It had been a few nights since Petra had arrived in Phoenix, and no one had gotten back to her yet about feeding grounds. She wasn’t too worried about it, or at least, she hadn’t been, but perhaps now was the time to approach the Ventrue Primogen to ask if there was a clan designated feeding area she could use.
While she had been waiting, she and Nikolai — though mostly Nikolai, admittedly, had been working on getting a hold of some real estate for her to move into. Getting settled would take some time, and she would need to try to expand some of her business into the area, but she didn’t think it would be all that hard. After all, she’d done this sort of thing before, and it had worked out each time, with varying amounts of bumps and roadblocks along the way.
It took some research, but she managed to get in touch with someone who helped her set up an appointment with her clan’s Primogen, a Victorine LaFourcade, for that evening. Stretching for a moment, she then placed a marker in her book, and headed to the shower, getting that started while she debated on what to wear, before reminding herself it was time to stop pretending to be something she didn’t want to be. With a smile on her face, she chose a comfortable pair of jeans, a basic t-shirt, and some boots for the evening. All stylish, all good quality materials — but definitely not your classic Ventrue attire.
While she was in the shower, letting the water soak into her skin, she went over the information she’d paid for, to learn more about Victorine so she’d have a better idea of what to expect. Petra was older by a few hundred years, and a couple generations lower. Technically, she was more qualified for Victorine’s role than Victorine herself, having served a few hierarchy positions over the years and in different cities. She was new here, however, and not looking to be in a position of power. Petra had only wanted a change of scenery.
After she’d showered and dressed, she got car keys from Nikolai, and fired up the GPS on her phone so she could locate where to meet Victorine. It took some time, and a little maneuvering on where to park, which made her slightly late by the time she reached her office. Petra was made to wait while an assistant, mostly likely a ghoul, went to inform that she’d arrived. Several minutes later, she was given the go ahead to head inside the office.
It was a large room, clearly of French design, as indicated by the furniture and decor within the room. Sitting behind the desk was a blonde woman with light eyes, wearing a dark dress.
“You’re late.” she said, not looking up from some paperwork she was looking through.
“My apologies.” Petra responded. “I had some difficulties locating the place.”
“Hmph.” was all Victorine responded with. Petra waited patiently for her to speak again, something she did not do until she’d finished looking over the papers and finally looked up. It was clear from the brief look on her face when she first saw Petra that there was some distaste there.
“Now, what was it you wanted to see me about?” Victorine asked.
“I wanted to ask if there were any clan feeding grounds, as no one has gotten back to me about that yet.” she stated.
“You’re a Ventrue?” she posited, some emphasis on the first word.
“Yes.” Petra replied, though kept her annoyance to herself for now.
Victorine learned back in her chair, silent, steepling her hands in front of her as she studied Petra. “I’ll have my assistant give you that information.” she said finally.
“Don’t you know?” Petra asked.
“Of course I know. But until you can comport yourself as a proper Ventrue, I’ll only deign to deal with you.” she stated.
“You may be the Primogen, Mrs. LaFourcade, but you are not my elder. Understand that. I will give your position the respect it deserves — but do not disrespect me again.” she said, clearly annoyed.
“I highly doubt that.” she said dryly.
“Look me up sometime, and you’ll understand.” Petra responded, turning to walk away.
“Nouveau-née,” she muttered under her breath as Petra walked away.
“No — that would be you.” she said, scowling at being called a mere newborn.
She shut the office door hard behind her, and stopped at the assistant’s desk to get the information he came for, before leaving entirely and heading back to her hotel room. She was seething now. Not only that, but she hated being judged for anything other than her worth, and more so hated interactions like the one she’d just had. Petra drummed her hands on the steering wheel, trying to decide how best to get back at Victorine.
Ultimately, the best way would be to play the game. Mulling some thoughts over in her head, she decided not to go the petty routes. Instead, she could establish herself. Slowly encroach on Victorine’s territory and pull, and eventually perhaps even campaign to take her seat as Primogen. She sm iled a little with all this in mind. Time would tell if she would do it or not, but for now the thought amused her, and that was enough.