Corrupt and Stray [Rowan]

[Penelope (DELETED 7534)]

Penelope had not been kidding when she’d expressed an interest in spending time with her new ‘siblings’. There were two of them to add to the appearance of Rowan. Although none of them had really jumped on the suggestion that they meet up – Rowan only showing a passing interest and deferring to the family gathering instead – Penelope was determined. For some reason, the ‘family gatherings’ were always organised for when Penelope could not make it, and the times that she did happen to wander into the Voodoo café, no one was around.

If she were a low-self-esteem paranoid, she might start wondering if they were avoiding her.

But she was not a low-self-esteem paranoid. She mentioned nothing of the sort. The thought didn’t even cross her mind. She figured it was all just bad timing or messages getting lost in the ether. These gatherings seemed to happen most of the time on a whim, spontaneously, without any formal invitations or quick messages to tell people to swing by. Penelope might bring it up with her sire – or Azraeth – in future, to suggest that these things be a little more organised so that she could make it. For now, she was content to organise her own things.

She did not have the number of either Absinthe or Xerxes, but she did have Rowan’s number. And where best to start but with the first sibling? She lounged in her studio apartment, having just woken up and dressed, ready to go spend a night on the town. She normally went to find her own friends and her own fun, but this time she was going to invite a guest.

Rowan – I’m going out dancing. Join me?

The text was sent without preamble. Rowan might call Enzo ‘father’ and react to dirty suggestions like a schoolgirl, but Penelope had seen her up close and personal. She was not some pre-teen who wouldn’t be able to get into the clubs. As ‘first-born’, Penelope felt it was incumbent upon her to corrupt and lead astray – in the best possible ways, of course.

[Rowan]

Rowan was just settling into her room and emptying her backpack when her phone chimed with a text message from its position on the dressing table. Her brow furrowed as she wondered who it could be, knowing full well that her Sire was still busy and he was usually the one texting her. Either that or one of the other women working at the Black Fox. With a shrug, she crossed the room and picked up the piece of technology. Swiping her finger over the screen and unlocking it, she blinked several times at the name coming up on the text message she had opened. Her older sister Penelope, or Poppy as she was called by Enzo and instructed by her sire to call her, had sent her a request to go out dancing with her.

Rowan wasn't close to her sister, but she had good feelings about her and was willing to get to know her. Hiding for most of one's life didn't really lead to making a lot of friends. She figured that it was about time that she tried to build something with others, aside from Enzo also.

Deciding that it couldn't be bad or anything of the sort, she texted back a reply.

-Hi, thank you for the invite. I don't really dance, but would like to spend some time with you. Where do we meet?- Tossing her phone onto her bed, she walked over to her closet stuffed full of new clothes that had been given to her, or rather, that she'd been told to get herself as her old worn clothes were not acceptable any longer.

"What the heck do I wear?" she wondered out loud.

[Penelope (DELETED 7534)]

Penelope grinned as the reply came through, shaking her head. Her finger flew across the screen, Samsung swipe activated – a nifty little trick that so many people weren’t aware of. It often made Penelope look like she was playing Pokemon, but then… sometimes she was playing Pokemon.

Everyone dances. You just need to give in to the beat. I usually go to the Necropolis. Let me know when you’re there and I’ll meet you at the front.

The message sent, Penelope rolled from the couch and meandered up the couple of steps to her ‘room’. The whole apartment was her room, really, what with its open plan and its semi-loft bed space. The closet was tucked into the wall in the far corner. The dress she chose was red and racy, the heels she dragged from the closet black and high. She was never shy with the outfits she chose; sometimes she went for doc martens or converses, at other times boots. This was the last hurrah before the cold really set in and she’d be forced to try to blend with her Winter clothes.

Though did she really have to blend in anymore? Given how vampires were out of the closet, did it really matter if she showed too much skin in Winter, thus giving herself away as an undead creature of the night who was immune to it? Though, she did like her Winter clothes, so it probably wouldn’t be an issue regardless.

For tonight, she left the apartment without a jacket. Her phone was tucked into a small black clutch, along with some cards and minimum cash. If she were robbed, it would only be a mere inconvenience. It wasn’t as if she didn’t get paid a phenomenal wage. She sometimes wondered whether Brock were somehow dealing in the black market, with how much he was able to pay his employees.

Within minutes Penelope had reached the Necroplis. It wasn’t hard to get in – and she checked her phone all the while, waiting for a message back from Rowan.

[Rowan]

Finally deciding on an outfit for the night had been an adventure in itself... if one counted exploring the depths of her new wardrobe an adventure. Considering that she had never really been one to go out dancing, as she had been firmly on the side of the one waiting on the dancers and drinkers at seedy little bars and what not, Rowan settled for something similar to her work attire. A pair of black slacks that moulded to her skin instead of the usual semi-loose drape and a top that showed off a modest amount of cleavage. Rounding it off with a light blue cardigan, some strappy heels and a jaunty beret hat, she spared a thought to wonder what Poppy would say about her chosen outfit.

Shrugging her shoulders, she made her way to the Necropolis as her sister had texted. Her eyes warily watched the stream of people going in and out of the club and she acknowledged that it was a place not just for dancing but also to see and be seen. Her fingers flew across the touchscreen of her phone, informing Penelope that she was outside. With Rowan's luck, if she tried to get in by herself they would likely ask her to bring drinks to tables. It was either that or she would get groped, again. Not something she looked forward to.

Straightening her spine and exhaling an un-needed breath, Rowan walked up to the front entrance. This was it.

[Penelope (DELETED 7534)]

Normally the first thing Penelope would do when arriving at a club would be to go to the bar and buy herself a drink – or sidle in next to a man, or a group of guys, and get one of them to buy one for her. Now that she could no longer drink, she bypassed the bar completely – she’d only ever go there if she was looking for a hook-up. Tonight, she wasn’t looking for anyone else’s company but that of her sibling. Rowan had a habit of calling Penelope her sister, which Penelope thought was rather odd, but each to their own she supposed.

While she waited she lingered near the edge of the dance floor, getting the lay of the land. It wasn’t too crowded, but nor was it quiet. Given it wasn’t a weekend night, the crowds were significantly less, but that didn’t mean there weren’t people who didn’t want to have fun on a work night. Or maybe they didn’t have to work the next day. It didn’t matter to Penelope – she had had to sleep the daylight away anyway, regardless of work or how late she stayed out.

Eventually the text came through, and with a grin Penelope meandered back toward the entrance. As soon as she caught sight of Rowan she slipped an arm around the girl’s waist, leaning in to peck a welcome kiss to the girl’s cheek, a light half hug offered in greeting.

”You look fantastic,” she said, the compliment genuine as she grabbed Rowan by the hand and led her into the depths of the club.

Penelope was not a girly girl, by any stretch of the imagination. When she greeted friends with enthusiasm, the enthusiasm was real. When she took Rowan by the hand it was not because she was overly touchy feely, but because it was the easiest and best way to lead someone somewhere in a dark club. Her arm wrapped, snake-like, around Rowan’s to keep her close.

”Thanks for coming!” she shouted above the sound of the music. The look in her eye could only be described as glee.

[Rowan]

If Rowan was still alive, she would have flushed with pleasure as Penelope greeted her. Until now, having any sort of familial ties was still odd. Welcome, but odd. Maybe that was why she insisted on giving familial names to her relationships in her bloodline, not having had any of that sort of thing before. Growing up an orphan would do that to someone. Having to raise one's self got pretty lonely when all you had was well... you. Years of living with a hand to mouth existence hadn't gotten out of her system yet. Then again, considering that she had a surplus of food in the human bodies surrounding her and the option of buying her bagged blood, it felt good to not have to worry about starvation anymore.

"Thanks for inviting me, Poppy," Rowan returned, hugging Penelope and then grinning at the older vamp. "You're a bomb shell!" She followed the other girl as she was tugged further into the bar, taking advantage of the opportunity to glance curiously around the room. Lights flashing, people dancing and generally having a good time, the place was swinging.

Rowan couldn't keep a smile off her face if she tried. "So... What do we do now that we're here? I told you, I don't really dance." Some drinks being handed off to a patron caught her eye. "But those drinks look a bit interesting..." Maybe it was good that being an Allurist she could consume some food, though she hadn't been doing that beyond what was necessary to keep up the illusion that she was human before the masquerade fell. Food used to taste heavenly but that taste faded after she'd died. Blood, on the other hand... Blood was divine.

[Penelope (DELETED 7534)]

Penelope beamed as she changed their direction to lead them to the bar. She slipped into a space that was freed up by a couple of men headed to the dance floor with their drinks; the brunette gave a sly smile to them both, holding their attention long enough for them to notice herself and her friend, but not long enough to invite attention. She pressed herself up against the hard wood of the bar, swinging Rowan in beside her, the two women half facing each other so not to invite the company of lurking men. Or women. Not yet, anyway. There was plenty of time to find someone to flirt with.

”So you can drink?” she asked, leaning in close to Rowan’s ear. As sharp as their hearing was, now that they were vampires, it was still habit to shout over the music.

”Thing is, here – if you want to drink some blood you can. There’s a menu for it—“ she said, reaching for one of the special menus, dog-eared by moisture but still readable. Now that vampires had been outed, the menu wasn’t as cryptic as it once had been. The blood was there, out in the open, advertised for all to order, should they so wish. There were such things as priest’s blood and virgin blood, and all varieties in between. Penelope might even order one for herself. But, she also reached for the regular cocktail menu, too.

”But you can go for an old favourite, too. If you can drink it… can you get drunk, even? Does it have an effect? You say you can’t dance, Rowan, but I’m going to get you on that floor if it kills me,” she said with a grin and a wink.

[Rowan]

Rowan looked at the menu curiously as Penelope produced it. It was dog-eared and obviously well-used, stating the bar's usual fare. The smile still danced on her lips and she shrugged.

"I can drink, yeah," she replied, likewise leaning in to talk. "I've just never actually tried any of these before. It was always safer to drink from the bags that Bertram procured when I was newly turned and then I started ordering them myself. After a few times that I felt like I was caught, I decided it wasn't worth the risk to drink blood anywhere but in the apartment." Rowan narrowed her grey eyes as she studied the menu, her inherited dragon slit pupil still covered with contacts she normally wore to work in order to preserve her image. Yes, vampires had come out to the public, but she of all people knew well the dangers of being known as a vampire. Thoughts of a handsome man covered in ink had her shuddering inwardly and shaking her head to clear it of such things.

"I've also never really had extra money to spend drinking alcoholic beverages. Is there something you'd recommend or a favorite of yours?" She blinked at the mention of different types of blood on the menu and stared at Penelope a bit wide-eyed. "Er... virgin's blood? That's a thing?" The feeling of being a fish out of water returned. Following her elder sister's lead it was then, as she felt completely at a loss.

[Penelope (DELETED 7534)]

Penelope wondered, idly, what it might have been like to be turned without any knowledge of the vampiric world. She did not know who Bertram was – or did the name ring a bell? – but she had never required his services. She assumed he must be one of Enzo’s men. Whether or not Enzo liked the way Penelope struck out on her own, able to source and find her own meals without issue, or whether he preferred to know what she was up to she did not know. She kept in contact with her sire, of course, and sought him out if needed. But the more she learned and the more she understood the world he wanted her to be a part of, the less time they needed to spend with each other.

And besides, he had other childer to focus on, and to teach. If they were like Rowan and needed to learn everything about being a vampire from scratch, unlike Penelope, then his time would be stretched. She was happy, now, to be sitting with Rowan – happy to do her part to help out, if needed. Even if helping out meant giving her a good time.

”I really loved drinking Long Island Iced Teas,” she said. ”It sounds tame but it really kicks a punch. If you wanted to get drunk quickly, anyway,” she said, still thoroughly amused. ”As far as the blood is concerned, as boring as it is I like to go for the generic stuff,” she said. Some got a kick out of the virgin blood. Maybe it was mind over matter. But like she had when she was human, Penelope liked a bit of junk food – and there was no adverse side-effects that came with ‘junk food’ these days. So why the hell not?

[Rowan]

"I feel a bit out of my element here," Rowan murmured, knowing the older vsmpire would hear her. She was not about to give her weakness any more power by stating things louder. "I'm used to being on the other side," she continued, gesturing to one of the waitresses. "I know how to mix the drinks, but not what they actually taste like."

Rowan sighed a breath she didn't need and placed the menu down. "Long Island Iced Tea then, though I wonder if we can still get drunk?" As much as being turned had changed her life, there were still some things that stayed the same. Underneath all the fancy clothes, she still felt like the little orphan girl that fell through the cracks in the system. Or the poor girl playing pretend and day dreaming because it was all she would ever have. Every day, she struggled with her new reality... Not just the change from being a human to a vampire, but from that lost waif being taken in and given a home, a family. That was why she was eternally grateful to her Sire.