Path of the Vampire forum

The rafter of Turkeys stayed huddled together at the far end of the garage as the crazy lady that had glued hats and coats on them prepared the back of the van she had 'borrowed' from one of the furniture stores at the mall to transport the whole gang to tonight's party. Alexandrea Quartermaine shoved a mass of flaxen curls out of her face and huffed. Why on earth she had got herself ready first was anyone's guess but it was clear from the exasperated look on her face that she was regretting the choice.

She did at least swapped the high heels for sneakers before rounding up the herd of her fancy dressed feathered friends but despite her gift for dealing with animals, it took a few hours to get them all inside and settled in for the trip back to the 8th dimension mall. The mall wasn't exactly closed for the holiday but there were so few stores open it might have well have been. A few customers were at one of the restaurants that had stayed open but most of the citizens were all at home with family.

Which was all Alex wanted. Ever. She didn't get to have it back when she was still human and now she had made a new life with new family, she intention was to make it happen. And she was triple blessed now; with her adoptive family thanks to Elizabeth, her sisters at The Triple Moon, and of course there was her bloodline... the Quartermaines.

The trouble with the Q Crew was they never seemed to be around and didn't show much interest in ever getting together. The ambitious Allurist had tried a few times to remedy that to no avail so far but this time was going to be different. Or else.

Alexandrea used the loading dock to park, backing in with the van until the was hardly any room to open the rear doors. She didn't want any of her act trying to escape before showtime. That didn't happen... at that time. But time was running out for them and for Alex, as the guests would all be arriving at any moment now.

The parade of costumed turkeys all made it into the mall and almost all the way to the atrium before Penny Valentine decided to crash the party. Alex's young cat leapt off of the escalator as the gang passed below her perch at the top and directly into the middle of the baker's dozen of birds which all immediately ran in opposite directions.

Penny targeted the largest and made a beeline for him, driving on his heels so hard the turkey ran straight into the garden area and without a pause off of the edge of the pool that Orin was swimming lazy circles in.

"Noooo Orin! Please! Not that one! He's the star of the show!"

But either the shark didn't hear her, didn't understand or just didn't care (most likely all three were true) because it only took seconds for nothing to be left of Tom Turkey except a few leftover bits like a foot and half the face. And about a ton of feathers that were now littering the shark's tank.

Odin was going to kill her. Again.

"Okay, this is different."

The gypsy had pondered Alex's invitation several times. Canadian Thanksgiving was basically the same as the American ones she had known, just on a different day.

Was she actually gonna cook?

She supposed in the end this would all make sense somewhere possibly, but if she read right, the invite meant Alexandrea considered her part of the 'family'. Family was a touchy subject for Zodiac. Her real family had fallen apart, the supposed 'lineage' family was a joke. Scorp's 'family' was scattered to the four winds because she could not be bothered to take an interest in them, and the sub lineage the mystic herself had started had mixed results.

Family. Was almost a dirty word when you thought about it right.

Regardless, Alex and her were close. Perhaps the sister she did not have. They just clicked when they were on the same page of something, and even though part of her was leery of such a gathering, she committed herself to clean and dress for the occasion.

*****

The evening in question she arrived at the mall. Why Alex would want to have a party here was beyond Zodiac's understanding, but it was not her party. She stood there in a simple purple dress, dark hose and heels and looked around the almost deserted front of the complex. In her arm she held a couple bottles of wine. A human reflex on her part. One did not show up to a party empty handed and since she was not sure how many of the guests would be mortal or not she brought a bottle for both tastes.

At her feet sat Ginny. Still suffering a bid of indignation at being washed and groomed for this. She too had been 'dressed' with a few bits of jewelry the girl had adjusted for the animal's size. The jewels from the necklace caught the light in a way only real gems could. "Well, let us go see what this is all about." her thoughts whispered to the large feline as she walked forward. The automatic doors allowing them both to enter the mall. She looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary and was about to turn and move to Alex's shop when something caught her ear.

Her eyes turned and saw the small parade of turkeys-in costume-all waddling about. She laughed to herself at the sight of it all. Oh this was classic Alex in motion now. It had to be. A smile spread on her face as she dimly wondered who was going to clean up after them. Turkeys, like chickens, did not have bathroom skills. "Oh look, Ginny. A parade! I wonder if Alex made floats as well."

All the cat did was meow once as a small streak of darkness suddenly charged the flock. "Ah, the elusive Miss Valentine," Zodiac giggled as the cat turned the barely controlled chaos into full blown chaos with ease. The kitten knew which one it wanted and was going for broke. The bird was not slow. It was making the smaller cat work for it, but despite the fowl's speed, it showed its lack of brain power as it charged its way straight into the shark tank.

"OH MY GOD!" Zodiac's mental voice erupted in laughter as the shark quickly enjoyed its own Thanksgiving dinner in one bite. She could not stop laughing. Her laughter so hard the gypsy literally fell on her butt on the cold marble tiled floor and sat there in hysterics. She finally saw Alexandrea standing near the tank with a look of total confusion on her face.

"Hey babe!" she called out to the allurist and waved at her. "Great opening act there! What's next? We get hockey sticks and try for some goals with the rest of them?"

Kane usually wasn't one for family gatherings. In fact, he hardly knew any of the other Quartermaines, save for his sire, his sire's missus and a couple of siblings. Still, the Irishman had no say in the matter as Noelle would never let him hear the end of it. Kane parked his bike outside the chosen venue. He wasn't sure why it was a mall of all places, but he didn't really care. Despite having scrubbed up rather well, the Irishman really didn't look like a party-goer.

Kane was wearing his usual gothic attire and he carried his bagpipes in a large backpack over his shoulder. His combat boots thudded on the floor as he heard laughter. The Irishman came round the corner and saw a female vampire near the aquarium and another on the floor in hysterics. "Looks like I missed a party." Kane's laugh mingled with his heavy Irish accent.

The familiar touch of Zoey's words in the blonde's mind had a soothing effect on Alex's frazzled nerves and she started to giggle just as someone else came in. Seconds before she had been on the verge of tears but the Mystic's timely arrival put the situation into into proper, although comical, context. It wasn't the end of the world. Well; except for the star of the show. What was left of the only one of the fowls that the Allurist had been able to actually train to do anything was on it's way to clogging up the shark tank's filtering system.

The newest arrival on the scene was dressed as Alex expected Ripper and Noelle's charge would be attired, Kane and her had never actually met face to face but Alexandrea felt strongly that it had to be him.

At least dinner was safe, Alexandrea thought to herself with a sigh as she looked over her shoulder at the buffet she had set up with a Zombie theme in honor of last night's premiere of The Walking Dead. The entire last season and the new show were all on the DVR ready for viewing later on, unless the guests wanted to turn on Football. Alex was more of a Hockey fan herself but so long as her company was happy, she would put on whatever they wanted on or put on nothing at all.

Penny was trotting over towards the Gypsy and Ginny with her tail held high as if it was a flag. The small feline was enormously proud of the smaller turkey she had caught after losing Tom to Orin and was dragging it along behind her. And despite it being the runt of the rafter, it was twice the size of the young cat.

"You made it!" Alexandrea sang out as she tried to fix her hair while following Penny Valentine over to the guests. It was a lost cause. The curls had frizzed out into fluffy clouds and the elegant upsweep in the back was now a floppy waterfall of hair.

Stuffing some of the length behind her ears to get it out of her face, Alex gracefully bent down and greeted Zodiac with a kiss to the cheek before reaching over to scratch Ginny under the chin.

"I did have a different kind of act in mind but... oh well" The Allurist chuckled and rolled her shoulders. "Oh well, at least all that's left to litter the pool are the feathers. Maybe I can get those cleaned out before Odin even has to know." The blonde nibbled her lower lip, knowing full well he would see the footage on the security cameras no matter what tricks she might have up her sleeves.

"And I suppose we could make changing the rest of the herd down a sport but I'm fresh out of Hockey sticks. As far as other games, I have a few in mind for later. I do hope everyone else shows up..."

The blonde rose back up to her full height of 5 feet and practically nothing and stepped over to Kane. "Hello, and Welcome! Happy Thanksgiving. I'm Alex and the three ladies on the floor are Zodiac, Ginny and Penny. Orin's the one in the pool. And I bet you're Kane? Am I mistaken? And if so are those bagpipes in your bag or are you just happy... um. Skip that." The Allurist blushed a deep red, the joke had been out of her mouth before her brain had a chance to censor it. She could feel the heat on her cheeks and cursed the 'gift' of having a so called 'healthy complexion' yet again.

It was true; Myk was a flake. Not one month after those bone-white tresses had been slashed and soaked in ink, they were back. Rising like a corpse from the grave, although withered in length, the white hair had returned to trail down his shoulders and to his elbows again. Myk had to bless the fact that his hair had always been so quick-growing, still, it wasn’t quite long enough for his liking and he’d had to include a few extensions to make up the length. The Telepath probably felt conflicted about the issue of bleaching his hair for a total of twenty minutes before deciding to go ahead with it anyway. Bleaching was such a process – especially when you were aiming for white. Stripping back the dye was the first problem. It had layered over the hair threads like varnish and only particular chemicals could make it shift. Bleaching dyed hair is generally a no-no. In order for the bleach to work, it has to invade the hair cuticles and oxidise the pigments left behind by the artificial dye. Sometimes the process can be so aggressive that the bleach will often destroy the cuticle in the process before it can strip the colour and your hair will fall out. Fortunately for Myk, his hair had always been strong, resilient and regenerative, so there was little chance of it being destroyed – frazzled perhaps, but not destroyed. Once the black was removed with hair colour removers, the bleaching and toning began.

This was a long and arduous process. 10Vol peroxide used twice a week in between a good deep conditioning is the best way to lift your hair colour. Any stronger and the hair will snap off. The Telepath’s hair had turned an atrocious orange colour during the development, which he’d had to tolerate for days in between the bleach. Feeling like an Orangutan rather than a platinum-haired Angel, Myk refused to leave his boat. He couldn’t attend the Ivory Tower looking like a Ginger Tower and all of his social interactions were limited to digital devices and telepathy. Unfortunately, Myk couldn’t shoo the Wraith away all of the time, so he’d had to tolerate the snide comments, the choking laughter, and mocking disguised as questions while the process was on-going. Myk was happy, relieved, and jovial even to get to the point where his hair was practically an ivory shade and he could start toning down the vulgar pigments left in his hair. Violet, being on the opposite side of the colour wheel to those subtle brassy shades, makes it the perfect toner to counteract the inevitable side-effects of bleaching. Just a few more days of toning and shampooing and Myk was ready to leave the house-boat as an unnatural blonde.

Frankly, Myk couldn’t remember why he’d even dyed his hair black to begin with. He’d always hated his hair in its natural colour – it was boring. Black might have been one of his favourite colours, but he didn’t want it on his head. He was pale enough as it was and black hair, well, it made him look twice as pale – ghastly rather than ghostly. White hair made him look uniform. Being white all over was the perfect excuse to adding outrageous clothing and make-up, like splashing paint onto a blank canvas. This plain uniformity was perfect for his eccentric mood because he could change his appearance to constantly reflect the turbulent emotions and desires strumming within him. Whatever had possessed him to forsake this anomalous, chameleon-like characteristic that he adored was likely some external factor. Myk had lost chunks of his history due to these infrequent, unexplainable black-outs, and apparently in one of these instances, his mind wasn’t the only thing to experience a blacking-out. It was a shock, to put it mildly. For over ten years Myk had meticulously managed those bone-white tresses – changing the length, but never the colour – and then one day he wakes up to his own face framed with short, black hair. Rutherford denied all involvement and knowledge. The Telepath was sure he was lying.

“Are we feeling better now, young one?” the Wraith asked from the corner of the bathroom, giving Myk something of a start.

“You should really stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Appearing randomly like that. It’s… unnerving. Particularly in these circumstances.”

The Wraith was silent for a moment, taking in the view of the young Vampire – in little more than a towel – sitting on the edge of the bath as he combed through his freshly washed mane. The air in the small, cramped space was heavy with the scent of rose again – the Telepath’s chosen bath soak. It was like standing in a secret garden walled with white tiles; the air was almost insufferably hot and the humidity might have made it difficult to breathe should any one of the two had needed to do such a thing. As it happened, the Wraith hummed to himself – a tune that was both derisive and dismissive before changing the subject.

“Does the young master have plans this evening? He does not often bathe…”

“Oh shut up,” Myk growled, tossing the hair brush into the corner of the room where he’d heard the voice. He ignored the clatter of wood on tiles as he continued to gripe. “According to you I both bathe too much and too little. Pick one, Rutherford.”

“If I have to choose one, I would prefer it if you bathed more frequently. Sometimes the smell is too much to bear.”

“Excuses, excuses,” the Telepath sneered. “You just want more opportunities to spy on me while I’m naked.”

“Hardly.”

Myk rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say... But I know you spy on people while they are bathing, Rutherford.”

“You know nothing of the sort, young one.”

“Mmhmm. Oh, and since you asked… Yes, I am going out. I do have plans.”

“With Miss Tzasun, perhaps?”

Myk couldn’t help but giggle. “Sorry, not tonight. I know you love to see her almost as much as I do, but I’ve been invited to a party… And… I’m not sure I can just invite anyone I wish.”

“Whomever is the host?”

“Alex. You remember her. Blonde girl—”

“Well, does that not narrow down the list of suspects.”

Myk frowned. “Meaning?”

“The young master appears to surround himself with fair-haired maidens.”

“I do not.”

“I beg to differ. Which one is Alex, again?”

“Well, she’s not the Lady and she’s not Noelle. So… that narrows it down, doesn’t it? How many more blonde women do I associate with?”

“There is a mortal.”

“Dawn.”

“Oh. I see.”

“Yeah… So, by process of elimination, the other blonde must therefore be Alex. Happy?”

“I have not been happy since the young master ripped me from the Shadows.”

“Too bad,” Myk smirked. “Now, apparently it’s Canadian Thanksgiving, so, you might want to consider the spirit of the season and perk up a touch. That, or leave me be. I’ve still got to get dressed and sort this hair out, and I can’t do any of that while you’re annoying me. So, shoo.”

The Wraith – never one to follow a command to the letter – chose to leave the bathroom in bitter silence, retreating into the living space to reconnect later. Although the Telepath would not be aware of the Wraith’s presence unless he chose to speak, Rutherford had his own pride to contend with; he would not confirm his Master’s vile accusations even to himself. While he chose to leave Myk to dress and inevitably faff with his appearance for a good few hours, Rutherford would attend the party and sustain his foul, ungrateful mood throughout the night. The Wraith might have confessed to experiencing no happiness in the time he had been summoned to the living world, but he did attain a certain sense of joy in tormenting the unassuming Telepath. Both Rutherford and Myk knew practically nothing about Thanksgiving and even less about Canadian Thanksgiving. If the stereotypes were to be followed, they might be about to receive a traditional Turkey meal smothered in Maple Syrup. Although, with Alex throwing the party, anything was possible.

Not knowing what to expect, it seemed appropriate to wing it. Casually dressed in stone-washed slim-fit jeans, a Spiral sleeveless t-shirt, combat boots and various rock-band paraphernalia – leather studded wristbands, a chunky belt buckle, chains with dangling pendants and silver rings – the Telepath arrived at the designated meeting spot. The 8th Dimension Mall was a place the Telepath knew well for being a labyrinth, so he was slightly worried that he wouldn’t be able to find the party. As it quickly turned out, his worries were for naught. A parade of panicked turkeys marching to the chorus of giggles from a familiar Mystic, followed by the exasperated yet amused presence of the blonde Allurist, concluded to Myk that he had found the party. The Telepath approached the group – invisible Wraith in tow – as the only other male was introduced as Kane. White lips pulled into a gentle smile and Myk bobbed his head in greeting to each one; narrowly managing to avoid kicking a turkey into space as he made his way over.

“Alexandrea. Zodiac. Kane. So nice to see you all. I’m… presuming I’m early? Or very, very late judging by… well... those.”

The Telepath gave a vague gesture of his hand in the direction of the largest flock of turkeys; silver-tipped fingers shimmering in the light like he’d exchanged his nails for knives this evening. Well, he’d had to have some bit of glamour since he’d dressed so plainly, wore next to no make-up but for white mascara and foundation, and wore his bone-white hair long and straight. He could also make up for it with just being himself of course. The dark, sultry nature of voice combining with the anomalous character of his accent would certainly be dramatic enough for one party.

“If they’re anything like sheep, we could probably round them up. That is… unless this is the new design concept of the Mall. Can’t say I hate it.”

Kane looked over at the blonde vampire who introduced herself as Alex. Even though he had been a part of the Quartermaine family for a while now, he was still amazed by people not seeing him as the black sheep. The Irish vampire looked at Zodiac and the others as they were introduced before looking down at Alex again. "Yeah, last time I checked. It's no problem. I have a pretty weird sense of humour and I think you did that joke arseways anyway." Kane chuckled at her blush before looking at the newest arrival.

The stranger had white-blonde hair and silver nails that almost resembled claws. Kane gave him a small smile and responded to the white-haired British fellow's greeting. "I think you're early. You just missed most of the turkey-related chaos."