Pity Party [Invite]

[Lorde]

Closed to Keara

* 52 new Voicemails *

“Where are you baby? You haven’t come home tonight, is it another late night at the set?”

-click-

“Baby, it’s been a day.. where are you? Call me as soon as you get this.”

-click-

“It’s been a week, where the **** are you?”

-click-

“You're starting to worry me now, I’m going to keep filling up your voice mailbox until you get back to me.”

-click-

Lorde had found her old mobile phone whilst rummaging through her black bag full of clothes that was holed up in the old theater. She had stopped by to see if she had left anything there, she was slowly moving everything over to the asylum now. The very same asylum she was claiming as her home. For the first time since being a vampire - she felt like a she had a proper family, granted she always have Enver, and she always would have Enver. He was her only family for the better part of two years now - and now she had a big family; Vedarian. Thanks to his wife Keara who had welcomed Lorde into her home with welcome arms, she was eternally grateful to the woman.

She held the phone to her ears listening to each voicemail that her mother, and father had left for her. She hadn’t spoken to them since her turning three years ago. She had never looked back and they had never even flickered through her mind and now whilst she was listening to these messages one after the next she was starting to feel emotional, how could she had just upped and left them? How rude it was of her to do such a thing.

She brought the phone to her eye level and sent a simple text her to her mum.

I’m alive had to get out of dodge 4 a while. I’m back in town.

She didn’t even know if it was her mom's number still, she might have changed it. Still, the text was sent and she felt slightly better. She grabbed the black bag slung it over her shoulder and began to leave the theater and made her way over to the asylum to drop all of this off. She needed too.

What she didn’t notice was that her parents were sitting on a bench opposite the asylum - they weren't doing anything in particular. Having a break from a Christmas shopping. They didn’t look sad - it seemed as if they had forgotten all about Lorde, until they saw her. The briefest look of recognition crossed their face as they watched her enter the asylum.

They got up, dropping the bags at their feet and began to meander their way to the asylum doors. They knocked heavily, and quickly. Demanding attention. Until finally a woman with black hair answered. Lorde’s parents were in awe of this woman, it took them a few moments to gather their thoughts to form a sentence.

“Hi..uh..hello. I think I just saw my daughter enter, Laura? Is she a patient here?”

[Keara Aithne]

The racket at the front door reverberated through the empty rooms. A motion sensor attached to the door alerting Keara to the fact that someone was there and that they were trying to gain entry. It was unusual for people to knock at her door, as most had keys and came and went freely. Many had tomes too that would bring them home, making the front door defunct. It didn't take the elder long to descend in the elevator and make her way to the huge wooden doors that separated her from those that were outside. Two tiny creatures followed in her wake, as Gizmo and Leeloo had managed to slip through the door and into the elevator with er. They may have thought they'd gone unnoticed for all the attention their mistress lavished on them but nothing got by Keara when Enver was not at her side. Without thought to what she was wearing, how she looked or anything else for that matter, she unlocked and pulled on one of the heavy set doors.

The elements entered the Asylum and despite her attire, the female didn't even shiver with the cold. Her dreads were down, falling over her shoulders and her dark eyes took in the couple with an eerie alertness. It had taken Keara only a moment to realise that she was dealing with a couple of humans, and that these two were previously unknown to her. Instinct had her wanting to fold her arms but she didn't, instead she adopted a slightly more hostile stance with one hand on each of the doors. The female filled the entrance, effectively blocking the couple from forcing their way inside or seeing past her, unless they looked over her head. Even then they would see little more than a long hallway.

It quickly became apparent that the pair were on some sort of mission when they didn't stop to properly introduce themselves before launching into their questioning. The words themselves were beseeching and a normal person might have felt a pang of sympathy for them, Keara however immediately grew suspicious of the couple. Firstly, she didn't know of any Laura in her family. Secondly, if they didn't know this was a homestead, then they didn't know this Laura well. A quick appraisal answered the question as to who they were and that they were in fact married, and yet Keara saw nothing more of note in them.

"Sorry," she said rather curtly. "Know I do not any Laura. This my residence is. No patients have we here."

Gizmo was sniffing around the feet of the strangers, while Leeloo stood behind Keara's legs, her tiny head peeking out at the would-be intruders. Thankfully neither pup had begun barking. Either the human couple weren't exciting enough, or they had already been dismissed as a threat. Both were true for their mistress, who with one arm outstretched on the closed door, now leaned into the door she'd opened; her stance having switched from one of hostility to disinterest. Whoever these people were, Keara didn't much care and it was only a matter of time before she bid them goodnight and closed the door on them as she had more important things to attend to.

[Lorde]

Lorde’s parents stared at the woman. Watching her in awe, the way she casually leaned against the door like it was nothing to her - like they were nothing to her. Her parents simply watched the woman, she was tall - oh so tall and that dress was like a tee shirt. It barely covered any flesh at all, the parents disapproved. The blonde haired woman spoke up first. Coughing a little to clear her throat.

“Oh, I am not mistaken. My daughter. She went inside. I saw her.” Mary, that was her name was not crazy. Far from it actually. She tried her hardest to peer around the tall woman with the dreadlocks hanging from her head. Her attire was positively strange to the older woman. She stood on her tip toes hoping to catch a glimpse of Lorde but simply saw nothing but a bit of chest from Keara.

Paul piped up next curling an arm protectively around his wife. “Look, we know we are imposing - why is a this a home. It doesn’t look like one.” He coughed a little, trying not to offend Keara. “We thought we saw our daughter. She’s been missing for three years. We had a text from her not so long ago saying she was back in town. Perhaps that was what we saw, wishful thinking that anyone could be our wonderful Laura.” He was fiddling with his wallet pulling out a small photo of an adolescent Lorde, she looked very much the same - but without the braces and much longer hair.

“Paul…”

“Mary, let’s go home.”

He curled an arm around his wife and began to lead her away before he turned to the woman and shook his head. “We are sorry for intruding.” He was sincere as they went back to the bench and picked up their bags and began to walk away. Mary was sobbing about how much she missed her daughter to her husband all the while he shook his head trying to comfort a distraught wife.

Lorde on the other hand was already in the attic after taking the metal box up to the highest floor of the asylum and was rummaging through the items in her black bag. She had old things she could sell and she was quite happily emptying them on the surface of the small shop.

[Keara Aithne]

Keara didn't let the pushy woman bother her and so her husband's apology was not necessary. She didn't feel the need to defend her choice of home or the fact that she had all but kept the name of it when she took it over. The old asylum was now named after her, or was, up until she married her husband, now she used the name Marshall in place of Aithne. Still, the name of the asylum had not been changed.

Recognition hit her when she saw the picture of the young girl, but it didn't show in her eyes or on her features. The couple were clearly looking for Lorde and she was happy that she hadn't known the female's true name, else she'd of been unable to lie to the couple and would have had to admit to the fact that Lorde did in fact live there. As it was, Keara could happily tell them yet again that no-one by that name lived in her home and wave them on their way. Closing the door, she looked down to her tiny, furry shadows and began talking to them as she made her way to the elevator.

"Looking for Lorde they were. Said they did that she home had come. Knew I did not that her name Laura was. Knew you that?" The pair looked at her as if to ask what she was talking about and she laughed at her own behaviour. "Matters not. Names important are not. Find her though we should for to ask what happening is."

Keara stepped into the elevator, Gizmo and Leeloo hot on her heels. It took only a minute before she was stepping out into the attic. She could have tried Lorde's room, but the attic was the first stop for most people, and she wondered if perhaps Lorde had gone looking for Enver. Though last she heard, Enver was at his office and not at his crafting table. Had he have been home, he likely would have been the one following her to the front door instead of the puppies. This thought made the woman smile as she looked about the main room.

"Lorde, visitors had you did."

No further explanation followed as Keara waited to see if her daughter had time to talk to her. Keara didn't like to distract any but Enver if she could help it, and Lorde seemed to be busying herself with her wares when she'd arrived. If the woman was counting or making any mental notes, it was entirely possible that Keara's words had broken her concentration, but she couldn't stand there and say nothing. Well, she could, but she had something to say, and so it needed to be said sooner rather than later.

[Lorde]

Hot green earbuds were pushed into both ears as she danced at the top floor of the attic, dumping the good stuff from the bad. The bad she would throw into a black bag and chuck it out - the good stuff she’ll sell it and bank the money to put towards a relic she was desperate to have. Saving was not her forte, she liked to spend her money. In that aspect she was like any women - splurge spend it on clothes. Lorde liked to spend it on weapons and new tracksuit bottoms - nike trainers. It wasn’t particularly girly, but it wasn’t particularly manly either. It was halfway and that was a major improvement for the boyish girl that was Lorde.

”Take the bottle, shake it upppppp….”

She dumped an Uzi on the countertop, careful to unload the magazine first didn’t want any misfiring bullets going anywhere if she damaged the walls she was sure if Enver didn’t kill her. Keara would, and both were bad. She prided herself on being the pride and joy, the favorite. That meant a lot to Lorde, which was why she was always on her best behavior around them.

”Pooooour some suuuuugarrr on meeee”

Her *** wiggled from side to side, oh yes she was getting into the rhythm of the song. She hadn’t noticed Keara coming into the attic, she could feel presence of strength and it made her stop doing what she was doing and pull an earbud out of her ear - the booming music of Def Leppard still very much loud.

She pulled the second out as soon as she saw the woman coming towards. Keara. Enver’s wife and her sire-in-law - stepsire - second sire, whatever title came with it. The woman was family, and she liked her much better than Enver’s previous loves. She had been there through all of his loves - and he was happiest with her, and it warmed Lorde’s unbeating heart to see him so sickly happy.

“Not possible, K-ma.” She said with a shrug, putting her ipod on the counter. “I don’t have any friends.”

[Keara Aithne]

Hearing Lorde say she didn't have friends didn't sit well with Keara, though honestly the woman could really only claim having one friend outside of the family herself. Alexandrea was a sweet girl, one Keara respected immensely and yet she rarely saw the woman. Keara was always far too wrapped up in her love and her family to think of making plans with anyone else. It was something she was hoping to change come the New Year. Not that she necessarily needed to make any sort of resolution to start off the year, no, she just wanted to get though the Christmas period. With Jamie in their life, she had to make sure that this Christmas was extra special. Holidays were not something she observed in this day and age, still choosing only to celebrate the old traditions she'd been raised in. While many would celebrate Christmas or the Winter Solstice, Keara would be giving thanks to Nox and Helios. Jamie however was of this world, more so than her husband when it came to Christmas, as this wasn't a holiday Enver seemed to care much about. As parents, however, the pair had to make an effort and that meant spoiling their child and making sure that he was happy, as well as healthy.

Her thoughts had begun to wander, but thankfully her mind worked quick enough for that not to be an issue and so her reply was almost instantaneous.

"Oh, friends of yours as such, they were not. The visitors claimed did, for your parents to be. Said they did, that they for their daughter Laura were looking. Lucky you were. Able I was for to say that I know one by that name did know. Though the photo that had they did, a photograph of you was. Though younger you were. Had they asked if I the girl in the photo had seen, unable I would have been for to them to lie. No answer then given would have been."

Keara let that information sink in, as it was perhaps a lot to process. The family had been looking for her, which meant Lorde had not been to see them in some time. She perhaps didn't want to see them. If that was the case then Keara wouldn't force the issue, it was up to Lorde if she maintained a relationship with her parents or not. In some ways it was best to cut ties with your mortal family, but Keara would be a hypocrite if she suggested such a thing, as she'd stayed with her family for a while after her turning and despite the rules, has shared with them what she was. They had accepted her for what she was and she made sure that they were safe and happy until the day they died.

"Look we can at the surveillance video, if wish you do for to confirm their identity."

[Lorde]

Lorde had stopped what she was doing and was simply looking at Keara with a curious eye. The woman was silent and she found herself staring off into the distance for a little while - wondering who could have been at the door. She looked at the phone she had placed upon shop counter. It vibed, slanting off to the side in a clockwise direction - the sound of the spice girls going. It was ringing, she laughed a little, reaching for the phone and opened it to see who was ringing.

* 1 INCOMING CALL: MUM *

Lorde sighed and clicked the reject button and pocketed the cellular device in her back pocket. She turned her eyes back to the woman she considered to be her second sire as she looked at her before she spoke.

She spoke of the people who had come knocking for her, they had claimed to be her parents as she had to force herself not to facepalm. No wonder her mother had called - she couldn’t have been seen, she must've changed somewhat since she last saw them - was it a parent's sixth sense to know when their child was near.

“I’m sorry” She said simply. “It’s my fault.” She sighed and then got herself into the story that got her into this spot. “I had been grabbing some of my stuff from the theatre, and was bringing it here and I found my old phone - the one I had before I was sired, there was some missed calls and I texted my mum to tell her that I was safe, I had to leave for a while. Milked it, you know?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Obviously they started looking for me.” The phone in her back pocket rang again. It was never going to stop ringing. Now they knew she was around, and not simply gone like she had been before.

“What do I do now, they will never stop looking for me.”

[Keara Aithne]

And odd song pierced the quiet and Keara watched as Lorde retrieved a mobile phone and looked to see who was calling. The song was somewhat annoying, even though she'd never heard it before, but she wasn't about to tell Lorde that she needed to get a new ring tone, as that would have been rude. Her own taste in music was rather eclectic and did sometimes lend itself to the pop genre, so she really couldn't say anything even if she wished to. What quickly drew her attention though, wasn't the song, but rather Lorde's reaction to the cellular device, as she didn't seem happy to hear from whoever it was that was calling. Keara could have pried and hacked into the signal but she tried never to invade the privacy of her family, unless their name was Enver that was, and then there was no expectation of privacy, and he knew it.

"Apologise you need not do darkling. Kind of you it was for her fears to settle. There a reason was, why spoke to her before you did not?"

Now this was a type of prying the female did condone. Questions could lead to answers, answers that would be freely given. Of course she wouldn't push Lorde to talk to her unless she thought it was absolutely necessary, by which it would have to have a direct impact upon her daughter or their family. Unfortunately for both women, this might just be such an occasion. She couldn't blame Lorde for the situation, but she couldn't walk away from it either, not until she knew what Lorde was planning to do about her parents.

"Desire you do, for away from your parents to stay? For them to know you not, as you are now? For that perhaps an option is, if trust them you can."

Sadly, Keara suspected that, that was not the case, else Lorde would have likely contacted her parents sooner. There had to be a reason why their childe had turned her back upon her mortal family, Keara just wasn't sure what it was. In all honesty, she'd never taken the time to find out much about Lorde's history pre-turning. She knew that Lorde and Enver had been close, that he had worked with her but that was as far as her knowledge of her human life went.

[Lorde]

Lorde being a killer had a temper. When the phone began to ring, and ring and ring - the sound of def leppard filling their eardrums almost all the time now for the last ten minutes - that the two stood in silence. Lorde grabbed the phone from her back pocket and threw the device at the wall with all her killer-like strength, smiling somewhat as she watched the device drop into a thousand little pieces upon the wooden flooring of the attic. She rubbed at the back of her neck nervously as she turned her ocean blue orbs back to her sire’s wife; Keara.

“Sorry.” She said again, giving the first gen vampire an awkward smile, with an awkward laugh to boot. Lorde was well known for her tempers, she suffered a lot with them when she was first sired. Most of the time she saw red, unable to get rid of those feelings whenever they took over. Anger, it was her biggest weakness when the anger took over she was very much like the hulk, she was smash things, destroy them until the feelings went away and she was able to see clearly again.

“I didn’t speak to her for a few reasons, she was one of those mums that would crowd you, yanno? She’d be on my case about everything. If I didn’t speak to her when I got sired - maybe she’d back off. So I left my phone alone, she knew I was here - in harper rock when I was doing my thing with Enver before I got sired, being his stunt double on set - that was how I got sired, ha. I saw him for what he was.” She smiled, like she was proud of this achievement, knowing him for what he was had ultimately got herself killed - and turned though, but regardless.

“But it seems me texting her three years later she’s still as overcrowding as before. I don’t want her to know me - I’m not the same girl as I was before. Look at me.” She pointed at herself, her arms that used to be skinny but muscled were now quite well defined with muscles - a killer trait, the strong she got the more muscled, and bigger she got.

[Keara Aithne]

The ringing didn't bother Keara, but she watched as Lorde's agitation grew with every passing second and so wasn't overly surprised when the female hurled the noisy device at the wall. Of course it smashed and pieces of the device scattered back, bouncing and skittering across the floor. It would need to be cleaned up sooner rather than later, as two tiny creatures had already begun to investigate the debris. Thankfully both Gizmo and Leeloo were used to small electronic pieces, since Enver dabbled with them almost daily, which meant that they didn't mistake any of the scattered phone parts for treats. instead they began sniffing and pushing pieces around with their noses. Fearing that they might step on and cut themselves on something sharp, Keara told the pair to 'leave'; a command they both immediately complied with. Trotting off to explore other areas of the attic, Keara was once more able to focus on Lorde.

Dark eyes took in the female's form. She could see nothing wrong with the childe, but then again she hadn't known her before she was sired, or even shortly thereafter. Folding her arms, Keara took a moment to consider all that had been said. She knew how Lorde had been sired and why, so that wasn't new information. An overbearing parent though, that was new. She hadn't known that Lorde had such a mother and couldn't understand how it was even possible, given that the female she knew was so very independent and more than capable of looking after herself. It was this fact that had Keara wondering about Lorde's up bring and whether or not she had any mortal siblings. She couldn't recall either her or Enver ever mentioning any. This likely meant that the female was an only childe, and would perhaps explain the mother's overbearing nature.

"Perhaps..." she began, "And guessing I would be. But perhaps she so eager is because she from you in so long has not heard. The question then that as yourself you must. Is whether desire you do, or do not, for a relationship now with her to have. For in the flesh you need not appear. But phone or email you could. When you time have. If you that so did desire. the relationship on your terms established perhaps could be, for to her mind peace to bring."

If the woman truly was overbearing then there was definitely the chance that a virtual or distance relationship would not be enough to keep her happy, but it was perhaps a start. It all depended on Lorde. Not only would she need the strength to keep the woman at arm’s length, and the desire to keep her in her life, but she'd also need to time and patience to establish a new routine, a new bond. The other option, the more nuclear option, was that they faked Lorde's death in the hopes that her parents would grieve her and move on. This option however, only worked, if their paths never crossed again; something no-one but fate could guarantee.