How bout this Bryon fellow you mentioned? He your inside man?" Geeves half smiled. "He may well be. He's a Toreador. Lots of ideas on establishing a democracy among our kind. Very idealistic." "He's a fucking genius, is what he is," Ray burst out. "Guy found the ultimate protection from the bastards. Took balls, that did." Hyacinth raises her eyebrows slightly, and Ray appears about to continue, but Geeves hushes him with a sharp glance. Not something they should be discussing openly with a relative stranger, even if she has shown her bona-fides in a vivid way. "Tell you what. You get me an intro to the Toreador, and I'll get the rest of what I need through him. I'm sure he knows who I have to meet and the rest of that shit. All ok?" Hyacinth let a little of her Presence leak out, figuring it couldnt hurt to sway these guys just a bit to her side now. Not enough to overwhelm them or make them wonder later why they'd agreed so easily. She could tell the collective intelligence wasn't that impressive here - but there was definitely something. Something that would work out to her benefit if she found just the right angle. Something that might help her fulfill her destiny here. "Don't let politics keep you from living, ya know?" Hyacinth smiled and pulled open the door. She told them she'd meet them at another gas station, this one a few miles down the road, just inside the city, the next night. "And don't forget to clean up," she said to Chad, pointing at the staked corpse. With one last flashing smile she hopped on her bike and sped off into the night.