A Scripta

Rowena turned around once in the turquoise gown, her arms up in the air.  "What do you think?"

Dmitrius and Kalius stood at the base of the dais, next to each other hand-in-hand.  "Will you be blushing?" asked Dmitrius.

"Hm, no, it's my party and I can do what I want."

Dmitrius chuckled.  "Then, to be honest, it makes you look ghostly."

The saleswoman looked at the clock on the wall.  Rowena DeLune was a special customer, so they kept late hours for her, and a few others.  She had hoped to get out of here by eleven.  It was 10:45, so that didn't look like it would be happening.  Rowena had tried on ten dresses in the space of two hours.  All of them had a flaw.  If Ms. DeLune didn't give such good tips...

Rowena snapped at the saleswoman.  "Find me something lighter."

"Pastel, madam?"

"I do not wear pastels!"

The saleswoman cringed, and headed back out into the store.  "Rowena," said Dmitrius patiently, "there's other stores, and you still have five nights."

"It takes three nights for alterations!  At least two fittings."

"You're not getting married."

Rowena turned to Dmitrius, and then looked at Kalius, who was sitting on one of the settees.  "Kalius, dear, do you have a tux for your wedding?"

"I have one suit," he said.

She looked at Dmitirus.  "I know you don't.  I will get you both tuxes."

Dmitrius admonished, "Rowena..."

"Help me out of this, darling."

Kalius watched his lover help Rowena undress.  He wasn't jealous in the least, knowing Dmitirus was considering this as stimulating as changing a bed.  Rowena pulled on her dress and sling-backed heeled shoes.  By the time the saleswoman came back, Rowena was already at the door.  Rowena gave the woman a disgusted look, and headed into the shop proper.  Dmitrius and Kalius followed behind her, walking shoulder to shoulder, looking more like her bodyguards than lovers.  Her bodyguards were stationed outside.

"Rowena!"

She turned on her heel and faced another vampire.  "Lynette."

This was a small dark-haired woman of what looked to be straight Egyptian descent.  Her skin was no longer dark red, but not overly pale like the two vampires standing before her.  She could pass for human.

Rowena turned cold.  Lynette smiled, perfect teeth.  She tossed her long locks back.  "I hear you're having a party next week."

"Yes.  You are not invited."

"That is rather rude, not to invite your childe."

"I would rather not have you under my roof."

"Think I will steal more of your special stash of grad students?"

She grew even colder.  "I thought you were under a ban."

"Oh, I talked to the Prince.  I told him I had to destroy Komka."

"You shouldn't have made him in the first place."

"You didn't see in him what I did."

"I certainly did not."  She sounded like an exasperated mother.  "If you will excuse me..."

"Good evening, sheriff."  Lynette looked up at Dmitrius.  "Though I note you're not sheriff any more."  She ignored Kalius.  "You were such a good one, too.  Now we have that lapdog."

Rowena had already left the store.  Dmitrius glanced at Kalius, then took Kalius' hand and led him outside without another word to Lynette.  He said, in Greek, "Remember I mentioned that there were some people I didn't want you to meet?"

"That was one of them?"

He nodded.  "Rowena found out that she had made a Kindred out of one of her trusted servants, and she was secretly submitting Rowena's servants to her own Blood Bond."

"She didn't kill her?"

"No.  Instead, Rowena gave her all her servants and sent her to the hinterlands of Phoenix with no money."  He glanced back at the store.  "I'm surprised she's alive, with all the garou there."

"Garou?"

"Werewolves."

"Seriously."

"Yes."

"Okay, I'm not surprised."

"Gentlemen!" Rowena called.  She was standing in front of a well-lit gentleman's shop.

Both men moaned, and trudged forward, then laughed at their twin reaction.  Rowena breezed her way inside the door.  "Jose, dear!" she called, and kissed another vampire on both cheeks.  Kalius was beginning to notice the differences so he could tell vampire from human.

"Rowena, you are certainly lovely this evening," he said with a heavy Spanish accent.  He looked up to see Dmitrius.  "Ah, sheriff, you are back in town."

"Just visiting, getting my affairs in order."  Dmitrius stepped close to Kalius.  "This is my fiance, Kalius."

The man turned and eloquently bowed.  "A pleasure to meet you, sir."

"Likewise," Kalius replied, with a nod more than a bow.

"Good to hear you have finally found someone to share your unlife with.  When will the nuptials' be?"

"After we get back to New England."

Jose made a face.  "Ugh, you are going to live up there?  It's forever cold."

"It doesn't matter to us."  He put an arm around Kalius' waist. 

Jose studied Kalius a little more closely.  Kalius raised his head and also put his arm around Dmitrius' waist.  "Small build for a Brujah," he muttered in Spanish.

Dmitrius' eyes went cold.  "He will not be a Cainite."

Jose continued in Spanish, not knowing they could understand him, "You will marry a mortal?  He will grow old and die."

Kalius said in the same language, "We will grow old together."

Dmitrius nodded when Jose looked up at him.  Rowena turned from them and found a sales clerk, who showed her to some tuxes in the back.  Jose's disapproving look disappeared.  "Then I do wish you both well.  Excuse me."  He bowed to both, and headed toward the front of the room.  Rowena caught Dmitrius' eye and called them over.  Dmitrius took Kalius' hand and brought him over.  Rowena pulled out rack after rack of suits, measuring it up against Dmitrius. 

"No colors, Rowena."

"Black?"

"Yes, Rowena."

"That's so droll."

"I'm old-fashioned."

She looked expectantly at Kalius.  "Black for me, too," he said.

"Some color!"

"A shirt."

Rowena sighed.  "So anachronistic," she said offhandedly.  She walked away, waving her hand in dismissal.  "Two normal black tuxes."