Grapes are good. (Cristiana)

[Nimue]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--


Cristiana:

She took the resume and glanced it over, motioning toward the hallway, “Please come with me to the office. It is much quieter in there.”

Nimue:

She gave the lovely woman a smile, nodding, and followed her down the hall.

Cristiana:

She opened the big metal doors to the office, the hallway into the office so dark it was completely black. The inky blackness lead to a door to the office. She opened the door letting some of the bright light of the office flood the hall. “Right this way Nimue.” She said entering into the all white office. A contrast of the hallway. She took off the blazer letting it rest on the back of the chair behind the desk. “Please sit down.” She offered a chair on the opposite side of the desk.

Nimue:

The young vampire took the seat offered and crossed her legs, tossing multi-coloured strands of hair out of her face. “Thank you. And please excuse my appearance. I was about to use your portal to hunt in the Catacombs when I saw the ad for a job here and decided I’d at least give it a try.”

Cristiana:

“Yes, I have job offers posted in many of places.” She laid the resume flat on the desk looking toward the multi colored haired woman, “Please tell me about yourself?” She asked. If the hair color or wardrobe choices made Cristiana uncomfortable in any way she showed nothing on her features, always the same mask. Especially on the interview, she needed to be single toned and unmoved by any stories of woe that might lead to improper applicants for the position.

Nimue:

The invitation to talk about herself almost made Aine chuckle but she resisted. She was glad that she had no problems with the subject and with a slight grin, began to reply. “Well I spent a lot of time here as a kid. Harper Rock, that is. My Dad was always off playing Indiana Jones so while I was to young to follow, I stayed with my Mother’s brother. He ran a garage on the north side of town so along with my cousins, I grew up a grease monkey.”

Her face shone brightly at the subject. She still loved to ticker around with mechanics. “Once I was old enough Dad took me on digs everywhere he traveled and I had the opportunity to study all over the world. I have degrees in Archaeology and Oceanography. And minor degrees in Classic Literature and World Religion.”

She paused for a moment and considered her lack of formal work experience. “I guess you could say I've been a professional student. I work as security at the university but it’s off and on. And my studies are over after this month so I am eager to find some full time employment.”

Cristiana:

She listened diligently to the young girl go on about her history. She nodded to the areas where she should have but her fingers tapped along to the keyboard. “What is your real name?” She asked looking away from the screen of the computer to the youthful and hopeful girl. She really didn't have many of questions right at this moment, “And how old are you?”

She tapped a few more buttons on the screen when the printer came to life spitting out paper after paper Cristiana didn't bother to reach out to grab, “And does your current employer know you are looking for another position elsewhere?”

Nimue:

“Aine' Ingersson Duffy is my real name although since my… change? I prefer to be called Nimue. I’m 25. And no, I've not mentioned my interest in finding new employment. My employer isn't around a whole lot I have learned and although I’d have said something to him about the infrequency of the work, there hasn't been a chance to. I recently just decided to start looking in earnest and have been told that finding a job is more easy to do while you still have one. So I had some concern I’d end up unemployed if I just sent him an email or a letter letting him know. I've actually never met him face to face.”

Cristiana:

“Nimue what? Is there a last name that follows?” She thought about it for a moment, who could be gone so often and be in the university. The name on it was West, meaning it could only belong to one figure in the community, “West, hmm… Wolfgang West, is that the male figure you are speaking of?” She knew the West family quite well, seeing as she’d had many of transactions with Wolf herself. She began to type away at the computer again looking like she was busy but she was paying full attention to the woman before her. “I am doing some work while we are in here, kill two birds with one stone since my time is something of value. I hope you do not mind.”

Nimue:

“Yue Shi” Aine said after a long pause. It was the family name of her Sire’s Sire. Whom she had yet to meet but she was fairly certain it would be what would be expected.
“And yes, Wolfgang West is who I am currently employed by. I hope I haven’t offended?”

She didn't know who knew who in town and for all she knew, Cristiana was busy emailing Wolfgang as they spoke. But she kept on smiling, the only sign of her growing nervousness was and slight swinging of the leg that was crossed as she sat.

“And I completely understand about not wasting any time. I hate to myself. Idle hands and all that…”

Cristiana:

At being given her name, the one she goes by now her hands flew across the keyboard. More papers printed out but still Cristiana didn't bother to reach for anything, “You realize now you shouldn't be mentioning your previous life and name to people, something I will hope you will keep in mind here should you be hired. You are simply Nimue Yue Shi, as far as past, that is something to build on. Perhaps father was in the military so you moved around a lot. It is a perfect cover story for a similar past. However, we still have a few more questions to go. Now that being said, what do expect as payment compared to what you are making and why here at The Metronome Club? Have you applied here before?”

She finally reached over the desk to sweep up the papers the machine had been spewing out. She put the into different piles on her desk, keeping them hidden with a file laid over each of them. “We here at The Metronome Club, are like family simply because vast majority of us are related in one way or another. I’d expect for any employee to also become a part of this family unit we have going on, to uphold those standards which we set here in the club.” She said relaxing back in the chair folding her fingers over her waist looking at the many hued colored hair woman. Her violet orbs shone at the woman, seeing as she wasn't much younger then Cristiana herself. “Temperance is my business partner but I also see her a dear friend and almost motherly view. Elsa Beth is a dear friend and also daughterly to me, Mikael is like a son when he is around. We have a day staff as well as night staff, for the people who need a quick lunch and drink in the afternoon. Mainly the bankers from across the street like it here in the afternoon. At night, the club is a bit more busier with college kids and a decent mix of people. Once in a while we do get some unsavory customers, which need to be dealt with promptly.” She said explaining the club and a mild version of their interests.

Nimue:

Aine’s head nodded as her prospective employer explained things and smiled. “My Sire explained about the Masquerade, so I understand that my human past is just that. Past. I have no more ties to it besides him. I haven’t been… ‘this way’ for very long, less than a year, so I haven’t been able to obtain any false identification or credentials but I’ll do so immediately. I will take your suggestion about Dad being in the Military. Thank you. “

“I have not applied here before but I have found myself spending more time here than anywhere besides the Catacombs.” Aine knew she had been caught on the security cameras at the door to the club enough times that there shouldn't be any question that she was telling the truth about that. “I really like to relax here, when I DO relax.” Which wasn't often. Training her skills had been her sole focus for many months now.

“Most of the Yue Shi are hardly ever around so I really like the idea of becoming part of a family environment, however… I am sorry to admit that I wouldn't be able to be on a day shift.” The look on Nimue’s face showed just how sorry she was, despite her busting her butt trying to get as strong as she could as quickly as possible the ability to endure the sun still eluded her. “I have every intention of being able to be out and about during the daytime but I fear that the power to do so is months away for me.” She sighed but rallied her spirits and continued; “But if that isn't a deal breaker, I have no worries about ‘unsavory’ types.” A slight chuckle escaped Nimue’s lips. “I grew up with a bunch of boys that loved to rough house and I kept them all in line.” Unable to hide her pride in that, Nimue’s mouth curled into a huge grin

Cristiana:

“I am looking for night shift security actually. I cover the morning and afternoon shifts since it is a lot slower at those times. If you do not know already, I own many of businesses here in town and on the side. One of them being the wedding shop, it has two locations. My personal assistant, Becky, takes care of them. I also own Immortal Night Studio but Spade is running the daily goings on for that. I am mainly here at the club, from here I access all the other businesses. On the side, I also have a decorating business called Happy Home Makers. So as you can tell, I am extremely busy.” That was all the information she normally told about herself.

“I have here three cover stories for you. One.” She placed her hand over the first stack of papers, “is your family was in the military. The second one,” Her hand hovered over the second stack, “Your father was a CEO from New York, which moved you around a lot to join him in business meetings all over the world. And finally the third,” She moved toward the third stack, “Your parents were Oceanographers so you moved about studying ocean life and the graphic movements of the earths plates. Which one would you prefer?” She didn't miss or skip a beat, she wasn't about wasting time or wait on making decisions, she was more a right at the moment decision maker. Choices came easily to her since she wasn't burdened down with past memories, like most people. There was little emotional connection. She looked at the young woman waiting for some spark from her.

Nimue:

“Plate Tectonics.” Nimue said, correcting the woman before thinking. “Oh, my apologizes… “ It probably was in poor form to have said that but she couldn’t stop her mouth. “It’s just one of my passions. And I have my Masters in Oceanography so that last pile of paperwork seems to have my name written all over it.”

Cristiana:

Her hand hadn't moved off the stack of papers, she put them into the file and slid them toward the woman over the glassy top of the desk. “I kind of figured it would have the most appeal. There is a gentleman named Wendigo, inside is his address. He will get you an i.d., birth certificate and any other paperwork you need. I have compiled enough data for him to use to create you a cover story including school records. I am glad you did not waste time making the choice, that is rather how I operate here at the club. I have no time for second guessing. It’s pretty straight forward.” She said while reaching into a drawer pulling out several glasses.

“The clear glasses are for the humans, make sure our kin do not get one. The brown tinted glasses are for kin, make sure a human doesn't pick one up or spill one. If you see a human with one, immediately remove it from them. That is one of the primary goals of the security, to keep anything remotely kin like away from spectating eyes. Other than that, riff raff needs to be thrown out as soon as they begin problems. Once the humans have left kin are able to be more open about themselves. Especially at the parties that get thrown here, when this occurs, keep the human populace to a small degree and easily distracted by giving free drinks and keeping them constantly supplied. One of the many tricks we use here in the Club, if they are drunk then they will not believe or remember what they have seen or heard. I also have many bonus programs, such as the security at one of the parties, where in you have the potential to earn up to fifty thousand. I do implore you to seek out fellow employees, build relationships with them seeing as you are working with them on a nightly basis, should you become employed here. The standard rate of pay varies on experience in the field. I can see you starting at around five hundredish a night. do you have any other skills such as crafting, weapon making or rituals?”

Nimue:

That she wouldn't lose out on years of hard work with her studies was an enormous relief to Nimue and she smiled gratefully at Cristiana.

The glasses baffled her at first, as did the use of the word ‘kin’, but Nimue was highly intelligent and caught on quickly. She did have one question about that, however. “What do I say if a human questions me about the different glass colours? Perhaps some patrons of the club are VIP’s? It’s a brilliant idea though, two different kinds of glasses for two very different types of patrons.”

Getting to know the rest of the staff was something Nimue looked forward to, she had no issues with shyness. She nodded at Cristiana’s words with another smile and continued to listen to her new employer, if all went well, who sat behind the desk while the woman continued to speak.

The mention of such a large sum of money made her blink in surprise but she caught herself before her jaw actually dropped.

“I’m very good at crafting and plan to make my own guns soon but it takes practice and I think my skills, although coming along, are still a bit questionable with gunsmithery. It’s something I want to do well, not haphazardly. I am curious about Rituals as well but that’s a long way off. I’m also still wanting to improve my fighting skills. I’m able to kill most of the creatures in the Catacombs but I want to be 100% and then I’ll want to seek out greater challenges. So between perfecting my fighting and my mechanical skills, it will be awhile before I attempt learning anything else. I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I believe that if a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing it right. The first time.”

TBC

[Cristiana]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

Cristiana:

“The cover story is the drinks are virgin drinks, if we had a V.I.P. club then everyone would want to join this club. Obviously that is not an option for everyone. So we tell the humans it is a virgin mix and usher them to the bar where they are given a free drink to make a distraction. The Club is one of the few that can offer a stable drink to kin without causing them to needing to purge their stomach contents all over the wooden floors, it is something I make personally and do not share this secret with anyone.” She reached into a desk drawer pulling out a checkbook, writing a ten thousand dollar check out but leaving the name blank. She let the checkbook sit out on the desk openly. “The food we serve however, cannot be changed. Make sure no kin who cannot eat, don’t. I would rather not have to clean up the mess, since we cannot ask them to.”

“Also, I get most irritated when people mispronounce my name. It is not Christina, it is pronounced ka-wrist-t-on-a.” She sounded out the syllables for the girl. “It is from a European descent from what I have gathered,” She thought about what the woman said.

“Since you are learning mechanical skills, I am always looking for security cameras and rigged cameras. People like to steal them off the entryway and I need one on the door at all times. I do random giveaways and prizes when I feel the need to. It is a completely random selection what I do. I like to appease my customers, draw in business anyway I can. People are more incline to come spend their money here when they have been randomly picked for a prize. There is much we do here in the club that is kept secret, and those are things I like held in confidence. We never feed ourselves here in the club, there is however a supply kept in the back of the CD/Tee shirt store if you ask for the Blood Red Tee shirts from the man who works there. If you give him some cash, he will wrap a blood bag in a shirt for you to drink in one of the more private areas. We have hidden walkways between the rooms that is perfect for that sort of thing. Feel along the walls, I am sure you will find them. It’s easy access for staff to get to the rooms they are needed in quickly.” She tried to burn through as much as she could remember as quickly as possible, after all her cellphone had already vibrated in her pocket several times.

“Do you have anymore questions for me or about your duties?” It was straight to the point.

Nimue:
As much as Nimue hated to bring the glasses back up again, she was getting the impression that the woman was needed elsewhere which was completely understandable after learning how many businesses she was running, there was something that still nagged at her.

“The non alcoholic drinks makes a lot of sense, but what about humans that want virgin drinks? Otherwise the only other question I have is about my attire while I’m working. Is there a uniform or should I just dress to blend in?”

Cristiana:
“That is why you offer them the free drink at the bar, they hand in the glass and get another of their choice on the house. Who would want to drink something someone else already had their lips on when they are being offered a free drink. Catching them quickly assures this, however the most it would do is make the human sick since they cannot consume blood. It doesn’t taste like there is blood in them, nor really look like there is. The way it gets imbued into the drinks, it changes the color and consistency of the drinks. If a human drinks it, well their digestive system wouldn’t be able to hold it down. They would vomit just as hard as kin drinking their drinks well unless you are of my variety of kin. The V word isn’t one we like to use here. Mel, my childer, likes to call them spiders. You will find her a vast majority of the time playing pool. She’s a bit.. of a rare breed. Stefan also likes hanging out seeing as he has taken quite an interest in Elsa. There are familiar faces you might want to be on a friendly basis with. Regulars to the club of course get specialized treatment.”

She lifted a finger taking her phone out, “If you will excuse me one moment,” She put the phone to her ear then began to speak in a whispered tone into it. It was clear she was speaking to someone else about another of the businesses, but the words illegal and legit words were whispered. She spun around on the swivel chair getting their air of privacy for her and the person on the other end.

Without a bye, she hung up the phone and turned back to the other woman. “Uniforms as you can tell is a Tee shirt with The Metronome Club logo and black pants, security is encourage to wear the black shirts while the rest of the staff white. I will give the first one free but if you need anymore that is for you to buy on your own. When the shirt becomes faded, turn it in for a new one.” She opened a hidden closet behind the desk taking out one of the shirts, laying it on the desk while she resumed her seat. “The computer is open for staff and select people since it is here in the office. There is also a ritual altar in the V.I.P. room under the stage and many other hidden gems here in the club you will have to find for yourself, but from as you said, you found the hidden way to the catacombs.”

Nimue:
The telephone conversation was ignored completely by Nimue, she didn’t hear any of it. Call if disinterest but it was more about being polite. When Cristiana asked to be excused, Nimue found other things to focus on like the room’s many flowers, and waited patiently with slender hands folded in her lap. The checkbook laying open on the desk was also equally ignored. What her new employer had on her desk was her own business and none of Nimue’s.


When offered the black tee, Nimue took it with a smile and stood up to hold it up to her and judge the fit. “It looks like exactly my size. You have a good eye. And I do like black. It always goes with whatever colour my hair is at the time.” The apparent new employee of the Metronome grinned.

“And I will get myself an extra few, It is alright to wear them outside of the club I presume? I would guess that if I am off duty and in the club I shouldn’t wear one unless I am willing to work though.” She chuckled slightly, truth was even off duty she wouldn’t just sit idly by if she happened to be there and was needed. There was a side to Nimue that was part ‘guard dog’ and she got quite protective of places and people she was fond of very quickly.

“So I guess that just leaves one last question. When can I start?”

Cristiana:

She wrote Nimues name in the blank spot on the check, ripped it off and handed it to the woman in front of her. “A starting bonus to get you what you might need. Do you have a place to live?” She asked, “A place you will be able to get to work in a hurried should you be called in for any reason. There also might be a few things I ask of you outside your normal job duties, those are things you will be paid for on the side and really the few questions about them, the better.” She didn’t go any further explaining because they were few and far between when she asked of those things.

“The application is in the folder I handed you, so when you fill it out and return it I can enter you into the computer.” She smirked, knowing Nimue hadn’t gone through all the paperwork in the file since they sat, and she handed it. It was a bit of information to take in all at once. Not too many were lucky enough to keep their real names such as Cristiana was. But she was rare enough to know no one was looking for her in this town. “I will need that back as soon as possible. However there are pens on the desk if you want to fill it out now.” with her eyes she motioned to the cup with pens and pencils. “I like some aspects of the work to be kept old fashioned. I do the books by hand in pen and paper, a double copy is kept on the computer but most is done the old fashioned way. If anything happens, like the computers go down, there is always a hard copy.” She was very old fashioned in that manner. “Your paychecks are also delivered via paper paychecks instead of transferred into an account unless you do not have a bank account set up yet, we do offer cards for you to put a paycheck into or you can cash the paystub right at the bar. Who ever is working will exchange it for you with no penalty or excess fees. However, we will not cash any other businesses checks, just in house.”

Nimue:
“Very wise. Hardcopies still work even when the power goes out.” Nimue had been caught in the huge storm that had hit the town a few months back so that recent event, along with a few lost assignments on her laptop while a student, clearly illustrated how invaluable having something on paper could be. The piece of paper that was the check Cristiana had handed her hadn’t even been glanced at yet, Nimue took it and smiled gratefully but didn’t want to seem money hungry by checking on whatever the amount might be.

“I actually have two places to live but I’m seldom in either one to be honest. I don’t seem to need to rest a whole lot anymore and the sun never shines it the catacombs. I have a room at my Sire’s home, the Lunar Lake Estate and my own apartment in West Towers. Both are just a hop, skip and a jump from train stations. As is The Metronome Club. So getting to work wouldn’t be an issue even on short notice.”

“I think cashing the checks here seems best for now, once I get ahold of this business associate of yours and can open an account at the bank under my new name I’ll pick one of my addresses and update that information, if I may. And I’d be happy to fill in the paperwork before I leave.”

Cristiana:
She waited, all the while putting things away back in the desk, for the girl to fill in the blank spots of the application. “I will wait then you can begin tomorrow. As I said, I am not the type to hesitate. I am sure Wolf won’t mind you switching jobs, and if he does I am sure he can find someone to fill in the spot quickly. I’m more selective than hiring just anyone. I’ve already had other prospects that I’ve had to refuse. Of course, politely.” She finished putting everything back in the desk, including the other choices of new identities for the woman. They would be handy if someone else needed one.

“If you need to express yourself while at work, in the ways of.. kinship. Then you are to use the office. If you have the abilities to shapeshift, or take anothers form. All of this needs to be kept off of the main floor. The upstairs is the school, the SoA or Society of Allurists. You will be required to check the floor but not stay up there. Your main obligation is in the Club. Only members of the school may go up there, everyone else is trespassing. Although as of right now, not many go up there. It’s still under construction. I know this because I am the one constructing it in my spare time.”

Nimue:
She almost said; ‘You have spare time?’ but she didn’t. She just found her growing impression of her new employer to continue to exceed her expectations and smiled. To say that Cristiana was a very impressive woman was an understatement. “I’d be very interested in learning more about this school. I’m an Allurist myself but I’m sure you already were aware of that.”

As she had been speaking, Nimue had been filling in the blanks on the application form in her best penmanship. Sneaking a glance or two at the file with her new identity’s information just to double check that everything matched up. As she finished, she reread the paperwork twice just be be double sure that all her ‘t’s’ were crossed and all the ‘i’s’ dotted. Once satisfied, Nimue handed the application back to the lady on the other side of the desk. “I trust everything should be in order. What time tomorrow shall I arrive?”

Cristiana:
“You begin promptly at 7pm sharp. Sunset is at 5:30 or so the almanac says, so 7 should give you enough time to shower and get here. What you do in your free time is up to you, however if you do something that ends up in your visiting the shadow realm please keep me informed ahead of time. I just need to be aware that you might possibly be visiting the realm, not details of why. It is none of my business once your shift ends what you do with your life. While you are here though, you are my time. That is something of value seeing as there is many businesses. Speaking of, I also one spot open in the recording studio should you have a friend in need of a career option.”

“Once you get your new identification I will need to make a copy of the photo i.d. and another form for records. We also have a pesky reporter who likes to interview the employees here, please try to be nice to her and answer any questions she if you do not know then you can always tell her to come ask me. Otherwise, congratulations on your employment. We welcome any feedback to make the employment here run as smoothly as possible, any suggestions you might have or generally if you any concerns, please bring them to me.”

“Now about the SoA, Temperance started it but I help her run it. I will put in word to her about your interest in the school. Basically it is where allurist or those on the allurist path can come together and learn about their powers, learn about other paths and about the city in general. We have teachers from every path ready to answer any questions you might have about their paths. It’s a place for all of us to come together and learn about things more specific about the path like aging and being able to consume food or drinks like humans. A safe place for kin to express themselves.”

Nimue:
“That sounds great!” She enthused, sincerely excited about what she was hearing. “I have heard that those of my path can eat and drink but so far… “ The look on Nimue’s face said it all but she continued with a grimace; “I have not had much luck with anything more than a cup of tea.” She coughed a bit, feeling awkward and then went on.

“I am very much looking forward to meeting everyone and working here. Thank you so much for this opportunity. As far as taking time off to visit the Shadow Realm?” A slight shiver ran along Nimue’s spine. “I have heard of that place and have no intentions of seeing it firsthand. I always try to stay on the right side of the law. Especially those of our kind. My Sire was quite clear with me about the importance of that.”

Feeling confident that their business together was drawing to a close, Nimue stood up and offered Cristiana her hand. “It was really a pleasure to meet you, Boss.” She spoke with a wide grin. “Thank you again for what I am sure will be a great job. I’ll be here tomorrow evening on time and eager to meet the rest of the staff then get to work!”

Cristiana:

She rose and shook the other womans hand, “Try grapes. I started out eating a grape a night before moving up to other things. Expanding out the stomach, being able to hold content.” She nodded. “I will see you tomorrow night.” After that she sat back down turning to the computer knowing the woman would be able to find her way back out of the office. It was just the short trip back through the dark hall, seeing as it had no other exits. “Have a good night.” Cristiana still had a long long night ahead of her.

Nimue:
“Grapes, thank you. I’ll give that a try! I hope you also have a very good night!” She replied with a nod. It made a lot of sense. She promised herself to get some after she left the club. Cristiana had a lot more work to do, that was very apparent. So without wasting anymore of her new employer’s valuable time, the newest employee of the Metronome turned to leave, having no concerns about finding her own way out and planning to go to the cd and tee shirt shop and get a couple extra shirts before heading home. It wasn’t until after she was back on the main floor she even looked at the check she had been given. And once she had, she almost went back to the office to be sure a mistake hadn’t been made. But Cristiana didn’t seem likely to make such an error. And after a slight hesitation, Nimue went to the bar to cash it in and left the woman a thank you note with the bartender before going to buy herself a week’s worth of black tee shirts. That way no matter what, she could look fresh and sharp on the job even if getting the laundry done needed to ever wait.

Cristiana:
As she worked, a call came in from the store intercom system rigged into the telephone. She pressed the button putting it on a speakerphone. The girl tending bar double checking if the check was had in fact been written by her. She confirmed it and told the girl to use the petty cash under the bar, if she needed extra come into the office. And, seeing as she didn’t have as much faith in the bartender on duty, told her to make sure that Nimue had signed the back of the check. She shook her head and hung up the call, turning on the security monitor linked into the computer system. She watched the bartender handle the transaction and Nimue head toward the store to buy some shirts. She turned off the camera system putting the screen back into the regular monitor and proceeded to get some of the paperwork done for the night. This was going to frustrate her.