Roleplay City
Infusco => DOMICILES => INFUSCO: Enter The Shadows => Warwick Hotel => Topic started by: skeggsismad on August 06, 2012, 07:59:01 AM
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Two gentlemen strolled down the hallways of the Warwick hotel towards the elevator engrossed deeply in conversation. The men were dressed to the nines in tuxedos that were certainly in the five-digit price range, well kempt hair and everything else to suggest great wealth and affluence.
“You told her she wasn't that bad?” One of the men, Lamar, spoke with disbelief. He took a pause and added a bit more optimistically, “At least you didn't tell her she was good.”
“Why…actually, I did tell her she was good,” Emil admitted while trying to hide the guilt from showing on his face.
The two had reached an elevator and Emil pressed one of the button that would take them to the lobby.
“Had you ever seen her stand up routine before?” Lamar asked right as the doors opened and the two shuffled in.
Emil shrugged his shoulder a bit and let out a sigh, tipping his head from side to side. He wanted to claim that he was completely innocent in this but to do so would be lying and he wasn’t inclined to lie to his good friends.
“Admittedly I had but…you can’t hold me for that! I wanted to make a young girl giddy and such, hmm? She told me that it’s been her dream since she was the wee age of thirteen to perform on stage. I felt giving her the opportunity was the right thing to do.”
Emil defended himself with zest, certain that the earth nymph was simply misinterpreting what had occurred. The whole incident had been awful, but he wasn’t entirely responsible for it.
Lamar clucked his tongue and shook his head in disapproval, though a smile pressed his features to suggest he found the whole notion amusing.
“Some people’s dreams are never going to happen, Stanislas,” Lamar explained with a grave tone.
The vampire shook his head, jaw dropping at the suggestion. He couldn’t imagine how someone could be so cold and say such a thing! Lamar’s attitude half of the time, Emil couldn’t even attempt to see where he was coming from. Emil tried once more,
“Oooh, come on! You couldn’t possibly know that, and besides, it seemed like a good idea at the time or I never would have done it.”
The elevator stopped and the two looked up casually to see that it had stopped at another floor and they were not yet to the lobby.
“It seemed like a good idea to let an audience at a comedy club make a girl cry?” Lamar asserted, his voice laced with sarcasm.
Emil slammed his foot on the ground dramatically, flailing his arms in the air for a moment before folding them across the chest, not paying an ounce of attention to the elevator doors opening and who might climb aboard.
“My! The nerve of you to suggest…I can’t even…I didn’t know she’d be booed, the poor girl!”
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Fucking idiots
Lisa-Joe Hampton was not in a good mood on the evening that's events are being chronicled. She moved with purpose down the third floor of the Warwick Hotel. Her speed was mortal, but only a human would mistake the middle aged vampire as such. She was radiating power, and fury. Her lips were pursed, her eyes were like daggers into the souls of anyone so foolish as to look. Her appearance had started so soft that evening.
She wore a simple black cocktail dress with no straps and of course matching high heel shoes. A set of pearls adorned her neck and a small clutch was held by the strap, dangling between her right index and middle finger. Her makeup was plain; a little eye liner and lipstick and a flash of rouge. She wore expensive perfume thats name she'd forgotten in her rush to dress. She imagined from the sent it was one of her many bottles of Armani for the woman. Her lips, normally genteel and ready to answer all questions in a nice slow southern drawl now looked misconfigured like a Picasso painting.
She'd been on the date from hell, quite literally as it had turned out her date was a well masked supernatural. A shadow demon of resounding power had attempted to end the Brujah's life this evening, in the quiet confines of room three twenty-one. A seemingly nice man with a wonderful cloaking spell had asked Miss Hampton out for a little company. She admitted at the time that not being able to smell his blood right out was suspicious, but not totally unheard off. Lonely and without the touch of anybody - male or female- Lisa-Joe agreed. She imagined he was a bite addict, looking to get sucked by a female vampire who he'd found attractive. She never imagined she'd fine an killer sent to end her life.
She'd made quick work of him by turning on the lights. What had befallen that foolish wreck would never be known. Lisa-Joe had made sure of that. She pressed the button for the down elevator, hoping to get back to The White Rabbit soon enough. She wanted answers. Who wanted to kill her? Jake would be getting a call. So would Conner the Tremere. He would be useful. The elevator opened. She caught the tail end of an exchange.
...make a girl cry?
“My! The nerve of you to suggest…I can’t even…I didn’t know she’d be booed, the poor girl!,' said a familiar voice.
Lisa-Joe looked and saw someone she had not seen in quite a while; the vampire Emil. There meeting the pervious time had been an odd one, however, not unpleasant. Now, she was hearing about girls crying, and Emil was possibly involved.
"Who made a girl cry?" Lisa-Joe said in a controlled yet serious tone. Her face was as solid as stone. Her dagger like eyes fixed themselves clearly into Emil's eyes.
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Lamar hadn’t replied to Emil’s exclamation; his only response was a grin. He was satisfied to have gotten to the vampire’s core with his teasing since it amused him greatly. Emil felt like huffing and pouting for the rest of the evening. But as things typically did, the scenario changed in a matter of seconds. A woman’s voice addressed them and Emil looked up, meeting Lisa-Joe’s eyes in a heartbeat.
“Ms. Hampton!” He greeted, giving a nod of his head to acknowledge her. He made sure to shift to the side of the elevator, prodding Lamar along with him so that they would make room for the vampire. Even though there was plenty of space already, he wanted to be sure the gesture was made that he was to accommodate the elder vampire. Lamar raised his eyebrows, giving the woman a skeptical look. Emil wasn’t paying attention to that, at the moment, since he was struggling to recap the entire conversation he’d had with Lamar to Lisa-Joe so that they didn’t have a misunderstanding.
“Oh, it’s really an awful happening. One of my dear friend, Candice, was booed upon a stage at a comedy club and it hurt her so much that she ended up crying over the whole incident. I really don’t know how to make her feel better about it, and admittedly, it was partially my fault.” He let out a sigh, owning up to it but then quickly waving his hand.
“But oh, enough of that! The last thing I’d want to do is damper your evening with such harrowing tales, Ms. Hampton. Why, Lamar and I were about to go down to have a couple of drinks at the bar. You’re free to join us if you’d fancy,”
Emil proposed, gesturing to Lamar as he spoke his name as an informal introduction. Lamar shook his head, folding his arms across his chest.
“Actually, you’re not invited,” The Earth Nymph spoke with a bitter tone. Emil’s eyes shot open wide and he looked over at Lamar with a bewildered expression. Lamar was persistent.
“That’s right. You’re not invited, Ms. Hampton.” Lamar repeated, speaking the female vampire’s name in a particularly mocking tone.
Emil was so taken aback by his companion’s words that he was temporarily forced into silence via his shock. He knew he ought to say something, but perhaps a part of him thought, maybe she won’t react that badly.
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Lis-Joe shifted her gaze from Emil to Lamar with supernatural speed. The elevator shut and began moving down. Lisa-Joe resisted the urge to tear the meandering Imp's tongue from his easily breakable throat. However, Emil was a nice enough vampire and honestly she wanted to hear the rest of the story about the girl doing stand up. Besides, the death of one supernatural was enough for her conscience for one night.
She moved with a supernatural speed until she was about two inches shy of Lamar's face. She smiled a bit, knowing she only had a few seconds before the doors opened.
"I don't remember needing your permission to catch up with a friend fairy," she said. She was old enough to be able to know that this person was not human and likely fae.
"And that wasn't a gay crack, " she added.
The doors opened and she presented herself to Emil with a flourish not unlike his own. "I'd love to have a drink with you darling. On me of course if you tell me the rest of the story. You may come if you wish Lamar."
She winked as she waited for both men to respond. The thought of the dead demon still occupied a part of her mind,
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Emil wasn’t sure if he was relieved by Lisa-Joe’s response or if it only futhered his worry. He’d admit, the older vampire’s reaction could have been worse. Images had briefly flashed in the creases of his mind of Lamar being killed in the most horrendous of all ways. That probably wouldn’t have been ideal, but vampire politics were complicated and he didn’t doubt that Lisa-Joe might find a way to hide the body before the elevator doors opened. He didn’t mean to project evil onto the woman; perhaps she’d never dream of doing something like that. But the point was that she could and Lamar knew better than to fire a vampire up.
Calm down, love. We can talk about this later but it’s improper for you to behave this way. He sent a mental message towards Lamar, though it was probably obvious since it took a great deal of concentration to do so, which always resulted in a blank facial expression.
“That sounds wonder-” Emil began, but his attention was cut short when Lamar pressed the ‘close door’ buttons, leaving the three of them alone in the elevator once more. Emil knew what was going to happen and tried not to express his disgust on his face.
“Yeah, I think you can definitely not come with us. Stanislas might let you walk all over him but I’m not going to let you do that. So leave.” His gaze drew from the vampire to the door as if he seriously expected a vampire, years older than Emil was even, to listen to his directions, an Earth nymph of a measly 25-years old with a bit of magic and no real life experience.
“Lamar…please,” Emil hissed under his breath. Lamar’s finger was still hot on the close button, preventing the doors from opening.
“No. I came here with you and I am not going to have drinks with her.” Lamar insisted. He was being stubborn and Emil didn’t know what to do. He, unfortunately, rarely said no to people and he couldn’t outwardly argue with Lamar. But what if it was to save his skin? He had to hope that Lisa-Joe could overlook the crass behavior.
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Lisa-Joe was annoyed beyond words. Who the fuck did this little piece of shit think he was. If not for Emil, the damn fairy would've been blood on the carpet. Instead she tried diplomacy. Diplomacy for Lisa-Joe meant using supernatural speed to push the jam button on the elevator doors and then in a blur grab the man's arm and twist it behind his back. She pulled, not so hard as to dislocate it or break it, but hard enough to cause pain.
"Let's be clear," she started. "I can and probably will break your arm. But before I do, let me ask you a simple question. What the fuck kind of problem do you have with me?"
She ignored any pleas from Emil. She liked him, but she would not be disrespected by some second rate supernatural.
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Lamar let out a gasp when the older vampire pulled his arm into a tight grip. He clenched his teeth, refusing to scream out in pain so that he could hang onto his dignity. After a pause,
“Yeah, break my arm, that’ll just prove my point.” He spoke in a raspy voice, still defiant, still showing no signs of apologizing.
“You’re the one who has a problem. Look at you!” Lamar finished, deciding not to try to squirm out of the woman’s grip. He knew she was probably too strong and that by moving he might break his own arm.
Emil, meanwhile, had a facial expression full of horror. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t let Lisa-Joe break Lamar’s arm but he didn’t want to argue with her and insinuate that she didn’t have a right to and cause a conflict.
“Ms. Hampton, please; if anyone’s arm is to be broken it’s mine. I am responsible for Lamar and therefore I’ll take any repercussions of his actions fully,” Emil spoke up. He decided that it was the appropriate answer. It couldn’t possibly infuriate Lisa-Joe, and even if it meant a broken arm, it was better his arm than Lamar. He could heal wounds faster. Emil pictured weeks of agony if not months for Lamar and he wouldn’t let that happen if he could prevent it.
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Lisa-Joe looked at Emil and decided not to torture his little friend. She let of his arm and backed away. She was angry, but not at this snot nosed little urchin. Her actions were merited in her mind, but only by vampire standards and as she was trying to live her life with human morality she had gone a bit too far. She didn't undo the door block though. This was not over, even if the torture part was.
"Your point is all I want to hear," she said. "Yet, thats the only thing you can't seem to say. I'd say you don't like vampires but your present company says otherwise. Is it because I have red hair, maybe it's because you don't like women dressed in black."
She was teasing him, but her face stayed as cold as stone. She wanted an answer as to what his problem with her was, and nobody was leaving until she got one.
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“Thank you, Ms. Hampton,” Emil spoke, but decided to say nothing more. It was clear Lisa-Joe’s focus was still on Lamar and he realized there was little he could do about that. It would be rather rude to try to interrupt and he didn’t think that he could will him to do so even if Lamar was once again physically threatened. His aversion to conflict was great. Anything he could do to end this conflict, he would. He prayed that Lamar would end it now. Didn’t he understand what this vampire could do to him?
Lamar, she is older than I am and I’m afraid there’s not a thing I can do if you further enrage her. I beg of you to stop, Lamar. Apologize and stop this now.
He tried again to mentally communicate with the Earth Nymph, who showed no signs that he was listening to his companion’s pleas.
Instead Lamar was staring at Lisa-Joe with an annoyed look.
“Maybe if you didn’t manipulate Stanislas into implying Magnolia was a prostitute I would be just fine, Ms. Hampton. So yeah, I’d rather you not have drinks with us, because who knows what you’ll ask him to do next. Are you going to tell him to break my arm for you?” Once more Lamar spoke her name laced with venom.
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Lisa-Joe laughed out loud. This was so pathetic is was cute. Lisa-Joe didn't have the slightest idea who Magnolia was. She met dozens of people every night and she was sure this - Magnolia - was one of them. Then she looked at Emil and remembered. It was the girl she'd saved at The White Rabbit. She was being taken home buy a guy who would have hurt her. She'd read the guy's mind. It was all coming back. This little prick was deliciously self righteous.
"Sorry I saved little Magnolia's life you fucking moron," she laughed. "Oh please, you are so lucky that I actually like your friend or I would beat you simply because you're annoying. Tell Magnolia to try not to go home with rapists and maybe I won't ask Emil to protect her."
She turned to Emil now, Lamar was almost a memory. "If you had a problem with how things went that night, you should have told me and not stayed for a bit of convo after." Her tone to Emil was not harsh, but a little hurt. Had he spoken bad about Lisa-Joe to this idiot? "I saved your friends life, whether either of you see that is irrelevant."
She undid the door lock. "And one more thing Lamar I didn't make Emil do shit. He has plenty of free will. Anybody who blames other people for their actions is well, human. So as far as I'm concerned you're both banned from my bar. So apologize or fuck off."
She walked through the doors, suddenly not feeling like a drink. If Emil reached out to her she would stop and talk. She did like him, and hated being such a bitch. However, if he was talking badly enough about her that Lamar would remember her name months after the fact maybe Emil was not a good guy after all. If Lamar insulted her she might actually hurt him physically, but she was pissed and getting away from the situation seemed like the best idea to her.
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Listening to the words, Emil felt like he’d shrunk several sizes. He was small and weak in comparison to the older vampire and he was well aware of that fact. Lamar shouldn’t have said the things he had said and now that he had done such and made Lisa-Joe upset, it was his duty to do damage control on the situation.
As soon as the older vampire had shut her mouth, Lamar was prepared to open his and say some more choice words. Emil prevented this by smacking him square across the face with enough force to leave a red mark. He looked at the Earth Nymph with serious eyes. It was the only way he knew to shut Lamar up. Later he’d apologize, surely, for he wasn’t really as mad as he was upset with Lamar and his recklessness. But for now he needed Lamar to stay out of the way while he attempted to get back in Lisa-Joe’s good graces.
Lamar stood in the elevator, touching the side of his face. He was shocked at the stinging and throbbing. Emil had never been physically violent with him and this was shocking enough to keep him in the elevator, dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Emil traced Lisa-Joe’s footsteps. He’d attempt to engage her but would back down if she showed any signs of disinterest. He didn’t want to overstep his bounds and some conflicts would never be resolved.
“Ms. Hampton, please. I’d like to have a word with you alone if it’s something you’d be willing to grant me.”
He was trying to be as humble as he could in his demand. Emil didn’t think Lisa-Joe owed him anything and if she flat refused he would completely understand.
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Lisa-Joe stopped and slowly turned around. Her face was a mixed expression of anger and sadness and after all she'd been through tonight she was on the verge of tears. However, Emil had proved a nice enough person to come after her. Maybe some peaceful resolution could be pulled out of this.
"I want to kill your friend," she suddenly blurted. "He is alive only because I like you. It is hard for a vampire as old as I am to control the beast. Humanity is something I must constantly work at."
A single blood tear streamed down her check. She reached into her clutch and pulled out tissues and wiped. She was embarrassed, and now even more so that Emil was seeing her cry.
"What did you have mind?"
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It was hard to listen someone admit that they wanted to kill a good friend of his. It evoked all sorts of emotions inside of the vampire, but he nodded his head, trying to acknowledge and understand the woman’s feelings. When she spoke further he could understand how the statement didn’t exactly imply that Lisa-Joe was a horrible monster for desiring such things. Everyone reacted differently to immortality and it was simply in the older vampire’s nature to react with fire.
Naturally, he wanted to hug Lisa-Joe and assure her everything would be alright. Especially as soon as he saw the tear the urge to touch her grew- he needed to comfort her. Emil raised his hand as if he were to reach out and touch her but stopped himself last minute. It wouldn’t be appropriate, he decided.
“Whatever you’d like, Ms. Hampton. I don’t want this encounter to be a dastardly one and there’s much I feel I need to explain. If you’ll grant me this, we can go anywhere you want, I’ll be sure to pay any accommodations necessary. Please.”
He gave a hopeful look that held a tinge of concern. He didn't like to see others upset and if there was anything he could do to remedy the pain he'd caused, it would be done.
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She regained her composure a bit, but was disappointed when Emil didn't touch her. She wanted him to. It was strange for her to feel that. Men had always been problems in her life, but she wanted Emil to hug her more than anything. When he stopped last second, it snapped a little bite back into the Brujah.
"Let's just go to the hotel bar," she suggested. Blood was discreetly served if her memory was right. "And if I recall I already offered to buy you a drink and it's the least I can do for threatening to kill your friend, however rude he may have been."
She tried to smile and placed the bloodstained tissue in her purse incase a mortal should walk bye. She stuck out her hand for Emil to take it. If he didn't she'd reach into her purse and grab lipstick to play it off.
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He was surprised at how quickly Lisa-Joe pulled herself together, though he decided he shouldn’t have been. She was quite the lady, offering to buy him a drink after one of his dear friends had sincerely insulted and embarrassed her only a few moments ago. Although Emil liked to think he hadn’t yet to develop an ego characteristic of an aged vampire, he was certain that Lisa-Joe was old enough to have one.
Upon being offered her hand, Emil accepted it, bringing it up to his lips and giving a dry, formal kiss. His mind was a bit apprehensive about doing so because he knew the way that some vampires were about that, but he rationalized, since it had been a gesture of respect and humility it would be accepted.
He didn’t drop the hand afterwards, holding it delicately.
“Certainly, Ms. Hampton. Right this way,” He spoke as he led the woman into the bar area, which wasn’t too far away. Once there he paused, gesturing to one of tables and looking to Lisa-Joe for he approval. He thought a table would be much more private than sitting at the bar and perhaps a bit more comfortable, but ultimately it was her choice.
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Lisa-Joe sat at the table indicated by Emil. She looked around the room, wishing it was darker. She waited for Emil to sit, observing him as he did. She was unsure what he was going to say. He was most likely going to apologize for his idiot friend Lamar. This would suit her fine, but Lisa-Joe wanted something more from him. She didn't know what it was, but now that she had him she was not inclined to let him go without getting whatever it was.
"Should we order drinks first," she asked, indicating a looking waiter.
It was just a suggestion and if Emil chose to proceed with thier dialogue and forgo the drink Lisa-Joe would not object.
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Emil interpreted the question as less of a question and more of a gentle order. He nodded his head.
“Of course.”
Raising his hand, he flicked his wrist gently a couple of times to casually call over a server. A young waiter approached them with bright blue eyes and a wide smile.
“What can I get the two of you?”
Emil gave a quick glance from the waiter to Lisa-Joe and then back to the waiter.
“Can we get two of your special drinks, sir?” Emil replied, smiling back. He wanted to ask the waiter how he was and make some casual chit-chat as he was regularly a rather chatty person, but for Lisa-Joe’s sake he held back and left the conversation formal.
“Absolutely. Will that be all?” The waiter asked. Emil tipped his head yes, trying to make the exchange as minimal as possible.
Once the server had left, Emil turned his gaze back to Lisa-Joe. He still didn’t know what speaking terms they were on and thought it would be best to let the woman lead.
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Lisa-Joe felt an awkward silence envelop them. She had expected Emil to start speaking, but when he hadn't she'd just sort of sat there. Luckily, the bar was quick with the drinks and a full, hot wine glass was placed before her with substance. She sipped and found the blood pleasing, but not overly so. She preferred hotter blood. She decided enough silence was enough and asked the only thing she could think off.
"Is he your boyfriend?" Her tone was not accusatory, it was more matter of fact. She leaned back in her chair and kept a peaceful sort of eye contact as she waited for an answer.
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Emil politely sipped from his own wine glass, completely uninterested in it, as he’d already fed earlier, but trying not to show that. It had been what Lisa-Joe wanted and he was trying hard not to mess any of the social cues up.
His eyes widened a bit when he was asked if Lamar, of all people, was his boyfriend. It hadn’t been the first time the question had been asked and he wondered what impression they left with others for it to be such a comment query.
“Oh, no! We’re just very good friends.” Emil explained with an emphasis on very, but he wasn’t sure how to explain the emphasis exactly. He fiddled with his hands for a moment, deciding it was best not to waste Lisa-Joe’s time by attempting to do so.
“Be that as it may, I feel terribly responsible for what happened tonight, Ms. Hampton. I do want to explain, if that’s something you’d want to hear.” He was still tip-toeing around it, trying to make sure 100% that Lisa-Joe would even be interested in an apology or explanation of sorts. Perhaps she would be insulted by such a thing, but Emil’s make-good nature was kicking in and it was what he needed right now.
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She'd only asked the question because she wanted to end the silence but when the emphasis was but on "very" it made her wonder what sort of friends they were. Still, if he wasn't going in to details she was not going to ask. Things were strange enough without her picking at Emil's personal life. It didn't really matter who he was to Emil, just that Lamar mattered to him. Lisa-Joe felt guilty for making Emil so obviously nervous. She decided it would be best to try and admit some fault so that Emil would stop blaming himself.
"Oh, I shouldn't have lost my temper," she said averting her gaze. She was still a bit embarrassed. "If it will make you feel better to explain it to me then I'm all ears."
She gave him a reassuring wink. It was the best she could muster but she knew it looked a lot less smooth than her normal gestures.
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He didn’t know if he should try to argue with Lisa-Joe on her last point or not. If she was saying it just for him to refute it he had obviously failed that test, as he decided it was better not to question Lisa-Joe’s judgment. If she thought she had lost her temper, then certainly she must have been correct. Who knew Lisa-Joe better than Lisa-Joe herself?
The younger vampire gave a faint, nervous smile in reaction to the wink. He made sure he had some sort of eye contact with the woman before he began the big ‘explanation’.
“Contrary to how it seems, I never spoke ill of you to Lamar or anyone else. After that night, Maggie decided she’d rather not have my friendship. I couldn’t think of a way to explain my behavior to her and I certainly couldn’t tell her the truth- she isn’t aware of our kind.”
He paused to allow the information to sink in before continuing.
“Lamar and I share the same circle of human friends. They were understandably upset with me and Lamar demanded I tell him why I had treated Maggie in such a way. I explained what had happened the best that I could. Some rather unpleasant social happenings occurred to both of us afterward and I think he misguided his anger towards you. Lamar doesn’t quite understand our culture and if he did I’m certain he wouldn’t have lashed out at you like that.”
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Lisa-Joe sat back listening. She absorbed the information and decided that it all made sense. The only thing that still burned her was that Lamar felt inclined to pass judgement on her. She didn't care for that, and wondered if Emil was the source of his scorn. Lisa-Joe knew to an extent that Emil respected her because of her age, but she wanted straight and truthful answers.
"Did you think my approach that night was incorrect," she asked. She did not elaborate. She wanted a truthful answer.
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Emil was starting to feel the heat. What was that saying- if you can’t take the heat stay out of the kitchen? Unfortunately he’d had no choice in the matter; Lamar had dragged him right into the oven, head first.
“I don’t think it’s my place to pass that sort of judgment, Ms. Hampton.”
He glanced to the table, uncomfortably folding his hands and clearing his throat. He didn’t want to voice his opinion and upset Lisa-Joe. Even though part of it was self-preservation, the other aspect was mere personality. Above all things, Emil quite disliked conflict.
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Lisa-Joe raised an eyebrow. Emil was avoiding conflict. She didn't like that.
"But I do think it's your place, because I asked you," she commented, her tone still somewhat safe. She was not as angry as she'd been. However, Emil was not getting out of this without a straight answer. Her gaze was serious and she took a sip of blood as she waited for an answer.
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He let out a sigh. Lisa-Joe wasn’t going to let him get out of this and he was now thinking of the best way to phrase what he thought without lying but without offending. He looked back up at the woman, respectfully giving eye contact and quitting his fidgeting.
“I wouldn’t have done what you did.” He admitted, biting the bottom of his lip with apprehension.
“But that doesn’t mean what you did was wrong, persay….it only means we don’t think identically.” He added, just to smooth the waters.
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Lisa-Joe smiled. She liked his honesty. It was refreshing and in a strange way empowering. Most younger vampires would never have disagreed with her, even if she'd encouraged them to. Emil was brave to some extent. She didn't like his justification of what she'd done though. It seemed like backtracking and covering his earlier statement. She was alright with it though. It had still taken guts.
"Thank you for the honesty," she said. She let that sit before going on, making sure Emil had a chance to hear it, process it and relax.
"Did you tell Lamar what you just told me," her next question came out a bit harsher than the previous one. It wasn't Emil, it was the thought of that moron Lamar. She hated him still.
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Smiles meant different things depending on the circumstances. Lisa-Joe could have given the gesture for any number of reasons; thus, Emil started his own decoding. When she didn’t bite his head off he eased, but not completely. He decided it would be wise not to let his guard down until this whole matter was complete and it seemed Lisa-Joe still had more that she wanted to ask. She didn’t sound particularly pleasant this time and he prevented himself from flinching from the strong emotions; it felt like wall slamming against his face.
“In more or less words, yes.” Emil replied delicately. Lamar had wanted to know why he behaved in such a way and he’d explained that it was wise to do what an older vampire asked of him. He realized now he’d not expanded enough and that the fae had come off with the impression that somehow Lisa-Joe had taken advantage when really he’d simply gone along with things in order to avoid unnecessary conflict.
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"You're friends bravery and loyalty enters into the realm of stupidity," Lisa-Joe said in direct response. "I'm not saying this to be a bitch. I'm just pointing out that had he said what he said to me to an ancient or to certain types of demons he'd probably be dead or injured."
She leaned in close to Emil, smiling wider now that he was speaking truthfully. "I'll be honest, I'm mad at you for telling Lamar first and not confronting me. If you had, this whole misunderstanding could have been avoided."
Calling it a misunderstanding was a very old south way of looking at what had just happened. She knew Emil would appreciate the language. In her mind, he was big on presentation and language. She sat further back, awaiting a response. Her tone was more forgiving than the last, but not exactly friendly, not yet.
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Emil very well knew that Lisa-Joe could have killed Lamar and there would have been no problems in the supernatural community. Things such as that happened all of the time and Lamar really did need to be properly educated on how he was supposed to conduct himself when in the presence of others that weren’t of his kind. Emil rationalized he probably didn’t know exactly how old Lisa-Joe was, but he couldn’t even rationalize that to be perfectly honest. He recalled how the Fae had ignored his mental warning and could indeed agree with Lisa-Joe’s statement.
But now where were they? Lisa-Joe would have preferred him to discuss the qualms he had with her but the notion of it made him want to grind his teeth. He’d been taught in a particular way; you simply didn’t attempt to argue or discuss things with those that were older than you. Lisa was proposing a new way of doing things that Emil interpreted as being entirely deadly to his survival.
“Why, it’s certainly understandable why you’re upset with me, Ms. Hampton. I can see how my actions would cause a sore spot and why you might want me to come to you with my qualms firstly before I discuss them with anyone else.”
All he was doing was mirroring what Lisa-Joe had said to him. It was a tactic of communication but also of avoidance.
“I didn’t want for this and I apologize sincerely for how this has all unfolded.” But he didn’t agree that next time he would confront her about the issue nor that he had necessarily been wrong.
-
Lisa-Joe was no fool, despite not being the smartest vampire around. She noticed that Emil simply repeated what he said, and it made her wonder why? Was he afraid of further offending her? Surely custom only went so far, even with a gentlemen like Emil. Was it fear that she'd retaliate? As those and other various scenarios entered her head, she chewed on her lip and stared intently at Emil; she made sure to take care when picking her next set of words.
"Are you afraid of me Emil," she asked. She tried to keep the toe inquisitive and free of both judgement and pressure.
-
There was no sense in lying now. Lisa-Joe would be able to detect it and he didn’t really see the need. Of course he was frightened by the notion that he may have inadvertently pissed off an older vampire!
Leaning in a bit over the table, he spoke lowly,
“I think that at times like these, it’s wise to maintain a healthy level of fear.”
Indeed, he could keep himself up all day hours thinking up the horrific things that an older vampire like Lisa-Joe could do if he managed to rub her the wrong way. He was well aware that his immortality only stretched as far as his ability to schmooze did.
-
Lisa-Joe didn't know whether to smile or frown at Emil's comment. On the one hand, he answered her question. That was a good thing. However, he'd admitted that he feared her. This was something she did not like in the least. She decided to try and defuse the situation. It occurred to her just then how things must look, with her being so quick to break an arm and considerably older than Emil.
"Don't fear me ever," she said sincerely. "You are a fellow kindred. I would not hurt such a polite, thoughtful gentlemen, even if he did anger me or disagreed with me."
She meant every word, and felt sheepish and exposed by Emil's fear, and suddenly felt she needed a shaw to cover her horribly visible anger streak.
-
Emil wasn’t sure if he could promise he wouldn’t fear Lisa-Joe from time to time. Such emotions were only natural given his position. But he responded with a brilliant open-mouth smile, breaking free of his previously rigidly controlled facial expressions.
“I’m relieved to hear that, Ms. Hampton. I truly believe that worry is a waste of imagination.”
He picked up his glass and raised it towards the woman.
“Shall we toast?” He asked, tapping the side of the drink.
“To friendship. A friend is someone who knows us but loves us anyway.”
-
Lisa-Joe did not respond verbally but picked up her glass and clicked Emil's. She smiled wide with bright eyes, and then gave him her signature wink before sipping her blood. She was starting to enjoy herself. She put the glass on the table and folded her hands in front of her. Her mood was one of pleased relaxation.
"That was a lovely toast," she said. "You're a poet of sorts I think."
She was only half serious about him being a poet, however she thought Emil might take it literally and she thought that there was no harm in Emil thinking positively of himself.
-
He sipped alongside Lisa-Joe and grinned at her words. Had he been able to he might have blushed, but the more years went on the harder it was to display such subtle social gestures. He supposed it went hand in hand with the inability to cry most times.
“No,” Emil denied the accusation with modesty. “I can’t take credit for that. I may have a great memory but the words aren’t my own; a priest spoke them, Father Jerome Cummings.”
He allowed his smile to fade and thus folded his hands in his lap.
“I didn’t intend to take up your entire evening, Ms. Hampton. I believe that all I had to say has been said.”
He didn’t mean to dismiss her; instead his only intentions were to indicate that it wouldn’t be socially unacceptable for them to part ways now that their conflict had been seemingly resolved.
-
Lisa-Joe nodded. Yes, she too was eager to do other things. There was just one other point of discourse that needed to be addressed.
"One more thing. What does this mean for you and me? Where do we go from here?"
She stayed sitting to imply she wasn't moving until he told her something, even if it was he preferred not to see her anymore. She just wanted to know where she stood in his eyes and what his hope for a future relationship would be.
-
He wasn’t sure why he was being given all of the deciding power here. Maybe he wasn’t, though. Perhaps Lisa-Joe just wanted to hear his thoughts before she decided ultimately what would happen now.
“Well first off,” Emil said with a half-grin, “Am I still banned from The White Rabbit?”
He was expecting she’d say no, hence the amusement of the question. Things were going smoothly so he predicted they would end on a positive note now.
-
She chuckled, adjusting her dress as she spoke. All was forgiven.
"No you're not banned. Come visit me anytime," she raised her glass to him. "But do me a tiny favor and leave Lamar at home until he's ready to play nice with me."
She said it with a light inflection, but she knew Emil would know she was not kidding or joking about that last part.
-
He grinned when she laughed and shook his head along the suggestion that he not bring Lamar. That nymph had no idea how much deep shit he was going to be in once they both arrived home this evening. Lamar was young and a part of Emil didn’t want to hold him responsible for his actions, but for as long as they had known each other and as much advice Emil had given the man there was simply no excuse for his behavior.
“Well, I think that settles it then.”
He began to stand, straightening his tuxedo.
“I think I must be off now. But remember, Ms. Hampton: never look back unless you’re planning to go that way.”
He gave her a wink, hopefully one that wouldn’t be interpreted as cheesy but rather as playful, and dismissed himself. Now it was time to find Lamar and give him a piece of his mind.
-
Lisa-Joe nodded goodbye to Emil as he said his parting words. Once he was away she finished her own glass of blood, (and what Emil had left) paid the waiter and got her things together. She checked her makeup with a compact from her clutch. After reapplying, she left the Warwick and headed home. The White Rabbit was still jumping when she arrived, but she ignored it all. She simply went downstairs and laid in bed, undressing first and washing the now pointless makeup off her face. She slid into a silk night gown and removed her jewels before going to bed. She closed her eyes but could not shake the vision of pulling Lamar's arm behind his back. She had proven her violent tendencies were not behind her.
She was glad Emil had been there to stop her and to reason with her. Otherwise Lamar would have been dead. Then there was the question of her assassin. Who would want Lisa-Joe dead? More importantly why would someone want to kill her? She pondered this as the stress of the day pulled her into a dream filled slumber. The vision of Emil sitting across from her, so calm and so sweet filled her mind. It was then she realized something. She liked him a bit more than just a friend.
/End