Open for Business | (Open)

[Harold Ward (DELETED 11625)]

The smile that had sat upon his lips in a half jest had slowly slid away as the hairs upon the back of his neck stood on their end. A feeling of uneasiness washed over him and for a moment Harold felt a cold rush up his arms and the room seemed to linger in that state for no more than a few seconds but to Harold it felt longer. It felt as if he was walking alone down a dark alley. It was as if he was alone…

The silence broke again with the, by the sounds of his accent, Englishman retorting his comments upon those ungodly beings that lurked these forsaken streets. Harold had seen what they really were, once you stripped away their guise of ‘humanity’. Under all the smart words and unnatural ability they were all the same, animals, predators and their prey? Well their prey were the rightful citizens of this planet. Those created in the image of god and whose light illuminates their way. The beasts of the night as well as the other beasts that had come out of their hiding were no work of the lord.

The brow of Harolds well cut ebony face sunk it’s way into a frown as the book keeper continued with his lecture. These were the words that were spoken by those who surely could not understand, too many books and too much tea to truly understand the perils at be. Another sympathiser among the many that had started to spread across the city and on social media for that matter, something that could only be said as concerning at the very least. What would some old book seller know of what Harold and his brothers in the task force had to deal with on an almost daily basis, the torn flesh and gore of each den that they would flush out. The risk of having your throat ripped out by a feral beast was the least they often dealt with.

The large police officer went to retort when a piece of paper hit the counter in front of him thanks to the other in the room. As his eyes flicked over the words a scowl was forced not to surface and instead only a stern face took over as he replied.

“No you are right, not all of those in the shadows are monsters. Some are victims. Some petty criminals, but the monsters that live with us today fit such a title. They are born by the work of the devil and their existence is only to sin. For them to hide is only for they scare of the lords judgement upon their forsaken souls.”

Harold reached out and took the plaster with his good hand, peeling the surface and applying it to the affected area of his finger.

“As to judging a person without knowing their lives, I grew up in a land that my people ruled for thousands of years only to be told I was worth less than another man due to the colour I was born. I do not judge any man, for a final judgement awaits us all. However, it is my duty to make sure that the innocent are protected. If that means calling an animal for what it is then so be it.”

Harold would not let the man whom had gone soft to the threat of the supernatural menaces lecture him like some child. It was then that his brain deviated for a second and let a thought take hold for just a moment. Perhaps this man had deeper reasons to be so protective of the undead beasts. A silly thought, a stupid one that did nothing for Harold but raise questions that would go unanswered.

$10, $20, $30 he counted them out onto the counter each note a funny looking bill and quite different to the Rand of his own homeland. This bill had the head that he did know however a head that looked out at them all. As the final dollar was to connect with the table he heard a noise from the rear of the shop and then a movement in his peripheral vision. As his eyes glanced at the woman had already moved off towards the back of the shop were she seemed to sweep behind a shelf of books. The cold sensation had passed but it picked up again as he squinted to see what was going on. His hand tapped at the waist of his jacket and felt the solid shape of his holster. It was more muscle memory than purposeful action, an old habit that one soon picks up in the Quarantine Zone.

“Oh um thank you sir. Don't mind all my talk, it’s just been a hard few months on the department.”

His Police badge showed briefly as the African flipped up the leather wallet to a close and stuffed it back into his pocket.

[Lydia]

(Continuing with permission from Benjamin’s player)

The girl gave a hard startle as the woman she had glimpsed near the counter appeared at her side and spoke - but not really? The words were curiously echoing in her head, enough to distract from the so-tantalizing scent of blood on the air that she had not at all been prepared for. She gave a clear nod, though, even if the idea of draining him like a juice box sent another woozy shiver through her, turning her knees to jelly as she fought the instinct hard. She took another deep breath of the tea bag, then another through her mouth to avoid smelling the scent like no other she had experienced before. “Lydia,” she whispered to the exotic-looking woman with another nod of agreement and a sidelong glance. The telepathy may have been unnerving and unexpected, but then, so much about her newer existence was that it wasn’t that far a stretch. “I still haven’t worked out the keeping the fangs in my head bit,” she added with a rueful smile even as the blasted things finally retracted enough to hide them a little easier and she pulled an interesting-looking book from the shelf. All the better to distract from her rather flighty entrance into the book shop.

Her gaze drifted briefly over to the handsome mortal guy at the till - he had to be the source and she would do everything she could to avoid him while he remained. It wasn’t his fault she was sireless and guideless and losing ground by the day into something beyond civilized. She wouldn’t see him pay the price for her stunningly awful vampiring.

Her gaze darted to the proprietor and then back to the woman nearby. “I’m trying, hard... but I have a lot to learn, still,” she whispered by way of explanation.

[Zodiac]

He obviously didn’t like what Ellis or herself had to say on the matter. Not that it mattered. Everyone had an opinion of their kind but until someone living experienced the matter from their point of view, whatever they had to say was pointless. Her attention was divided between the men and the girl. Her fingers gently turning pages of a book she had zero clue who wrote it or the subject matter.

She spied his hand pausing near his waist as if reassuring himself of something. She’d seen her sibling and others do this over the course of her time (both living and otherwise) to make sure their weapon was still there. She had done it herself earlier. So, the gun oil was not in her imagination.

”….the Department.”

An eyebrow raised as she saw him take an extra moment with his wallet before putting it away.

”Oh joy. A cop. I feel safer already.” she sneered in her own thoughts as she replaced the book and selected another at random. It had been her life experience that Police were anything except what they were supposed to be. She avoided them and kept them out of her life as much as she could. Police in general did not focus on crimes committed on people in power, but thrived on accosting the weak, the small, the poor, the outsider.

Example, a gypsy girl, or anyone else they felt was an easy target.

”Lydia.”

She smiled warmly at the woman as she softly whispered her excuse. Odd, she wasn’t a new born but not an old pro either. She should have a grip on a few things by now at least.

”Good evening, and nice to meet you Lydia,” She answered without looking at her. Keeping up the charade of looking for another book. ”It all comes in time. Some adapt slower than others is all. It hit me hard as well when he cut his finger. Another reason to learn quickly as possible. You will never know what happens next in this town, so when something like this happens you can deal with it. Instead of trying to suck a tea bag up your nose.” Zo smirked in jest.

She glanced at her and smiled, then turned her attention back to Mr. Ellis and his other customer. Was he threatening Ellis? She hoped not. She had taken a liking to the curious man, and if the cop was threatening, then she would arrange for him to have a permanent accident. She glanced at Lydia again. Maybe she would help. Any aggressive action against this minion of justice would include bloodshed, so….

When the girl mentioned trying and so much to learn, the mystic’s eyes narrowed. Was she like Zo was back in the beginning. Something made by a sire that had no time to deal with their children and teach them the basics? Her anger rose a bit as she sidestepped closer to Lydia and gently put a hand on her shoulder.

”Was you abandoned as well?” she looked the girl straight in the eyes. ”Fear not. There is hope. I managed while self educating myself, so what if you had a ‘un-life coach’ to assist?”

She knew she might regret this idea. Taking in strays was a crap shoot on how it would all turn out. She should have just ignored the woman’s statements, but could not look away. Orphans and unwanted loose on the streets, especially now, was not a good thing for vampires as a whole. The part of her that cared took over in that moment. ”Perhaps you can come visit me and I can see how I can help fill in some details if you would like.”