Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (Nova)

[lucrezia conti]

July 31, 2028

As a full vampire, Lucrezia didn't eat food most of the time. She could still consume it, but it provided no nutritional value to her unless it happened to contain blood. Very few foods fell into that category, though, and she had exhausted most of the exceptions to that. There were blood lollipops, and those were more widely available than almost anything else. Blood ice cream was a more recent invention thanks to the creativity of the Fortescues, but there was still a clear absence of food products created and marketed with vampires in mind.

Witches and wizards without any vampiric traits outnumbered part-vampires and vampires, yet those outside of their community weren't always understanding of what it was like for them. Just as there were vampires who seemed to fit every associated stereotype, there were vampires who wanted to be able to go about their lives without making their vampirism the main focus.

Given that she owned the primary means by which most vampires in Britain and Ireland got their required fill of blood, Lucrezia was always looking for opportunities to make the process easier on those like her. One of the businesses with which she was familiar but hadn't yet approached was The Pi Pâtisserie, a pastry shop that was also located in Horizont Alley.

Since Lucrezia couldn't go out in the daytime with ease, she waited until it was almost closing time for the pâtisserie to enter the business, an umbrella covering her up until the point that she opened the door and could safely fold it back up.

nova hypatia vector

[nova hypatia vector]

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Closing time was really only closing time for patrons. Even with magic and a lot of cleaning in advance, there was still always quite a bit of work to be done after the door to the bakery was locked and the blinds were drawn. Decima had taught her quite a number of different and efficient cleaning charms, most of which handled dirty bowls and cooking utensils, as well as a handy self-sweeping broom one. The goal was to not make a tornado of stray sugar and flour, though she had witnessed that on a few occasions when her casting wasn’t nearly as accurate and stringent as it should have been.

Tonight, Nova had successfully sold the last baguette made earlier in the afternoon. Not everyone wanted to purchase one in the morning and have it sit around all day. She had nudged her aunt to start splitting the baking process, the bread oven never really being used later in the day as it was. While it did make the whole kitchen feel like she was in a ring of hell, the wafting smell of freshly baked bread wandering into Horizont Alley had made it a recent hit. Already she was thinking of potentially upping the amount she made for the after work rush. Good bread would never go to waste.

With the display trays basically empty and clean, and all of the chairs flipped upside-down on the respective tables, the broom began its nightly rounds under each to scoop up any remaining crumbs that may have eluded it earlier in the day. Nova hadn’t locked the door yet, as technically the bakery wasn’t closed. But there was no reason to not get started on the cleaning for the front of the shop. Her back was turned when she heard the soft jingle of the door open. It always made the hairs on the nape of her neck prickle, especially at this hour. Taking in a deep inhale, she remembered to put her happy face on and turned around to see who had entered.

To say she was surprised that it was Lucrezia Conti, the owner of the vampire blood-bank, would be an understatement. Nova couldn’t recall if the two of them ever spoke, their obvious differences in lifestyle sort of hampering that. It was strange though. Why would she come into the bakery? Baked goods weren’t exactly common delicacies for vampires. No, they tended to enjoy the crimson flow of blood. Just thinking about it as she observed the gaunt but youthful vampire made her shiver slightly. That could have been the draft from the aircon though.

“Good evening Miss Conti…how can I help you?” Nova asked her, not hearing the nervousness until she spoke. It wasn’t like the woman was going to launch herself over the counter and sink her fangs into her neck. But the thought of it still popped into her head nonetheless. She’d been watching too many muggle movies lately.

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[lucrezia conti]

July 31, 2028

The owner of The Pi Pâtisserie was Decima Vector, but if memory served Lucrezia right, the young woman who was working at the pastry shop—and who greeted her by name—was Nova Vector, Decima's niece. Nova seemed to be about the same age as Lucrezia herself appeared to be, which might have been one reason for her visible discomfort upon her entry into the business. Being met with someone who didn't look their age was awkward enough; adding vampirism to that complicated it more, seeing as Lucrezia was decades older than Nova in actuality.

Lucrezia wasn't made uncomfortable by Nova's nervousness about her presence. She'd had far longer than Nova had been alive to learn how to navigate her interactions with other people in her present state as a member of the magical community, and making people more comfortable with vampirism was something that she tried to do as much as she could. (Her previous work as the communications coordinator for a vampire rights organization in Italy had taught her that outreach work could be… particularly difficult.)

"Good evening," Lucrezia replied to Nova calmly. From what she could tell, with how late it was, Nova was the only employee working. "I have a business… proposal," she explained to the young witch. Stereotypically, vampires such as herself could be cryptic in their pursuit of blood, not taking their nourishment consensually, but that wasn't what Lucrezia meant. "Would you give a message to your aunt, please?"

nova hypatia vector

[nova hypatia vector]

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Despite the vampiric nature of her neighbor, Nova realized she had never actually gotten a good look at Lucrezia Conti prior to this. If she hadn't known the woman was a vampire, she probably would have assumed she was a sickly young woman. That was probably how muggles saw her, assuming she ever left the magical districts. Which created so many different questions in her head at the same time, like what vampires did during the day (assuming they didn't just sleep through it), or what they did when they needed things the magical community didn't sell. Hogwarts hadn't exactly prepared her much on how to do business with a vampire, that was for sure. All she recalled was getting a lesson on them in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and a brief lesson at that. Werewolves were all the rage these days after all, and their assimilation into wizarding culture was much more fresh in everyone's minds than vampires were.

The fact that Lucrezia Conti was here for a business proposal was definitely not what Nova expected, though it was better than all of the other darker, more sinister options for her visit. "I can certainly do that," Nova answered, catching one of the charmed brooms that had finished sweeping and returned to her. Had she been stunned for a second longer, it would have smacked her right in the face. The charms were excellent, but they lacked a certain kind of softness that she would have liked them to have. Like her baking ones, for example. "If it's for catering an event, we have several options and price outlines..." she said abruptly, assuming that must be the case. Fumbling under the counter with her free hand, not breaking eye contact with the woman, she found the laminated 'menu' they used for events. Some folks, namely Jimbo Blishwick, preferred to drop a bag of money and do business that way. But she wasn't too sure what Lucrezia would want. "But we're fairly flexible on this, and customizing it isn't a problem," she added as she pushed the placard across the counter.

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[lucrezia conti]

July 31, 2028

Nova agreed that she could give a message to her aunt on her behalf, which was good news for Lucrezia. She wouldn't have to figure out when Decima would be working and if that aligned with the times when it was easiest for her to be out and about. If she had to, Lucrezia could make her schedule work for non-vampires with some added precautions, but it was less work to request that a non-vampire stay up a little bit later than usual. Besides, no one was going to trouble them in the dark in the presence of a vampire.

Instead of asking her what message she wanted to give to her aunt, Nova immediately brought up the options they had for event catering. She even got out a laminated menu of the same. "But we're fairly flexible on this, and customizing it isn't a problem," she added, speaking as though she probably defaulted to that sales pitch on a regular basis.

As nice as catering from the pastry shop probably was, Lucrezia had to be the bearer of bad news: Contrary to Nova's assumption, she wasn't there to place a catering order. Customizing menu items was closer to what she wanted, however, and she took that opportunity as a segue into why she was there. If she could do that without embarrassing Nova or seeming critical of her, then that would be good for what she had in mind.

"I am looking for customization," Lucrezia told Nova, "but not for catering." She had to try to put herself back into the mind of a non-vampire to keep from sounding unhinged. "You know the blood ice cream at Florean Fortescue's?" she asked. Referencing a product that had been available for some time would give some more context. "I want to discuss the possibility of blood pastries."

nova hypatia vector

[nova hypatia vector]

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The sinking feeling of dread when her vampiric customer clarified that she was looking for custom baked goods over catering was inescapable. Nova felt horrible that her brain was telling her to feel this way, but she already knew what Lucrezia Conti was going to ask for before it was actually asked. Normally this wouldn’t be much of an issue for her, as there were plenty of cultural dishes from around the world that utilized blood. Though that usually came from animals, like pigs, cows, or chickens. Not to mention cuts of meat still being on the bloodier side from time to time. She had even attempted to make a few different desserts with animal blood before, such as sanguinaccio dolce and Finnish blood pancakes. But she also knew that the vampire was fully intending on using human blood in her mix.

The first thought that jumped into Nova’s head were the numerous health code violations that could come from doing this in the bakery, and how it would have to be done somewhere else if she wanted to make sure there wasn’t any cross contamination involved. These, like her edibles she occasionally made and sold on the side, could not be mixed in with the regular inventory. That would not be good.

She nodded her head slowly to show that she understood what Lucrezia was talking about, having seen the flavor at the ice cream shop before. There had been a time where she thought it was merely a gimmick flavor; one where the ‘blood’ was actually cherry or strawberry. But apparently it was the real deal. ”I…think that would be possible,” Nova finally answered. The mental image of pouring several cups of human blood into a batter mix had fully taken over and she tried her best to not show it on her face. ”I – we – wouldn’t be able to do it here for sanitary reasons,” she continued, throwing a thumb over her shoulder at the kitchen behind her. ”But I don’t see why we couldn’t do it. If Decima won’t, I definitely will.” The problem was that she knew that if and when she did make them, they were going to turn out stellar. There was no avoiding the fact that she and her aunt had the little added bonus of their family magic to make that happen. ”Was there a specific kind of pastry you wanted for it?”

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[lucrezia conti]

July 31, 2028

It was clear to Lucrezia that Nova understood what it was that she was asking her to make, but she didn't seem to know how to respond, exactly. At last, Nova hesitantly said that she thought it would be possible. She didn't sound very sure of herself—and Lucrezia knew that it was a strange proposal, perhaps—but a hesitant yes was better than an outright no. Lucrezia anticipated that Nova was going to say something about needing to talk to her aunt about it before she could give her a definitive answer. She didn't, though. Instead, she added, "I—we—wouldn't be able to do it here for sanitary reasons," with a gesture in the direction of the kitchen. "But I don't see why we couldn't do it. If Decima won't, I definitely will."

Finding the kitchen space to use to bake the pastries would be the difficulty, then. Nova was willing to give it a try, and Lucrezia understood her concerns about using the pâtisserie's facilities. Lucrezia would have offered her own kitchen, but it wasn't exactly suitable for baking products to be sold to other people. Until they could find somewhere else, however, she had no problem with allowing Nova to experiment there. As she saw it, there was a chance that it wouldn't work at all, so it would be better to do that with a test run of a small batch of pastries and not be wasteful.

"Was there a specific kind of pastry you wanted for it?"

Lucrezia hadn't had anything in particular in mind, but she knew of one possibility. "In Italy, we have a pudding called 'sanguinaccio dolce'," she shared. "It is a chocolate pudding made with blood—normally, pig's blood—but I have… adapted my recipe." Such was the joy of being a vampire. "The pudding could be used as a filling, perhaps?" It would carry some wider appeal that way, at least for those willing to try it.

nova hypatia vector

[nova hypatia vector]

▲

So it was sanguinaccio dolce. With a twist, of course. That was definitely doable on her part, and it wasn’t like there was that much difference with replacing pig’s blood with human’s. Keeping herself from taste testing it was absolutely going to be the hardest part of it all, especially with a treat that she didn’t frequently make. And it was such a good pudding normally too. While Nova had no doubt that the blood vampires at the bank used was free of bloodborne diseases and high quality, a weirdly positive ick that she had come to the realization of throughout this conversation, she also wasn’t going to accidentally indulge herself on it.

Going off of Lucrezia’s own recipe would not be a problem either, so that part wasn’t going to be an issue at all. ”I’ve made it before, so that’s absolutely doable,” Nova confirmed. She did wonder if non-human blood tasted ‘off’ to vampires; like if the normal recipe for the pudding would taste foul or incomplete. Even with her own magical quirks when it came to cooking, she couldn’t overcome a person’s personal tastes. ”Like a cream puff?” she clarified Lucrezia’s request. Once again, completely possible for her to do.

”I’ll just have to go over it with my aunt, of course. But I don’t see why we wouldn’t be able to do it once we work out the logistics.” Accommodating as many customers as possible, regardless of who they were, was sort of their whole deal after all. While they would never be able to consistently and safely work with human blood to cater to the vampire community, working with Lucrezia on a regular basis could definitely be done. All it required was a solid plan, which with a little bit of work could be accomplished.

---

A couple of weeks had passed since Nova had made an agreement with Lucrezia Conti, the vampire owner of the nearby blood bank, to help make sanguinaccio dolce filled cream puffs using human blood. To say it was one of the strangest requests she had ever done would be an understatement. After talking it over with her aunt and figuring out all of the logistics, the decision was made to not use the kitchen in the patisserie. Not that either of them had any worries about making sure the place was cleaned thoroughly following the usage of human blood, but because if it ever got out that they had, customers would be furious. Public perception could one-hundred percent be behind vampires, and they still wouldn’t like blood being used near normal baking utensils. Magical cleaning aside, it was a risk they weren’t willing to take with the business.

So that meant Nova had offered up the kitchen in her apartment above the shop. It was kitted out as best as one could be considering, and she was more than positive that she could handle the order that Lucrezia wanted. Of course, it was going to take a while. All night, to be precise. She imagined that the way she had prepared all of the ingredients throughout her kitchen (and into her living room) made it look like she was about to go to war. Scarily, both shared one similarity: blood. The main ingredient wasn’t here yet, as that was to be supplied by her new business partner. Maybe the funniest bit about all of this was the fact that Nova had completely removed everything from her fridge to make space for the pudding once it was mixed and ready to be chilled. Thankfully the pastry part of the cream puffs could still be done in the bakery below, because running her oven all night would make it unbearable to be inside the apartment.

Standing in the center of her kitchen, hands locked into her hips, Nova looked over all of her supplies again. Bags upon bags of flour, sugar, and cocoa powder, each in rows waiting to be ripped open. New mixing bowls and utensils ready to be destroyed in a matter of minutes once Lucrezia rang her doorbell. First order, though, was that they needed to make sure the recipe was correct and would suit the needs of Lucrezia’s clients. If it went well, everything was set to make it tonight, the pastry portion the next day. That would give the pudding plenty of time to chill and Nova could bring the rest over right at twilight, so that it could be put together on the spot. She was positive it would go well. It was almost impossible for it not to, actually. But she tried not to let her ego take the reins.

Satisfied with the way everything was, she made her way over to her couch and fell into it. Now all she had to do was wait, which was anxiety inducing enough. She’d never had a vampire in her home before. Like, Albus Potter had been, and she was sure she’d heard rumors of him being mistaken as one because of his dour attitude, but not the real deal. She almost knocked back a calming draught earlier in the evening just so she could bring her nerves back down but ultimately stopped herself from doing that. Any sort of deviations from her normal could mess with her spellcasting. And she really wanted to be on top of her game tonight. Impressing Lucrezia had sort of become really important to her over the last few weeks. Not only was she attempting an Italian dessert in front of an actual Italian, but one that would mean a lot to the vampires that visited just down the street. Winning over an entire people sort of gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling. That was the whole point of being a baker, after all. She knew very little of the hardships that vampires had, but if this made them forget all of that for just a moment, then she had done her job. That and she wasn’t opposed to making this a reoccurring business agreement should it play out well.

Twirling her wand in her hand as she waited for the buzz from the door in the back alley behind the shop, Nova waited. Excited, but patient. Though she did wonder: how was the blood going to be transported? She shrugged to herself, knowing that any minute now she would find out.

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[lucrezia conti]

July 31, 2028

The reception that Lucrezia received from Nova in relation to her proposed pastry endeavor became more and more positive. Nova seemed like the ideal person to bring to life what she had suggested to her, especially when she mentioned that she had made sanguinaccio dolce before herself. It was a match made in vampire heaven. Lucrezia wouldn't have to convince her that making a dessert with blood in it was nowhere near as awful as she might have been anticipating—or that she wasn't just trying to trick her into making something so revolting that no one in their right mind would let it pass their lips. In fact, hearing Nova call the dessert "absolutely doable" was music to Lucrezia's ears.

With the part of the project that would require the most vampire-friendly element established and cleared with a pastry chef inclined to take on the task, there was, of course, the matter of figuring out how to use the chocolate blood pudding. They could just leave it as it was, though doing so would defeat the purpose of enlisting Nova to bake something. Otherwise, Lucrezia could have whipped up some sanguinaccio dolce on her own, apportioned it into single servings, served it to her fellow vampires under the table at the blood bank, and called it a day.

Lucrezia had to admit that she liked the idea of thinking bigger than "just" pudding. She knew that there were many different potential vessels for a chocolate-and-blood filling, but she didn't want to tell Nova what to bake, either. She was willing to do it, so she deserved to have some input into the creative process, too. Serious though Lucrezia was about what she wanted, there was nothing wrong with having some fun with it. Nova suggested making a cream puff to house the sanguinaccio dolce, which sounded like an excellent (and delicious) idea to Lucrezia. It would certainly appeal to vampires and those with some vampire blood, and it was different enough from what might have been expected of a pastry to raise the curiosity of the general magical population… if they were feeling so adventurous as to give it a try.

"Yes. Perfect," Lucrezia answered, responding to Nova's bringing up the idea of what Nova referred to as a "cream puff". It would be light, true, but it would be just enough to add a little something without overpowering the filling within it. Going with something heavier, such as a cake, would be decadent—perhaps too much so for some people's tastes.

Nova reiterated that she would need to discuss the plans with her aunt, and that was fine by Lucrezia. They could work out the details on a schedule that worked for them and get back to her when they could. Lucrezia had gone in with the understanding that essentially commissioning the creation of a vampire pastry would cost her some money, and she was happy to pay what the Vectors saw fit in exchange for their labor.

---

A few weeks after Lucrezia had stopped by the pastry shop, an agreement had been reached between the Vectors and the vampire. Graciously, Nova had offered to use the kitchen in her own apartment, which was conveniently located above The Pi Pâtisserie. Lucrezia, who lived just beside the blood bank with a door connecting the two, was pleased to know that a similar living arrangement to that which she had established for herself was still popular over a decade later. With so many small businesses around, it worked well, even for the members of the community who could travel long distances by magical means without a second thought.

Though Nova's kitchen probably didn't have everything in it that was in the commercial kitchen downstairs from it, Lucrezia had no doubt in the ability of the young woman to make the pastries there rather than in the shop below. Lucrezia didn't have any professional equipment herself, but she didn't doubt her own abilities in the kitchen, either. She'd had a lot of time on her hands and a daughter and granddaughter for whom to cook, and she had never been able to use magic to do it.

Having been instructed to enter the apartment via the alley behind the pâtisserie, Lucrezia arrived where she had been told to. She had brought a bag of human blood from her personal supply with her, though she had it sitting inside a larger tote bag that she carried on her shoulder. Even as a vampire, walking around with a bag of blood where she wasn't expected to be would probably raise some eyebrows, and she didn't want anyone to grow suspicious of what she was doing. With Nova aware that she was coming, Lucrezia reached out and sounded the doorbell, waiting to be let in.

nova hypatia vector

[nova hypatia vector]

▲

The staticky buzz of her doorbell blaring from down the steps snapped Nova out of the trance-like state she had slipped into whilst waiting. Her couch had that sort of effect – inducing sleep when all she wanted to do was relax. There were an uncountable number of nights where she woke up at three in the morning, unaware of when she passed out. The ridges from her decorative throw pills etched into her cheek and always looking like pixies had made a nest out of her hair. She supposed it was because the couch was comfortable, or because she worked hard all day and had to be up early every morning. That hour or two of sleep in her bed after dragging herself to it was always worth it though. The coolness lulled her right back into sleep before her alarm jolted her awake again.

Blinking, she realized she had zoned out again momentarily. Silently cursing her couch as she stood up from it, cushions daring to drag her back in, her back popped in several places as she stretched. Nova made her way over to the interior door that led down towards her ‘front door’, as she called it, in the alleyway behind the bakery. The hallway down was unbearable in the winter, offering zero insulation from the weather outside. She figured she could cast a couple different charms that would ultimately solve that problem, but it didn’t do much for the couple of feet that she had to step outside when turning from her flat’s door into the back entrance of the patisserie. There was no escaping that.

Thankfully she had a few more months before that became a problem again. Straightening out her shirt, which had become crumpled while she was collapsed into her couch, Nova opened her apartment door and quickly made her way down the steps to the exterior one. She had been wondering for a while about vampires and the muggle rumor about them not being able to enter a home without being invited first, knowing full well that it had no bearing in reality. That didn’t stop it from coming to mind as she unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door, revealing Lucrezia Conti.

”Good evening Miss Conti.” Or morning? Nova had a habit of greeting the vampire rather formerly. The woman was still a client, despite how their new working relationship was. No one else was going to be handing her a vial of blood to use in baking. It was weirdly more intimate than the average custom order. ”Please, come in,” she stepped away from the door and started up the stairs again. The door would close and lock automatically behind Lucrezia, a nice little charm Nova had cast on it a few years prior.

”I should have everything prepped and ready to go, but if you see anything missing that you want added into the sanguinaccio dolce, I can quickly grab it.” Nova was fairly amenable when it came to custom orders. It was whatever the client wanted, after all. ”But I figured we could do up one bowl and then you can give it a taste test to see if it’ll work, and then I can whip the rest of it up.” She let out a long exhale as she finished speaking, not realizing that she had been practically holding it in since she let Lucrezia into her apartment. This was definitely a first for her.

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[lucrezia conti]

Summer 2028

Soon enough after having rung the doorbell not to prompt Lucrezia to ring it for a second time, Nova answered the door and bid her a good evening. She invited her inside the building, and Lucrezia followed as Nova went up a set of stairs just beyond the entrance. Even though Nova lived atop the pâtisserie, Lucrezia wanted to be mindful of being in her home. They weren't strangers to one another anymore, but there was still a difference there, and they were closer to strangers than to friends.

"I should have everything prepped and ready to go," Nova explained to her, but if you see anything missing that you want added into the sanguinaccio dolce, I can quickly grab it." Lucrezia nodded. Since Nova had made the pudding previously, she didn't think that there would be any issues with any of the ingredients she had prepared. "But I figured we could do up one bowl and then you can give it a taste test to see if it'll work, and then I can whip the rest of it up."

Again, Lucrezia nodded her head. There was one crucial ingredient that Nova would need, and she carefully picked up the blood bag that she had been carrying in the tote bag. "You will need this," she pointed out with a smile that briefly showed her fangs as she held the bag out to Nova for her to take.

nova hypatia vector

[nova hypatia vector]

▲

Nova instantly regretted what she had said about any missing ingredients. She wasn’t sure how she expected the blood to be transported, but the fact that it was in a blood bag made her instantly tense up. Nova was far from being squeamish, yet she became acutely aware of the artery in her neck pounding in-sync with her heart. The cottony feel of her mouth as it dried out didn’t help, and she averted her eyes. There was something extremely uncanny about a woman that looked the same age, smiling whilst holding up a blood bag. Nova had done her best throughout this agreement to try and keep her emotions even, which wasn’t necessarily difficult after years of practicing it on her stepmother. But she knew it had to show on her face. There was no hiding the uneasiness, despite wanting to do her best to help out.

Tentatively reaching out to take it, she was surprised by its weight. Mentally convincing herself that it was nothing more than a more advanced piping bag, she held it carefully from the top with two fingers pinching it. This was so silly, because she knew there would be any blood on the outside. Lucrezia wasn’t some rookie in all of this. ”I definitely wouldn’t have forgotten about this…” she breathed. ”Does it need to be chilled?” She figured that with the way the blood bank was ran, they more than likely had charms set on everything to keep it at the right temperature. Still, checking was better than not.

Turning around while still staring at the blood bag, as if it was going to jump out at her the moment she took her eyes off of it, Nova led the two of them into the kitchen. She would await Lucrezia’s instructions on what to do with the blood, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t get started. Switching the bag to her other hand, Nova pulled her wand out of her pocket and swished it a few times. The ingredients for the first set of pudding lifted off of their respective places around the kitchen and floated over towards the counter, lining themselves up in the order that they would be used.

”If you see me doing anything wrong, please let me know. I trust your word over the internet’s.” Another wave of her wand and a mixing bowl clattered into place, the sugar, cocoa powder, and flour starting to pour evenly in immediately after. The final touch was the whisk that landed directly in the middle of the bowl, and with a twirling flourish of her wand, started to mix it all together. Next up was getting it over the stove for the rest of the ingredients…

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[lucrezia conti]

Summer 2028

Nova took hold of the blood bag with some apparent trepidation and made a comment about how she wouldn't have forgotten about the blood. Lucrezia was a little concerned that seeing the blood would make her decide not to go through with making the sanguinaccio dolce after all. That would be a shame, she thought, though she wouldn't hold it against Nova if she decided that handling human blood for a dessert was more than she could stomach. It was nice to see that Nova wasn't deterred quite so quickly, though, because she asked if the blood needed to be chilled.

"Oh, no," Lucrezia assured her. "It's fine." Technically, the blood was best used when it was fresh, but that would have been asking an awful lot of Nova.

They made their way into Nova's kitchen, where she magically brought forth her ingredients—and brought up that she trusted Lucrezia's word over the internet's regarding the preparation of the sanguinaccio dolce. Lucrezia laughed lightly as she watched Nova effortlessly begin to combine the ingredients. She had been around for far longer than the internet, though she didn't have much skill with computers. The non-magical technology that had existed when she had been made a vampire was the last real experience she'd had with many of those devices for decades, and they had changed rapidly. Some more recent inventions had entered the magical world, though, and they were baffling, like something from a science fiction novel.

The mixture of cultures to which she did and didn't have exposure had made it harder for her to adjust than if she had spent her entire life as a Muggle woman in Italy, as she had expected originally. She had become a product of a strange mixture of the magical and non-magical worlds, Italian and British cultures, and the many years in which she had lived her life as an essentially twenty-four-year-old vampire despite being a mother and grandmother. She was always assumed to be one thing or another, yet her entire understanding of the world had been in flux since 1971.

Staying oblivious to technology wasn't an option, though, because it would only get more and more advanced without her. There were still magical people who didn't fully understand the concept of electricity, for instance, and Lucrezia hated the idea that she might eventually become the equivalent of one of them. If she was going to continue to blend in, she needed to familiarize herself with what was currently available in the magical world, at least. "What does the internet say?" Lucrezia checked, curious to learn more. She didn't really know how much information was available on it, except for that it was extensive. "When I was your age, we had books."

nova hypatia vector

[nova hypatia vector]

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Cool. Room temperature blood. Thank Merlin she wasn’t squeamish, a constant reminder that had been going through her head this whole time. The more she thought about it though, the more it made her want to gag slightly. She had never seen this much blood in one instance before. Clearing her throat as a way to re-center herself, she nodded her head to show that she understood and found a safe place to put it in the kitchen that had been prepared beforehand. A plate that was far away from the rest of her cooking utensils and regularly used items. Scrubbing the entire kitchen clean after was definitely going to happen, and she had an army of spells to do that, but she wanted to know where the blood was at all times. It would make it easier that way.

Nova didn’t think her comment about getting the recipe online was funny despite her guest thinking so. At the question about what she’d pulled off of Google, Nova produced the recipe that she had printed. ”Obviously it mentions using pig’s blood. Finding one that even had blood as an ingredient was sort of difficult since that’s not the norm anymore…” Everything she had found was for the non-blood version, which was what she had done previously. There wasn’t much more to it, but she wanted directions that were accurate. If Lucrezia had any qualms with what had been used, it wouldn’t be impossible to start over again either.

”I prefer them, to be honest,” she responded to the comment on using books. Pointing to the side of her kitchen where her more frequently used ones were. There were others, of course, scattered between the rest of her apartment and then downstairs in the bakery. Every chance she got to buy a new one, she did. The nice bit about her cooking ability was that she never had to worry about something going wrong. Unless she completely botched the ingredients, of course. ”But I don’t really have any that use human blood, so yeah…”

lucrezia conti ● 343 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[lucrezia conti]

Summer 2028

Lucrezia laughed lightly as Nova explained that it had been difficult to find a recipe that called for blood of any kind, even pig's blood, on the internet. Apparently, that itself wasn't very common anymore. She said she didn't have any recipes on hand that called for blood, which didn't exactly take Lucrezia by surprise. How often did a non-vampire cook with blood? Probably not very often, unless they were cooking for a vampire or part-vampire… or doing something nefarious.

Even Nova, at her young age, expressed a preference for books, though, over digital means. Lucrezia nodded at all that Nova had said. Nothing that she'd had to say was unreasonable. "It's… not for everyone," Lucrezia responded.

Putting together a cookbook for vampires would be possible within the magical world, but getting something of that nature circulated would be difficult at best. Most vampires wanted sources of nutrition that were readily available to them without having to cook. Cooking was just an added step—and an unnecessary one for those who preferred to get their blood straight from the source.

"Fortunately, with cooking, blood is blood." Where it came from was more important from a vampiric perspective; if a recipe called for an animal's blood, it was easy to substitute human blood in its place. "I make sanguinaccio dolce with human blood for my daughter and granddaughter, so I can help you," Lucrezia offered.

Adding blood into food items that didn't normally include it was where she found the process more challenging. Although Lucrezia was a mother and grandmother, she wasn't a chemist, professional chef, or potioneer, and a lot of her success was from having the benefit of time on her side. She'd had to learn what was possible and what wasn't, and she was still learning as she got tips from other vampires.

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