Rubbing It In { Seph }

[Jacaranda Mulciber]

[atrb=width,450,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/Tigeress/Random/postscripts/jac_bg.jpg,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/Tigeress/Random/postscripts/jac_foot.jpg][atrb=style,background-position: bottom; background-repeat: no-repeat; padding: 2px 30px 88px 150px; text-align: justify;]Just a few last minute things. Technically she had the evening off, and the afternoon too, but Jac could never stay very far from Scores. She spent most of her waking hours there these days. The job had started out as your normal daily grind, and she worked hard to prove herself. But then she started to enjoy it, not that shedidn't enjoy working, but now there was that extra buzz. Jac had no work peers, she terrorised the staff when she ever consigned to leave her office, but there were numbers, and there was Silas. Damn, even his name made her smile, but why shouldn't she feel good? Things were going well, so wonderfully well, and she had all but forgotten it was all a farce. Tonight was going to be something special. Valentine's Day. Silas was planning something. What exactly shedidn 't know, but she was dressed and ready to go and looking pretty good. She was wearing the black and red dress bought earlier in the week especially for this occasion, the fabric loose around her hips and supportive enough around the chest that there was no need tomarr the open shoulders with bra straps. The shoes she wore were a personal triumph, high black heels with a red underside and the last pair in the store. Snatching things from under the nose of a younger more attractive woman was a particularly empowering hobby of hers. On the topic of sluts, Jac was running (strutting) an errand down in the lowest level of the building. The accountant rarely graced the strip club with her presence after the casino overhaul, but those who knew her reputation suddenly found somewhere else to be. Sashaying her way between the stages, avoiding the potential reach of the lazy drunken daytime regulars,Jac gave only a passing glance to the fine physiques of the women up on the poles. Jac was easily the jealous type, but at every perfect figure, she reminded herself that she was the one with the bigger salary, and she was the one with a powerful and wealthy man fawning over her. With a self-satisfied smile, she breezed past young Serendipity Woods, the girl who was sorely deprived of a very nice pair of shoes thanks toJac. After the utter rudeness of the girl, Jac had made arrangements for her to work the daytime shifts, where the tips were less and the men were uglier. Jac was glad to see Sasha seemed not to be enjoying herself. The accountant couldn't resist a teasing wink, and picking up her feet as she walked on by to flash the red undersides to the shoes. Hah, that'll teach her. Jac cruised up to the bar and ordered herself a drink. A quick glance to the clock showed she had plenty of time before she was due at Silas's house, and she took a guiltless look around to see if he might be down here. So sue her, the man made her happy.

[Sephora Forrest]

Sephora moved between the tables gathering glasses that had been left awry by some fucktards too lazy to clean up after themselves. She’d never understood why people couldn’t just take their glasses back up to the counter and hand them over when they were done rather than make her run around adding years to her appearance to make up for their sloppiness.

Not that this was the only thing that was making the young vampire look less lively than she normally did. The real reason she was looking like death warmed up was Jacaranda fucking Mulciber. The prissy whore had beein fucking up her life ever since the short confrontation at the shoe store. Someone had assigned her shifts during the day. The day! She was half a fucking vampire for crying out loud. She was just lucky there was no sunlight to cook her skin an attractive shade of raw flesh pink down here at least, but that was some small comfort. Her sleeping patterns had been thrown off completely, and she was tired, she looked at least ten times worse than usual, and above all, she was stunningly pissed off.

It was Valentines Day – not that she’d ever given a shit – but it meant all these completely abhorrent men were skulking around looking to drown their sorrows in cheap alcohol and perve on women they would never have. She’d have to give one particularly leering customer look that might have wilted flowers to get him to go the fuck away. Even the return of her favored uniform couldn’t cheer her up. It only served to remind her of those amazing shoes she’d lost to that poor excuse for a prostitute.

Speak of the fucking devil.

The Scores accountant came clacking by wearing none other than her pair of dream shoes and a horrendously smug expression on her face. Sephora’s face was like thunder, and she gritted her teeth in an effort to control her temper. Since the renovation, she had barely seen the ‘senior’ accountant around, and that had suited her temper just fine. Flaunting like this was virtually unbearable at the best of times, let alone when she was in her current state.

Glaring after the accountant’s retreating form, she grabbed the tray she’d been collecting roughly and marched over to the bar to drop it off – leaving a wide a berth as possible between her and where Miss. Mulciber had settled herself down to wait for a drink. Spitefully, Sephora hoped she would fall and break her neck on the way to wherever she was going dressed up in a dress that was far more her style if many sizes too big. She wouldn’t see the ground from way up there.

Unfortunately, the next order she collected was not a simple thing to make, which would mean her having to wait around at the bar for too long, which meant any time at all while that bitch was still here. Her temper had been fraying at the edges before, but now it was pulled taught and ready to snap at the tiniest thing. Not good.

[Jacaranda Mulciber]

[atrb=width,450,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/Tigeress/Random/postscripts/jac_bg.jpg,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/Tigeress/Random/postscripts/jac_foot.jpg][atrb=style,background-position: bottom; background-repeat: no-repeat; padding: 2px 30px 88px 150px; text-align: justify;]Hmm, no Silas, but an irresistible opportunity to mock a younger, less intelligent, shorter woman. Ha. With that smug smile curling her lips, she slipped down from her stool and strutted over to where the girl waited for her order. Jac leaned her hip on the smooth dark wood of the bar and set her drink down on the bar’s surface. She did not need to pretend to feel superior. She was – in every measurement – superior to this girl. “So,” she fairly purred, “Enjoying your new shifts? I hear the day time is perfect if you want to take things easy.” The accountant turned and leaned the small of her back against the bar. “Of course, the tips are not as good, but it’s a compromise.” If there ever was a time where clapping gleefully, pointing and laughing was called for, this would be it. Thankfully Jac was far too dignified for that, so she settled for a conceited smile and looking down her nose at the serving girl.

[Sephora Forrest]

The accountant’s look of glee increased, and it was all Sephora could do to keep her expression to something resembling total loathing. What she wouldn’t have given… Still, she was at work, and really didn’t need to go starting any more fights. All the same, grabbing the empty tray from the counter beside her and repeatedly slamming it into Jacaranda’s face would be incredibly satisfying.

Oh fuck it. Why couldn’t she have at least kept her mouth shut? Forced to dig her nails rather painfully into her palm hidden from view, she tried to calm whatever scraps of her temper that remained at this stage. She knew the brunette wanted a reaction, and she would not give anything that would satisfy her if it killed her.

Sephora got the impression that despite Jacaranda’s smug taunts, she didn’t know exactly how badly the change from night to day shifts had affected her. At least she could rejoice in the likelihood that the know it all accountant didn’t know her greatest secret, and could take no pleasure from keeping a vampire up during the day. Unfortunately, she was still a vampire up during the day whether Silas’s bitch knew it or not, and it was just as fucking annoying and problematic. And she’d brought up the point of getting less money too.

“Oh, I’ve had a fantastic day,” responded Sephora sarcastically. This was actually true: today just wasn’t one of them. So much for not giving satisfying reaction. But really, a reaction was pretty much a guarantee in her current mood. “Nothing beats hanging around down here when you should be in bed asleep. And speaking of beds, I’m surprised to see you here today. Second in line are you? It’s not like I would blame Si or anything, maybe he likes to save the best for last. You of course would be superior to whoever is keeping him right now – ugliness is after all superior to beauty, it lasts forever.” Well, in most cases. Her looks were eternal. What a shame for Jacaranda.

[Jacaranda Mulciber]

[atrb=width,450,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/Tigeress/Random/postscripts/jac_bg.jpg,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/Tigeress/Random/postscripts/jac_foot.jpg][atrb=style,background-position: bottom; background-repeat: no-repeat; padding: 2px 30px 88px 150px; text-align: justify;]Jacaranda’s smile broadened. Oh nothing could dampen her mood today. “Silas,” She emphasised the man’s full name, “is busy arranging our evening. Don’t you worry, I fully intend on being in bed early tonight.” So the comment on her lack of beauty stung a little, Jac was not entirely self-confident in that respect, but at least she had her infallible backup. “Insinuate what you like, little girl. Silas is devoted to me, and I’ll be the only one spending Valentine’s with him.” With Silas on her potion, it was a certain bet that he was entirely hers. She took a delicate sip of her drink and pursed her lips. “Shouldn’t you be getting back to work? I see there are a few men looking your way. Perhaps you can find someone to keep you company.” Jac peered past Sephora to a couple of the sort of men that frequented Scores for the simple reason that it was the only way they could get close to a real woman. Ugly and desperate. “Hmm, on second thought, better not look back. You’re not exactly a full-frontal show, are you?” She gave the girl a derisive once-over. Yes, definitely lacking in the chest area. Hard to believe the girl was in her twenties (sneaking access to personnel files was informative to say the least). “Oh well, I’m sure you can fix a little thing like that. A pair of engorgement charms should do the trick.” She said off-handedly, picking her wand from her clutch and twisting it in her fingers. “Ask one of the other girls for spellwork on that, I’ve never had use for it myself.”

[Sephora Forrest]

“Sure sure,” scoffed Sephora, smirking a little at the accountant’s confidence. “Is that what he told you?” She’d rather got the impression that Silas was the world’s biggest flirt – and he certainly had enough money to tempt almost any woman… or man. She couldn’t forget Dacian now could she? She would not mention various late night trips with her to churches or to his house after beating up vampires either, well, unless it was absolutely necessary. It was kinda satisfying thinking that Jacaranda knew nothing of what Silas really did when he wasn’t being monopolized by her.

The brunette’s sharp reply to her last dig only furthered her confidence; clearly she wasn’t so confident about her looks. Sephora could almost not be happier with her own, so throwing insults around was probably a safe option. She narrowed her eyes a little at the comment about finding company, but didn’t otherwise comment. She would probably need to find some idiot tonight to get a decent meal considering all her stress lately. Oh fuck! No, she wouldn’t be eating a meal tonight because she fucking had to sleep thanks to the bitch of an accountant standing before her. Her sleep patterns were so fucked up she was constantly tired. Oh fucking hell!

Somehow she managed not to let her expression drop further at Jacaranda’s pointed remark. Yes, her chest was hardly spectacular, but at least she had something. That was kind of the price you paid for having a figure like hers. Something Jacaranda would know nothing about.

“Oh, I don’t expect you have,” replied Sephora in a pleasant tone, smiling sweetly. “I’ve always picked you as a bit of a foodie – too much chicken when you were younger? Those hormones are a bitch for the waistline. Still, I’d have thought you could have lost most of it by now, considering it was such a long, long time ago.”

[Jacaranda Mulciber]

[atrb=width,450,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/Tigeress/Random/postscripts/jac_bg.jpg,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/Tigeress/Random/postscripts/jac_foot.jpg][atrb=style,background-position: bottom; background-repeat: no-repeat; padding: 2px 30px 88px 150px; text-align: justify;]Jacaranda’s expression steeled. Fine, she wanted to play dirty? Jac gritted her teeth. She could take the abuse so far, but there was a limit to her confidence. And when her confidence was shot, she reverted to her second line of defence; aggression. Her wand stilled in her hand, and she sneered. “I’ve had about enough of your silver tongue. You’ll learn to hold it, or I’ll have you fired sooner than you can say Gucci.” Sephora shot close to the truth. Jac’s figure was a little softer around the edges than it once was, either due to the lack of time she could spend on it with all her effort put into her work, or purely because she really wasn’t as young as she used to be.

[Sephora Forrest]

Ha. A self satisfied smirk threatened to break out across her face as no smart retort came. Victory! She doubted Jacaranda would be so certain of Silas’s purity now. What a shame, it might put a dampener on whatever evening they might have been having tonight. Tragic really. Oh well, alls fair in love and war.

What had looked like a thoroughly miserable conversation had turned into an entertaining game. Who knew that Valentine’s Day could actually have a purpose – without it she wouldn’t be here having this engaging conversation. This was the sort of thing Sephora liked, bandying insults with older, less pretty women than herself and winning despite her younger age. Ego boost? Fuck yes. Every second that passed was another second the accountant was trying to come up with something intelligent to snap at her, and Sephora felt confident that if something did come she’d be able to counter it easily enough. She’d never been particularly liked at high school, so she’d had plenty of practice dealing with bitchy girls herself.

Her eyes briefly flickered to the wand that Jacaranda was holding, and memories of peeling patches of skin the size of potato chips off her back came to mind. But the accountant didn’t know she was a vampire, or at least half a one. The first spell that came to mind for apprehending another witch was hardly going to be one that shot pure sunlight out the end of their wand so she was probably safe. Probably.

All the same, she was unable to resist raising a challenging eyebrow at the matter of her job. Silas ran the place, and she was confident he wouldn’t fire her unless she made a real nuisance of herself. The question was how far was she willing to trust this, since Jacaranda was like his girlfriend / favourite whore or something. She’d seen first hand how girls could manipulate their boyfriends to do almost anything if they offered the right price. Did she really think Silas valued the grumpy old accountant this much?

“Oooh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” she apologized, if it could even be called that. There was very little that was apologetic about that statement at all. “But I was rather under the impression that Si owned the place. I’m fairly sure he wouldn’t want to fire me. After all, we have such fun when we’re together.” Better to leave that comment open ended, just to see what she made of it.

It was an impulsive decision, but she really wasn’t in the mood to be thinking things out too much. Her cheeky quip had been delivered in a sickly sweet voice that out of context would have sounded so innocent, but here was anything but. Her expression mirrored her tone, pure and angellic, and there was even a smile on her face. Probably because she was enjoying herself so much. If this act hadn’t been continuing, she might have been cackling gleefully since she’d discovered her new favourite pastime – winding up Jacaranda Mulciber.

[Jacaranda Mulciber]

[atrb=width,450,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/Tigeress/Random/postscripts/jac_bg.jpg,true][atrb=background,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/Tigeress/Random/postscripts/jac_foot.jpg][atrb=style,background-position: bottom; background-repeat: no-repeat; padding: 2px 30px 88px 150px; text-align: justify;]Jac’s narrowed eyes tightened, then opened in realisation. The girl had nothing. Nothing at all. The account gave a shirt dry laugh. “You’re pathetic. What ever fantasy you think you’re living in, that’s all it is. Silas is mine, and no two-bit whore like you would interest him. You’re just a jealous little girl. I’ve got what you can never have.” Jac’s smile was cruel. “Insulting a superior? Slacking on your shift? I think that’s cause enough to have you fired, don’t you?” Jac straightened to her full height plus heels and crossed her arms, wand tip still pointing in the general direction of the younger witch. “Oh, and not to mention spreading rumours and slandering the club owner. I’m sure Silas would be so pleased to hear that you’re planning to use your imaginary affair as blackmail against him.” So all the girl had done so far was use it against her, but Jacaranda could twist it around and then her words would not be an empty threat. Jac huffed. “Where do you get your ideas from? Silas is a respected member of the community, a casino owner and a millionaire. You’re struggling even to make money taking your clothes off. Merlin, I’d pay you money to keep them on. A change of tactics might do you good. Silas would never associate himself with someone as common as you.” Jac felt much better about herself now. A younger woman so desperate to insult her that she resorted to blatant lies? Under the potion, Silas would hardly be interested in any other woman. If there was one thing Jac was not self-conscious about, it was Silas having an affair with this girl.

[Sephora Forrest]

Unbelievable. Sephora couldn’t believe how confident the accountant was – who was seriously that naïve not to even be slightly concerned about allegations their boyfriend was cheating on them? Not that he was, but all the same. When more attractive women than yourselves tell you that your boyfriend was cheating, only the truly thick stuck their heads in the sand like this.

“What you have?” smirked Sephora, pausing and pulling a thoughtful expression for added effect. “A boring job, overly-optimistic sense of self confidence, naivety and bad hair? Yeah, I'd agree. I envy you, I really do."

Despite Jacaranda pulling herself up to her full height, Sephora remained undaunted. She’d been small her whole life – people looking down at her was nothing unusual. She made another mental note about the heels being too high for the accountant, but the fact that Silas’s little plaything had them and she didn’t still stung.

"Who said anything about affairs? I just said we enjoyed ourselves - surely not a crime," she replied, pulling a confused expression. The church heist would be conveniently ignored here. "For someone so sure about her boyfriend's faithfulness you do jump to the most suspicious conclusions."

She raised an eyebrow; maintaining her cool while the accountant continued to rant. She sure was defensive for someone who was supposedly so sure of themselves.

“Calm down grandma,” Sephora laughed with a vicious half smile pulling at her lips. "But if it'd sooth your nerves, why don't you go and ask him yourself? I'm sure he'd be more than happy to tell you I was feeding you a pot of lies, if I am indeed telling them. But speaking of going, I should deliver these drinks and go and check several of the patrons still have pulses. After all, slacking on the job might get me fired. Happy Valentines Day." She blew a cheeky kiss in the accountant’s direction before collecting her tray and sashaying off with her hips swinging.

Jacaranda could do her worst, she was now confident with herself that Silas would not get rid of her – arrogant maybe, but it would be worth it if she could crush the snobby accountant like the pest she was.