This scene is directly continued from the Lynch Mob


At this point the duo is riding down a highway thats isolated, darkness punctuated by occasional dim street lights few and far between in the barrens, and the city of Sacramento showing it's light off in the distance.

"Not too much. Just they tend to invade wherever they like, setup shop, and they'd rather shoot you than negotiate? There's some finer details in there, but that's about what I expect to go down." she thinks for a moment on Arthur.

"Arthur can be a sweety, I think. I think it'll depend a lot on how he's cared for. Anyways, what about me and you? I haven't really met you before."

'True true, we haven't really spoken yet. However, after this ride I'm sure there will be pleeenty of time.' Alice smiles.

'Over time you probably get an idea of who I am pretty soon... now I hear your description of the Brides I might join them! Next to the shopping I also like the direct action. Talking can be so boring.' She chuckles as she twists the meaning of Jacqui's words about the Brides.

She thinks a moment about Arthur, 'I'm sure most people can be sweet, if you know how to treat them. But honestly, I don't believe good old Arthur can make him a puppy rather than a monster.'

"Wait. Do you mean Anton?" Jacqui replies somewhat bemused. "I dunno. I just know what it's like to show up in the city without a name to name for who's there. I'll help him make his way around if I can."


'Huh? Oh yeah, Anton I mean.' Alice shakes the confusion away and looks out of the window at her right side,'Ah well, we all start at the bottom of things, and we need to grow all the way up.'

After a while she smiles friendly to Jacqui, 'Although I try not to give new arrivals a hard time. Unlife is tough enough without my reprimands. By the way, if you need help or want to know something, I'm quite an easy person on the right times.' Her tone made clear now was one of those times.

Jacqui obliquely screws her face up and wiggles her nose for a second as she thinks of a question. She relaxes her facial expression as she asks in a pretty even tone "What about Miss Cardoso and Mr Rayner? I've been spending some time with Amelita, and have heard some things about Lance. I'd like to get an outside impression if you know them." Jacqui's now fairly blank faced and relaxed as she engages the cruise control on the highway


'Mmmm....' Alice chuckles to clarify she didn't mind to think about that. 'Well, to be honest, I've never really spoken to Amelita. Although it's certainly on my to-do list. Perhaps you can prepare me.' A second chuckle as she shortly looks at Jacqui.

'Lance though... I like him! But he's too new, and I haven't got the time to know him better...sorry.' Her voice trails off, and so does her face as she looks to her right again.

'Hot.' She brushes her hair with her hands.

'Charming.'

"Gay." Jacqui finished in time with Alice's rhythm smirking. "At least, that's what I hear. Thought you might want some heads up on that. That's not an issue, is it?" Jacqui asks calculatingly. You never could tell how old and old fashioned everyone truly is...

'Mmh, bummer...' Alice seemes to truly regret it. Until she thinks of something and shrugs, 'Ah well, I've done it blindfolded before, guess it's just a new experience for him then.' She shortly chuckles with her joke, at least, it sounded as a joke.

'Although it's strange, I remind him making some moves on me... I kissed John shortly, just as friends. And he said he could show him how a real man would kiss, perhaps I have misinterpret that.' The Daeva looks to Jacqui with a questioning look, as if she would know the answer.

Jacqui's widens her blank face to a smile as her pitch emulates a shrewd mother tone. "My my you are a wild one aren't you!" She let's up on the fake voice and drops back to regular conversational tone, keeping the smile. "It's really not all that surprising to hear Lance'd like a piece of John though. Well, I don't know John, but I'd imagine he'd have to be cute to get Lance all worked up."


'Oh, a cutie he is,' Alice nods with a grin, 'and so new to the world.'

'But about my wild side... it's really funny to most of the time just pretend to be like that. It's not that I really fuck everyone and everything, even I have my limits.' She chuckles because it sounded strange when she said it like that. But it was true in her own way. For Alice something was serious when it was with a fellow Kindred. And how many has she had in the last months, just two. 'There is a huge difference between always kissing and flirting and being a slut, it's sad that some people fail to see that.' The little annoyance in her voice made it obvious that this was a personal matter.

Jacqui's continues in her grin as she responds, showing no note of recognizing the tone of annoyance: "Oh, I wouldn't sweat it anyways. I'm a firm believer in the Feminist ways, and as long as you've got the presence of mind to handle yourself responsibly, why not have some fun? Plus I mean, what's the repercussion now that we're like this?" Jacqui takes her free right hand as she gangster steers the Volvo and waves up and down her body. "If we're not enjoying ourselves into eternity, I'm not sure I see the point."

'Girl!' Alice happily claps her hands together, 'that's what I always say! Oh my,' she laughs, 'I couldn't even hope to meet someone who thought about our Requiem in the same way. Especially after what we did tonight. Why try to adhere the whole idea of survival of the fittest, stay around for several centuries, when you're unhappy?

'The only repercussions I've had is that I sometimes forget to stop having fun,' she grins, 'I can't expect everybody to think the same about this.'

Jacqui widens back to her trademark maniac style grin, triumphant in getting common ground with Alice.
"No. I try to be a bit reserved unless in comfortable company. Let's not antagonize our Bishop Flores. While I can be a bit... wild... I do firmly expect to have to earn my keep in the domain, and keeping him happy can only help that. I imagine earning your keep's the same thing that brought you out here actually? Well beyond keeping an eye on what's happening around town."

'True true... you have to keep them happy to have to keep them from killing you.' Alice nods, the seriousness of this matter visible on her expression. 'And it was partially a reason to come. Although it's not just for them, also for myself. I do care what others think of me. Besides, a lot of people are keeping dangers away, I don't mind to help them every now and then.'

After a shrug she asks something on a curious tone, 'Speaking of wild sides, nice bow you have. You also work with crossbows?' Those things that shoot stakes at you from half a mile away.

"Yeah sure." Can't be any harder than cleaning a .22 piece by piece, right? "I like the bow though, well not that one in particular. Archery is a thing of mine. I used to do the whole 'live off the land' thing. Not the way most people imagine with Mommy or Daddy, imagine more like wishing you could afford solar panels because your roommates kept spending their cash on green. Whole hippy commune, except more like cave people than hippies. That was some time ago though... Why, any particular interest?" Jacqui looks to Alice with curiosity.Am I being felt out? Why?

Cave people? How long has she been in torpor... Alice nods, not further reacting to the hippie thing.

'I've just wanted to fire a bow since a long time ago.' A cheesy childlike smile follows, 'I have always been more specialized in guns, since I thought they should be more effective, or at least more subtly. You see, you weren't exactly inconspicuous.' she grins, and her expression told Jacqui that Alice didn't really seem to care about inconspicuousness.

"Subtelty isn't usually something I'm interested in." Jacqui flashes a wide grin at this, apparently this is something that entertains her. "Besides, I'd rather be known for more actions. I've no issue being held accountable for them, and it'd be nice to have a reputation being new in town and all." That smirk, it's still there. "Archery is a therapeutic exercise, and sometimes it's nice to have, say, something like that automatic get's the police called sometimes."

The city lights are quite a bit closer now as they're still on the freeway drawing near their destination.

Alice laughs, and she realizes that she actually started to like Jacqui. 'I must admit I always work on my reputation as well. Although I have a very different one with different persons.' She grins as she thinks about this. It was interesting to think about how others could think about her.

However, now was not the time to do this, 'But what do you say? Can you introduce me to your kind of therapy sometime soon? I'd love to do some exercise with you. You train at a club or just in the woods or something?'

At this, Jacqui looks a bit more skeptical, dropping the grin. "Can you get your hands dirty and do some real work? Ehhh, I shouldn't ask that. With your showing back there you showed some tenacity, especially dropping from the balcony like that. That was cool. I'll warn you though it doesn't come easy, and it can be hell on the arms."

Jacqui's gaze moves to the steering wheel as she flexes her hands looking at the back of them. She doesn't look like a particularly muscled woman, more average, but a careful look would betray her wiry biceps and thinly strung muscled forearm are rather used to doing a particular movement over, and over, and over again, and seem to line up just so.

"I wouldn't mind, really. It'll take some time to teach, but I think it's good for us to have some outlet, something we do, that keeps our feet on the ground instead of our fangs always out."

The reaction makes Alice drop her grin as well. 'I might look like the undead shopaholic, but there's more behind the good smile and the casual flirt. My sister is a real fighter, I learned a lot from her. So let's see how I handle bows.' A hell on the arms? Ok, Alice had no muscled body, but after being dead for a lifetime her strength could have grown bigger than her physical expression might reveal.

'And you really have a point there. Usually I go out, partying and... there we have our fangs again.' She sounds a little disappointed in herself. 'I'll contact you later on this, once I finished my schedule at work I can make some extra free time.'

Jacqui nods. "That'd be alright. Go shopping for a bow, they're strung to fit the archer. That's the worst part." She starts smiling again, and flexes that hand one more time. "Chest guard and wrist guard would be good for you too. Whaddya do for work, if I may ask?"


'Ah I see, I'll buy my own bow then.' Alice nods with a smile. 'And where I'm working... we're almost there...' her voice trails off as they drive through the streets of downtown Sacramento.

She told Jacqui to go to Avalon, and now they drove around the corner she could see the Nightclub already. 'I work at upstairs Avalon. But we'll talk about that later.' When the car stops, Alice steps out and stands in the doorway, while leaning inside to say goodbye in a sincere tone.

'See ya later Jacqui, thanks for the lift.'