undead legend

Part of him wanted to vent to his rage--those were new shoes, after all--but he kept himself calm and instead glanced around to see if anyone was nearby before he got too upset. Seeing that someone was, he heaved a rather theatrical sigh and remarked, "Ah, just one of those days, I guess." Then, thinking that he could possibly turn the situation to his advantage, he decided to ply his trade a little. "I bet you've had days like that, right? Everyone's got things that get them steamed up, don't they?"

"Yes, I can't believe people sometimes. Truly, how hard can it be to keep our community tidy?"

She reached into her bag and pulled out a handkerchief. "Here, we have all been in this pickle before. It's the least I can do."

A twinge of guilt pinged off her porcelain face. A bat of eyelashes and it was gone. How could she feel suspicious of Daisy when the same forgetfulness washed over her too from time to time.

The auburn haired starlet felt warm in her lover's embrace, not literally, but Daisy's presence would always have that effect on her. She brushed the back of her knuckles on her perfectly full cheekbones. "I know, I know. You are one of the hardest working people I have ever met. Getting back to it will be good for you, just don't overdo it. I worry, you know. Next awards season is so close and..."

I don't want you to work to the bone just to fail... But Minnie didn't say that.

"I just want you to know the seasons come and go, but you and your talent are forever."

Because Daisy had found herself a nice little awards-fodder project, put her all into it, done all the schmoozing and publicity required to make a movie an awards season success, and it had failed. The movie had been a flop, and she had been embarrassed, and it would have been an excellent excuse to shuffle back into the shadows and wait out the next decade.

But, whatever. She supposed she should be grateful to Minnie for trying to spare her feelings. Daisy smiled, leaning forward for a gentle kiss.

"As are you and yours." She said, pulling back just enough to speak. "But really, I'll be alright. Filming won't take that long, and I'm not planning any other projects just yet. There's still the hotel to think about."

Still, deep within Minnie her bones told her something was wrong. “Right. The hotel. How will that be faring in the meantime? I don’t suppose any of your mysterious distant relatives will be taking over for you in your absence?”

It was cheeky, referring to her parents and siblings as distant relatives as they would have the world believe. It was lifetimes ago that Minnie met her lover’s family. Now they were limited to sepia toned portraits and fond memories. She often wondered if Daisy thought of them more now she was back in the town the once lived.

But no matter. Any relatives of hers were dead now anyways, so it was easy to be in on the joke. Daisy laughed lightly, shaking her head so that her blonde curls bounced. "No," She said, stealing another quick kiss. "Mr. Moseby runs a tight enough shift for me to leave him in charge for a while, you'll be pleased to know."

That at least was true, and it was what Daisy had planned for. She pulled back finally, turning away so that she could take a moment to compose herself. It was jarring, those blank spaces in her memory. She would get used to it, though. She had no choice. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Moseby will run the Tipton, Giles knows how to take care of the reptiles, and you can look after yourself, I'm sure." She turned to grin at Minnie. "It'll all be just fine."

Daisy had no doubt about that. Jarring maybe, having lost some of her memories, but worth it. It would be oh so worth it, in the end.

A twinge of guilt pinged off her porcelain face. A bat of eyelashes and it was gone. How could she feel suspicious of Daisy when the same forgetfulness washed over her too from time to time.

The auburn haired starlet felt warm in her lover's embrace, not literally, but Daisy's presence would always have that effect on her. She brushed the back of her knuckles on her perfectly full cheekbones. "I know, I know. You are one of the hardest working people I have ever met. Getting back to it will be good for you, just don't overdo it. I worry, you know. Next awards season is so close and..."

I don't want you to work to the bone just to fail... But Minnie didn't say that.

"I just want you to know the seasons come and go, but you and your talent are forever."

Because Daisy had found herself a nice little awards-fodder project, put her all into it, done all the schmoozing and publicity required to make a movie an awards season success, and it had failed. The movie had been a flop, and she had been embarrassed, and it would have been an excellent excuse to shuffle back into the shadows and wait out the next decade.

But, whatever. She supposed she should be grateful to Minnie for trying to spare her feelings. Daisy smiled, leaning forward for a gentle kiss.

"As are you and yours." She said, pulling back just enough to speak. "But really, I'll be alright. Filming won't take that long, and I'm not planning any other projects just yet. There's still the hotel to think about."

Still, deep within Minnie her bones told her something was wrong. “Right. The hotel. How will that be faring in the meantime? I don’t suppose any of your mysterious distant relatives will be taking over for you in your absence?”

It was cheeky, referring to her parents and siblings as distant relatives as they would have the world believe. It was lifetimes ago that Minnie met her lover’s family. Now they were limited to sepia toned portraits and fond memories. She often wondered if Daisy thought of them more now she was back in the town the once lived.

But she felt, for some reason, that this was different. The deal she had made... Minnie might think it was too much. She might think Daisy had gone too far. And so Daisy returned to the plan she had set as she had walked away from Magnifico's home: she would keep quiet until she'd won her awards. Then she would have the proof that it had all been worth it, and how could Minnie be mad with her then?

"Of course I will." Daisy said, stepping forward to wrap her arms around Minnie's waist, leaning back a little so she could still see her face. "It's just - so much, all at once. But I'll be fine. It'll be good to get back to work again, if anything."

A twinge of guilt pinged off her porcelain face. A bat of eyelashes and it was gone. How could she feel suspicious of Daisy when the same forgetfulness washed over her too from time to time.

The auburn haired starlet felt warm in her lover's embrace, not literally, but Daisy's presence would always have that effect on her. She brushed the back of her knuckles on her perfectly full cheekbones. "I know, I know. You are one of the hardest working people I have ever met. Getting back to it will be good for you, just don't overdo it. I worry, you know. Next awards season is so close and..."

I don't want you to work to the bone just to fail... But Minnie didn't say that.

"I just want you to know the seasons come and go, but you and your talent are forever."

She smiled into the kiss, suspecting nothing amiss still. "God, what could they possibly have you doing out there? Is it in Nashville, at least? I think Nicole has a house there, maybe you could visit."

Nicole being Nicole Kidman, a close and personal friend. Even after her and Tom divorced... Tom may have been a friend for decades, but the age was clearly getting to him. She was lucky to get out when she did.

"She's such a doll, always has been. You know, she was one of the first actresses to welcome me into the fold? Even before Edward..."

For a second she looked a little blank. Edward-- No, she did remember, brief flashes of those early days in this new life. Things were so tricky then. The days, weeks, even months blurred together... Had they always done that?

She didn't know how her deal with Magnifico could affect her memories of the time after. Daisy knew she had been human once because obviously, no one was born a vampire, but when she tried to think about it, it was like her brain re-directed her elsewhere. An optical illusion, light bending around that time of her life. What did it matter anyways? It hadn't been that exciting. But the fuzziness of the start of her second life... had that always been there?

But yes, anyway-- she did know. She remembered Edward. The confusion cleared from her eyes and she smiled, and said, "She's a doll, like you say. I might call her, wherever I end up."

Something churned in Minnie, waves of doubt that she had been suppressing these past months. Her wife had been distant, moody, forgetful. It all turned on a coin one day though, all except her blank stares into the distance when she tried to recall something too far back.

“Are… are you alright, love? Will you be okay for this trip?"

The weekend her wife was referring to had been fun, though, and was far more pleasant to think about. Daisy grinned, leaning her cheek against Minnie's cool, open palm. She had been Daphne then, a scream queen, the final girl. Her movies were far more niche than Minnie's, but there had been a few horror fanatics in the crowd that weekend.

"I remember that the flight out there felt like it took forever," She sighed. Back then, Hollywood to Atlanta had felt like oceans away. And, y'know - there had been no in-flight entertainment to keep her occupied. "All worth it, of course."

She pressed a brief kiss to Minnie's lips and then moved away, looking for two glasses and a new bottle of wine to open. "Though, I'm not expecting you to visit me on set - unless you want to, of course. We've got a bit of filming out on location to do, I think. Tennessee or Kansas or somewhere. Nowhere I've been before, anyway, and nowhere interesting."

She smiled into the kiss, suspecting nothing amiss still. "God, what could they possibly have you doing out there? Is it in Nashville, at least? I think Nicole has a house there, maybe you could visit."

Nicole being Nicole Kidman, a close and personal friend. Even after her and Tom divorced... Tom may have been a friend for decades, but the age was clearly getting to him. She was lucky to get out when she did.

"She's such a doll, always has been. You know, she was one of the first actresses to welcome me into the fold? Even before Edward..."

Fresh off the news of her suspiciously last minute casting, Daisy felt like she was walking on air. A movie about a woman who finds out she was accidentally swapped at birth, who meets her birth family to just to find that they all, like, live in poverty and are addicted to meth? Oscars fodder, that's what that is. Of course, she had taken matters into her own hands anyhow, so she was going to win regardless, but that wasn't the point.

She flounced into the kitchen, wrapping her arms around her wife's waist from behind. She hooked her chin on Minnie's shoulder. "We have to start shooting soon." She said, knowing that Minnie would know what she meant. She had been the first person Daisy had told about the casting, though how it had come about... well, she had kept that to herself, for now. "I'll be leaving for Georgia next week. Not for long. Can you manage without me for a while?"

Until recently, that is. And God, were they all better for it.

She smiled into her wife's touch. "It'll be dreadful, but I think I'll manage."

Minnie turned to face her and took Daisy's cheek into her palm. "Remember when I had a shoot in Atlanta, what was it... nearly fifty years ago now? Things weren't like they are now with FaceTime and mobile phones. But you flew out to see me anyway and we had that long weekend with champagne and drunk interns?"

Reminiscing was the only drug that mattered to a vampire. The further things got in the rear-view mirrors of memory the closer they appeared. It felt like no time had passed, but in reality those versions of Minnie and Daisy were miles away.

This was the first time she had allowed herself anything like this, any sort of pleasure beyond the simplest of things. And it was so easy to lose herself in the cool touch of Minnie's lips against hers, the sting of her teeth, the tight grip on her hips. She realised all of a sudden that this had been building for so long. All those petty squabbles, the sardonic smiles on red carpets and words whispered behind one anothers backs. Had it ever really been loathing? Well, she wasn't a mind reader. She couldn't comment on Minnie's true feelings. But as she was backed up against the vanity she felt like it had been this, all along. She just hadn't been able to see it until now.

For a change, she moved easily under Minnie's direction, sitting up on the vanity. She put one hand on it to steady herself, the other finding her co-star's waist. Someone was probably looking for them, the fourth assistant to the director or a runner or someone, but she didn't care. The wood of the vanity splintered under her fingers as she gripped it tightly, legs party, inviting Minnie closer. Daisy hummed against her lips, pulling her in and keeping her there, losing herself in the other woman.

A knock rapped on the trailer door. Minnie's hand retracted from the plush inner thigh it trailed up and clenched the edge of the vanity. She pulled away with a huff, "What?! I don't want to be bothered!"

"Sorry! We just need you and Miss O'Doogle on set in ten..." the familiar voice of her assistant warbled through the metal.

Minnie turned back and pressed her forehead to Daisy's. They knew. At least, Eleanor did. She was a fine feast on her own, but could never satisfy the certain hunger the starlet was chasing. "We have ten minutes..."

She looked up, eyes full of lust, pleading the vampiress to blow it all away with her.

Except that Daisy didn’t have the chance to reply. Her breath was stolen from her; good thing she didn’t really need it, anyways. Minnie’s lips were on hers, soft even though Minnie pressed closer with a ferocity that Daisy had come to expect from her in any interaction. There was a moment at the back of Daisy’s mind, blind panic, the manic burst of noise from turning a radio dial too quickly. It was wrong, it was wrong, if someone walked in–

But, no. That wasn’t any concern. What would they do, if someone did walk in? Compel them to forget. Tear their throat out. Either one would work. Daisy softened against her co-star’s body, moulding herself against her, parting her lips beneath Minnie’s. Her hands went to Minnie's waist, holding tightly, fingernails digging into her porcelain skin.

Every woman under Minnie's fingers meant nothing. Their beating hearts, the warm breaths, every gasp she took from them never fully satisfied. She couldn't contend with the reason why. Why did she feel this way towards a woman she loathed? Jealousy, loathing, lust; no word ever described how Minnie felt. No manicured finger could point her in any direction other than Daisy O'Doogle. So she kissed and fucked and killed all of the beautiful women who didn't hold a candle to the real thing. She did it all to chase the taste of her. All to feel like this.

Her fingers hurt, piercing her sides, but she wouldn't have it any other way. The pain with the pleasure made it all better than she imagined. Minnie's tongue slipped inside Daisy's mouth forcing it open to taste even more of her. A sharp hint of a fang grazed her lip but she didn't mind. They wore red lips anyway.

Minnie pushed the blonde back onto the vanity and grasped her cheek and neck. She needed to be as close as possible, she needed to feel every inch of her marble body even if it cracked under the pressure.

But she had sacrificed something to get to where she was right now. Something rather important.

"I gave up my humanity." Daisy said, holding Minnie's gaze. Minnie was older, but what was age, really, when you were going to live forever like they were? It was almost a lonely thought, if Daisy really stopped to think about it.

She wasn't thinking about it, though. She wasn't thinking about the years, decades, centuries, perhaps even millenia that lay ahead. Daisy was thinking about how close Minnie was, how deep and dark her eyes were.

"I gave up my soul. And any hope of a personal life. A family. Love." The word was left to hang in the air, feeling heavy as it settled between them. "It's such a shame that you're so intent on being my rival." Her voice dropped, barely audible. "I can think of so many better things we could be doing than arguing."

The thing Minnie wasn't wise enough to realize now was that neither of them had to lose those things they held dear... so long as they had each other. Eternal company, eternal rivalry or adoration. They were foils. Daisy wasn't going to bring about Minnie's end, she was going to bring her the fullest life. After all, what life was worth living without a little adversity?

Now, Minnie only felt the fiercest of feelings, some indeterminable heat towards the blonde. A heat the only drew her nearer as she bit back, "Then stop arguing with me."

With her scarlet lipped hiss, Minnie was overtaken by the tension built up higher than any film scene she'd ever been in. She closed the space between them and breathlessly ravaged Daisy's perfect lips.

She was younger than Minnie, if only by a few years, but the other had so much more experience than she did in this world: Hollywood. The limelight. Realistically, she was right. She should be the star, not Daisy.

Should.

Because that wasn't how it worked around here, was it? People didn't get what they wanted. Daisy knew that well enough. Because if she got what she wanted...

Her eyes flicked down to Minnie's lips before she could help herself; they looked so full, so soft, perfectly painted for the cameras. Daisy forced herself to look up, meeting Minnie's gaze once more. She didn't realise that she had stepped closer, so there was almost no space between them. "Yes, well - life's not fair, is it?"

She just got to waltz out hand in bony hand with them.

"No. And that's why I deserve this." Minnie seethed, maintaining an intense eye contact. "And that's why you're going to let me have it."

The vampire was still so fresh in the ways of compulsion. It could just have been Minnie's natural charisma bubbling up whenever she tried to make someone act on her will. She would have never been the wiser.

Minnie noticed how close they were, how Daisy's lips parted ever so slightly and her big eyes gleamed with something. Hate, surely. Passionate... something.

"You'll never understand what it's like to come from nothing and have someone like you take all that you've earned away. I gave up everything for this dream! What did you sacrifice?" Minnie's voice came out no more than a sharp, mournful whisper. It was all that was needed when the only two women in the trailer were mere inches apart.

It didn't matter, he thought, considering she was fabulous otherwise. The kind of life he wanted for himself. These were the sorts of people he needed to be brushing elbows with. Hadn't expected to find them in Swynlake, but it was making it far easier than he could've imagined, if he had taken the offer from UCLA instead.

"Of course, I would love to have one or either of you! I am just finishing a class on Monsters in Literature, though that might be a bit too on the nose." He winked at Minnie.

"I'd love to know more about your processes, bringing books to life on the big screen. As you may know, I have been in talks with my publisher about the rights to my books, but I just simply have not been satisfied yet with what I have been pitched. I fear I do want far too much creative control."

She far preferred to spend her time acting, dancing, seeing the world. Experiencing things, rather than reading about them. Though, of course, she did like a good book - Magnifico's included.

"And who could blame you! After putting so much work in in the first place," She said. She had entertained the idea of publishing a book in the past, though none of her writing had ever made it to public eyes, and she was sure she would feel the same. Even when studios threatened to remake one of her movies from a time gone by, or produce a sequel to something that came out twenty years before, she felt a little like digging her claws in. Not that she could really claim any rights to any of them now, of course, but some of her old aliases still had contacts, whether or not they would ever be seen in the public eye again.

"We probably know someone who would be up for a more open discuss, don't we?" Daisy asked, turning to look at Minnie, before glancing back at Magnifico with a smile. "I don't mind the odd producer credit, but it's really more Minnie's thing than mine. Still, I'm sure we'll have someone you could discuss it with..."

Once again, Salvador captured the vampiress' rapt attention. This was something she did have a keen interest in, and was on the outskirts of. A Court of Dragon Fire was a book adaptation, but the author was largely hands off and avoiding finishing the next book in the series. With Minnie's ambition, she barely considered that she was getting ahead of herself.

"I've got very big opinions on that, actually! They don't give the authors half as much control as they should have with their vision. It's your right to walk on any creative differences with a producer until you've signed the rights away." Minnie took a gulp of wine, complaining about the industry was a catharsis for her. "Unfortunately, artistic visions are ever changing and so many writers lose the essence they wanted by the end of it. That's why you have to do it all yourself; write, produce, direct... Unless you've got a friend in the industry..."

Her auburn hair fell across her shoulder as she leaned towards Sal. "It's such a boys' club, producing. They think their new money talks louder than my eighty some years of experience." Bitterness evident in her voice. "I've been trying to find the right project to get a directing credit on. If you want to give me your pitch, I might consider dealing with the boys for it."

She chimed in after Daisy, "she loves a hands on project. And... it's been a nice change of pace. Small town life hasn't always been my thing, but I'm learning to love it."

Minnie leaned forward slightly and posed her own question. "I believe that begs the same question of you. Famous, glamorous, author and sorcerer... why pick this place to settle down? Is it just the magic, the quaintness of it?"

Getting in with two Hollywood A-listers would be a good start.

"Ah, well, teaching, of course," Magnifico said, opening his arms wide and smiling his charming, bright smile. Hopefully not lost on these ladies, even if they were not persuaded in his particular direction sexually. (Or, maybe they were, he didn't know them well enough to know, but he was willing to find out...)

"I know it sounds silly, but I do love it. Shaping bright young minds! Besides, I heard rumors about Swynlake's particular charm and Princeton was getting old..."

"I'm sure a mind like yours is wasted on them." Daisy said, smiling indulgantly. "Though, I have heard good things about the university. I've never really been one for academics, personally."

She shrugged her shoulders, not caring if it made her sound a little shallow. "I tried to subject myself to drama school once. Do you remember that, Min? Never again."

She glanced sideways to meet Daisy's eyes, again, imperceptibly to non supernatural vision.

Minnie smiled, keeping the mood light and adding to her lover's input. "It's not very fun to take a class you could teach in your sleep, love. I, however, love auditing courses in things I normally wouldn't. When you've got all this time, why not learn everything under the sun?"

That was one of the many ways Daisy and Minnie differed. Minnie wasn't born into wealth or with an easy path to education. Her father owned a speakeasy and her mother tended to her brood of three children. Little Minerva learned quite fast that if she were to be anything more than the barkeep's daughter, she would have to work for it. People could say what they wanted about her today, but in her decades her work ethic and thirst for more never wavered.

"Maybe I could sit in one of your classes? You teach... literature, yes?"

She titled her head in questioning.