Meeting the Neighbors (Sepsis)

[Jonah]

Jonah was seated behind the counter with his legs propped up against the register, his nose in a book. It was a pop culture study of vampires and their origins but he had found some interesting history in other, similar books and so made sure he perused each one. This one focused a lot on the mythical similarities between vampires and zombies and how the author believed the two legends actually spawned from the same source and fear. The big killer could not help himself from smiling slightly at the notion, knowing how far from the truth it was.

Still, there was a connection there that could not be denied. Vampires could summon zombies. The Quarantine Zone was full of the things and that was, supposedly, where the "tear" to the Shadow Realm was. The mausoleum and the catacombs had even older ones and some of his research made him think that they were put there by an ancient vampire. And if the newspapers were correct, the government was studying both to discover the origin of the "disease" that had caused the outbreak. The thoughts began to click together and worry crept up the back of the big man's spine as an idea began to form.

Before it could do much more, the chime on the front door sounded and he dropped his feet almost immediately and stood, looking towards the door as he grumbled as warm a greeting as he could manage. "Welcome to The Book Nook, is there anything we can help you with today?"

[Sepsis]

The pyress puttered about her new shop, unpacking boxes, and arranging her display room using the best of her feng shui skills. After all, she was providing harmony to her clients, so why should her shop not reflect that as well? Wedging a few more spare fingers into the bargain bin, her smiled...and then her nose crinkled.

What was that smell?

Turning, she sniffed at the air delicately. A pungent musty odour assaulted her nose, and she rubbed furtively at it. It had to be coming through the vents...but from where. Walking across the room, she opened several of the large windows, and breathed in the clean air. Some air fresheners would cover that up for now, but it would drive her crazy not to discover the source. Maybe it was coming through the vents? She looked about, but of course the room had several built into the floors for heating. Each room did. Sighing to herself, she decided that she would have to do things the hard way, and go see what was around her store.

Leaving the front door unlocked, after all, she did have security, and who was going to walk away with a box of legs, she scanned the shops around her. The 8th Dimension Mall was a fairly large mall, and the visuals distracted her momentarily. Silk Designs, Eclipse, and..there, tucked in at the end of the row...The Book Nook. She did a double take, and found herself walking towards the store. This would be the perfect place to find what she needed. Pushing open the door, she breathed deeply. Nothing but the smell of books surrounded her, and she instantly fell in love with the place.

"Welcome to The Book Nook, is there anything we can help you with today?"

Turning, she gave a sudden start as she noted the size of the man. Never before had she seen someone so...large. Adjusting her Hello Kitty backpack, she smoothed the layers of her dress and stepped up to the counter, thrusting out her hand. 'Pleasure to meet you. I just opened up the Prosthetic's shoppe, a couple doors down, and decided it would be neat to have some medical books for the clientele to peruse. Maybe something on emergency field amputations?' She smiled, wondering how a man could grow so very big.

[Jonah]

He had to look down to see the girl, true for most everyone these days and he blinked as he tried to place her face. She looked familiar but he was struggling with realizing who she was. Shaking his head to clear away the confusion, he smiled as best he could through the scars on his face.

"Medical books aren't something normally asked about but..." he came out from behind the counter and went down one of the aisles that had a number of scientific books. "There might be something here."

Tracing the spines of the books, he tried to find something like what she had asked. "Didn't realize there was such a need for prosthetics here. Business going well so far?" He ended up moving from the science section to the history when he found a book that might work. "Gangrene and Glory, this something like what you're looking for?"

As he handed over the book, he realized that he had not properly introduced himself. "Jonah, by the way. And you are?"

[Sepsis]

Jonah, by the way. And you are?"

She winced inside at the question. Of course in her excitement at finding such a treasure of a shop, she had forgotten to share the most important fact..her name. 'My name? I have...many, but, I am called Sepsis, here." she replied cryptically, reaching out to take the book from his hands and flipping the pages to briefly study the detailed drawings of bone structures. She paused to study the mans face. "As for the need of prosthetics, one never really knows what they need until you tell them after all." The pyress laughed to herself, wondering if her dolls would agree.

"Yes, I'll take this one," Sepsis nodded to herself as she spoke, "but it's not exactly what I had in mind. You wouldn't happen to have any more..rare books would you? Maybe some actual medical books from when being a doctor was...more of a pioneer adventure?" She smiled, noting the man's face was bore many scars...which led to another thought. Was it possible to find a way to offer...prosthetic skins for those who might be afflicted with such a malady? Vanity after all..made money.

"Maybe an antique copy of John H. Power's -Anatomy of the Arteries of the Human Body Descriptive and Surgical-, that was released in 1862 to the US Army Medical Department?" She knew that the chances were slim, but the older a book was, the more it seemed to fascinate her. She bounced on her toes, eager to see more.

[Jonah]

Her answer was cryptic and he examined her more closely. She was a vampire, unsurprisingly, it was difficult to throw a stone and not hit one it seemed these nights. "It's nice to meet you Sepsis."

When she explained more of what she wanted, he nodded in understanding. "So, you're more looking for how to do it than just about it?Looking at making more of a need for your prosthetics?" He tried to smile as if it was a joke but knowing what quite a few of his kind got up to, it might have been an accurate guess.

He turned and directed her towards the back room of the shop. "I don't know that I have that particular book but I think that I might have one or two things that would interest you. I keep the rarer stock here in the back."

Jonah's memory of his stock was far from perfect but he thought he had something that might interest her. "I believe I have a copy of the Catalogue of the Surgical Section of the United States Army Medical Museum from 1866. Not quite the same book you were looking for but..." He trailed off, waiting to hear from her if she was interested or not.

[Sepsis]

"I believe I have a copy of the Catalogue of the Surgical Section of the United States Army Medical Museum from 1866. Not quite the same book you were looking for but..."

Sepsis grinned in Jonah's direction as she followed him, and nodded her head eagerly. It seemed to her that the man knew exactly what she she was looking for. "That sounds just about perfect for a good old fashioned reenactment of medical history, don't you think?" She laughed, her eyes twinkling mischievously. She was quite sure she knew what the large man was implying when he asked about her making more business, but one could never be too careful. "But, one would never want to admit to being such a bad girl, now would they?" Sepsis winked, and another smile crept to her lips.

She idly wondered to herself how it was that Jonah had found himself with so many scars. The fact he bore scars at all, intrigued her. She did not know many of her Kind, but she had assumed that like her, flesh rendered itself whole. True, some wounds took longer than other to heal, but her own skin was as blemish free as it was the day she was made.

"Have you always lived in Harper Rock?" she asked, surprising herself that she had. Her head tilted to the side, watching Jonah like a cat does a mouse. "Curiosity has always been a weakness of mine you see." She half smirked to herself. Indeed, her curiosity had caused her problems more than once in her life, and her unlife as well. Reaching the back of the shop, she stopped, her eyes eating the titles around her. The man had a true treasure amassed here, and it reminded her of her own private library at home. Plucking a random book from a nearby shelf, she flipped through the pages, wondering if her dollies would appreciate the effort she was going through to get all the proper information she needed for her hobby.

She wanted each and every one of them to be perfect after all.

[Jonah]

The large man nodded as he ran his fingers along the spines of his books until he finally found it. Pulling it from the shelf, he offered it to her as she spoke to him. The wink and the smile and the comment about being a 'bad girl' jogged his memory, and his brow rose slightly as he looked down on the woman. "I suppose not. But one should also be sure to learn from one's mistakes."

She had been one that they had hunted and sent to the Realm for putting their entire species at risk but Jonah held no ill will towards her. The shadows cleansed one of all past transgressions in his mind, at least for the most part.

"Lived near here my whole life," he answered her. "Came here for college and haven't left yet for...lots of reasons." He trusted that she was smart enough to figure out those for herself if she hadn't already. "What about you? How long have you been here?"

[Sepsis]

"What about you? How long have you been here?"

Sepsis smiled and shook her head. "No..not so long real really. Just long enough to be here when..." she stopped herself, and changed what she was going to say. "No..not so long at all really." She turned, picking up a large volume outlining anesthetics. She tucked that one under her arm, deciding to get it to read later. "The place is growing on me though, and it looks like I'll be sticking around." Sepsis grinned.

"I can say, with absolute uncertainty though, that this place has made sure that nothing will ever be the same again." She smiled almost sadly for a brief moment, and moved to another stack of books. Then, without warning, a soft voice whispered in her ear, making her flinch slightly. Damn spirits. They never really left her alone..they just grew quiet at times. Looking to Jonah, she wondered if had noticed. The soft voice whispered again, the wordless murmurs carrying a sense of caution with them. Her eyes narrowed, and she looked to Jonah once more.

"It's funny how a place can change someone, isn't it?" she laughed, recalling one of his previous comments. "As for learning lessons...well...sometimes that takes a bit longer." Sepsis plucked another random book from the shelf, and flipped the pages randomly, doing her best to ignore the soft whispers taunting her. "It's probably time I should get back to my shoppe though...so much to do, and so little time in which to it." She chuckled softly. "I'm sure you know all about that yourself though I'm sure." Setting the book down, her dichromatic gaze settled upon Jonah's face once again. "So how much do I owe you?"