Path of the Vampire forum

<Every>

[email from eveandras@yahoo.com] Hey Mari, it’s Eve. I was wondering if you’d be interested in meeting up with me? Wear something comfortable and easy to move in, if so? I know the manly body is kind of awkward but I think you’d probably enjoy this. The Clocktower in Coastside is where I’m at, a store called Apparition. It’ll be the one with blacked out windows, letters are written in a graffiti style paint. I hope you can make it!

Once the email was sent, Every tucked her phone away in the pocket of her hooded sweatshirt before taking her keys out of the other one. With a soft hum, the brunette stepped inside the shop and left the door partially opened before moving further inside, clapping when she reached the middle of the wooden floor. Slowly, the lights fluttered on and she beamed to herself, moving to where the stereo was kept before turning the music lower.

As she waited to see if her grandchilde would arrive, she shed her jacket and got to work - prepping the area. Even if she didn’t come there, Every would be there for a little while. It was a stress relieving place, her studio. She felt the bass trickle through her slender form, the slight grin on her lips evident that she was pleased in how things had turned out. Heading into her office, a mostly empty room aside from a desk, computer and locker, she collected the remote to the projector and pressed a button until the soft hum of the machine caught her ear.


Marjani: Mari was painting her big, beautiful toenails when there was a window that popped up in the corner of the left side of her computer screen that said she had received a new email. Not wanting to smear her nail polish, Mari let it go and decided she would check it out later when Mari was certain the lime green color on all her ten toenails were dry. Another alert for her inbox and now Mari was interested.

The woman sighed, put her foot flat on the floor of the hotel room she shared with Nishaa and clicked on the small bubble to the left of her computer screen that opened the email system to see some sort of scam about sending someone some money to make a lot more money and then an email from Every. A brow raised in surprise, because while the women were nice enough to each other, they never really spent any time together. Not alone, anyways. At family events and things like that.

Still, that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to reply. Mari wasn’t like that at all. She wasn’t mad they haven’t really hung out or got to know the other person. They were busy people with their own lives and maybe, just maybe, Mari was a little in love with her sire, Every’s childe. Not that she was complaining! Not one bit, she loved spending as much time as she could with Nishaa because the woman was amazing.

Mari thought she knew the place Every was talking about, but didn’t mind wandering around for a little bit either in trying to find it. Mari changed into a black tank top, and grey sweat pants, then slipped those perfectly painted toes in a pair of socks and trainers before heading out of the hotel room and to the set of fadeportals in the main lobby. Mari took the portal to the train station and caught the train to the Coastside area and to the Clocktower. She didn’t find it right away, it took her a couple minutes, but when she did Mari realized she should have remembered where it was. Right by the river side. Mari would remember this time for sure.

Mari wandered around looking for the place Every told her about and finally found it. It was just as she had described it to be. It looked slamming hot and a place Mari wanted to go into. So she did, “Uhm, hello?” Mari called after opening the door and stepping in, eyes wide and on alert for Every.


<Every> The projector was up and running. When she stepped back into the room, it was something that pleased her greatly - the tech had been unsure if it’d be a good idea against the painted white wall, but there was a dark blue screen up. “Perfect.” She hummed to herself and then stepped over to the computer wall. With up-to-date, high maintenance touch screens to prevent clutter, Every tapped in her username and code to pull up the database for Apparition, every now and then glancing over her shoulder at the screen until she gave a huff.

Something was disconnected. Pulling out the computer, she leaned over and began to fiddle with some of the wires. After a few tries, she watched as her wallpaper - a hand drawn logo for the company, a ghost with big sunglasses for the time being - appeared on the wall before she slowly pushed the screen back. Her good mood only seemed to grow when it didn’t disappear and she began to pull up a few of the camera angles. Deciding to test four, her hazel eyes scanned the screen to notice a blind spot that she tested as she stepped back into the middle of the room briefly. It wasn’t as bad as she thought.

“Might need to make up an instruction book or tutorial on the computer.” She thought out loud to herself, shaking her head afterwards. It would be something to work on later. It could wait. Rolling her shoulders softly, she closed her eyes and reached up to stretch, connecting her fingers together before she pushed up and went on the balls of her feet. Then, she lowered herself back to the ground and sat, leaning forward after stretching out her legs to grab the bottom of her feet. She continued her actions, counting to fifteen before alternating. Even if she could heal anything that tore without a thought and knowing she didn’t need to stretch, old habits died hard - and it was calming.

When she heard Marjani, the shadow lifted her head and smiled in her direction, clearly glad that her grandchilde had gotten the email. She pushed herself off the ground and bounced once with the effort. “Hey!” She then blinked, realizing that she was a little too cheery to her calmer self and then coughed to cover her nerves. “Sorry. I’ve been excited about this place, though you’d like it too.” She motioned around the room, “Welcome to Apparition. Where mirrors aren't the problem, just camera angles.”


Marjani: There seemed to be a lot going on as Mari entered and she wondered if she had came too early, or maybe she should have replied to the email and asked a time and day that worked for Every. It looked like everything was just starting to be put together, in the form of before opening your doors to the public. “Is it okay I came? Now?” Mari asked right after Every welcomed her to Apparition anyways, the woman’s eyes on the ghost figure with the large glasses on the wall as she asked the question. “I can come back in a few hours.” Even though Mari asked that, the woman started walking around, checking the place out.

“You like to...dance?” The hint of surprise wasn’t at all hidden when Mari asked that, not knowing a lot about Every. “You know how to dance?” She looked at Every with a look that said she might not believe the woman knew how to dance, or if she did, it had to be that stage crap that any white girl that came from a middle class or higher family knew.

“Is everything working as it should be or?” Mari trailed off, not yet in the way of any cameras to see herself. She could wait to see the finished product before attempting to try it out herself. As cool as the idea was, Mari wasn’t rude, but she was patient.


<Every> “Yep, it’s perfectly fine.” She chimed, wiping her hands off on her jacket although they wouldn’t be sweaty. “Actually, I was hoping you would, I wanted another dancer’s opinion. Not everything would work for me the way they do others.” Every brushed her hand through her hair afterwards, making a mental note that cutting it hadn’t been the best idea, but the burnt ends hadn’t looked that great. Still, she removed a rubber band from around her wrist and began to pull her short hair into a ponytail.

The surprise caused Every to blink. She lifted her eyebrow, unsure if she should be amused or insulted. She went with amused however and lifted a shoulder. “A little of this, a little of that. Hip hop, mainly, but I learned the tango in college.” She chuckled and then tilted her head towards the computer screen, “Hard to believe, but I used to dress in baggier clothes and ready to dance at any time back when Micah first sired me. It just got easier to wear fitted clothing when hunting.”

Watching her grandchilde, the shadow gave a light nod of her head, “Yeah, it’s up and running.” She dug the remote back out of her pocket and clicked a button, glancing towards the screen as she adjusted things, “Look for yourself.” When the camera found Marjani, Every made her way back to the computer. “I wanted something that could redefine dance, but also give a place for dancers - you, me and Karina are the few that come to mind, but she’s got her ballet studio - to go. The camera’s project onto the screen, but there’s a program up and running that’ll help improve style once it recognizes the dancer after a few goes.”


Marjani: Mari moved around, extending her arms high above Theodore’s head, then went to third position, second and finally fourth. “I took a lot of dance. All kinds.” Mari admitted with a shrug before she fell out of position and put her arms at her side. “I liked the way dance said things, without having to say anything.” She laughed and then shook her head. “Freedom of expression. I took ballet, tap and jazz for a couple years until I heard of free form. That’s when I really found my love for dance. I like hip hop and reggae too. That’s actually the last dance style I learned.” Mari did a little snap of her fingers and twist of her hips before frowning. “I bet I look stupid now.” She admitted, thinking how awkward she still was with just walking and doing everyday things, let alone trying to dance.

“Are there private rooms?” Mari’s head inclined to the left and right as she asked that question, before allowing her eyes to land on Every. “Or private hours and time that people can rent out? People who don’t want to be laughed at?” Mari felt her mood start to dwindle from a high, high, to a low, low as she thought about the room being open to anyone and everyone and how many looks she would get dancing her typical style of dance in front of them.


<Every> “You don’t look stupid.” Every reassured her, “A bit awkward, but I’m sure you’ll be able to whip his body into shape in no time.” She’d been watching from the computer screen and lifted her fingertip to the screen, “If you want to use this program? You just input his height here, and style, and it’ll keep record.” She explained before turning to the other and folding her arms in front of her chest, giving a nod. “I started dancing because it way for me to escape when it was raining back home and I couldn’t be out on the water.” Her lips lifted into a gentle smile, her bangs falling in front of her face, “So I get it. It’s… a way to be free.”

<Every> When Mari asked if there were any private rooms, Every nodded. She moved towards the first curtained area, pulling back the black cloth to show a smaller room with the same set up, only a smaller projector in place. “Family will always be able to get in - I’m getting keys made, but there will be set slots for the place to be rented out privately with those in the line or friends having priority. Lessons will also be offered, from beginner to advanced from dawn until dusk so I’ll be able to be around for at least an hour to see how things’ll be going; I found quite a bit of instructors around town.” She’d thought it through and then patted down her pockets. “I figure the main room could also double to being a space to watch movies for the family, too.”


Marjani: Awkward summed it up nicely. She felt like a toddler sometimes, the way she misjudged the width of space she would have, was a prime example of her awkwardness. Every so often, Mari would graze the side of a wall, or even think she could squeeze past people or objects she could have less than a year ago, only to find herself attempting to squeeze past people and get a lot of glares. As if she were intentionally being rude. This year would hopefully have the woman feeling a little more confident about herself, because there really wasn’t any going back, was there? Well, there was, but it wasn’t an option for Marjani. The mere thought of being in that place with the screaming and shouting dead vampires, without Nishaa made the woman shudder before her arms wrapped around her body, comforting herself.

“That’s great.” Mari bobbed her head excitedly before looking through all the curtained spaces as Every kept talking. “Movie? Like on a big screen?” That actually sounded...cool. A chance to be with the family, cuddled up next to Nishaa and watching a movie was the next best thing to dancing for or with Nishaa. “We should do that. Before you open your doors to the public. Invite everyone over for movies and a night of fun before it gets kicked off. I’m sure once this place opens, the doors will be opening and closing with all the people coming in and out. This place should keep you and your staff busy for a really long time.” Mari turned back to look at Every and then hugged the woman. “This is great. I’m so proud of you.” She was. Mari was proud of everyone in the family when they put their minds to doing something and that something succeeded.


<Every> She noticed the shudder and the way that Marjani held herself - himself? It caused the brunette to frown, knowing all too well that whatever the other was thinking was unpleasant. She wasn’t a comforting person, truthfully it made Every nervous, so that she stood where she was for the time being and continued to explain how the facility worked. A small smile played across the shadows lips as she watched her grandchilde and then she nodded her head in confirmation, “Yeah.” She paused, in speaking to press a button on the screen of her computer so that the image projection would expand to take up the full wall rather than just part of it. “It’ll play well. Brand new processing systems.”

At the suggestion, Every’s smile grew just a bit bigger, “Then we’ll do that. Maybe you can help me put it together? I’ve got some mats for when they do riskier moves, but we can always just have it bring their own pillow or whatnot.” It could be a comfortable night, the more she thought about it. They could wear whatever they liked, time could be spent together. When she was hugged, the hazel eyed woman blinked and didn’t quite know what to do at first before her arms curled around Marjani’s form in an equal hug. “Thank you, love. I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, just didn’t really have enough time. I figured, well, because I have eternity now - why the hell not?” She gave a crooked grin, showing her enjoyment of the idea.


Marjani: Mari felt her smile grow in size as Every offered for the woman to help her put things together. “I’d love that. As long as it doesn’t interfere with my job with Mayhem.” Mari had worked for Mayhem for a long time and he had always been a good boss to her. “But when I’m not there, I’m yours if you need it!” She turned away from facing Every, just in case she was uncomfortable with Mari being so close to her. It was different sometimes. Being in a man’s body and all. Mari could hug anyone while she was a woman, but she felt the awkwardness with Micah once when she hugged him as a guy. Or maybe it was in her mind. She never asked, but she could understand if it was awkward for him.

“So, when is the first family night here going to be?” Mari asked excitedly before spinning around to take in the semi-completed area of the dance floor. “We should make it a theme or something! Dancing movies. Or bad *** bitches movies.” Mari’s head was already spinning with ideas for both sorts of themes, but whatever Every decided, she could work with, even if it wasn’t either of those.


<Every> It was a physical discomfort in general, but she was getting better. A lot of the issue had been prompted by one of her deaths at the hands of Pratt, but she was trying more to stop. The rest had been because of Dylan. With family, Every liked hugging those she cared for and it was mainly that she was just unsure of what she should do. But, if it came down to hugging a stranger or full fledged tears? Every would take a hug any day. At the mention of Mayhem, her lips twitched in amusement. “You work for Jayden? I didn't know where, but it won't interfere, no worries. I need to drag his *** away from his computer one night and make him enjoy himself here.” She’d even pay her for her help, too.

“Hm… Bad *** bitches, won't that cover some dance films too?” But it was something Every was pondering as she pulled up a text screen on her computer. Afterwards, she typed in ‘Themes for Family Movie Night’ followed by ‘Dance Flicks’ and ‘Bad *** Bitches.’ She even added Rocky Horror, knowing it was one that had been requested by Zoey enough. “Can you think of any others?” Hazel eyes went to the projected screen. “And, how about we make a list, then each event, we can take turns pulling a theme out of a hat? You can choose, first.” She smiled. Footloose and country theme, she knew, might be appreciated with her southern bred sire. As well as classic horror films - they were her personal favorite.

Marjani: Mari nodded her head and then went on to gush about Mayhem-Jayden apparently was his real name. “I do! For months now! He’s really a great person to work for. As long as we work, he’s really chill. And he got me a robotic swan.” Mari loved that black swan and it sat on the dresser in her and Nish’s room. “Does he dance?” Mari felt excitement rise in her at the idea. She could watch how he moved in his body, because her desire to dance and her body didn’t always coincide.

Mari laughed at the two ideas being merged by Every. “Well, yeah, girl. I’ve only ever known bad *** bitches since I started dancing. I’d love to see a guy get up on point.” She chuckled, imagining Mayhem or even G-Unit trying to do the move before she shook her head. “Maybe not for our movie night since it’s bad *** bitches, but you should check out Mao’s Last Dancer. There’s a book if you would rather read it. But the film is really good.” Mari suggested after looking a the list. “You got a hat, because I got some ideas. Not saying they are good, but I got them.” Mari laughed and looked around for something they could use as a hat if Every didn’t have one.


<Every> “That sounds about right.” She felt her lips twitch in amusement as she considered the male that she thought to be her dorky little brother. Every hadn’t seen him in a couple of weeks, or even heard from Dante as she considered it, since the incident with Nevaeh. She was a bit protective of him, really. “I don’t think he does.” She tried to think if it had come up in any conversations in the past, “But I also know that it’s nearly impossible for him to say no to me.” Every knew that if she whined, or pouted, she would get him to change that no to a yes, anyway.

“I don’t think I can even get up on pointe any more.” She looked down at her feet. She’d never done ballet, but she knew enough that had that she’d been able to do it once or twice. Truthfully, it had hurt her toes too much. “I’ll have to see if the library has it, or if it’s on Netflix, then.” Every grinned lightly, and then she then nodded her head as she headed towards her office. “Yeah, there’s one in here. Somewhere.” It took her a few minutes, but when Every returned, she blew lightly into the dark blue baseball cap and held it out to her grandchilde. “Here you go, babe.”

Marjani: Mari still found herself amused with some of the guys (and girls!) in Andras trying to get up on toe point. It took years to be able to withstand your weight on your toes and it wasn’t an easy feat to do. How many people had sprained their ankles, or had toes blistering and bleeding while she took ballet as a girl? Too many to remember. Her love had never been in ballet and after her fifth year, Mari had found a different love with freestyle dancing. Mari never returned to ballet, tap, or jazz. Not after freestyle, then rap and finally reggae.

She watched Every bolt off to find a hat, Mari thinking about theme’s for parties and movie nights while she waited for Every to come back. She turned around and looked at where a check-in desk or something like that was at, and scooted over in that direction. She would have to write some down, or Every would, depending on who wanted to do it. Mari was good with either choice, and decided after finding a blank piece of computer paper and a pen, that she would let Every decide.

When Every returned, the hat was held out in her direction and Mari made a grab for it. “You want to write the themes down, or should I? I can do whatever.” Mari held the hat in one hand and the pen and paper in the other as she waited to hear what Every preferred to do.