outsiders unsettled Who: Alexandre and Bunny When: Late afternoon Where: Scarlet Oak Community Park
Alexandre was bored. Had been -- for days, actually. Petrov's death had left him with quite a bit of money to work with and live on, but he was still in a difficult situation. He had no ID. He had no identity. Petrov had always said someday he'd buy Alexandre a new one, when the time came, but the bastard had been destroyed before that day came -- leaving Alexandre with no idea of how to do it himself. A job would entertain him, but what decent employer would hire someone like him? He couldn't get a room in a decent hotel without identification, and he certainly couldn't get an apartment. If he used his name, his own identity, his family might track him down. And he was not ready for that. He went back and forth on what needed to be done, never actually coming to any decision. He simply tried to spend as much time as possible out and away from the stink of the Budget Lodge.
He was getting to know Scarlet Oak well enough. He knew where the nearest blood bank was, at least, and had even been lucky enough to pick up a pint of fae blood for the day. He'd strolled past an armory, but it had been late at night, and it had been closed. But he just did not know what to do with his time. This lead to a lot of wandering, and eventually settling in a park. Very few were out in the dank weather, but there was a dog-walker or two. Of course, they stayed quite clear of him. Animals didn't care for him anymore.
Bunny was unsettled. Talking to Lindy had made her feel entire worlds better - her friend and actual bunny had a way of lighting everything up. She'd missed that. Still... unsettled. Theodore's words had stayed with her, and she wished there was a way she could get out of going to this ridiculous party. Her parents were quite firm on the subject, however. And her asking had only annoyed them. Finally, her mom had reminded her that it was Father's Day - and maybe Bunny ought to give him some space for a while. Great. It's Father's Day - so leave him alone.
She'd done it, though. With a promise to be back for dinner, she grabbed her bag, pulled on a black wig (it fit her mood), and got the hell out of there. But she had no destination in mind. She would have liked to visit a friend, and just be with someone for a while, but she was too proud to do so. A good chunk of her friends had their own problems, still lingering from the abduction and rescue. Lindy would be settling in back home. And she didn't want to go to Theodore every time she was in a bad mood. So, wandering it was. Good thing she brought her camera.
She thought about going to Camelot Place to take pictures of the protestors, but chickened out. And the fact that she chickened out on something she would have once done without hesitation angered her. Why was she letting what had happened change her? She was supposed to be stronger than this.
The farmer's market would have made for good people watching, but it was a long walk, and Bunny was feeling lazy. So she'd ended up in the park. It was an interesting sort of person who went to the park in the rain, she found. And it suited her mood, that much was certain. So she found herself a good spot by the walk, partially hidden by the trunk of a tree, and started snapping pictures on her digital.
It occurred to Alexandre that he ought to just cave and go to the vampire bar. That was why he was here. He'd gone one night, and it had made him nervous to be around so many of his own kind. Would someone know what sort of vampire he was? Petrov had always told him he was a horrible excuse for a vampire of the noble Shades of Death, and that a less charitable sire would have simply destroyed the mistake. At the time, he'd had nothing but quick words for the mention and never paid it any thought. But now... what if? Like a sissy, Alexandre had not stayed long at Heme that night.
But he could go back. That would be the most logical thing to do. Talk with the vampires there, find out what one in his situation normally did. That was what he would have to do. But... later. Not now. Now was... apparently time to brood in a rainy park. Alexandre smiled a grim, humorless smile and kept walking, despite a passing dog that snarled at him. His master apologized and tugged on the leash, Alexandre just shrugged sheepishly and went on his way. He thought, it's not my fault I stink! Wet dog smell was just as bad, thank you. Worse, he liked to think. Once dog and master had passed, he sat at a bench to work up a game plan for Heme.
The sound of the snarling dog had caught Bunny's attention, and she turned her sights towards it. As the younger man shrugged in apology, she snapped a picture. She looked down at her screen, only to find... the image of the man was completely distorted, almost like something out of The Ring. All the surroundings were fine, as was the dog and its master. But he didn't show up properly. It wasn't an action blur, and anyway, Bunny's settings safeguarded against that sort of thing. Frowning, she took aim and shot another picture of him. Same thing. And just like that, all of Bunny's attention was diverted to him. What. The. Deuce. When he sat, he was perfectly still. She tried again. Same freaking thing.
Alexandre knew almost immediately that he was being watched, even before he saw the young girl with the camera. He could sense it, and above all, he could smell her. The scent was feminine, with hints of shampoo and deodorant, but there was something animalistic about the scent. He did not perceive it as a threat, but as a matter of curiosity, looked for the source through the corner of his eye. Then he spotted the girl with the camera.
Still not fully looking at her, he smirked faintly. That had been a fun lesson -- rather, a blow to his vanity. He didn't have a reflection anymore, nor did he appear on cameras. Petrov had insisted this was a blessing in the modern world of surveillance cameras everywhere you went. Alexandre had disagreed with him. He didn't know why this girl was taking his picture now, but he did know she must have been experiencing quite the shock. He waited to see if she tried again.
Oh, she did. You bet your ass she did. Oh every setting her damn camera had, and then even on video. All the same. It blew Bunny's freaking mind. It was rather similar to the first time she'd ended up taking a picture with what she'd been sure was a ghost in it. Was this guy a ghost? Of course he wasn't, how was she seeing him if he was? Why wouldn't he show up in the darn picture? It was maddening!
Alexandre chuckled softly. "It's not working, I take it?" he spoke, his accented voice raised to reach her ears. He probably should have just left. Actually, he most certainly should have just left. Left the girl with her little mystery and headed somewhere else for his half-arsed strategizing. But he had once been such a social creature, and old habits died hard -- even after death itself.
Bunny blinked. Caught. Oh, well, fine! Good! She could just ask what his problem was, like it was his fault or something. She stood up and tilted her head to the side. "How do you know that?" she asked, her free hand on her hip. "You act like this," she said, waving her camera in the air as she did, "-is perfectly freaking normal! Like it happens to you every day. Am I on candid camera?"
Alexandre had to laugh at her annoyance. Rude, maybe, but it struck him as so amusing. At least partially because he knew most people would have had a very different reaction. He didn't sense any fear in her. Just annoyance. How very strange. She smelled like a were -- one would think her survival instinct would be a touch louder. "I am sorry it disturbs you so," he replied, with a slight nod and a vague gesture in the direction of her camera. "My image does not take to pictures. Digital or otherwise."
Bunny stared at the calm French turd, trying to figure out what to make of that. He was just so casual about it! Her arms ticced, and she lowered them both to her sides. This was so freaking normal to him, and to her, this was like... watching monkeys use tools for the first time, or something. Okay, maybe not, but it was definitely bordering epic. "Why?" she finally asked, crossing her arms, in attempt to hide some of her tics.
The way her body twitched was a curious thing, though Alexandre made sure to keep his gaze unchanging. No need to be rude. More so, anyway. "I could ask you questions of my own," he replied. He realized this could be taken in reference to the twitches, so he went on. "Why are you taking my picture in the first place, for instance. But it is no harm done. You really cannot guess why? You smell like someone who could rely on her senses to answer her questions, if she only thought to use them."
...Well, crap. Bunny was pretty sure she'd just been schooled by someone whose first language wasn't even English. At first she pouted, and then she actually got to thinking about his answer-that-wasn't-an-answer. He knew she wasn't human. So...
Frowning, Bunny took a few steps closer. She didn't have the best sense of smell, just a touch better than a human's. He did smell off though, and that's when it hit her. The lack of heartbeat. The world around them was making enough of its own noises for her not to notice at first, but when it finally came to her, it hit her like a sack of bricks. She'd never met a vampire before. But hey, wait a minute! That still totally didn't answer her question! "Vampires show up in pictures," she said, wrinkling her nose up as her right shoulder twitched. "There are vampire movie stars and models and all sorts of stuff."
Alexandre smiled again, softer now. "This is true," he agreed. "Nevertheless... I do not," he said, gesturing to himself. "I have not since I was made." Not that he'd really tried much, or had random teenage girls in parks try to take his picture before. And then subsequently chew him out for it. Yes, this was new. "Perhaps, now that you have your answer, you will answer my question now. Why were you taking my picture?"
"Pft," Bunny scoffed. "An answer that only opens the door to a boat load of new questions," she pointed out. And she would fire every one of them at him, too, if he would let her. And possibly otherwise. She had once stalked the biggest douche in the county! Smug French vampire was no match for her! Her nose twitched and her wrists flexed, and she sighed before answering. "It's what I do," she said. "Half the time people don't even notice, and I don't want them to. Candid shots are better."
At first, Alexandre wondered if perhaps he was making her uneasy, and thus bringing about the twitchy behavior. But he knew that wasn't the case. This girl was perfectly at ease. She wasn't afraid of him. He was just the jerk who had messed up her pictures. Silly, stupid girl... you'll get yourself killed someday. The thought made him a bit sad. "You know," he said, distracting himself from his thoughts, "there are cultures opposed to having their pictures taken. To them, it captures their soul. It is a terrifying thing," he told her.
"Is it?" Bunny asked, arm ticcing again. "Maybe it's hope." She'd never liked the idea that you died and that was it. There had to be something waiting on the other side. Maybe a picture did capture your soul. Maybe it kept that moment alive forever. It was hard to see it as a bad thing.
Alexandre blinked at her, and tilted his head to the side in amusement. "Maybe it is," he agreed. "Though not for me, obviously. If the camera does capture your soul, it seems mine is uncooperative." Which was certainly a better alternative to not having one at all. He would settle for uncooperative.
"Quite uncooperative," Bunny agreed. "But it's a nifty effect," she admitted. "Do you want to see?" She took another step closer, turning her camera so he could view the screen. "I couldn't fake that in Photoshop if I tried." And it sounded like something she'd do. Honestly now, what part of 'distorted vampire image' didn't have Bunny Digby written all over it? It wasn't quite as amazing as ghost photography, but it was something bizarre and different. That was Bunny country.
Surprised with the offer, Alexandre remained still a few moments -- simply staring up at the girl as if it would help him figure her out. He was waffling between brave and stupid, though it occurred to him that the two sometimes came hand-in-hand. Finally he lowered his eyes to the view-screen. He'd never actually seen an attempted photograph of himself since the change, though Petrov had told him it would not work. The result was a little... unsettling. He tried instead to focus on other details in the shot. The positioning was good, as was the perspective and angle. It would have been a nice shot if he hadn't screwed it up. "Well done," he settled on, looking up at her again. "Do your parents know you have no personal regard for your own safety? Most teenage girls would not be so quick to make friends with a vampire." And rightfully so!
Bunny blinked again. Then shrugged. "It's daylight, in a very public place, and you know I'm not human either. I don't think you're gonna try anything. And if you were, you would have already," she decided. It seemed like good logic to her, but dammit, he'd put the thread of doubt in her mind. Maybe she did get herself into these situations.
Alexandre laughed again -- a quick, surprised response. "You're not, this is true. But you're still a teenage girl. You have no idea what kind of vampire I am, and how long I have been one. I mean you no ill, yes, but... you must know this isn't very smart on your part."
Bunny rolled her eyes and put her camera back in her bag. "Ooooh, I'm so afraid of the big bad vampire," she mumbled. The vampire who wasn't particularly intimidating, and nearly edging douchebag territory. Though him saying it did start her mind off on a new line of questionings. "What kind of vampire are you?" she asked. "How long have you been one?" Hey, if he was pointing this crap out, she might as well ask.
Smirking as he watched her, Alexandre shrugged. "I don't know," he answered first. He knew perfectly well, yes, but he was not going to admit to it -- or advertise it in any way. He mulled the second question over some before answering it. "Not very long," he admitted. "But it doesn't take a long time to become dangerous." The first day or so as a vampire was very fuzzy in Alexandre's mind, but the change in his body had been immediate -- and the same for his senses.
Bunny was not sure if she believed him. Normally she'd listen for the tell-tale signs of a lie - but that required a heartbeat. Damn. Fully intending on carrying this conversation as long as possible, she finally caved and sat down. Not on the bench with him - she just knew that would have earned her another comment - but on the one directly opposite. "Are you one of those vampire fanboys who found vampires to turn them before they realized it was just a fad?"
The girl was good at getting shock laughs, that was certain. He practically snorted that time. "People do that? Really?" he asked, trying to imagine it. He shook his head. "No. Most certainly not. Now if you're going to ask me all these questions, I should be allowed to ask a few of you." Might as well. It was the first actual conversation he'd had in a while -- and the sad truth was, he didn't have anywhere else to go. "What are you?"
Oh come on, did he really think it would be that easy? After all that after-school special deathwish crap he'd given her? Bunny did snort at the idea. "Gee, Mr. Vampire, telling you seems like a questionable decision." And then she felt like she was being rude, and felt a little bad for it. I hate my brain. "Don't you already know?" she asked. "You seemed to have some ideas about what I am."
Very good. Alexandre gave a faint smile. "I have ideas, yes," he confirmed. "A were. But I am not sure what." The truth was he hadn't been exposed to enough to be able to tell the difference yet. Once he smelled a race for the first time, it stuck with him, but she was something new. "I am still learning," he admitted. "I would consider the answer a learning experience. A great favor." It was just edging flattery, but he thought she might respond well to it.
It was a good start. Really, Bunny just liked the idea that she had an easier time scenting things than he did. "I'm a werecat," she said. "Born." She didn't tell him what breed. 'Tiny Persian kitty cat' would probably just lead to more of those snooty opinions of his that she had some sort of a deathwish. "So do you live in the states now?" Obviously he didn't grow up in Michigan with that accent.
Interesting. Alexandre wondered what sort of cat, and if all breeds would have their own scents. He decided not to get into it. Asking too many questions of a teenage werecat was probably a bad idea. He pondered her question a moment before casually shrugging. "I don't really live anywhere at the moment," he answered. "I'm in a wandering stage. Though I may stay here a while -- Heme is convenient, you see." Ha. He made it sound like he was a regular and not a little intimidated by the idea of going back.
So there was a chance she could find him again another day? Wait, chance? That was not Bunny speak. "In that case... maybe someday you'd let me take more pictures of you," she said. "I'd love to do a photoshoot." She had ideas for it already. It would be brilliant, and this was a once in a life time opportunity!
Now Alexandre was blinking at her for a change. Had she really just said that? She wanted him for a photoshoot? Was she out of her mind? "I'm not a model," he pointed out. "In fact, I imagine I would make a terrible one." A photoshoot. A teenage girl was asking a vampire for a photoshoot. Had the world gone mad?
"Hear me out," Bunny urged, arm twitching wildly in the air for a moment before she leaned forward. "Sunny day, crowded location, lots of happy people - the farmer's market, maybe! And you in the center of lots of moving people, nobody understands what's so special about you. On the image you'd be distorted, further establishing the feel of an outsider. Someone no one ever really sees. I could do this, and it would be great."
Her description was... quite unsettling. Her excitement and passion were endearing, but the actual idea... made the remains of Alexandre's heart feel heavier. The idea hit a little too close to home, in far more ways than he cared to admit -- especially to this confounded teenager! Her vision hit the nail on the head, once again making him feel very lonely. He said nothing.
A normal person might have taken that as a sign to generally back the hell off, but not Bunny. Bunny Digby did not take silly little words and terms like 'no', 'I said no,' 'leave me alone', 'restraining order' for an answer! She moved right off of the bench and on to her knees on the sidewalk. She clasped her hands before him and tried to give her best sad wide eyes. "Pleeeeease?" she asked. "I'll pay you, if you feel silly about it. You can say you were on a modeling job. Nobody would ever question that." He looked like a model, after all.
Alexandre's eyes went a little wide as the crazy kitten actually lowered herself to her knees and honestly begged, hand quickly covering his face as he shook his head. How did he get himself into this situation? At her offer of compensation he laughed loudly. "A model? How on earth could I be a model? I haven't seen my reflection in months."
"Well, then, you'd just be the first one with brain cells to spare!" Bunny answered, as if this was very logical. "Come on. If you don't like what I do I the prints will never see the light of day. What do you have to lose? Street cred with the other members of the mysterious and smug vampire club?"
Alexandre resisted the urge to laugh as he peeked between his fingers to see where she was at. Yes indeed, still on her knees in front of a vampire. That sealed it, she had a deathwish. "If I say yes will you get up and try to scrape up the remains of your dignity?"
Bunny grinned, the happy expression not even marred by the rough twitch that sent her head from side to side. "Yes," she agreed, getting up and dusting off her knees. "Do you have a number I can reach you at?"
"No," Alexandre answered, and it was a lie. There was a phone at the hotel, but God willing, he wouldn't be staying there much longer. He sighed, unable to believe he'd succumbed to this one. "Just give me a time and a place and I'll be there. I'm a man of my word."
Bunny thought quickly about it, preferring to take the pictures on a sunny day, but not knowing when that would be next. If she just told him 'the next sunny day', that could mean tomorrow or Wednesday, and both days were out of the question. It would have to be Tuesday, rain or shine. She wasn't entirely sure he would actually show up at all, but the longer she waited, the slimmer her chances probably were. "Tuesday, noon, at the N. Chief Farmer's Market." He was out in the daylight now, so she assumed he wouldn't have a problem with it then.
Well, he was going to need more fae blood, but that shouldn't be so hard a thing to track down in two days. "Alright then," he agreed. "You'll find me then." On that note he stood up, thinking it wise that he vacate her company -- lest she rope him into something else insane. "I will see you on Tuesday," he confirmed, and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Bunny said, damn near bouncing in excitement now. "I didn't get your name."
Alexandre had not offered it, nor had he intended to. He turned back to the girl though. He didn't know her name, either. "What is yours, Chaton?"
Bunny wasn't sure what he had just called her, but it didn't sound bad. It was easy to tell when someone was calling you bad things in another language. Or maybe that was just a talent she'd picked up after years of odd looks and whispers. "I'm Bunny," she said, offering her right hand. Vampires shook hands, right? In the books, Sookie Stackhouse said they didn't, but Sookie Stackhouse was kind of a dumb whore, so Bunny wasn't going to listen to that.
Ah, yet another surprised laugh. Bunny. Her name was Bunny. The more Alexandre learned about this girl, the more he really had to question her parents sanity. "The kitty, Bunny. Of course. Is that your real name?"
Bunny wrinkled her nose up at the question, and resisted the urge to hiss at him. "It's been Bunny since I was little. It might as well be." Her hand was still extended towards him, twitching occasionally, and she was starting to feel kind of stupid. Maybe Sookie had been right. For once. Maybe vampires just didn't shake Sookie's hand for fear of vampire herpes. "So are you going to tell me yours now?"
Alexandre's eyes flickered between Bunny's hand and her face. For a moment he almost refused, but in the end he folded, taking her warm hand in his -- ever so lightly, just in case the icy touch would alarm her and she wished to pull back. It was amazing how warm her hand felt, certainly warmer than a human's. Not that he'd had a lot of physical touches from either species in a while. He shook her hand, still releasing it gently before he stepped back and turned away. He remembered her question as he started to walk away, and with a slight chuckle, he shook his head. "Another time, maybe."