Lady in Red

New Orleans

"What are ya doing, Miss Teresa?" Jacob said, watching as Daisy waded into the ruins of her old home, pushing aside the rotten beams and broken slats, gently pushing aside the greenery and foliage as Jacob clumsily followed after her "There might be snakes in there, Daisy, what are you looking for?"

"Sweet Salvation, Mr Mathews..." Daisy said, hopping over a particularly large patch of the splintered rooftop, through the south-west end... She really hoped that it was still there.

"Salvation from what?" Jacob asked, Daisy, paused, looking at the tatty men's ware that he had given her and cringing a little

"Oh... Nothing, really... Ah look, it's still here!" She skipped over the ruins, spotting a frayed carpet that was Black and green with mould, though she knew that it was originally a beautiful Polynesian scarlet, and she also knew just was underneath that carpet.

Her Golden hair whipping at the air as she turned, Daisy looked to Mr Mathews expectantly.

"What?" Jacob said as she stared suggestively, to the very large pile of wreckage on top of the Carpet, He sighed, rolling his eyes and rolling up his sleeves "Note to self: when encountering Bog witches, expect physical labour." He muttered, Daisy chuckling as she slapped his arm playfully, the **** of the very light slap rocking him a little

"Oh hush." She said giggling as He rubbed his arm begrudgingly.

Daisy hummed happily, Jacob grunting as He pushed some of the rubble along out of the way "So... Miss Teresa... you from here?"

"If by here, you mean earth, then yes... I'm not an alien." Jacob smiled at that, but shook his head, his thick curls swaying as He did

"No I mean, You're from New Orleans, Your accent is a little mixed is odd."

"Odd? oh well, I lived with some interesting folks growing up, a cajun lady for a while, then some nice Coloured folks in town, before I moved here... it really was... a very beautiful home." Daisy's smiled faded for a moment, and Jacob noticed

"Coloured folks, hehe, I would lay off using that term, nowadays, it isn't very PC." He said, hopefully, distracted her sad memories

"PC? what do you mean by PC? what am I supposed to call you if not coloured folk, I lived with coloured folk all my life and even they called each other coloured folk, that or Ni-"

"OOoooookaayyy, jeez you have a lot to learn." He said pleading with his hands for her to stop, before wiping his forehead which leaked from the work "Look at this god damn thing, it's darn huge, I can't lift it!" The Young man said, gesturing to the particularly thick beam laying right over the carpet "The fucking thing weighs like a ton-"

"Watch your language, really." Daisy said in disgust, rolling her eyes as she sauntered past him and grumbling as she leant down "I did not spend 4 years in a munition production factory for today's Youth to be uttering such obscenities!"

Jacob's eyes widened, watching as the Cute, but very tall blonde grasped the Beam with one hand and with a single sweeping arc, she hurled the huge beam a good 10 yards out of the wreckage, thumping into the ground as Daisy grimaced at the gross carpet "So disgusting, Get that for me would you, that carpet is nearly as bad as Your potty mouth."

"But... how?..." Jacob said pointing to the far off beam

"Oh nevermind that, come one please, I don't want to ruin my lovely nails," Daisy said, frowning at her strangely shining and completely perfect nails, Jacob nodded though He never took his eyes off of her, how the hell did she do that? He was probably thinking, but Daisy cleared her throat, feeling herself tremble a little, her eyes resting on him intently for a moment before she snapped them away again

"No... not him... He's such a nice, Boy." She thought, putting on another smile as He rolled the carpet away.

There, just where they had left it, was a rusted metal trap door that shone a dirty orange under the moonlight, and Daisy gave a thankful smile, nodding to Jacob who took the old ring in his hands and cast it open, revealing the dark passage that continued deeply below.

"Ancient and Creepy dark basement, not weird at all," Jacob whispered, only to get another powerful but playful nudge from Daisy as she chuckled

"Come on darling, Unless you're scared of the dark?" A rapturous giggle erupted from the Golden blonde as she stepped curtly down to the first step, that creaked as her foot put even the slightest pressure on it, her tall form vanishing into the black abyss.

"Yes, in fact, creepy Bog witches too... oh grandmama forgive me..." He muttered, holding his breath as He followed after her into the shadows.

Daisy coughed as the dust invaded her lungs, though it was nice for her to see something familiar, even if it was caked in dust and had become decrepit beyond belief. The Basement was not large, a simple cellar for mother's old rums and fancy merlot's the likes of which still sat in the short rack which violet eyes looked upon fondly "Jeez, I can't see a thing in here, it's pitch black!"

Daisy shrugged, she had always liked the dark and cosy places, and Her eyes had never failed in providing perception for all they might need to see, nonetheless, Jacob pulled out his 11 and tapped on it, making the top right shine brightly as if by magic "Sweet heaven and earth... Your 11 is a torch and a telephone!? amazing!" She cried, Jacob shrugged, looking at the cellar that was painted in cobwebs and grey, it's tattered bricks cracked with age, dusty bottles adorning short shelves along the west wall... and a large aged trunk nestled in the corner. "This place is super gross, Miss Teresa, look at all the webs, I bet a thousand types of spider's live here," Jacob said, twisting his face up at the tangling structures of smooth silk that the arachnids had danced along the walls.

"Most likely, but that isn't a bad thing, Spiders have the worst reputation, but they are actually very sweet..." She said fondly, Mr Mathews scoffed

"Yeah, about as sweet as-AH!" He cried, spotting one of the very same creepy crawlies relaxing on his jacket's collar, his arm swept up like a rising wave, the nub of his finger clipping against the sharp cracks of the brick above, his face twisted with terror as He threw a Warhammer blow to crush the poor creature.

It was instinct for her, darting towards him deftly and safely catching his wrist. "Don't move." She whispered, her tall form lingering above his as she reached down to allow the sweet little critter to scuttle into her palm "He and his family have been looking after my Cellar for me, getting rid of the nasty little flies. A Handsome young man like him, He has just as much right to live as You do." Her voice was soft and sweet as she set the little beast on the wall, the dark beauty scuttling off as Jacob looked at her

"Right... sorry." He said, wincing at his hand that wept tears of blood from the small cut on his knuckle.

Daisey's eyes widened, that sweet scent brushing past her nostrils, agitating something deep inside that had not been fed for a very, very long time. She Stifled a growl, covering her mouth with one hand and Her left eye with the other as she lurched, the harsh unsettlement of her stomach exploding inside "Urrgh... P-Please cover that up!" She pleaded, feeling her innards writhe sickly

"Hey, it's just a little cut?"

"I can't stand the sight of blood, p-please, cover it, quickly..."

"Okay, alright, I'll cover it now." He said earnestly.

Daisy took a deep breath, allowing the cool air to fill her lungs and relax her guts, she blinked her eye testingly, lacked her teeth together, once, twice, thrice... _"Sunshine, sunshine, Sunshine..." _She repeated in her head, smiling as she straightened up and turned back to Jacob who was looking at her funny.

"You know, Y-You're a real scary lady, Miss Teresa..." He said shakily, obviously having sensed a little of what she was...

"Only on my bad days, Mr Mathews, only on my bad days." There was a little shame in her voice, but she put it aside, moving towards the Trunk in the corner and crouching down slowly.

Running her hand along the chest's face, Jacob saw that against all-natural reason, that underneath the thick layers of grey that the Chest was bright red. She stared at it fondly, undoing the dirty silver latch and lifting the scarlet lid.

Daisy could have shed tears at the sight of it, for within Her old trunk lay the perfectly preserved and neatly folded form, of her red velvet dress, Her crimson shoes, her elbow-length gloves made of the finest silk, her finger dove into her soft scarf, the white furs tickling her fingertips, sweetening her smile for the main event "Hello my girl..." she clutched the wide rim of her golden straw bonnet, wrapped in a beautiful crimson hem that ended in a perfectly drawn bow that she touched affectionately as she cradled the hat like her very own child... okay, she was crying now, quiet tears of joy that Her favourite outfit and her beloved hat survived after all this time warmed her heart.

"Umm, are you okay, miss?" Jacob asked, a strange look on his face

"Oh, I apologise, I'm so very happy..."

"That's... not what I mean... miss your left eye is crying blood." He said in confusion. Daisy cleared her throat, rubbing the bloody tears from her left cheek

"I-I don't suppose that You could turn around so that I can get dressed, I mean?" Jacob was a clever boy, she saw the recognition in his eyes, that she was redirecting his attention, but He nodded politely

"Y-Yes, ma'am." He muttered, moving towards the door and turning his back on her as she began to dress.

Jacob was a mousey kind of Young man, she could sense that He had strength enough to grip a rod and pull a good fish or two from the dock, but He was by no means butch. Still, as Daisy pulled her top away exposing her heavy and round breasts topped with hard nipples, and slipped away the loose jeans that He had given her, the curve of her wide hips shining in the darkness, Daisy noticed that He had a keen and subtle eye about him, those dark orbs of his carefully turning to catch a sneaky gaze of her nude body.

She kept her back turned, pretended like she didn't know that He was looking at her "He's been kind, I suppose that He can have a little peek." She thought, bending down to slip on her white cotton panties where she twisted around to put on her bra.

Jacob froze as their eyes met, a red flush flooding on his dark face as she gave a false gasp "Mr Mathews, honestly, how rude!"

"S-Sorry, Miss..." His head swung away, though she could see him flushing... the heat of his face terminating by the rushing blood in his cheeks, pumped by the sweet sound of his beating heart. Daisy gritted her teeth, shaking her head, she needed to focus, and so the Blonde returned to her clothing, trying her best to distract herself from the rattling urge within.

Jacob was unsure just why He was still there... this woman, Miss Teresa... there was this duality to her, One part of her was simply terrifying, a primal and visceral hymn of haunting melody that shook Jacob to the core, like wadding through gator infested waters. But on the other side, well... she was the most beautiful woman that He had ever seen, tall and golden like the Sun, with eyes like Violet stars, lips rich and red, those plump cheeks that almost glowed with red, she stood above him in height, peering down with a smile like sunshine and whenever He followed her, it was like He was being carried along on his line, his heart begging him to grip tight on his pole as she reeled him across a sunset river.

"She's so polite, so kind, and that voice... it's smooth and sweet like honey, God I just wanna- what am I thinking!? I could never get with a girl like Her, I'm just an IT consultant who fishes for fun, I have no business trying to get it on with her... especially, when she's trying to find a guy, I wonder...?"

Jacob did not turn, but He spoke so that his echoing voice could be heard "so, Miss Teresa? this Charles Drake guy, who is he?" damn... He hoped that she didn't hear that jealousy in his voice

"Well..." She answered, in a tone sweet and fresh as spring "I'm not quite sure, I just know that I have to find him, He called me."

"Called you, from the bottom of the Swamp?"

"Try not to think about it too hard, Hun. If I'm honest I barely understand it myself..." She admitted, well it soothed him slightly but it didn't quite answer the Question that ate at his heart.

"So, You and Him, don't have a connection or anything, right?" Okay, she definitely heard it that time if she didn't before.

"Connection? I don't understand, what do you mean?" He could hear the smile in her voice

"N-Nothing, nevermind." Idiot, I'm a godamn idiot, that's all He could think, folding his arms and mentally kicking himself

"Alright, all dressed, You can turn round now, Hun." Jacob twisted around slowly, resting his eyes on the beautiful blonde, and his jaw fucking hit the ground.

Daisy wore A Vintage scarlet dress, with a low V-Neck that would have given him quite the view had Her long bushy scarf now been wrapped around her neck, the white fur of its body shining in the darkness, long white velvet gloves softened her gentle hands up to the small of her bicep and black stockings painted her long shapely legs in a dark Hue. A shiny red high-heel was on each foot, but the cherry on top was definitely her hat, it was a wide low cut straw bonnet, with a scarlet red band tied into a neat ribbon on its top, with a tall pure white feather poking sticking out to the side... and if he was honest, He was so blown away that Jacob wasn't entirely certain that He could look away if He wanted too.

Daisy tilted her head innocently, looking at that dumbfounded look on Jacob's face _"Is there something in my teeth?" _She thought, closing her mouth self-consciously, before pushing aside one of her stray hairs "So... I have one more request, then I promise to get out of your hair..."

He blinked absently, his thick hair swaying as he nodded enthusiastically "Y-Yeah, sure, anything you want." She rubbed her soft gloves together, taking a breath as fear began to constrict on her windpipe. Jake raised an eyebrow, stepping towards her "Hey, what is it? come on, tell me, I'll try and help however I can."

She smiled a little at him and spoke, though the dread of what was certain in her mind made her voice quiver "I need to know if Marie Laveau is still alive?"

He fixed her with a queer eye, like she had just asked him if he'd seen the Locke-ness monster was flapping around the streets "Marie Laveau... as in the Voodoo Queen?" He asked earnestly, she nodded furtively only to be met with that look of his again

"Umm, well obviously not... She died like over a hundred years ago?"

"Right, yes... of course, well... do you know... w-where she's buried, then?" Her voice was shaky, her heart was hurting, her eyes were welling... "If they bury me Girl, then I'm gone, don't go looking for me..."

"Seriously? Her grave is famous around here, at St Louis." He said.

Daisy nodded... poking under her eyes to stop the tears from falling "C-Could You maybe take me?"

The car ride over was mostly quiet, due to Daisy's overflowing thoughts... Marie had warned her that she was destined for her Tomb, all of those dealings with dark spirits had extended her life unnaturally, but that before long she'd be dragged back into the dirt to pay the price, it was just how things worked, and Daisy could feel it in her gut... she was gone and without the Laveau's and Her mama... Daisy was truly alone.

Her head was spinning... and she was starting to get a little queezy "C-Can we stop... I'm just feeling a little sick is all?" Jacob happily pulled over, seeing how pale she was becoming.

They pulled up in an abandoned lot, 5 or 6 minutes from the cemetery, Daisy was shaking now, Her body trembling, face pale and gaunter than before "I... I think I should go alone from here." Daisy got out of the card almost before He could mutter another word, Jacob stammered, jumping out of the car and chasing her as she fast-walked across the white-lined tarmac.

It was growling again, calling, begging deep inside, she felt her eye twitch and despite her covering it, she could feel something stirring, something that begged to be fed _"Sunshine, sunshine, sunshine... god when is the damn sun going to come up" _She thought, jolting as Jacob touched her shoulder to stop her.

Daisy sprung back like a cat who longed not to be touched, her single Violet eyes staring at him as bloodshot lines invaded the white space "DON'T." Her voice had twisted into a low growl, she tried to shake it away but it was screaming at her "P-Please, I... I'm not safe, Jake, Y-You need to go..." She warned

Jacob stepped back a first, looking like a frightened mouse, though she saw him steeling himself. "Look, You scare me alright, I'll admit it b-but, I'm not going anywhere..."

"You don't understand, J-Jake, I can usually control it but I haven't fed it for sooo long... I don't want to hurt you, please just go home." She begged, pleaded, she was losing it, she was alone and cold and afraid, and she didn't think that she could hold it any longer, but Jacob held his ground, clenching his fist adamantly

"Look, I've been scared all my life, of girls, of gator's dragging me in the greywater... I know what fear looks like, and I've seen gator's with looks like your sure, but I've never seen one look as fearful as You, ma'am... come on, it's just a little walk through the woods there, and we'll be there, okay?" He was holding his hands up, like looking down the barrel of a gun, his instincts were right of course, Daisy knew, but she nodded, tipping down her bonnet and covering some of her face with her scarf

"You need to stay a bit away from me, downwind, so that I can't smell you." She asked, and he nodded, watching as she turned and marched off through the empty car park and into the opening to the short wooded park, it's arching trees shimmering beneath the moon and stars above.