(Untitled)

[turnthebadinme]

With two years of island life under her belt and a vast wardrobe she'd been given near the end of her first year, it was easy to imagine that Serena had an endless supply of clothes and thus managed to escape the worst of the clothes box's wrath, being able to avoid it for the most part

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[justsookie]

Aside from putting quality time into soaking up the sun's rays, Sookie's next greatest guilty pleasure on the island was rifling through the clothes box. Shopping for clothes wasn't something that she could afford to do very often, back on Bon Temps - when one was a little picker than the usual t-shirt and jeans fare that was sold in the discount clothing stores, the cost of keeping a workable wardrobe was pretty high. Most of the time, the waitress stuck to clothes which could be mixed and matched, cardigans and dresses which generally matched in style and color palettes. Sticking to the classics had enabled her to, over time, collect a decent amount of clothes that didn't immediately go out of fashion - but when given a chance to start up that collection from scratch, especially given the lack of formal jobs on the island?

Sookie couldn't complain one bit.

She was just on her way to return a few things to the box that didn't quite suit her fancy, having made sure to wash all the articles carefully so that the force behind its magic wouldn't be upset. Finding a cute sundress splayed out in front of her, Sookie blinked for a moment in confusion, looking around to see if anyone else had happened into the room, or if people on Tabula Rasa really were just as friendly as folks who'd known each other their entire lives. When the brief glance told her that she was, indeed, the only other person in the vicinity, Sookie immediately broke into a wide smile.

"That's real sweet of you; not sure whether or not you could tell," Sookie remarked, quickly entering the room and kneeling down, careful not to hike up the skirt of her pale blue sundress, "but I've got a real thing for dresses. And bright colors. Though, to be fair, I'm also pretty sure you'd be drop dead gorgeous in that."

Pausing to consider the other woman - with a little flare of jealousy, of course, because she really was quite pretty - Sookie then held out a hand. "Sookie Stackhouse."

[turnthebadinme]

Serena accepted the offered hand, her shake firm but not overly so, well-practiced from early on, her smile broadening as she did so. She could easily have struck up a conversation on the merits of dresses versus jeans or on color palettes or even just how pretty Sookie herself was, but the name sent all that, if not out of her head, at least to the periphery of her thoughts.

"Not Jason's sister?" she asked, brightening. It was a relief to hear he'd finally got his family, even if Serena herself had just lost half of hers. If she had to be unhappy, at least others weren't and at least she'd always been good at hiding it. She could see the resemblance now and was genuinely thrilled for it, nevermind the hint of envy coursing through that joy. "Oh, he must be so thrilled. I'm Serena van der Woodsen. It's so good to meet you!"

[justsookie]

Immediately, Sookie found herself a little torn at the sudden turn of events. The enthusiasm which Serena exhibited seemed genuine enough, and generally Sookie's reflexes had a habit of turning toward 'monkey see, monkey do,' a result of too many years as a waitress and catering to the whims and wants of patrons. But her smile, which normally would have been as bright as the sun, was dimmed just a little, between wondering exactly why this girl seemed so happy on Jason's behalf and then being doubly dampened by the whole package put together. Mannerisms, appearance - goodness, even 'van der Woodsen' itself sounded like it should have been the name of a couture line or something equally high class - all of it just ended up making Sookie feel a little more like the country bumpkin she admittedly was.

But she tried to swallow it all down, because really, how was that fair? Sookie had been completely fine when acclimating to the thought of vampires living in the area, and shifters, and even grew accustomed to the idea of werewolves lurking - it wouldn't make sense to be quaking in her boots over a female friend of Jason's.

"Jason's little sister, that'd be me," Sookie nodded with a small grin. "And the pleasure's all mine, Serena - I just hope that my brother's take on my reputation hasn't preceded me too much. Are you his...?" The blonde's voice trailed off, not exactly sure what etiquette demanded as far as inquiring into one's dating.

[turnthebadinme]

"Friend, uh huh," Serena said with a nod, as easy as if she'd assumed that was actually the word Sookie was looking for. She was pretty quick on the uptake, at least when it came to social situations, and just as fast to defuse them when possible. As gorgeous as Jason was, the timing just had never been right for something to happen, though she couldn't honestly say she hadn't been tempted a time or two.

Even so, she was absolutely in earnest when she described him that way. "He's a sweet guy." She laughed, grin turning crooked. "But he's your brother, so he's probably a nightmare to you." It was always relaxing, meeting someone new, getting to know someone else's interests and life. Even when she had no real interest - though she was instinctively intrigued by Sookie, and more so by half-remembered things Jason had said about her - it put her in her element. When she was absorbed in someone else, it was simpler to forget her own troubles, simpler just to be happy and at ease. It helped that Sookie couldn't have been more than a few years older than herself, making it easier to be herself than to put on the glossy act years of society life had forced her to perform for adults, until the performance had become habit and then instinct. "Although, actually, it's pretty obvious he adores you. Don't tell him I told you so."

[justsookie]

"Friend, right!" Sookie exclaimed, perhaps just a little too quickly, voice sharp for a moment. The waitress nodded, relief evident in her eyes, before she shook her head and let out that sigh of relief, all pretenses crumbling down with it. "S-sorry about that, and I believe you, it's just... y'know, when a pretty girl just happens to know my brother and seems that excited about him in general? In Bon Temps, it would've been a no-brainer that he'd at least set his sights on her and was startin' to work his so-called magic. And his general rule on that is for the little sister not to interfere."

Laughing lightly, Sookie let her shoulders relax a little more as her gaze flickered down on the floor, where she made herself more comfortable, sitting fully down. Now that she knew not to worry about somehow offending and scaring the brotherly prospects away, Sookie's interest quickly turned to a mix of curiosity and gratitude - it was good, of course, to know that Jason had friends on the island that he must have turned to in Sookie's extended absence. It was also doubly interesting to try and figure out what exactly it was that others saw in him, if he'd grown up any while stranded on Tabula Rasa. Sookie loved her brother dearly, without a doubt, but without the experiences of the Fellowship behind him, her memories of Jason from that earlier time were of him being a fool, more or less. Judgmental.

Then again, they didn't have to worry about vampires here.

"Anyway, Jason's... yeah, he's a handful? But he's my brother, and I love him just as much as I imagine he loves me, even if he really gets on my nerves, sometimes. How'd you get to know him, if you don't mind my askin'? It's weird that I've got so much of his life to catch up on."

[turnthebadinme]

"Oh, I don't mind at all," Serena said, trying and failing to hide her amusement at the frankness of Sookie's answer. Even after two years on the island, even with her growing discontent with the situation, honesty seemed something rare and special, to be cherished and encouraged. She did her best to meet it with the same, even if she sometimes failed. It wasn't always for lack of trying. "My brother was here for a while, too - my younger brother - and I'm sure he had lots of questions."

She had no intention of staying long on that subject, glance darting downwards as she eased back onto the floor, trying not to think about what she had lost. Maybe she hadn't always been the most attentive of sisters, but Eric had been a lifeline for her, someone to keep her as honest, as good, as possible, and there were few people left to keep her in check that way, if anybody still remained. With a smile, she lifted her gaze quickly and shrugged. "Um, I just... ran into him on the beach one day and got to talking," she said, huffing out a laugh. "And then he started dating my friend Jenny. I man, they aren't together anymore, but... I know it's like the unspoken rule that you're supposed to shun your friend's exes, but if we all did that, we wouldn't know anyone, right? This place is so small and anyway, it's not like he's not still a nice guy just 'cause they broke up, you know?"

[justsookie]

Although the waitress wasn't sure why, Serena's brief mention of her little brother had Sookie reaching over for the other woman's hand - not saying a word, not lingering on a topic which the younger woman seemed very intent on moving quickly away from, but still an attempt to provide support. It seemed like it was necessary, but given everything else Sookie could generally read about Serena, such as the fact that she was poised, put-together, undoubtedly from a place where order mattered far more than it ever did in Bon Temps, Sookie didn't want to overstep her boundaries. A hand seemed safe. Just a brief squeeze, before Sookie pulled back to listen to the young lady go on about Jason.

Jason Stackhouse, always among the best of distractions.

"Oh jeez, that explains why he hasn't barked up your tree quite yet," Sookie shook her head, nose wrinkling as much from amusement as it did from some degree of disgust. "Not that Jason really minds dippin' multiple times in the same pool, but he's got enough sense to wait a bit to keep from makin' too much trouble for himself. Or maybe, given how much sense you've got, he just knows better than to try and aim too high. No offense to your friend Jenny or anything; it's easy to fall for his charm, especially when you don't know his track record."

Letting herself pinch the bridge of her nose for a moment, Sookie then shook her head again, curls falling around her face. "But that's more than enough brother talk for me. So, where are you from? What was your life like before comin' here?"

[turnthebadinme]

More than Serena could or would say, she appreciated that small gesture on Sookie's part, the warmth of it that made her feel a little less distant while still giving her her dignity. To dwell too long on Eric was to court disaster, to march headlong into a bout of tears, and she barely knew Sookie. So she talked and smiled and laughed instead. Jason had never done anything more than flirt with her, but the description seemed apt, and if she'd been single when they'd met, whatever Sookie's notion of her being 'too high,' she knew she might well have fallen for that charm just as easily.

She didn't correct her, though. It was nice to be thought of as someone with sense for a change.

"Oh, gosh," she said, blinking and glancing away at the question, "well... I grew up in New York. Manhattan. So you know, it was... actually, it was pretty great, living in the city. It's such a busy place, there's always something to do or somewhere to go, something to see." As ever, the idea of mentioning her family and social standing left Serena bashful, somehow embarrassed by her riches; it seemed more difficult still to address when she knew Sookie was from a small town and would probably see it as glamorous in a way Serena wasn't sure it had ever been.

[justsookie]

The slight humility and modesty that seemed to come from Serena was not at all what Sookie would have expected out of someone coming from New York; one always heard tales about how the people up there needed to be more cutthroat, serious, getting to the point quickly in order to best go on with their fast-paced lives. Of course, Sookie didn't mind. If anything, it set her at ease, even if she hoped that Serena wasn't uncomfortable with Sookie's inquiries. It was just difficult, given how little she knew about these other places, to know what she could bond with others over. Aside from Jason, she hadn't met anyone else from the deep South, yet.

It left one feeling a little bit out of place.

"It sounds like the exact opposite of where I'm from," Sookie laughed regardless, clinging to whatever details she was given. "Everything down in Bon Temps runs pretty slowly. People know each other, they know the land in and out, so it's very... predictable. Or it was, anyway, until vampires came out of the coffin and started stirrin' a lot of things up. Believe me, I was so glad when that happened; I don't come from a lot of money, exactly, so I couldn't really travel to the adventurous parts of the country. It was nice to find somethin' new right in the backyard to learn about."

[turnthebadinme]

"I think that sounds pretty exciting in its own right," Serena agreed, grinning as she drew her knees toward her, leaning in close. Jason had mentioned the vampires, of course, even that Sookie had dated one, but the idea seemed so absurd, so foreign, she couldn't help being curious. It couldn't all be as dull as those Twilight books Karen had laughed at.

Of course, Bon Temps itself had sounded wonderful to her at one point, with its peace and quiet, so far removed from her own world, a place where people knew each other personally instead of merely by word of mouth and reputation. These days, though, she thought she understood the impatience, the need to break out and find somewhere more thrilling.

"But it does sound pretty far opposite," she agreed. "I mean, we definitely didn't have any vampires. Or quiet." She laughed softly, leaning forward, eager to hear more. "So they were just there all along and then they revealed themselves?"

[justsookie]

A part of Sookie just needed to take a moment to pause and bask in the moment, one which felt like she'd truly found a kindred spirit, practically the definition of a girl friend. All the gossip, the intrigue, excitement over swapping details about their lives - while Tara was so much more than Sookie could ever ask to have in a friend, having someone that she could see eye to eye with was just different. Someone who didn't seem repulsed at the idea of vampires, or even scared, though of course the waitress knew that there was a difference between hearing about something and coming face-to-face with it. It explained the huge disparity between people willing to enjoy shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or films like Dracula and those who could similarly welcome actual vampires to their neighborhoods.

But there was no reason not to give Serena the benefit of the doubt, especially considering the fact that vampires did live on the island, even if they'd been changed to a more seemingly harmless human state.

"Well, you might have vampires, right? You never know, really - maybe yours just haven't come out of the coffin like ours did. There are a lot of other creatures too, it turns out. Werewolves, shapeshifters, probably even witches, though I didn't dare ask," Sookie explained eagerly, similarly leaning in. "But anyway, yeah, apparently they've been around for a long time, and people just never knew. My boyfriend, Bill, he was turned during the American Civil War. And his sheriff, Eric - who by the way is a lyin' piece of uppity scum, so you should steer clear of him if he ever makes it to the island - has lived for over a thousand years. Vampires just didn't reveal themselves until now because the Japanese have only recently figured out a way to make synthetic blood, which helps keep vampires from havin' to feed on humans."

[turnthebadinme]

While Serena absolutely felt that everyone deserved a second (and sometimes third, fourth and fifth) chance, she made a mental note anyway regarding this Eric guy. If nothing else, she wanted to see what he was like so she could understand why Sookie thought so little of him, since, so far, Serena felt Sookie was a kind person and likely an excellent judge of character.

"So they just live - live? - on fake blood?" she asked, wide-eyed. "That's kind of amazing. I mean, you're right, maybe we do have them. I never thought something like showing up here could happen and it did, so... maybe there are vampires in New York." She smiled at that, giving a little shudder of delight. It made the city seem just that tiny bit more exciting, one more potential in a city of possibility; if there was anywhere in the world it might be true, she felt it had to be New York.

[justsookie]

The little shivers on Serena's part only made Sookie's grin widen - although she knew now that it wasn't smart to get excited about vampires in the way over-the-top fangbangers did, since the vampire way of life was dangerous at best, it was refreshing to come across someone who didn't immediately feel repulsed at the thought. Who seemed willing to accept the fact that vampires weren't bad on face, and certainly not creatures sent from Hell. Sookie had heard a number of times that the people up north were a lot more progressive on a lot of issues, evidenced even by the fact that a couple of states up in New England had even legalized marriages between humans and vampires.

"Well, vampires are... technically dead," Sookie corrected, shoulders hunching slightly for emphasis. "But the blood keeps their magic workin', keeps them animated. Apparently, it doesn't taste nearly as good as actual human blood, though, and some humans are willin' to have their vampire partners feed off of them. They've just got to take a lot of vitamins afterward to replenish the iron in their bodies. I'd think that New York should have a ton of vampires, though; y'all are always bustlin' at night, far past the hours we keep in Louisiana, and night's when vampires are actually able to go out and walk among humans."

[turnthebadinme]

"'cause they can't go in the sun, right?" That was the mythology Serena knew, at least, though there was no telling how different things might be in Sookie's world, if it wasn't the same as her own. "That can't be easy," she mused. "I mean, when you're dating one. Not getting to see him during the day."

True, she'd always spent plenty of time in the evening with her boyfriends, such as they'd been, but there was something to be said for sunlight, for walking out together at noon and picnics in Central Park or by the waterfall. Intriguing though it all sounded, Serena couldn't envy Sookie the restrictions and challenges her relationship had faced when Serena herself could barely handle those of a relationship with an ordinary teenage boy.

[justsookie]

"Nope, they can't really go out in the sun," Sookie agreed with a slight nod, though her expression grew slightly more somber. "The older the vampire, the worse it is; I once knew a vampire, Godric, who'd been around for over two thousand years. He, uhm. He burst into flames shortly after the sun rose. Whereas a vampire who's only a little over a hundred would be able to last a few minutes under strong sunlight, though it isn't pretty."

The blonde reached out with a hand, running carefully over the fabric of the dress, tracing around the edges of the flowers. Flowers in a shade that vampires didn't generally get to see, unless they wanted to spend time inside a lit greenhouse, but the effect was just never the same. It was one of the things that made her suspect that Bill and her would eventually come to part, in one way or another. She wasn't willing to give all those things up, but to stand any chance of lasting with him, she'd have to. Because why would he stay when she got achy and old? Or, worse yet, how would she be able to live with it if he did?

"And yeah, I guess it's kind of hard. I mean, as far as schedules go, it's... okay. We can't spend an entire day or night together, 'cause we both need to sleep, but I never thought I'd be the type of girl who'd want to attach herself to someone at the hip, anyway. It's more... the fact that I can't enjoy the sun with him that hurts, sometimes. I love it so much, myself. The tan probably shows that."

[turnthebadinme]

Serena nodded, sympathetic. She could, if nothing else, imagine that. "I'm a sun person myself," she said lightly, lips twisting into a smile that somehow made even that a self-deprecating statement. She was an all-the-time kind of person, in truth, as given to late nights as long days. "That's one of the things I like about this place - long afternoons to lie around in the sun, just soaking it up." She shrugged her shoulders high, grinning. It was better that than to think of people - dead or not - just bursting into flames.

She'd always been torn herself, wanting to spend all her time with a guy while in the first flush of infatuation, needing time all on her own. Sookie's way, she though, had to be difficult, but it was probably better in the long run. "Maybe he'll show up here," she suggested, "and be all human and alive again. I mean, I hear it happens."