"I suppose it's never crossed your mind that I'm coming here for one, very specific, reason." She looks through her lashes at Celia.

Celia does not blush and instead just smiles broadly.

"The dark and gloomy ambiance? It's a hit with all the goths."

"Goths, vampires-" She grins, leaning on the bar, her chin resting in her hand. "I do wish you'd let me see that pretty blush of yours more."

"Oh, I never blush," she lies. "I'm absolutely shameless. Shame just isn't in my DNA."

"Liar. I've seen it. It's so becoming. I want to kiss it sometimes." 

Cati feigns shyness, giggling. "Sorry. I'm not usually so forward."

She is definitely blushing! Shocking.

"How are you usually?"

"A perfect, demure little flower. Picture of innocence. Has never made a pretty girl blush ever."

"Liar. I bet you say that to all the girls."

"Not since I saw you."

"What's your name? I'm Celia."

"I'm Catienna," she says, and reaches out a hand.

She takes it. "You're freezing! Do you have a coat? I have one back here if you need it."

Catienna smiles a little wider. "Oh, such a good heart. Really, I'm fine. I just run a little cold. Though there are plenty of other ways you're very welcome to try and warm me up."

"I'm definitely open to suggestions. I get off at one."

"I'll be right here."

Celia smiles at her and continues on with her shift.

Eventually, time happens and she closes up the bar.

Catienna leans against the doorway, languidly. Her eyes follow Celia.

"My place or yours? Though note that my housemates might be a pain. They're always up in everyone's business."

"You haven't met 'in your business' till you've met my dad," Catienna laughs. 

She reaches up to lock her hands behind Celia's neck. "Come with me. I've got a place."

She kisses Catienna. "Lead the way."

Catienna takes Celia's hand, and leads her through back streets. It seems that the path she takes winds and dips, but she prowls the shadows with ease. 

Finally, she arrives at a nondescript door, and takes out a key. "Last stop, gorgeous."

Celia laughs. "I think you've completely gotten me lost. And I've lived in this city for nearly ten years."

Catienna draws her in for a deep, lingering kiss. "Once you've lived here as long as me, the city will give up all it's secrets. Promise."

She pushes the door open and pulls Celia inside.

She lets herself be pulled, closes the door behind them, and kisses Catienne again - a little more urgently.

"Jesus, that's ominous," she laughs between kisses.

Catienna's laugh is wild and genuine. "God, you should hear my friends. They say the exact same thing, that I'm a dark, ominous little soul."

She pulls Celia into an absurdly ornate apartment, a huge, golden four-poster bed taking up the centre of the room. 

Catienna starts pulling Celia towards it. 

"Lucky for me. I'm super into the dark, tortured types. Though you seem like the opposite. Bright like the sun. I could get attached."

Catienna lays her on her back on the bed, and straddles her hips. Her hands go to cup Celia's face, her eyes full of wonder. 

"Call me that again."

"Shining, burning, brilliant like the sun."

Catienna busies herself kissing Celia into oblivion, while also trying to wrestle her shirt off.

Shirts are totally off. They're thrown over the other end of the room. Celia kisses Catienna and forgets about her shitty week and her shitty job and just kisses her.

And then, as they get lost in each other, Catienna looms over Celia, kissing her brow. 

"You want to be like me, don't you?"

"Yes," is her quick and desperate reply.

"And you want to be with me forever?"

She kisses Catienne again. "I never want to leave you."

"Good girl." 

And her fangs extend, and she bites deep into Celia's neck.

!!! Celia groans and wiggles and clutches tightly to Catienna.

God, Celia tastes so good-

But Catienna manages to control herself, breaking away with a gasp, not that she needs air. Her hands scramble at the drawer next to the bed.

Celia tries to reach up for Catienna, but her limbs are heavy. She blinks and tries to look at her shoulder.

"Uh - am I bleeding? Did you bite too hard? Guess we probably should have had the kink talk before this." She tries not to giggle.

"You're weak, don't talk."

Catienna manages to get the drawer open, and pulls out a small, ornate dagger. She slices neatly into her wrist, and then presses the welling wound to Celia's mouth. "Drink."

Celia doesn't talk, just watches. Her mind buzzes lazily and - she's totally sure it's weird that the hot girl that picked her up at the bar is into biting and bloodplay and - has fangs apparently. But she can't really object.

She drinks.

Catienna smooths Celia's hair back from her forehead, and watches for when Celia's heart rate starts to drop. "Oh, sweetheart. You're going to be so happy. I'm going to make you so happy."

Mmmm. She snuggles into Catienne's hand and closes her eyes. Thoughts are so hard.

Catienna wraps herself around Celia, kissing her temple. "Not long, darling. I promise."

She keeps stroking her hair, until Celia's heart stops. 

It's a lot like falling asleep.

And there she goes. Catienna's soulmate. Finally hers. 

Forever. 

-- she doesn't wake up. It's really an altogether different thing. She definitely feels like it's a different state altogether.

Her brain turns on. And she is instantly very aware that she is very very thirsty. And she's being held by - someone. Catienna?

"Good morning, darling. It's so good to finally see you." 

Her voice is incandescently happy. 

"....what? Hi." She pauses. "What's... going on?"

"You're reborn." Catienna gently eases her up. "You must be terribly thirsty. I remember my turning. I ravaged four people before I was satisfied."

Celia blinks.

"I'm going to need you to define a lot of what you said there. Because - what?"

"I made you like me. You're a vampire now, one of the Kindred. More specifically, clan Ventrue." 

Catienna kisses her temple. "There is so much I have to explain, but for now, you must be desperate for a drink."

Celia just kind of stares at her.

"I think I need to go home? You said it was morning. I actually have work later today and I really need to - vampire, are you serious?"

"Morning, as in the night next. Dusk has fallen." 

Catienna presses Celia's own hand to her chest. "You can't ever go home."

??????????!!!!

"Catienna, I'm not really into this roleplay stuff. Or, well, I could be, but this is taking it a little far a little too soon without all the talky stuff that needs to go before it."

Something dark flickers behind Catienna's eyes. 

"Celia. You're a vampire. You're Kindred-

"You're dead."

"I am very much alive and vampires don't exist."

"Then why don't you have a heartbeat?"

...Celia will prove her wrong and attempts to find her own pulse.

"Your skin's colder than it was before. You feel a burning in your throat, like it's going to overwhelm you. You are Kindred."

Celia is not going to freak out. She's not

"What is Kindred, exactly."

"Vampires. True vampires. Like us. Like you and me."

"With the whole blood drinking, and the sun burning and - garlic allergy?"

Celia isn't really big on the whole vampire myth thing.

"I...don't actually know about garlic. Vampires don't really eat food, you see. But you can't go in the sun. And if you don't drink blood, you turn into the Beast."

"The Beast?"

"The Beast. She takes over when the thirst becomes too much. Kills anything in her path to satisfy her thirst."

"And you... made me into one. Like you."

Catienna flinches. "I...I didn't make you into a Beast! I made you into a Kindred! The Beast is not who we truly are!"

"Right, sorry. This is very - new terminology. No heartbeat. A whole new world."

Catienna seems reassured by Celia’s words, leaning back towards her. “I have so much to show you. You’re going to love your new life. I promise.”

- Celia reaches up and holds Catienna, trying to reassure her. "What sort of life is it?"

Catienna grabs at her, like she's the last drink of water in a desert. "Before I saw you, awfully, terribly lonely. It was-"

"No-" 

"Who-"

"Zevran, please-"

Before either of them can say anything else, he is before Celia, holding her gently. 

"Don't touch me." She lashes out, trying to push him away, to get away.

He's too fast for her, stopping every movement she makes-

Before finally sinking a stake into her chest. 

"No!!! No, Zevran, please, no-" Catienna is too distressed to even try to find her power. 

Zevran lifts Celia's lifeless body in his arms. "You know this was coming, Cati."

"You could've defied him-"

"I'm not your clan! He would kill me!”

"You're supposed to be my friend-"

"I am your father's creature, Cati. And I was supposed let you turn yourself in." 

Catienna's eyes widen. "No. No, no, Zevran, please-"

"Good night, Cati." 

Zevran is before her before she can move. 

She welcomes the stake.

When she wakes, she’s both surprised and yet not, to see the grand chandelier in her father’s office.

Zevran keeps a hand on her shoulder as she slowly sits up, both trying to comfort her, and hold her back.

Guilt churns in his gut. The stake is in his other hand. 

“Evening, daddy.”

Her father sits across from her, a glass of dark red liquid in hand.

"Catienna."

Catienna lets the silence hold for twenty seconds before she hisses.

 “Just get it over with! Beheading? Burned at the stake? What?”

"You know our laws, Catienna. You know why we have them. Our enemies will use any chance to undermine us. How did you expect this to go?"

“Didn’t think you’d send the sheriff so soon.” Her voice is bitter. 

His expression darkens. "Do you have a death wish, Catienna?"

“Does that upset you? That I would flaunt your rules? Reject your gift?”

"Is this what you want... to bring down your family that loves you?"

"You knew how I felt! You knew that sending Etienne away would leave me friendless! You wanted me to be endebted only to you!"

"Your loyalty is to me and only me. I made you. You knew this would happen."

"You made Etienne too."

"Etienne is not you. I've invested so much into you and you just throw it away."

"You invested me into being cold, lonely, and dependant on you."

"And yet every time I give you the freedom to expand your horizons your repay me like this."

He gestures to Zevran. "Take her out onto the stage. We will make an example out of her."

He doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want to. But he’ll be made to if he doesn’t. 

He gently pulls Catienna to her feet. 

Catienna goes easily. She doesn’t care anymore. Her worry is for someone else.

 “Celia. Please, Zevran, help her. Protect her. Please, please-“

The Prince just watches them. "If you truly cared, my daughter, you would never have brought her into this."

Catienna just turns sad, accepting eyes on her father. "I was only doing what you taught me."