"The police says there ain't much they can do. People go missing all the time in the city. Hundreds of unsolved, open cases. But I know my girl. She wouldn't just up and disappear." The older woman took a picture out of the frame behind the small table to the right of the door. She slid it across the table to the private investigator before talking about Marjani. "She's a good girl. Always was a good girl. A little sassy, but had no choice. Not after-before we moved here from Somalia." Her mother stared down at the picture of Marjani that was a couple years old. "I told her she worked on the wrong side of town. Told her to stay close to home. Girl has a lot of spirit in her." The mom shook her head sadly as she stood and moved to the kitchen in the small two bedroom apartment she relocated to the year earlier now that Marjani had moved out on her own.
"Things in Somalia are different, than to things here, Detective. Marjani became a woman before her time. Before she wanted to." The woman made a cup of coffee for the detective and for herself, then returned. She gave him the unchipped mug, the mom taking the other one. One that appeared to have been made by a child; a hand print on the mug in pink. "Like I said. I'll pay whatever you'll be needing. Just find her. I know she's alive. She's not another statistic in this blasted city." The mother spat those words out bitterly as she drowned her concerns away by taking a long sip of the coffee before the detective collected the last bit of information from Marjani's mother and went on his way.
+
"We're going to close up in ten. Let's get the **** out of here, girl." Krystal hip checked Mari with her right one as she walked by with a small stack of cd's. "Want to hit The Handle Bar after this? It just opened, but it's cool." Mari smiled at the mention of the bar. She knew someone that worked there. The dark haired woman nodded her head, then waved a hand in the air to seal the deal. She got out her phone, and sent Kapt'n K a text. I'll be heading to the bar. Are you working tonight?
While Mari waited for a reply, she packed up her sports bag with her dance shoes, towel, water bottle that wasn't filled with water, but for appearances sake and a couple cd's. She slung the bag over her right shoulder, flicked off the light to the studio and headed down the hallway. She sent Nishaa a text too, just to see what her sire was up to and if she was ok. Things were stressed for her sire lately. Actually, for a lot of them lately. Andras needed someone like Mari to come around in their line, she thought. To lighten the mood and remind them to live once in a while. The only downfall was that some of them didn't take the chance to just have some good, solid fun.
"Ready?" Krystal popped around the corner with her own sports bag and wrapped an arm around Mari. "You done good, girl. We love your classes here. No one else has it." Mari beamed, taking in the compliment before she tucked a strand that fell out of her messy pony behind an ear. "Stop at your place for a shower, then hit it?" Mari nodded her head. Krystal practically lived with Mari most the week. Just out of convenience really. Not that Mari minded. She was still getting used to living on her own.
When the duo got to Mari's apartment, which was more like a studio, Krystal shouted that she got the shower first and bolted to the bathroom. Mari dropped her bag, flicked on the television and found the couch. She was used to it. And she knew it would be a good thirty minutes. She could TiVo some **** quick and catch the news. With a couple programs TiVo'd and the news on, Mari raised her arms and stretched out on the couch. There was something about a body dumped somewhere, which was nothing new in Harper Rock, something about the local pet shelter being over populated and finally Krystal appeared, ready to go. "You're up." Krystal snatched the remote, flicked on a different channel, which told Mari to move her ***.
After Mari was showered and changed, she hopped over the arm of the couch, then squished in to Krystal. Krystal shoved her away with a laugh, then stood and grabbed her arms. "Girl, you are so damn cold these nights. Need a nice man to warm ya up these fall and winter nights." Mari rolled her eyes and shook her head. Men were the last thing on her mind for a lot of reasons. Past and present. Any male she knew that was a vampire seemed to have anger issues. Maybe that was a trait of male vampires? She didn't know. She should ask Nishaa the side affects of vampires and being male. Too much testosterone maybe. Not that she felt overly manly because she was a vampire. Just different.
"Let's walk. That way we can drink as much as we want to. And could call a cab later if we need to." Krystal was dragging Mari to the door and out it. Down the three flights of stairs and out to the city streets.
