Acceptance [Mortll]

[Marshall (DELETED 9067)]

Marshall stepped off the bus and stretched his arms over his head; how long had the trip been? He couldn't remember and he really didn't want to know. He had almost reached his destination, almost. He looked down the road, it was almost dusk, but he could make out the lights of the city he was bound for, this Harbor Rock that he'd heard about and dreamed about living in for so long.

He turned back to the bus driver to pay him extra for making this unscheduled stop at his request, but the driver raised his hand upright, palm out, and said "You keep it, boy! You're gonna need it, if you plan on surviving there..." he pointed to the city with his chin, then grinned as he added, "best get going if we both wanna make it to our destinations on time. Good luck!" "Thanks, old man." was all Marshall got to say before the driver had shut the door and put the bus in gear.

Marshall shrugged, pocketed the money, then hefted his tattered, worn, canvas bag over his shoulder and set off walking, his boots making a crunching sound in the gravel on the side of the road as he started traversing the last five or so miles to the city. He had asked the driver to let him off before entering the city, because the walk would let him clear his head. The air was crisp, not cold but not warm either and he knew it would only get colder, the darker it got. He eyed the horizon, he had about two, maybe two and a half hours of sunlight left, setting a steady but not hurried pace, he let his mind wander.

Marshall had never been in any one place long, his earliest memory of his family had been when he'd returned home from school to find that his mother, father, and baby sister, Molly, had all perished in a house fire. He'd have been included in that list of fatalities, except that he'd had to stay late at school in detention. He never could hold his tongue back then, but then again he had only been nine at the time. Over the next nine years, he was bounced around between relatives he didn't know and didn't want to know. Some had despised his 'intrusion' into their lives so much, he'd been beaten repeatedly, simply because he'd asked for seconds at supper before his cousin.

Shaking his head to clear that memory from his head, he eyed the city again, he was almost there. Marshall was fit physically, but his mental stability was iffy at times, most blamed it on the horrific way his family had died, but he knew better, or he thought he did. The myriad of psychiatric doctors and counselors he'd been forced to endure over those same nine years had all said the same thing, in whispers of course, but he had heard. They had all said he had a small slow growing tumor in his brain, to deep to risk surgically removing and not serious enough, then, to even worry about.

By the time he was 18, he'd already been living on his own, in the streets. He went to the library a lot though and had learned a little about the city before him from the internet. It was reported that vampires inhabited some sections of the city. Marshall was skeptical at first, who wouldn't be? Vampires? Really? But what did he have to lose? What if HE found a vampire and asked to be turned? Would his tumor cease to exist or at least stop growing? Marshall didn't know what his future held, but he knew one thing for certain, he was going to die in Harbor Rock, one way or another.

As he approached the edge of the city, he relaxed muscles he didn't know were tense and let out a slow breath, this was it. What he'd been saving his money for, for the past two years. He was in his late twenties now, he'd stopped counting when he hit twenty-one.

It was dusk, the time when vampires should start moving about the city. Marshall didn't want to just approach the first person that looked like a vampire to him, so he wandered around the streets all night his first night in the city. He didn't sleep in the street though, that was a death warrant in any city. He took a room in a hotel close to the heart of the city, after a shower and a quick bite to eat, he passed out on the room's small bed. He awoke at dusk, dressed, and made his way out into the night once again, wandering aimlessly.

[Mortll]

Mortll stood atop West towers wind whipping through the black mass of hair fanning it out from her head in a furry. She was on the edge again holding her own against the furry of the elements. Cold assaulted her body as she stood on the precipice then fell forward . She raced toward the ground falling as she visualized where she wanted to be. She felt the ground beneath her feet as she appeared outside of the Voodoo Cyber café . She adjusted her coat and walked inside the warmth surrounding her as the harsh cold of the Canadian winter was shut out . The usual crowd was about people were scattered around at various terminals while others were enjoying a coffee or hot chocolate. Mortll admitted hiring a few baristas had been a excellent idea.

She didn't feel like being alone tonight and Enzo was at late business meetings all through the night tonight. Work was always her fall back so going over inventory and the Weekly income . She logged onto the Voodoos network and started to crunch the numbers and deciding on what she was going to do going forward. Maybe later she would go out to hunt Maybe even find some low life sob to be a guest in her kitchen.

[Marshall (DELETED 9067)]

Usually Marshall didn't have a set destination in mind, but tonight was different. He'd seen a cyber café that seemed like a good place to maybe do a little socializing and some research at the same time. It had to have better results than just walking aimlessly around in the streets.

The wind tonight was almost brutal, forcing him to hold his old worn coat closed with both hands, he didn't remember when he'd lost the buttons and he really didn't care. All he was focused on at the moment was the flashing neon sign ahead of him that read, "Voodoo Cyber Café". With a name like that, surely there were vampires about, laughing at the thought, he muttered, "I must be crazy!"

Stepping into the café, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the window and sighed heavily. He looked like a bum, his hair was a mess, his jeans were ripped and dirty. Shrugging, he strode further into the establishment and found an empty terminal in the corner and sat down, tapping the keyboard in front of him as he did so.

[Mortll]

It didn't take Mortll long to breeze through the work the place was a well oiled machine. The sales from the new Specialty Coffees was a plus . Mortll looked up as the doors opened the blast of cold Canadian air made its way across the café . The sight that met her eyes was familiar yet not . The young man was a vagabond a wanderer. Mortll knew it she had been one herself after she had fled her hometown. For years she had wandered not only in the states but South America and Europe she had been on a quest and often she had found herself living from hand to mouth.

So it was quite easy for her to recognize a fellow wanderer. Many of those days were met with no luck going to a café or restaurant and biding her time to keep out of the harsh cold of winter. There she would either be met with the staff wanting to get rid of her or some kind soul offering her a free cup of coffee and something to eat. More often not the latter .

Mortll closed her laptop and stored it under the counter as she snagged a sandwich and poured a cup off coffee and headed to the terminal where the Wanderer had seated himself. "Hello there You look like you could use something to warm you up Don't worry its on the house. " Mortll placed the coffee and sandwich on the table and started to walk away. That is when she noticed it his aura ... she pretty much ignored most human auras it was like the spirits that constantly hounded her if she didn't ignore them and put them away they would drive her insane . But this one was uncommonly weak it was tired it was grey ... the man whether he knew it or not was dying .

Mortll really didn't give a **** if most humans keeled over immediate but this offered a opportunity
She had mastered the art of healing wounds on others. She had been consistently been testing her new abilities. Testing the limits of what she could do. She had healed the most severe wounds on Vampires and humans alike so far .... What if she could heal disease as well on humans that would be a game changer for vampires and humans alike . No more fear of death from Cancer or the multitude of other death sentences that humans currently had and all from a vampires hands . You don't kill your savior now do you ? Mortll smiled Maybe this dying human vagabond could be of some use to her ...

[Marshall (DELETED 9067)]

Marshall pecked the keys of the terminal with imprecise accuracy caused from his fingers being all but frozen, placing first one hand and then the other on the seat under their corresponding thighs to warm them up. He wasn't making much progress, cold hands led to poor typing which led to little or no results from the computer. He had on fingerless gloves for use with his cell phone, which he still had even though it had no service. It was still good to use where there was free wifi and he could charge it up.

He'd managed to at least pull up a search for "how to spot a vampire in Harbor Rock". He knew he wouldn't actually find a step-by-step guide, but it gave him something to look up and was the main reason he jumped a little when a woman suddenly spoke to him as she slid him a sandwich and sat down a cup of coffee. Would she laugh at him if she saw what he had been looking up? Had she already seen it? Was she a vampire and if she was, what would she say or do?

Marshall looked at the sandwich, he was hungry, he'd not eaten since the night before and the coffee was steaming hot. He could see the tendrils of steam rolling off the top of the black liquid, he licked his lips once before silently looking up at the woman. "Hello there You look like you could use something to warm you up Don't worry its on the house." She had said and he hoped he had heard her correctly, he hadn't been paying attention because he was starving and the sandwich was just begging to be eaten.

Reaching for the coffee first, he simply held the hot mug in both hands for a moment, then took a small sip. The hot liquid cascaded down his empty stomach causing him to shiver and shake slightly. Carefully setting the mug down with a little rattle as it touched the table top, he managed to say, "Thank you for your hospitality and generosity, ma'am!". Grabbing the sandwich with both hands, he bit a huge chunk out of it, filling his mouth so full he could say nothing else. He knew he was being rude, stuffing his mouth the way he did, but somehow he figured she didn't mind it. She obviously could tell he needed it, who was he to refuse her generosity?

[Mortll]

Mortlls eyes narrowed as she caught sight of what the guy had Googled . She wasn't much for announcing that she was a Vampire . Ever since that ***** had printed her name as one in that news rag that bums used to wipe their asses with She had been getting curious glances. So the dying man was here to become immortal to save his life . Well now it seemed she had something the guy wanted. She could use this to her benefit. Not that she was going to turn him that was the furthest thing from her mind. The last thing she needed was another new vampire hanging around to be responsible for she hadn't gotten the last one she turned trained up yet .

She smiled at him .... "You're Welcome and the answer you're looking for is a Mirror " she said softly.

[Marshall (DELETED 9067)]

Marshall froze with the sandwich halfway to his mouth, she had to have seen what he'd been looking for on the computer. To late to take it back, he nonchalantly put the sandwich on the plate and picked up the coffee cup. It was a good cup of coffee, was all he thought as he took a sip. Swallowing the hot liquid, Marshall tilted his head to one side, then looked at the woman, "a mirror?". He blinked his azure eyes, then looked around the café once again. There were no mirrors.

Returning his gaze to her, Marshall shrugged slightly then lowered his eyes to the half eaten sandwich. If she was a vampire, he wouldn't be able to stop her from doing anything to him, so he decided to say no more but he was going to finish the sandwich. It was a delicious sandwich, he had no idea what kind it was, but if he was going to die later tonight. He was going to die with a full belly.

[Mortll]

Mortll smiled she could tell by the way he hesitated that he was a bit shaken he didn't know if he was in the presence of the boogeyman or not. Who was she to tell him that he was, let him find out in due time. "Yes a mirror most vampires have no reflections and the ones that do are either horrible visions or they do not match the person that is face to face with you ... its the vison of some poor trapped soul that has had its body stolen and is trapped their lives stolen " Her voice was low so that only he could hear her. She didn't mind telling a dead man these things after all after she was done with him he would still be dead.

[Marshall (DELETED 9067)]

Marshall was never one to stop and think about if he should or shouldn't say something to someone and now was no different. This generous lady seemed to be knowledgeable, maybe she could help him. Taking another sip of coffee, he swallowed it and said in a whisper, "My name is Marshall. Are you... a... vampire?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he began to berate himself for being so rude. "Damn it, Mars, you're so ******* rude!" Starting to rise, his eyes made contact with hers, "I am sorry if I offended you just now. I..." he put the coffee cup on the table and stood up. "I'll go away now, thanks again!". He was forced to shut his eyes as the café seemed to have started revolving around him, making him have to grab the tabletop to keep from falling.

[Mortll]

He was searching for vampires of course he was going to ask . Mortll probably would have taken him out back and dispatched of him for asking that question a few months ago. Now it was a totally different story. Now vampires were public. Her name had been outed as suspect. She had not admitted that she was a vampire to anyone and nor would she unless she planned to kill them or turn them. This fellow on the other hand was dying. "No don't go " came out of her mouth as she put out her hand to touch his arm. "Are you ok ?"

She knew he wasn't "Come sit get warm its brutal out there You want more coffee its on the house ?" she practically pushed him back down in the chair. "Look its nasty out there you look like you just rolled into town the hard way Do you even have a place to stay ?"

She doubted that he did. She was about to make this his lucky day .