When Old Meets Young

[socrowdedinhere]

Who: Evangeline and Vivena
What: Two vampires meet... 
Where: Arizona
Warnings: Who knows...?

Vivena was just getting herself settled in a new place. She just hoped she didn't royally blow it again this time. For now, though, she needed to get her mind off of... everything. Moving. Where he next real meal would come from, or rather... who her next real meal might come from. Maybe she should call up that one guy again...

Maybe, but for now she just wanted a distraction. And so she found herself stepping into the Curated Curiosities museum. Apparently it had been around for quite some time, and it sounded like a fun distraction. She loved to learn, and she loved museums. So she set her worries aside, set aside the thought of calling up someone she'd not seen in months and who lived in another state, and... let herself just enjoy as she paid admission and started to slowly wander the place.

Comments

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

Miss Evangeline Stevens had seen it all, over the years. New technologies, new cities, new countries, and no small amount of supernatural shenanigans. Now, she was simply content to help the latest Maizel run the Curated Curiosities museum in Tombstone, Arizona. She'd ended up here a couple centuries ago and was certainly making the most of it. It was few and far between that anyone special made it through these doors. So when she heard the brass scorpion beneath the counter jitter to life and begin to scuttle excitedly, she knew they were in for a real treat.

Eva, as she preferred to be called, was currently working the evening shift in the museum, in full costume. One of the perks of the place was getting to keep her wardrobe from the Victorian era. Another was keeping in touch with the dear Maizels, and they were still as wild as ever. She would occasionally meander the museum, making sure no one touched what they shouldn't or went where they shouldn't. She had scooped up the scorpion and put it in her dress pocket, and gone to find the source of the automaton springing to life outside usual hours. She had adjusted all her articles of clothing to have pockets, finding it a wonderful modern convention. Her dress tonight was a rich plum number, with lace accents and some mother-of-pearl buttons on the cuffs.

As she strolled, the scorpion rattled and wriggled intensely when they passed a younger lady perusing the contents. Aha, Eva thought, here we are.

"Glad to see a new face in this city!" Eva smiled, mouth closed, at the woman. "Do let me know if you want to know more beyond the placards. You'd be surprised at what some of these things have been up to, over the years."

Busy weekend. I'm back now.

[socrowdedinhere]

Vivena was charmed. The place was odd, perhaps a little silly, but it was charming. She just wandered slowly, taking in the sights until a woman in costume stepped up and commented. That she was recognized as a new face in town was not comforting, she needed to disappear, be just another unknown in the crowd. She told herself she wasn't going to worry about it yet.

"Hello. Sounds like a lot of good stories. What's you favorite story in this place?"

Re: Busy weekend. I'm back now.

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

Eva noted a flash of concern across the young woman's face and declined to comment. Goodness knows she'd wanted to disappear, coming out here all those years ago. There was no better place at the time than a bustling boomtown alive at all hours. Now? It was still a good place to get lost, just for different reasons. Living in a reminder of a bygone era, where folks really only came for a day or two to gawk, tended to do the trick.

"Well now, that's a hard question." Her voice had picked up the Southwestern drawl as soon as she'd come here, and it had stuck hard. "I do love Kokopelli and Kokopelmimi, they came here one day on yet another honeymoon and really livened the place up! A mutual acquaintance of ours recommended they come here and they've been drifting back every now and again ever since."

Here Eva indicated two statuettes of clay. One was a figure of a stout woman and the other was a man playing the flute, both heavily stylized in the pottery of the Hopi nation. They weren't moving now, but she spoke as if they had and would absolutely do so again.

"Those two aside? I am partial to that coffin!"

She pointed to an exhibit labelled as an authentic vampire's coffin, which had some fake ashes at the bottom with a smiley face drawn in. Her smile, still close-mouthed, seemed like that might be an inside joke.

[socrowdedinhere]

Disappearing is certainly what this odd young woman wants, right now, being unknown is important to her. Unknown and anti-social aren't the same thing, though, so she smiles as she looks around at the displays Eva mentions, genuinely interested.

"That coffin? Might I ask why? Sounds like there's quite a story behind it." One might think she'd be unsettled by the 'authentic vampire's coffin' with ashes at the bottom someone had mildly vandalized, but honestly the pop culture depictions of her people were so far off that she found it amusing rather than unsettling. Wait until she realizes they're not all that far off, and there is more than one kind of vampire in the world.

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

"Well, now, that would be because the authentic label on that coffin is very much true." Eva grinned, ever with lips pressed together. It wasn't an unfriendly look, by any means, as she'd had centuries of practice in keeping her amiable personality even without showing her teeth.

"Some folks come in here and make a stink about not believing in the supernatural, but to me that's as absurd as saying you don't believe in Canadians! Just because you haven't met one outright doesn't mean they aren't around. But I digress! Oh, I've been hanging around the bank too long. Anyway, that coffin is the real deal and very near and dear to me and this museum. It was donated in the late 1880s to the proprietor, one Mackenzie Maizel. He took over the place from the original owner, his Great-Uncle Pavender Lewis Maizel. Word among us employees is that Mr. Maizel, or Kenzie, as his friends called him, actually made the acquaintance of a vampire and they donated it, plus the fake ashes, as a giggle. It's a gently used coffin that was swiftly ditched for the comforts of a four-poster with thick blackout curtains, to hear Kenzie tell it. Apparently, a matching coffin was also made for when this vampire needed to go about in sunlight, only the sister coffin was made in bat-size as a private joke among friends."

[socrowdedinhere]

Vivena laughed softly. "Oh, I'd never say something supernatural wasn't real just because I've never seen it, but then I guess I've never really thought of vampires as supernatural." She gave a little shrug, but wasn't about to go any further with that; that was getting too close to home.

She didn't take any of the talk about Mr. Maizel as personal knowledge, because like anyone else who visited, she assumed this lady, who clearly worked here, was in costume and on script, and knew her stuff well. She was good. She knew her stories, knew how to make them engaging with a bit a humor, and Vivena appreciated the effort put in to make such an oddity of a museum more relatable and fun.

"Stories say vampires can live a long time," she mused while looking at the coffin and the ashes Eva had said were fake. Vivena was sure they were anyway, she never turned to ash in the sun, just burned easily despite her darker complexion. "If those ashes aren't theirs, maybe that vampire is still alive today." Honestly, she was mostly playing along with the stories, but maybe... there was some part of her that wished it were true, to find someone so old, still alive, who'd found an eccentric friend who used vampire "lore" to help them disappear so they could live in peace... it was a nice thought. If she did find someone who'd lived that long, surely they'd have some advice for her, contacts for people she could go to for meals, places she could be herself without fear. It was unlikely, but... never impossible.

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

Eva nodded with agreement to the first remark about vampires not really being supernatural to her guest, and upon the remark of their longevity, mused to herself that this position could sometimes be bittersweet. She missed Kenzie and Alistair fiercely, and she missed the Maizels who had come after them, but dearest Lavender Louise was truly a gift of a young lady and an excellent steward of the museum to boot.

"Oh, the stories don't know the half of it, dear! And in any event, most of those stories aren't quite accurate to the true vampire experience. There's a little more nuance than sparkles and garlic. I can tell you, though, that those ashes are just from a fireplace and the vampire in question is very much still around and thriving."

The brass scorpion in her pocket wiggled with life and excitement, and Eva studied this young lady for a moment. Perhaps a young magician? Perhaps a newly made werewolf? Or even a variation on vampire like her? She patted her pocket to calm the scorpion and focused on her visitor once more.

"I must apologize for my breach in manners, before we go any further! I realize I hadn't introduced myself when you came in. Evangeline Stevens, at your service, though my friends call me Eva."

[socrowdedinhere]

The comment got another soft laugh from Vivena, oh, how true it was that sparkles and garlic were just ridiculous folk lore and pop culture additions to the vampire stories. The comment about the vampire still being around though did make her pause. Was this just part of the costumed performance? Play up the whole "immortal vampire" thing to spook and/or intrigue patrons? Or was it real? Could it be? She... she wanted to ask, but she was not willing to take that risk, not when she'd just moved here to get away from being caught. Maybe... maybe before she was forced to flee again she could take that risk and ask.

And with that decision made she was happy to turn her attention away from the topic of her people, or the folk lore of her kind anyway, and towards the woman and her introduction. "Vivena Vasher, it's nice to meet you."

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

"Truly lovely to make your acquaintance, Vivena! You've got a lovely name."

Eva beamed as widely as she could without showing fangs. The insistent wiggling in her pocket grew stronger and she laughed softly.

"Seems this little fellow wants to say hello as well." With that, she produced the brass scorpion, a marvel of an automaton and a very antique one at that.

The scorpion sat docile in Eva's hand and waved a pincer at Vivena. It moved fluidly and appeared very well maintained.

"Normally, he only comes to life just before midnight, but sometimes he gets excited. I wouldn't normally show him off, but there's something special about you that got him going!"

[socrowdedinhere]

Vivena's brows went up with awe at the little... robot? This was so neat! It looked so old, but it moved so smoothly! Surely this was some kind of modern creation, something she could go pick up in the giftshop for a couple hundred dollars.

But all thoughts about that fled at the comment of something special. A stone dropped into her belly, but she hid it very well. She gave Eva a wry smile and the scorpion a little wave. "I bet you say that to everyone you show this little guy off to." It was just a robot, puppetting as it was programed. That's all...right?

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

"Quite honestly, I don't really even let people see him in the first place. He usually stays under the counter, quiet as can be. You're the first in a few years to get him worked up like this. Normally he just wakes up, plays a few games, and then nods off again."

The scorpion reached out towards the counter and Eva went to set it down. Some moments later, it returned with a few playing cards clutched in its claws, as if to further prove Eva's statements as truth. She laughed aloud to see it, and then quickly clamped her mouth closed. Had Vivena seen...?

[socrowdedinhere]

If only she had! Her attention is fully on the scorpion, heart starting to flutter in her belly. "So why bring him out for me?"

She was not inclined, at this moment anyway, to play cards with a robot, not when her secret felt like it was on display all of a sudden. Surely it was just her paranoia reading into things. This thing... couldn't know something about her... could it?

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

"Well, he came to life the moment you stepped through that door. And I know this is going to sound hokey and make-believe, but he really does only wake outside his usual hours for special cases. Folks with ties to the supernatural or the magical. Last time he was up and about like this, a tattooed lady with occult dealings was here on vacation. Charming girl! But I am much too old to beat around the bush. I moved here originally to get away from some bad dealings, and this fellow outed me too."

Eva waited for Vivena's reaction before continuing. It's not as though the Van Helsing Agency was still operating, but there's also no sense spilling secrets to someone who won't believe, or worse: nod thoughtfully and then run to the nearest police station or hospital with reports of a dangerous woman.

[socrowdedinhere]

Vivena looked at Eva again, studying her, likely with much more trepidation apparent on her face than she wanted showing. She was scared of being found out, scared of what it would mean for someone else to know.

She looked around, and waited a moment to watch someone move along well out of hearing range before looking once more at Eva. "Outed you... for ties to... magic or the supernatural?" Her voice was small now, but clearly Eva had her attention.

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

Eva saw the fear on Vivena's face and knew it well. For the first months of her living in Tombstone, Eva spoke to very few people and went out only when necessary. She understood deeply the fear of being found. She ushered Vivena over to another display, this one a taxidermy of a hoop snake, with tail firmly clutched in its mouth. Here they could speak, albeit quietly, without being overheard.

"Outed for being supernatural. These are entirely real, I assure you."

And Eva smiled widely to reveal fangs.

[socrowdedinhere]

She was so very uncertain about following Eva, and yet almost too eager for answers to care. She... she had to know if she was safe here. Maybe she'd made a big mistake with this move...

And then she was shown the truth and her eyes widened a bit. Her fangs weren't obvious without intent, and so when she opened her mouth, pulling her lips back, her fangs showed too. Her heart fluttered still. The fear was still there, but much of it had been replaced with relief... and perhaps hope.

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

"Oh!" Eva seemed delighted at the reveal of Vivena's fangs. "Why, yours aren't there all the time. How interesting!"

She turned so that she could keep an eye on the displays while still speaking with Vivena.

"I must admit, when you set off the scorpion, I was wondering if you were a magician, a witch, a werewolf, or like me."

Here, she gave Vivena a sympathetic and gentle look.

"You must be wondering where to even start in a place like this, I'd imagine. Tombstone isn't exactly what it used to be, but there's life in this old town yet. Or, rather, unlife."

[socrowdedinhere]

Her soft huff was something between a laugh and a barely contained sob of just... raw emotion. There are no tears, she's not crying, but she is overwhelmed and barely containing her emotions. "I guess magician might also count."

She did relax a little at the last comment, however that last word earned Eva a confused frown. "Unlife?"

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

Eva startled at the sob-like noise.

"You poor dear, your nerves are practically exposed to the quick. Do you take tea or coffee at all? It might do some good. I myself can tolerate a little of it. As for unlife, well...I'm of the variety of vampire who is, on sheer technicality, undead. I take it by your confusion that doesn't apply for you?"

[socrowdedinhere]

"I uh... yeah. Yeah, I do, tea sounds good." She also didn't take in much aside from blood, but she could. "It's just... I've only been on my own for a short time, I'm... still feeling a bit lost and out of sorts..."

She looked at Eva again and shook her head. "Um... I just thought... that was fearful propaganda that probably started ages ago..."

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

Eva gave a firm nod, one that carried all the authority of a grandparent.

"Oh, some of it is propaganda, certainly. But some of us really are undead, needing that blood to keep looking alive. ...Tell you what, I'm just about done here. Lavender, the current owner, will be in shortly. If it's not too forward of me, I think you could use a friendly tea with someone who's got centuries of advice. I won't claim all of it is good, but be damned if I'm going to let a sweet young thing like you flounder on her own."

[socrowdedinhere]

"I... think I'd really like that." She smiled a gave a nod. She really, really could use some resources, or at least someone to talk to. And... this lady was so far her best bet, and also apparently much different from what even she was. It would be interesting to see what all their differences really were.

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

"Then it's settled! As soon as Lav gets here, we'll go on over to my house and I'll make some tea."

Eva smiled warmly at Vivena before taking one final sweep of the museum. Everything was where it should be, the demon horn hadn't grown any, no one had placed food on the cursed shelf again, and the badly done taxidermy platypi were still getting raucous guffaws. It was only another 5 minutes until Lavender came back, and with that, Eva gathered her things. Given that the sun was still in the process of setting, she took up a thick parasol and motioned for Vivena to follow her once more.

[socrowdedinhere]

To her house? Was that wise? It's not like Vivena had any backup around here, people she could inform of her whereabouts incase she went missing, and while so far friendly, and apparently a vampire as well, she didn't know Eva. She found herself fretting, silently debating with herself as they stood there, waiting for Lavender to show up so Eva could leave.

On one hand, she needed to go. She needed resources, and if this lady was a vampire, she might know people who were open to being fed from. Having people who knew, and accepted, who were willing to let someone take some blood, would make life so much easier. She'd had that in her mom, but neither of them had really known how to break her secret to others to try to create any kind of support network, and so when her mother passed Vivena had been left with no easy blood meal and had resorted to tricking men into a one night stand so she could feed from them and disappear come morning. She'd also come to learn that one of her spells had limitations that made targeting the same person too many times impossible. It's why she'd fled, why she was here now, hoping to go unnoticed. So... not having to resort to such means could mean not having to wonder, not having to wait until she was starving, not having to wonder when she might be arrested and left to die of starvation in prison, or end up murdered by a frightened mob.

But then... she didn't know Eva. Was she just playing nice to get Vivena somewhere private? Maybe having another vampire around was a threat, someone impinging on her territory or something. It was clear Eva was very different from her, and that made Vivena nervous. It couldn't be wise to head to a stranger's house after just a few minutes of conversation and a confession of her true nature after some mechanical scorpion outed her as "strange."

In the end Vivena decided to just go. She was tired of running, tired of hiding, so either this was the last mistake she would ever make, or the best decision she's ever made in her life. So when Eva started walking, Vivena walked beside her, still nervous, but accepting.

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

Eva could tell from Vivena's posture alone that her invitation warranted no small amount of concern. She tsk'ed at herself and spoke to her newest acquaintance from underneath the shaded safety of her antique parasol. Never can be too careful when the sun will vaporize you in three minutes flat.

"Oh, my dear, I'm sorry to stress you like this. I know I'm probably coming across as too pushy or even certifiably insane by inviting you to my home after just having met you, but I really don't mean you any harm. Goodness knows you've probably had a time of it, coming to grips about living with this condition, and not a good time either. I just want you to know that there's people out and about who get it."

She placed herself at a non-threatening but still inviting distance from Vivena as she walked, and kept an eye on the mood and feeling of the situation.

[socrowdedinhere]

She wasn't sure if it was a good or bad sign that Eva acknowledged how unsettling such a quick invitation was, but what before Vivena could really comment on that something else caught her attention. "Condition? What do you mean, 'coming to grips about living with this condition'?" There was no offense in her tone, only confusion. Eva made it sound like Vivena had only been a vampire for a short time.

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

"Oh, I'm sorry, that was rather vague, wasn't it. Well," and here Eva leaned in so that to others it'd look like a bit of cheeky gossip, "vampirism, I mean. I don't want to assume, since we all know what that does, but you seem younger and I thought perhaps you'd been turned recently. That and loneliness does take its toll, too. That's something all supernatural beings can speak to. But again, I'm sorry. Don't feel as though you need to answer the chatterings of a strange lady you only just met."

[socrowdedinhere]

"Um." Vivena started to say that's not how it worked, but... but maybe there really was some merit to the pop culture beliefs? Or at least some of them? So she changed what she was going to say. "That's... not how it worked for me, but loneliness has... certainly been an issue in the last few months." Thoughts of her mother still made her want to cry; she wondered how long it would take for her to not be fighting tears whenever she remembered her mother...

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

"Not--oh! Well. I should like to know more, if it's not too much trouble. And I'm sure you've had more than your share of melancholy." Eva gave Vivena a soft touch on the shoulder, not enough to be strange but enough to convey support and empathy.

"Ah, here we are."

They came upon Eva's house, a charming heritage home which had been updated only out of necessity to replace those parts which were now out of date or out of code. Otherwise, it was a preserved piece of history, much like the lady herself. It was a two-story wooden house, painted in white with blue accents, complete with a front porch and garden, as well as a full garden in the back. The front planters contained various roses and peonies, and some night-blooming plants peeked around the corner from the back garden. Eva produced her keys and unlocked the door, ushering Vivena into some markedly modern air conditioning and motioned for her to take off her shoes at the welcome mat. The front entry opened up into a sitting area and dining room, kitchen beyond that, with stairs leading to the upper floor directly ahead from the door. The couch in the sitting area, opposite a grand fireplace, held a quilt with a pattern so garish, so clashing, so incongruous, that mere mortals may very well have been unable to be in proximity of it for more than 30 seconds.

"Please, make yourself at home, Vivena! What sort of tea do you like? I'll get the kettle on. Do you eat? I might have something around to offer."

[socrowdedinhere]

She gave a little shrug in response. "I don't mind sharing... I'd... like to... compare our experiences, if you'd be willing." Eva's willingness to do so would go a long way to helping Vivena feel more at ease.

The quaint house was another step. She was glad for the air conditioning, and did politely leave her shoes at the door. She found herself just looking around, taking in everything she could. That horrible blanket was impossible to not notice. Like most people first stepping into a strange home, even with an invitation to make herself at home, she lingered a little awkwardly in the entry. "I can, yes, but don't feel you have to go out of your way to get anything." Food didn't do much to sate her hunger, it was just a pleasant experience of flavors for her. "Any tea is fine. I've not found many I don't like."

She finally did step into the living room and to the couch with that terrible blanket, and took a seat, clearly not truly settled, but not sure what else to do with herself as her host saw to (maybe) snacks and drinks.

[bloodbatsandbeyond]

Eva nodded resolutely, even though Vivena couldn't see it through the walls.

"I'd be happy to share and compare experiences with you, dear. In my experience, the whole condition can vary from country to country, even! We can discuss once I've got everything prepared."

She put a kettle to boil on the stove and took out one of her good teacups, acquired on one of her trips away from Tombstone. The cup had a white base with a colourful pattern of cherry blossoms on top, and was just the right size for a small drink.

"I have some blueberry tarts I can offer you? I won't subject you to my tiramisu just yet, it's been centuries and I still can't get that right. As for tea, I have a few but perhaps a nice Japanese green might suit? I brought that home from a very memorable trip, and keep it for special guests. Now, before you go protesting, you very much count as one."

[socrowdedinhere]

There was that word again, condition. She knew about the pop-culture beliefs, but never expected another vampire to refer to what they were as a "condition" as though it was something to be cured. It was like someone saying the skin color they were born with was a condition, rather than just part of who they are. It baffled her, but they'd get to that soon, for now, it was tea time.

Or rather, time for her to choose her tea. "That sounds amazing, thank you. The tarts and the tea, that is."