This was a little warmup piece I wrote from the prompt, “Displeasure to See You.” It’s based on our Vampire the Masquerade characters Ellie and Freddie from a longterm campaign that has gripped our hearts.
It’s an alternate future where Freddie has done something that caused Freddie to be forced from the group.
“Ellie.”
A small smile tugged at the corners of Ellie’s lips, her fangs peeking out just so. She didn’t bother to turn around, knowing there was power in her movements. Instead she just ran a finger gently down the side of her glass,drawing a stripe in the condensation. She flicked the moisture away.
“A displeasure to see you, Freddie,” she practically purred, slipping into that familiar persona. “I didn’t expect to see you around these parts anytime soon.”
A form slipped onto the barstool next to her, heavy, weary, letting out a long sigh. “Don’t do this to me Ellie.”
Though she didn’t turn to look, Eleanore glanced at Freddie from the side. That tall, solid form had offered her a safe harbour once. Now he only represented betrayal. From the start, Freddie had lied to her. They had been a team–the only person, other than Warren–that Ellie had trusted from the very start. For almost a year she’d put her faith in him, through the uncertainty, the occult, the other vampires. In a world of darkness, he was the light. And then in an instant he had stabbed a knife through her chest, practically thrown her to the beasts.
So she’d cut ties. Grabbed Warren and Clem and ran.
She knew it would never be far enough. He had too much of their sire in him to leave her be.
“Why are you darkening my door?” Ellie said, turning to look at him at last. She smiled a little more; she could feel her beast’s presence, shoring up her backbone far more than her spiked blood martini ever could. “I thought I made myself clear: the next time I saw you, I would kill you.”
“But you haven’t yet,” Freddie quirked a half grin at her, the one that used to make her weak. But no more. She felt the beast in her rumble a little at how fun it would be to rip that dimple off his cheek if only she’d let it. Ellie gave the beast a little leeway, letting it shine through her eyes and she stared into his.
He broke the stare first.
“No,” she admitted, taking a delicate sip of her drink. “So this had better be good if you expect to leave.”
She knew that as soon as Freddie was within a mile of the bar, Warren and Clem would be on it. Ellie knew that Warren was nearby, could feel his heart beating through that tie that bound the two of them together. She could feel Warren’s cold emotions as he went through his threat assessment. Clem, Ellie was sure, was likely right behind them already.
Freddie held his palms up to show he meant no harm–because of course from their time together, he would also have done his own threat assessment, knew that Warren and Clem wouldn’t be far. He wouldn’t be that stupid. Then he slowly reached to his jeans pocket and pulled out something metallic, tossing it towards her.
Ellie didn’t flinch as a set of car keys hit the bar with a jangle.
Her car keys.
The Charger.
“I’m listening.”
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