With a Little Help From My Friend

Bloody Mary's Bar

Given to irony, Bloody Mary's Bar is decorated primarily in black and varying shades of red. From the black bench seats and chairs, black tables, black walls with chilling red blood flowing down them in a continuous manner, it's quite obvious why this bar has the name it does. Deep red mahogany makes up the floor and bar. Dangling red star lights illuminate the bar, lending to it's somewhat creepy look.


Halfway through the afternoon and finally Josephine had a lead to follow. Leading her to a place she's much less fond of than she once was, but hey, when in need… So she walks into Mary's, all ghastly pale and hung over and. Well, to be honest she looks like a truck ran her over. And hit a train afterwards. And then got drunk and couldn't sleep last night. But she bravely makes her way over to the bar and orders herself a… coffee. Oh, "And has anyone seen Chloe Cornett?"

Being afternoon, Mary's isn't officially open. The cleaning crew is in, all human. Wiping down tables and walls, sweeping up floors, restocking the bar. The usual things that cleaning crews tend to do before the place actually opens to the public.

The only one not in the cleaning crew that happens to be here this afternoon, is Chloe. Sitting in a private back booth, curled up against the plushy back of it, reading an extremely worn copy of Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Without moving, without looking toward the door, the woman cringes.

« Josephine, I am in the back. How did you get in? »

"Pfff…" To the no coffee or the question? She drags her fram back down from the stool and gives the girl cleaning the counter an apologetic shrug, then carefully walks towards the back of the place until she finally spots Chloe. « It's a kind of magic. Also, through the door. » Sniff. And a glance at the title of the book. That at least can count on her approval. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife," her alto quotes without hesitation.

"So you've managed the first sentence then?" Chloe smirks a little, then nods toward the seat across from her so that the woman can sit down. « One generally comes through the door, Josephine. The door was meant to be locked. » Chloe herself is not really supposed to be in here, but often gets let in as a special patron, due to those with whom she associates. It is why it is the best place to hide during the day when she doesn't have work. "The question, however, is why are you trying so hard to track me down, that you would have found your way here in the middle of the afternoon?"

Josephine grimaces her chagrin at the younger woman and slips into a seat opposite her, leaning her elbows tiredly on the table, she fights a wave of the dizzy. "It was open," she mutters pointedly, what credits Chloe won by reading Pride and Prejudice again lost after the remark. "And since when are you a fan of the," « mind speak thingy. » Pause. "Honestly?" She suck in her bottom lip and chews on it, then forces the words past her lips, "I think I need your help."

« Since I realized it's much more of a gift than a curse. » Since she's not been on medication, and since she's been learning (slowly) how to control what she hears and what she doesn't. It's been hard work with Will gone, but she's still trying to persevere and get through the rough spots. "Mary really isn't going to like that one of her employees left the door open." Her right shoulder shrugs upward, and she slips a bookmark between the pages of the book. "Why, with the way you've been treating Will, should I help you?"

"Grant, not you," Josephine frowns in mild irritation, "Unless you two are joined by the hip now." More lip chewing and a deep, deep breath taken. "Forget that. I…" The green eyes make contact again, « I don't think anyone else could help. See I… » Her fingers start to play with a coaster she finds on the table, « I made a deal with someone, he was gonna help me forget. Only he didn't keep his end of the bargain. Or maybe wasn't strong enough. So I thought, who would be strong enough… »

Chloe snorts. The book is set upon the table, and she reaches for the bottle of water she brought with her. Taking a small sip, she shakes her head at Josephine. "It won't work on us. The forgetting part. Our brains are… different." It was one of the first things she found out about Will. She can't be made to forget, even if she wants to. "So whoever you made the deal with… it'll never work. He'll be trying to keep his end of the bargain, but it'll never work."

Stare. Silence. And in the end a groan, "Don't play games with me Chloe Cornett, not on this." And while she sends a visual plea along with the word across the table, her lips form something she neer thought she'd say to the librarian. And most certainly not this desperate. "Please?"

"It. Doesn't. Work." Chloe really can't be any more honest or clear about that. "Not on us. Not with what we can do. Just like we can't read them, they can't glamour us." Telepaths have stronger wills than regular people. "We can't be compelled by them. We can't be made to forget. We are what we are, and they are what they are."

"No… No!" The book dances briefly on the table as her fist hits it. "Fuck… No?" Josephine hasn't got the energy to keep up appearances and sags back in her seat, grimacing her desperation as she sees hope make a run for it.

"Despite the fact that I'm not overly fond of you these days for the way you treat my boyfriend, I've no reason to lie to you, Josephine." Chloe shrugs, and finishes off her bottle of water. Seemingly unrattled by the fist banging on the table. She's obviously been around angry people before. "You could try hypnosis, but even that probably won't work, as it's the same premise, really. You could also simply ask the vampire in question to leave you alone."

Rubbing pale hands over her pale face, Jo needs a moment to get it all together. Or two. Finally she snorts, "Was going to ask if your boy could help. Imagine that…" She shakes her head and tries to smooth her hair back afterward. Tough luck. "This isn't about a vampire, well, yes and no," she confesses. The green eyes tiredly take in all there is to see of Chloe, "Sometimes I still have nightmares."

"Josephine, he would if he were able to. I know you'll never see it, but Mr. Grant is a wonderful person." Beat. "Vampire." Whatever. They equate to the same thing in Chloe's mind now. "Nightmares. From the warehouse? Look, it may sound crazy, and now that Green Oaks isn't as functional as it should be, it may be difficult, but you should go talk to a psychotherapist. Get some good medication to help you sleep, or put your mind at ease or whatever."

"Ugh, why is everyone so eager to stuff pills down my throat…" She moves as if she's about to rise, but on impulse sits down again, admitting, "Truth is, I'm getting so tired of it all. Don't you get tired? I tried /so/ hard to get a normal life and now look at me."

"Who's to say what's normal?" Hey, Chloe can understand the need, the desire for a normal life. She's been wanting that since she went all cuckoo when she was a teenager. "The pills work, and they're likely the only thing that's going to lessen the memories or the nightmares." Recapping the now empty water bottle, and tucking it into her purse, she adds, "By human standards, what I have with Mr. Grant is far from normal… but for me, it works. I have, for the first time in my life, a normal relationship. Without someone blasting their every wild thought or fantasy at me." Then again, that also sucks because now she can't tell if she needs to be upset or jealous, though it does make for some comedic issues. "I don't see the point in being tired or stressed out about it any more… and I'm sick of shielding myself from the world all the time."

Josephine is just too tired to tell Chloe /again/ how dating William Grant wasn't her brightest decission ever. Instead she leans her forehead on her arms, closing her eyes. « Heh, I outlived Africa on whiskey, and so far… » Not so good maybe. Glancing up, "You really think pills will help." And since Josephine is Josephine, she scans Chloe's thoughts.

What Josephine will be met with is a big, brick wall. One of the great things about working with Will on blocking her thoughts, and controlling what she hears, is that she's gotten good at keeping people out. "Josephine, the pills, and I can write down the name of them for you, that they had me on for the last several years work wonders. I heard nothing, I felt nothing, I just existed. In the long run, they'll help for what's ailing you at the moment, but they're not going to help forever. At some point, you're just going to have to face whatever it is that's causing the nightmares. I think a therapist would help much more."

Sitting up straighter, Josephine glares now, "That's /not/ what I'm after? I'm not about to go all… Well… Deaf? Blind?! No way! That's not even the problem, is it." She always had a different approach to her little gift then Chloe. Or curse, as Hugo called it. That last bit slipping from her mind into the open.

"Isn't it? You want to forget. It's the same thing, in theory." Forgetting and not hearing things to begin with. Chloe collects her book, sliding it into her purse as well. "The problem with memory, Josephine, is that one never truly forgets, no matter how much it's repressed. It can always be brought to the surface again, and things you'd rather not remember, remembered. Hence, my very strong suggestion that you go seek a therapist."

Josephine rolls her eyes, not about to take advice from someone so much younger anymore. "Yeah yeah. Whatever." Then something strikes, « Chloe… Do… Do all vampires know we can't be glamoured? I mean, when they find out that a glamour doesn't work… »

Age is rarely ever the same factor that experience is, and what she lacks in age, she certainly has in experience. A year in a mental institution tends to do that to you. "Suit yourself. It's your nightmares, and your issues that need working on, not mine." Wafting her hand as though she's dismissing the subject altogether, Chloe shakes her head. "I don't know. I've never had a reason to have to be glamoured except the once, and it didn't work. I'm guessing it entirely depends on the vampire in question."

"Shit…" Nervousness has her fold her arms tightly. "Shit shit shit. That's all I need." Breathe in, breathe out. Close eyes and try not to feel so dizzy. "He's an arrogant bastard," she mutters, "Cute, but way too Ralph Lauren if you know what I mean. And I /so/ don't need him to know."

"Then you're going to have to get better at acting, because you'll have to fake it." Chloe shakes her head at the woman, and motions to one of the cleaning women to bring a bottle of water. She'll pay for it tonight before she heads out to take care of some of the errands she promised Will that she'd do. "The trouble is, Josephine, that he may already know. Glamours tend to work, so if he doesn't know that you can't be glamoured yet, he will soon." Though she's betting he's well aware of it already.

Eyeing the bottle with envy, Josephine fights the urge to ask one for herself as well. Not like she's going to be around for much longer. "So, maybe I can go back to him and ask him again and say it was… I don't know, a joint that interfered?" Even to her own ears it sounds weak. A wry smile precedes a snort, "And here I was thinking that maybe this was The solution. Too easy. Always too easy." A quick glance at Chloe then, "But… I appreciate you helping. Some. Really do."

The bottle, when it's brought to the table, is shoved at Josephine. "Drink it before you vomit all over the table." It's a slight command, but really the older woman looks as though she could use it. "You can try, I suppose. Whatever works for you. Just don't be shocked if he figures it out, Josephine. We may like to think of them as being on-par with humans, but the majority of them are a lot more intelligent than they let on."

"Wow." At the bottle which she quickly opens and drinks. « That's decent of you, don't feel all that well. » Pause. « But I'm guessing you already knew. » Still, she clearly wasn't expecting the kindness. Still drinking, « Don't know about that, but I can at least try for the Oscar, can't I. But… Can you not tell Grant about this? »

"I have a sinking suspicion, Josephine, that he knows already. After all, he's the one that tried to glamour me, once upon a time." So very long ago now, it seems so far away. It's only been about five months. Which makes Chloe start to grin, though the little smile quickly snaps back to being a serious look. "Do it though. Try your best. I won't tell a soul, you have my word." Which really is more than Jo should even be asking for. Then again, the woman did help her take care of a major issue, so now it's for the best that Chloe help where she can.

For a moment the smile flashing across Jo's lips is genuinely grateful. "Thank you." Then it goes back to the cynic smirk. "Though I didn't mean the glamour bit to Williamd Grant. Nevermind. You know." She tilts her head a little and murmurs after another gulp of water, "You know, it's nice. Us talking like this. Maybe one day you'll even realise I'm not as bad as you think I am."

The problem is, Chloe can't honestly keep much from Will. Thanks to the special blood bond, he generally knows what she knows. "Maybe it'll be the same time you realize that William Grant isn't as horrible as you think he is." With that, she's gathering her bag. A quick glance at her watch, and she nods toward the door. "Work," she says by way of a good-bye.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License