Post-recovery fun, possible drama later?

One moment she was inside the store, the next she was outside. The cold wind hitting her face as she took deep breaths. She could feel the panic in her and as someone touched her shoulder she flinched, moving away from the touch as she turned around to see who it was. "Dad," she breathed out, relief was clear on her face, but she was also clearly affected. Reaching out herself, she wrapped herself in to his arms, hiding her face for a little while, just letting her body find something relaxing. She had been scared. But why she wasn't sure. The guy hadn't been mean to her, or even said anything bad, however the way he looked at her made her feel unsafe. Like he desired her, and when she clearly had made no effort to signal her desire for him, the whole ordeal had felt unsettling to her. And how could it not be? She still bore the trauma of what Lucius had done to her, and part of her feared that maybe she would never get to feel normal again.
After a while she finally let go of Eden, her breath still shaky as she looked down, "sorry ... I just ... I don't know, I didn't feel safe," she said. Quite stupid for a vampyre to say, but she had been hurt in more ways than she wanted to admit right now. That could wait for the trial. "I'm alright, he wasn't mean, just pushy," she assured him, knowing Eden well enough that he would keep her safe.

She flinched by his touch and that worried him. Had it been that bad in there? She turned and it seemed that she realized it was just him. She reached out and he took her into his arms in a protective embrace. He didnt say anything but rather just kept her close while she calmed down. He waited until she let go before he let go as well. She explained and he nodded. It was reasonable enough after what had happened, so he didnt think of her as weak nor stupid. "It is weird for a clerk to be pushy when he's supposed to be working." he remarked. Her assurance made him sigh. "I believe you. Should we go somewhere else now then? We can look for the spiced drink you wanted?" he suggested. Maybe a change of pace was needed. "Unless you want to do that with Romeo as well?" he added after further thought.

Josette nodded. It had been weird. But she couldn't think of a reason as to why the clerk was acting like that - unless she started thinking in conspiracies and that perhaps he was a Trevino spy. Though she doubted it, she also wouldn't put it past them. Eden's suggestion was nice and she smiled at him a bit more genuinely. He was actively trying, wasn't he? "I think Romeo would be sad if we do it without him ... But I saw an antique store further down the road that I think would be fun to go to," she said. Yeah, she needed a change.
She waited until Kareema joined them before they made their way down to the antique store. Though it clearly wasn't something for the elder female who spoke about seizing the opportunity to get some shopping done. Josette smiled, waving until Kareema was gone until she walked in to the store. First the scent of dust hit her, and then it was just a mixture of old furniture and books. Her eyes widened as she saw how deep the store actually was, taking a look at some nice porcelain figures as they walked around. She wasn't even sure why she had decided to go here, but back in France she had loved stores like these. All of the unique items that all had stories long gone.
"What are you getting Romeo?" she asked now that they were alone. She was quite curious, mostly because he had spoken about it so fondly.

Josette stopped in her tracks as Eden went on to explain about the gifts. Well the first one was rather cute, and she knew for a fact that Romeo would love that. She had heard him talk about dancing once or twice since him moving in, and the gesture that Eden was showing the lycan wouldn't go unappreciated, that was for certain. But the second half of the gift made her gasp under her breath, and it seemed that her father figure heard, asking if it was too grandiose. Holding her breath for a few seconds she looked around at some small teacups that had been delicately painted before finally replying. "I think it's very generous," she said, there was no lie in that, "but are you sure he'll accept such a big gift? I mean ... It's not like he really has access to money himself." Part of her worried that maybe Romeo would take offense. That maybe he would see it as charity or too big of a gift to receive when he didn't have much to give in return monetarily speaking. "But in the end, it's up to you, because you know him way better than I do," she reminded him. She couldn't pretend to be an expert regarding the lycan, no, and far from it! But she feared that pride would make the gift unacceptable.

Josette raised an eyebrow at Eden. Really? "Yeah, your money," she repeated, couldn't he hear how that sounded? Sure, Romeo would never have to work a single day if he didn't want to, but it was also clear that the lycan wanted to do something with his life. Why else had he spent so much time studying so hard? She sighed, walking on to look at some old book - perhaps where the most accumulation of dust were. Peeking over one of the shelves she looked at the locket, smiling to herself. Silver was pretty, though Josette had always preferred gold as it fit her bracelet. "It's really pretty," she agreed, smiling to herself she ran a hand over the backs of the books. Some torn, some weathered, some seemingly in great condition. "I'm thinking of getting Kareema a gift voucher for a spa resort," she hummed, chuckling to herself, "that I'll pay with your money," she added in slight teasing. She was the heir to the Parish legacy, so she didn't feel too bad using the money that always seemed to grow and grow. "I just feel like she's been working a lot lately, not only at her normal job, but also with the lawsuit ... I want to thank her for what she has helped us with so far."

She wasn't sure she agreed, though Eden was the one to decide what to do with his assets and wealth, so she couldn't really say much more. Josette smiled as Eden went in to details about how Kareema would never be able to accept such a gift if it was meant as a thanks. Perhaps he was right, but then the vampyress would simply just get the present and not a word of thanks - even though she deserved it.
Out the corner of her eye she saw Eden picking up the locket, quite peculiar to be buying silver when he was dating a lycan, but she wouldn't even dare to dip her fingers in to that honey pot. However he was still as attentive as ever, and she knew that if she had had blood coursing through her veins, she would've been blushing. "Yeah, I was just looking, hoping to maybe find something in decent condition," she admitted, though of course it wasn't with herself in mind that she looked at these old books. Rather it was Aurel. He seemed to occupy her mind lately, and she wasn't really sure how to deal with that. "It's for my friend," she admitted, looking down a little embarrassed as if she had been caught red handed. Frowning she shook her head a little, clearing it as she breathed out in a heavy sigh, "I like him a lot, but I think I'm still a bit careful with who I spend my time with after, well, everything." It wasn't only the old Trevino that had put her off from trying anything, it was also her track record and how it had failed so miserably with Romeo.

"I don't know if he likes me ... Guys are kinda hard to read," she admitted, though there was definitely a hope there. She had a big heart and while it wasn't beating it was filled to the brim for those she cared for. And Aurel was her guardian angel, at least if you asked her, and she thought he was so kind and considerate. Maybe she had placed him a bit on a pedestal, but that was perhaps where she differed from her mother without even knowing it; She put everyone before herself and was so unlike Loralei that it could seem absurd, but perchance she reflected how her mother could've been had she had a more normal upbringing.
He pointed out one of the books, her hand reaching over to touch it, reading it down the back. It looked in well condition, taking it out from the shelf she inspected it, opening it to read what was inside the first few pages. "It's a first edition too," she said a bit surprised. It looked old, and flipping through there was even maps in it. "I think you just found the best gift I could give him," she said, looking to Eden with an expression that said it all. She was grateful that she had him, and in a world that had not been kind to her, she found comfort in the family that she was now apart of.
"About the locket ... You're not planning on giving it to Romeo, right? Because I think he might be offended by the obvious silver," she chuckled a bit in jest, holding the lexicon with two hands as they moved up to the saleswoman by a disk.

Josette appreciated Eden's willingness to be there for her. It was weird going from an orphan girl to one that now had a family. It wasn't a traditional one in any sense, but it was so much better than she could've ever imagined. Speaking of family, Eden mentioned her grandparents. A strange part of the past that she knew very little about, only what had been in the papers she had read. "How was she -" she asked, paying for her lexicon that got wrapped in nice brown paper to spare the cover during transport, "- my grandmother?" The saleswoman wrapped up the locket as well, placing it in a nice velvet box that wasn't the original one, but it would give it a soft cushion to protect it as well. Antiques were a delicate thing and could erode quickly if they weren't taken care of.
Moving out of the store, she held the now wrapped book, opting to hold the velvet box as well so that the elder vampyre could have a smoke. She knew him pretty well by now, knowing he needed his fix. "I mean, I of course know a little from the official papers, but I feel like I still have so much to learn about this family," she sighed softly, looking down as she felt a little ashamed. This was going to take a lifetime getting the hang of, but she hoped that with Eden and Kareema's guidance she would manage it.

Josette looked down, making sure she had a good grip of both packages before walking next to Eden. Hearing about his parents made her sad, but asking what had killed them was perhaps a bad idea. He seemed upset, even if he wasn't showing it, it was like she could see it. Regret? She wasn't sure. But in her mind it was interpreted to be regret about what was never said or done, maybe even that she couldn't be introduced to the grandparents that had long passed.
"Would they have approved of me?" she asked carefully. She had seen how the other vampyres in the family had spoken about how her mother should've been married before having her. She felt happy that Eden had accepted her, taken her in and adopted her as his own, but that didn't take away the whispers and rumors about who her true father could've been. "I mean, I know I'm not a perfect Parish, I still have so much to learn and understand," Josette felt like she could be vulnerable with him, perhaps because he had been so protective of her. "I just ... I mean I would hope to think that I could've been accepted by them, you know." Rejection wasn't new to her, but she also had never felt this connected to someone, feeling the parental vibes so strong from Eden. The last thing she wanted was to have him see her as a disappointment, and that extended to his deceased parents as well.

She didn't know if she felt comforted by the fact that her deceased grandparents would've approved of her, but it felt good even if it was for selfish reasons. Eden told her not to worry, and she tried not to, trusting that he knew best. Once he had finished smoking he took the packages and while they hadn't been heavy to her, she had been worried of dropping them.
They met up with Kareema, and Josette giggled happily seeing how she had really went to town. Josette nodded at the suggestion, reaching over to take the wrapped packages, "I'll help you," she said. Even if Kareema was a vampyre, it wouldn't be polite for Josette just to let her do everything. No, she wanted to help. She looked to Eden with a warm smile, "Could you text Romeo and hear how he far along he is?" she asked before following the female vampyre to the car.

Feeling his pocket vibrate he took it out, looking at it as he smiled. Eden wasn't much of a texter, but he didn't have to be for those words to make him want to hurry up and get back to him. He wrote back that it wouldn't be too long now, taking a quick peak at himself in the mirror. He looked very different, but perhaps it was something he had to get used to. All he missed was getting his hair washed out and cut, and he felt a little nervous for the true reveal. And yet he knew he had to do this for himself. He wrote back that he missed Eden too and that he would call him as soon as he was done. It felt almost too good to be true.
His hairdresser came back, guiding him up to get his hair washed out. She was complimenting him a lot, but he barely noticed as his mind was beginning to race. What if Eden didn't like this change? What if he thought he looked silly? Breathing out in a small huff, he closed his eyes, excusing himself saying it was the bleach that was burning his eyes. Sitting back down in front of the mirror he almost lost his jaw as it dropped, pleasantly surprised as he was now met by the blonde almost silvery locks on his head. The hairdresser got to work, cutting and styling it until eventually he was done. Paying for it with his card, he thanked them a lot before going out on the streets.
He stood for a bit, lighting a smoke as he clicked through his phone, just letting the nicotine take effect before tapping on the phone icon, calling up Eden. When he picked up, he would smile a bit to himself, "hi," he sounded like himself, which was a relief to the lycan himself, "how far along are you?"

Romeo could hear the smile as Eden spoke, making him smile too, breathing out the smoke from his lungs as he leaned his head back, looking up at the sky. "Yeah, I was just having a smoke, thinking of my boyfriend and his whereabouts," he said, chuckling softly as he felt a bit nervous. Not nervous because of Eden, but because of what he might think of his new look, "listen ... When you see me, will you try and not hate it?" he asked more seriously. He was still trying to find his confidence with this new haircut, and while he knew Eden cared about him, he also wanted him to find him appealing still. "It's pretty drastic, but it has been long overdue," he added.
They agreed that Eden would send him the address, and Romeo followed his navigation app until he reached the street. Were people staring at him more than usual? Or was he just feeling self-conscious now that he looked different. Turning his head he watched his own reflection in the windows he passed, feeling like he was looking at a familiar stranger.

He knew he was overthinking this, but alas there was little he could do now that it had been done. At least it hadn't turned yellow like pee. He snuffed out the bud of his cigarette before venturing down the street to find Eden. Looking at his phone, he had the real coordinates and looked around where he spotted him sitting on a bench. Smiling he walked closer, his hands in his pocket as he placed himself in front of the vampyre, looking at him with a soft gaze. He really hoped he didn't look too silly to him.
"Ta-da," he said, rolling his eyes a little at his own nerves, chuckling softly. He moved a hand up, touching the silvery blonde strands between his fingers. This right here was the biggest fuck you to his parents, his family and his heritage. While it wasn't uncommon for people within his family - especially women - to dye their hair, it wasn't the norm for men. Seeing the typical Trevino dark locks were more or less expected, so this was a symbol that his family would recognize the second they saw him. It was him defying them, defying his heritage and who they want him to be. Instead he saw it as him embracing this new life with Eden, his now chosen family, and he felt proud of himself for having done it.