all my flowers grew back as thorns

Rory had been so overwhelmed lately that she hadn’t realized she ran out of blood in her home. With the moon clearly up and most of the world around her asleep, she knew that her only option to find something to drink was to search through the vampiric nightlife of the city. She quickly crossed out the bar that provided human meals and instead decided to visit one of the other popular bars in the vampire area. 

The moment she entered the Last Call, she could tell that she definitely preferred this one. There weren’t half-naked humans walking around and it had the air of a more traditional bar. She found her way to the bar and took a seat on one of the stools, giving a sheepish smile at the gorgeous bartender manning it. “I feel like a kid walking into a bar and ordering a milk or something but can I get a glass of blood?” 

@elliottxrhea​

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With it being after curfew it was a bit quieter in the bar- which Rhea always preferred, especially since a few nights ago a brawl broke out and one of her favorite pool cues had been a casualty. She was wiping down the bar when someone new walked in, not looking up just yet even as the stranger moved to sit at one of the stools in front of her. The comment was amusing enough though that she huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes playfully, “Don’t worry, it’s not like you’ll get carded--...”

She trailed off as she looked up. She recognized this girl. Why did she....-- Rhea’s eyes widened a bit then, realization dawning on her. Sean’s daughter.

She was quiet for a second more before snapping out of it and she cleared her throat, nodding. “Yeah, sure. One sec.” She had to tear her gaze away, a rush of different emotions bubbling through her as she turned around and went to the fridge, pulling out a fresh blood bag and a wine glass and moving back to the girl to pour it out for her, passing the glass over a moment later. “You um...you new here?”

Sean wanted to grab that glass o whiskey and throw it against the wall, even better if it would hit someone on the way, but that would be a waste of good whiskey, so he finished his glass and served himself another. Why couldn’t his daughter be like Rhea, just stop what she was doing and do what he said, no question, no temperament, just obedience as he liked it. Sean grabbed his phone and opened a photo of his daughter to show her. “I’m a dad now, and not the fun type.” He said, taking a deep breath. “We both know i’m not exactly dad material.” Sure there was a part of him that never wanted a kid because he wanted to fuck with his dad and not continue his bloodline, but there was also a part of him that never thought he would be a good father

“A mixer,” she said, the word she had heard a drunk girl once use when wanting her to mix cherry vodka and lemonade. The customer was always right, but also sometimes not at all. “Thanks, I appreciate that.” She nodded as she sipped her drink. “I don’t mean to be ungrateful and I sure hope I don’t sound like that. But people in your position are very rarely kind to traitors like me…so what gives?” She questioned cautiously. 

“Mixer--right.” She mumbled it a bit, knowing she probably sounded more and more like she’d learned on the fly instead of professionally being taught. She took another swig of her beer, giving a cordial smile and tip of her bottle to a regular who was leaving for the night before she turned back to the girl in front of her and she hummed. “People in my position huh.” she asked, putting the bottle down before she shrugged. “Not everyone in this city fought in that war. Instead a lot of us just came here to be safe. As far as traitors and superiors...I feel like I’m kinda neutral on it all. I’m a do you kinda girl.” Rhea gave her a wry little smile as she said it. “Besides....I was born a human. One different choice in my past and I could’ve ended up on the other side. Collared. So I guess I don’t see a point in being cruel to someone I could’ve easily been.”

@elliottxrhea​

Sean made his way to the bar. “Bottle of whiskey.” He said already ordering the full bottle, not if in the mood to wait for someone to serve him every time he was done with his glass, the second the bottle and the glass got in front of him he serve a double and drank it all in one sip, he normally liked to savor his drink, so it was easy to guess something was wrong. “I need your help.” he said to Rhea calling her to sit next to him, not carrying if she was busy working, she should stop what she was doing and give her his full attention. “i… I have a daughter.”

Rhea had been in the back when someone ordered a bottle of whiskey in the daytime and when her bartender alerted her to it, she blinked in surprise and followed them out--and she barely made it out of her office when his scent hit her. Immediately she moved in double time, her entire being urging her to go to him. “I’ll take care of him.” She told her worker, not even waiting for a response before she moved around the bar to come and stand beside her sire even before he was beckoning her over. She moved when he motioned for her to sit beside him, frowning at his words. He...needed her help? “What’s going on...--?” she trailed off when he spoke again, and his words made her eyes widened. “Wait...you...--what?”

Crystal nodded her head as she listened to the other woman. It was a shame, especially when she was such a talented mixologist. Her dark eyes widened a bit at the woman’s words. She was surprised by the suggestion that she not call her ‘miss’. But she gave a smile and nodded her head. “I’m self taught too. It’s kind of fun though, playing around and experimenting with flavors.” She nodded her head as she reached out to toast as well. “Rhea, hello. It’s very nice to meet you.” 

“Again, I wish more people saw it that way, but maybe it’s for the best. I can’t fuck up a glass of a whiskey or a beer, but one wrong pour and a margarita could become a lemon vodka..thing.” Rhea laughed as she said it, wrinkling her nose a bit. Even when she was human, vodka definitely wasn’t on her favorites list. “It’s nice to meet you too.” She agreed as she sipped her drink. “You’re welcome to stay curfew. I do a last call about fifteen minutes beforehand, so you should be good.”

Sean smirked as she ripped his shirt off, he was loving all this energy coming from her, this control lessons might not be as boring as he was initially expecting, he normally didn’t like someone else in control, but it was so out of character for her that it was completely turning him on.

He groaned, feeling her fangs on his neck, the smell of his blood filling the room, he had never allowed someone to bite him like this, but he wasn’t going to tell her that she was an exception, as she was too focused on his neck, Sean moved his hand toward her ass, giving it a squeeze before moving his hand to the front of her pants, opening them and ripping them off, he would find some new clothes to her when she could leave in the morning, his hand found their way between her legs.

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Rhea groaned softly as she drank from him, eyes closed and pressed up against him as her hand against his side was practically clinging, not letting him move away. It wasn’t until she felt his own hands moving, reaching to grab at her ass and then tearing at her jeans that she started to come to a bit.

“You won’t hurt me.” Sean said, he understood her reluctance, which was only making things harder on herself, she needed to let the energy go, to be able to focus on something else that wasn’t the hunger and the desire to leave the room and finish the human.

“Fine… I will give you something else to focus on.” He said pulling her toward him and turning them pressing her back against the wall, is a fast movement he ripped her shirt open as he kissed her deeply and passionately.

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Rhea grumbled as he said that. She knew she couldn’t hurt him, not really, not when he was so much stronger and older than her. But....she knew he also wouldn’t get out completely unscathed- and the thought of hurting him at all just didn’t sit right with her. He kept on pushing though, to the point that she was close to punching.....something. But then moments later the last thing on her mind was attacking.

Illyana chuckled as the bartender told her about the stories. “I know exactly what you mean, some guys go to my stores, and they order cake for their ‘girlfriends’, because men aren’t supposed to like sugary flowers.” 

Rhea snorted, rolling her eyes but glad to hear the other woman went through the same thing. “It really is ridiculous. Just because you’re a man doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate a cupcake--or a cocktail.” She nodded to the glass in front of the woman. “And speaking of. Do you like it? You did ask not to be able to taste the alcohol.”

After locking everything up Sean returned toward her, pulling her out of the bed, after all she wasn’t going to let that anger out sitting quietly. “That’s something you will have to find out.” He said, unfortunately each person had their own thing, he could give her a few examples, but in the end, only her would be able to tell what worked.

“You won’t leave the door, so don’t worry.” After all he had promised her he wasn’t going to let her kill the human, and he did what he promised. “Yell, run, punch the door, hurt me.” those words escaped him, he was stronger than her so he could take anything she wanted to do, but the fact that he offered, he never offered that to anyone else, any person that raise their hand to him, it normally ended up without that hand later, but he tried to pretend it wasn’t a big deal. “let it out, anyway you want.”

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Rhea swallowed as Sean took her hands and hauled her up but she moved easily for him, trying to just focus on controlling her breathing rather than speaking. She glanced to the door when he mentioned it, but when he continued, saying hurt me, Rhea’s head quickly turned back to him, eyes laser-focused and filled with disbelief.

“I.....no.” she grit it out, her hands balling into fists in his hold, fingers trembling still. “I-I..I’m not...I don’t want to....to h-hurt you..” the words came out labored, instinct and humanity and her ever-present desire to obey her Sire all fighting to take control. “..Please..”

Sean could feel the Rhea still was struggling to not run toward the human and finish her off, at her request  he looked at her. “No.” He answered quietly, it wasn’t because he was just being an asshole this time, the floor was covered with blood, taking the human away, with the smell in the air, wouldn’t take the edge off.

Instead, Sean grabbed Rhea, carrying her in his arms as he made his way toward his room, gently placed her on his bed before moving to lock the door and windows before returning to her. “You’re angry…. I took your meal away.” He said, there was no way she would leave that room, since it was made to hold vampires stronger than hers. “Let your anger out.” he told her

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Rhea felt a wave of anger flood through her as heavily as her desperation did. She was barely clinging to her rationale and she didn’t want to lose control. So she just whimpered as she clung to him, trying to let his scent flood her senses instead of the overwhelming desire to finish what she’d started. What she didn’t expect though was for Sean to suddenly move, picking her up and taking them out of the room--away from the human and the blood all over.

She was still trembling as he sat her on the bed and absently she scrubbed her arm over her mouth and chin, rubbing away some of the blood that was beginning to dry on her face, her chest still heaving a bit as she breathed heavily, all the while watching his every move. “...How?”

“Yeah, maybe have a happy hour or something like that.” She shrugged her shoulders but smiled at the woman as she listened. “Yeah that is a shame,” she pouted a bit. “Well I’m glad I’m able to help you brush up on your skills. You are unsurprisingly very talented miss.” She said before taking another sip. “My name is Crystal by the way.” 

“Well like I said, I’ve tried that, but happy hour just ends up being tequila shots and endless amounts of beer.” She laughed before immediately shaking her head, “You don’t have to do the ‘miss’ thing, but thanks since it’s all kinda self-taught and winging it half the time.” she topped off own her glass with extra blood from a bottle she had behind the counter before toasting it towards her, “I’m Rhea.”

Sean didn’t expect anything else, he would have to ask someone to clean the floor later, but with time she would manage to feed without wasting a single drop. He would have no problem in letting her kill the human, he could pay the city for the life taken, but she asked him to stop her, and as much as normally he wouldn’t care, he felt like he already let her down too many times, and even him knowing that deep down, it would be impossible for her to get angry at him, he ordered her to stop.

He told himself, that he stopped her not because of her, but because he was curious if she would be able to stop it or not. He moved to the human first, to heal the would on the wrist before they died from the blood lost. He looked at Rhea and pulled her closer to him, gently placing his arm around her and holding her tight. “Is okay, it wasn’t that bad.” he said, licking some of the blood that was dripping from her chin before claiming her lips. “I’m here for you now.”

. 

Rhea was still shaking, her breaths coming out a bit labored as she tried to focus and not lose control--to not rip into the poor human and bleed the girl dry. But it was difficult, so much so that when Sean healed the girl and stopped the bleeding, Rhea growled lowly under her breath, her instincts kicking in before she could rein it in.

Just as soon as the anger came though at her meal being taken away, it left, Sean’s arm going around her and pulling her in. She was tense at first but soon relaxed a bit, whimpering as the man licked blood off her face and kissed her. “G-Get...get rid of her.” She was begging. She didn’t want to kill anyone, so the human needed to leave before what little control Rhea had was gone. “Please..” She pressed more into him then, her fingers against Sean’s side and curling into the material of his shirt as she pressed her face into his neck, clinging to him.

Crystal caught a hint of something in her expression. She tried to refrain from showing any intrigue in her expression. The conversation moved on and she smirked. “Yeah me either to be honest. I don’t really get out all that much.” She shrugged as she leaned against the counter. She looked around and smiled. “It’s great, very warm and welcoming.” Crystal hoped she would take the praise sincerely as she had meant it. “Have you tried making a cocktail menu before? Any interest or is it really just people would rather get wasted than enjoy something well crafted.” 

“A cocktail menu?” She echoed, tilting her head before giving it a shake, “Nah, not really. It’s...exactly what you said.” She laughed. “People would rather do a line of shots than have something made for them. I have martini glasses that would be collecting dust if my staff didn’t wipe everything down day.”