Etiquette 101 [[Sophia M]]

[Prudence]

The red head sat on top the bar and looked around the large building she'd just purchased. Being an owner of something was hard work, harder than she thought, but this was something she wanted to do. Something she wanted to have for a while since she stumbled in to a place called Grey's Saloon. It seemed exciting as hell, who wouldn't want a place where people could kick back, relax and just have stupid fun? While upholding the masq in the front of the joint and in the backroom area she was going to have bouncers make sure people who couldn't handle it [[humans mostly]] couldn't get in and see what really went on between vampires who wanted a place to blow off some steam.

The place was pretty empty still, but it would come together in time. She already knew what she wanted where and how it would be set up, she just needed time. Contractors couldn't do great **** over night. Once it was done, people would come in or not, it was no sweat off her back. She knew she'd have a few people popping by all the time, some of her friends and Cliff's friends. Pru didn't know how to be a business owner, but she would learn soon and the first thing she knew she needed to learn was something called people skills, or as those who liked to use big words would say...etiquette.

Pru groaned and scratched at her cheek as she slid off the bar. The only person she knew that had any of that stuff was her sire and Pru wasn't going to even bother reaching out for his help. He had his own problems and her problems weren't his. Which was fine, but a harsh reality. Robert Pratt had been right when he told her what he told her a few weeks back and that just made **** even more fucked up. Prudence crossed her arms and glared at the wall of the bar by the door and tried to not think about that, but refocus back on what it was she needed. Etiquette. That's what she was focused on. She could ask Tempy, she seemed to have some and she was an Allurist, but Pru rarely saw her around anymore. Married life must be really good with her and Zo and that was what was more important than her getting some people skills.

Wendigo was someone she was kinda sorta friends with, or something, and he wrote real nice on the C-net, but asking a guy who wasn't her sire or her husband seemed a little strange, so she trashed that idea. Pru uncrossed her arms and pulled out her cellphone and scrolled through the C-net. Not many people had people skills on there and the few that did that posted lately, she didn't know **** about them, and she didn't trust them either. They probably didn't trust her either, so it wasn't anything personal. Then finally she found a decent post and saw who it was by. Pru didn't really know anything about her, except that they were kind of the same caliber.

"Well, what the hell?" With a shrug she disconnected from the city C-net and sent the woman an email since she didn't have her number. Pru doubted she would show up if she asked her to help get some people skills, they didn't even know each other. Pru sure as hell wouldn't. So, she sent something that seemed urgent and mysterious. High Noon Saloon in twenty. I'll make it worth your wild. Pru hit send, then closed her phone and headed back to the bar where she hopped up on and waited for the woman to arrive.

[Sophia Moretti]

A buzz of her phone interrupted a lengthy discussion with Megan. Glancing down she recognized the number as Prudence and considered whether it was important enough to interrupt.

Megan fell silent as she held up a finger and read the text. An eyebrow arched high at the message within. "Intriguing."

The word carried as Megan's face looked a bit confused at her. "I have a mysterious message demanding I meet someone at high noon."

Megan shook her head and crossed her arms, the previous conversation they were having had been about Sophia exposing herself to threats to easily. "You shouldn't. Between the threat from that certain family and those who contain your blood, you should consider the body guard idea."

Sophia gave her thrall a fond smile as she chuckled. "Megan, being what I am is danger inherent. Following the laws of our kind and enforcing them carries even more danger. In the end I am in danger no matter what I do. Better to know the danger and be boldly ignoring it. Hiding like a coward behind bodyguards does nothing but put me back a few steps in my negotiations I am carrying out now. I appreciate the worry you hold, and I promise to procure more weapons. However I am not one to hide from those who are scared of me and attack to prove themselves big and bad."

With a final tone to her words she looked down once more at the message and considered for a few moments before deciding to go forward with it. Megan left, a bit of annoyance in her air as she walked off to continue her duties. Prudence was no close confidant, however the woman had proven useful in the past and now was the time to be a reliable ally as she started with her plans for the future.

Closing her phone shut, she appeared at what seemed to be a very interesting type of bar though not exactly the place she would go to for relaxation or a drink. Seeing the woman behind the bar, standing calmly, Sophia strolled over to the bar and took a seat gingerly being careful of the long skirt she had on. Her voice was neutral though not as uppity as it could be when speaking to others.

"You requested my presences and offered it to be worth my while. So here I am. What do you need of me Prudence?"

[Prudence]

Prudence didn't know if Sophia would come, she wasn't sure if she'd even come if Sophia asked her to meet her somewhere. It wasn't that she didn't trust Sophia, the woman had the same kinda of thoughts as she did about a lot of things and was one of the few remaining masq hunters that she respected in the city. But the two knew nothing about the other and so, neither one of them owed the other a meeting.

At about fifteen minutes after Pru had sent the message to Sophia, she hopped off the bar and went behind it and pulled out a couple bottles of liquor. It seemed like something to do, something someone had told her was known as hospitality and since liquor was all she had for now, liquor was all she could offer to be hospital. Pru pulled out a shot glass, a glass that would make some mixed drinks once she hired staff then stepped away from the bar and put her back to the wall where a few other bottles of liquor sat.

She heard the saloon doors open [[Prudence wanted those in there bad because it would seem more cool and authentic]] and saw Sophia coming her way. Had Prudence not searched the whole saloon for traps and bombs, she would have told the woman to be careful, but it had been cleared. Haters were going to hate, and there was nothing she could do about it but make some good cash off the haters.

Sophia walked in elegantly, or at least not the way Pru would have walked in, which was long, heavy steps that meant business. She waited until the woman took a seat at the bar, then approached the bar counter with a smile. It was awkward to smile, but the time called for it. She was pleased to see Sophia had come after all, but smiling wasn't something she did a lot of. It kind of hurt to have the corners of her lips pull up, so she stopped smiling and looked to the liquor bottles. "Want something to drink?" She pulled out a small menu and put it on the bar's top, all Western themed drinks. Before Sophia gave her an answer, Pru bent down behind the counter and pulled out about a dozen or so disarmed traps and put them down on the bar with a heavy clunk.

"Seems I don't have a lot of fans since opening this place." She laughed, which was close to putting a smile on her lips because Pru thought it was hilarious. Not that some of the people she liked got hurt, but the fact not a single trap hit her and most of all of them were disabled easily enough by her. "I sold some of them, but the rest." She shrugged and then scratched at her cheek. "Seems I could improve on my people skills or something." Prudence shoved the bombs and traps at Sophia a little more. "Was thinking that while I improved upon my," Prudence stopped and thought about the word. "Etiquette skills until people are happy with whatever, any of these things I pick up could go to you. Sorta like a payment for helping me." Etiquette sounded more like Attickut when she said the word, being Prudence never used the word before or saw no need to have any of it, but she was dead serious about her business. She had wanted it for a long time and she'd do whatever it took to see it successful.

[Sophia Moretti]

The fact that she was here for something not life and death seemed a waste. However it was never wise to refuse allies, whether they be of the lowest or highest caliber. So with this thought firmly in mind, she waited patiently for the woman to explain why she had been summoned. Her eyes widened at the traps and one eyebrow slowly arched as she hoped they would somehow play into this explanation. A quick glance didn't show anything she liked, so dropping the menu at the bar, she listened to the woman's rambled speech. Trying to decode what she actually wanted. Picking apart the words, she finally chose upon the Etiquette one and paused. It seemed this very ....authentic woman wanted her to teach her how to be proper in person.

"So you would like to pay me with disabled traps in order for a lesson in personal etiquette?.." There was a distinct wary pause after the words. She had watched this woman on and off for months and had yet to see anything clear come out of her lips unless the woman was in the middle of a war cry. She couldn't even begin to imagine teaching her how to be clear and concise, much less better personal habits. However, having this type of a debt owed to her would enable a few more plans in the future.

"I accept." The words were simple for a bargain that was sure to bring her many headaches and pains. "As for my fee, I will take the disabled traps and we can settle on a figure amount later."

[Prudence]

The long pause after the question could have meant anything. The woman was going to laugh in her face, which Pru might have if someone asked her something that seemed far out. Or maybe Sophia was actually considering it, which would be very beneficial. The woman was annoyed with the request. After all, it wasn't like the woman owed Prudence anything. She wasn't her sire, 'sibling' or even in the same lineage or houses. They might have taken a few Masq breakers out from time to time, but the two woman were virtually comparable to night and day.

Well, maybe not so much. Maybe they were cut from different grains on the surface, but were they really all that different? To most people, they would be when looking at the superficial stuff, but to Prudence, they really weren't. If Sophia accepted the offer, it meant that the two of them opened a door of possibilities. A potential friend and maybe ally, she could pass her intel to from time to time and work together on things outside of etiquette. She had a few good loyal friends or acquaintances she did that with, but having another never hurt anyone. With that possibility came more possibly and while Sophia was really stuffy and could live a little in Pru's opinion, she doubted Sophia was the type to screw anyone over. As long as you were on her good side, which Pru intended on staying on.

The long pause had Pru stuffing her hands in her pockets, since the woman didn't accept a drink of any kind. Her blue eyes swept back and forth, back and forth before Sophia finally said something. Prudence was about to thank her for her time, figuring she'd decline the offer when she scrunched her brows together and looked back at Sophia. She accepted. Holy ****. She almost said that too. Pru pushed off the wall she leaned against and extended a hand out to Sophia, showing a sense of agree-ability to the terms Pru had set forth and Sophia accepted. In a sense. There was a slight loophole, but with the way business was going, she doubted getting Sophia traps would be a difficult thing to find.

"I'm a quick study." Prudence said, as if reassuring Sophia. It was true, as long as it wasn't math involved. Too many numbers was all kinds of crazy and x for numbers was a foreign concept to her. Just tell people the ******* variable already. Who used that **** in the real world? When Pru heard her thoughts bouncing all around, then on what she had intended on doing, she snapped her attention to the extended hand she was offering. "Can we keep some things kinda, real to here? Ya know? It's a saloon. Or will be when it's decorated." She smiled really big, thinking about everything she had planned for this place and how it would all come together one night soon.

[Sophia Moretti]

Shaking the woman's hand firmly, for it never paid off to show distaste publicly at a task that was sure to push her to the limits of patience.

The woman...no Prudence's words confused her once again and forced herself to actually ask "By real to here, I assume you mean the correct behavior for a bar manager? Or do you actually want to learn etiquette for life which would benefit you not just in this business, but in any other you choose to take on."

The challenge hidden in those words had to be made, for if she was going to actually waste precious time trying to teach the woman how to be a bit better spoken and gracious in polite company then she would prefer these lessons to actually accomplish something within this very rough slate before her.

"I only ask, because if you limit this one certain type of behavior, you will lose out on the benefits of being well rounded. If you have not noticed, this society is quick to judge someone based on a few words written on crownet and rough speaking in public places. Personally I would think this would be good a chance to learn all you can and confound those who think they have you, the vampire known as Prudence labeled and packaged in a rough box. But then these are just my thoughts."

She let the words hang in the air, and pondered on all the necessary tools she would need for this lesson. Not just a computer, but a whole new wardrobe. This poor woman had clearly never been taught how to look her best and use her body as a weapon other then for bashing her head into someone elses. A faint smile played over her face, perhaps this would be a bit on the fun. She had always like transforming something from its base material into something that shown brightly no matter the setting and she had a feeling that Prudence could be far more powerful if she only had the right instructions.

[Prudence]

Prudence felt her eyes start to wander around. She had a short attention span when people talked. Or yammered on. Did Sophia just insult her? Prudence wasn't sure, but it seemed stupid to do that. But what was wrong with the way she talked and looked?

Prudence looked down at her clothes and smiled. She looked awesome and the part! Bar owner that didn't take **** from anyone! Boots that would kicks some teeth in, a skirt that wasn't tight to her body that allowed Prudence to move how she needed to to help kick ***, a tank top that clung to her body, so that people didn't try and grab her clothing to take her down, a bracelet with short spikes around them and hair in pig tails, so wimpy bitches wouldn't try and grab that either. chicks who couldn't fight did **** like that.

But Sophia was really smart and people seemed to like her. At least from what she saw on the C-net. Pru shrugged then nodded. "Well, yuh. I want to be good for here, and maybe at school." Prudence looked around the bar, then put her hands on the surface of the bar. "I mean, it can't hurt anyone any, right?" Some of the college professors were always yammering on about knowledge being power and all that, so maybe she could take some things that Sophia shared with her and do something with it. if the rest was ****, she'd not think about it again and no one would know.

"How many traps is that gonna cost me? To get the upgrade?" She looked at Sophia, then leaned backwards to count how many more traps she had under her bar as she waited to hear what the price of this extra help would cost.

[Sophia Moretti]

"The price will be well worth the improvement you see in the relations you have developed within the city. Now the first aspect of we must address if clothes. If you must change something on the inside, then the outside must change first to enable a complete change."

She knew this woman would hesitate at this necessary change, and in a smoother voice with a smile, she waved a hand in the air. "Do not worry, I know the perfect place. It's you but shall we a say a more business like you?"

The woman's rough and casual clothes fit her style, however in polite company that style would not do anything to help her be listened to and respected. Black eyes swept over the other woman as Sophia brought out her cell phone and called Megan. "Megan I need a car at this appointment, please have it here within twenty minutes. As well could you call up that exclusive boutique downtown and tell them I have a special case I am bringing with me to be suited up?"

When she put her mind to something, she did everything within her power to get it complete. The call done, she hung up and then waved at the traps. "Why don't we leave those here and we can decide the exact fee later. We have a busy day ahead of us, and I would not want to waste anytime. First, Clothes. Second, Hair. Third, First lessons."

A slim electronic organizer was pulled out and a list was made. An idea started form on top of the many others she had for the city. This one would take some sweet talking of a few individuals, but nothing that was not within her purview.

[Prudence]

Clothes? What the **** was wrong with her clothes? Pru looked down at her tank top, then the plaid skirt that had the same solid color the tank was and her combat boots. "I don't know...." Pru ran her hand over her plaid skirt and then shrugged. She'd try it, but if it looked too girly or stupid, no way in hell was she wearing anything Sophia was going to put her in. Besides, wasn't dressing bad *** sort of implied you were bad ***?

Megan? Boutiques? Prudence groaned, almost sorry she asked for help. Boutiques sounded fancy, too fancy for her liking. When Sophia said special case, Pru's blue eyes narrowed as she scowled at the woman. Though she scowled, Prudence didn't say anything about it, she just kept listening. Gathering intelligence on what was in store for her the rest of the evening.

She had come to learn really quick that Sophia was bossy, or liked to be in charge. Prudence wasn't sure how she felt about that. "Hair?" Prudence echoed then played with her red strands of her hair as she looked around the bar. What was wrong with her hair? Sure, it was red and red hair either made people make fun of you or they thought you were so "hot" for having red hair. Some of the men in Harper Rock, she had come to learn were idiots, or at least so primitive in thought when it came to one's body.

"Uh, ok. Sounds good." Prudence didn't know what else to say, because the woman had organized their entire evening in a matter of seconds. "Think we could stop by the ammunition place?" Prudence cracked a smile, wondering if the woman could deviate from her plans and enjoy doing spur of the moment ****.

[Sophia Moretti]

She ignored the looks the woman was giving her and instead focused on what size the woman was. Texting this information to Megan, she outlined what clothes she wanted waiting for them before they got there. Selecting the clothes the woman desperately needed were easy, not just because she had owned a modeling business for many years and built it from the ground up, but she also had a natural sense for people. Despite her recent lack of socializing.

After she got off the phone, a sly grin came over her face at the woman's exclamation of hair. "Do not worry Prudence, I will not change anything except the style. I simply think you should have it styled a bit, nothing more. The car will be here shortly and I have your new outfits ready. I think you will like them."

As Megan texted her the car was on it's way, she gave the woman another smile. Figuring she should give some ground in order to her to actually try on the clothes that would not only help her image but overall style, she nodded.

"Yes of course. In fact perhaps you can help me. I'm afraid I have only recently learned weapons and I am feeling a bit lost in regards to what type of weapon I should carry.