Daina wasn’t sure why she was being forced to go with her cousin to see their “new” neighbor. Sookie was the one who offered to help the vampire by calling contractors during the day, which was stupid in her opinion ever since the vampires all came out of the coffin every form of business had extended their open hours to cater to the after dark set. If this guy couldn’t get a hold of one contractor then all he had to do was thumb through the phonebook and call a different one who wasn’t afraid to make money. Now instead of waiting for the schmuck who couldn’t handle his own affairs even after being alive for longer than their gran to come looking for the information they were both walking across the old cemetery towards his home. Sookie had been planning to make this little trek alone, but gran had put a stop to that and insisted that since none of them really knew this Mr. Compton that they should both go together. She wasn’t overly sure what her presence was supposed to stop if things went sideways with old fang face but she was a dutiful granddaughter on occasion so here she was stomping amongst the tombstones.

“You don’t have to come with me if you’re so upset about it.” Her cousin’s bubbly attitude had taken a bit of a dive when gran had announced the idea of her playing tag along. She was starting to think that maybe Sookie was a little sweet on the old geezer and she wasn’t much for a third wheel for company. Gross.

“Oh yeah, I’ll just go back home without you and when gran gives me a disappointed look I’ll just tell her that the vamp ate you. So sorry I tried but hey at least you still have me. That should go over well.”

“I didn’t make you come.” Now they were both starting to sulk a bit, they were well on their way towards making a stellar impression. Not that she much cared what an undead deadbeat thought about her but if gran caught wind of them bickering on a neighbors front porch they would both be feeling the off book use for her wooden spoon. You were never too old to feel the sting of that particular kitchen aid.

“No gran did so now we’re both stuck, let’s just get this over with.” At least she hadn’t shoved a pie in their hands before shooing them out the door, how embarrassing would that have been. 

Finally reaching the other side of the clearing they looked at the only other house on their particular lane. It also happened to be the only house in Bon Temp that was more run down than grans, but she tried not to judge too harshly. Old Jesse Compton had done the best he could but in his twilight years money had gotten tight and his mind had begun to wonder. 

She fell a little behind when she noticed two others on the front steps of Compton’s place and whoever they were, they were not locals. The woman was lith and mean looking in her gold lycra top looking like a character out of Foxy Brown. Someone was stuck in the 70’s and not in a nostalgic, born in the wrong era kind of way. The man next to her was wearing a billowing red shirt open almost to his belly button, the come hither vibes weren’t really working for either of them in her opinion. They looked like the types who wanted to look like pulling in a good fuck was effortless while at the same time they were putting in twice the effort for half the benefits. Everything about them from head to toe screamed vampire and her fool cousin just kept walking like being outnumbered here was nothing to worry about. 

“Sookie, maybe we should turn back.” She wasn’t sure that trying to escape would even work since it had taken them both so long to notice their audience and they hadn’t been exactly stealthy on their way over but she had to try.

“What why? We haven’t even seen Bill yet.” At least little miss helpful had been smart enough to keep their conversation for their ears only the last thing they needed at the moment was anyone’s curiosity getting stirred.

“No we haven’t but I do see some unexpected guests and I would hate to intrude.”

“Daina don’t be silly. They won’t hurt us.”

“How do you know that? I don’t know that so that means you don’t know it either.” Sometimes she envied her sweet cousin for her blind faith in humanity and sometimes she cursed her for refusing to see the reality right in front of her. Now was one of those latter times. The last thing that should be taken on faith is the inherent goodness of their fellow man, fangs or no fangs.

“Daina don’t be rude, just because they’re vampires-”

“This has nothing to do with them being vamps Sook and everything to do with the fact that we are showing up uninvited to a house in the middle of the night, a house that is apparently more filled with strangers than we first thought it would be. I wouldn’t care if they were vamps, humans, werewolves, or martians. I would still react the same way. If Bill is here and the two on the porch are the only ones that dropped by that still leaves us outnumbered and I refused to die in a shithole like this rickety ass old hellscape. Even if the vamps don’t get us the tetanus might. Let’s go home.” Maybe this was why gran had insisted that she come along, at least one person in this little party had to have some common sense and that person sure as fuck wasn’t Sookie.

Grabbing her by the arm she turned to start dragging her back across the cemetery willing to listen to the tolerance lecture the whole way back if it meant they started moving in the right direction. Sookie didn’t pull back or really resist though the running commentary on her lack of manners and how she should have stayed home started up right away. 

They made it barely a handful of steps before shirt boy and the chick with the hair were standing in front of them fangs on full display. No real aggression yet, just a not so subtle display of otherness to put them on edge. Great just what she was trying to avoid the supernatural equivalent of a dick measuring contest. 

“Leaving so soon.”

“Yeah, we didn’t realize that Bill had company we would have called first but just our luck he doesn’t have a phone.” 

“No need to rush off, we don’t mind entertaining guests.” The soft emphasis on entertaining made it clear that they were meant to be the entertainment. Somehow she doubted either of these two ever gave any consideration to the idea of “mainstreaming” and it would take an act of God to get them to even fake it.

The two started to crowd in on them from the front leaving them two options. Either try to fight their way past them to run for the house or turn back towards the Compton place and take their chances. She was still weighing her options when Sookie’s stubborn streak finally reared back and bit them both in the ass. Smiling her best sunday smile she slathered on the southern charm to try and cover what she still saw as a social faux pas. 

“It’s nice to meet you both, we were just stopping by to talk to Bill for a second then we’ll be out of your hair.”

“My aren’t you sweet.” 

Sookie didn’t seem to hear the malice in those four words but she did. Foxy wanted to taste just how sweet Sookie was, she was practically salivating in anticipation. 

How in the world did her cousin always land herself in these kinds of situations and why were she or Jason always along for the ride. Sometimes life just wasn’t fair. Stomping her way back towards Bill’s house she frantically tried to come up with a way to get them both back home safe that wouldn’t involve any of her hereditary extras coming into things. The last thing she needed was to draw attention, the light show was always a last resort but as the house began to loom large over them both those other options began to disappear one by one until there were only two left. Either start fighting before they pass the point of no return or trust in Bill to keep them both safe.

Feeling her hands begin to heat as she called her powers up from her core she knew which option held her full support, why depend on a man when she was perfectly capable seeing them both home safely. Besides what was the worst that could happen?

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