gears are turning

Arabella smiled as she flipped the card around in her fingers. She had been getting a lot more respect around the house with her new duties and decided to take over one of the spare offices for herself since nobody was using it. As she listened to the phone ringing, she wondered who the hell told this baby vampire that adding a high end restaurant to a vampire bar like Fangtasia was a good idea. The King had already nixed that idea, but perhaps there was a way to meet a middle ground, and keep the King from loosing on this investment. She tapped her nails impatiently while the phone continued to ring.

Willa heard her cell ringing under the noise of the music she called out to the closest waiter to turn it down so she could hear the person on the other end, it was a number she did not recognize ....

" Hello Willa Burrell..."

"Yes, Miss Burrell..excellent..I do so hate being passed around. I am calling because we have an appointment tonight. I will be arriving at your bar in about an hour and a half. Please do me the courtesy of having somewhere private we can go to discuss the potential future of the Fangtasia club."

Arabella skimmed through the concept photos, picking out some and sending them to the room's printer.

"Oh, by the way, the King has placed the Fangtasia project in my care, so do us both a favor and be ready to meet with me when I arrive. Time is money, after all."

Willa liked that she was right to the point and couldnt wait to meet with her and set a few things straight ...

"Yes Miss Trillo I have been waiting on your call ...I am at Fangtasia now so any time would be perfect for me... Ill meet you in the main bar and give you the grand tour you should have gotten last night had either Tara or I been here.I'm sure my King had his reasons for having a secret inspection but I assure you our meeting tonight will answer all your questions ...Is there anything you would like for me to have ready for your inspection you did not see last night ready for you tonight ?"

Arabella smiled. The girl had brass, she'd give her that.

"Yes actually. I would like your business plan for the restaurant, the first year profit projections, and the planned menus available for review. I will see you when I arrive. Trust me that you will know it is me."

She hung up the phone and looked at herself in the mirror she had placed in the office, smiling. She called the garage and told them she would want a single guard waiting for her when she arrived. She wanted something a bit more sporty than the beast of a car they had used last time. As she walked down the hall, she poked her head in her rooms to see Cassia and Beth asleep in the bed. She would let them sleep. No need to drag them along. She stopped at the kitchen and asked Tia to have hot tea and snacks ready for them when they woke, then she went to the garage.

The whole drive over, she was thinking about all the cost that went into adding the new section. How much of that had been the King's funds? She would find out and if she did not like what she heard, she would simply inform the King that new management was needed. This little vampire had once chance to impress her, and that was tonight.

Willa was abit shocked that she wanted to see her plan but ok that's fine but she is going to have to do with the five year one and its allot of paper work Willa did her home work , her masters degree in business was paying off...

" That is no problem Miss Trillo but the business plan is in five year increments and the first year projections will be available but in five year projections ,I am sure if you want it broken down into the first year I can do that for you ...as for everything else that will be available to you....I am also having to purchase the high end blood for the restaurant tomorrow so if you want to go through that we can as well...Is there anything else... if not Ill see you soon ..."

As she pulled into the parking lot, she could see flyers everywhere about the grand reopening of the bar. She had no issue with the bar. It had always, by the figured she had, been a stable monkey maker. This new ambition of Ms. Burrell's was what concerned her. She walked to the door, pushing past a few workers and into the main bar. She looked around for someone matching the picture she had of Ms. Burrell.

Willa walked around the corner of the bar and saw a beautiful dark haired sleek woman walk into Fangtasia ,she knew that had to be Miss Trillo ...

" Hello Miss Trillo ...how was your drive I hope uneventful ? You never know with all the goings on these days ...Please come in and make yourself comfortable ...I have picked a nice little spot for us here or we can go to the Excellence to have our meeting which ever you prefer ..."

The very name she had chosen set Arabella's teeth on edge. She hid her feelings for the moment and smiled.

"Whichever you prefer."

She carried the large folder with her information in it and followed Ms. Burrell to the meeting place.

Willa sensed a chip on her shoulder or she had something to prove in the way she talked .She decided she would be as compliant as possible to see where this goes....

“Well why don’t we start her and go from there ....I have compiled all the forms and paperwork you might have missed last night due to them being locked up ....here are all the copies of the permits stamped and signed and sent to the right people ....all the right paperwork for all the inspections for fire and heath for both the bar and the restaurant which we more than exceeded in passing ( handing  Miss Trillo the paperwork)....here is the paperwork for the new plumbing for the whole building and for the upgrades in the structure for the bar and nothing but the best for the addition ...and more paperwork for the electrical (handing more paperwork to her)...”

“Here are the financials for the renovations for the bar and for the restaurant but as you can see the restaurant financials come for a different account then the bar ....Tara and I paid for the addition and plan to fund the restaurant for the next five years if need be till it starts making money on its own ...you see our King for gets that Tara and I have our own money and will spend it how we choose ...(handing her a very long spread sheet)...Now here is my five year plan for the Excellence and like I said if you need it broken down I can do that for you ...oh and  our three menus that we plan to rotate ...I would hope I have given you all you need for your and our Kings interest if not just say the word and I’ll get more ...anything you need ...But what I would really like to do is explain our concept and show you around properly..."

She could not help but laugh softly as form after form and paper after paper was shoved her way. She did find it of interest that they were funding the restaurant themselves. That changed things in a small way but not overall. The King had made his feelings known as she would. She listened to the young vampire brag about her plans and ideas and followed her to where they could sit down.

"This is all very well and good, Miss Burrell, but you miss one major point. They keystone to your plan is anchoring this restaurant of yours to Fangtasia, but you failed to advise or even consult with your partner, his majesty, before making a major alteration to something he has invested quiet a bit of money into. I will tell you he was prepared to remove all his resources from your venture when he found out about this. I convinced him otherwise for the time being, and was sent here to try to salvage things and bring some perspective to the concept."

She waited for her words to sink in before continuing.

"Now, to be blunt, your restaurant idea is doomed from day one. This is not New York or New Orleans. You do not have the available client base for what your ambition asks. Add to that the fact that the few that might be interested in the idea would not mesh well with the 'bangers' nest door. On top of that, the bar crowd would at least triple your costs due to damages to the restaurant. Business 101, Miss Burrell, expansion theory. When seeking to expand your client base from a stably business, you must remember to bridge the needs of your current clients with the new elements you wish to bring into the pattern. To fail to do this will cause alienation, not only for your new business clients, but to your long-term customers as well."

She paused a moment before continuing.

"Now that is not to say that the expansion cannot work, simply that the idea behind the space has to be modified. A restaurant may one day be a viable interest, but now is not the time. Here is what I propose. I am not without funds myself and would assist in your venture if you will follow along with this idea."

She laid out some photos from the folder she had brought with her.


"This is only a few generated concept images but you get the idea. A Steampunk coffee bar and blood bar. It would bring a whole new set of clients in, who would stay and spend more money while remaining sober, as well as expanding business options. There is a remarkably large group of the steampunk subculture here in Shreveport. With that as a base, I can see adding on a bit more at a time and slowly bringing in a restaurant concept within the next ten years. I know it is not exactly what you were wanting here, but this idea will make money three times faster without the need for higher expenses and details. I can even promise you a large opening night because the local group has been very active lately and put the word out that they are looking for a regular place to go. I believe in doing my homework too, Miss Burrell. You have your degree and a lot of spirit. I have over half a century of experience behind me as well as unlimited access to the King's favor. Benito and I have set up these coffee bars before and have never failed to have one triple it's profit margin annually and pay off the cost to open within the first five years."

She smiled as she laid the idea out before Miss Burrell. She knew what she was talking about. Now she just had to see if this young vampire could swallow her pride enough to see good sense.

She stopped talking for a few minutes, letting Miss Burrell look over the photos and the details breakdowns she had laid out.

Willa was amazed that she was being side bared this way Bill knew damn well what they were doing and she was going to set this vampire straight about their King ...

`` Miss Trillo I hate to be the bearer if bad tiding but our King knew of this restaurant and if he alluded to the contrary I am sorry ...He may have not known the exact concept but he damn well knew what we were doing...and as for his monetary value he added into the main bar we really don’t need it all... we need is his guards ...``

( Willa's blood was boiling and was going over the edge .She stopped for a minute and took three deep breaths before continuing )

``Ok ...I'm sorry... I can get a little carried away when I hear falsehoods about what I am passionate about ...Let me explain ...Our King gave the go ahead before all this war stuff happened and now I think he has forgotten anything to do with anything except that ...and when I talked with him last night I over stepped my boundaries with him and he is really angry with me ...So I think this is my punishment ...Now for my restaurant I think you have a good idea but my restaurant stays as is... I am willing to rich it down and this can be done with hardly any expense but I am not changing the whole concept ...I think the concept is sound ...If you will just listen ...we can add cheaper things to the menu and I can order cheaper blood but a steam whatever it will not be ...

``Our concept for the restaurant is simple enough .As the main bar is for the younger rougher crowd the Excellence is for the older finer crowd not unlike yourself ...I’m sure you have a lovely mate or donor you would like to take out to a nice restaurant and have the privacy to feed her a delicious meal ,feed from her without strange looks .Then maybe a dance or two on the dance floor .I know I would if I had one or the other and there is nothing like this around here for miles except Fangtasia.Why should it be only for the young and lets be honest classless of our species as well as the human species . I have never heard of well off vampires in the old Fangtasia I asked Tara ,that’s why we opened The Excellence to cater to the better half ...``

" But now we can cater to the common person as well it wont take much ,maybe not even anything but a change in the menu and blood...by the way did you want to go over that with me ,I have a meeting with Mr.Quinn tomorrow to order what you missed last night ...Also I wanted to ask if you know what is he I smelled him in here last night and mentioned it to our King and he said not to trust him ..."

She listened to the baby vampire and attempted a fake smile. The little brat had basically told her to go to hell. She almost laughed out loud at that fact, then heard Jonathan's name. On this matter, his Majesty would not budge. She knew on this she had to be firm.

"Your meeting with Jonathan Quinn is canceled, Miss Burrell. As for what he is, he is trouble. The King, and by extension, I, will make certain you have whatever supply you need within reason."

She paused to marshal her thoughts.

"I will take your idea of lowering the costs down to his Majesty, but you should remember your place, Miss Burrell. I am not going to challenge you in your own place of business, but you would do good to heed my advise on this. You are strong in spirit and that can help you as the years pass, but as you have said, you need his guards. Telling your King to effectively fuck off is not exactly a good idea."

Willa kind of shook her head and blinked twice really quick ,she had gone too far again .She needed to watch her mouth ,she wondered if she was turning into her maker ...

``Miss Trillo you miss understand me ,I was just stating a fact that you might not be aware of .Tara and I have our own money like I said Fangtasia was left to us not our King ,he muscled his way in . I only tell you these things because I think you are a smart woman and can think for yourself .Our King has alternate plans for us all and we are not privy to them and I for one am not a part of them anymore .I want to work and live as quietly as I can and so does Tara ,we just want to be here and do our own thing .Have you even seen the rooms the restaurant occupy...I would love to show you as they will be on opening night we have worked very hard to get them ready for your approval ...``

So...the baby vamp has some sense after all. She pasted on a smile and nodded.

"By all means...let the tour begin..."

Willa was grateful that the bullshit was over but she couldn’t wait to tell Tara .Tara was going to go ballistic about all this thank god she wasn’t here...

``Great follow me ...``

(They went into the secret entrance from one side to the other and it was perfectly silent .Willa hoped Miss Trillo noticed all the sound proofing they did between the main bar and the addition. They enter the small cocktail bar )

``I hope you noticed the sound proofing we did between the addition and the main bar we sound checked it and you cant hear anything coming from the other side even with the loudest band playing ...Here we have our cocktail lounge it’s all decorated for Valentine’s day now but you can get the concept it is kind of Alice and Wonderland ...nice soft colors mixed with bright reds and dark blacks ....clientele can wait here for a table in the main restaurant or eat here ..this is the way to the main restaurant ...Here we only have booths the privacy curtains come all away around if wanted or not they are a light material, you cannot see though them but you can see out of them from the other side its very neat stuff...Back there is the kitchen we can go if you want ...through this side we come to the dance floor and washrooms ...the floor is motion activated if we want or it will light up to the music along with the side lights ...we also serve the menu here as well...``

" So that is the tour I hope it was to you expectations and our King will be pleased .If you will be so kind as to make my blood purchase for delivery on the 14th that would be appreciated...Thank you again for taking your time to come out here and introduce yourself to me it was a pleasure ."

(Willa held out her hand to shake hers and couldn't wait for this meeting to be over ...)