tampered | (no subject)

(no subject)

When; July 19, 2007
Rating; PG (for now)
Characters; Charlotte Elbourne

hunterborn
Summary; Doris comes over to visit Charlotte and help her sort out some things she still hasn't figured out about the City and her own past.
Log;
Charlotte carefully placed the vase on the table and arranged the flowers. Everything was in place, minus the tea cakes that Doris would be bringing. So many thoughts were whirling through her head that her movements were more mechanical habit than actual attention to detail.

She was so lost in thought that she jumped when someone knocked. She quickly smoothed the front of her dress and opened the door.

"Dorris, it's so nice to see you!"

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"Hello, Charlotte," Doris smiled when the door opened. "I'm glad we could finally meet in person." She stepped through the door and held out the package of pastries to her. "Fresh from Cafe Juliet."

Seeing the other girl for the first time was almost surprising to her. Charlotte was a vision of loveliness, her dark hair plaited carefully and tied almost ornamentally on her head, a stunning white dress covering her figure.

It was a stark contrast to Doris' functional braids, jeans and partial leather armor (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/58063571/). She suddenly felt rather out of place in the other girl's presence.

"These will do nicely," Charlotte said with a welcoming smile. "Please have a seat. I'll get these on a plate and be right out."

She motioned for Doris to sit on a small couch and then went to the kitchen with the pastries. After placing them in a circle, she tied on a lavender apron edged in white lace and sprinkled a bit of powdered sugar over the plate. After a brisk nod of approval, she gently picked up the plate and returned to the other room.

"I hope you don't mind a bit of spice in your tea," she said as she place the pastries on the table. "I've been trying something called Chai that I found in the store the other day."

"Thank you very much," Doris nodded toward the tea. "And please, don't feel like you have to make a fuss over me."

Charlotte smiled shyly and poured the tea. It had been so long since she'd had company. Perhaps she was overdoing things a bit.

"Of course, Doris," she replied. "I'm sorry if I seem a bit flustered. Would you like cream and sugar with your tea?"

"Maybe just a bit of cream... And it's ok, if you feel flustered. After what you saw in the fountain I don't blame you, so really you don't have to make a fuss, because I know things must be confusing right now..." she scratched the back of her head lightly. "And I'm babbling now, sorry..."

"Yes, the fountain."

Charlotte unconciously turned to the window. It seemed so strange that such a beautiful day could exist when her own mind was so full of turmoil.

"I suppose I really shouldn't be so upset," she said and looked back at Doris to pour the cream. "According to D the fountain is not always truthful. And he did say that Meier did not actually hurt me."

Meier didn't kill you. Something about the way he said those words made her nervous.

Doris watched the other girl move about almost in a daze. Luckily she could only imagine what Charlotte was going through.

"I think you can believe D. I have never known him to lie. He would have told you the truth or nothing at all," she smiled at Charlotte, hoping that the girl took what she said to heart.

"I suppose you're right," Charlotte said. "I never really got to know D. I only met him once before I came here. Tell me, do you know much about D? He's always so aloof, I just can't seem to understand him."

"Well... I didn't before coming here. Considering I've been living in the same flat with he and his family I know a lot more than I used to. Hell, back on the Frontier I only knew him for about a week, maybe a little longer." Doris fought the urge to pull her knees up, not wanting to put her shoes on the other woman's furniture.

"You know he's a dhampir, right?"

"That was the impression most of us had at home. Meier told me he was half vampire. He seemed to look down on that."

She paused to take a bite of her tea cake. "Doris, these are wonderful! I've never had cakes quite like these!"

"That doesn't surprise me," Doris answered, trying to quell the slight anger that has rose in her. "D is in a rather shitty position when it comes down to it. Neither humans nor vampires accept him... at least not back on the Frontier. I don't feel the same way now, but when we first met on the road and he told me... well, you know what we were raised to believe."

Doris laughed slightly at Charlotte's reaction to the cakes. "Glad you like them, but I can't take credit for them. I just picked them out."

"Yes, I do," Charlotte said and gave her tea an extra stir to hide her discomfort. "But he has been so kind since I came here. Rather aloof, but kind all the same. And it does seem ironic that Meier would see him that way."

"And speaking of cakes, I found a recipe for something called a red velvet cake. Would you care to give it a try?"

"'Red velvet cake'? Hmmm... I've never been much of a baker, but I'll happily try it," Doris paused to sip her tea, her thoughts coming back to Charlotte's original question about D.

"I'm very, very grateful to him, you know? To a point that I can't really express. I'm not stupid enough to follow the same teachings on the Nobility since I've met him--and even less once I met his family..."

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