It all started here (Victor)

[Aideen (DELETED 5803)]

Five Months Ago

Aideen watched as yet another one of the younger girls got adopted, a new home, a new family. Something she hadn't had since well she didn't really remember her parents. Some scientist folks who died at sea. She had little memory of her time in Japan, after or before the lost of her parents. All her memories were here or the one foster home that made her a 'problem child' apparently defending yourself was a crime. She was told over and over again that she'll find a home soon, but she was 15 and she knew that almost no one over the age of 10 ever got adopted... maybe got sent to foster homes, and maybe in the rare cases they'll adopt the foster child like it was a test run. She refused to go to foster homes, she wouldn't go through that again. Even as her trust in people died, she felt lost and alone in the world. Even with 13 other girls all living under the same roof, even with her sharing a room with 4 other girls, she was alone. No one would ever want her. So she ran.

Aideen knew that in a city with only 4,000 people she couldn't stay. They would find her and even if people took the ferry to travel to Canada for 'sight seeing' it wouldn't be enough. She thought about heading towards one of the other cities but they would expect that. So she did the only thing she could really think of doing... and it scared the wits out of her, she hoped on the ferry with a tour group, everyone knew she was scared of large bodies of water, and while she didn't get sick at sea, she also was freaking out. She kept muttering under her breath the prayers she had learned, words and prayers she had said as a child that she didn't even know what meant anymore but had been taught to her most likely when she lived in Japan by the monks.. Until the reached land, she didn't wait for them to check to see if she had a passport she darted, thankful to be on land and she knew she had to get as far away from the port, far away from what had been her home most of her life. She didn't hate the women who ran the home, didn't hate the lost girls like herself that lived there, she just didn't want to see anymore people find homes and families while she was left all alone. So she had only one choice, to keep running.

Present Time

Aideen shivered slightly she should of known better than to trade her leather jacket, the one thing that had been donated to the girls home that she had really liked. It had been redone with a ton of patches, anything and everything she could think of. Perhaps not the best way to take care of a leather jacket but when she was begging for money, the man had offered her 10 dollars for it, that was enough to get some hamburgers from MickyD's and she had jumped at the offer, now. She regretted it, food to fill her belly yeah but now she was gonna freeze in whatever city she was in now. She couldn't even remember, she didn't stay anywhere long. She just needed to find a place that would hire her so she could get some money to move on again.

Bars she had learned was the best place to make the money, they always tended to look away from a 'pretty face' and while she wasn't exactly pretty in her own eyes, she had seen the eyes lingering on her, and she knew what it was to feel like prey, and that was fine. She would only stay long enough to get the money she needed and if that meant stealing and running, well she was getting pretty damn good at running.

Her eyes glancing around, she had been to places where there were bars on every corner, but this place, seemed to be filled with more crime than bars. "Some much for the theory that alcoholic results in crime" she muttered, she really didn't like this city, to many people with guns, and the only thing she had going for her was she seen as a street kid, a homeless nobody and thus not worth anything... and so far she was safe. Then again she only been here for a couple nights now, who knew how long that would be. There was something off though cops opening fire in the middle of the day... completely different than where she grew up.

"I'm not a little girl" she spoke under her breath, "I can take care of myself, I don't need anyone..." that's when her eyes caught sight of a bar, "Finally!" she rushed in, if nothing else the warmth inside would be enough, and maybe just maybe if she couldn't get a job, she could at least find some loser who thought he could get lucky join her for a drink and thus keep her here inside getting warm.

As she stepped inside she realized, this wasn't exactly the normal sort of bar she had come to grow accustom too, she was half tempted to turn back around but the cold air on her back pulled her further in 'I'm not a little girl, I can take care of myself, I don't need anyone...." she whispered as she walked up towards the bartender.

"Hi, I'm looking for whoever is in charge of this place" hopefully they weren't in, easier to get a 'test run' from someone who was just looking for a bit of extract help and that could be more than enough sometimes to get her on a bus and going further up north.

[Victor]

His back was turned as the door opened so he didn't really get a chance to see who came in. But that little puff of fresh air from outside seemed to send a burst of scent in his direction. Female. Seemed to be a little young. Smelled of fry oil and grime. Probably just another hobo coming off the street looking for a place to warm their hands for a minute. They were starting to give the place a bad look.

He'd knelt down to gather the empty boxes from stocking booze and accoutrements down in the the coolers. Then came this muffled mumbling from the other side of the bar and he shook his head. "Seriously..someone should give these people some medications for the crazy." Crushing the boxes, he made sure they were packed away properly for the trash pick up on Friday. Apparently they didn't like boxes in the trash bins out back that hadn't been broken down. Insufferable lot they were. So he did his civic duty and tucked them under his arm to carry out. He rose and turned around, coming to an abrupt halt as his eyes met a giant blue gaze.

To say he was breath-taken by the young girl on the opposite side of the bar would have been an understatement. Her voice seemed to resonate inside of him and it freaked him the hell out. Victor just wanted to know this girl. Looking her over, she seemed cold, hungry. There was a look in her eyes that he just couldn't figure out, but it made him think perhaps it was slight fear and a touch of determination. "Uh...he's not here right now, actually. Just me. We aren't exactly in Happy Hour right now so it's a little dead. What can I do for you?"

Feed you? Clothe you? He had this overwhelming urge to protect. What the hell?

[Aideen (DELETED 5803)]

Aideen couldn't help but be a bit giddy that improved her chances of getting a job, even if it was just a few hours. Taken a deep breath she tried to calm herself, being to eager would not help her case.

"Darn it all. I was hoping to get a job." she wasn't really looking at the man, she had to seem like an air-head, that's what she had learned so far, air-head and easy. It was hard when she looked people in the eye, she wasn't an air-head and she wasn't easy, fact anyone touched her... well they learned better. She wasn't volient, she didn't want to hurt people, but she also knew she had to keep herself safe, that's all she had.

She flashed a smile, the best smile could flash, one of those smiles she had learned oh so well in school. "Hey do you think, I dunno if like I could just help out for the day, just so you know you can tell the boss if I would be good here?" here was hoping.

[Victor]

He shook his head to refocus, trying to get rid of the feeling that continued clinging to his mind. He hadn't been this shaken since the first time he saw Kenlie. He knew from that instant he was going to love her forever. There was no question about it. All his talk to Jesse about taking his time and enjoying the benefits of being a vampire...all out the ******* window the moment he saw Kenlie walking down the stairs from the church in those cutoff jeans. The memory itself still gave him the chills.

Shifting the boxes beneath his arm, Vic began moving toward the back door. "We are always looking for good help...but, how old are you again?" She couldn't have been more than eighteen, maybe even seventeen. But he was horrible at guessing ages these nights. Had to be careful, even as vampires, to not touch on the sensitive topics of under age anything. **** like that could get you janked in prison or worse. So the staff at the Handle Bar were always particular on checking IDs.

"Give me a moment..." He propped the back door open and threw the boxes into the bin out behind the bar, closed the lid and came back inside. Door made that metallic slam click as it closed behind him. Sleeves pulled up a little as he ran hands under hot water with soap. Trash bins weren't his favorite thing to deal with. He watched her to and from the EXIT, trying to read her facial expressions and finding it rather difficult to pin down what she was all about. The looks on her face were like a TV with bad reception, once in a while a flicker of what was going on inside that mind would appear only to be dashed apart with a neutral snow like expression. She was difficult this one.

"I don't personally have a problem with it, but you don't come behind the bar here and you don't go upstairs or downstairs. Until you speak with Mkvenner, you can help clean the place up for the night shift." More or less, he just wanted to keep her around a little longer. Try and get her to talk.

[Aideen (DELETED 5803)]

She wanted to jump up and down, she was pleased that she was close, that was until he asked her age. No one was going to hire her if she was told the truth, "My age? Well I'm 18 of course, everyone knows it's pointless to work at a bar unless you are of legal age." she rolled her eyes as she placed a hand on her hip. Only then slightly regretting the fact she did it but hopefully it would help and not cause problems.

She waited as he took care of the boxes, "Have you ever heard of recycling?" she was fighting the urge, she had to fight the urge to go out there and dig them out. She turned her back, closing her eyes as she mentally told herself over and over again, that she needed money she had to get money to keep running, she had to get as far North as she could. Turning around her hands on her hips, "You are making homeless animals!" she didn't mean to shout, she didn't mean to get upset but she blurted the words and quickly regretted it, she was so close to getting a job so close. Sure she might not be able to steal from them but she could make tips ... and now... now what was she going to do?

Well she had gone this far, might as well go all the way, "Countless animals are killed and displaced and left without a home. We can recycle so much and yet you just threw it away like it was no big deal." alright she knew it wasn't a big deal to most people, but to her, she had seen it, she had seen it... and blast it all. She went out the door she didn't want to climb inside, she didn't want to start sorting but she couldn't help herself. Yeah she just lost a possible job but at least she would help some poor little creature keep it's home.