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The instructions left for Tammy the evening before had been strange, but she had quickly learned that to be par for the course in her new life. As she sat in the passenger seat of her sire’s car, awkwardly in a blue floral dress with her hair down and legs crossed, she stared out the window as they pulled into the parking lot of a large white building with wall height glass windows lining the front entrance. Tammy thought back to what her sire had said at the beginning of the drive over, the tone of his voice even but hiding a thinly veiled threat. “This evening I have called upon a favor owed to me by an acquaintance of mine. We will be in her domain for the duration of the evening and you will treat her with the same respect you would give me. Any missteps will not be tolerated, Miss King. You have not met any other kindred before now, but I am sure you remember how you are supposed to act around them.”
A sense of fear fell over her for the remainder of the drive and Tammy began to worry about getting something wrong tonight. Zacharias had become less tolerant of errors after her embrace, showing her a side to him she had never seen at the University. No matter how hard she tried there were things she just didn’t quite grasp well enough for his liking, and other issues she couldn’t seem to resolve. The one they were at odds most often for was her distaste for blood, and her inability thus far to find her feeding preference. Every failed hunt would be another lecture, another reminder of the importance of discovering her preference. The past month and a half had seen this cycle repeat ad nauseam, and Tammy feared yet another lecture from her sire… or worse. She had only seen it once, but she quickly learned his anger was to be feared, and that she should do her best to not be on the receiving end of it.
The two Ventrue stepped out of the car and Zacharias led his childe into the building and through a large, opulent lobby. The difference between the two were clear to see, as while Tammy walked awkwardly behind him, her sire guided her confidently with purpose and grace. She felt out of place here, everything was too nice and too perfectly arranged. Tammy began to wonder if one day she would find herself able to present herself like Zacharias did as they walked into a hallway where a tall, dark skinned woman with long curly brown hair awaited them. She was dressed in a tight fitting shoulderless black dress that showed off her curvaceous figure very well and heels tall enough that she towered over Tammy’s sire as the two met with a handshake. "Zacharias dear, so good of you to visit. It's been quite some time since your last." She peeked over Zacharias' shoulder down at the nervous redhead behind him. Tammy was holding her hands behind her awkwardly as she watched in silence, her eyes meeting the gaze of the woman. "You must be that lovely little fledgling I've heard so much about from precious Zacharias here!" The woman maneuvered past Tammy's sire to get a better look at Tammy as Tammy gazes up in awe. "I say Z, are you sure she's a Ventrue? She's almost too cute for a blue blood, I guess she gets that from you." The lady gives Zacharias a grin and a wink before holding a hand out for Tammy. "Caroline Maxwell, I look forward to working with you tonight."
Tammy took the hand in a shake, glancing at her sire who nodded for her to go ahead with her introduction. "T..Tammy. Tammy King. It's a pleasure to meet you, madam." Her voice isn't much more than a whisper, but it's loud enough to be heard by everyone present. Caroline gives a hearty laugh at Tammy's introduction, leaving the young Ventrue confused as she looks between her and Zacharias. Her sire looks unamused but Tammy isn't sure who his expression is aimed towards. Caroline lets go of her hand and pats her on the shoulder, still laughing.
"Now I haven't been called madam in…" Caroline trails off, pretending to think for a moment before glancing over at the stern man beside her. "I see why you brought her to me first, this girl has no confidence. Let’s see what we can do about that, shall we?" Tammy looks down at her hands as the ancillae talk. She was rather nervous, as this was the first other kindred she had met since her embrace. This was as much a test as it was a visit, and if she messed anything up, her sire would be sure to let her know immediately after leaving. Tammy wanted him to be satisfied with her performance tonight, but she knew those were lofty goals to reach. “Follow me, you two. Let’s get you measured, little Miss Tammy.” Caroline led the two into a large empty studio room with chairs set up along the wall. Midway in the room was another wall dividing the room in half with what seemed to be a fitting room behind the curtain leading past the wall. Zacharias sat in one of the metal chairs along the wall as Caroline led Tammy behind the curtain into the fitting room. “Now, I’ll need to get your measurements so I can see what I have to work with. Which means…” The elder kindred smirks as she gestures to the affront to fashion the young Ventrue entered the building wearing. “This will need to go.”
As Tammy tries to find an excuse to not remove the dress, Caroline turns around to pick up the cloth tape measure on one of the makeup stations. “Can’t we just do it with-” Her question is interrupted with Caroline stepping behind her and unzipping the dress, patience wearing thin. A blush rising to her face, Tammy covers it with her hands as Caroline slides the sleeves off of her arms and the fabric falls to the floor. Left in the room in just her undergarments, Tammy peeks through her hands towards the curtain. Her voice emerges as only a whisper, a question burning in her mind. “He can’t see through it, right?”
Caroline laughs once more, moving the Ventrue’s hands from her face and cupping her cheek in her hand instead. “Oh you’re so precious. So tiny, so demure. Is the little Ventrue afraid for her sire to see her panties?” The nod of Tammy’s head in her hands is all the recognition Caroline needs as she drops her face and proceeds to take her measurements. She guides the Ventrue through how she needs her to stand and as she finishes up she grins from her spot behind the Ventrue before taking Tammy’s waistband in a fingertip before pulling it back and letting it snap. “I do believe it’s more than just your outer wardrobe that needs an upgrade, dear girl. Don’t you want to… impress him?”
A surprised shriek comes from Tammy as she turns her head around to look back at Caroline who has moved onto looking through clothing racks and comparing colors. “Impress him? Miss Maxwell I think you’ve got it all wrong. I’m not-” Tammy’s words are rushed, embarrassment further taking root in the back of her mind while a light chuckle comes from Caroline’s direction.
“Are you trying to say you don’t have a crush on him? If you want me to believe that then you’ll have to prove it. Maybe stop blindly following him like a lost puppy. It’s not the first time I’ve seen this happen, and it won’t be the last.” The toreador brings over an emerald green blouse and beige slacks as Tammy attempts to cover as much of herself as she can with her arms. “We can start with something simple, go ahead and try this on and then step out for Zacharias to see.” Caroline returns to the racks of clothing as Tammy slips into the slacks and blouse.
Immediately Tammy notices things about the outfit she doesn’t like. The blouse feels as if it is too small, as the sleeves cling to her arms and her bust sits uncomfortably in the tight garment. Even still, she obeys Caroline and steps out to face her sire’s judgment. He is staring at his watch as she emerges from behind the curtain, only taking his eyes from it for a second to look at Tammy before shaking his head. “Try again.” Zacharias waves his hand to dismiss her as his attention once again turns away from his childe. As Tammy returns behind the curtain she’s handed a pale pink strapless dress as Caroline double takes at the first outfit and immediately shakes her head in disapproval as well.
The next hour goes by in a similar fashion, each and every outfit given minimal interest at best and scathing reviews at worst. As the time passes it seems as if Zacharias somehow has less interest than he did at the start, and his patience seems to be wearing thin. As all three kindred become more exasperated at each attempt, Caroline brings Tammy a long black single shoulder gown and a pair of rather tall high heels. Exhausted by the constant clothes changes for the past hour, Tammy only raises an eyebrow as the heels are placed in her hands. Without the energy to admit she can’t walk in heels, Tammy simply obeys and changes. Stepping out very timidly in the heels, Tammy enters the adjacent room in silence as Zacharias takes in the sight in front of him. Right when Zacharias begins to speak, Tammy stumbles on her heels and falls directly to the floor, a soft groan of pain escaping her lips. From her place on the floor, she hears her sire sigh loudly as footsteps trailing away from where he sat suggests the man has stepped away from the room. “This is hopeless, everything we try is wrong.” Pulling herself off the floor, Tammy stumbles back behind the curtain on the heels like a newborn lamb where Caroline is waiting to dust her off.
“There’s a few more we can try, maybe one will work out. All we need is to discern a style, something the two of you can agree on.” Caroline unclasps the dress as Tammy slips out of the heels, holding onto the toreador beside her. "Zacharias has always been a stickler for functionality over form, I don't think I've ever seen him wear anything other than those suits. It's a shame, I'm sure he'd look fabulous in something more casual…" Once Tammy has slipped out of the dress and handed it back to Caroline with the high heels, the toreador walks back over to hang it up while making sure to walk in a way to show off her ability to walk in heels even higher than the ones Tammy wore, a smirk evident on her face.
After a few minutes of waiting for Caroline to bring out another set of clothing, Tammy hears the door to the adjacent room open and Zacharias walking back inside. A few moments after the footsteps stop, Caroline returns with a black skirt suit and a white dress shirt. "A bit stuffy but it might be more to his tastes. Go ahead and try it, Tammy." A few minutes later when she finally was in the suit Tammy had a very slight smile as she looked down at herself. Stuffy was definitely the right word for how it felt, but there was something else to it as well. Though she kept pulling the skirt down, feeling uncomfortable showing her legs, there was something about the ensemble that felt comforting. Slipping into a pair of flats, she stepped out with an uncertain expression on her face as Zacharias looked up at her.
For the first time tonight, Zacharias doesn't immediately critique the apparel. Instead he nods, raising an eyebrow. "What do you think, childe? It seems as if you have something to say about it." As Tammy hesitates and pulls down on the skirt self consciously, he frowns. "Speak up, Miss King. If you have an issue with it you should let us know. Your opinion matters as well, given you will be the one wearing the clothing."
Tammy nods as she fidgets with the hem of the skirt, the edges of her mouth forming a frown as no matter how she tries the skirt sits above her knees. A hint of anxiety can be heard in her voice as she speaks her mind through the fear of doing so. "I think I'd be more comfortable in pants, sir." She changes focus to her sire as she speaks, having remembered nearly too late his rule of always giving him her attention when she addressed him. Zacharias seems a bit more forgiving this time as his attention instead turns to Caroline who goes back behind the curtain, mumbling to herself as she looks to see if she has a fitting pantsuit for Tammy to try.
Her sire shakes his head as Caroline leaves, taking another look at his childe standing before him. "I don't see why Caroline didn't just have you try something like this to start with, but I suppose a lady cannot wear only suits, especially to more formal functions. I am afraid you will have to accept that, though I am certain we can find something that will suit you when the time comes." Before Zacharias can make any further comments, Caroline pulls Tammy back through the curtain and presents her with a dark blue pantsuit and black dress shirt. Tammy changes as quickly as she can, eager to replace the skirt with the pants.
Almost immediately Tammy relaxes as she puts on the new jacket and Caroline helps her with her collar. She smiles up at the toreador who gives her a wink before moving behind her and tying her long hair in a braid. "I think it'd look quite nice like this, a bit more professional." Tammy saw no reason to argue, especially since the constant changing of clothes was starting to make her hair unmanageable. Caroline leaned in as she braided, her voice lowered to a whisper. “You look good darling, though the choice of a suit feels so very typical of a Ventrue. Maybe Zacharias picked a childe more like himself than he thought.” Caroline puts her hand on Tammy’s shoulder and guides her out to where Zacharias sits waiting. “Well, Zacharias? Is this more… suitable?” Tammy holds her lips tightly closed in an attempt to not laugh at the pun as Zacharias sighs and stands as the two enter.
Tammy’s sire approaches the two of them and circles Tammy in an attempt to better see the end result of Caroline’s work. “Much better indeed. I take it that you are more comfortable in this, childe?” Zacharias doesn’t wait for an answer before making small adjustments from behind her. He adjusts the collar on the coat as well as fastens the top button of Tammy’s dress shirt that Caroline had left unbuttoned on purpose. As he circles around to look at his childe face to face, Zacharias shakes his head. “It feels as if something is off. Something is missing…” In a swift motion he unties his own tie and leans down slightly, fixing it around Tammy’s neck before smoothing down the collar once more and stepping back. “Yes, this will do nicely. Come see for yourself, Miss King.”
Caroline guides her to a full length mirror for Tammy to look into and as she does so Tammy’s face illuminates into a blush. It was almost as if she was an entirely new person from the one that stepped into the studio. She looked confident, well dressed and well equipped for anything this new life would bring. She smiled into the mirror, reflecting back at Caroline and Zacharias standing next to her. “I think it’s perfect, sire. Miss Maxwell, t-thank you for your time this evening. I really appreciate it.” Tammy turns back to face the elder kindred as she speaks, giving a rough bow in thanks.
“My pleasure, little noble. Keep the suit, as a gift to celebrate your embrace. My girls don’t wear things like that nearly as often. It won’t be missed.” Caroline steps back and looks between the two Ventrue, a grin plastered on her face. “Look at the two of you, what a lovely pair of sire and childe, ready to take on the world. I won’t keep you much longer, I know your sire is a rather busy man and I’m sure he has plenty for you to learn. Don’t be afraid to drop by again, maybe next time I can get good old Zachie to wear more color than just his ties.”
Zacharias puts his hand on Tammy’s shoulder while glaring at Caroline, clearly done with her shenanigans for one night. “That is not my name, Miss Maxwell. If you are going to address me, do it correctly. Childe, we are leaving. We have more to get done and have spent plenty of the night here already.” The young Ventrue gives one final wave as her sire leads her out of the door and back to the car silently. As the two prepare to drive off, Zacharias looks over at his young childe in the passenger seat. “Satisfactory performance with Miss Maxwell, though she was correct in pointing out your timidity. That can be fixed with more practice, however. For the little time you have had to become accustomed to this life, you are adjusting well enough. Still, I see we have much work to do and not much time to do it. We will begin right away when we return to the haven.”
Tammy smiled at the praise from her sire, this being the first time she’s gotten a somewhat positive review from him in the entire time she had been embraced. Perhaps she would get better at it over time, and she just needed the guidance and help to grow into the confident Ventrue her sire wanted her to be. Under his watch, Tammy was sure she would succeed, no matter how many tries it took. “Understood, Zacharias.”