Pool Of Piranhas
It might seem terribly mundane, but it's the civilized thing to do. Caroline phoned ahead, asking if Evangaline would have the time to see her this evening. One simply doesn't drop in unexpectedly on a woman of Evangaline's status.
This evening, dressed in a pair of soft khaki slacks and a white sleeveless blouse, Caroline arrives. There is trepidation in her expression as she rings the bell and uncertainty in the way she shifts her weight from one foot to the other. "Good evening, Ms. Beauchamps Maguire," she greets.
Evangaline opened the door with a flourish, smiling benevolently. She was dressed in a diaphanous nightgown, her hair up in a towel. Around her neck was a simple string of black pearls. "My darling, my dear girl! Do, do come in. The heat and the damp will RUIN your hair." After Carolyn entered, the tall vampire gestured up the elaborate spiral staircase. "You may assist me in my dress," she stated, with a heavy implication that she had granted a signal honor indeed.
Now there's something Caroline wasn't expecting. To be... well, never mind. "Of course," she murmurs politely. "I apologize for calling so early in the evening, but ... there are some ... questions that I find it likely only you can answer, ma'am." She follows along without worrying too terribly much about the whole helping get dressed stuff. She likes Evangaline!
Evangaline lead the way up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, broad glass french doors opened into a sitting area with a beautician's chair. Milli stood behind the chair with his combs held up, his face going dour when he saw Caroline enter.
"If you wish, you may paint my toenails as we speak," said the tall doyenne. "I find it so relaxing to have something to do with one's hands while chatting, don't you?" She pulled the towel from her hair, and long luxurious locks tumbled around her shoulders. She reclined in the chair, and let Milli do his magic, braiding, teasing, shaping. One slender delicate foot was raised towards Caroline. "I think the soft pink tonight, dear. Now, what seems to have you so upset?"
Caroline's none too thrilled with Milli's presence, if truth be told. However she's too well-bred to show it. She flickers a brief smile toward him and then turns her attention to the woman to whom she supposedly belongs. "I find, ma'am, that we are in an unusual situation. I'm sure you're quite aware that your invitation came as a surprise to me, and furthermore learning that others that I am acquainted with are already in the know .... well, I suppose that's just made the transition a touch easier, now, hasn't it?" She smiles slightly and moves to pick up nail polish, inspecting the colors carefully. It's not as if she and girlfriends in the past haven't done as much for one another on a date night.
"The trouble, I suppose, comes in now that I've met your.... friend. You know, Mr. Cotton?" Caroline's eyes come up to carefully watch Evangaline's face. "He seems to have quite a bit more influence than I would have expected over you, ma'am, and although I am most grateful for the gifts you've bestowed on me..." She trails off. "I admit to becoming a little disturbed by the notion that he seems to think I ought to be bred like horseflesh."
Evangaline's laugh is musical and infectious. "Oh dear, don't let ole' Cotton Johnson get you fretful!" she said between laughter. "Now, I might be a walking dead woman, and it might be two centuries since he's had the usual use for a woman of breeding and with a woman's desires, but dear, he's just one dead man!"
Evangaline turned over her shoulder. "I think the hair is fine. Go downstairs and get me a glass of A-, and a nice white wine for the girl, sweet boy."
She turned, and looked down at the young girl at her foot. "He's old; he was expressing appreciation in the manner of his time, dear." After Milli left, she whispered conspiratorially. "I personally like them not just bloodless, but ball less like my pretty boys," she confided. "But there's something to be said for a man who is a man. Now, it takes some doing to control them, but who ever appreciated something they didn't work for?"
Caroline's tension dissipates just a little. The reassurance is definitely welcome. "Well, bein' as his manner was a good bit less civilized than I am used to, I was uncertain exactly how much ... authority he had to make such a demand. As it is merely an observation, well, I'll take it under advisement." She shoots a smile at Evangaline, opting not to look at Milli. He'd take any such thing as an insult, she's sure. "Now that you've eased my mind about that," she says as she opens to the nail polish, "I would very much like to know what it is that you had in mind for me, ma'am." She flickers another glance upward. "After all, gifts such as the one that you've bestowed on me are ... without price. I have to assume that you see some value in my inclusion into your circle of friends."
Evangaline settled back into the chair, her legs spreading a bit wider, her back arching a bit. "You leave Cotton to me. You want to have a little one, I'm a patient woman. When you're ready, you and I will have forever to enjoy. So, tell me," she said, her nightgown parting daringly low, revealing not just cleavage but a sizable portion of the swell of each breast. "How is your little investigation going? Eliza cooked up some scheme that should get the day folk off your trail." Evangaline's eyes narrow, her more feminine and yet animal nature becoming more apparent. The smell of arrousal from her his palpable.
That's a bit over the top -- even for there just to be us girls in the room. Caroline has been keeping her eyes pointedly on Evangaline's face so that she can read her lips, but she's not unaware of the shifting. She is however unhappy with the fact that suddenly Evangaline's attention seems... quite a good deal less than friend-like and far more into territory that Caroline is uninterested in exploring. She might be a touch on the wild side at times and no innocent, but she's not a complete hedonist. As the situation in the room ratchets into the sexual, Caroline's eyes drop from Evangaline's face to her toes and firmly remain there. She does, however, have a calm tone without a tremor to it as she says, "I'm afraid the investigation has gone somewhat poorly. The good doctor had converted some of the local townspeople who could serve him in some way into 'associates' like myself. We have a list of them, and I believe that situation will be getting dealt with in the next several days, ma'am." Dear God... this is like swimming in a pool of piranha.
Evangaline sat up straight, and her manner became much more business-like. "Listen, girl. You're my associate, my friend, my agent. You're little trip was a bit worse then KIND of complicated." She frowned as she turned Caroline's face up to hers. "You're going to find out things, things about me and how I've lived so long. You'll be discreet, and trustworthy. You will be rewarded. I will give you your hearing back; in time, I will." Switching feet, she continued to speak in brisk, businesslike tones. "The daywalkers have to be caught, but smartly. I am grooming you to be a Toreador; a princess of the night. Be careful, be alert, and be loyal. When this city is entirely mine, and you put away your family, friends other then myself, and any worry about what anyone thinks about you other then myself, you will rule Natchez by my side. If I must disavow you, I will be more than disappointed." She frowned becomingly. "I will be heartbroken. I see so much of what I used to be in you; and so much of what I am in what you could become."
As her face is tipped back up, Caroline pays attention to the words. To the woman speaking them. And she says quietly, "You are too kind, Ms. Beauchamps Maguire. I understand the basics of how you've lived this long. It has been explained to me what I am to you, ma'am. I have no intention of doin' anything to jeopardize your position or of disappointing you." She reaches up and gently clasps the hand holding her chin, one corner of her lips quirking into a gentle smile. "I am a fast learner, and Natchez is my home. There is much I still must learn but rest assured, learn it I will, ma'am." She wasn't raised at the knee of Cecilia Hardin and Mary Alice Thibideaux for nothing. "It is a subtle game you must play, and I promise you that in spite of my inexperience with the ... situations that I found myself in the other evening, I will get better at it."
Evangaline visibly relaxed, and stroked Caroline's chin. "Evangaline had to reveal the secret of our 'nieces' to the mortal sheriff. From this point on, you will have been friends with them for years. You went to the Murphrey place with them, and with Zadie, to have a seance, ouija board." She spoke hurriedly, trying to get all the words out before Milli came back. "I've arranged for Eliza to hire a real killer to join you all. She is also posing as the sire of your friend Zadie and her grandmother. It is not my custom to let Eliza feel so important in my plans."
Milli strode into the room, a chilled glass of white wine in one hand, a warm tankard of blood in the other. "Ladies, refreshments are served," he trilled.
Evangaline rose from the chair, and took both glasses. "Take the car, hunt and have fun, my sweet pretty boy." She turned a cheek for Milli to give a chaste kiss, then rushed him from the room. "Do everything I wouldn't do, you naughty thing, you."
When he'd gone, she turned back to Caroline, pulling her negligee closer around herself. "What are you plans, dear? Have you made any? The more commited you are, the faster you may have your gifts."
Caroline starts to ask a question --- several immediately present themselves. When Evangaline turns toward Milli, however, she holds those questions behind her teeth, simply turning to look at the man. He's clearly brought the drinks, and she politely watches and waits until Evangaline is done with him and he has left the room to stand and take the glass of wine. "At this moment, ma'am, I will probably simply be giving the police my statement with regards to... well, allowing myself to be talked into such silliness as a Ouija board seance." She is a bit older than Zadie and the 'nieces' are supposed to be. "Other than that, I believe our little group of murderers is going to handle the situation with the rest of the good doctor's rogue pets." Her tone is calm, but Caroline takes a swallow of her wine to hide the fact that she's practically quaking on the inside. Her life depends on her ability to make this woman happy and she's well aware of it.
Evangaline returned to the beautician's chair and perched on the seat. "What are you plans about life, my dear? Children, marriage... how old will you be? How long must I wait? The child, or children... Time, as I'm sure you know, is not kind to daywalkers. Children; I understand the appeal, the drive. I was a woman once, too. But it will change you, my pretty girl. Will you still be ready when you decide you are ready?" She waved her hand, this way and that. "Graduation from college. Daytime event, not yet, Evangaline. Birth of my grandchild, hospital visiting hours are daytime, Evangaline. Time, dear. I can keep you from aging, but I can't keep you YOU forever. You must either be willing to decorate the vase or wither on the vine, my little rose."
Caroline cannot pick up the nuances of the rhetorical part of the questions, so it takes her a few moments to parse through the matter. Taking a long swallow of her wine to buy time, her answer seems well thought out. "I am 28, Evangaline." She dares call her friend by her given name for the first time. "I should like to consider the matter for a time -- not indefinitely. If I choose to have a child... I should like to remain as I am until that child attains adulthood. It would be... complicated, yes. But I can make that to your benefit, handling matters in the day that you want seen to. If that route does not present itself by the time I am 35, then I will make the transition. Would that be acceptable?"
Evangaline nodded and drank deeply from the mug. "I can wait for you, and as you say, a delightful and lively day friend will be very valuable indeed." She sighed. "I will make every effort to inform Cotton and anyone else with an unhealthy interest that the care and feeding of my friends is my concern. Don't worry yourself on that matter." She turned her head to the side, and asked innocently, "You came here for a reason, girl. And not to find out if I had questions for YOU. Ask, dear. You can't be so upset as a full grown woman that men take interest in your body that you had to come running for protection. You Hardin women are sterner stuff then that."
Caroline pauses and then sets her glass down. She's been given the opening to be frank here, and ... Natchez is her home. "You've made clear to me that you intend to take the city from that somewhat ill-mannered gentleman," she says starkly. "But I am interested in why you think that the current leadership is bad.... and how you intend to keep your sister and Ms. DuBarrais," pronounced properly, "from being a problem." Because based on the meeting the other night, clearly there is mutiny afoot. "I do not wish to see Natchez torn apart, ma'am, so if there are ways for me to help, I need to understand the situation."
Evangaline smiled warmly. "Eliza is my sister, dear. We've been through thick and thin. You must know the saying, 'Heaven help the mister who comes between me and my sister, and heaven help the sister who comes between me and my man.' Well, Natchez is my man, now."
With a shrug, she dismissed DuB as a problem. "DuBarrais wants to party. Rollez vous bon temps, I think it is. My city shall have the temps c'est bon, with none of the unnecessary coarseness of the current situation. DuB is my child; I love her still, but her ways are not my ways. Distant, but the bond is true both ways." Draining the mug, she set it down gently. "Cotton needs to go because he's trapped in the time of his making. He won't evolve. Now is no time for his ways. Charm, dear. With charm, the blood will come to us, and there will be peace, forever. Like the grave, some say, but with games and handsome men to help the time pass."
Caroline seems to accept that answer. She still has too much to learn about the politics of this new existence to be able to determine how much she's being told is spin. But she'll get there. With a nod, she says simply, "Yes, ma'am." She smiles slightly. "And do tell that wonderfully sweet colonel that I send my best wishes when you next speak with him. I'll leave you to finish dressin' for the evening. I have a painting to finish and a manuscript to work on."
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