I brought more ink - Michelle and Emily's Home

She'd called ahead this time, wanting to make sure that Michelle had the time and that preferably, she would be alone, since, well... Masquerade and everything. That and Teddy really didn't want to have to explain what it was she was actually doing.

Showing up at Michelle's room again, bag over her shoulder, the blond tapped her knuckles on the door.

Michelle opened the door softly, with a bright smile and a finger raised to lips. She looked happy to see the German girl, and stepped to the side to allow her entry. "The girls are asleep. It is no problem, though. We will just take it to my room, next door." She explained, reaching out to take the girl by the hand, and quietly shut the door behind her.

Michelle had a large fluffy white towel wrapped around her upper torso, covering her chest and ending just about mid thigh. The work they had to do, this evening, required and open access to the whole left side of her upper torso... from back to front, so she was 'dressed' appropriately for the occasion. Her long raven black hair lay behind her back, which allowed for easy viewing of the previous work that Teddy had done.

Teddy, bag resting on her shoulder, just gave a quiet nod and followed Michelle's lead into the next room as quietly as could be, not wanting to wake up the girls after all.
"No problem" she whispered softly with a smile at her. "At least this work is quiet" compared to, say, Fleshcrafting. Which she couldn't quite picture quiet in any way.

She just nodded to the words, and beamed at the other woman. With hand in hand, she lead the woman to a door on wall of the living room that was partially cracked open. It was key card protected, which was not an issue at the moment. She opened it fully.. into a room that was pretty much identical to the small house that they had previously been in. Big fancy hotel rooms, for the win. Might as well be condos.

Once the pair were in, she shut the door fully behind the woman, the soft click of an electronic lock ensured privacy... at least, there would be warning of key card entry clicks.. should Emily or Sarah wake up and come looking for Michelle. She turned them, and quickly wrapped the blonde haired woman up in a hug. It was cold, as dead flesh is, but the gesture was warm. "How have you been?" She asked, with a raised and normal tone, now.

The hug was returned by the Caitiff's own warm embrace which stood in contrast to Michelle's warmth.

"I've been... good" Teddy smiled at her. "There's always something going on, but i can't complain" not really. Not when the good by far outweighed the bad.
"What about yourself? You been doing alright? Any word from the higher ups yet?" she asked, sounding a bit worried. Because facing possible death? Yeah, you got to be worried about that.

"Nothing. Not a peep." she frowned, lightly pulling away from the girl and moving off towards the bedroom. Nothing was special or unique about the place. Just standard stuff, looked hardly touched. Well furnished.. pretty and comfortable, but 'normal', for a high class and high cost hotel room. "Its kind of bugging me, but I guess I shouldn't complain. Every bit of extra time I spend with my girls, is a blessing, with such possibilities looming overhead."

She did smile at that, a little bit, as she moved to the bed and had a seat, legs crossing lightly over each other at the knees. Her dark gaze lifted to the other woman, once again. "I had to go to Christine's place. That was a whole lot of fun.." though her tone said anything but.

"I'm sorry.." Teddy offered softly, moving to set her bag down and organizing her things on the nearby table just as methodical and swiftly as she'd done the last time, still with the same care. "It can't be easy having to wait like that and knowing nothing one way or another"
A part of her wanted to ask about the meeting with Primogen Lowrey but.. it wasn't really any of her business, Harpy or not. She didn't like to pry, she really didn't.

"For what it's worth, it gives you time" and time, when you were running out of it, was precious indeed.

She nodded softly, watching the girl work, as she had done previously. She was fascinated and it showed in her attentive gaze. But she continued to speak, as well.

"I could not agree more." she said honestly. Her hands came to lay in her lap, long legs mostly exposed, yet her sitting position and towel covered her up just barely, for now. "It is .. whimsical, don't you think? An immortal being, concerned for it's life. And honestly, it is not that I am afraid of death.. just of leaving my girls behind, alone." Three girls, plus her ghouls still waiting on her to summon them to her, from Italy. Her sire was looking after them, for now.. but still... she missed them, and hoped this could all be resolved positively, soon, so she could have them here with her.

"Miss Lowrey, is obviously upset with me. Though I thought I might have been able to at least get the opportunity to apologize to her. She didnt wish to see me, but I had to go to her place anyways, to pick up my Lambo. I had left it there, after out last ... encounter." She used that word really loosely. "So... I set up and appointment to pick it up. I got there early, only to soon have Grant's presence soon join me." she light shook her head. She was obviously open to speaking upon it, a little bit.

Which was good. If she wanted to talk the blond would listen, but she still wouldn't pry.
"At least you're here" she smiled gently, setting up and mixing the inks. Though in all fairness, they were only base colours. She didn't mix shades, she hadn't the last time either. The shades just kind of happened when she worked it would seem. "And not in someone's care.." you know, staked.

"I wouldn't all it whimsical to be worried about dying. Most being wants to live, why should you be any different, regardless of the reason for wanting to live" the small bowl of crimson was finished and set aside before the blue was worked out.

She nodded again, apparently agreeing with the words the woman spoke. "The man is silly, to say the least. He started to try to pry... specifics.. out of me, about the reasoning I am in so much trouble. Trying to get information, that I was not willing to give. I told him such.. that if he wanted details, he would have to go to the source. Not my source, but some other source. That if he wanted to know the truth, he would have to seek it out for himself." she rolled her eyes. "Next thing you know, out come Christine, demanding I get off her property... which I had been waiting patiently outside of for around twenty minutes." she shook her head. "She pointed out my car... so I took my leave."

"I guess ti was silly, to think that problems could be worked out with someone so old. Once they get a grudge, they hold onto it and listen to noone but themselves, I suppose." she shrugged. "Either which way, I got my Aventador back, tried to make peace, and did not argue when I was 'tossed' out. So I guess it went alright, but most definitely could have gone better."

Blue, green, yellow was placed next to the red as she worked out the basic black.
"I see... sounds frustrating" she offered sympathetically. "I'm sorry I can't do much to help" she rarely could do much to help actually. "I've never had much to do with the Ventrue, I'm generally not enough to even make a bleep on their radar" though, she'd gotten along surprisingly well with John actually. Weird.

"I really am hoping this will be worked out without any drastic measures being taken" Teddy said, placing out brushes before getting to her feet to go fetch towels and a bowl of temperate water from the bathroom. "Even if you'll be without representation"
Been there, done that. It was tough but not impossible.

"I am Lasombra. A lack of representation is not foreign to me, honestly. I have been without such, for a long long time." she offered in return. "Besides, there is almost always someone who wants a piece of what I can offer. It's why Chrisitine accepted my request, after all. To use me however she felt fit." her eyes looked off to a wall. "I am no tool." she muttered.

"So no... a lack of representation does not bother me. I am used to living on the outside of things, keeping my head down. I will return to such, again, if possible. I have already, honestly." she said with an absent shrug. "I am not telling you all this, in some plot to gain sympathy, Teddy. Just... I dunno, offloading to a friend. But maybe I shouldnt..." she looked back over, apologetically. "Sorry."

She then stood slowly, "How did you want to do this? My whole side exposed to you, or just parts at a time?"

"I'm a Caitiff, Michelle" the blond smiled up at her. "I know where you're coming from better than most" been kicked around enough to learn, to know, what it meant to be considered disposable. She'd always been used to being good enough as long as she kept up appearances and easily dismissed should someone no longer like her or simply want her gone. It had happened, though not as of yet in a way to leave her permanently scarred.
Still around! That counted.

She paused and briefly looked her over as if thinking.
"Whatever works for you is fine with me. Just make yourself comfortable really" regardless of the Lasombra previously having stated that she didn't worry too much about things like getting tired or needing breaks and so on. Still, it mattered to the blond.

She nodded, and tilted her head. She moved up to the woman, and turned perfectly to the side, aiming to give the artist a perfect access to the canvas. Her hands and arms moved carefully to remove the towel, while right arm covered over her breasts. Sure, the girl could see her rump, maybe a bit of side boob, but the angle of her stance made that all. Left arm came up, raised and hand behind her head, to allow complete access. She looked off... thoughtful.

"I think it would be nice, to be Caitiff. To not have any expectations, other than you are simply a kindred. Noone hates you because you belong to a family that they dont like... they typically just ignorantly ignore you, even if that is accompanied by disdain. Sure, it doesnt exactly offer the protection of a set family, or a whole lot of guidance, but you can gain such on your own.. as I am certain you already have." she smiled a bit. "I think that would be a lovely life, indeed."

"You get to be hated in a whole new way" the blond laughed softly, pulling up a chair and making herself comfortable as she picked up the brush and dipped it in the first ink. "You get to be the person people think they can get away with kicking around, the one no one will miss if you screw up or if they decide they don't like you" though she said it with a smile. Really, it took a lot to actually upset her properly.
"Don't get me wrong. I am what I am and I'm okay with it. but i had no choice getting thrown into this life. The choice was made for me and I was left to fend for myself" the brush moved over the woman's skin with that same light touch as last time. Patterns and colour appearing in it's wake as if my magic. "A lot of Caitiffs don't make it. They crack... or they're disposed of... Even this day and age, we're viewed almost as if a sub species of vampire by a lot of people. It takes a certain kind of mindset to be able to deal with that without turning into a beaten, broken shell"

"I think they have it all wrong, honestly" She smiled. "I think that Caitiff are the closest thing to proper vampires, than anyone could ever realize." She shifted a bit, under the feel of the brush against her skin, but quickly settled.

"Think about it. Caine was supposedly the first vampire. But he was not a Lasombra.. he was not a Ventrue... nor was he any other classification or family of vampires. Neither were his first children. They were simply vampires. Whole and complete. It wasnt until the children of his children rose against them, that division were made. Names to accompany households.. flaws arising within each, to better distinct between themselves. But we are all broken, and incomplete. We have to expand into each other's abilities, in order to become more whole again."

She glanced to her. "Not you. You can do whatever you want.. no restrictions, as it was meant to be. And because of that, others are jeleous.. fearful.. hateful. It is pathetic, really. But then again, kindred more often than not seem to be selfish and petty creatures. I am not excluded from that, from time to time." she nodded.

"But the closer one is to being like the dark father, or dark mother, the more whole they are. The more then understand. The more complete their existence. We were not put on this earth to be a plague and separated from humans. We all WERE human. No. I think we are here to guide them.. as we once did, so very long ago. Sure, they are a food sources, but that doesnt mean they have to be afraid of us, nor us be monsters to them. It is all a form of control.. bred into our brains, of centuries and thousands of years of paranoid delusions. It is our separation and fear, that keep us from achieving great things, as a single unit on this planet. Holds us back, and leads to our certain destruction."

She smiled. "Anyone who thinks little of you, is a myopic fool. Not worth your time."

While Michelle spoke, the brush continued to flow across her skin, only ever leaving it to be cleaned in water and the ink replaced with fresh one.

"I'm generally not worth anyone's time" the Caitiff said, dipping the brush in the yellow ink before returning the touch of it to the woman's skin. "This place has been different in that aspect. I've been treated as an equal by most and I've honestly had a hard time trying to figure it out" but could you blame her when, for the most part, she was considered dirt under someone's shoe at best?

"i like being human. Or well, as human as I can still be" which was more human than most vampires actually. "I don't see why some decide to force difference between mortal, vampire, ghoul... we were, as you said, all once human. Why do some think so little of that which we once were now that they've been turned?" why did people treat Ghouls as if slaves when they were living thinking beings with emotions? She could not and would not understand that, ever.

"I am what I am. I've never tried to be anything other than what I am. But the truth of the matter? I never wanted to be this..." no choice, remember?

"I think that what we want, is not relevant, ultimately. Fate.. destiny. Those are what guide us, invisibly, through every motion we make." she smiled.

"I wanted this.. I asked for it, honestly. Human years are so short and fleeting. Sure, it leads to the beauty that is being mortal, but as this.. we have a chance to do great and lasting things. Granted, I never expected to meet Kelly.. or Sarah.. or Emily, but I did.. so now all I can do is what I think is the best thing. Trying to raise Sarah in an environment filled with love and happiness. Trying to give Emily inner strength, and help her realize her full potential.. which is great. To give Kelly a means to escape her poisoned and off track life.. to give her a sense of purpose and drive to be better than her upbringing and circumstances."

"I am no angel. There is a darkness within me, that bites at me constantly. The abyss is not friendly, nor is it kind or caring. But I place myself within it, to attempt to keep it in check, even if only by small measures. Every little bit helps, I think. And while becoming a master of it, will likely never happen... I refuse to sit back idly and let it consume at will. It has to be directed." She stared off, kind of distantly. "But one would think that oppression from the forces I partake in, would be enough.. but I have come to realize that I am oppressed from all sides, even if my intentions are well."

She sighed, looking back to Teddy. "I guess I just want you to know.. that I understand you, better than we both may even realize. Different styles.. different circumstance, but I am kind of like you. I am not a bad person... just misunderstood, I think. Unfortunately... I am forbidden from trying to fully make others understand m purpose and methods."

SHe shrugged. "And so the circle begins over and over again.. more of a spiral steadily downwards, I think.

"Maybe it's faith... if I hadn't been turned like I was, i never would've met Medwyn... I traveled across the world to meet someone from home that I otherwise would never even have known existed. So I guess I can believe in faith" Teddy nodded slowly as she worked, tilting her head slightly to look at what she was doing, working out a few of the details.
But, while Michelle said she wasn't a bad person... Teddy never said she, herself, was a good person... she tried to be but... she wasn't always so sure that she was.

"We all have a Beast to battle, darkness that wants to drag us down and turn us into monsters. Fighting it is all any of us can do. It's what we should do" in the Caitiff's opinion. "It's an admirable quality, wanting to be better.. wanting to do something good out of this existence"

Michelle nodded. "Faith. But faith alone is not enough. There are too many traps and lures, to pull people away from what is the right and proper thing to do. Faith is nice, but action means everything. And sometimes.. the faithful and devout have to try to take actions into their own hands, in order to try to pull something from nothing, I think." she shrugged. "I am trying to do that... to actually make a change. A lasting one, not just for myself.. not just for te domain.. but far far reaching."

She giggled a bit. "Reaching for the stars, I suppose."

"You should always reach for the stars" the blond smiled approvingly. "There's no other way to live"
Even the Caitiff tried to aim high, even if for the most part her goals were relatively modest. She did have goals that were, as of yet, far beyond her reach. Didn't mean she wouldn't continue reaching for them though. Regardless of what others might think.

"Turn, sliiightly" she gave Michelle a tiny nudge so she moved no more than half an inch and then continued the brush strokes. "Better to have goals, hopes and dreams than just accept the status quo, isn't it?"

She turned easily, with a small giggle at the girl's forcefulness. Tiny as it was, it was there. A real artist, with real demands. She moved, happily, exactly as the other wanted. "I think the status quo, is a bunch of bullshit. Almost always, the quo is repressive to true growth and creativity."

"Stagnation kills" even their kind, as enduring as they were, fell victim to that as most others did. "Which is why people need to keep evolving. The Elders just keeps getting older, and if you lag being you're eventually left behind because nothing can stay the same forever without withering"

"I refuse to be my age. I know far too well, that the older a kindred gets, the more set in it's ways. Lingering to past thoughts and beliefs. Styles and ideas. Grasping desperately to keep things around you, as they were. Clinging desperately to outdated methods and thoughts. Do not get me wrong, it is always good to keep who you were and are close to your heart. Never forget your roots, but dont become absorbed by those roots. The world is ever changing, rapidly. Must faster than when the eldest of our kind were around. The last hundred years of progression alone, is far beyond what was seen for thousands upon thousands of years."

She pondered. "Still.. there are things to learn, from the ways of old. Magic and mysticism ruled, long ago. Much of it.. gone from the world. But great strength can be found by discovering the ways of old, and finding modern day applications for them."

"Mmmm..." she chewed on her lip softly for a moment. "I don't know too much, but I know this, shit is fucked up?" she said with a slight chuckle as she looked up at Michelle for a moment.
"I'm just a brat" Teddy shrugged. "Too young to feel any connection to days long gone. I believe in learning from the past, but being from the time I'm from, I believe that the only way to live is to look forward"