On Nights Such As These (Charli)

The gentlemens club was dreary. Middle aged me with funeral suites, bad comb-overs and overpriced drinks littered the place infront of the platform she had been stood on for the past three hours. The surrounded the small, circular tables, laughing deeply and staring at her. From the filthy junk that spewed forth from their minds when she was listening, was enough to let her know that it was her voice that kept their attention. Such talent wasted on these vile cretins. Alice's light hair was skillfully curled, the thick loops draped artfully down her back and over her shoulders. The style was her signature, and only took her 15 minutes to do. A far cry from when she originally started her singing career. Her makeup was tasteful, eyes smoky and lips red. The dress she had chosen for tonight's gig was ankle-length, strappy and clunge to all her curves. The material was heavy, silver and covered in sequins. The heels she wore were also silver, open-toed and strappy but not very tall. Glancing over at the clock that hung on the left-hand wall, Alice was glad to see she only that her shift was over once she finished this last song.

As the last few piano notes lingered in the muggy air, Alice bowed and thanked the audience as she always did. Not that they deserve to be thanked. She gracefully stepped off the stage and headed towards the staff bathroom. She had walked there, rarely driving the '69 Chevy Impala she had bought off of a Supernatural fanatic a few centuries previous. It was a remake, engine adjusted countless times so that it would still run. It did the trick though, thats all she asked of it. It wasn't even midnight and Alice didn't feel the need to return to her apartment. Instead she would decided to go to the local park. Quickly stripping of the elegant dress and shoes, and shimming her slim figure into a a black pair of skinny jeans. She carefully pulled a light jumper over her, the thin red material comfortably clinging to her frame. Black trainers adorned her feet. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she removed the bright lipstick and  carefully picked up the middle piece of her hair and pinned it so that it made a quiff.

The air was crisp outside, dried leaves got caught up in the winds hands and danced in the air above her. The jacket she wore was black leather on the sleeves, collar and trim. The rest was a soft red, black and grey tweed. It came to rest, open, upon her hips. The large orange, fauxleather handbag that she always carried slung across her shoulder, with her previous attire inside. The walk didn't take her long, and she met with no company along the way. The park was similarly deserted, just the creak of the trees and the wind for company.Peaceful to a fault. Eventually, she found a quiet stop to sit. It was a bench infront of a fenced of pond, a streetlamp stood guard beside it. Just the place to read. The wooden bench creaked beneath her weight. Alice's blonde curls fell about her face as she bent her head over the book that always had a place in her bag. This particular copy of 'Black Beauty' was bound in fake green leather, with a hand painted picture on the front. The pages crinkled like dry leaves as she turned the pages. Just the way she liked it.

Summertime had come and gone. The weather had started to become cooler and more mild, not that this affected the vampiress at all during her leisurely stroll in the park. Skinny light blue jeans clung to her long legs and a baggy ochre coloured sweater hung loosely on her upper body. Charli had taken time out of her day to straighten her hair for a change, which was tied up in a neat ponytail. Warm reds and browns as well as rich golds carpeted the path beneath the woman's feet as deciduous trees proceeded to shed their leaves before winter came. Nobody seemed to be around, leaving her peace and quiet so that she could gather her thoughts. Reuniting with Demetri after millenniums of being apart had brought something special back into her life. Being around him made her feel most at ease. The pair shared chemistry, there was no denying that. Charli was unsure of Demetri's feelings towards her, and her own towards him. The tall, tanned blonde visited the bridge where the Dominus had approached her after realising her arrival to his lands. After reliving the moment in her mind she headed on her way, hearing the crisp leaves crunch beneath her bright red converse-style pumps as she followed the dull grey path.

In the distance was a lone woman sat on a bench. She seemed to be the only other who was in the park at the current moment. As the Vicecome came closer, she detected the reading female to also be a vampire. The fellow woman seemed to be unaware of Charli's presence, after all she probably had her head stuck in the book. Once she was close enough, the vampiress paused to start conversation before taking a seat. "Hello there. I am Charli, Vicecome of Dominus Demetri's clan. What is your name?" A warm, comforting smile appeared on her peach pink lips as she took a seat beside the immortal other on the old, wooden bench that showed signs of ageing unlike Charli and her kind. "May I be of any help to you?" Her voice was gentle as to not startle the pale-skinned lady.

Alice tried to focus on her book, but was unable too. She sensed the presence of another. Though the blonde vampiress couldn't actually read the minds of vampires (or werewolves) their minds did appear to her like black spots on a radar. An emptyness in the surrounding area. As the other approached, Alice kepted her head down but glanced up under her lashes at the woman she could identify as another vampire. The femme was beautiful, like herself, blonde and maybe an inch or so taller. She too was wearing skinny jeans and a jumper. Must be that time of year, she mused. Alice did look up though, as the vampiress spoke (naming herself Charli), and followed with her gaze as she sat down beside her. This woman was the Vicecome of Dominus Demetri's clan. Alice had known about the clan, had even thought of joining, but she hadn't known how she would fair in doing so. Whenever the opportunity had arisen she had declined, saying she loved her freedom too much. Perhaps now is the time to change that.

As Charli finished speaking, her voice gentle and friendly, Alice closed her book and placed her thin hands upon the cover. She looked back up to find green/blue eyes looking warmly into her own. If this was Demetri's territory, she could be at risk of punishment for trespassing. However, Alice couldn't help but trusting the tanned female, who seemed genuinely open and sweet. Those come few and far between. Alice angled her fragile looking form towards the other before answering, her own lips spreading into a smile, causing small lines to appear at the corners of her eyes. "My name is Alice, it is a pleasure to meet you Charli", her voice was charming, the english accent present. "You know, there may be something that you can help me with- she paused a second, bracing herself - I was wondering if it would be possible for me to join Demetri's clan". As she spoke the last words, as stillness came over her as she realised what she had done. It'll be the right thing, I'm sure, it'll be fine. A gust of Autumn chilled wind coat at her hair and brought her back to Charli. She kept the smile in place, raising her eyebrows at the Vicecome, in question.

The Vicecome could sense that the fellow blonde, who had introduced herself as Alice, was somewhat wary of Charli's presence at first but seemed to warm to her as she proceeded to speak. This was expected as the stranger would most likely have been wary at first as well as wanting to make a good impression on the taller woman who had the decision whether to accept her into the clan or not. Charli firstly picked up on Alice's English accent. It was delightful like music to her ears. Charli could also tell that the other was much younger than herself despite possibly not looking so. Alice came across as rather pleasant, with her kind smile and charming voice as well as her politeness. The vampiress briefly glanced down to the book in the female's lap, noticing it was an old favourite of her own; 'Black Beauty'. Charli's ponytail swayed in the bitter autumn breeze as her eyes met Alice's gaze. "Well Alice, before you may join please give me an insight into your past and how you would be an asset to the clan." Her lips still held a gentle smile as she leant back on the bench and crossed her arms over her flat stomach, grabbing the sides of her sweater. She herself had not needed to answer much to another vampire when she wished to be accepted as her previous lover, Demetri, already held a fair amount of knowledge about her and her past. After all, he was the one responsible for changing her to a vampire and blessing her with immortality. The vampiress was forever grateful for his actions. Perhaps Alice had not wanted to join a clan previously for her own reasons. But now was her chance if she wanted to take it.

Alice's heart would have been pounding, had it still the ability to do so. The fact that Charli was even considering letting her join, gave the slim female mixed feelings. Part of her was overjoyed at the prospect of spending more time around her kin. On the other, should she succeed, she was about to enter a world she was completely unprepared for. Even more so than when she had first been turned. Back then, vampirism had made her perfectly capable of getting what she wanted out of the human world. Apart from various particular cases, Alice had avoided most supernaturals. Probably because she had held a grudge against Thomas for most of her second life. “I was originally born in 1877 in England. The man who turned me was my husband, Thomas Michealson. I knew he was a vampire when I married him and two years later he turned me. Come the First World War and I lost him. Like many that went overseas, he disappeared. I resented him for abandoning me, still do if I was being honest. Once my parents died I had nothing left to lose and after the Second World War, I bought a Villa in Paris.

Licking her lips and running a hand through her hair to push the curls from her face, Alice prepared herself to continue with her tale. “Since then I have travelled the world, multiple times but always returning to Paris. I have been a musician and an artist for the majority of that time. I have done some other stuff, of which I would prefer not to explain. Lets just say that what I did for a few years involved a completely different skill set. Most of them, far from pleasant. Don't get me wrong, I am as lovely as I look. But I'm not above doing what I need to get the job done. Sometimes I can be just plain mean, thats only when I'm pushed to it though”. Alice hoped that would be enough, though maybe she shouldn't have said the bits about her being mean. Alice especially wished she hadn't had to bring up her past, particularly the part she admitted. Even to herself. There was just some things you couldn't be proud of.