What We Do In The Shadows: "Jen…"

Summary: There are unexpected consequences for Laszlo when he takes on a new human familiar…

Part II…

About two am…

Outside the "Most hoppin' club on Staten Island"…

"Well…" Laszlo, brushing his hat and replacing it, shrugs to the documentary team camera… "That was a bit of a disappointment, though somewhat interesting. I'd no idea modern music had gotten so melancholy…Or loud. Last time I really tried to 'get with' modern, the songs were rather happy and light. Now it all seems to be about how preferable death is over life and love turned to ashes, with the sound deafening. Bit of a downer… What is bothering people these days so? Maybe it's just I've lived long enough to see so many changes…After all, in my day, people starved in the streets or dropped dead of leprosy or cholera in the streets or were robbed and left for dead by the starving or ill people, in the streets. Which really stank of horse manure and piss, by the way. I say, enjoy what you've achieved, Humanity. And, no, I did not find a suitable candidate for familiar tonight, obviously. The ladies in attendance being not quite to my taste…Not only rather bitter bloodwise but rather…'Skanky'? Is that the word? Yes… 'Skanky'."

Flashback to inside the club about two hours ago…

"Hello, I'm Laszlo…" Laszlo, standing at the bar amongst a large crowd, awaiting his order, a Bloody Mary, to the bartender's puzzled shrug, smiling at a woman in her late twenties, in rather revealing dress, who eyed him with cool disdain.

"What are you dressed up for?" she asked, eyeing him up and down.

"Oh, just out on the…" he stared as she walked away to proposition a tall, well-built fellow in open shirt and gold chains, laughing loudly at his replies.

"Now that was rude…" he frowned. Watching the woman go off with the other man…The man putting his hand on her rear as they went out on the relatively small and rather crowded dance floor.

"Nice costume, dude…" a young man in open gold lame shirt with chains passed him, signaling the bartender, a tall, athletic male in black shirt and pants.

"Thank you. Yours, too." Laszlo noted.

Hmmn… "Seems rather difficult to carry on a conversation with this noise…" he noted to the camera. "Rather wish the others had come…Though probably not Nadja. She gets a bit jealous when I'm around so many human women. You know, I think she was even jealous of poor Milly back in the day. Of course at that time, I'd known Milly much longer than her…"

Cut to Nadja in (more or less) living room, on couch… "Yes… Milly. That bitch." Grim tone. "Always flirting with Laszlo, her employer…No sense of propriety. A real slut, in my opinion… I'm sure she was expecting him to marry her, even trying to seduce him and get her pregnant. Of course in those days, Laszlo was a total innocent, always writing and occasionally speaking about social issues and uplifting the worker, a bit of a radical…I did like him for that, he was quite sincere in wanting to better the lot of poor people. Just not very effective, you know? But Milly was taking him for a ride, as they say? She wanted a rich…Relatively so…Husband and to advance in the world, I could see that. I mean when I was spying on them at night after I'd heard him speak at a meeting and decided I fancied him. But what he didn't know, being innocent Laszlo, was that she was involved with other men, in the village…In the city when she went on errands…In the country where her 'ill mother'… Making air quotes…lived when she 'visited' her. A total slut…I knew it just from looking at the way she cozied up to him, her employer. And I followed her around and saw the rest. Total slut. He was lucky she didn't get pregnant and blame it on him. Though I suppose she was fond of him in a way. There were richer men at hand…" sigh. "He was very charming…" fond smile.

"I suppose he told you he overfed on her and she died after I transformed him? That wasn't quite true…He did take quite a lot but he didn't kill her." Sheepish look. "I was afraid he might manage to transform her…My Laszlo…And that slut, with us for all Eternity?" frown. "But fortunately he didn't yet quite understand the process…In fact, though, he was so dazed still from his transformation, he's forgotten what happened. He was horrified at what he'd done to the girl and went off seeking a doctor. Left me alone with her, to watch over her. And yes, I finished her. I'm not proud of it, it was pure jealousy. Though the girl was a slut." Frown at the memory…

….

Back to Laszlo, at the club, in the earlier flashback…

"I took the liberty of adding a little real blood to my 'Bloody Mary'…" he indicates the drink he's nursing. "It's rather good, really…Tomato juice, vodka, bit of spice…Very tasty in its way. Of course one has to be careful, as vampires really have a delicate digestive system. Too much of this without blood and I could be ill all night and tomorrow. But, just enough to savor the taste, get in touch with the human world. I think I'm getting used to the noise now, though it was a bit painful at first… Could we perhaps move to a quieter spot?" he leads over to a booth as far from the sound as possible.

"There that's better… Yes, you know I don't mean to be critical. Standards change, tastes change. But it does seem that many of these ladies here tend to be rather forward…" he eyes several women dancing with men.

"I'm not saying I think women should be at home…" earnest look to camera. "God, I've had so many conversations with Nandor on the subject…Actually one-sided rants by him, really…He's a true man of his times, very opposed to women leaving the home. Would not even listen to the calls for suffrage back in the early 1900s… Of course Nadja won't stand for his bullshit. And he's gradually learned to respect her, after first wanting to kill her as a gypsy slut, then as a radical who was always telling his women they didn't have to put up with him… That did cause some serious problems around 1910 or 1920… But they got through it and we're all friends now, more or less. Though Nandor still retains his views even if he allows us ours. One has to respect him for that… Hello, Miss." He greets waitress pausing by. "Not for me…" he notes to her question of whether he'd like another drink. "Perhaps my friends here…" generous nod to the documentary crew.

"Come lads, I know we're not supposed to acknowledge you, but you are here and you may as well have something, eh?" he notes to crew. "Really, it's on me. Nandor and I secured some money the other evening and I'm quite flush."

Cut to shot of Nandor and Laszlo watching two thieves break open an atm in an alley…Nandor then hypnotizing the robbers, and he and Laszlo feeding then taking most, but at Laszlo's request, leaving a small amount with the unconscious thieves. "They might be honest men driven to thievery…" he notes to a more cynical Nandor as they walk off.

"Is this a movie or something?" the waitress askes, Laszlo eyeing her nose rings.

"A documentary…I'm…A social activist and these nice fellows are meandering along with me as I discuss the topics of the day. Speaking of which, Miss, how are you treated here? Are conditions fair and equitable?"

"Yeah…I guess." She shrugs. "Joey's a good boss, he keeps the clientele from getting too rowdy. I don't feel he's a racist or anything if that's what you mean."

"Oh, hardly. I'm sure he's a fine man. Eh, tell me, are you married?" he eyes the woman carefully. "Just for purposes of getting a broad range of points of view, you know?"

"Yeah, two years…We've got two girls…" she nods. "Can't say I really have much to say on things. It's a good job, though I'm in college for business. You guys want anything?" she takes a couple of orders from the crew.

"Thank you." Laszlo smiles graciously as she heads.

"Nice girl. It would have been interesting to get to know a black woman better. I've only known one or two black vampires and that werewolf girl from the gang we were having a bit of trouble with. But, husband, two little girls, and what I'm sure is a bright future, college and all? That would be a bit…And sorry, but what was that in her nose?" he shakes head.

….

Back to present…

"Still it was rather pleasant to 'hang out' more or less alone, though gentlemen, if I may one last time break our conventional silence, it was a pleasure." Nod. "I'm not discouraged, in fact I'm rather pleased I'm taking my time to find just the right familiar. Might try a quieter place next time though. My ears are still ringing."

….

Guillermo, at club, standing over at opposite end of crowded bar from where Laszlo had been…Looking about for Laszlo…

"Master Laszlo seems to have decided not to come after all. That's a shame, there seem to be some nice young familiar candidates here tonight. Uh, hello…" he addresses lovely young Latino brunette in rather glamorous dress passing who ignores him, glares at camera, and moves on.

"Yes, some very nice young people. Though the women all seem to have someone, I wonder why they come without them. That blonde lady over there told me her boyfriend was here at the bar but he's still not come to her and she's been chatting and dancing with five other men since. Well, I suppose that's how it's done in such a 'hoppin' place." He looks round…A man jostles him, causing him to spill drink, a water the waitress who'd served Laszlo had finally given him after he'd been continually ignored by the bartender and other staff.

"Watch the hell what you're doin'." The man who'd jostled him, growls at him, passing.

"Sorry. I wish Master Nandor were here, he'd've torn that rude man's head off." Guillermo notes proudly. "I suppose I may as well go home. Though I wish Master Laszlo had come and seen the place. A bit noisy and crowded but nice, really. Was rather nice to get out for an evening."

"You want more water or something?" the waitress who'd served him at last stops by…

"Oh, no…I'm leaving."

"Say are you part of that other guy's movie thing? The one who was in the booth over there…?" she points.

"Oh, right over there?" Guillermo peers at the now empty booth, with easy view of where he'd been standing for three hours.

"Yeah, I pointed you out to him but he said he didn't know you…"

"Oh." Nod.