Alexander let the cigarette fall from his fingers and stubbed it out with his brown oxfords. Pushing off the wall he decided it was time to return before someone noticed his absence. Straightening out the creases in his crisp white suit, he brushed his unruly hair out of his eyes and stepped in through the rear entrance of the hall he had rented for the occasion. Nudging past the kitchen staff who were busy preparing the snacks for the evening, he sidestepped an imbalanced waitress and caught her before she came crashing down with her tray. Giving her a reassuring nod, he walked on out of the chaos into the main hall where the party was being held.

Almost immediately he was spotted and ushered into a conversation by the Mayor's wife and her clique of socialites. Spending a few moments, charming them he excused himself and meandered slowly towards the centre of the room, stopping briefly to greet his gregarious guests every now and again. The party had turned out to be a resounding success and people ranging from the social elite to the average working joes had all expressed an eager interest in purchasing his debut album. The release of EMERGENCE had clearly been well received, something he directly attributed to his business partner Tara Byrne's unceasing attempts at promotion. 

Glancing around the room he saw her busy in conversation with someone he wasn't familiar with and decided to leave her be. Taking a brief spin he turned to look at everyone who had arrived to show their support. The guest list included members of high society as well as those who preferred to stick to the shadows. His host in the city William_Bowden was having a drink with Tara's superior JackMezzo in a corner while Adonis regaled Ilaria_Santoro with tales he was too far to hear in another.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Isabella-Luciano with her arm wrapped around a stunning young man, presumably, the illusive Gavin Byrne, speak with Eddie_Stobart and ArturoStrigliori. Hoping to finally introduce himself formally to the man he walked in the direction. As he inched closer his mind occupied itself of his struggles in the past. Sleepless nights on park benches in LA, busking in the streets, performing in bars, opening clubs, headlining Broadway. Everything had lead up to this moment and Alexander could scarcely believe himself.

The group spotted him closing in but before he could reach them, his path was interrupted by a gorgeous young blonde.  "Congratulations on your success Mr Knight."  She said with a smile and leaned in to kiss his cheek. A gloved hand slipped something into his front pocket as she whispered  "NOMA sends its regards." before walking away into the crowd with a wink. The words made Alexander freeze on the spot.

NOMA, The New Orleans Music Association was a leviathan in the music industry. Its patrons included businessmen, senators, media powerhouses among others. Producers in Hollywood and Broadway lent an ear to its members when picking new talents and recasting old ones. It had the power to make or break careers and the influence to enforce its decisions. It held great sway over the opinions of all musicians in America. NOMA was not an enemy worth having if one valued their career and prestige.

Over the past few weeks, Alexander's decision to establish his own record label not affiliated with NOMA had caused relations to sour and he had been threatened with blacklisting if he did not cease with his independent endeavours. Nervously, he reached into his pocket to search for what the woman had left behind and found a thin sheet within. He pulled it out and glanced at the surface which held a simple Photograph. As soon as he laid his eyes on it he knew it for what it was. The die had been cast. He was officially at war with NOMA.

The sheet slipped out of his trembling fingers to the floor below. Wide-eyed he looked up in horror as he took an unsteady step backwards. Voices echoed around him, but his ears rang with his thundering heartbeat as a grim shadow enveloped his face. Turning around, he pushed past the guests, hurriedly searching for Tara. If they hoped to resist against the Leviathan, they would have to act fast or else all would be lost and their little enterprise would collapse before it ever got a chance to take flight.

(OOC: This is the introductory passage for the Philadelphia Pass The Baton Event, the rules and teams for which can be found here. )