"This is awkward for me to ask, but would it be possible for you to accompany me shopping tonight?"
Bill glanced up to meet Persephone's eyes, but she didn't seem to find anything strange about the request.
"For Jessica," he further explained to her as she nodded, "All the clothes she owns at the moment are...indecent."
"Will she be coming with us?"
"Sookie will be staying here with her whilst we are out. I do not know her, uh, sizing."
Persephone found Bill's awkwardness about the whole subject very amusing, smirking as she went to find a few articles of Jessica's clothing that would provide them with the information they needed before they undertook a shopping trip.
They both decided that a car would be the best way for them to travel to the desired location, the only mall in the area being in Shreveport, not far from Fangtasia.
"Where are you two going?," Jessica asked as both older vampires were about to walk out the door. Sookie sat in the living room, waiting for Jessica to lose interest in what the others were doing, and instead join her so that they could occupy themselves with, what she hoped might be, a heart-to-heart girl chat.
"Out," was all Bill replied.
"That is so not fair," Jessica moaned, "How come I never get to go out and you always get to go out whenever you feel like it? Persy, tell him I can go with you!"
"Not tonight, Jessica," Persephone told her.
"This sucks! I hate it!"
Arriving at the mall, Bill had paused once he was on the other side of the automatic-doors, unsure of where to start. Persephone had taken charge, leading him to the first store they had seen that sold clothes that would suit Jessica. Moving from store to store, she had begun to see that Bill's taste was a bit too 'Little House on the Prairie'. In other words, Jessica was probably better off with Persephone making most of the purchase choices.
They were now standing in the clothing department of what felt like the twentieth store they had entered, having trouble finding anything that both Bill and Jessica would agree on as 'appropriate'. From a rack towards the middle of the department, Bill fished out a denim mini-skirt. Staring at the tiny piece of fabric, he shook his head.
"What ever happened to leaving things to the imagination?" he asked, not particularly directed at Persephone, but more as a general thought.
"Humans rarely have imaginations anymore. Not when they can get everything on demand," she replied, but she sounded distracted. Glancing over at her, Bill saw that she had found a dress and was holding it up against herself in front of a mirror.
"What do you think?" she asked.
To allow herself to blend in a little more whilst they were out, she had dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. It was a comfortable outfit, one that she wore often now that she was living amongst humans, but she did sometimes long for the more familiar forms of clothing, such as the long dress she now held.
"For Jessica?"
He doubted that that defiant young teenager would wear such an elegant gown; but the midnight-blue silk did suit Persephone.
"For me," she replied, turning around. Surprise crossed her features as she looked behind Bill. He froze with alarm and spun around to find Eric observing them.
"I think it would look fantastic," the tall blond smiled.
Both Bill and Persephone gave quizzical looks as they noticed there was something different about him.
"It's the new me," Eric explained, noticing their expressions, "You like?"
"I do," Bill nodded.
"Very nice," Persephone agreed, taking in his new, shorter hair. She couldn't remember, in all the centuries they had known each other, his hair having ever being cut shorter than its usual shoulder-length. The shorter, brushed-back style, however, accentuated his eyes and made him seem...something. She couldn't put her finger on it.
The sound of a cell phone ringing interrupted their thoughtful silence. It took Persephone a moment to realise that it was hers. Passing Eric the dress she had picked out, she took the phone out of her jeans pocket. Glancing at the caller ID, she frowned.
"Yes?" she answered, and not in a very friendly manner.
Bill and Eric would be able to follow the conversation perfectly well with their strong, vampire-hearing, however, Bill returned to his browsing, whilst Eric remained beside her.
"I think you need to get back here," the caller informed Persephone.
"What has happened?"
There was a slight pause on the other end.
"Who's around you?" they asked.
Persephone glanced at Eric who was pretending not to listen, instead pressing the silk of the dress between his fingers.
"No one I need to worry about," she responded.
"Are you certain?"
She was quickly growing tired of him questioning her like this. She was well and truly used to his often-juvenile behaviour, but he never failed to irritate her when he wanted to.
"Stan, if there is no real reason for you to be calling me whilst I am away, I will be returning to Dallas, but only to hunt you down."
Not that she would have to do much 'hunting'; Stan resided in her house, what vampires referred to as a 'nest', along with their other vampire colleagues.
"Please do. I'll be waiting for you by the front door," he said smugly. His deep chuckle followed this.
"I'm hanging up."
"Godric's gone missing."
Eric made an unmistakable movement, and Persephone glanced up at him. His eyes remained on the dress he was holding, but he had stopped moving his fingers; he was listening intently now.
"How can you be sure that he's missing?"
"He hasn't shown up for about a week. We've received no word of him. We thought he might have gone to see you, but judging by your reaction...he hasn't."
Persephone closed her eyes and tried to think hard. The feelings she had been receiving from him weren't of fear or pain, so she could rule out Godric being hurt or killed, both tasks being very difficult to accomplish considering his age and power. Under nearly any circumstances she could think of, Persephone knew that he would've have had to have gone willingly, wherever it was he had gone. She hated to think of the reasons why he would have done such a thing.
"Put Isabelle on," she ordered.
Stan was irritated by the request, but could only obey. Persephone heard him and Isabelle speaking away from the phone, exchanging harsh words with one another, before a familiar female voice finally said, "Ma'am?"
"Isabelle, what is the situation over there?"
She had to be sure that Stan wasn't trying to get her to return to Dallas for his own reasons.
"We require your presence," Isabelle told her.
It was decided, then: Persephone would not be spending a few extra days in Bon Temps, as she had first hoped.
"I'll leave tomorrow night," she said into the phone, "After a few arrangements have been made here."
Persephone closed her phone and placed it back into her pocket. Bill glanced over and saw the staggered expression on her face. She glanced at Eric again, who seemed shocked, but was hiding it well.
"Eric..." she began, but he answered before she even finished the question.
"Yes."
"Is everything alright?" Bill asked.
"The sheriff of Area 9 has gone missing," Eric told him with a troubled voice.
"Godric?" Bill asked, familiar with the vampire, though having never met him personally.
"Correct."
"I understand if you must leave," Bill told Persephone.
"It would be better if I did," she agreed, then turning to Eric, "Perhaps back to Fangtasia?"
"Of course," Eric allowed. He had just as much vested interest in this sudden turn of events as Persephone did, maybe more, even.
"Thank-you for helping me out," Bill said, "I think I know what to look out for now."
"Not too much frill and try and steer clear of the neutral tones," Persephone reminded him before leaving the area with Eric. She noticed he was still carrying the dress she had found.
"Are you going to put that back?" she asked him.
"Of course not," he replied, "I intend to buy it for you."
"I thought you'd left," Pam frowned at Persephone as she and Eric walked into Fangtasia.
"Pam," Eric said with a note of warning in his voice.
It was a Sunday night and the club was closed, allowing them the privacy and focus they would need to discuss and plan their next step.
"You're his second, aren't you?" Eric asked as they reached his office and took a seat. He was referring to her rank in the eyes of vampire politics.
"Yes. Which means Area 9 is now my responsibility; at least until he is found."
"This is deeply unsettling," Eric sighed, staring down at the top of his desk.
"Be that as it may, Eric, actions must be taken to ensure that no ill-harm has been done. If you wish to help me investigate, I would not stop you from doing so."
"Sookie," Eric said suddenly, getting some ideas.
"You think that she may be able to help? How can you be sure that humans were involved?"
"You know Godric as well as I do. Better, even. No vampire has strength or power that matches with his."
"Yet you feel that it is more likely that a human could have taken him?"
"I do. Which means that if they are capable of capturing him, none of us are safe."
"Well, I don't know about you, but I don't think that the Fellowship of the Sun's proximity to our nest is a mere coincidence in regards to this happening. If Sookie consents, and only if she consents, she may be of some use."
"I'll ask Bill, though he is likely to oppose the idea."
"I'll leave that part to you, then. There are a few things I must see to before I go."
'A few humans you must see to', Eric almost said, but he knew that she was under enough stress as it was.
They had both just lost their maker.