A girl can do what she wants to do and that's what I'm gonna do Who: Zania and Savvy Where: Heme, for starters When: Night
It was so nice for things to be getting back to normal, even if that meant a little random summer snow. It was better than the demon attacks that kept her from going out on her own, always having at least one man in her life worry about her well-being. Zania couldn’t say she was complaining, since she enjoyed being cared for, but she didn’t enjoy the nagging and the restrictions. She was also the slightest bit uncomfortable with the man who had suddenly stepped back into her life, for better or for worse. Dominic was there, sleeping on Nic’s couch, and that’s where Zania intended for him to stay. Tonight, he was... somewhere else. She had plans to meet up with someone he still wished to avoid.
It felt weird to be in Heme on her night off, when she didn’t have to DJ and wouldn’t get paid to if she did. Zania did for a bit, only out of habit, but once it got time for Savvy to arrive, she made herself more of a paying customer. She could show her around, and then maybe they’d go elsewhere, depending on what they felt like. Mostly, Zania wanted to catch up, and that could be done just about anywhere. Anywhere with drinks, that was. Drinks were a necessity tonight.
If Nic was going to be in town, of course Zania wouldn’t be too far behind. Savvy should have figured that one out. While she was still unsettled by Nic back in her life, she was happy that Zania was there to make things better. Granted, the fellow witch had a mind that gave Savvy a headache half the time, she was still a decent human being... somewhat... most of the time. Oh, for christ’s sake, it wasn’t like Savvy was keeping track! Either way, they needed to catch up on life, hence why Savvy went out of her way to walk over to Heme. Yes, walk. She didn’t have her license and thus didn’t have a car. Maybe Zania would have that part covered or else they’d be chilling at the vamp bar.
The inside of this vampire bar was interesting. Reminded her of New York to some degree, but had its own dark edge to it. After a quick search, she found her redheaded friend and just smiled. “ZAAAAAAN!” Savvy flailed about while catching up to her and pulled the girl into a big bear hug. “Oh my god, it’s so good to see you! And I’ll let you know that I was so desperate to see you that I walked here. WALKED. In these heels.” She showed them off to Zania before flipping hair out of her face. “Whatev. Worth it! So what’s up?!”
Zania spotted Savvy just as she came in the door and had come out of the booth just in time to be properly hugged. “SAVVY!” she laughed back as she wrapped her arms around her friend. It really had been too long since they’d last seen each other. Why was that? Oh well. She was here now, so Zania wasn’t going to dwell on it. “You walked?! Girl, if I’d known you didn’t have a ride, I would have come and gotten you!” Zania had a car, which was something to fear, considering she didn’t really know how to drive it. Sure, she got around, but drivers beware! Nic had given her lessons, but still refused to ride with her behind the wheel. “Those are amazing heels,” she said, eyes wide. “They even make mine look small!” They would definitely be taking the car if they chose to go anywhere else.
“Dom is in town!” She’d been dying to tell someone that would understand, that knew the whole insane story, but Nic didn’t really qualify. He was too close to Dominic to form an unbiased opinion, but then Savvy probably couldn’t do that either. Still, she as a girlfriend, which made everything different. Zania hooked her arm through Savvy’s as she dragged her to a table where they could order a couple of drinks. “He showed up here the other day. Wants me back, is sorry for leaving me, it was only for my own fucking good, and I don’t know what to do!” She knew what she wanted to do, which involved pushing him down on the nearest flat surface and having her way with him, but that would be a really bad idea and she knew it.
“Dude, hello? New Yorker here. Born and raised.” She pointed to herself, even going as far as to glamour her fingers for a brief moment to look like neon light arrows blinking at her direction. “Walking is worst of my worries!” Seriously, she had bigger things to worry about, like Nic being in town. “Oh, Dom’s in town!” And Dom in town. ...WHAT?!?!!?!?!?! That smile on her face vanished once she pieced that all together. She almost didn’t catch the rest of what Zania rambled on about, still trying to compute that initial bit of information. Holy crap, not only was her ex in town, but so was her half-brother. Savvy loved Dom, she really did, but he didn’t exactly care much for her. Just another factor to explain her ongoing depression. So once she realized that Zania stopped talking, she just blinked and flashed a semi-genuine smile. “That’s... great! I mean, that he, you know, flew all the way out here instead of texting you, because I probably would have done that.” Wow, you are not being too helpful in this situation. “So, uh... now what? Are you guys going to try and work stuff out or did you spray him with a water bottle and tell him to GTFO?”
Zania knew that Dom being in town would impact Savvy in a less than helpful way, but she couldn’t really not tell her. For one thing, the boy was far too dominant in her thoughts for Savvy not to figure it out, and for another, Zania couldn’t help herself, despite the consequences. Hopefully Savvy wouldn’t let it bother her-- Dom in Scarlet Oak could hardly be any different than Dom in New York if she wasn’t seeing him, right? “I-- I dunno,” Zania said. “I mean, I miss him, and he says he needs me, like, literally, but does he want me? And are we just gonna end up back where we were before?” The situation with Dominic put Zania in a place where she felt totally out of control and she didn’t know that she trusted herself there. What happened if she and Dominic crashed and burned just like they had last time? Zania wasn’t sure she’d make it through, and that was a scary place to be. On the other hand, just being near him, she felt so much more alive, burning with a desire that had never completely died away.
To be honest, Savvy didn’t know who had the clusterfuck of a mind: Nic or Zania. Then again, they were related, so surprise surprise. Though Zania’s thoughts didn’t disturb her as much as Nic’s. At least the fellow redhead had some logic behind hers. “Dom never really struck me as the sort of dude who changes that easily,” Savvy pointed out while taking a seat at the bar. This was totally a sit-down type of conversation and drinks would probably be involved. Not like Savvy was driving, anyways. “Though if he hauled ass all the way from New York just to try and work things out, then I guess that says something.” She managed to wave down a bartender and ordered an appletini. She didn’t care if it was girly. They were yummy! “But either way, this is totally not something I would rush into if I were you, you know?” Hell, Nic was back in her life and that wasn’t something she wanted to even crawl back to.
Savvy was right-- Dom wasn’t the sort to change at the drop of a hat, and that was what made her nervous. If they still had the same issues that they’d had before, then this would never work, and she didn’t know if he’d been trying to move past those in the time they’d been apart. There had been enough time for him to change, but had he? She wouldn’t know unless she gave him a chance. “I don’t know if it says he’s a werewolf that’s going insane without his mate or if he wants me back,” Zania said, curling up her nose. “When he’s there, it feels like everything might be good again, but, yeah, I don’t want to rush in and find out it’s not.--- I’ll have a raspberry mojito.” Drinking was definitely in order. “Sooooo, I heard you ran into Nic. How’d that go on your end?” She’d already heard what Nic had to say, and suspected Savvy’s thoughts would be either exactly the same or completely different.
Frankly, Savvy didn’t know either and she didn’t have the answers to life, like with- SPEAK OF THE DEVIL. It was only a matter of time before cousin dearest came up into conversation. She was happy Zania wasn’t a telepath, which left Savvy to flail about internally while mentally screaming. Hopefully there wasn’t another mind reader in the area, because she just gave them a migraine. “Did you now?” Savvy smiled sweetly upon asking, her words dripping with sarcasm. No offense to Zania at all - it just didn’t surprise her that her friend suddenly heard about this from Nic. That had to have been lovely. “Well... uh... it was... unsettling? Like, we didn’t talk that much at first, but his thoughts were racing to the point that I got a headache, and you know me. I never get headaches over typical thoughts.” She was an experienced telepath. She liked to think she had it under control. “But... it’s kind of like you and Dom, with him sort of wanting me back. I mean, he didn’t blab that out, but he was totally thinking that. I guess the only difference is is that I don’t want him back.” Savvy pouted a bit. “...though I feel like he’s the only guy who ever thinks of me like that.”
Zania didn’t have to be a mind reader to know how Nic felt about Savvy. He didn’t say so, not anymore, but she could see it in his actions, the way he’d changed, and how distant he became if she was ever brought up in conversation. The difference between Nic and Dom was that Nic didn’t think he deserved a second chance, and thus didn’t pursue it. Zania always told him that he wouldn’t know if he didn’t try, since she liked to think people deserved a second chance... like herself. “He can’t help his thoughts,” Zania reminded her. “But you know that’s not true. There are tons of guys out there who think you’re hot. That guy over there was just checking you out even.” Savvy would have a better time of picking up guys if she’s just believe in herself a little! She was probably sabotaging herself, just like Nic was. Zania had seen him try, but it wasn’t the effort that he used to put in to picking up girls, before he was with Savvy.
Savvy knew all too well that no one could help their thoughts, because that was the one place where most people could voice how they really felt and get away with it 100%. Too bad that the redhead happened to be a telepath. It worked to her advantage most of the time, but those few times it didn’t? It gave her a headache along with close tears while she wished she never had it. As for the guy who was apparently checking her out, Savvy turned to see this guy and cringed a bit. Yeah, not her type. That and she was certain they had one too many drinks. “Give a guy enough booze and you can convince them a broom is hot,” Savvy pointed out while looking back to her friend. A sigh left her lips as she briefly smiled at the bartender for passing Savvy her drink. “And if there are plenty of guys who think this-” She motioned to her body like she was one of those girls on The Price Is Right. “-is hot when they’re sober, then why haven’t they even approached me yet, you know? God, a girl tries to be independent and speak her mind and that scares the balls off of the manliest of men.” Savvy sighed and took a sip at her Cosmo. “I’ll just keep drooling over hot video game guys that’ll never exist.”
“Oh, come on,” Zania said, rolling her eyes as she took her drink from the waiter. “I’d do you if I was a guy. Your problem is you hang with the geeky guys, and they’re the kind who’re intimidated by girls like you.” How did she not realize that Nic could have his pick of girls and that he’d chosen her? Other than the debacle with Chase, Zania thought that Nic had good taste, and she really couldn’t call him on that misstep, having made it herself. Of all Nic’s girlfriends, Savvy had been Zania’s favorite, and would have welcomed her into the family with open arms. It was really too bad that was no longer an option. “We’ll find you a guy,” Zania said, her mind ticking through the different guys she knew in town. Unfortunately, the ones she’d gotten closest to were all vampires, and she wasn’t sure how well that would work with Savvy. “What are you looking for in one? Like, what do you find yourself most attracted to?”
That at least made her laugh, though. She appreciated Zania’s support, but Savvy didn’t exactly feel like “smoking hot” material. It also made her smile when she picked up on the little thought when it came to Zania’s approval of Savvy for Nic. Not too many Castalia’s thought that, which constantly hurt Savvy, but she appreciated her friend thinking that. “My type...?” Good question, actually. Savvy had always been too busy either focusing on geek stuff, art, or Nic to even solidify a type. So sipping on her Cosmo, she made a face and tried to think that one through. Hopefully Zania wouldn’t hook her up with one of those vampire guys she was thinking of. She loved zombies and all, but that was pushing it a bit too far in her spectrum. “Um... I like a guy with a brain. You know, so I can have a coherent, intelligent conversation with him. Someone who’s a bit sensitive, but also knows when to stand up for what they believe in. Someone who’s into something creative, like theater, music, art, I don’t know. Something that drives them. I guess being able to tolerate any geeky stuff would be a bonus, you know?” She paused and took another sip on her drink. “Oh! And needs a sense of humor. That’s top priority right there.” With a smile, she looked over to Zania. “That’s not asking for too much, right?”
As Zania listened, she tried to think if there were any guys she knew that fit all of Savvy’s requirements. There were a few that came close, but there was something wrong with all of them as well. Even though Savvy was naming off things she wanted, there was an assumed list of things she didn’t want as well. Anyone with a ‘cheater’, ‘slut’, or ‘asshole’ tag was crossed off the list, leaving Zania with no one to offer. Maybe she needed to hang around with nicer guys? “Oh, no, there’s lots of perfect guys out there! They’re just hard to catch. I hear that if you set up a snare right outside a church, you might land one, but there’s a fifty-fifty chance they’ll be a girl or out of the age range you’re looking for. Or married. Perfect guys are always married.” She laughed as she took a sip of her mojito, though she really did wonder where all the good guys had gone. Savvy probably knew that Zania wasn’t the one to go to for such a thing. The ones she hung around with were usually looking for trouble, something that Zania enjoyed in them, but likely pushed Savvy away. “They’re out there,” she said seriously. “Just don’t give up on yourself. You’ll find what you’re looking for.”
Savvy did snort as she listened to Zania mentally cross off people. Yeah, maybe hanging out with nicer people would benefit her, but that was going to happen just as much as Savvy was going to get along with Dominic. It was fine in her eyes. They were different people and had different needs. Savvy’s just happened to be on the picky side, if not borderline nonexistent. “I hope so,” she let out a light sigh. “I’m trying not to get hung up on it, but... having someone that likes me would be nice. I could use the pick-me-up now and then.” Because crying into her pillow while eating ice cream on a weekly basis wasn’t doing her any good. Her depression dropped to an all new low since she broke up with Nic and she couldn’t shake it. A therapist would obviously help, but Savvy didn’t have the money for that now. “I’ll just focus on my job for the time being, you know? Which by the way, your job? Really cool joint.” It just screamed Zania.
“Doubt it helps any, but I’m pretty sure Nic still likes you,” Zania said, giving Savvy half a smile. That had to count for something, right? He didn’t say it, didn’t want to talk about it, but Zania could tell, even without abilities like Savvy’s. It was just too bad Zania didn’t have any other examples to give Savvy, her own love life a complete mess as well. “Thanks,” she grinned, pleased with the complement even if she couldn’t take credit for it. “I was really lucky to land it, since they’re picky about who on their staff can be human. Like, they only want vampires behind the bar, since they’re working with blood. Some of them are a little too goody-two-shoes for me, but they’re all nice.” It was weird for her to imagine that she was wrapped up in darker deeds than some of the vampires on staff, but it wasn’t a problem... just as long as she didn’t tell them what she got up to in her spare time.
Oh, right, Nic still liked her. It could be twenty years from now and Nic would still be hung up on her. Savvy didn’t know whether to headdesk or roll her eyes, so she just took another drink from her Cosmo. She was going to need it. Her eyes wandered to look at some of the bartenders, not even realizing they were vampires. Well, that made sense. She knew Zania probably would have been all for bartending, but considering her affinity with blood, maybe that wasn’t a smart idea. “At least they got their shit figured out and aren’t half assing it.” Because if there was going to be a vampire bar, then it would be serious business. “Nic told me he was working here, too, which... yeah, that doesn’t surprise me in the least.” Surrounded by vampires and booze? That had to be heaven for him. “He still drinks a lot, doesn’t he?”
“Not as much as he used to. Mostly when he’s stressed out, but that’s more like a beer or two after work, not, like, six.” Right after the break up, Nic had been a train wreck, drunk almost every hour that he was awake. She remembered him coming to visit her in the hospital, his eyes blood shot, speech slurred, and looking like he hadn’t shaved in over a week. If she hadn’t been such a mess herself, she would have knocked him upside the head and made him clean up his act, but she’d never gotten a chance. By the time she recovered, Nic had cleaned himself up and begun looking for a job outside the family. “He couldn’t have gotten a job with law enforcement without proving he was clean. And working here, he uses his abilities daily, so the migraines aren’t as frequent. Which is good. Real good.” With the migraines under control, it meant the drinking would only get out of hand when Nic was depressed. That was something Zania thought she should watch for, not entirely sure how he’d react to having Savvy in town. They really needed to find him a girl. And Savvy a guy. Damn, this shouldn’t be so hard.
“That’s good... I guess.” Savvy wished she could hire a bunch of witches to erase her own memory pertaining to Nic so she wouldn’t feel all heartbroken again, but she remembered quite clearly how that worked out with Zania. No thanks. Still, the idea of Nic dabbling in law enforcement before working at Heme just floored her. She wished someone took pictures of that for blackmail. She would have. “So you, me, Nic, and Dom are in town. Anyone else that I should know of before I get a conniption?” For all she knew, the whole Castalia family would move on out to Scarlet Oak without Savvy knowing about it. Wouldn’t surprise her either. It wasn’t like she had them all friended on Facebook or something. As long as Chase wasn’t in town, then all was well. Savvy wasn’t the type for violence, but she was willing to screw his life over ten different ways before the day was over. Prick just needed to suffer.
Zania’s head tilted to the side, her eyes meeting Savvy’s as she wondered what her friend was thinking. There weren’t many people who’s well-being she cared about, but Savvy made the list. She hated how Nic’s existence seemed to bring her friend down, but there was nothing she could do to change it. That was up to Savvy, and Nic, if she’d let him try. “No one else that I know of,” Zania smiled, sipping at her drink. “I’ve been trying to get Mannix and Fionn to come down for a weekend and do a show with us, so there’s always a chance they might show up. I can’t imagine anyone else dropping by Scarlet Oak.” Fionn had always liked Savvy, but Mannix was the more vocal of the two of them and she hadn’t been his favorite. It didn’t matter if he changed his tune now, since it was all over and it no longer mattered. Zania doubted Savvy would be thrilled to see either of them. “I promise I’ll let you know before someone runs into you.”
The sound of Mannix and Fionn had Savvy perking up, because that meant one thing. “You guys still have your band thing going on, right? Oh, you should totally do a show! I would so go. Make cheesy fan signs for you in the front row and everything.” She loved it when they played. Definitely the kind of music Savvy was into and they knew how to rock out. Probably one of the few things she liked and missed from the Castalia family. If Mannix and Fionn weren’t there, then it made it a bit harder to do a show. Savvy would have volunteered to help, but what the hell was she going to do with not a single musical bone in her body? Shit, she couldn’t even play the tambourine to save her life.
Savvy’s enthusiasm was exactly what Zania needed to hear to put things into motion, now solidifying her desire to get the band together to play a gig. It had been too long since they’d put on a show and she’d drag them down to Scarlet Oak if she had to. They might not have the following here like they did back home, but at least she knew Savvy would be there cheering them on. “I’d love to get them down here for a show,” she grinned. “Now that I know there’ll be at least one person there to see us, it’s on. We’ve even got a few new songs that I’ve just been itching to perform.” Zania loved the feeling performing live gave her, the music moving through her like blood. It was exhilarating, almost as good as sex and lasted way longer.
Of course she was enthusiastic about this! Zania had always been good with music and that colored Savvy jealous, but then again, Zania couldn’t put together something cool looking like their band’s website, which Savvy did for them. They all had their gifts. Still, Savvy appreciate a cool beat when she heard it. “Well, if anything happens, let me know. I’ll even write a review of you guys on my blog.” She snorted at the idea. Not that she did music reviews often amongst all her geeky stuff, but for a good friend? She would do it. “Anything else going on in Zania Land?” A second later, Savvy chuckled. “Zania Land. Holy crap, that sounds hilarious. We should trademark that.”
“I am so getting them down here for a show now. I’ll call them tomorrow.” It might take some convincing, but Zania knew she could pull it off. When it came down to it, they all liked to put on a good show; she would just have to remind them of that, even if it wasn’t in New York. “Not at the moment, but that could always change,” Zania laughed. “I think Zania Land might be a scary place to visit though. I’ve been told it’s unpredictable.” She couldn’t help but grin, not minding at all that that’s what people thought of her. Life needed to be exciting, at least in her opinion, and she managed to make it stay that way more often than not. “Anything else new for you?” she asked, wanting to make sure she reciprocated the question. If not, she’d finished her first drink and it felt a good time to dance.
Awesome! Now Savvy could go to concerts in her free time and be the rabid fangirl she was... just... minus the fact Nic was in it, too. There would be no pantie throwing for him. “From what I’ve heard in that brain of yours, I’m gonna have to agree.” Savvy meant it in good fun, smiling all the while. Zania was out there, but she had good intentions... most of the time. Ok, so that was pushing it, but Savvy got along with her. “Not much on my end. Just busy with this new freelance job I have at the restaurant. Just trying to settle into this place.” Savvy knocked back the rest of her drink and smiled at her redheaded friend, totally catching onto that thought. “How about we hit up the dance floor? This is a killer beat right now.” Because there was no better way to spend the night than with a good friend and some dancing.