Fear and Loathing in New Orleans Pt. 2

So now Tina is Dead Tina. Which technically sounds pretty bad, but after getting over the small inconveniences of actually being dead, I'm finding this Unlife stuff is not too bad. Sure – it's come with it's drawbacks; existing on a blood diet only, avoiding sunlight entirely, never breaching the masquerade to humans, etc. But not too bad, overall. I've decided to sever ties with my mom and step dad though. Keeping a relationship with my human family seemed like a burden I just didn't need. Becky Lynn, on the other hand, is trying to keep it together with her family, but I'm watching it unravel before our very eyes and it's not looking good for the home-girl...

"Why aren't you eating, Becky Lynn?"
"Why can't you come over in the morning, Becky Lynn?"
"Why can't you go on vacation with Daddy and me to the French Riviera, Becky Lynn? We do it every year!"

I just don't need that crap from my mother. Our relationship was hard enough. Plus I'm not trying to milk her for a trust fund like Princess Becky is, so severing ties was much easier. I just stopped calling back. I mean, in 50 or 60 years they'll all be dead anyway, so what's the point?

I dropped out of school too. That sucked, but seriously – in 200 years, am I going to care if I majored in Sports Medicine or not? We've found we've had to be a bit more creative as far getting the money to put a shelter over our heads and "necessities" in our hands, but it turns out that Vampires are pretty crafty at all types of fraud, so I'm spreading my wings and sharpening my skills in ways I'd never dreamed I would.

As newly-created Kindred, we discovered keeping a "retainer" is all the rage. It's sort of complicated, but basically you choose a human and create a bond with your blood. There are different possible degrees to the bond, but the idea is the person is absolutely loyal to you, willing to protect you at all costs and helps to maintain your lifestyle.

Peter is my new retainer. I met him in an upscale, white-collar bar uptown. He was with his fiancee and some business partners. Despite the crowd he was in, he presented himself as a target to me immediately – I guess we just clicked. It wasn't long before I'd convinced him to make a 20K contribution to our "charity" and not much longer before I had him thralled and Becky Lynn and I were moved into his downtown penthouse suite. This guy is loaded. I took over his Merc SLK Kompressor, but he has a Nobel on order for me. Besides the shelter and financial security he provides, he's just a caring, nurturing guy. He makes sure our rooms are secure and protected from all sunlight, and guards us fearlessly during the day. Plus it's always convenient to have a meal ready to go when you are.

It's really nice owning a pet.