Paying the Price (RP)

"You must have been pretty close" she murmured. Gene knew Sarah's parents. She was expected to remember his birthday. It seemed like Sarah had opened up to him in ways she hadn’t to Emma. She let that hang in the air for a moment, then continued in a more casual tone: "We only know her through a mutual... friend"

She glanced down at the door, then back to Gene "I guess if she’s not answering, there’s not much we can do here" She shrugged lightly, as if it wasn’t a big deal "So, are you really looking for new girls?"

Persephone stood back and watched Emma handle the situation much more deftly that Persephone would have, with her stormy feelings muddling her good sense. She had not been the type to choose violence before; but since taking the demon form this morning, she’s had a craving for a fight.

Persephone played along. "Sorry, I… I thought you trying to hurt Sarah. Bella’s right; we are looking for work. Whatever you got."

Persephone struggled to keep her cool…

Stepping a little closer, Emma let her hand brush lightly over Gene's as she spoke, a playful yet needy edge to her voice.
"Come on, aren't we pretty enough for you?"

So, Sarah is a stripper. That means the vampire feeding on her could be any one of her regulars. Emma's desire to get into the club only grew stronger. She was eager to talk to people close to her, see what clues she could uncover.

Since a turtleneck was far less revealing than any of her club dresses, and she was never shy about showing off her body, she smoothly removed her coat, letting it drop to the floor with a quiet rustle. Her sweater huged her form, flattering her curves while still leaving much to the imagination. She shifted slightly, turning her body sideways so he could get a better appreciation of her silhouette.

"... do you like what you see?" she teased him, knowing that confidence was part of the game.

Persephone stepped back, allowing Emma to run the show. She watched her manipulate this man like a pro.

Where did she learn all this?? I’ve never seen her like this before. She’s really changed too, apparently.

Persephone recounted to herself what she knew about this situation.

So, Sarah is an exotic dancer, with a greasy but apparently kind manager. But a vampire has been feeding in her — maybe a regular customer. So Emma’s plan is to… become a dancer too? In hopes of … what? Being the next victim? Why can’t we just go as customers on the next night Sarah is scheduled to dance? See who shows up? Wait a minute… does Emma know how to spot vampires? Because unless they look like Bella Lugosi or something, I have no idea.

Persephone suddenly felt very out of her depth. She chuckled ruefully at that; after all, just an hour ago, she was prepared to rock Emma’s world. But now, it seems, the tables were turned.

Huh, she’s actually a good dancer. She might pull this off!

Gene's strictly professional interest in her did sting for a bit, but she shakes it off quickly, assuming he wasn't interested in women at all "Velvet Sin" Emma looks at the card, noting that the club was just around the corner, before slipping it into her purse. She never heard of the place, but she always avoided strip clubs. Not that she had any problem with nudity (the show she took her in-laws to watch had its fair share), but she preferred the idea that the dancers wanted to be there, something she couldn’t always guarantee in places like these.

"Let's go check it out" she hinted to Pers as she picked up her coat "Morning's always the best time to talk to the boss. Night's the busiest. You know how it goes" She keeps her voice light, hoping Pers will get the drift.

"So, what kind of people come to Velvet Sin?" She gives him a quick glance, feigning concern about the kind of money she might be making, but actually, her real interest lies with understanding what kind of clientele frequents the club "Is it a good gig?"

Persephone stood by, feeling foolish. She swallowed her pride and spoke up.

"Pardon me, I... I wanted to apologize, sir. I only met Sarah recently and got the impression that she was struggling, possibly in trouble. When I came around the corner and saw you banging on the door with a raised voice, well, I thought you were the source of her trouble. I can see now that you are the opposite; you are her friend. So I am sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion; I was just trying to help Sarah."

She shrugs sheepishly and adds, "And I would approeciate a chance to audiiton as well...Here, how about this?"

Persephone removes her coat, hands it to Emma, and steps back. She bends forward, placing her hands on the floor, and goes into a handstand in the middle of the hallway. As she does so, she slowly brings her legs into forward splits, and then returning to standing.

She looks at Emma, shrugs, and says, "Mom wanted me to be a gymnast."

Persephone stands back up and tries to regain her dignity, but she largely fails.

She looks at Emma, almost apologetically, and says, "OK look. I met Sarah at a party the other night and she seemed upset. Someone said that a customer of hers had been showing ... more interest than Sarah was comfortable with, acting like he owned her. And I... well, I have experience being owned, treated like property, not getting to decide what I do with my body. So I wanted to help. Like, I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else, ok? But it sounds like you're trying to look out for her, and that makes me feel a lot better about your club."

Emma let out an inward sigh. She’d tried her best to steer the conversation away from Sarah, shifting the focus to the club and its clientele. But as soon as Persephone mentioned Sarah’s name again, Gene’s attention circled back to that topic, and they were back to square one. Now they would need to tell more lies, and each one had the potential to unravel their whole story.

"We last saw her about a week ago, at our mutual friend’s place" she kept her tone casual "She seemed pretty withdrawn, so no surprise she went there for a little 'pick-me-up.'" She shrugged and allowed Gene to fill in the blanks as she unfolded her umbrella and stepped out into the street. The walk to the club was short, thankfully, so she wouldn’t have to endure much more of his questioning.

"When was the last time you saw her? And where?" she asked in return. She was intentionally keeping him distracted and running the clock, letting him answer her questions until they were practically at the door.

"I asked him if he's seen her, and he didn't" She was going to leave it at that. Gene couldn't expect that she would tell him the name of every one of her associates. They've only just met! "We will let you know if there is any sign of her" she hoped that would be the end of the conversation, but either way, she was determined not to answer any more of his questions.