Alice, Ezra, and Lottie sit in strained silence in a hotel room, the only sound the shower running in the bathroom. Alice, consumed by anger and confusion, confronts Lottie and accuses her of repeating a cycle of harm begun when Sabine seduced and turned Lottie. Lottie denies that Alice is listening and asks for patience.

A knock at the door interrupts. As Ezra goes to answer it, Lottie enters the bathroom where an enthralled woman stands beneath the shower, dazed. Lottie gently guides the woman out, dresses her in a robe, and calmly convinces her she has entered the wrong room. The woman leaves embarrassed but unharmed, passing Alice and Ezra.

Ezra speaks briefly with someone in the hall, apparently a barista from White Thorn Black Roast, and receives a thermos. After the door closes, Ezra pours viscous red blood into three glasses. The sight stirs Alice’s hunger and revulsion; she takes a glass and drinks after Ezra toasts her, feeling transient relief followed by a deeper craving.

Lottie refuses the blood despite her visible struggle, underscoring her control. Alice’s hatred toward Lottie intensifies for having made her a vampire. Lottie acknowledges Alice’s anger and says that to understand Alice’s turning, Alice must first hear what happened to Lottie.