Amelita's feet were killing her as she stumbled out of Asylum. She felt the blush fade and her skin acclimate to the mild night air. She became a little paler.

"Want me to call a cab?" she asked, fishing for her phone.

"A cab? Nah. I got a car. Hate having to leave that thing behind and it needs to run. It's been sitting for years."

Jacqui was excited over the nights conversations, sure, it didn't go to plan, but it worked out now didn't it?

"I'm not ready to head home yet, and we've got some time 'till dawn. Got any predisposition now that we've finished our Intrigue and move on to Adventure?"


"Oh, ok. Cool." Amelita bent down and struggled out of her heels. She shrank two or three inches as she stood up, kicks in hand.


"I'm up for whatever. I could eat if you want to go do that. Or just go talk someplace away from the un-killed masses."

Jacqui laughs at Am saying un-killed masses.

"Actually, you know, I should go shopping. Might need something now. Maybe then we could eat."

She picks a phone up out of one of her pockets.

"Hey. Yeah, don't ask. I need to buy some kerosene, swedish firesteel, some tarps, fire extinguishers, heavy duty, and a compound bow. Gonna make some homemade shoot'em yourself fireworks, pretty rad right? You know where I can get a compound bow this late at night, a Walmart with a helluva sports section or something? I got most that stuff handled already. Ok. Good. Thanks" She clicks the phone off.

"Oh yeah, Am, don't worry about that. I just needed to get a bow and some arrows. Just didn't want to seem weird calling at 2 am asking where do I get a compound bow."


Am trudged gingerly barefoot, wondering what Jacqui drove. She was pretty sure she'd gone into asylum with a coat. No matter.

"Yeah, sure..." she managed cautiously. "I mean it won't take that long, right? You parked far?"

"Nah. But I'm not gonna make you go out dressed like that. Wonder if any of the kinks in line have a coat? I bet they'll give it to you. See if you can get someone back in an Alley. Maybe dinner should come first."

Jacqui leans against the corner of an Alley, looking to see if Amelita tries to lure someone over.

Amelita smiled and stretched as she walked. "That's sweet, but I'm ok. I don't feel the cold so much. Right now I'd just like to get off my feet. Let's go do your thing and then we can go hang."

"Sure. Got tipped off to a nightowl named Joe who's looking for a little spare change, and apparently I'm providing if he is too."

Jacqui walks on to the car. It's just down the street, and gazes to see if Amelita follows her off to Joe's.

"We'll make this quick, just do me a favor and turn around while we start talking price. You can turn back around after, I just need him distracted for negotiation."

Jacqui smiles mischeviously.

Amelita couldn't help but smile at that. "I don't know..." she laughed. She waited to be let into the passenger's side.

Joe's place is at a half-dismantled trailer park on the edge of the Barrens. Joe himself is a sawed-off speed freak, tweaking amongst a grotto of war memorabilia, peppered with handguns of peculiar design and a staggering array of knives. The fattest woman either Amelita or Jacqui have ever seen slumbers on the couch while Joe hunches over a workbench peppered with shell casings.

"You're here!" he bursts, alarmed. "Ok, the bow, right? That's all? If you're holding I can throw in some of these.

He jerks a thumb at a plastic tub filled with brass knuckles.

"Nah I'm good. Toss in any arrows you got and something to hold 'em though, and deal."

She looks over at Am and says

"Yeah. I'm peckish. I ain't feeling too hungry with the kinda food around here though. I hear there's some better near the College. Unless you got something?"

Throughout the break-neck, amphetamine fuelled exchange, Am manages to keep her back to a wall.

"Not really," Amelita answered, hopping into Jacqui's car. "I mean I don't really 'hunt' hunt. Want to just fish? I kind of feel like a breather, you know?"

"Wait what? You haven't hunted? Oh hell no. Your gonna like this. We need to find a party out in college town. Don't worry, it's better than any man could ever be, and I'll fix any screw ups that pop up. Let's just not make a scene in public. That outfit's gonna be perfect."

Jacqui says, starting up the car and driving towards the suburbs surrounding the college.

"If you say so," Amelita answered, feeling very much in the passengers seat on this outing. She clutched her shoes to her lap. "Do you have a place we can talk? Y'know, openly?"

"Sure Am, I'll just slow down and cruise. Gotta find a party anyways. Yeah, feel free to fire at will.

Jacqui slows the car down to a crawl keeping an eye out for places with way too many cars parked up front, and trying to show a little empathy for Am.

"Thanks," Amelita smiled, stretching her legs. "You've been running me ragged tonight, Jacqui," she joked. "Sorry if I'm slowing you down. Just feeling a little drained, keeping up all the smoke and mirrors around the 'people'. What do you think of it all? The Danse, I mean."

"The Danse?" Jacqui asks with a show of hesitation. She over exaggerates with a concerned voice. "Oh woe is me, I found out there's monsters in the night, and now I'm one of 'em. And I'm still afraid they'll eat me!" Jacqui laughs at this. "Well honestly I get tired of the facade we all put on. I'd like it if we could put down all this protocol, but I guess it's served it's purpose so far? Well, I guess my jury's still out on that."

"Yeah... It's exhausting," Amelita agreed. "That's kind of why I didn't want to hit another breather party. I don't know what to think about it all. Just wanted to know what you thought."

"Oh, we're not really going for the party. It's just a good way to keep a cover and get some food. Plus, I can usually just target the Kine that bugged the shit out of me once upon a life. Eternal retribution for their eternally blonde roots. Anyways, don't worry. I've got a plan and It'll keep it real short. Just don't blush too much."

Jacqui says this with the biggest devilish grin she's had in a long, long time. It feels good for her to be in charge of something. It's only been a month since she'd been at her Sire's. There, in charge had a wholly different meaning, and Jacqui wasn't the one pulling the strings.

"I think I used all that up," Amelita answers. She tilts the seat back a bit and sighs. "I'd appreciate a refill."


Jacqui looks Amelita over and mentally finishes a few details of her plan, which is to say, wasn't a plan.

"That's the spirit. Just follow my lead. I haven't done this as a pair, but it can't be all that different. Anyways, I've been circling a party a few times now. Shall we be fashionably late now, or you have something else on your mind?"

Amelita turned to Jacqui. She was starting to see the whole commanding thing she'd spoken of with Ari. It'd be interesting to watch at any rate.

"Nothing pressing, Jacqui. I think it'd be better if we got to know each other on full stomachs."

Jacqui pulled over and found a place to park pretty close to a brick house which was thumping with bad rap. Beer cans were strewn about the front yard, while there was a trio of overdressed twenty year olds hovering over a bent over form in the bushes saying repeatedly "It's OK honey you're not an alcoholic and he's an asshole."

Jacqui gestures for Amelita to ignore it all and make her way inside.

"Ok. First we find an occupied bedroom. Listen for a couple going at it."

Jacqui states rather plainly while walking in the door.

Amelita followed, feeling out of place in her outfit. She focused her senses until she heard bedsprings buck somewhere upstairs.

"People fucking like jackrabbits pretty much above us," she whispered.

"Oh perfect. Let's crash 'em."Jacqui goes for the stairs, dodging a couple of stumbling drunks and stepping over someone laying limp over the stairs.

Jacqui can hear them too, and zeros in on the door, standing shoulders square to it. She takes the knob in hand and smacks open the door with surprising rude force.

A couple, man mid stride, stares in wide eyed drunken shock at the pale grimy punk that just slammed open the door, and the woman starts to yell straight at her

"Hey, we're a li..."

Jacqui cuts her off with volume staring her straight in the eyes. "Me and my friend are gonna join in. Agree?"putting vampiric force in her words.

She suddenly stops her protest and simply goes "Yes."

The man looks ecstatic with one look at Amelita's dress.

"There you go Am, let's come on in."

Amelita obliges, entering the room. Navigating the prone college kids had been almost impossible in her club shoes. She just glances at the couple and perches on the edge of the bed, giving Jacqui a look as if to say 'what now?'

The girl looks a bit shocked at what she just agreed to, but the social pressure is now overwhelming when Jacqui closes the door.

"Well, I think you should kiss him, you know, and I'll kiss her, that'll get things started..."

Jacqui moves over onto the bed next to the woman clutching the sheets while a grinning sweaty frat boy thinks he just hit the jackpot. She reaches an arm over to the quivering mess and says "Just relax..." while she reaches an arm over her, restricting her movement.

Amelita wasn't that phased. It wasn't that different from how she'd often fed. They gave her their blood and she gave them affection. It seemed fair, although she didn't like the obvious connotNever with a partner though. She shrugs, sidling up to the frat boy and started kissing slowly and softly. Her eyes drift to Jacqui as though somewhere between taking notes and seeking approval.

Jacqui's a lot less shy about this. With the girl stuck between sheets, bed, and herself, Jacqui presses the weight of her body overtop the woman overtop the woman, and while sliding up her body, bares fangs. She grips her neck with her jaws, while the girl's nervousness and shock of the situation fade to the pleasure that is being fed upon. Warmth, blood, and continuing unlife flow from her veins while Jacqui struggles to keep ahold of her sense beyond the ecstasy of feeding, looking out of the corner of her eye to see if Amelita follows the cue.

Amelita does so, slowly breaking the kiss and drifting down to the neck. The frat boy collapses back as the sensation of the kiss takes hold. Amelita drinks deep next to Jacqui, feeling fuller and warmer as her hunger dwindled. She lets go of the frat boy's neck. He seems fine. She feels some of the blood go reflexively towards the blush. She breathes deeply and uselessly and smiles at Jacqui, watching her new friend closely.

Jacqui takes her time trying to drain more slowly, enjoying both the victory of the hunt and of getting Amelita to feed, and sweet sweet blood. When she let's go of her clench, she licks the wound to seal and sits up a bit.

"Hey Am, make sure you lick him, it's important and he'll like that."

Jacqui twists and shifts her torso up, still pinning the woman, but watching Amelita for followthrough.

"Right ... I know that," Amelita murmured. She swiftly licked the guy's neck and rolled over to Jacqui.

Jacqui looks back at the couple laying in bed, and starts her exit speech:

"Alright you two lovebirds. I hope his performance is as good for you as it was for us." Jacqui stifles a laugh at seeing what happens when a man at attention is drained of blood. "We've had a change of heart and are going to go play elsewhere. Besides, I think my friend here was a bit too much for him."

Jacqui gets up to leave for the door and says "See, wasn't that fun Am?"

She's ready to head for the car.

"I wasn't really into him, but food is food, I guess. Thanks, Jacqui." She follows the Ventrue towards the car. "What do you want to do now?"

"Well..." Jacqui stops to think for a moment apprehensively.

"You know Sacramento. I need to go some place that's got flowers. I need to nab a couple of bulbs and hopefully some live plants. I'm hoping to bring flowers to someone, and it's always nicer when they're home grown."

Amelita adjusted her outfit before getting into the car. Amelita looked perplexed. "Sure, but I... don't follow. Is that like code?"

Jacqui checks the perimeter to make sure no-ones listening.

"Oh? No. I garden. Keeps me in touch with the earth, keeps me grounded with all of this craziness, and it can be a handy skill if you keep a herd around the house. I wanted to bring Miss Villiers flowers for Elysium, I think she'd like that. She being Master of Elysium and all. There's a reason I've got dirt under my nails almost all the time. I think Chrysanthemum's will be nice for the Herald, and her being English she may appreciate the dual symbolism."

Jacqui smiles, happy to share her passion. Amelita nodded, content to accompany Jacqui.

"Gardens are nice. I always wanted one... She creeps me out, though. Martha, I mean."

Jacqui makes the connection of Miss Villiers and Martha

"What Martha creeps you out? Well, sure she's got the English little girl thing going on and she looks like she stepped out of a Harry Potter movie. Also, I swear I will find you if you ever repeat that I said tha, I will find you- but she seemed pretty nice to me. We talked a little bit, and for someone who looked so stuck in the past she seemed to have a definite appreciation of the modern. She gave me a couple of tips for when to put on, well, you know, my 'I am Ventrue!' face. I appreciate that."

Amelita shrugged. "It's just that she's not a little girl, she's a grown woman who dresses like one, making out like she wants everyone to be her best friend. Just seems insincere to me. I don't trust her."

Amelita wrestled the shoes off her feet.

"I didn't know you were Ventrue."

Jacqui seems a little shocked at that.

"Yeah. I'm surprised you didn't pick that up. My sire instructed me on most things that go on in the cities like this, so I know a bit about how all of this works, but I spent most of my years turned out in Napa Valley, pretty isolated. I'm new to all this politicking. I'm not sure how serious I take all of this 'which blood are you?' yet. Anyways, what about you?

"Sounds nice, being away from it all. I'm Mekhet. Had an inkling you could be a Lord, taking charge and all. I just didn't want to assume anything, you know?"

Amelita smiled to Jacqui and wondered if she should've taken up her offer of a change of clothes. Gardening in her backless pantsuit seemed a little odd.

"Oh yeah, I've been told you Shadows are studious and pretty careful about your knowledge. I guess you wouldn't assume now, would you?" she laughs. "I'm curious, can you really disappear like they say? I know the blood has its gifts. It's pretty fascinating if you ask me, my Sire told me about some pretty wild stuff."

Amelita shook her head. "Not me. I could see in your head though. Want me to try?"

Jacqui seems a little shocked and hesitant at this, but is curious overall.

"Umm. Sure Am, go for it this time. Try not to do it unless I give permission though, ok? Anyways, that's pretty cool!"

Amelita takes Jacqui's hand and prepared to expand her consciousness into Jacqui's.

"I wouldn't. Maybe after this you could show me what the Lords can do. Same conditions."

She lets go and slips softly into the Ventrue's mind.

Jacqui seems to be thinking prominently of the number 14 at the forefront of her mind. Her consciousness flickers to thinking about this is the first time she's knowingly met a Mekhet, and while she thinks this is pretty cool, it's genuinely concerning that they can read minds. What other powers are there? Well, I guess that's fair afterall if Amelita can read them and Jacqui can command them. She starts wondering if maybe Amelita can also talk into peoples minds like telepathic communication.

Amelita massages Jacqui's hand with her thumb as she concentrates, eyes closed. She speaks directly into Jacqui's mind after a moment or two.

I can do that. Why 14?

"Oh. I just thought it appropriate to think of a number, like you know, for mind-readers? Wow. You got all that?"

She pauses for a minute and thinks:

"That's going to be pretty handy for you. If you ever REALLY need to tell me something quietly, go ahead and do that."

she doesn't skip a beat in the conversation.

"Ok, my turn."

She makes eye contact easily between the two of them.

"Hmm, let's do something you haven't done for a long time. Sneeze." she says, with vampiric force.


Command: Sneeze


Amelita broke eye-contact as her eyes reflexively screwed up - an anemic little sneeze issuing out. The Blush helped. She rubbed her nose. No mess, just the memory of sneezing for real.

"I can't believe you made me do that," Amelita laughed.

Jacqui smiles triumphantly while saying:

"Yeah. I can do quite a bit more, but I'm still working out the kinks of it all. It was a lot easier for me to do that back in the valley with my Sire."

She pauses, reminded of something that helps her change the subject:

"Speaking of which, out of curiosity, how is it yours didn't teach you to feed?"

Amelita smiled softly. "My Sire taught me how to feed. Just not how to hunt. They hunted, I fed from them. These nights I usually feed on people who let me. Or craigslist. Nothing like we just did."

Jacqui looks like she had an epiphany:

"Ohhhhhhh. It's fun. It makes me feel like a boss. Your lucky you have people who let you. I'm waiting for that. Anyways, we should do it again sometime. Want my number?"

Jacqui offers.

"Sure," Amelita agreed, getting her phone out ready. "Give it to me and I'll text you mine. Hey, uh, if we're going to get chrysanthemums, you got anything I could wear? Feeling a little self-concious again."

"Oh. Hmmm. Hold on a second."

Jacqui glances back at the winding down party, and then back to Amelita eyeing her for size.

She walks back inside searching for someone who's curves could match Amelita's. Target found near a table full of shot glasses, stumbling about with friends, she simply looks her in the eyes and says "You're drunk! It's a party! You should UNDRESS," commanding her mortal mind. Her friends look in wideyed shock as she listens and a few drunken "Woooohs!" fill the air. Jacqui quickly scoops the clothes up and navigates her way through the freshly renewed excitement.

Jacqui returns to the car clutching a sequined midriff black dress. "Here, I think blacks supposed to match anything? Oh. I should have got you the shoes too."


Amelita smiled as she took the dress. "Thanks. It's cute. I can just wear these." She raised her heels and pushed the seat back.

"So... I'll just get changed in the back. There's a nice historical district in Citrus Heights with gardens and flowers and stuff."

Amelita crawled awkwardly onto the backseat and began the laborious process of wriggling out of one tight set of clothes and into another.

"That'll work. Let's get moving before it's dawn, transplanting can take more time than you think. I apologize in advance for your nails. I don't have my tools on me. It's pretty handy they always grow back though"

Jacqui glances at her own nails there on the steering wheel, which look a bit short and like she had a nail biting habit.

She waits for Amelita to finish and make her way to the front seat before starting the car and driving.

Amelita sat up in a state of rumpled dress. The stolen clothes fitted her well enough, but nothing as flattering as the altered pantsuit she'd begun the night in.

"Ok. I'll direct you. Can I crash at your place after this? My living situation's a little complicated."

Amelita will direct Jacqui to a communal garden within a gated community in Citrus Heights.

Jacqui remembered from earlier in the night as Asylum Amelita hinting at this.

"Um, Am, that's a bit to ask for. What do you mean, complicated?"

Amelita threw on a seatbelt and curled her legs up on the backseat, breathing blush-warmed air onto the windows and doodling.

"I fell out with the person I was staying with. And where I'm living now has rules. That's all I can say. But if it's a big deal I'm not gonna impose."

Jacqui has to weigh this. She was taught by her sire to have extreme caution with her haven, but she had room and she'd always had a soft heart for someone who needed a couch to crash. She decided this hinged on one thing. Besides, she was hoping she'd get to move soon.

"This gonna piss whoever your staying with off? Besides, I did mention sleeping together on the first date usually costs, but we can work that out later."


Amelita scooted up behind Jacqui, smiling. She poked her head over the shoulder of the frontseat.

"Thanks Jacqui. It'll be fine. And we will..."

"It's all good. The place's alright, two story and old style, but I swear to GOD you can hear banjo's playing in the background. I'm still fixing things up there, but there's definitely room. It's pretty far out in the boondocks, that's the only thing I don't like."

Jacqui continues following directions to Citrus Heights Park, finding an empty parking space beyond the gate in the abandoned lot.

"We're here!" She says triumphantly.

"Thanks, Jacqui," Am beamed.

Amelita slid out of the car, sans shoes. There was no way she was wrecking those things burgling flowers. She leads Jacqui to a section of wall, clambering up it and tumbling into a well-pruned hedge. The Kindred are surrounded by a communal garden with all manner of flowers, sculpted hedges and fancy benches. Am wanders around aimlessly. Jacqui recognises a cluster of Chrysanthemums near the centre of the garden.

Jacqui waves Am over going :

"These are Chrysanthemums. Want to help? See, these flowers are symbolic. They've got a history to them. Here in the U S they're positive and cheerful. Only here in the great young states. Everywhere else though, they're strictly funerary flowers. Strictly used for funerals. I'm hoping Miss Villiers will appreciate a good bouqet, and the irony and balance they represent."

She digs in with practiced gusto. Careful to avoid root sets and pulling up clumps of dirt topped with white blooms.

Amelita kneels next to the flowers and unenthusiastically sets about carving hunks of flower-anchored soil out with her nails. She smirks.

"Is there any kind of flower which means 'tone it down, pigtails'?"

Jacqui laughs. "Yeah. Sorry. Gardening's my thing, really. We won't need too many, Chrysanthemum are hardy and take to pruning well, so I'll probably be able to get a bouquet together fast as long as I keep 'em watered. I'll try not to make you do this again, it's just transplanting can take a moment, and while the flowers enjoy the dawn, I'm not such a fan."

Jacqui sets aside a few more petal and stem topped clods of dirt, bringing the total with Amelita's help to a healthy half dozen.

"Alright. Let's get them in the car. We can toss them in the hatch, I'm sure it's seen its fair share of dirt by now."


Amelita shrugged as she placed the flowers into the trunk. "I don't mind this too much. Just ragging on Martha." Am gets into the front passenger side, looking content and comfortable in the stolen dress. "To yours?"

"Yeah, to mine."

Jacqui seems reluctant at this, but during the small talk on the way back her unease fades to a gentle happiness. Jacqui likes Amelita, and is very happy to have someone there at the house. Afterall, she's used to it.

They arrive after about forty-five minutes drive down the highways, maybe ten minutes of which was down winding roads without stoplights. Little to note out here in the barrens, as they pull up to an isolated two story modest bay windowed home that's showing it's age. There's tilled soil with creeping vine's and ripening melons apparent in the front yard, with some bare soil patching towards the driveway. There are fresh boards nailed diagonally over some of the windows there, looking recently nailed to support sagging frames.

"Here we are. We'll get the flowers planted tonight, and I'll help you pick up your stuff whenever to move in. There should be decent space for us both."

Jacqui says triumphantly. She thinks: It's good to be home, it's been a helluva night.


Amelita brings in her clothes and shoes and favours Jacqui with a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks for a lovely evening," she answers playfully, toying with the first date motif Jacqui's been working. "I'm a pretty good guest. I don't make trouble."

"I believe that Am. I thinks this can work." Jacqui smiles, she's truly happy, more so than she's been since entering Sacramento.

She hates to do it, but it has to be done. Her next statement has a suddenly stark tone in the middle.

"Just one thing. Never bring anyone else here."

Jacqui and Amelita take on the task of planting the Chrysanthemum in the tilled patches of the yard approaching the drive way before Jacqui gives out the grand tour. The house is sparsely furnished but surprisingly clean considering Jacquis demeanor. Upstairs Jacqui shows Amelita to a sun proofed guest room of average size. Jacqui herself sleeps in the tub of the bathroom attached to the master bedroom.

Just before dawn as Amelita settles in, Jacqui pops the door open hearing that Amelita is still moving about.

"One last thing Am, thank you for this. It makes me feel a bit better about things."

She closes the door back not inviting comment on the statement, and heads for the tub as the weariness of day takes her.