Talking About the Weather (RP)

The vampire wasn’t so subtle about not taking no for an answer. He was so used to forcing people to do his bidding, that he didn’t stop to consider that she wouldn’t need any encouragement to attend his party. Something about ‘hammer’, and ‘nails’ came to mind.

The truth of the matter was that she wouldn’t miss a social gathering with the most powerful and influential ‘people’ in the city for the world. He was giving her precisely what she has hoped for; an introduction to the hidden, mysterious world she wanted to be a part of. The only snag was her previous commitment for tomorrow evening. David’s parents were coming over for dinner, and her absence would be a cause for much disappointment. She felt a little bit bad about it, but quickly brushed those pesky concerns aside. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She’ll just have to make it up to David some other time.

"I’m in" she didn’t bother to pretend being reluctant about it "But you’re paying for my dress!" she added a cheeky smile for effect, before getting the details from him: "Where and when, exactly?"

Jacob gives Teddy a suspicious glance, sensing that his presence is unwelcome. To ease the situation for Benji, he chooses to step back.

"Actually, I just recalled I need to locate a book for a client. I'll catch up with you later, alright, Benji?"

Emma sees a scruffy young man in old-fashioned clothing. He is wearing a haphazardly knotted cravat, a faded blue waistcoat, and a tattered tailcoat that is more patches than coat at this point. His clothing is covered in smudges of soot and he’s missing a chunk of his hair from the side of his head, where a freshly-healed head wound spans from his temple to the top of his ear.

"Elliot! Hi!" He bounds into the room and offers the other vampire a deep, sweeping bow. He pauses at the lowest point of the bow to smile bemusedly at Emma, upside-down. "You have a… friend?" he asks Elliot, trying to determine if this is someone he should introduce himself to or just Elliot’s dinner.

OK. Benji was definitely a vampire. He was wearing clothes that went out of style at least a century ago. And judging by the looks of his tattered attire, he's probably been wearing them for at least that long. It subverted her expectations; the vampires she read about were suave and sophisticated, not shabby-looking drifters. Or they tried to blend in, rather than sticking out like a sore thumb. But this vampire was different. Very different.

Emma herself always dressed for the occasion, being very mindful about the image she wanted to project. For her meeting with the Vampire lord, she went with a business-casual look; a pair of jeans, a buttoned up light blue blouse and a tailored off-white blazer. She was clearly a beautiful woman, but today her aim was to look polished and competent. Serious, yet not too formal.

But what image did Benji wish to project? Did he want people to underestimate him? Was he trying to convey that he didn't care about how other people perceived him? Was it a hint at his age? Did he want to drive people away? Was he a rebel? A fool?

No. She couldn't figure him out, which only made him that much more intriguing.
Maybe, that was the entire point.

"I'm Emma Harper" she introduced herself, smiling playfully at the newcomer who drew her attention from his master "And I was just leaving" she tilted her head lightly at Elliot to offer him her parting words "I'll see you tomorrow night; I'm looking forward to it"

Emma had no intention of sticking around until the vampires concluded their business. She hated waiting, and 'shouldn't be long' could entail a very different time scale for two immortal beings than a mortal woman. Once she was shown out of the room, she reached out for her purse for a sticky note pad and a pen, scribbling her name in perfect cursive and adding her phone number underneath, before pasting the yellow slip of paper on the closed door.

She had better things to do with her time. It was still not too late in the afternoon. If she hurried, she should arrive home before David made it back from work, and have dinner ready for him. And then she could break the news about bailing on him and his parents, face to face.

"Hi!" Emma was always happy to get a call from Bev. Both she and her were feeling their way in the darkness, drawn to dark secrets and perilous danger like moths to flame. These nights, she felt like Bev was one of the few people she could relate to. Someone she could talk freely about what she was going through. From the sound of Bev's voice, that sentiment was mutual.

"You did??!" she wasn't so much surprised to hear that Bev allowed a vampire to feed on her, than excited. If she hadn't told her about her own experience with Eliot, Bev might have never gathered the courage to try it herself. It was more than a little bit reprehensible on her part to be happy that they had this experience to share and talk about, and for encouraging this kind of risky behavior. But damn it, she needed someone to accompany her on this journey "Who was it?" She had so many questions, but before she could ask the next one, Bev hit her with an even greater revelation. "Really??? Demons?"

Her mind could barely come to grips with the profound metaphysical and theological implication of the exitance of demons. Did it mean that Hell existed? The Devil? God? Heaven? Maybe she should become a nun and retire to a convent then, rather than running around the city trying to to ingratiate herself with a bunch of power hungry, blood sucking, parasites. This was big. Real big. Something which could change the entire trajectory of her life. She HAD to learn more. Maybe meet with this demon.

She checked her watch as she considered what to do. She needed to talk with David tonight and let him know she wouldn't be joining dinner tomorrow. It wasn't fair to wait until the very last second to tell him. It had to be in person, and she couldn't slip out of the house right after disappointing him.

But she also really wanted to meet with Bev and get the full story from her.

Emma was usually very decisive, but right now, she felt torn and conflicted about what to do. It didn't help that she detected nervousness in Bev's voice. There was more she wasn't telling her, and she couldn't help feel a little bit concerned about her well being.

"Listen" she finally sighed after making her decision, not too happy about it, but knowing she wouldn't be happy no matter which option she chooses "I'm on my way home right now. Can you meet me at Nowhere? It's that little coffee shop just across the street from my apartment"

Emma picked the Nowhere for two reasons; one, it was right next to her apartment, so she could make it back home within less than a minute once their meeting was concluded. And two - the small coffee shop closed pretty early in the evening. They couldn't sit there for too long, and Emma would have the perfect excuse to part ways with Bev after getting all the interesting info. She was still hoping to catch dinner with David, even texting him to 'wait up' for her.

But seeing Bev's distraught face made her regret not picking another venue. She gave the young woman a warm hug and pointed her to the table she was saving for them and joined her a short minute later, after placing their orders at the counter, making sure to pick something with extra cream and sugar for her friend.

"Bev. What happened? Are you alright?" Emma empathically clasped the woman's palm, squeezing her hand gently for reassurance. Something was clearly wrong, and it was better to confront the problem head on, rather than pretend like she was too dense to notice her friend needed her help.