Suck it up. [Open]

[Sullivan (DELETED 6272)]

A roar of thunder and flash of lightening had thrown itself upon the city. The soft melody of rain as the heavens wept for what could be mistaken as the demise of humanity or desecration of the Earth. Cold droplets had found their way upon the man who had been leaning against the wet concrete wall that belonged to a building that climbed its way into the sky. The cold that most found themselves sheltering from had been welcomed as the gentle touch soothed at the swollen and bruised skin of the man. Trickling water that cascaded over his face had attempted to cleanse his tainted skin from the wounds that flowed carelessly with a deep crimson. Bright blue eyes that imitated a calm sea at a tropical beach had danced around his surroundings. His suit jacket laid upon the floor crumpled and creased had been saturated due to the rain. A tan leather wallet that faced upright had displayed a small card through a clear plastic window. A photo of the man with the name Sullivan Lithgow; a driving license that had been his identification.

Low groan had escaped past his bruised and split lips as he gently leant forth to reach for his wallet. His joints felt stiff, his body seemed rigid and the pain continued to throb in a wild spread of heat that was quickly doused by the downpour. Cold fingertips grasped upon the leather wallet as he leant himself back with a satisfied sigh. His once immaculate white shirt had now been stained with his diluted blood. A light shade of pink blotching and invading as much of the porcelain linen as possible. Slowly he began to edge himself away from the wall with the aid of a profanity before retrieving his suit jacket that would surely be ruined due to the weather and harsh treatment.

Index finger hooked onto the collar of the jacket before being thrown behind his back sluggishly. The light twinge of pain as his mouth parted and breathed the low husky words that laced themselves together like honey. A foreign tongue that had been trespassing in a foreign land. "Welcome to Harper Rock." The man had jested with himself. His steps had fallen on deaf ears as the thundering rain continued its onslaught. Miniature rivers and falls unfolding over the metallic concrete jungle, a majestic sight if one would take the time to appreciate and observe. But Sullivan had been impatient and irritated and though he'd love to take shelter at a bar he was certain that his attire would be unacceptable. The light wallet in his rear pocket would be a helpful reminder that it would also be a bad idea. Though it felt as if time had stood still; the darkness had quickly been eloping and stealing the light. The arms of a his shattered faced watch continued to tick regardless of his belief that time had grinded to a halt.

Sullivan was a reasonable man and he always deducted what he could with logical explanations and provided his own answers for his own beliefs. A trip to the local police station would perhaps a good idea but he truly believed it would be in vain and so he felt that it was best to find the nearest hole in the wall (ATM) so he could at least start looking for a place to evaluate his misfortune and spend the night. But needless to say; it was effort and tolerance that Sullivan had ran out of.

[Eureka]

The redhead awoke to rain. Literally.

She had no idea why she woke up in the same place she had been sired; it happened every night, regardless of where she was or whether she locked herself up. Some magic took hold of her atoms, split them into millions of invisible pieces, and re-aligned them on that roof. Eureka didn’t mind. The elements brought her a particular kind of joy, even if the rain was so cold that it felt like tiny knives dancing over her skin. It was an impromptu bath, anyway, washing away the grime that still clung to her skin from the night before.

There were a few empty pots laying around, as if whoever had access to this roof had once had grand plans to turn it into a rooftop garden. These pots had filled with water, and Eureka used this water to finish cleaning herself. To scrub away the resistant spots of dirt. Although the Killer might live like an animal and have no qualms about doing so, even animals liked to clean themselves. Each night she seemed to become more comfortable with her body and her abilities. Each night she seemed more like a cat in human shape than like a human hindered by power that she could not control.

Perhaps she was born for this life, and the warm blood and the school and the dull parents and the dull job had all been just an annoying requirement. Filler, until she was old enough to become who she was always meant to be.

Whatever the case, Eureka didn’t question it. She didn’t question the future, nor did she question the past. She lived in the moment, and in that moment she was on a roof in the pouring rain. And she was hungry. It was her habit to feed before doing anything else; it was always the first thing on her mind. In the same place as usual, she dropped from the roof top and landed without a sound at the back of the alleyway. It was a dead end, and there was never anybody to see her fall. Except tonight, she surprised some old bum rifling through the trash. Before he could question her, she had torn out his throat. She didn’t need to drain him. She was full after only a single pint; but his wounds were such a disgraceful mess that he bled out anyway, looking like the victim of a wild animal attack rather than a victim of a vampire.

Eureka left the man where he was and wandered toward the exit of the alleyway. She lifted her face to the falling rain, her skin now numb to the sharpness of it. The blood was washed from her face within seconds. Out on the street she turned left, the route to the Casino and her lodgings there seared into the back of her head.

Approaching her was a man. The closer he got, the more Eureka could see of him. And when nearly face to face, she could smell the blood through the rain—petrichor, they call it. Except there’s no dry soil here. Just cement. Still, the smell is glorious, almost calming. Perhaps this man would have tasted better than the bum. But Eureka wasn’t hungry anymore. Instead, she reached for the stranger’s face, her fingers cold as she tried to tilt it more to the light.

”What the hell happened to you?” she asked, lacking the usual social graces. Her voice was deep, resonant like a melancholy blues song. The light from the street lamp fractured in the greenish blue hue of her eyes, bright like fresh gems. At least her ever-present canines were only visible when she laughed.

[Sullivan (DELETED 6272)]

A fresh start he had convinced himself as he left his old life behind. Had it been a terrible mistake or was it for the best? The incident from earlier had no doubt put a damper upon his high hopes. An expensive lifestyle fuelled by his lavish career that brought him to the highest point of his life where he truly believed he had been untouchable. They said that money had been the root of all evil whilst others said that it had been unfortunate that it was required to make that giant floating crust spin around. But with time and experience he soon began to see that it was people that were evil. A slight mishap within the prime of his career had now lead him down into a dark and dingy alleyway with weeping gashes and swollen bruises. And even though the rain continued to shower him, as if to bathe him and wash away his sins he could still hear the sound of his beating heart throb within his ears.

Deep in thought and distracted by the aching of his joints; the distracted man had not even noticed the woman who had approached him. It was not until he felt the cool shadow touch his face that he raised his head and those bright blue irises would catch the silhouette of the woman who appeared to be reaching out to him, casting a shadow before she took hold of his jaw. The cold tips of her fingers had been soothing upon his tender jaw that puffed up from the vicious blows that he had received; the only reason why he had not flinched away from her touch as his head had been angled for her inspection. Brows had raised in curiosity as his split lips remained sealed as the woman had quizzed him in what felt like a taunting manner. And even so he found her sudden appearance quite fascinating and her appearance quite mystique.

Her emerald beauties reflected onto him before his eyes adjusted enough for him to soak in her facial features; a frown slowly pulling as the man began to pick apart her words, analyse them as he paired them up with her appearance that carried a bittersweet razorblade smile. It was easy to read his thoughts as he began making and casting his judgments upon the peculiar woman who had taken an interest in his misfortune. As his brows had been lured down into a frown, he'd sluggishly pull from her touch despite the desperate pleas of his aching jaw that begged for comfort as the rain continued to drench them both without any discrimination.

An infectious laugh and smile that don as beautiful as her eyes that grazed him had been enough to be wary. Questioning in why, what and where did she come from and she felt comfortable with her surroundings. Surroundings in which he'd thought most women would dread to be finding themselves in. It felt like eternity had passed before his wet lips had parted, diluted blood trickling down his chin as he replied to the woman in a distant but smooth-like tongue. "I lost my balance and fell. "A lie, blatant enough for her to know that he was not willing to discuss it with her for whatever reasoning being his own. Craning his head slightly to the side he found it quite hard to peel his eyes from the mysterious female as he felt the urge to carry on walking. "Perhaps you can point me to the nearest cash point?" And there it was, an foreign accent that had been hidden with the years of mingling with those of the same area. Certain words carried differently and his 'R's had rolled naturally at the roof of his mouth; pointing his localisation towards Europe.

[Eureka]

The sight of the blood was mesmerising. Reka watched the slow trickle from the human’s lips, and even as he pulled away from her touch, the heat of his skin lingered on the tips of her fingers; one thumb that reached forward now to swipe away the trickle of red. For only half a second was she able to see the crimson liquid split and pool on the pad of her thumb, to watch as it sunk into the grooves of her fingerprint. A drop that she might have brought to her lips, were it not for the rain. One huge drop and the blood dispersed, washed away.

”Did you slip and fall down a hill?” she asked, the smile curling her lips clearly feeding the amused gleam to her eyes. Of course she didn’t believe him. His face looked far too beat up for just one simple fall. But she didn’t push the matter. Instead, she started walking in the same direction she had already been walking in. The opposite direction to this stranger on the street, but she knew where she was going.

”I’m going to the Casino. There’s one there,” she said. She had no idea whether it was the nearest, but she didn’t use them too much herself, if even at all. She liked to buy blood packs from the shop in Corvidae Flats, but she always did a bit of a deal with the shop keeper; she sold a couple of her items of loot and in exchange, he gave her a blood pack. It meant she rarely had to carry cash around on her person. Which was fine—she was bound to just lose it anyway. She didn’t even have a phone, she was that hopeless with keeping her property on her. Even now, she walked down the street with no other belongings. Just herself and the clothes on her back—jeans that were torn at the knees, bare feet, and a jumper that was far too large for her, also a bit torn. But that was all the fashion these days, wasn’t it? To wear clothes that looked as if they’d seen their day. It was lucky she was wearing any clothes at all, though she supposed it was probably for the best to go to sleep clothed if she knew she was going to wake up on a rooftop in the middle of the city. Unless she kept a stash of them on the roof top.

Yeah, she might just do that.

”Are you coming?” she asked the stranger, her feet making no sound upon the slick wet sidewalk.

[Sullivan (DELETED 6272)]

A gentle breeze that weaved between the falling tears had given him a soft push that stopped him from being lost within his own thoughts. Even in what felt like a tropical storm; his eyes felt dry and gritty as they moved sluggishly within their confines. His eyelids hesitated in opening as he squinted in belief of keeping the water from his eyes. He had been notorious for stopping mid conversation or losing his track of thought. And even though hindsight could not turn back the time for him to make the amends he needed to avoid certain situations; it had not stopped him in drowning in the pool of 'what if's.

But the woman who carried herself in a peculiar manner and dress sense had constantly kept him intrigued. "It was a steep hill. And the weather conditions don't exactly sway in my favour either." Sullivan had answered with that tone that stuck together in honey. As the woman had continued her journey, his neck turned dutifully to follow until she seeped out of his vision from the corner of his bright blue hues. "Oh right." He had uttered, it was not exactly helpful for he did not know where the casino had been located.

The welcoming crew had caused him to be a bit more sensitive to the things that should and should not be said out loud. Sarcastic and dry humour had always been a charm of his, though others would certainly disagree. And though his mind raced with comments they soon fell silent as if she heard and demanded their silence when she asked if he would be joining her. As he turned to face the back of her, his clothing that clung to his body would be a reminder that it was a good proposition that she had offered. The watered down drenched suit jacket had been brought from behind his back and folded over his left arm as he let her aware of his decision despite of what seemed like a lack of care from the female. "Yes, if you don't mind."

His right hand had sifted through his hair as he brought it back and out of his face; matting to his scalp. Large strides would allow him to close the distance between the two with ease though his joints screamed for him stop, his body still ached and demanded for attention. Sullivan had gave a casual glance at the female taking in whatever he could as if he had been searching for whatever it been that gave her a slight aura of mystique. From the subtle sway of her hips as she walked quietly and gracefully to the point where she wore nothing upon her feet. "Did you fall down a steep hill?" Why else would she walk around barefooted? God knows what she might stand on especially in the dark dingy alleyway.

[Eureka]

Eureka laughed out loud. The slender line of her neck was opened up to the rain as she glanced skyward; all she could see were the glittering gleaming drops of rain, still ice-cold upon her skin. But the sensation buoyed her. Where would any of them be without the senses? To be deprived of touch, of taste, of sight and sound, of scent—the smell of the rain as it pushed the heat from the sidewalk—would mean deprivation. Eureka was a creature of simple comforts. A creature of the wild, and this city was her wilderness. The buildings were her trees and the alleyways her caves.

The sound of her laughter was unhindered, unweighted by the woes or anxieties of normal people. Her laughter was like the cry of a wild bird. A wolf, even. Though not quite as cold. She shook her head, but paused mid-shake. Her brows arched and she then shrugged.

”You could say that,” she said. She thought about the way in which her life had changed, irrevocably. Maybe she was still rolling down that hill, tumbling and stumbling, gaining momentum with each new roll. She turned her gaze to the male beside her, the steady gleam in her eyes perhaps borrowed from the rain falling from the heavens.

”Except, I think mine’s a soft hill. With no rocks. And gentle grass. And I kind of enjoy it,” she said. Concern for another living being should have been foremost in her mind, but Eureka was not normal. She should have asked for a name. Should have given her name, even, as a common courtesy. It simply just did not cross her mind.

”What did you do to the weather, then, to make it treat you so badly?” she asked. The question hardly even seemed as if it were in jest. She was serious. The weather was a person, an omniscient God that could either be friend or foe, depending on how one approached it. Treat this God like a friend, and you shall never suffer from it. Always complain about its ways, however, and this God will play with you, and treat you ill.

Eureka turned the next corner—the Casino lived only a few blocks over, from here, and it wouldn’t take them too long to reach it. At least, to Eureka it didn’t seem that far, but she was used to treating this city like a playground, and never paid much attention to distance or time.

[Sullivan (DELETED 6272)]

Night had settled in a throne as it casted those dark tendrils upon the city, rushing and quickly devouring whatever light that had remained. The occasional street light flickered if on at all and the sound from hissing pipes and escaped steam were muffled and paled in comparison of the woman's laughter. Unlike her silent barefoot steps, the soft clicking noise of his shoes attempted at being heard; refusing to be dismissed by the chaotic sound of the water crashing to the ground or collecting before forming a small river to the nearest drain. Without these drains, would the city flood?

Senses that he relied on such as sight had been hindered by the rain and scent had quickly been dampened along with his hearing. Despite it all, he could hear the woman's voice crystal clear and he was certain that he could smell her fragrance despite the rain's efforts. "Sounds nice." The man who seemed to be few of words thought quietly to himself in contemplation. Perhaps she wasn't leading him to the nearest casino? Perhaps she wasn't in the best frame of mind but even with the risks. She seemed harmless and for the time being he had been grateful that she was showing him out of the alleyway. How little he knew.

"Maybe it's a warning, telling me to leave." How fascinating would that be? If the weather was this pansophical God, perhaps it was not mistreating him for his past deeds but like he had suggested. A friendly notice that of all the bad choices that he made; moving to this city was the worst of all. But he did not believe in what Eureka had and he had been pessimistic enough to boil it down to a horrible day.

That moment of silence would fall between them if he could let it but his curiosity got the better of him as he spoke out to the equally drenched female. "Have you stayed here long?" Those sky blues would shift within their sockets, gritty and dry despite the rain. Attempting to catch the facial features of the woman at each passing light that worked. There was something amiss and he could not for the life of him work it out and a gentle frown had slowly formed over his face. She had been radiant in a dark and gloomy city and like a moth to a flame, he followed her unquestionably and without hesitation. Before he made himself obvious he prodded. "Does most casinos here allow you entry on barefoot?" It was something that he couldn't let go and he just did not know why.

[Eureka]

”Maybe,” Eureka said. ”I mean, if the weather is some kind of God and they all like to tell us that God works in mysterious ways, then yeah. Highly likely it could be a warning,” she said with a light shrug of her shoulders. There was nothing to attach her to this human, and if this conversation should result in him turning tale and running from this city as fast as he could then so be it. Eureka herself had no attachment to this city, but nor did she really have any reason to stray beyond its borders. The city had never done her any harm. But it was her nest. It was her den. And she had her people, here. She had Chad. She had Goggle. Niklaus, and Azraeth. A small handful of people, but they were colourful people. They exuded a light that she couldn’t help but be drawn to, and buoyed by. Why would she leave?

”I know the guy who owns the place,” Eureka answered in relation to the question about the bare feet. Most of the time she had no compunctions. Most of the time, she let her tongue get away with itself. But in that first week together, Chad had been super clear about one thing: do not let the humans know we exist. She can’t have exactly told the human that her sire owned the place, because he’d ask what a sire was. She couldn’t call Chad her father, because that was just ridiculous. No, best to just say she knew a guy. I know a guy. It sounded so naff.

The human just wanted a cash point. No need to tell him about the dungeon, either. She was just leading him to where he wanted to go. But there was still one question that had gone unanswered. Eureka hadn’t answered it straight away because it was a curious one, to her. Had she stayed here long? Was that the kind of questions people asked people these days? Eureka didn’t really know. She was a bit slow on the whole social etiquette thing.

”Lived here all my life. Why, do I look like I’m from out of town?” she asked, splaying her hands and lifting her palms to the rain as she did a small twirl, as if showing herself off for inspection. She’d have thought she looked terribly comfortable in her skin, in this nest of a city of hers. But perhaps she was mistaken.

[Sullivan (DELETED 6272)]

It was just as well that he had been walking a few feet behind the eccentric woman because Sullivan had been the type to wear his thoughts through expressions. An obvious raise of his eyebrows as if he had just seen or heard something piqued his interest, though it had been a facade. "Fortunate you." He'd say in a subtle chime, perhaps somewhat demeaning but without the intention. His grasp upon his saturated jacket had only tightened as he braced himself from the slight change of wind that shifted the droplets of rain. Increasingly growing cold, tired and hungry; he just wanted to be able to draw some money and find a place crash for a while.

"Oh?" It had surprised him that she was not from somewhere else. It would have explain some of the things that he considered odd about the leading female. A twirl had invited him to look her over and a thought of her being quite innocent had crossed his mind even though he had no idea about her being a creature of the night. Though in the condition he was in, he would not bat an eyelid if she told him that she was Gaia herself as long as she led him to that cash point. Split moist lips parted as he began to speak, "No, I guess not. But you just seem different from some of the others. Certainly helpful." Caress an ego, feed the niceties and get what was needed before being on his way.

"Any recommendations on places to stay?" Who better to ask than the woman that had lived here all their life. It was then the penny dropped and he realised he hadn't introduced himself and quickly he apologised and corrected the matter. "Ah, sorry. My name is Sullivan, what's your name?" He asked with a hungry curiosity that wanted to put a name to the female.

[Eureka]

Eureka didn’t catch the tone. Fortunate. Eureka felt fortunate and she grinned at the notion. Fortunate. She supposed she was. Life was exciting now where before it was just ordinary and dull and bereft of any hope. It was something only she could have changed, but she’d never done anything about it. It had taken one moment, one broken moment of bad judgment and she had broken free of that dull life with blood and violence and an adrenaline-fuelled freedom that she had never crashed from.

She should have. Afterwards. She should have curled up in a corner and realised she’d killed someone. Regret and shame should have brought her back down to Earth, but instead Chad had snatched her up and lifted her high onto a rooftop, where he had turned her while in the middle of that adrenaline-fuelled state, and she was still there. In that moment. Free.

”Who else have you met?” she asked. Who were these other people who weren’t helpful? She opened her mouth, to continue, but stopped. No, she would not laugh and tell him he’d be thinking differently if it had been him in that alleyway rather than some homeless man. But no, she wouldn’t say that.

”I don’t know anywhere to stay. I live here. So I haven’t sort of… stayed anywhere other than home,” she said. The different kinds of homes. Home now was a dungeon beneath the Casino, filled with random furniture that she’d pulled off the street corners on clean-up days. Dining room chairs that didn’t match and that sit around a table that didn’t exist yet. Lit up only by fairy lights. Rugs that would be full of fleas if she’d collected them in Summer rather than in the dead of Winter.

The guy had given Eureka his name and she frowned at him as if he had said something completely out of place. But then she remembered that swapping names was common place when people met for the first time. She paused, stopping in the middle of the deluge, the rain that would not stop. It seemed biblically never-ending. She held out a wet hand. Wet and cold.

”Eureka.”