Anise's fingers came to her lips, unable to shake her gut feeling. Perhaps it was that she didn't seem to have good luck with royal parties, or perhaps it was simple paranoia... but she had a nagging feeling that tonight was going to end terribly. With no proof, she had to ignore her intuition, but it didn't stop the feeling from clawing at her every now and then, reminding her that it was still there and preventing her from fully focusing on anything.
"While you do have to drink blood to become like me, it isn't quite so simple. You only turn if you are at death's door. If you are within death's grasp and you are given a drink from a vampire, then you will turn. It also works best when both
feed from each other, but the main requirement is you'd have to be actively dying."
Violet eyes flickered, taking in the information. So she would have to be killed by him or dying... Well, she kind of knew she would have to die to become a vampire given they aren't actually 'alive' by biological standards. However, hearing it actually spoken out loud, it was just bone chilling. In an attempt to keep her face from giving her away, Anise bit the inside of her cheek. Her eyes often showed more than enough emotion anyway. Anise took a breath in softly, "Wasn't your family turned through magic by the late Lady Elizabeth and your father Lord Edward...? To think there is more than one way to become a vampire..." Anise whispered, trying to wrap her head around the knowledge she had just been given. Then her brows furrowed as a curious thought crossed her mind, "Excuse me if I'm completely off on this, but...no one sired any of you... Wouldn't that mean... Wouldn't that mean that you are purebloods?" Anise questioned, tilting her head at him. If she could distract Bishop from the discussion of being turned, she definitely would. It was the last thing she wanted to think about, because eventually, she wanted to be reunited with her sister Alice.
"You could've stopped with saying I'm not repulsive..."
Blinking in surprise, Anise struggled to form words. She wasn't entirely sure, but she was starting to gather that he was fishing for compliments from her. Why? What does my opinion matter...? I know how I feel... but there is no chance the lord would reciprocate. Her expression was bewildered, but she eventually showed signs of catching on, her blush going somewhat darker as she understood what he wanted her to do, "Apologies my lord. It's a bit difficult to give compliments to..." Anise trailed off, catching herself before she said something embarrassing. Her breath hitched for a moment, and she reminded herself that saying it aloud would be the point of no return. With a calming breath, she finished her sentence, albeit not using the words she originally intended, "to someone of royal blood... It's nerve-wracking, even now." She lightly giggled, albeit just the nervousness in her laughter made it apparent that she was still hiding something.
"And? What's your point? Obviously. Why on earth wouldn't I be?"
Mouth agape, Anise could not fathom why Bishop did not understand what she meant. There were a million reasons why a lord would not kiss a common maid at the entrance way of his family castle on Saint Valentines Day. Decency, Scandal, not to mention most Lords considered the common folk to be beneath them. If he was caught, their family name might be tarnished for centuries. Perhaps for a vampire that seemed to be a short time, but honestly Anise did not even want to imagine the damage.
"In any case, we may as well dance since Demetri went through all this trouble. Come, you owe me a dance, we can discuss this later."
Though the change of subject worked wonders on easing the intense beating of her heart, Anise was even more nervous about his topic change. As eyes landed on them, whispering began and Anise's form stiffened immediately, "Mi'lord. Please give me a chance to freshen up first.... My pride as a woman is at stake... If I go out there like this in front of everyone....then I'll forever be known as the Santiago family's realeza la puta.." Anise whispered, but she was well aware that doing so in the company of vampires was extremely useless. They would likely hear every single word along with her heartbeat hammering away inside of her chest cavity. Once away from prying eyes, Anise gently tore from his hold, no longer asking for permission. She could not bare the thought of being seen so dirty. Perhaps there was a time she might not have cared about her personal image, but the past year had given her a set of standards, and Demetri could easily be blamed for her view on what 'acceptable' forms of dressing in public were....well....somewhat. Not all of Demetri's designs were 'public' friendly. Many of his designs, specifically the maid uniforms were not suitable, in fact, they were highly controversial and Anise was glad that Castillo de la Muerte never received unexpected visitors. She would have been mortified if outsiders saw her in such clothes. They were...so revealing. Scandalously so. She doubted real prostitutes wore such short garments, but Anise being so innocent of mind, she really had nothing to compare the dresses to nor did she actually understand even ten percent of what took place inside of a whorehouse.
Once she made it to her living quarters, Anise slammed the door shut and began to undress. The corset was fine without damage or discolorment, as were her underclothes. She simply had to switch dresses and wash up. Anise poured water into the basin on the night stand and began scrubbing the dirt off her skin, gently cleaning as she got closer to her cuts and bruises. When Anise considered herself to be presentable and decent she rushed over to the mirror to do some quick primping to her hair. Still in what was considered to be underwear to 18th century standards, Anise adjusted her askew hair to a satisfactory measure. She removed as much dirt and leaves as possible before pinning her hair back up in a somewhat stylish updo. Sighing in contentment, Anise approached her closet barefoot, retrieving a white dress, one of many that he had given each of the girls before the first ball. She knew Bishop would likely complain that it wasn't one he chose, but the previous had been ripped to shreds by thorns. She was upset as well, as it had been chosen specifically for her, but she could not restore the dress in time. It would have to wait for a later date. Anise returned to the bed and cleaned her feet, putting on basic black heels and slipped on the dress, but without help, she could not seem to tie the strings in the back tight enough. Slipping on the dress and holding it firmly to her body, Anise peeked outside to see if Bishop had actually followed her. Anise felt he might be angry due to her defiance, but if he wanted a dance, was her feeling comfortable in her attire too much to ask? She was about to find out. With a sigh, she asked aloud, "Lord Bishop..? I can't seem to tie the back of my gown... If it isn't too much to ask.... C-Could.... Could I have some assistance?" Her voice was timid, but she was doing her best. Confidence was not something someone like her could gain overnight, but she was testing the waters a little at a time.
