The year is 2020 and Seattle has quickly grown to become one of the vampiric society's finest cities.
The Camarilla rules the city with an iron fist, ensuring the survival of the Kindred, and with it, the
rule of the Masquerade: Their existence must remain a secret to humans, and the Prince of the City sits
at the top of the hierarchy, enforcing the laws of the undead.
The clans of the Camarilla fight for power: It's a game of chess and your next move might determine
the future of all. When push comes to shove, which side will you take - and as a character with the
potential to shift the game, what will your next move be?
SOME RULES ARE UNBREAKABLE
In the past few months, the rate of newly embraced vampires have skyrocketed - most of which has
not been sanctioned by Prince Algernon: The Camarilla have worked day and night trying to track
down the one's responsible, but where one lead ends, another begins. Unable to figure out the culprits
behind the mass-embrace, the Camarilla finds itself caught between trying to restore power and ensuring
that the laws of the Masquerade are not broken - again.
A Blood Hunt has been called, and the Scourge has been sent out - and so the Caitiff are being hunted
down: Nothing but Final Death awaits them.
Or at least a slow moment. It was weird though: while she wasn’t against the occasional break, she also didn’t want business to stop. A complicated mess but she had to make do with what she had. She couldn’t run out and start pulling people off the street. Wouldn’t exactly be the best thing for the store in the long run.
Rebecca let a subtle sigh out through her nose and checked her phone behind the counter. Not many texts from her friends: most were busy enough as it was prior to lunch. What customers were in the store had already made their purchases and left, or stole a seat from one of the small tables. That had been a good investment. They didn’t have too much seating in the smaller-end store, but she’d insisted on getting comfortable chairs for what they did have.
Her gaze lazily trailed along the few regulars who tended to park themselves in their select spots. She wasn’t even aware of the fact she’d started idly spinning her phone between her fingers. Not until it hit the counter with a harder than normal thud as the entrance bell rang.
Rebecca straightened up amongst the many flowers and pastries that lined the walls and displays around her. I don’t recognize this one. New to the city? Or simply new to their little corner? Either way the smile easily grew across her face as she subtly slide the phone off to the side. One small fix to her uniform shirt and she could even fool her mom into believing she was a functioning adult.
Bellamy loved sugary sweets: In fact, she loved most sweets, sweet or otherwise, and ever since she had moved to Seattle, she had searched the city for every bakery or similar to test which she liked the best: She liked them all. But that hardly stopped her from trying out new places: After all, it seemed as if most of the shops she'd been to specialized in a few items that they were better at making than other shops.
Which made it all the more exciting to try out every single item on their list.
As she walked into the small shop she had picked out the day before, green eyes widened in awe: It wasn't just a simple bakery. Oh no, it had flowers too - nice smelling flowers at that.
Even as she stepped up to the counter she couldn't drag her eyes away: There was too much to look at and it felt as if she didn't have the time to look at it all. Her eyes darted left and right before finally, turning forward as a voice broke through the steady stream of thoughts that flooded her mind.
Focusing on the petite brunette in front of her, a smile spread across Bell's lips, amusement flaring in her green eyes. "Biscuit Bouquet." She repeated and as if tasting the words, she said it one more under her breath. "That is the perfect name." It really was. "Like a bouquet filled with delicious treats." Now, that would have been a way better gift than roses. Glancing at the treats on display, Bell pursed her lips as she looked them all over.
"Which ones would you recommend?" She asked, not lifting her gaze. "The more sugar and the more unhealthy, the better." She quickly added with a tinge of childish glee lacing her tone: She could feel her mouth watering already.
Now this was exactly the type of customer she loved. One with genuine excitement. Rebecca’s smile gained a bit more quirk to it, and she couldn’t help but titter.
“Actually you’re in luck.” She said with a small tap tap to the counter top. The same hand pointed behind her towards the chalkboards hanging up on the wall. “The ‘Biscuit Bouquet’ option is exactly that: a bouquet of your favorite treats. It comes in four different sizes: six, ten, and fourteen.” as she spoke she indicated the different price ranges. Then tapped on the display with an easy smile.
“So you can pick out your favorites treats: only limit is your appetite really.” And wallet, but that wasn’t as fun to vocalize.
Green eyes immediately snapped to the source of the tapping before following the motion of the hand. When Bellamy realized what she was looking at, her eyes widened. "Holy shit." She uttered, lips parting.
"Fourteen." She replied immediately without even thinking about it. It wasn't a hard choice, after all. Had the woman said anything higher, Bellamy likely would have picked that instead: She didn't even pretend to be ashamed.
But then that left the question of what to pick.
"Pick me your favorites." She looked back to the woman once more, eyebrows rising in expectation. "Seriously, if you don't, I'll be here all day asking for taste samples and you'd go bankrupt." She even added a bit of threat to her tone, if only to make sure that she knew that Bellamy would stay here. All day. All week if that's what it took.
Rebecca raised her hands up in a surrendering stance, but her expression was all mirth. “Alright, alright! If you’re really gonna twist my arm about it...”
Completely unbothered, she pulled out some paper and a glove before setting to work. “My favorite are the éclairs by far, no matter our rotation.” As she spoke she pulled out three of a kind. “Can’t go wrong with the classic chocolate and custard standard. The caramel one is really good if you have a strong sweet tooth- which is why I love it. And our triple chocolate éclair is just....I mean I hate playing favorites but it’s probably our best one. Especially for chocolate lovers.”
She moved on, piling in assorted cream puffs and cookies laden with frosting- most set in flower designs of course. “The cream puffs are also really, really good. I’ll try and sneak a few before work starts. You have your standard vanilla and chocolate in there. Then there’s the chocolate hazelnut mousse alongside our rose raspberry fool. Both fun.” She gave a thumbs up for emphasis. “The iced cookies are also one of my favorites in a mindless sort of way- reminds me of the Eat’n Park ones before they got stingy on the icing. Great if you just want something sweet and simple.”
That was eight. What else, what else. Her eyes narrowed across the range of available options as she went with her gut. “Hard to go wrong with the lavender scone. That or the green tea macaroon; people tend to really gravitate towards that. The chocolate chunk cookie is a must try. And finallyyyy...the strawberry tart.”
Finally with everything picked out she looked up towards Bellamy. “All that sound good?”
Bellamy couldn't help the grin that spread over her lips. "I'm a very sore loser." She announced victoriously.
Bellamy watched her as she pulled out the three types of éclairs. "I must be in heaven." She said, unable to pull her gaze away. They so delicious by just looking at them, Bellamy could feel her mouth start to water.
The woman continued, talking about the different types of cream puffs. Then iced cookies. She could barely wait to eat them all and knowing herself, they likely wouldn't last very long either. Still, Bellamy waited as patiently as she could, feeling her fingers twitch.
It took everything she had not to make grabby hands at the treats.
"If by good you mean I will happily go into a sugar coma, then yes. It's perfect." She offered a small chuckle. "This truly must be heaven." She quickly added, reaching for her card so she could pay for all the sugary treats. "If I die, don't call for an ambulance. One couldn't ask for a more blissful way to go." She handed over her card and lifted her gaze to grin at the woman.
This woman is a riot. It was a real treat to get these sorts in here now and then. It made the smile rest easy on Rebecca’s face.
“I won’t dissuade you from believing that. Rumors like that aren’t bad at all.” She jested as she began the meticulous process of wrapping each treat up. Not in the traditional way. Rather, she was creating an entirely convoluted creation that joined together all the treats in a big paper bouquet complete with a small cylindrical container to hold them easier.
Once finished she held out her hand for the card. “Should I throw in some pillows for extra coma comfort?” She couldn’t help but add with a lopsided smile.
Bellamy couldn't help the chuckle that found its way past her lips, "Well then," she mused. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." While treats didn't come up often in her conversations, she would tell everyone interested about this place.
Offering the card, Bellamy pursed her lips in amusement. "That depends. I'm rather picky when it comes to pillows. They have to be big, soft, but also thick. A little fluffy wouldn't hurt either."
What could she say: Bellamy enjoyed a comfortable sleep and all that usually began with the pillows. "Have any of those in stock?"
