Movie Night

[The Cedar Witch]

For Billy

It was weird being out at night without Damien, especially for recreational activities.  Nowhere near as weird as being out with a District Leader for a movie night, but that was beside the point.   At first when she’d impulsively gotten his number out of Damien’s phone to text him, Rachel didn’t expect a reply, much less for Jake to agree.  Sure, the markedly more formal text he gave in response wasn’t quite the feel she was going for, but it wasn’t enough to be a deterrent.  Jake was much better in person, especially one-on-one, and she knew it was going to be a blast.

She had read a critique for an artsy foreign horror-thriller film being screened at the Bojangles Cineplex that initially she wanted to see with Damien but hadn’t gotten around to telling him about just yet.  When she told Damien what she’d planned and asked for a ride to the Rabbit, she took a bit of pleasure in his surprised reaction.

They both knew she needed to get out of the house, do something with someone besides Damien, especially with the bodyguard thing still unresolved.  To say she’d been a bit stir-crazy was an understatement.

An ominous soundtrack played as the credits rolled, and Rachel squinted against the slowly lifting house lights. 

Grinning, she turned to Jake.  “I fucking loved that, I can’t believe they left it open like that with her just leaving.”

[Black Philip]

The request for some time from Rachel had come as a surprise to the leader formally known as the Black Prince, but it was a welcome address, and one he accepted almost instantly. Between the campaign, running the district, and his many other duties, Jake hadn't had a proper night off in weeks. His dates with Lan Bao (because it had honestly felt like a date by the end) and Arik hadn't counted, as both of them had some big goal in mind. This suggested hangout seemed like just fun, and Jake reflected he didn't have any human friends. All the humans he knew were clients of the White Rabbit or worked for him in some way. Rachel had been such a joy when they first met, and so Jake was eager to flesh out their relationship. Damien hadn't called to object, and so Jake figured he was alright with Rachel being out of the house without a proper body guard. Jake could, and would, serve as that function tonight.

He'd sworn off wearing black, but couldn't resist a new cashmere sweater that Lisa-Joe had bought him. It felt too big, and certainty ate up his small frame. However, he liked how tight his white jeans were in contrast to the loose black sweater. He'd felt awkward upon first seeing Rach again, her exuberance and lust for adventure dwarfing his own. He wondered if she'd regret wanting to spend time with him, like he wasn't cool enough for her, but the more he seemed to trip over his words or pause in silence, the more she seemed to be enjoying herself. Humans were perplexing, but forgiving creatures, much more so than Kindred.

By the time the movie let out, Jake had forgotten all about his anxiety, and had relaxed into something far more social.

"I know," he said, sounding like the intense District Leader he was reported to be. "I think she was the killer all along personally. I think they dropped hints."

Jake had enjoyed the film, finding humans take on horror to be a pallet cleanser for the very real monsters of the night. He didn't get up right away. The crowd of loud movie goers began to shuffle out, their voices bugging the Anarch in a way the loud movie sounds hadn't.

"Let's wait so we don't get herded like cattle," he suggested, ranting off a few more theories about the flick. Once most people had risen, Jake turned to Rachel and said, "what do you want to do now? The night is young!"

He smiled mischievously. He wasn't ready to see Rachel go. They'd barley gotten to talk during the actual movie. Jake hoped to change that.

[The Cedar Witch]

Somehow during the course of their conversation, Rachel had perched on the back of the chair just in front of Jake.  As she spoke with enthusiasm about possible alternate endings and complex takes on ambiguous plot points, her feet kicked gently back and forth.  The ease that she found herself in was surprising, but she didn't question it.

"Well," she mirrored his mischevious grin with ease, "You know I don't get out much-" she huffed a cynical laugh.  House arrest.  She really didn't want to get caught up in moping about it, but it was a real fuckin' drag.  "So, like, I don't really know what's around, not like you do anyway."  Blood colored her cheeks slightly.

"Lobby seemed a bit boring,"  not that this was a proper movie theater with all the games and photo-booths and stuff you'd expect, but that would have been cute as fuck.  She couldn't help but grin wider at the thought of going home with a strip of goofy photos to show Damien.  Maybe next time.  Or!  Maybe she would convince him to take a selfie with her by the end of the night. 

Alright, new goal.  Besides Operation: Defrost the Prince.

"There a mall or something nearby?  I'd love to grab a bite sometime tonight before I have to go back home."  She paused, then added hurriedly "If you don't mind, I mean."

[Black Philip]

She wanted to keep hanging out. Jake was strangely relieved. It was proof his awkward behavior hadn't put her off. He smiled in thanks, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, in a brotherly fashion, and led her out towards the waiting car service; he even opened the door for her. Jake found himself also enjoying the bodyguard part of the hangout, eyes darting into blind spots, and mental abilities searching for the auras of others. He didn't have the sight like some vampires did, but he could sense powerful minds. If any came near, Jake would likely know.

He wasn't that concerned though. He was beginning to think this Laurent had left town, and that Damien's protective nature wasn't as needed. He hated the idea that Rachel had to spend more time at home than was strictly needed, and so when she asked if could hang out longer, he quickly replied, "I'd love to. It's a choice between more fun and the work at home."

Once they were inside, Jake instructed that the driver should head for the mall located in the east district. Jake didn't go to malls. His shopping was mostly online, or he had people to do that for him. A combination of being rich and busy seldom left time for errands, and Jake had never really considered the mall was a place for pleasure. He was intrigued. The pair of them continued dissecting the film, Jake finding an intelligence within Rachel he hadn't noticed before. It wasn't that he thought she lacked it before, he'd just never seen her in a intellectual situation. He disagreed with almost all her theories, but liked how she constructed the various arguments.

After about ten minutes, that topic ran out of steam. Jake looked out his tinted window, the darkened glass obscuring nothing to his vampire eyes. "Okay, can I ask you a question about the election? I know that must seem weird, you not living in my district, but I want a human in the know's opinion."

He looked sheepish again, the last time he'd been this nervous around her being the day he'd gone to Damien and her house.

[The Cedar Witch]

Accustomed to how reserved Damien typically was, she continued to delight in the ease of friendly affection between them.  As she hooked her arm behind him to return the gesture, her mind wandered to Quinn with a pang of regret for not inviting him along.  But that wasn't the point of this outing, and she suspected it would be a bit weird for the three of them to hang out.  With Quinn working at the White Rabbit and all. 

Besides, she'd see him Thursday when he came over.

Rachel grinned at Jake's choice of fun over work, a much easier battle than convincing Damien to play hooky when there were things to be done.  She noted the direction given to the driver, filing the location away for later in case she wanted to return.  It was frustrating not having a working mental-map of the place she lived in, knowing only the parts that Damien took her.  That wasn't something she wanted to think about now, and turned back to chatting about the film.

It wasn't until the conversation ran dry that uncertainty crept into her mind.  God, how long was I rambling?  Hopefully she hadn't been a complete bore.  It was hard to tell with new people - she wasn't as familiar with Jake's facial expressions and body language but that would change over time the longer they were friends. 

Friends.  Maybe she was getting ahead of herself.

His question elicited a playful eye roll.  "I guess so," but her smile plainly read Of course.  "Whaddya' wanna know?"  While she was used to Damien bouncing things off of her, it was weird for some reason that Jake would be interested in her thoughts about the election.  That wasn't to say that it didn't pique her interest.

[Black Philip]

Jake was pleased Rachel was willing to talk a little politics, although he'd promised Lisa-Joe he would relax tonight and not think about the election. However, Rachel had a perspective that was crucial, and important, and so Jake was willing to break the rule for a bit of the car ride over. They could gossip at the mall plenty.

"Humans. Humans in the know, I'm unsure what to do about them in the modern era. On the one hand, I feel far too many people already know about us, vampires and the lot. I really do think the world's of mortal people and supernaturals are meant to be separate. When things get too meshed, historically I mean, it goes bad. Either we try and rule your lot, or your lot tries to kill us all in the name of god and survival. It's... difficult."

He felt he was rambling, but wasn't sure how much Damien had ever told her about vampire history.

"But this is also the age of social media, and I'm starting to feel like I'm going against the tide. My question is, as a human in the know, how would you want to be included in governments like mine, and should we risk telling more people about us, or go with history and try to keep ourselves secret? I'm asking you because you're a human who deals with us on an everyday basis. How do you want to be counted?"

He'd thought about how to ask this earlier, and really hoped he hadn't offended Rachel by pointing out she was a mere mortal. On the contrary to offending, it was exactly why he wanted her two cents.

[The Cedar Witch]

Her face wrinkled as a thoughtful expression quickly replaced her playful demeanor.  "Oh," it was an unexpected question (well questions) with a lot more weight than she had anticipated.  And he was interested in her opinion?  She exhaled slowly through her nose and crossed her arms over her chest.

It was intimidating.  "Huh.  Let me think for a sec."  As much as she hated not being able to just fire back an answer, she wanted to take her time and be thoughtful.  She didn't know much outside of the world of vampires, and demons but to a much lesser extent.  Supernaturals with human pasts were easier to understand, their motives informed by their human lives.  Some people are assholes, and jacked up with power just made them bigger assholes.  Her introduction into the realm of the supernatural was unquestionably the worst thing that happened to her, and if she had the choice to avoid it she would've.  Well, no, that was a complicated issue.  Had she not been captured, she never would've met Damien - she definitely didn't regret that.  But it was needless suffering at the core of it, at the hands of a monster, and it forever changed her life for the worse. 

Then there were the human hunters who wiped out Damien's entire bloodline, almost very nearly including Pierre and himself.  She didn't have many details about that - it wasn't exactly a pleasant topic of conversation for them - but what she did know was more than enough.  Humans could be just as cruel toward what they didn't understand. 

Did knowing make much of a difference?  It looked like mess no matter what.

A frown on her face, she inhaled slowly.

"I don't think I can decide what is best, there's just too much out there that I don't even understand."  Like fae, and magic and stuff.  "On the one hand, if you try to keep shit secret, that limits your exposure to horrible people that want to exterminate you.  The internet isn't a beacon of truth shining into the shadows - people manipulate photos all the time, and like, technology is getting better and better for that kind of thing.  People say whatever the fuck they want to say online, pretending to be completely different people, saying shit that's completely false with absolutely nothing to back it up.  Super easy for hive-mind to develop and like, a bunch of people blindly following what some popular blogger says just because they've got a million subscribers-"  She stopped, suddenly becoming aware of the fact that she'd been speaking for a solid chunk of time.

"Uh, sorry, I guess what I'm trying to say is, Social Media doesn't necessarily make it any harder to keep shit on the down-low.  Not if you know your way around how people are using it.  Someone posts a video of something happening, all you need are a dozen commenters pointing out supposed-details that "prove" how the thing is fake."  She paused, eyes glancing toward the ceiling of the car, "Or, like, you just have to plant staff into the popular platforms to control censoring.  Oh - or like, hacking their systems, obviously."

Fuck, I'm doing it again.  She gnawed on her lower lip and glanced at Jake before continuing. 

"On the other hand,"  Okay, wrap this up.  Stop fucking rambling.  "Integrating the two worlds is better for the long term if you wanna live peacefully, 'cuz a secret is safe only so long as its kept.  But that's hard as fuck because not everyone's gonna get along, people don't like change, and making sure everyone is safe during the transition would take a fuck ton of resources."  She huffed a laugh through her nose, "But then again, so doesn't damage control when you're trying to keep it secret." 

Another sigh.

"I'm not sure if that answered your question - how do I want to be counted?  I don't know."  Rachel offered him an apologetic smile, cheeks burning and heart hammering.  Need to stop acting like an excited fucking puppy every time I leave the house.  She fidgeted in her seat and glanced out the window.

[Black Philip]

Jake listened intently as Rachel thoughtfully - and thoroughly - answered his question. It wasn't a clear cut answer, one that he could devise a direct action from, and the politician found that frustrating. It was not frustration at Rachel, for she was highlighting the complexity of the issue. Even as a human with only choice exposure to the supernatural, she'd touched on a few important points. Damien clearly saw more in her than just beauty and kindness. Jake did not approve of the meekness she showed, or the second guessing she engaged in. She had good answers, and yet seemed to cower from them. Was this the result of Laurent? Had he made her weaker?

Like Lazarus made me weaker...

Jake silenced the unhelpful thought as Rachel finished speaking, leaning forward and reaching for her hand.

"You've given me a lot to think about," he explained. "I think, perhaps, I should strive for a more middle ground. I just don't know what that is. I refuse to embrace the mayor, as my opponent has done publicly, but I think you're right that keeping the secret will eventually equal the resources needed to transition."

Jake seemed like he could easily get lost in these thoughts, contemplating this serious work matter. However, he'd engaged this night for fun, frivolity, and freedom from his political career. Now was not the time to go too deep.

"Thank you Rachel," he said, squeezing her hand gently. It would still feel like cold steel. "Now, and please don't laugh at me, what does one do at the mall for fun? Most of my fun involves... dancing, sex, drugs, nudity , blood, violence, and risk ... "extremes."

Jake tried to remember movies of kids going to the mall. "Are we going to take pictures in a photo booth?"

Smooth Jake, real smooth.

[The Cedar Witch]

If one thing was for certain, it was that she did not envy his position - having to make decisions like that, with that much weight, just sounded stressful.  Was he the sort of person to handle that sort of pressure?  She glanced inquisitively at him as he spoke as though she'd somehow find the answer in his face. 

Who would want to submit themselves to that sort of stress?

Somebody had to, yeah.  The fact that he'd taken it upon himself to be one of those people was admirable.  He didn't seem like the ambition-for-ambition's-sake type, no matter what the tabloids said.

She liked being right about some things, and appropriately basked in his praise, but her lack of knowledge - what mayor? - and the inability to give him a conclusive answer was frustrating.  Maybe a little embarrassing if she thought about it for too long.  Instead, she enjoyed the affectionate hand-holding, returning the squeeze with one of her own, completely unphased by the temperature difference and the lack of "give" in his flesh.  She was used to that now.

Rachel beamed wildly at the photobooth suggestion, taking extra care not to laugh because he'd asked her not to.  "Uh hell yes we are - it's a requirement, in fact."  Her heart rate noticeably rose with her excitement. 

"But uh, yeah, there's food - but you can't do that - uh, shopping, trying on clothes, sometimes there's arcades... Oh - people-watching,"  her mind raced with nostalgic feelings, high-school memories and her time with Quinn before the Bad Shit happened.  Memories that Jake wouldn't have since he didn't grow up human in America in this time period.  Would he be bored?  "When, uh, Quinn and I were living together when we were younger, we used to make up these people-watching games.  Like Bingo, kinda."  Did he know what Bingo was?  "Or try to spot the weirdest outfit.  Extra points for catching someone making a scene."  She giggled.

[Black Philip]

Jake listened as Rachel explained the available choices. Most of them sounded like fun. He almost asked if there was a bar, but he was always in bars, and knew it was his comfort zone. He needed to be outside of his comfort zone, and so letting Rachel pick the order of activities seemed the best course of action. The  ride didn't take long, traffic not too bad at this time of night. Jake ended up not giving up Rachel's hand, unless she tugged it away. It wasn't meant to imply anything more than he didn't mind her touching him. His thoughts drifted briefly to his day job, the rigors of campaigning becoming all consuming. He decided he'd turn off this particular spout when they reached the mall, putting his worries into a box and placed them upon a mental shelf.

Their driver went to park, and after briefly scanning the perimeter, Jake led them towards the mall's entrance. Jake could already smell the food court, that mix of sausage, fries, and other forms of sugar and grease being all consuming to vampire senses. It almost made him gag. He stopped short of entering and pulled out a pack of red apple cigarettes.

"Mind if I smoke one," he asked, keeping the lighter in his pocket for the moment. "I need to dull my sense of smell a little." Then Jake had an idea he knew Damien would not approve of. It made him need to ask it.

"If you want to bum one, I promise I won't tell. Just say you stood around me as I did. He'll never know."

Jake tempted her cutely, leaning in to his boyish looks and youthful demeanor. They looked like kids sneaking a cig behind the gym, and not at all like the complex figures they actually were. Those people had been left in the car. His mischievous grin, and twinkling eyes made him an angelic little devil, and he waved the cigarette around his fingers as he waited for her reply.

[The Cedar Witch]

"Yeah, that's totally fine.  Sorry, I didn't even think of it -"  She was going to say that they could head somewhere else if he preferred, but cut her own sentence short.  If Jake didn't want to be exposed to all the smells of the mall, he wouldn't have agreed to go.  Not that deep. 

Rachel scoffed and with an eye-roll she extended her hand for one.  "He's not my dad," her own mischevious smile pulled the corners of her mouth up, cheeks reddening despite her best attempts to stop them.  Not the time to think about kink jokes, Rache.  She cleared her throat. 

"Not like he forbids me from doing anything - he's not such a hardass."  She stuck out her tongue to curb the defensiveness reflexively filtering into her answer.  "I used to smoke socially, ya know."  And with coffee.  And after really good sex.  She let out a quick whistful sigh at the thought. 

[Black Philip]

Jake's mind wandered, his focus diffuse and his physical goals mechanical. As he searched his pockets for a lighter, he overheard the loud thoughts of his human companion, as if she'd spoken them aloud!

"Post sex smoking is the best smoking," Jake confirmed, pulling out a gold zippo and igniting the cancerous stick. He lit Rachel's too, using his hand to shield the flame from a crisp wind. Once both cherries were ignited, the pair puffed away. Jake liked that Rachel had said yes. It was always better to smoke as a pair. He returned the lighter to his pocket, and  reflected on Rachel's statement that Damien wasn't a hard ass. He disagreed, while at the same time hoping that he'd been wrong about Damien up to this point. What side of Damien did Rachel know that Jake didn't, and more importantly would Damien ever let him see it? Why did he want that? The thoughts began a spiral, but he blinked hard and turned his attention back to the world.

"He's got my best interests at heart. I know that," Jake said quietly. "I think he needs you, ya know, to chill out sometimes. Am I wrong?"

Jake looked nervous talking about Damien, but strangely just as young as the more tricky boy before.

[The Cedar Witch]

When Jake replied to her thought, Rachel started, then scowled playfully.  Another thing she'd gotten used to happening around Damien, but she always assumed it was because he was old as fuck.  Apparently it was just a vampire thing.

It had been a long time since her last cigarette, so her first puff gave her a coughing spell that she quickly acclimated too.  Her face reddened in embarrassment - she wasn't supposed to look like an amateur here, damnit!  When her lungs finally settled into the feeling, she relaxed her shoulders and closed her eyes.  They cracked open again when Jake brought Damien up. 

Rachel chuckled.  "Yeah, I'm working on that," she took another drag before continuing, countenance growing noticeably more serious.  "He's really protective, been through a lot of shit."  She exhaled through her nose, watching the smoke rise into the air above their heads.  How much did Jake know?  It wasn't really her place to disclose anything, so she wasn't about to offer any specific information.

"I know he can be a little..."  she paused and laughed, shaking her head, "Uh, stiff, I guess you could say."  Bad turn of phrase.  "But I swear he's not always like that."  She turned to Jake and offered a smile, pulling a delicate drag from the cigarette and flicking the ashes.

"He's actually really sweet, and funny."  A memory of a more recent giggle-session in bed brought a smile to her face.  "Just has a hard time lowering the super-serious walls for half a second." 

[Black Philip]

Jake turned his head to hide a smile as Rachel coughed through her first puff. It was so human. He never coughed anymore. The smoke was weaker than the steel, still lungs that it filtered through. He envied the buzz she might get. Cigarettes served other purposes for vampires; warmth, something to do with the hands, a way to look cool.

He flicked the butt, causing a healthy amount of ash to hit the concrete. Damien having a sweet side was something Jake was happy to hear. "I think I'm growing on him, like a rash."

He smiled playfully to reveal his joke. "Once we finish these where are we going first Ms. cruise director?"

He took another drag as he waited for her reply.

[The Cedar Witch]

Jake's comment caught her mid-drag and she sputtered ridiculously as she laughed.  It was only supposed to be a small laugh but the coughing made her seem as though she thought it was hilarious.  When she'd regained her composure she adjusted her hair with her free hand.

"Yeah, uh, he takes a minute to warm up to people I'd say."  She cleared her throat and took another quick drag. 

Ugh, that was right, she'd be leading this.  Where to go?  Rachel glanced around, debating, eyes following folks wandering in and out of the entrance.  "Alright," she whispered, half to herself, and straightened her posture.  "We're going to have a little contest,"  grinning, she turned to Jake.  "Whoever finds the kookiest person or thing happening here wins,"  there was a pause as she took another drag.

"I think we should see if there's an arcade," she assessed the tip of her cigarette and looked back at her companion.  "I wanna see if you can play pinball."  She flashed him a playful smile.