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“I’m here to pick up something for my dad, Micah, considering it’s been two days and you idiots owe him his money back on the shipment.” The man behind the counter looked surprised and somewhat nervous as he gawked at her before his expression turned into one of anger. It had been an easy enough evening so far – she had ran back and forth to collect what would be needed for the shop, leaving the tattoo supply shop for last aside from the paperwork that she’d fill out later in Masterpiece. Every liked to keep busy, and now that she worked for both her sire and step-sire, it was working out to keep her content.

“O-Oh. Right. Micah.” Amusement crossed her features as she watched the man flee from her sight and afterwards she removed her cell phone from her pocket, sending the mentioned man a text. Do I even want to ask what you threatened them with? Pressing send, she slipped the device back into place without expecting a reply back anytime soon and walked around, looking at the different colors of ink while she considered what she’d get for her next design; a dream catcher or the celtic sister’s knot she’d suggested for the Daughters of Destiny symbol were at the top of her list as of late.

Pursing her lips at the sight of a skull-shaped ink cup holder, she picked it up and then returned back to the counter in wait – figuring Micah’d get a laugh out of the little surprise ‘thank you’ gift that she’d leave at his desk. When the man returned carrying three boxes of supplies, he eyed the skull warily, and then Every as she reached into her bag for the envelope of cash that she’d already counted out, followed by her wallet. Lifting her eyebrow as she removed enough for the skull, she watched the man flinch away as if she moved to hit him. Whatever Micah said definitely got to him. “This too.” “Wuss.” She thought silently and remained silent as the man rang up everything.

“Huh. Maybe I miscounted.” She lifted one eyebrow at the amount due before opening the envelope and began counting the bills, holding them out. As always, eyes widened and she had to avoid rolling hers while making the mental note to get a debit card when she had the chance. He lifted the bills to the nearest light one by one, the brunette losing herself control as her hazel gaze found the ceiling and she idly shook her head before handing him her ID card. “Every.” He pronounced it like EV-ree before continuing, “Odd name for a pretty face.” Rather than correct him, she grabbed one of the boxes and the skull, “Yep.”

Collecting the two other boxes, the male followed her out, “I don’t suppose you’d give me your number. You know. In case a special comes in.” She gave the male a faint glare before shaking her head while she walked to her 1970 Dodge Challenger. “Mm, nope. You can talk to my dad and he can relay the information.” That shut him up fast as he helped her put the two other boxes into her car before he left her be. Tucking away the rest of her wallet and ID card, Every got into her car and headed back to the Tattoo Parlor, calling ahead of time to make sure that at least one or two of the guys would be waiting outside to help her carry things inside – although her pride made her want to say screw it and do it herself. Twenty minutes later and with the skull ink holder in hand, she smiled and headed in the direction of Micah’s office, “I’ll be in here, call me if anything is needed.” before nudging the door shut with her foot and taking a seat behind the desk.

She set the skull near the container of pens before removing one, setting her cell phone on vibrate and then collected one of the pens so she’d be able to get to work. First things first, she scribbled a quick note to Micah – You told me not to thank you because it was hard to ask, but idgaf. Hope this makes you smile, Evee. – and then she began to fill out the forms that she had been calling her name for a while.

The tall woman sat with perfect posture and peered at the man across the table from her from beneath her lashes. Uncle had already smacked her once, so for the moment she would play the part of demur Muslim woman while they spoke. She sighed inwardly as her eyes drifted to the dessert resting in front of her. The smell of strawberries and chocolate made her mouth water. But of course, she wasn't able to eat it. Which sucked. Why would he order dessert for them when she couldn't take off her veil to enjoy it? Once more, she peeked at her Uncle, then tuned him out.

She'd heard it all before. "Why aren't you married?" "You're so old now." "It's not proper to live like you do." and on and on and on. She'd never go back to Turkey or the arranged marriages they'd set up for her over the years. Her mother had instilled in her a sense of independence and freedom that she was loathe to let go of. She'd never figure out why her Uncle kept trying. Over the many years he'd tracked her all over the world to talk, cajole, bribe, beat, badger and harass her in to coming back to Turkey and getting married. And every time she told him no. She flat out refused to do as he wanted. So once more, they sat through a tedious dinner and she ignored him. He'd be going home tonight and she... well she had a plan.

After what felt like hours, she escorted him in to a cab and sent him on his way, leaning back against the brick of the restaurant with a soft sigh and pinching the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes. She ignored the odd looks that she always got when dressed in the full garb. Abaya, Hajib and Veil. Thankfully she didn't have to wear it often. Though her normal dress was fairly modest, this felt downright smothering. Hopefully, after tonight, she wouldn't ever have to wear it again. That thought made a smile appear on her lips as she took out her phone. Scrolling through her contacts, she selected the name she wanted and sent a short text.

Hey, it's AJ... can we meet? I'm ready.

Sometime through her paperwork, Every had shrugged out of her jacket and made herself home in the office as she had for the past few nights. Keys, her phone, random small ‘candy’ blood wrappers stacked in a pile being in place to the point one would realize that she didn’t quite mind the busy work. In fact, she enjoyed it. Keeping busy kept her out of her thoughts, and she was grateful that her sire had never asked why she wanted so many shifts – of course, he probably thought the busier, the better. Shaking her head idly as a more specific thought crossed her mind, the brunette finished the last stack of things she needed to fill out and got up to put them in her bag to give to Micah later.

The petite woman hummed while she moved about, lifting her hand to the strands of dark brown hair that had been in a top knot since she’d started writing, reaching up to adjust the glasses that sat across the bridge of her nose and with a small yawn escaping past her lips, she went back to the desk and sat down in the chair, leaning back in thought. She was going to draw up a few advertisement handouts later, but wasn’t quite sure where or how to start... The sound of her cell phone ringing was savior enough as Every sat up and then reached for the iPhone, tapping the screen to see a text from AJ that she read with an incline of her head. She checked her watch, “Well, it looks like his week is null and his point’ll be made.”

She loathed the idea of admitting that Azariel was right, and then sent a response in return to AJ while her hair fell over one shoulder. Short. Simple.

Alright, meet me at West Towers apts.

She sent her apartment number, too, and then the location of an extra key inside before tucking her phone into her pocket and collecting her jacket off the back of the chair, shrugging into it a moment later. It wouldn’t take her long to go on foot as she removed the tome from her pocket. Cleaning up her mess quickly, the small brunette headed out of the shop, saying she had an errand to run – adding that they shouldn’t slack off because she had a feeling that Micah’d appear randomly and then she headed for the market entrance, ultimately vanishing from view as she teleported into the alleyway beside the towers.

As soon as she received the text, she headed for the apartment. She didn't bother stopping to change, she could remove her coverings when she got there. Right now, all she wanted to do was escape. To see a friendly face and make sure this could never happen to her again. She ignored the looks on the train, keeping her heavily lined eyes down cast, gloved hands clutching the pole for support as the train stopped, started and slowed down repeatedly. When she reached her stop, she was hard pressed to keep from bolting off the train and running all the way to the towers. It was only with sheer force of will that she kept a measured pace to avoid attracting any undue attention on herself.

With a soft sigh, she entered the building, glad to see the lobby deserted. She went straight for the elevator and pressed the button, darting inside the car as the doors opened and slumping against the wall after selecting the floor number. She closed her eyes as the car began to move, running over her choice in her mind. She had wanted to wait longer, but with her Uncle hounding her, she simply couldn't. This choice had to be made and she had to do it immediately.

When the doors opened, she moved silently out of the car and walked down the hall, looking at the numbers to find the apartment she wanted. She found the key exactly where Eve had said it would be and let herself in to the apartment. Closing the door securely behind her, she twisted the lock and looked around for her friend. "Eve?" She called out, moving slowly away from the door.

She had arrived in her apartment not too longer after sending the text message, and her first task had been to pick up what little was off the floor before going to change into a comfortable pair of shorts and a short sleeved tee-shirt that she wouldn’t mind ruining if bleach would be needed to clean later. Pulling her hair into a high ponytail, Every brushed her tongue over her fangs as they retracted and she wondered what she was going to do. She wasn’t going to call Azariel and ask him for the medicine – his reaction to the entire suggestion had bothered her, but it wasn’t his call. She did grab a thing of the numbing agent Micah had used, but she knew from personal experience in both tattoos and other uses that it wouldn’t stay that way.

As she passed Squeaks’ cage, the hedgehog made a noise and the brunette stopped to pick him up, pressing a kiss to his nose before brushing her fingertips along the quills while she paced her apartment. It was funny that she had no problem turning those that didn’t want it, however, when someone requested it, it made her nervous. But, Every knew that Aysel was strong and she had a feeling everything would go fine. She was being paranoid – something that she felt was contributed from spending time with Velveteen. When she heard the elevator reach her floor, the petite vampire went back into her bedroom and placed her beloved pet back into his cage before picking up one of her blades and tucking it into the waistband of her shorts as she heard her name.

“Bedroom.” She called out in response, rubbing her hand over her face before she walked out and paused at the woman in her living room. “If I couldn’t smell you underneath all of that, I would have likely just thrown my knife at you.” Wasn’t it a lovely greeting? Removing her sneakers, Every disappeared once more into her bedroom in search of the clothes that Alexio had left behind – although, she still wondered if he was one of those people that would vanish without a trace but she tried not to think of it. Collecting a pair of never worn sweatpants and a simple, plain tee-shirt, Every walked back out and offered them to the woman. “If you want them, bathroom is to the left of the door. I’ll be ready when you are.”

She tugged her veil and head covering off, revealing the growing black eye and a small grin. She gave the smallest shake of her head as she gathered the hem of her abaya and pulled the swaths of black fabric over her head, revealing her usual uniform of leather pants and a tunic shirt that fell to mid thigh. Setting the bundle in a neat pile beside the door, she removed her shoes and set them with the rest of her outfit. She walked over to the petite woman, feeling awkward as she shoved her hands in her pockets. She rocked on her heels for a moment and stared at the woman who had agreed to take her life and give her a new one.

"So..." She began, pacing around a little, "I know I said I needed time to get things in order. And they mostly are. As you can see, Uncle was in town." She made a small gesture towards her face with her hand before it vanished back in to her pocket. The hand shortly reappeared to run through her newly freed hair, then vanished again. "He's arranged yet another marriage for me and I've refused, yet again. That's when he did this." She made the small gesture again and shoved her hand in to her pocket.

"I guess what I am trying to say is that... I cannot do this any more. I cannot sit around and wait for him to keep coming at me. To keep arranging marriage's and sending his thugs after me. I cannot be his... what ever he wants. Proper Muslim woman. Obedient and subservient. That is not the life I want. I know you can give me something different, even if it is as difficult as they say. I am ready for that challenge. And I promise, on my honor, I will not disappoint you if you give me this chance."

She expelled a breath in a near huff, causing a curl to lift, then fall. Her heart was racing and her breath came short as she looked Every over. The woman seemed a calm, cool contrast to her own nerves and she felt her hands clench in her pockets. She tried for a smile and managed a weak one. This night would change her life forever, if and only if Every hadn't changed her mind.

Time. That word had always meant a lot to Every and she found it a little amusing that was what AJ had requested, to prepare for her turning and say goodbye to her normal human friends. At least that’s what the petite vampire guessed that she was doing, and as Aysel removed the head piece, the small growl at the sight of the black eye showed that she was not pleased in the least. “Your Uncle should leave Harper Rock as soon as possible before I start tracking.” Every gave a shake of her head while she walked to the kitchen, collecting a sandwich bag and filling it with ice before offering it to her.

“Like I’ve said before, I wouldn’t be very friendly with your culture.” Not that she hadn’t dealt with a similar issue in the past, but, at least she had been able to walk around without covering every inch of her body. A frown played across her features as she studied the black eye, her jaw subconsciously throbbing in sympathy from an old wound as she reached up to rub at the area idly. “Well, he’s a dick. And like I said, he should leave before I start tracking.” She grumbled under her breath. Not like that would actually give him a far enough head start, she had the time and the funding to track him down.

Listening to AJ, the brunette sat on the back of her couch and watched her quietly, considering the words as she made mental notes about what to do. She listened to the woman’s heartbeat, counting the beats before she ran her tongue over the top row of her teeth where her fangs were concealed. Every had never liked keeping them in full view. She didn’t like attention drawn to her anyway – no wonder she was a shadow. “I trust that you’ll keep your word on it, and I’ll try not to disappoint you as your sire.” Luckily, she knew she had Micah on speed dial and if needed be, her wraith – Cooper – could always go run and verbally harass the man out of his hiding spot.

It was different, someone requesting to become a vampire. With Hadrian and Nishaa, she had physically forced them into it. Hadrian for insulting her and being rude, Nishaa for stabbing her in the gut with her own knife. She still remembered their fear as if it were playing in her head on repeat. “It’s gonna hurt. I don’t have any of the medicine I mentioned that I’d like to turn you with, but I suppose you can say it’s not a bad trade off – immortality for just that.” She didn’t remember much of her own turning. Micah had slammed her into a wall.

"I'm used to pain." She said almost quietly. It wasn't a brag, just the flat, monotone statement of one who'd lived a life with more pain than any one person should. She watched as Every sat and spoke, taking in every word. "Besides, you are right, it is not a bad trade off. I am sure there will be more down the road, but at least I will be able to recover much faster, right?" She smiled and this time it was genuine. After a moment she sat down on the coffee table to look at the woman.

"We can wait, if you are not ready. I do not want to rush you, but I know in my heart that this is what I want so I am content to wait until you are certain as well." She paused a moment, taking the time to turn her own cell off so no one could bother her for the rest of the evening. "I do not need any drugs to take the pain away, I am sure it will not last long at any rate."

She gave a smile that had more strength to it and rolled up the sleeves of her shirt. In the books vampires always went for the neck or the wrists. She wasn't sure what Every's plan was, but she was prepared no matter what. This was going to be a night for the history books. A night she couldn't even write in her journal lest some one find it, but it would always remain in her mind.

"So, how would you like to do this?"

She couldn’t keep the frown off her lips even if she had bothered to try, the brunette thinking about it for another few moments before she gave a nod of her head. “You would, yes.” She offered a small genuine smile in return as she exhaled and then tugged once on her hair from habit. “It’s not rushing me, and so long as you know what you want, that’s what’s important.” Every’s hazel eyes swept over AJ lightly, thinking of their conversation during their meeting and how the woman had seemed so sure about it then too.

Would she have gotten to that point if allowed?

The thought went through her head as she stretched out her legs once more, crossing them at the ankles before she gave a nod of her head. She’d make sure of it that way, and she then reached beneath her shirt to remove her dog tags and slid off the back of the couch to set them on the table. When asked how she wanted to do the turning, Every glanced to the bathroom.

“Exsanguination may be best, it’ll be the easiest to control.” She scratched at the side of her nose with her thumb, “then you’ll have to drink my blood while you’re dying.” Tugging on her shirt as she stood up, she picked up a clip and pinned back the remainder of her hair so it wouldn’t get in her way at all. “I didn’t scar much, some do though. The tub may be able to have it be cleaner, but it’d likely be more comfortable in here.”

In all honesty, she didn’t care about cleaning up either. Every had enough time on her hands lately to clean for hours and she knew well enough how to get blood out of cloth, not to mention all else fails she could always replace the floor. Removing the blade from the waistband of her shorts, she checked how sharp it was with her thumb – she didn’t want it to be dull for this and then went to get another. “May want to finish your coffee though. You may never get another one again.”

The thought of never having coffee again sent a zing of doubt running through the tall woman. She loved her coffee. Her exotic meals. And her desserts. Especially her desserts. Taking up the mug, she drained it quickly and sighed, savoring the last swallow as if it would be, well, her last. She set the mug down with a sigh and looked at the woman sitting near her. She studied her intently, finding nothing but concern and honesty in those honeyed depths.

With a soft sigh, she pulled a velvet pouch from her bag and opened it, taking a small book from with in. She held the Qur'an in her hands. She opened it up and let her eyes rove over the pages, her lips moving as she read and prayed to Allah for guidance. It wasn't that she needed guidance but faith and prayer were such a central part of who she was that she did it with out thinking. When she was done, she placed the book back in the pouch and then the pouch back in to her bag.

Her heart was racing as she inched to the edge of the sofa, hands shaking lightly as she took the knife from Every. Sweat slicked her skin, causing her to drop the blade and she gave a shy, embarrassed smile as she retrieved it. A slow exhale of breath and she met Eve's eyes once more, the cool blade against her wrist, she pushed down slowly. A soft hiss of pain escaped as she made a three inch slice that ran with the veins rather than across them. Licking her lips, she hastily held her wrist over the empty coffee mug, not wanting to mess up the woman's living room.

"No turning back now." She said softly, her voice carried more confidence than fear as she held Eve's gaze for reassurance, the coppery tang of blood beginning to scent the air around them.