Haunted Roads

Who: Tony and Eliina
Where: Tony's place
When: Thursday Evening
What: He pissed her off!


She'd been avoiding him. For weeks now. Avoiding him quite handily if she didn't say so herself. It would have been easier if she'd had a typical sort of job. One where she was only out about in the hours of the day where he would burn, hopefully to death. No, she had to work with others of his kind and it did necessitate hours that weren't always idea for avoiding fanged individuals.

But whether or not he'd had a mind to harass her, she'd done everything in her power to not have to see him, or think about him. Easier said in theory than actually done. Physically it hadn't been difficult but not thinking about what had happened that proved almost impossible. She just couldn't understand it. She avoided men, especially avoided men like Tony. Old vampires who had spent years manipulating and using those weaker than them. Perhaps that was a bit of a generalization based on little concrete knowledge... But Eliina was alright with that. She'd rather be safe than sorry.

Though safe was the last thing she'd been when she thought back on the memories of that night. Little sense that they made. Why? Why on earth had she done any of that! There was no logical explanation. It should have made her drink less, made her think that perhaps she did go too far and leave herself open to mistakes such as that... but it also was a fantastic numbing device when she couldn't stop thinking. In the end, yher vice always seemed to win.

Thursday had been a particularly long day at the office. All day in court then a series of appointments in the evening with clients who could not come to see her at any other point. Saying Eliina was exhausted by the time she arrived at her condo was something of an understatement. In her usual routine the mail was picked up, including the delivery. But it wasn't until she had set everything down in the entry of her condo that she had the space and hands to open the box. It was odd... she didn't often receive things, unless she had ordered them. And she didn't recall making any purchases recently but maybe something had been backordered that she had simply forgotten about.

Of course, it wasn't anything as simple or as pleasant as that. Eliina stared at the dress that was just under the fine wrapping. Even for a woman who took little heed of fashion, she knew that it was a beautiful dress. The work on it spoke of money. And she hated it. Hated it for being so beautiful and hated what it stood for. The bottle of wine was discovered next and set Eliina's blood to boiling. She was ordinarily such a cautious woman but here and now... that caution was set out the window.

There was only one person who would send her something like this.

Eliina's eyes flashed as she slammed the lid back on the box. She turned immediately on her heel and made haste out of her own condo. In her avoidance her own investigative work had been done and she knew exactly where he lived. The elevator ride was short, he lived far far too close. It was short enough that she still bristled with her anger when the doors dinged open. It only grew as she cross the hallway and approached his door.

She would not be his little doll to dress up either. Never again would she be that... thing. He could take his gift and shove it, quite literally. Which encompassed her plan entirely, to whoever opened the door.

Who: Cecily and Tony
What: She's responding to a modeling ad
When: Night
Where: Tony's condo

Busy, busy, busy. That's all Cecily ever seemed to be lately. But it was kind of hard, being in the position she was in. She and her brother supported each other. He held down a more major job to pay the rent and provide for most of their every day needs. Cecily had her two jobs for extra expenses. All of that combined with going to her college classes on a regular basis had her flitting about like a buzzing little bumblebee. There were other girls like her in the world, it was true, but on top of all of that she had a secret to keep. The secret having to do with her brother and his being a part of the supernatural world. He was a werewolf while she was just human. And yet he refused to change her too.

That confused her to no end. She was a defenseless human living in a world where supernatural creatures existed. And could potentially hurt her. Garrett just insisted on protecting her his way, which usually just involved setting a whole bunch of rules for her to follow. Don't stay out too long after dark, call him every so often, blah, blah, blah...it got so aggravating! Cecily didn't like feeling like she was bound under layers and layers of rules! She wasn't a baby. And being a teenager, she didn't like being treated as such.

That's why, when she'd seen the ad posted up on the campus of the school, she hadn't told him a thing about it. This would be something she acted on for herself, without her brother's input. It was an ad put up by a photographer at the school, looking for girls to be models. Cecily had never been the type to be a model, or so she thought, but people had told her before that she was pretty. Curious, she'd made a mental note to answer the ad. If nothing else, it could be a new experience for her!

Oddly enough, the photographer worked out of Old Town Towers. That just made her curiosity peak further. She was practically skipping home, thoroughly excited for what she was about to do. And her brother couldn't stop her. That was the best part.

The only specifics the ad had said was to come by at night and that appointments weren't needed. Once again, her brother was out. So, she picked up her bag that she took everywhere with her and took the elevator up to the eleventh floor. It wasn't hard to find D11 and soon Cecily was standing in front of the door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door. No need to psych herself out of it now.

Who: Justine and Tony
Where: Chroma
When: After dark, of course

Chroma had for so long been her shelter outside of the penthouse she and her siblings shared. It had been a place of her own creation, under her own control where that inevitable feeling of safety that tended to come with the familiar settled in. The recent visits of Mikkos, his son, his wife had shattered the solitude it had once provided. Now the evenings where she had once looked forward to spending her hours amongst her patrons were dreaded, that unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach, never knowing who might show up next in this same unexpected manner. She felt hopeful that no sign of any of the Aristedes family in recent days meant perhaps she was truly going to be left out of whatever familial drama was going on amongst them. She hadn't been tied to them for years, for lifetimes. Whatever softness her heart held for Mikkos, or his for her, was surely just nostalgia - or so she wished, so she tried to convince herself.

She'd kept word of all visits but that very first from her siblings, from Chloe especially. She loved her younger sister, but given her propensity towards brash action, Justine feared the worst outcomes should the littlest Baptiste discover all the tawdry details of the recent going-ons at Chroma. It was obvious that something ate at Justine, disturbed her usually unflappable grace, but her siblings respected her privacy enough not to pry - something she couldn't have been more grateful for. She couldn't sort out her own emotions when it came to Mikkos' grand return, she had no desire to try and discuss them aloud.

It was late when she finally gathered herself together enough to ready herself for Chroma. Dark hair was pinned up elegantly, back and out of her face, accentuating those stormy jade-hued eyes of hers, a light dusting of make-up covering her pale skin. She went with black for the night, wanting to blend into the crowd that was surely already filling at least the main bar area. It took only moments to select a pair of shoes, to grab a small clutch and take her leave of the Penthouse.

Sure enough, the parking lot was full when she arrived and though a line had formed outside, she obviously made her way in without an issue. Justine dropped by her office only long enough to lock away the small purse she'd carried, the keys on a stretchy chord around her wrist as she headed back out to assist her staff behind the bar. Lingering alone in her office seemed an invitation for trouble as of late and there was no need for that tonight.