The Vampire's Apprentice

It hadn't exactly occurred to her it might rain, so there was a good chance she was going to end up soaked, having no coat besides her jacket—yes, she still had her mint jacket. Still, she wasn't going to put off her tasks simply because it was wet outside. So, outside she went—hood pulled over her hair—into the rain. As predicted, not an inch of dry seemed to remain by the time she finished running about, having also stopped to grab a bag of brown sugar to make cookies.

Kitty let Sam back into the house after determining a certain lack of wet earth was present on him, then pulled something dry onto herself, hanging her soggy clothes and jacket on the curtain rod in the bathroom. She'd need to make another trip outside a while later, when his shirts were done; the girl could only hope this cold weather wouldn't make her sick again.

It must have been a lovely surprise to note she didn't almost burn anything this time. The recipe was simple, and Kitty had it ingrained into her memory from the countless other times she'd made it. That said, she only baked these particular cookies in effort to override past memories, which didn't go over well on the inside. It was funny; out of habit she made many, many more than she had intended to, so despite the large container full of them she had prepared for the neighbors, there were a couple tray-fulls left over.

The sky remained dark, but the rain had formed into more of a light drizzle; dreary, depending on how one looked at it. Kitty was thankful not to be soaked again while heading to the neighbor's home. Sam would remain inside, since she didn't want him following her.
 
Last edited:
Sam loved being inside. As long as Kitty was in sight, he was content to lie on the floor and watch her. He didn't even beg for cookies, although by the second batch, he'd drooled quite a puddle on the floor where he lay. He kept his rope with him wherever he went, not chewing on it, just carrying it around and keeping it under his paw. He was proud of his rope! When she left, he whined up a storm, even howling a couple of times. He played up being utterly heartbroken, despite the fact he didn't want to go out in the wet.

The house next door was similar to Clancy's though blue with an add-on in the back. The covered porch offered some shade from the rain, but even the noise of the rain on the roof couldn't quite hide the sound of yelling within. It sounded like a couple of younger children were quarreling to wake the dead, and their mother was screaming for them to end it before the dead came knocking. It took some time before anyone answered the door.

A shaggy-headed young fellow with a stubble of a wanna-be beard barely coloring his jawbone, droopy eyes taking her in lazily, and a double laying of a flannel shirt hanging over an off-color shirt blanketing his boney frame. "Sup?" he asked with a smile.
 
Kitty wasn't quite sure what to expect, though what she heard had not been it. It was ignored, however, when the door opened. She smiled back.

"Hello!" Kitty wasted no time. "I wanted to welcome you guys to the neighborhood, so I made and brought some cookies."
 
"Oh, rad, cookies!" the fellow grinned, taking the cookies eagerly. "Ah, man, thanks! This is like... awesome, man. You live here?"
 
"Kitty? Cool name. I'm Norville," he grinned. "Good meeting you." He paused a beat as a particularly nasty sounding crash emanated from within the house, followed by a banshee's shriek. He didn't even look, just carried on. "Do you live with fam or yourself?"
 
I can see that; Kitty dared not speak the words. It sounded like someone was about to get their head removed, and she did not want to be next.

"Ah, alrighty. Well, don't be afraid to stop by sometime in the daylight, possibly when it's not raining." The girl bounced lightly on her heels. "I've got some dry cleaning to pick up, so I'll be seeing you 'round."

She turned to leave, then paused and turned back. "Also, I'd be wary of the neighbor beyond us. Mrs. Pugglesworth can be a bit... overbearing at times." Namely in literal weight.
 
Norville's face scrunched up in thought. "Pugglesworth?" he repeated incredulously. "What's that, a dog? Like one of them potato-shaped dogs? I like dogs."

"NORVILLE! Who's at the door?" yelled a voice from within.

"Neighbors, Mum!" he yelled back, barely turning his head. "They brought cookies!"

"Fine, I'll be there in a second!"
 
There was no escape. Goodie.
Ah, but at least she had time. It wasn't much of a rush to be anywhere in particular. Kitty waited patiently, deciding to avoid further commenting on the "dog" next door.
 
The sleepy lad stood lazily in the doorway, not bothering to move until his mother arrived. She was a tall, thin, boney woman who looked like she'd never quite grown out of her teenage gangly years. Her ill-fitting clothing did not help. Her horsey face might have looked nice with a smile in a kindly way, but her lips were drawn thin in displeasure as if she had a thousand places to be and a thousand and one things to do and this was not high on the list as far as priorities went. Her hair had once been an orangey-red, probably vibrant, but now it was fading into more yellow than red but with hints of the old color. She couldn't have been much more than thirty-five, but she'd clearly aged beyond her years. Her grey eyes studied Kitty suspiciously.
"So, you're the neighbor, hmm?" she said in a faintly raspy voice. "Which side?"
 
"Over that way," She pointed in the direction she had come. This woman, Kitty had seen a few like her before. Worn out and tired. Somehow, it made the girl want to find a way to help, though how she would ever accomplish that was beyond her.
 
She glanced that way then nodded to Kitty. She didn't bother trying to shake hands, one hand placed on her hip, the other holding a rag. "I'm Dorothy Mooney. Nice to meet you. This is my boy Norville, JP and Jc are inside, and EJ is out."
 
Last edited:
"Nice to meet you, too, Miss Mooney. M'name's Kitty." It was harder to smile when one was practically being glared at by an exhausted mother, but Kitty tried her best anyways. "It's nice to see some younger folk in the neighborhood."
 
She gave a short nod. "If I need a cup of sugar, I'll know where to come." Another crash - wooden sounding - came from inside the house. Against the impossible, her lips went even thinner. "Excuse me. I have to take care of that. Norville, you need to finish your room!"

"Yes, Mum. Nice you meet you, Kitty Cat!" the boy said, seeming unbothered by the tart words.
 
"Ditto!" She called, turning away before she let herself twinge at the name. Kitty Cat? She hadn't heard that one in a long while; it still bothered her when people did strange things with her name.

Shrugging it off best she could, Kitty adjusted the hood over her head and set off to retrieve the dry cleaning before the rain decided to come back in full force. The girl met Sam at the door upon returning, and she lay the clothes on the table before finding some dinner.
 
Sam all but tackled Kitty, getting under her feet and slobbering her hands. Satisfied he'd given a proper greeting, he went to the door and whined to go out.

Clancy was already up, and he was upstairs in his study. He heard Kitty come in but did not alert her to his presence just yet.
 
Kitty let the dog out, then let him back in after she'd eaten something. It would take a while before all of this wonderful canned soup would disappear, but she had thoughts on where the rest of it might be more useful. Tomorrow, she'd have to remember to do that.
 
Clancy came down the stairs, dressed casually in a black shirt open at the collar and black slacks, again with his fuzzy slippers. "Good evening, Miss Kitty."
 
Back
Top