8154/Fangtasia

Fangtasia
Date of Scene:	07 October 2021
Location:	Fangtasia Themed Bar
Synopsis:	Jubilee is new to the vampire gig, but luckily, someone with more experience made sure to 'accidentally' meet with her.
Cast of Characters:	Bella, Jubilation Lee

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Bella has posed:
Ask around, investigate enough, and you'll find there's actually a sub culture of vampire enthusiasts. Some of them maybe legit, some of them may be crazy, but all share in either adoration of vampires, desire to become a vampire, or do actually happen to be vampires themselves, enjoying the easy 'uber eats' like service.

One of the most frequented places for that crowd happens to be a little spot called Fangtasia, set ironically enough in Hell's Kitchen. It's a club, reportedly frequented by vampires, though a lot of it seems like a themed place to draw tourists, instagram posters, and other people with money who are really really really into vampires and stuff.

Today Bella has taken the time to visit, those who are actually in the know, give her all the space and reverence in the world. Others probably ignore her. She takes a place at the edge of the bar, orders herself an AB- and starts skimming the room for one particular fledgling.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Since becoming a vampire herself, Jubilation has been the one asking around, investigating, following vague leads on the internet. Anything that might lead her to another one of her kind. Anything that might give her answers. Fangtasia. There's no way this is legit, Jubilation figured, and originally dismissed it as an obvious tourist trap. Unfortunately, the well has been drying up, so to speak, and she's getting desperate. A trip to Hell's Kitchen is in order.

    Jubilee has never been difficult to pick out of a crowd. She normally leans towards bright colors, pastels, and a vibrant, larger-than-life attitude. Tonight, however, she has taken on the look of someone else. Her hair has been pulled up in an elaborate up-do, with bangs and curled locks falling to her cheeks. Her eyes have dark winglets done with black liquid eyeliner and she wears a dark purple lipstick that leans heavily towards black. Instead of one of her usual outfits, tonight's ensemble includes skin-tight jeans, a black tanktop with a neckline that exposes far-too-much, and black studded bracelets. What a poser.

    As Jubilee moves through the club, a few of the small group conversations start to quiet as whispers build about the lone survivor of the rave that John Constantine raided the other night. She doesn't know /why/ there feels like eyes are on her, but she can feel them. It could also be due to the way she moves. Her feet are most certainly striking the ground and alternating the way they would normally, but she appears to be gliding through the air without the usual bobbing up and down. She doesn't know how to not do that.

    Jubilation immediately finds an empty seat at the bar and leans both elbows on the surface. When the bartender takes notice of her, Jubes hesitates. "So, uh," she begins quietly. "If I asked for a glass, what happens to..." The person.

Bella has posed:
Bella has her own look, what with her eerie eyes, the sort of electric blue that just has to be contacts...right? Her jarring makeup with deep violet eye shadow along with blood red eyeliner just makes her look like a vampire wannabe. Nothing elaborate with her hair though, just silky, black, straight. Obviously nothing to do with a hair straightener at all. She is dressed very goth-like, fitting in with the crowd. Black brocade strap jacket, sheer black tank top, glimpses of a loud red underneath, flouncy flared mini skirt all in black, and of course the stockings to match, completed with stiletto heels. The feathery cuffed black gloves, however, are a touch of dedication.

She has multitudes of rings about her fingers, with two finger length talon tipped rings. A silver chain around her neck carried a simple Valknut pendant. Yes, she could easily pass as a poser herself.

"Ah, there you are!" Bella's loud voice pierces the awkward silence after Jubilee asked her question, "don't make me wait!" There are still a few eyes likely lingering because of what happened at the rave, which leads Bella to glower and snap, "she's with Bella The Tempest!" That seems about enough to settle any claims or disgruntled inqueries, as people go back to minding their business, while Bella reaches to wrap her arm around Jubilee's shoulder, guiding her back to the edge of the bar, where her glass awaits. "You like AB negative? You can have mine...I'll order another."

Once they're more privately together, given the proper personal space, Bella looks Jubilee up and down, before smirking, "you're really trying to advertise what you are, hmmm...? Also, what kind of question was that? People will know you're a fledgling without a doubt, better to let them assume, or guess, rather than remove all doubt. You'll get more respect that way." She tries to think of a modern way like Jerry would place it, "ah! Be the player to look the part." No, that wasn't right at all. "Look the part you want to play." Not that either, she thinks a moment, looking annoyed, before snapping her fingers, "ah! Dress for the part you want! Was that it?"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    At the rave, everyone was drinking straight from the neck and it was only Jubilee who asked for a glass. It was then that she learned the problem with that request: she didn't get to decide how much was taken from the source. A man died that night because she wanted to drink out of a glass. Fangtasia, though? Everyone is drinking from glasses. Jubilee can't help but fall into despair over that, taking it as evidence that this place is bullshit. She bussed all the way from Westchester to come to a place for humans who fetishize vampires? Damn it.

    When Jubilation hears Bella's voice call out to her, she immediately turns in the other woman's direction. The eerie eyes. The makeup. The clothes. She should be unnerved by this, the way her classmates are with her these days, but she's not. What's more surprising is it sounds like she was expected. "Huh?" is all Jubilation can say. She turns to look over her shoulder, perhaps to see if Bella was addressing someone behind her. Nope.

    Jubilee looks down at Bella's arm as it comes around her, looks up as she's guided to the edge of the bar, down at the glass of AB negative. "...I..." It's all happening very fast. Is this like what she was doing to her classmates with her eyes? Is she being influenced? A moment ago, she was over there, now she's here and about to drink AB negative with this stranger.

    "I...don't know," is Jubilation's answer on whether she likes AB negative. Blood's blood, she figures. Besides, this could be some gimmicky, expensive cocktail made up by a hipster bar. Bella's evaluation of her getup draws Jubilation's eyes down, first at her top and then at her jeans. "What I am?" she repeats.

    The girl reaches out to take Bella's glass and brings it up to her nose. It's not a cocktail at all. She looks up at Bella, attention drawn away from the glass and now focused on the kind stranger who had ordered the glass of blood. "Who are you?" Jubilee asks simply.

Bella has posed:
It really is amazing how much the line blurrs between finding a vampire charming and charismatic, and realizing that at the same time, that vampire could have easily been using their hypnosis feat without one even being aware of it. Then again, there's the whole manner of whether Bella is actually a vampire or one of the one posers who come to play pretend and fool unsuspecting vampire fetishists. They do make easy targets, don't they?

"Oh my, you don't know if you like AB negatvie? You *are* new, aren't you? Well, the only way to find out is to sample...you can have a sip of mine," Bella pushes her glass infront of Jubilee on the counter, for the young girl to take.

"Yes...a vampire, of course," Bella answers dryly, even giving a slight roll of her eyes, "well, a fledgling, baby vampire if you will. But still one." When asked who she is, Bella answers, with all too straight a face for this to be a joke, "Bellatrix LeStrange, more famously known as Bella the Tempest. You must have heard of me..." she seems quite proud of herself, and seriously expecting Jubilee to have a clue about who she is. A very tall order.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation reaches out and takes the glass. She brings it up to her lips and looks over the rim at Bella, just for a moment, before she closes her eyes and tilts it back. More than a sip but less than a mouthful, Jubilee gets her taste. She sets the glass down and curls her lips over her tongue. The girl lets out an empty sigh -- an affectation of life -- and nods her head, mouth curling into a smile. Like other baby vampires, Jubilation is overcome by the blood, unable to discern the subtle nuances but just happy to have it.

    The girl squints her eyes at the introduction. "I...have," she admits. "But, you're not... Bel---" Jubilation stops right there. Normally, she'd engage down this path, point out that this person is not, in fact, Bellatrix LeStrange, because that's a fictional character. Moreover, she's not even Helena Bonham Carter or even a reasonable lookalike. Normally, Jubes would be happy to point this out, but did she really want to call out this person? Offend her? This vampire? The first one she's met who seems...

    Human.

    Instead, Jubilee nods her head. "I'm Jubilation Lee. Jubilee," she introduces. The time to question Bella on her name will come later. For now, though, Jubilee has found her smile again. It's large, bright, and sharp. She found another of her kind! "So, you're... You're like me!" Jubilee states the obvious, her face lighting up as the words are said. Her eyes widen, smile going to each edge of her face.

Bella has posed:
Bella looks quite amused watching Jubilee enjoy her sip, it's clear that it wouldn't matter at all what blood type she was served, Jubilee is a fledgling and is just happy to consume any blood at all. It brings back fond memories for Bella, which may not have been so fond for literally anyone else who lived at the time in her vicinity.

"Yes, yes, I do get that now and then," Bella remarks, utterly missing the point, that Jubilee wasn't in fact awe-struck at meeting her, but legit was about to point out that accursed Harry Potter character.

"That's a clever play with words on your name...I like it, Jubilee rolls off the tongue better," Bella remarks, before proceeding to do what Jubilee kept from doing, that is, utterly mocking the name 'Jubilation', as she feigns an attempt to say it out loud, and makes choking sounds throughout, before going back with a perfeclty said "Jubilee..., yes, I like that one much better, good job!" Bella leans back a little, arches a brow, looking more closely at Jubilee and laughs, "if anything, you're more like me...aren't you?" She offers teasingly. She signals the bartender, "I'll let the girl keep mine, so get me an O negative."

"So...first of all, thank you for taking care of Gideon The Vile, he was an affront to vampire society, uncouth, unintelligent...an out and out animal, really. You did us all a service."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee smiles, a happiness overcoming her that she hasn't felt in quite some time. This person sitting next to her has offered up something that has been missing from her new life: hope. "Thanks, my mom used to call me that," she explains, her voice taking a warmth that comes when she recalls those happier times.

    The smile fades as Bella starts to choke on her name, apparently on purpose, but Jubilation lets that go. It's not done out of respect or fear of this person, no, it's just part of an effort to make friends. Jubes is too ignorant to respect or fear her.

    "Oh...Yeah, right," Jubilee agrees with a smirk. It's perhaps more fair that she's more like Bella in this context. "I guess." She shrugs her shoulders, happy to take her assumed place in the dynamics of this conversation. Back at school, she's queen bee. Here, though? Not even close.

    Jubilation hesitates with the glass just shy of her mouth again. She tilts her head, eyebrows hiked, as she's thanked for the assumed killing of Gideon The Vile. Not only was she not the one to do it -- that had been John Constantine -- but she also didn't know his name. She didn't even know why he had to die. It's all so confusing. One word, though, sticks out: society.

    Jubes puts her glass down without even taking that second sip. "What do you mean?" she questions. "There's a... there's a vampire society? I thought... I thought..." She turns her head to see the pockets of other people intermittently looking over at them. Most of those eyes are on Bella and the strange girl being allowed to talk with her like this, but some of them recognize Jubilee, having heard some rumors.

    "I thought, you know, you'd be angry." Jubilee does not yet understand the distinction between the vampires at the rave and, well, ones like herself and Bella.

Bella has posed:
"It's adorable, you should keep using it," Bella says in approval while her own glass is served and she reaches to take the lightest of sips from it. Quite the opposite of the voracious monsters Jubilee witnessed at the rave. Bella for her part seems utterly oblivious that Jubilee did not find it amusing how she feigned choking on 'Jubilation'.

"What do I mean what...?" Bella looks puzzled as she turns to look at a suddenly very enthusiastic Jubilee, wondering what it was from what she said that inspired the girl. "Don't be silly, of course there's a vampire society, we're not animals!" Bella almost seems offended that Jubilee would think there wasn't one. "Well, Gideon The Vile and his ilk are animals, but they are few and far between...the Covents mostly takes care of them and instills order."

"Angry for what...?" Bella looks puzzled, "the slaying of Gideon the Vile? Don't be silly, it's a blessing. He was rotten, not very different from Simon The Deceiver."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "People act like we are..." Jubilation replies softly. Animals. Her eyebrows rise in exasperation before the glass is brought up to her mouth again, hopefully for that second sip that keeps getting forgotten. "Everyone keeps telling me how I'm a monster. 'Jubilee, vampire or not, we're still friends!' Vampire or not. Some friend." Her nose wrinkles a little as she recalls that conversation. "And... they made me move out of my room and be all alone..." The 'they' is unclear, here.

    The glass is put down again. "I kind of thought it was, I don't know, against the law or something..." Jubilee admits, secretly worried that there was some kind of code of conduct she didn't know about. Her smile returns suddenly. "Oh, Bella! You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say all this! This is... Oh, I'm so happy!"

    With her emotions just out on display like that, Jubilee finally brings the glass to her mouth and knocks back the rest. She drags the back of her hand across her mouth and sets the empty vessel down with a clink. She's a far cry from the dignified manner with which Bella carries herself, that's for sure.

Bella has posed:
Bella looks alarmed when Jubilee relates how people have been treating her, and without thinking, she reaches out to embrace the girl, "oh dear, that is a travesty! People are so mean! You're not a monster, none of us are," she cries out in horror, before stammering, "well, Gideon was but that's besides the point." Reaching to brush her hand through Jubilee's hair, Bella tsks disapporivingly, "that is outrageous, if you need a place to stay, you are welcome to come to Shadow Manor with me...I have plenty of room." There's a friendly offer, from someone Jubilee doesn't really know, does she? "I can't believe anyone would cast you out simply because you've been turned, that's very racist."

She chuckles at Jubilee's concern over law, "there is a vampiric law, but it's mostly addressed by the Covents, and since you don't belong to one, you're not really compelled to keep much of the rules besides the most common sense ones." Would be helpful if Bella would at least share those, wouldn't it?

"Well...that's not exactly high society manners, but I get it, you were dying of thirst poor dear..." Bella chuckles as she sips more of her glass. "They do keep good quality over here...they just need to know you are one of us, so they serve you the real drink, and not the playful fakes they give the wannabes."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    The hug is unexpected, but Jubilee melts into it immediately. In a world that seems to be growing increasingly hostile towards her -- both overtly and subtly -- Bella's arms are a comfort. Jubilation closes her eyes and presses her face into the stranger's shoulder, her own arms even coming around to give her a long squeeze. Jubilee has no shortage of affection in her life, but she needed this from someone like her.

    "Oh, I couldn't..." is Jubilee's answer to the offer of Shadow Manor. "I couldn't do that to Nori." Nor would she want to. Jubilation would suffer an endless number of indignities for Noriko. Still, it's nice to know there's a place for her should things hit the fan in some major way.

    "I...I think I get it..." Jubilee mutters into Bella, now understanding that there are vampires like Gideon and vampires that are not. Jubes pulls away from the hug and finds her seat again. She reaches up and fingers away the thin lines of blood that accumulated along her lower eyelids. "Like what?" she asks, the idea of common sense laws lingering in her mind. "I mean... Don't tell people, right...?" Everyone at Xavier's knows she's a vampire now. If that's a rule, she's already broken it a thousand times.

    The point about being served the real stuff, though, draws Jubilee's attention back down to her empty glass. "How can they know? Is there, like a secret handshake I ought to know?"

Bella has posed:
It's strange, but Bella hasn't done much embracing of anyone as of late, and she seems to enjoy it all the same. Just the idea there's this young fledgling with no Sire to guide her is heartbreaking, and likely kindles some kind of motherly concerns. After all, in all her many, many years, she's never actually had any children. Oh if Mando would witness that embrace he would boil with jealousy.

"Of course you can, it's just a home, and you've been invited, so you're welcome to it..at least join me sometimes for a night cap," she insists on her invitation.

"Nori...?" Bella breaks the embrace as Jubilee pulls away, and returns to her seat as well, "who is this Nori?"

The questions about common sense laws get a chuckle out of Bella, "but of course, we don't kiss and tell, do we? So yes, not telling people, not revealing yourself, not killing people because it attracts attention...just a sip will do, here and there. Maybe a bit more but you know, never drink them dry..." Bella speaks of it as if it's simply uncouth rather than plain murder. She rolls her eyes for a moment, "how do we know...? No reflection is one thing," she reaches to touch Jubilee's hand, "cold to the touch, there's more but this is a good enough start for you dear."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Nori's my girlfriend," Jubilee answers, her eyes darting away only for a moment. Does she dare reveal that she's dating... food? Surely Bella would assume that, right?

    "Oh, I have a reflection," Jubilee answers quickly. "But it's not, like, accurate." She shrugs her shoulders and looks down at her hands, porcelain and cold. It's a small detail to get hung on, but it's one that tells an important story.

    There have no doubt been rumors circulating of a new vampire, recently turned by a powerful curse and not by a bite. A vampire whose blood is her own, bound to no sire. While many vampires have dismissed this story as impossible and just the kind of thing told to get a rise out of the gullible, it's certainly /possible/ and it happens to be Jubilation Lee. The significance, however, is lost on her.

    Jubilee's eyes remain fixed at a far distance as she works out what Bella's trying to explain. Killing draws attention. "So, like, the ones at the rave... You know, Gideon's party... They're kind of ruining things for all of us, then, aren't they?" she asks, her brown eyes now finally returning to look at the other woman.

Bella has posed:
"Girlfriend...how progressive of you," Bella remarks with a level of mirth that suggests she finds it adorable, "you know what would happen to a woman with a girlfriend back in the day?" She muses, before nodding at Jubilee's remark of her reflection, "than you're a lucky one...I would love a look at my reflection again."

Bella is among those who find the story to be ridiculous to the point she hadn't bothered to even investigate it, so she doesn't even pester Jubilee with questions of the sort, though the having a reflection even if imperfect bit does intrigue her.

"They're no better than dogs, rabid dogs, animals to be put down," Bella snorts in disgust, "makes vampires seem like...ugh, b movie monsters, no class, no sophistication, it's an insult really...we're better than werewolves dear. Vampires who behave like werewolves should be put down."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation's brow knits into a gentle frown as she tries to identify the source of Bella's amusement and whether she's being ridiculed subtly. "Yeah, girlfriend," Jubilee affirms, sitting up a little straighter. "Well, this is my day, now, and anyone who has anything to say about it can eat my fist." The bridge of her nose wrinkles a little.

    "Sorry. I've been getting angrier a lot faster lately," she explains. "But, I've got it under control."

    Jubilee nods her head a little at Bella's description of the feral vampires, frowning thoughtfully. "Funny you mention that..." she trails off. "...There's this werewolf at my school and I, like, hate her for no reason now. I guess now I know."

    Suddenly, Jubilee perks up. "Hey! You could hire an artist to sketch you each morning," she exclaims. "Instead of a mirror. Just something quick." She falls quiet again, her mind lingering on the concept of 'hiring' someone to do that. Hire. Glamour. Same thing.

Bella has posed:
"It's lovely being able to say that, isn't it...?" Bella smiles a rather empty smile, and for whatever reason, she actually opens up to Jubilee, making it quite clear that was no ridicule. "I had a girlfriend once...she was sent to a convent because two girls together is a sin in the eyes of god, it was either that, or put us to the stake..." she pauses, and then adds as if she wasn't sure Jubilee will get it, "not the one for the heart, I wasn't a vampire at the time, the one where they light up wood and start a fire..."

"Of course you're hungry, you're malnourished dear, and you've no Sire to guide you. If you like, I can take on that role...I haven't care for a fledgling in a long time." She smiles faintly at Jubilee, "ah...yes, vampires and werewolves are natural enemy, there's wars that been raging for centuries, if you were in a Coven you'd hear more about it. The Death Dealers mostly handle that..."

She laughs at Jubilee's solution, "that's a lovely thought, I like your style, Jubilee."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Oh, I'm sorry..." Jubilee's gaze lowers again, her thoughts now lingering on black-and-white images of an angry mob holding torches. "What happened to her?"

    Bella's offer to help her draws out a smile, a small one at first, but it soon fades into something a bit more subtle. A mentor would be wonderful, Jubilee knows it, but something deep inside her is screaming, reeling at the idea and demanding that she refuse it.

    "Yeah..." she replies hesitantly. "Anything you want to teach me..." It's a curious way to answer.

    "She's not a real werewolf," Jubilee admits with a shrug. How does one describe Rahne Sinclair without simply saying it. "She's a mutant. I go to a school for mutants."

    Jubilee doesn't seem keen on lingering on the usual 'werewolves exist!?' reaction that might be expected here. In a very short period of time, she's experienced a lot of weird stuff and questioning things is starting to go by the wayside.

    "Aren't covens, like, for witches?" Jubilee questions as she raises her hand to get the bartender's attention. "And, what can I say? I'm a pretty stylish girl!" She even winks!

Bella has posed:
"She died...in a fire," Bella remarks with such a deadpan look and such an emotionless voice, it can only mean she's had centuries to process through such loss. "Of course a similar fate had to befall the poor covent that saw fit to punish her for impure thoughts..." Bella adds as an afterthought, "you see, they'll tell you that there are monsters to fear, but in all my many years of existing, no monster is worse than humans at their worst."

Bella studies Jubilation for a moment, tilting her head slightly as if a better angle would help, and mutters, "I can only teach what is mine...so if you don't except my offer, nothing comes free you know? I will help you though."

"Ah. A mutant and a vampire? You would want to find a Sire dear, many would seek to take advantage of you..." Bella notes as if that was an obvious fact. "Oh but there are such for witches...but there are for vampires, strict, with more rules, with purpose...and if you join the Nordic Coven, well, then there are secrets to learn if you dedicate yourself..." the way she looks at as she speaks those words, with her captivating crystal blue eyes, one might think she's experienced what she's speaking of.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Yeah... But, they don't know any better," Jubilee replies softly. "Humans, I mean." As a Chinese girl, a mutant, and now a vampire, she's experienced her fair share of the ugliness of humanity. It's always been tiny bits, here and there, but every mutant understands what humans are capable of when confronted with 'others.'

    "I am not yours..." Jubilation replies slowly, softly. The words come almost automatically, pushed out of her mouth by the same instinct that was telling her not to jump at the other vampire's offer. She looks up to watch Bella's reaction to that.

    Jubilation shrugs her shoulders and waves for the bartender again. "I just... I'm going to keep my eyes and ears open, my options open, you know? I..." She shrugs her shoulders and just comes out with it.

    "I want to find out more about the one who did this to me," she blurts. "The Ancient One." That was the name she heard Constantine say. Gone, turned to ashes. The bartender sets two fresh glasses out, one in front of Bella and the other in front of Jubilee.

Bella has posed:
"Yes..." Bella says with a surprisingly sweet smile, "amazing that in your young life you've already learned it, but yes, humans are the scariest creature roaming this planet."

Bella laughs at the aggression with which Jubilee informs her that she doesn't belong to her, "of course not, I am not your Sire, and you are not my Childe," Bella readily admits. "Which is why I cannot offer to teach you all that I know, but you can always accept that offer some other time down the line, time is a long, long while..." Bella muses, and reiterates, "you are ever welcome to visit me in Shadow Manor, it lays in Hell's Kitchen, quite fittingly."

Bella does seem intrigued when Jubilee invokes the 'Anicent One' and reaches for a sip of her glass, licking her lip very faintly, "mmm....if you need some help on that journey of yours, it's been a while since I've had a bit of fun. I'm sure Constantine wouldn't mind..."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Alright, alright, good," Jubilee adds, nodding her head. "You said yourself, a mutant vampire, someone's bound to come along to try and take advantage of that..." She turns her gaze towards Bella again. After a moment, Jubilee's smirk fades as she's caught by those captivating blue eyes. ... ... ...

    "Huh, what? Right, Hell's Kitchen..." Jubilee mutters as she turns back to her glass. She takes it in her hands and brings it right up to her mouth and tilts it back. She empties it all in one big gulp and sets the glass down with a loud bang and a big smile on her face! BLOOD!

    Jubilee shifts from her stool and clears her throat. "Well! I should get out of here. I live far away and I don't wanna leave anything to chance," she declares, explaining her haste in spite of the sun not coming up for a few hours. "It was nice to meet you, uh, Bella...trix." The second part of her name comes out awkwardly, as Jubilee still doesn't quite know how to address /that/ detail. She may as well have called herself Dobby! "If you're ever in Westchester, you know, look me up or... I don't know, whatever we do." Maybe there's a vampire internet, who knows?

    Jubilee raises a hand to flash a quick peace sign and then she glide-walks on out of there!