What We Do In The Shadows: "Jen..."
Summary: There are unexpected consequences when Laszlo seeks a new human familiar…
Part XXVII…
Next afternoon…
"Uh, really Miss…" Guillermo eyes the exhausted Phyllis as he rakes a bit in the old residence's front yard while Jen trims some hedge. "There's no need for you to stay…You guys did a bang up job inside this morning and Jen and I have this about ready. We're actually going over to the new place to make some plans about what we'll need in a few."
"Leave our Mistress and the others unattended?" Phyllis, in somewhat begrimed white blouse and black business suit, hair askew from intensive cleaning. Having refused to change to work clothes in order to cover several meetings with clients…Given the Mistress had wanted her to continue her old work. There was no time to waste in the Mistress' service!
"They're resting now…" Guillermo, pointedly emphasizing the 'resting' given that Laszlo and Nandor had already complained about the noise of Phyllis' rather thorough cleaning. Susan, still a bit weak had helped as best she could with moving a few remnants of a recent feast in the basement…
"Yeah, Phyl, I really the guys would like to be left alone to sleep for another couple of hours." Jen suggests. "They'll be fine, the place is locked up…And you need to go home and get cleaned up before your boy gets home, right? Sue can help me finish here and make sure alls ok."
"One of the Mistress' own slaves should be on guard here! Nothing matters but the Mistress' safety and comfort!" Phyllis insists, a bit wild-eyed. "If you're truly chief of staff here, boy, you ought to know that!"
"Lady…I've been here ten years…" Guillermo, heated now. "And Mistress Nadja isn't the only vampire here."
"And look at the condition of this place…!" Phyllis rages. "Dirt, blood, smells all over…!"
"Calm down, Phyl." Jen frowns, coming over seeing the building confrontation. "Gui was alone here except for one old lady…He's done a fine job. And he is chief of staff, by your own Mistress' order, so you ought to heed him, if you want to please Mistress Nadja."
Phyllis, something twisting in her face…Clearly on edge…
"Wow…" Colin, observing from the front doorway… "See what I told you…This one's broken like a stick and just about bonkers. Well, me to the rescue…And the feeding off hysteria…" smile.
"You're right, of course, Jen. Master Gui. I am sorry." Phyllis, forlornly, head bowed.
Jen and Guillermo exchanging glances. Phyllis kneeling now…
"I've no right to question you. You are our leader by the order of the Mistress and our Lords. Punish me if I've done wrong, please. I only live to serve the Mistress and our overlords."
"Uh, sure…No problem." Guillermo, a bit nervous. "Please get up…Please?"
She rose. "Thank you, Master Gui. From now on I will carry out your orders to the letter."
Colin, on lawn nearby, watching, slight grin to us…Shrug…
"Ok…Uh…Great…" nod from Guillermo. "You know, like Jen says, you probably should get home before your kid does, right? Best for the Mistress and all."
"Yes, sir!" Phyllis wheels, heading for her parked car.
"Uh, try and act natural…" he calls after her.
"Hey, nice to see you again…And feed off that edge of rage…" Colin waves.
"Nice to see you, sir." Phyllis calls. "Am I acting naturally as Master Gui commands?"
"Not really…No offense…" Colin shrugs, raising hand at her distressed look.
"I will try harder…Goodbye, Jen…Goodbye…Gui." She waves cheerily at the two staring after her.
"Is she gonna be ok?" Guillermo to Jen…
"She's a little calmer now, thanks to yours truly." Colin joins them. "She may settle down in a few days or maybe she'll start telling us she needs lives for the Master and eating bugs. Either way, a nice dinner for me."
"I'll check on her later on my way home and remind her Mistress Nadja wants her to behave normally, maybe I could suggest it's a threat to her safety?" Jen eyes Colin. "Attracting too much unwanted attention?"
"It may help…" Colin nods. "Maybe not…"
"Her kid'll be ok, right?" Guillermo, nervously as Phyllis drives off, honking horn and waving to them…
"Greg's in junior high…He should be ok, right Colin?" Jen asks.
"Well, she'll either kill it and offer its drained blood to Nadja, put it to bed with drugs or booze at seven so she can come back and try to lick Nadja's feet…Or maybe be very nice to it, as she did mention to me yesterday that since Nadja likes kids like Jen's little girl and that college kid she turned, she must try to be a better mother." Colin shrugs.
"You better check on her in a bit…" Guillermo nods to Jen who nods agreement.
…
About the same time…
"This is Jackie Williams…" Ginny introduces the late thirtiesish brunette seated across from her to camera in her office… "She's my junior partner just back from her vacation in the Caribbean and quite pleased to hear it looks like we've sold the Fieldersen."
Jackie, a lovely but rather grim-faced, just now, woman in elegant suit, eyeing camera… "Ginny? Why do I have to be in this? I don't like being filmed like this."
"It's for Mr. Cravensworth's documentary, Jacks…I told you, he's a bit eccentric but a great guy." Fond smile. "They'll give you a release form, right guys?"
"I don't want to discuss business with these clowns around, Ginny. Excuse me, please leave." Jackie, firmly. "And I'll want the film you took here."
"She'll be fine after our overlords 'speak' to her…" Ginny, risen to let crew out whispers to camera as she closes door. "Sorry about this…" shuts door.
Martha at desk, looking considerably more healthy and rested than the other day… "Yeah, Jackie's even worse than Ginny about this sorta thing, guys, sorry. She did put up some capital she'd inherited to buy her partnership when Ginny's ex- nearly ruined this place with his crooked deals, so she's got some leverage here. But like Ginny says, she'll come round when one of our guys can have a moment with her." Warm smile. "I do wonder about that convenient 'inheritance' though…" she leans in close… "I don't wanna be a bitch but back when the ex- was here…Lets just say I got the impression Jackie and he were…Close. In deals as well as the other stuff…" slight wave of hand… "And he didn't just lose all that money he grabbed from the firm and clients…Though I think his hands were tied regards turning her in. Just sayin'…Be nice to see what our Lady and Lords could get out of her." Nod.
"Hey, Angie…" she broke off suddenly as the other woman enters…
"Ginny got a mo? I have a couple of questions…And Jen and Phyl seem out for the day."
"In with the partner, junior…" thumb to door. "They're working the field…Big doin's, ya know? Phyl's lending a hand to help, I think."
"Junior, my ass…She's got something on Ginny, mark my words." Angie frowns. "Ginny might take a junior on to save this place but she'd never defer to one the way she's been doing…"
"I think that's just about over…" Martha smiles.
"Yeah, I guess with Fieldersen and this other place, Ginny's rid of her." Angie nods thoughtfully.
"Something like that." Nod from Martha…
….
The old residence…Just a bit later…
"Ok…I had an ulterior motive in having Sue work with us today…" Jen beams, slightly wicked gleam in her eyes as she and camera watch Susan eagerly if wearily assisting Guillermo in moving some tarpulan-wrapped 'sacks'. "I think Gui likes Sue…And who wouldn't, huh? She's very pretty and sweet. And she likes him…Sue has, like me, always been ready to try and see the deeper side of a guy. Between Gui being really the sweetest thing and him being chief familiar, I see a pathway to Romance for our Gui." Shrug… "So I'm a matchmaker…I've a bubbie grandmother on Dad's side." Grin.
"I mean I was ready to do him myself, to try to build him up…But it would've hurt him a little later on to have to break it off. Now Sue…She just broke up with a first class ahole and she's enthralled to the same Master Guillermo voluntarily took up with. I mean, come on…It's Destiny." smile. "And Master Nandor thought it was a great idea, he's so sweet about Gui…"
Cut to Nandor in residence living room just a bit later…
"Jennifer is so very kind-hearted to worry about my familiar Guillermo's love life. I confess it had troubled me as well…No one should go through life without some bit of romance. And if he does survive to become a vampire, what kind of Immortality is it without the confidence to make love to a woman?…Or, someone? I really wasn't sure in Guillermo's case. He's always been so fixated on me, I admit I was a bit worried about that too. Yes, I think I can heartily approve this little romance." Shrug.
"So long as my new minion, Susan, does like him. Forced love relationships never work out. The enthralled or hypnotized come out of it one day or they transform and come out of it or they die and then what do you have…? Anger, remorse, savage beatings and killings, eternal hauntings, vendettas on one's family, sometimes. No, I want to be sure Susan does find Guillermo someone she could fancy. Which, given Guillermo… Though Jen does insist she likes the boy and has a warm heart." Wry grin. "She will need it." Hand up… "Though don't get me wrong, I love the boy."
...
"Yeah...Look at em." Jen beams, watching the pair lug another 'sack' to the special disposal area...
"I just got get him in a decent suit…"
