(VtM: 20th) Shadows in Seattle

[Airagog]

The moon hangs in a crescent over the night sky. It's clear for the first time in a while. Hardly any clouds, no winds, almost seemed picturesque like life imitating art. The city was Seattle, the state Washington, in the central downtown area lay a gated building, condominiums for people who could afford to live there.

At the second lay a large steel door, blocking off the area from even the other wealthy patrons, signaling this was all owned by one person, a fact further reinforced that the elevator was built not to reach the top floor, meaning this suite spanned two floors. Behind the door was a series of luxuriously decorated rooms, the likes of which only a handful of mortals had ever seen. Marbled floors, priceless artwork, even a small ballroom, it was as if someone had built a mansion on top of the condominiums.

Those who knew what truly happened in the city knew that it belonged to its true queen, a great and terrible vampire named Elizabeth, or as all knew her as, Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Long May She Reign. It was from this ivory tower that she ruled, her powers making her leadership unquestioned, her frivolity and excess making her subjects want to be all the closer to her.

In her palace there was yet another gala, a gathering of the oldest, most powerful, or most influential vampires in the area and a few from outside the area, going so far as to come from Memphis to see her. Though past the party stood one man, he was ashen skinned and stony-faced. He looked to be in his late fourties, his body type was broad shouldered and svelt, his hair a shiny black, his eyes a deep brown, and his clothing a stylish two piece charcoal gray suit with a deep blue tie, the same color blue that Her Royal Majesty always wore. He looked out at the city through a massive window on the upper floor of the palace and waited, clearly expecting someone and clearly not wanting to be bothered by anyone else.

After half an hour of standing completely motionless he was approached by a man who was dressed too oddly for such an occaison. He wore a tenchcoat, a dress shirt, slacks, and black pointed shoes. It was almost as if he had intended to come and stay for the party, but had dropped in late and didn't intend to stay. The man in the suit didn't even bother to turn around, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I regret to inform you, sir, that you are indeed late."

The man in the tenchcoat nodded, "I thought that might happen. I apologize, time runs far differently for me. It is becoming ever harder to keep track of it. I brought what you wanted. I need to know what you think of this request." He said handing the man in the suit a letter. The man in the suit read it and almost gave a chuckle, but his face soon returned to the expressionless almost stern look he wore.

"A request? My boy you're formal even from my viewpoint. Not that I say it is a bad thing, I often find the youths such as yourself to be overly cordial or familar." He tucked it away in his breast pocket. "You know we can't refuse, nor would we want to. Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Long May She Reign gives her blessing. Do you have any information on that other matter?" He asked.

The man in the tenchcoat nodded, "They're moving in steadily. I trust you will meet with Simon and Dunrow, Mr Smith? If so I might suggest a light touch to deal with this. It will make things much easier." He said as Mr Smith, the man in the suit, looked him in the eye for the first time. He was almost taken aback by the man in the trenchcoat's eyes, they shone a brilliant blue and looking deeper into them one could see faint glimmers, like a galaxy held in his iris.

Mr Smith cleared his throat, "Im surprised. You're this far along already?"

The man in the trenchcoat smiled, "Don't be foolish, I merely have a bit more glamour than other humans. I wish you a good even Mr Smith, I need to properly greet Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Long May She Reign." He said as he turned around and walked back into the party. Smith actually chuckled to himself. "What an odd fellow. A light touch? Well I'm sure some neonates would love for a chance to serve Her Royal Majesty."

 

[Sherwood]

Amanda Cooper is taking her time getting ready for work. Unlike the classic movie vampires, this 38 year old woman actually has to roll out of bed in the evenings to go to her job and pay the rent. Standing in front of the bedroom mirror in her bra and underwear, she eyes her figure with a critical eye. Well, at least I was changed after I lost that twenty pounds I was carrying. It would really suck to be eternally stuck with a muffin top. With a sigh, she reaches out for her clothes and pulls them on, then finishes up by strapping on her police service weapon.

Tonight will be the first day back to work after her two months of sick time 'recovering' from getting shot while working under cover. Even with the time off, she has to remind herself to act as if she is still achy from the gunshot wounds that nearly killed her. <snort> That was one benefit to getting turned into a monster; never had to worry about going stir crazy in the hospital as the sawbones worked to keep me alive. But it stinks that I can't enjoy a pint of good mint chip ice cream. At least I don't smoke anymore. Hey, another bonus. Got to think positive or I'll go nuts.

With her things ready to go, Amanda makes her way out to her Subaru waiting out in the parking lot and hops in. After a short drive to work (no need to stop for coffee. Another curse to being a vampire!), she is greeted by various officers and staff in the precinct, all giving her the same general comments that it is good to see her again, glad to have her back, et cetera, and the lieutenant in charge of her department even has a small cake for her as a present to welcome her back to work. With a friendly smile, Amanda thanks everyone for the well wishes, saying that she is just thankful to be getting back to work and out of the hospital. "Events like this one really help to put everything into perspective for a girl. Lets me know what is really important in life."

Settling in for her shift in the Computer Crimes division, the young vampire begins her evening.

 

[Birdsie]

A man who looked to be in his middle to late 20's with pale skin was putting on black lipstick and applying make-up to his face, making his already faded features completely white. His left eye was blue, but his right one was slightly greenish, a sign of heterochromia. He was wearing a tuxedo, a classy top hat, a swishing satin cape, and fine white gloves. He took several things from his desk, putting them into the various pockets of his suit. The items were; a white handkerchief, a black baton with a white tip, two decks of poker cards, a tarot visconti-sforza deck, and several other items of various, mostly pseudo-magical use. His face wore a confident, almost audacious smirk, and laid on his relaxed, laid-back facial expression and lazy but equally bold eyes.

Suddenly, a blonde woman in a short, red, luminescent dress barely reaching above her thighs walked in. She wore red high heels and had a gentle smile plastered on her face, along with white gloves of her own. She hopped up to him with a black, wooden staff in her hands.

"Master, master! The show's starting in a minute!" she informed. Her tone was very happy and serene, yet calm. She sounded almost like an excited, little girl.
"I know, Patty. I'm prepared," he replied confidently. He adjusted his top hat and bow tie, and turned around, taking his staff from her. It was mostly a part of the costume. He walked over to the exit of the wardrobe.

An announcer spoke up, as several spotlights illuminated a wooden stage. The audience was rather wide. At least fifty people were there. Most of them had curious, but doubtful looks on their faces. "Ladies, and gentlemen. You've waited all night long for a show that would knock you off your feet! Now, we come to present you with what you've wanted all night. Ladies, and gentlemen, now, we present you with... The Master of Magic; Jarring Jack!"

A calm tune of music played, as Jack walked onto the stage. "Good night, people of Seattle! I would like to quickly announce that I am not here to waste your time with worthless tricks! No, my magic is real! As real as the smiles that will be on your faces tonight, before you leave this building! For my first trick, I will perform a simple, but amazing trick," the magician declared, then took his hat off, bowed to the audience and the lights went off. The spotlights that once illuminated the stage were no longer there, for a brief two, or three seconds. As they turned on again, the magician wasn't there. Everyone gasped. There was no way he could have gotten off stage that quick. Someone at the right angle would have seen him run off unless he took cover behind one of the curtains - in which case someone still would have seen him.

Before anyone could investigate more closely, or focus their eyes on the stage, an explosion of pink dust, smoke, and glitter took place in the very middle of the stage. The mage emerged from within it, bowing to the audience that started clapping their hands at the trick that seemed almost impossible.

No one even knew it was so simple as to lie down and roll away a little to the side, away from the spotlights and stay that way until the explosion happened. "For my next trick, I'd like to call my lovely assistant; Patty Lowell," he called for the woman that ran onto the stage shortly after. She gave a small bow. Most of the male audience was too busy staring at her... features to clap.

After several more numbers, the audience left the theater building very satisfied. What they've seen was above normal stage magician quality. All of the tricks seemed real, and impossible to some degree. Of course, he also performed some of the classic stuff; two rings that can't be connected, but he still managed to be convincing enough that the people believed it was authentic. Even disbelievers in paranormal forces found themselves fairly dumbfounded by some of the impossible things he did, like hiding behind cover, only for his assistant to come out from behind it. Then she took off the cover and revealed no one behind it. Was it just tricks, or was there something more?

After the show, Jack also had a meeting with his... fanclub. People that knew about the nature and origin of his tricks much more... closely.

[Later...]

Jack and his assistant started to clean up the stage after everyone left. Having a stage magic show of his own was fun, but he had responsibilities too. He wasn't really obliged to clean up since it was the job of the theater staff, but he still did it. After all, being an immortal vampire left you with a lot of free time. He'd probably go for a walk shortly after that or count the money he made from the show.

 

[roy_fireball]

William Clyde spends most of his nights playing guitar at The Central Saloon in Pioneer Square, where he also rents an apartment upstairs. William can make good money there working for tips, well, at least enough to keep his 1950 Indian Chief running and his gun full of ammo. Tonight, however, he had more pressing concerns. William was on his way to the parking lot when out of the corner of his eye he caught the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Staring at her for a few minutes, thought he must be creeping her out as she seemed to be leaving. With a sigh he looked at his watch. "Shit, I'm late." He cursed, and continued on his way.

 

[Esbilon]

Roxane wakes up with a gasp. The darkness around her is almost complete, and were she a mortal, she would have no chance of finding her way out of the tight space she crawled into what seems like a lifetime ago now. To her senses, though, it is little more than a dark room. A dark, damp, and disgusting room. With a single pang of regret, she quickly makes her way to the exit and leaves the cramped space.

Once safely out of the baggage compartment of the 1970's era Greyhound bus she had stowed away in, she looked around, trying to keep calm and take in her surroundings. It was colder than it was when she left, so probably somewhere in the northern half of the country. She could smell the sea as well, so on one of the coasts.

The nightly city, whatever it was, opened itself before her. It was almost too much, the sensations, the smells, the sounds, all of it. She had been locked up for so long. To be outside on her own like this... It was magical and terrifying. Awesome, in the old sense of the word. As she walked through the city, she came to realize the fullness of her situation. She was in a foreign city, she still didn't know which one, she was alone, she knew no one, and before dawn, she had to find somewhere to sleep. Perhaps more importantly, somewhere this city had a Prince or Baron or Bishop who would want her declaration of loyalty, and she had no idea how to find them.

She made a strange sight as she entered the police station, a young woman, barely more than a girl, dressed only in a dirty white summer dress, her raven black hair hanging haphazardly around her face. Yet despite the state of her clothes and personal hygiene, she was undeniably beautiful, and when she looked around, there was something in her eyes that seemed to indicate that she saw more than others did. One of the things she notices is that in the back, behind several large (and amazingly flat!) computer screens, is a woman whose Aura is as pale as her own.

OOC: Sherwood I'm crashing your party if that's OK. Feel free to ignore me if you have your own thing going

 

[Sherwood]

Amanda is hardly supernaturally aware, but eventually, she does get a strange feeling that she is being watched. She stops typing, yawns and gives a stretch, casually looking around. It doesn't take long for her to spot the young waif that is watching her. Amanda slowly stands up and walks over to her, moving slowly to keep from spooking the young girl. "Hey there, sweetie. Are you ok? Do you need some help? Its ok, I'm a police officer. I'm here to help people." She smiles at her, trying to put her at ease.

 

[Esbilon]

The girl looks like it's been too long since she's showered, but she doesn't have the distinct body odor one would expect in such a person. Another thing that becomes obvious as Amanda approaches her is that her feet are bare. "H... Hi," she stammers, "I guess I do," she continues. "I'm Roxane. I... I just arrived here. And I think I need to see someone." She gently takes Amanda's hand and guides it to her neck so the other can feel the coldness of her skin and the absence of a pulse. "Do you know who it is I need to see?" She asks hopefully.

 

[Sherwood]

"Good to meet you, Roxane. I'm Amanda." She reaches out to shake the youngsters' hand, and is somewhat surprised when she guides her hand up to her neck, and even more surprised to feel that she is looking at another vampire. "Ahhhh, I take it that you are new in town?" When she sees the affirmative nod, Amanda takes Roxane by the hand and guides her along to a unoccupied break room and sits down at one of the worn chairs. "I know the Queen, but before you make an appearance to her, it would be best to get you cleaned up and looking good. Just so you know, I'm pretty new, too, but I can introduce you to an Elder that can make the formal introductions to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Long May She Reign. His name is Dunrow, and is a major player in town. I'll make a call to one of his people to see when we can come and see him."

Amanda pulls out her cell phone and dials a number out of memory. "Hey. This is Amanda. I have someone here that is in need of meeting the higher ups of the city, and I thought that Dunrow would be the right first step. What would be a good time for us to come over and see him?"

Airagog Perfect timing for me to have a name to go to. I am guessing that I will be getting one of Dunrow's people, since he is probably at the party.

 

[Esbilon]

Roxane follows along meekly enough and smiles nervously while studying Amanda's phone as the other makes her call.

 

[Airagog]

As the man in the trenchcoat walked away from Mr Smith, Mr Smith walked through the party and approached a large man in a fur coat. The man looked to of African-American descent, chatting with two women a drink in hand as Mr Smith tapped him on the shoulder, "I need you a moment." He said as they ducked away, the larger man seeming to be angry with Mr Smith.

"Mr. Smith this had better be good. I want to know why you interrupted my-" He was stopped again as Mr Smith handed him a sheet of paper.

"Take a read Dunrow. Decide for yourself." Mr. Smith said in his gravely monotone voice. Dunrow looked at the paper, angrily at first, then slowly began to change to an expression of surprise as he took the paper. "Oh." Dunrow said flipping to the second page, his face slowly lightening up, "Oh. Oh." He slowly began smiling, "Mr Smith I don't typically like you because you're far too creepy, but this? This is the only time this year I'm going to say thank you, Mr. Smith. I know a woman who would love to see this."


Meanwhile in another room, a Gangrel answered a cell phone, Dunrow's phone to be exact. "Yeah Amanda, this is Shiv, what do you want?"

"Hey. I have been approached by a new arrival, looking to make her formal appearance to the Court, but I think she needs some clean-up time first. I thought that Dunrow would be able to help her get ready to make an appearance."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah yeah sure because he's got time to play pageant. Ain't that a Toreador job anyway?"

"I guess so, but you know more about the Clans than I do. I guess I can get her cleaned up, but I don't know the rules for presenting a newcomer to the Queen, and I didn't want to piss her off by doing something wrong."

"Alright, look. If you wanna get her processed and make sure everything's okay I'll let you in on a little secret. Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Long May She Reign doesn't actually directly process newcomers unless she finds them interesting. Most times it's through a grayface who goes through that cre- holy shit Dunrow is actually talking to Mr. Smith. I'll see if I can get a word in and request you get a grayface. Where you want to meet them?"

Amanda idly chews on a fingernail. "I'm flexible. Tell me when and where, and we'll be there."

"Where are you currently? I'll send one to you."

"I'm at work, at the police hq. Roxane just came in, and somehow was able to tell I was a member of the night life around here."

"Not surprising. Gimme a moment." She said getting up and exchanged a few words with Mr Smith who nodded. "Alright ones on the way."

"Sounds good. I'll keep our new arrival company here in the break room until your greyface arrives. Just have him ask for me at the front desk and I'll come right out."

A man with a grey charcoal three piece suit soon showed up at the police station, he straightened his tie before talking to the receptionist, "I'm here to see miss Amanda. I'm a representative from the governor." The receptionist nodded and directed him to her office. He walked in with a nod. "Are you amanda?"

Sherwood Esbilon

 

[roy_fireball]

Arriving to the party (albeit unfashionably late), William makes his way to the doorman and waives his invitation lazily towards him and heads on in to apologize to Her Majesty as best as he is capable of.

 

[Sherwood]

Amanda nods and waves him over. "Yes, that's me. Thanks for coming over so quick." She motions to the young girl. "This is Roxane, and she is in need of some assistance."

 

[Esbilon]

"Hi," Roxane says shyly from behind now somewhat well-ordered, but still unwashed, locks of straight raven black hair. Her big, dark-brown eyes takes in the man before her, seeing him as he appears, and as he truly is.

OOC: 3 successes on Aura Perception on the newcomer, I can recognize color patterns in his aura.

 

[Airagog]

The man nods, his face displaying no emotion as he looks the two of them over. He moves to Amanda's desk and sits down, opening his briefcase and pulling out some papers. He looks up at Roxane, "You are the newcomer I suppose then?" He asked as he looked her over and frowned, his aura becoming visible to her, first appearing as waves of gray but then appearing as a bluish tint then a purplish-greyish tint. "You're sloppy at best and your form needs work. Don't look for pattern in aura itself, look for history, take it in passively then work towards the active, your mind will naturally absorb information better." He said adjusting his glasses.

It was painfully clear the man was a Tremere, one of Mr Smith's agents. One could always tell by the way they dressed. Clean cut, charcoal grey suit, black or red tie. To the well-informed this was due to two reasons. One, it easily distinguished them and made them seem more uniform, and by extension, more intimidating to outside clans. Second, it was the suit that the Tremere leader of New Orleans, St. Vincent, often wore. "Sorry, but you gave away that you were trying to get a read on me with your facial expression, a common youngblood mistake." He pulled out a pen and clicked it, "Now, I need your full name, date of birth, date of transformation, location of birth, location of transformation, a drop of your blood, and for you to sign in four places that you agree to be bound by all this contract says or face the full punishment of the law as decided by Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, Long May She Reign. If you find these agreements cumbersome, well I am sure there are a few Anarch cities that you could make yourself comfortable in, am I making myself quite clear miss?" He said looking at her from his glasses, his aura all the more visible to her after he gave her the pointers but strangely showed little emotion.

Esbilon
Sherwood

(Will edit this later to include the party for Roy. Waiting on Axel too though.)

 

[Axeykins]

Bah, late to the event as usual. Far too much work and never enough time. Sisceal fumbled around with the cuff-links of his suit as he rushed to get ready. Once they were conquered he moved on to slicking a few stray strands of his silvery white hair back into position and giving his attire one last glance. Perfect, from the ruffles around the collar to the starched bottoms of the pinstriped pants.
One glance at his watch and a slew of foul words escaped under his breath. Barely giving his assistant some form of notice he rushed from the office. Out into the cool night air of the streets and directly to the wondrous gala occurring tonight. There were going to be many powerful and well known guests from far and wide. Hardly the sort of thing to miss out on.
Thankfully there were not too many out at this time of night. Making it far easier to blow straight through all forms of traffic signals and signs without much consequence. Only a great amount of time saved in getting there.

 

[Sherwood]

Amanda looks at Roxane with some idle speculation. She seems to be a newly Embraced vamp, just like me. I wonder just how long she has been a member of the night life? She is also very young; isn't making a child one of us against the rules? Seems to me that it is a cruel thing to do to someone. You should let her have her life before taking so much of it away from her.

She then asks, "When was the last time you've had a good shower, a fresh change of clothes, and a bit to eat? I can help you out with some of that, since you don't know the good hunting grounds or the parts of the city that have been declared off limits."

 

[Esbilon]

"Thank you. Yes." Roxane says, her surprise at the man's un-asked-for and condescending advice, obvious on her delicate face. Another young vampire might have responded reflectively to this kind of examination by drawing a useless breath into their dead lungs, but Roxane has no delusions of mortality left in her.

"My name is Roxane Delacrois," she begins, "I was born on May 27, 1971 and Embraced on October 18, 1989, both in Toledo, Ohio." She raises her left hand to her mouth and gently opens up her little finger, drawing a drop of blood and offering it to the grey-clad man. "I will be happy to sign, sir.

Her focus is on the Tremere, and when Amanda speaks to her, she only offers the briefest glance and a grateful smile to match it for a moment. While the other man is there, he has he complete attention.

OOC: Does the grey in his aura signify anything other than emotionlessness? It's not on the list I have.

 

[Sherwood]

When Amanda hears the date of birth of Roxane, she smiles and shakes her head. This 'kid' is older than I am! Lets see, she is what? Forty five years old? And she's been a vampire for years, and I've only been turned a couple of months ago! Appearances are not what they seem.

 

[Airagog]

(Axel I need you to roll wits driving or dex driving on discord. Also everyone please read the general chat. I had an announcement.)

The man in the trenchcoat stood there beside her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth, talking to her as she sat on her impromptu "throne" that looked more like a specially designed luxurious deco-style dome chair. This, of course, was placed in the central ballroom on an elevated platform, allowing her to watch everyone dance and even hear some of they hehe more scandalous gossip of the city. She wore a white dress adorned with gems of all colors, but all cut the same way and the same size. She appeared to be engaged and actually smiling at the trenchcoat man. "Oh my, is that so? That's... riveting." She seemed to hang onto the world as William arrived and proceeded to they and apologize.

She pointed to the other side of the main ballroom. "You're late. You're very lucky I was kept.... entertained by some riveting tales. I wish for you to play. Go now and I will think about what you can do to make it up to me later." She thought for a moment, tapping her head after she gave him his orders. "Now a cowboy on a mission... that sounds like something straight out of a romantic novel." She smiled to herself, her head full of ideas.



_______________________________________________
The Tremere nodded, taking a vial from his suitcase and vialing the blood then giving her a blue-blue-ink fountain pen . "We will double check your lineage and generation for security's sake with this. Just a precaution." He said taking her blood, staring at it, then taking it out, it becoming a floating sphere in his hand. He adjusted his glasses. "Interesting, another toreador." He said before returning it to the vial. "I'll have the proper people look at this. Can you please orient her to the city?" He looked at Amanda.

Sherwood Esbilon roy_fireball

 

[Sherwood]

Amanda nods. A Toreador. What do I know about them? Very artsy usually, and fast like the Brujah. Good eyes, able to see auras. I wonder what else this 'young' girl is hiding? "Sure. I can take some time off to show Roxane around. Everyone thinks that I'm fragile after the shooting, and if I ask to go early, no one will blink twice at it. I'll go talk to the Lieutenant and tell her that I'll work later on in the week. Roxane, just wait for me here while I go schmooze the boss." I just hope I have enough sick days left to be able to pay my rent. Why couldn't I be some rich vampire like they show in the movies?

She then goes to see her supervisor, making sure to play up the 'injuries' she suffered when she was shot up. "Maria, I'm really hurting. I guess I came back to work a little sooner than I should have. Sorry to leave everyone short like this, but I don't want to overstretch myself." Amanda nods and tries a faint smile as Maria assures her that she can take all the time off she needs.

Heading back to the break room, she says, "No worries. Everything is all set for me to show you around and give you the 411 on the city's hot spots. I just need to gather up my purse from my desk and we can go."

 

[Esbilon]

Roxane nods at the departing official. "Thank you for you assistance," she says, "please let me know if there is something else I should do."

When Amanda returns, she smiles and it is as if her whole face lights up the room, despite the dirt and grime still visible on her cheeks and in her hair. "Thank you so much. I'm sorry to be such an imposition, but you mentioned a bath and clean clothes."

OOC: Sherwood wanna take this to the chat?

 

[Axeykins]

As soon as the vehicle was handed over to the care of a valet Sisceal rushed inside. Decent time made. Not too shabby considering his erratic driving. nothing hit, no police and absolutely zero traffic laws obeyed. Quite the miraculous feat, but no time to let the his ego swell from it. Putting on a far more professional, stoic front he jogged through the doors and towards murmur of the crowds. The lovely sight of fresh faces gradually coming into full view as he entered the beautiful glow of the elegant ballroom.

 

[Sherwood]

Amanda leads Roxane out to her car and slips easily into the driver seat. As she waits for her passenger to buckle up, she says, "I have to apologize to you. Earlier, I was acting like you were some kind of kid, not even thinking of the possibility that you were even older than I am. Hell, I'm only thirty eight, and have been Embraced less than two months ago." She easily works the old Subaru through the light traffic with ease, driving her car fast. "I don't have any fancy safe house or rich mansion in which to hang my hat, but you are welcome to stay with me until you find a place of your own." Amanda jinks her car around a slow moving truck as she works their way down the road. "You can raid my closet for something to wear. No guarantees that anything will fit you well, but at least it will be clean and neat, and it can hold you over until you have a chance to run to one of the malls for a few things."

She finally pulls up into an apartment complex and shuts off the engine. "Here we are. Home sweet home. C'mon in. I'll give you the grand tour."

 

[Esbilon]

Roxane smiles warmly to Amanda (not that any smile is warm enough to put colour back into her pale cheeks), "don't worry about it. You're still one of the nicest of us I've met. And thank you for the offer, I'd welcome your hospitality until I get something of my own." She turns her head to gaze out the window thoughtfully at the city passing by, "not that I have any idea how to do that."

She follows Amanda out of the car and into the building once they've arrived, maintaining her calm, curious and slightly worried demeanor all the while.
.

 

[Sherwood]

Amanda's apartment is tastefully decorated (at least, Amanda thinks so), and the 'older' woman guides her guest around. "Its not much to look at, but its mine. Let me get you a towel so you can shower, then we can raid my closet for a clean change of clothes for you."

Once Roxane has had a chance to clean up, Amanda eyes her guest with a critical eye. "Here. Try these on. This blouse and these jeans should fit you well enough once I get you a belt. Can I ask you a question? What is it like for you to be a vampire? I've only been turned for a couple of months, and I'm still learning what life is like on the evening shift."