♪ Breaking routines ♪ (CLOSED)

[Skylar]

All is right with the world when I'm doing what I love. Okay so I have to make a few lifestyle changes. But on the whole, I don't have to change all that much. Gigging is a nocturnal profession anyway for the most part. I might not be able to busk at rush hour like I used too, at least not all year round, but I'm not going to let that stop playing on the streets. As for my jewellery, well, all I need is a good lamp... and a desk to put it on. I should think about getting my own place. I can't keep couch surfing now, not unless I want my secret discovered...again. Though to be fair that wasn't my fault. I wasn't told I was cursed. I'm only human. I can't be expected to prepare for every eventuality. Oh ****. Wait. I'm not human. I wonder how high the bar’s been raised? Surely I can't be expected to be perfect. Nah. Elliot's not perfect. He killed me with that dodgy guitar. I finger the strings of my own, familiar instrument and smile. At least I don’t have any PTSD. That would really suck. I'm not sure what I'd do if I couldn't play anymore.
I'm at Wickbridge station. My old stomping grounds. Only I'm a little later than usual, for the aforementioned reasons. There's a semi decent amount of foot traffic still about though, enough that might be able to scrounge up a fairly decent pay day. Not that I need the money. That's not why I do it. I love to entertain. I set myself up just outside of the stations main entrance. The employees of the train company don't chase me off any more, I think I brighten their otherwise dreary day. Some even come and make requests when they find the time. I like when they do that, as it makes me feel wanted, appreciated even. It's always nice to feel like that.
I smile up at Sam as I open my case.
"I haven't seen you in a few days Skylar. I was beginning to think you might have been discovered."
I laugh. "No such luck I'm afraid. I was feeling quite myself is all."
"Oh dear. Feeling better."
"Yep. Never better actually."
"You’re running late though."
"Yeah. New time slot."
I laugh and then smile warmly at the rather portly man. He's the kind of guy most people ignore, charged with security and rubbish collection. Bottom of the rung duties that no-one else wants to do. They don't trust him with anything money related. I remember he mentioned a misspent youth once, so he likely has a criminal record. He's a nice guy though and rather chatty if things are slow. He wanders off but I see him hovering nearby, waiting for me to begin.
He's used to my set. That's part of the reason I take requests. Of course I also change up my list from time to time too. You've got to keep things fresh. It helps to play a little of what's currently on the radio too. I kick things off with a few of my favourites and am barely through the first song when I notice people seem to be stopping to listen. That in and of itself isn't totally surprising - a few people usually stop and listen to me play - what catches my attention is the number of people that stop and listen. I play a few more songs an soon I've pulled the largest crowd I've ever had when out on the streets. It's weird but I'm not going to complain. I stop after I've played roughly half my set and go to grab a cup of coffee. I don't need the caffeine. It's a habit. I used to have to drink it in the colder months to keep my fingers warm so that my playing didn't suffer, but now it seems unnecessary. I can feel the cool night air but it's not bothering me. I drink my coffee and get back to work. I don't feel much like spending the whole night busking and things will inevitably slow down anyway. Besides the money's been good already. Doesn't seem like I'll be missing out on anything by not playing rush hour. Not if I can expect a response like this every night.
I start playing again and it doesn't take long for the crowd to gather again. I must be on a roll tonight because this level of interest isn't something I'm used to. As I come to the end of the final song in my set, I look around the expectant face and decide to do an encore. I plump for the first song that comes to mind; Apocalyptica's 'S.O.S. (Anything But Love)'. I don’t play the chello but then I don’t need to be a cellist to play the song, I can play it well enough on my guitar. It’s a different sound, but then covers shouldn't be a carbon copy of the original. Not in my opinion. You had to put a bit of yourself into the performance somehow. The moment I begin plucking the strings, I’m lost in the music. I love this song and it shows in my performance.

[Roderic]

I looked at the woman, stuffed my pen back in my pocket and folded the tiny piece of paper. "Thanks." I said before stuffing the paper in the other pocket of my black jeans. She didn't reply, the city ritualist already taking on another customer.

As I left the ruined building, I gave the name of the ritual some thought. She said she would help me locate an enemy. I had even done it a time or two before. But the name didn't fit. Not to me. I wasn't searching for an enemy, I was looking for dinner. I was just looking for a way to survive. Maybe I was their enemy.

I stopped my thought at that. Mostly because I didn't care. They were my enemy. I was their enemy. Didn't matter. Wouldn't matter. Not when I was done with them. I made my way through the arch in a hole in the wall that used to have a door at some point. Then I go down to the Gullsborough area, stop at the bank, grab a few bucks, buy a pack of cigarettes at the first shop I spot and wait for the train to come.

I think about Thing Two. She expressed some desire to work for me. Work with me. I don't distrust her. I'm just not sure what I do, what Pyper does and even Simone is up her alley. I make sure to make a note to talk to her when I see her again. See if she can stomach it. I like my thing. She is the only one I use a name with on occasion. Not like the others. Not like the gay porn star and the other one. Whoever she is.

The train comes, I stand, put out the cigarette by dragging it along the top of the bench I was just sitting on and walk to the trash can. I circle it once, then again before throwing it in there. Some twat makes a comment about that being a good way to start a fire, but I ignore him. I wasn't a pyromaniac. I knew how to make sure a cigarette wasn't lit anymore. The guy was just an idiot who felt the need to say something stupid.

I board the train and sit near the back. No one in front of me for three rows and no one behind me for two. I pull out my ipod and scan my playlist. Tonight was an old school alternative metal kind of night. I raise my arms, put my hands behind my head and relax as the train takes us from station to station. Wicksbridge is the first station, but the train seems to be moving slow tonight. Or I'm just more observant of the time than usual. I think it could be the latter, but I don't think about it for too long as my stop comes, I stand and get off.

I take the buds out of my ear immediately. I need to not only see my surroundings but hear them too. The train only allowed so much to happen. From the front, from behind or from one side. Walking allowed a full 360 diameter of attacks. I pocket the system in my leather coat, then begin to walk south.
I don't get that far. I see a crowd.

Of people. Everywhere. I move to it, trying to avoid people from touching me, or I them. When someone steps to the side and brushes against me, or coughs near me, I feel a change in the atmosphere around me. Though no one else seems to notice it. I'm uncomfortable.

I hear a woman singing, but what I hear more is a woman shouting "Ow!" as she turns around and looks at the teenager behind her. She accuses him of kicking her calf, and he denies it. Another ruckus in front of me; a kid about the age of seven screaming and crying because someone pulled her hair. The mother looks around at everyone in an accusatory manner.
But I ignore them.

They are not why the crowd has come to be. A woman is. One with a guitar. Playing a song I know. I know I know it, but it takes me a few seconds to recognize the band and then the song. I step closer to the crowd, until I am inside of the crowd. A part of the crowd, with no space to freely move. My space is invaded, but I don't recognize it. Not yet. All I see and hear is her.

[Skylar]

The murmurs of the crowd go unheard as I'm lost in my own little world. Nothing exists for me but me and my guitar. It happens sometimes, I zone out. I'm there but I'm there. If I was capable of paying more attention I might have heard the whining kid or noticed the pickpocket that was using my performance to empty people's pockets without them noticing. The song is all but done when I'm called back to reality, but not because my private bubble is about to be popped. No. I can feel something. Sense something. It's the same feeling I get when Elliot's around. I scan the crowd looking for the familiar face but I don't see it. And that's when I notice him. He should have been lost in a see of faces but for some reason my eyes are drawn to him. That's when I realise he must be like me. I'd had the feeling a couple of times earlier in the night but I wasn't playing then and the people all rushed by so quick, I hadn't had a chance to work out what it meant. I thought I was just going mad or something. That or craving time with the man that made me. I hadn't liked that thought, so I'm glad I know now what that tingle down my spine means.
I watch him as he's watching me and wonder if he knows what I am too. Will we always recognise one another? Or does that mean that we're related. I'm not sure why we have to know one another in this way. There must be a reason we evolved this way. If we evolved at all that is. I'm not really sure how we came into being. I'd have to remember that question and put it up online later.
I finish the song up, my eyes still on him.
"Thanks folks. My name's Skylar. If you enjoyed the performance, please feel free to show me just how much by throwing what you can afford to give in my guitar case. A girl has to eat."
After addressing the crowd, I pull my eyes from him and look around at the eager faces. Some people look like they want to talk to me but then they lose their nerve and walk off. Most of the crowd through some of their spare cash my way and I thank the ones I see doing it. I've never earned this much before in just one set. There's something funky going on. I'm not putting that online though, I'd have to ask Elliot to help me puzzle this one out in private. I know he said I'd be more charming or something, in time, but this is ridiculous.
I feel someone tugging on my t-shirt and turn to see who it is. I see the eyes of a young girl looking up at me, her eyes filled with awe. She wants to whisper something to me, so I adjust my guitar so it sits across my back and take a knee beside her.
"Okay sweetie. What did you want to tell me?" I ask.
"I think you're pretty," she tells me in a very shy voice.
"Aw. You do? Well I think you're very pretty too."
I tap the girl on the nose and she giggles.
"Here."
I take a couple of bills out of my case and give them to her. It's only a couple of dollars but the girl gushes like she just won the lottery and throws her arms around my neck. Kids are so easy to please. The moment I realise my senses are paying a little too much attention to the girls heartbeat and scent, I place my hands on her arms and gently remove her grip on me. I smile at her and send her back to her mum who is waiting a few steps away.
Still on my knee, I start gathering up my earning so I can put my guitar away. The crowd is all but dispersed now, though a few stragglers are lingering. I'm too absorbed in what I'm doing to notice where that other vampire went. I'm humming to myself, as I straighten out the bills and pocket the cash.

[Roderic]

I don't know why I stopped. I don't listen to a lot of music. Only when I'm running. Occasionally when I'm working, but I don't want to interrupt Pyper or Simone, so it's rare I turn on any music. I don't need music, or any sound while I work. I actually welcome the silence. I just have to be in the mood.

Maybe it was because she picked a song I knew. Or maybe it was because she had the balls to perform a song like that. Most would do something that was not only popular, but played one thousand times too many to try and attract a crowd. When the song ends, I look around and realize how close to people I am and the immediate area around me starts to darken, until she talks.

My attention is back on her as I try and figure her out. Past her name, if that was even her real name. Too many people did that alias thing these nights. Not me. I didn't give a **** who knew my name, as long as it wasn't the feds or cops. She talks about making a donation and I dig in deep in my pockets. I had five hundred bucks, all of it in large bills. The smallest being a fifty. Her music wasn't that good, but I could appreciate someone putting themselves out there. To be vulnerable. I'd never done that before. It wasn't my style. I liked being in the background. Remaining unseen. Vague even.

"Whatever." I mutter as I step closer, open up my old, tattered wallet and put the fifty in her case. I'm about to move away when a little girl comes over and manages to pull at the heartstrings of Skylar. I just watch. She's a soft soul. Skylar. She wouldn't make it in the music world. Maybe not even in this city. "Good show." I say as the little girl wanders off and I'm standing in front of the blond haired guitar playing woman.

With no music and nothing else to distract me, it was then I remember I was going to Veil towers. I give Skylar a nod of my head, then inch back before I vanish within the crowd, heading in the direction of the towers. I had a meeting with a vampire. Skylar didn't have anything but time wasting skills to offer me, so her with her song done, I had things to do.

[Skylar]

I'd been too wrapped up in the girl and what I was doing to monitor where he was. I should have paid more attention. I hear the voice and look up just in time to see him walking away. I want to follow but I still haven't packed away my guitar. I think about it for a split second and then slam the lid shut, leave the guitar on my back, pick up the case and chase after him.
"Hey. You. Wait up. Please wait. I wanna..."
Wait. What did I want? I didn't need anyone to answer my inane questions, I had Elliot for that, and his family. My family too I guess. But mainly Elliot. So it must be something else. Some other reason I feel the need to speak to this guy. I let my brain puzzle it out as I catch up to him and start to walk at his side.
"You're the first," I look around and stop myself from blurting out the word vampire, "one of us I've seen. Except... well the obvious one."
I'm probably not making much sense. The rules are still a little fuzzy to me and while I know I can write the word 'vampire' and speak freely on the family's website, I'm not exactly sure what the policy is about open conversations on the street. I just had to hope the guy was smart enough to catch on to what I was trying to say.
"I'm Skylar by the way."
Introducing myself seems like the right thing to do. Yes, he watched me sing that last song and likely heard my name already when I thanked the audience, but it never hurts to be polite. I glance at him and wonder if he's the friendly sort. The family seemed nice, enthusiastic even. It was odd. Though I don't know why it was so surprising really, it’s not like I had any pre-conceptions about any of this. I'd never thought much about how and if vampires socialised. I'd never thought much about vampires period. I certainly didn't know they existed. At least not until I became one. It was still something I was trying to get my head around. And yet here I was. A vampire. Recognising others of my kind and waiting for my superpowers to kick in.
"I'm glad you liked the song. You were only there for the last song right? I mean I didn't feel you there before then."
I stop myself before asking if that was normal or not and allow the guy a moment to reply or tell me to get lost or something. I must think I'm insane and maybe I am. Here I am walking next to some random guy that could very well be a serial killer for all I knew and I was acting like he was a friend. That's not abnormal behaviour for me, far from it, but still this guy gives off a vibe. I think about that and notice how he's walking in the darker sections of the street, but it's more than that. I look him over again and try not to stare too long as I try to put my finger on it. The guy looks dodgy. Like a paedo or something. Though I can’t really explain why I think that. He’s not bad looking if I’m honest. Rough around the edges. The kind of guy you wouldn’t take home to your parents, only I probably would have just to piss them off. I realise I’m staring at him and narrowly avoid walking into a lamppost as I return my attention to the pavement ahead of me.

[Roderic]

I heard someone tell someone to wait, but I never thought it would be me they were shouting at. I didn't know anyone around here. I didn't bring anyone with me either. I didn't realize someone was talking to me until I felt a presence at my side. I turn to look at her; the singer, as she rambles on. I don't say anything as I keep walking towards the tower and she keeps babbling away like we're good friends or something.

"I got that back there. Your name." I comment quietly, as I keep walking and think about what she said at first. Before she told me her name for the second time that night. One of what? A serial killer? I size her up and then look back in front of me. No way is she a serial killer. And no way was it obvious that I was one. I didn't have blood on me because I hadn't killed any one. Not yet. Night was still young and I hadn't made it to the towers yet.

Did she mean vampire? It was obvious I was a vampire? I wasn't going around biting anyone or showing off my fancy powers. I had met a few vampires and some of them I met, I couldn't believe were vampires. Who the hell sired them? I stop as she talked about feeling me. What did that mean? "Just the one. And I liked it. I know of the band. Not a lot of people sit on the streets, play a song and sing." Some people needed reassurance, it seemed this woman was one of those. Needing her ego stroked for whatever reason. I wouldn't do it. There was nothing wrong with admitting I liked a song and I had heard it. I never said what I liked about it or about her performing it.

"You live here? In the towers?" I ask as we approach the towers, nudging my thumb towards it to indicate which building I was talking about. If she did, she was ruining my night. If she didn't, she needed to get lost. And quick too. "

[Skylar]

I half sigh as he actually replies. His sentences are short and to the point. It wouldn't kill him to actually throw a few more words in there. Some people are like that though aren't they? I suddenly realise I'm a little nervous, which is just ridiculous. He's a vampire like me. He has to like me? Right? I begin to wish I'd asked Elliot more questions. Was it as dangerous to go around talking to random vampires, as it was random people. Here I was, less than a week old in some aspects. This guy has to be older than me. The chances that he's younger just aren't in my favour. A shiver runs down my spine as I realise this guy could kill me. Like kill me, kill me. I really am insane.
Despite this realisation, I stay at his side and continue - perhaps in vain - to keep up a conversation. The guy seemed oddly focused. Most guys would have slowed their pace or something to talk to me. I'm not vain, I don't expect that. I don't think I'm much to look at but I know I've got personality enough to get a guy talking. Usually.
"You know it's kind of customary to give your name right? When someone gives theirs? Are you the sort of person that's going to make me work for it? Or can I just ask?"
I can half feel the fact that I'm pestering him but I just can't help myself. I wanted to talk to another vampire. Someone that might tell me something new and exciting. I'm still learning this world and every new vampire I met was a potential source of information. or could be. If I could get them to talk to me. I begin to wonder if it's just my family that are chatty. Or if maybe all vampires were like geeky guys, wherein you could waste your breathe trying to talk to one face-to-face but plonk him behind a computer screen and he suddenly becomes Casanova. Well... That might be a slight exaggeration. But I did always find that weird. I do my best work face-to-face. I like talking to people. Connecting with them. I'd just always been that way.
"And I'm not weird or anything. Well no more so than anyone else my age or like us. I like being on the street. You reach more people that way. Get a more diverse audience. It's just... I dunno. Better."
I shrug and adjust the guitar on my back. I really needed to put it away before I did something stupid and injured it or myself. I'd already almost walked into a lamppost trying to talk to this guy. I steal another glance at him and wonder if this is even worth my time. True, I don't exactly have anywhere else to be. I didn't need to make more money. I just needed... Well I'm not sure what. Maybe right now all I needed was for this guy to give me the time of day. Or night rather. I'd say that was something I still wasn't used too, but there were a lot of things I weren't used too.
I realise I haven't answered his question about where I lived, as somewhere along the line my mind had wandered. Talking about my work, about music, it always had a way of side-tracking my thoughts. Even now, here I am thinking about it when I should be more concerned by the fact this nameless guy wants to know if I live in the Towers.
"And no. I don't really live anywhere. Not really. I like it that way though. You?"
I resist the urges to groan and cover my face with my hand. The conversation is very awkward and doesn't seem to flow well at all. I'm usually much better at talking to guys than this. I start to wonder if this is my problem or his, as there's every chance it's me I temporarily push that question to the back of my mind and hope things will improve.

[Roderic]

Why won't she go away?
I decided in this moment that I would never give anyone like her any cash again. I obviously gave her too much and now she's bothering me for whatever reason. If I had a smaller bill, I would have given it to her. Couldn't she tell I had things to do? I kept walking as she kept blabbing away, which should have told her such.

She wanted a name. Simple enough. "'Ric." I say, giving her a quick look as I crossed the street to the towers. Like us. She was grouping us as one of the same. We weren't. Even if I recognized in the last few seconds that she was a vampire. No two vampires were alike. Just like no two humans were alike. And we were no where near alike. Not by a long shot.

"No. But there are shops in there." Maybe I could lose her by saying that. All the women I knew liked to shop. So much I was beginning to think that all women had that preference in their genetic being. I pull open the door and head right in the towers. If she followed, she followed. I could lose her in a crowd or even in some nearby shadows. She wasn't going to slow me down.

I take out the piece of paper and look at the scribble on it. I look left, then right and left again before I see the store I'm looking for. The one with the vampire in it. "Have fun shopping Skylar." I tell her, letting her know that we were going to part ways now. I don't wait for her to reply. I just take off.

I approach the store and look through the large window. I see a little girl and her mom. Not what I was looking for. I see a male, who is quite obviously breathing. He's struggling at it due to his weight. Then I see the worker behind the counter and the way she's moving is definitely too slow to be a vampire. My vampire is gone.
My vampire is gone because of Skylar.

My head slowly turns in the direction I left her in. My eyes land on her and lock. She made me miss my meal ticket and it cost me just shy of two grand to find the vampire who was now long gone. Then it strikes me. Skylar is a vampire. A very talkative and naive vampire.

I slowly saunter back in her direction. I put a small grin on my face. "They're all out of stock." I say with a shrug. "Let's go." She had been following me so far, so why would now change? Especially at an open invitation. I start to head towards the tower's entrance. Dinner was back on.

[Skylar]

Finally. A name. Ric. Hmm... Wonder if he'll mind if I call him Ricky. Ric sounds kind of... I dunno. Serious. I keep pace and listen as he seems to suggest he's going shopping. Guy sounds like Oz from Buffy. Monosyllabic. He keeps his replies to the absolute minimum. When he says my name I smile. It's weird how it sounds from him. I half think he's imprinting my name on his brain. It's one of those tricks people do when they first meet someone, say the name as often as they can to try and force a long term memory into being created.
I watch and cross my arms over my chest as he says goodbye and heads off somewhere. Great. There was so much I still needed to learn and I wanted to ask him stuff. See if his answers differ to Elliot's. See if all vampires are as nice as the ones I've spoken too online seem to be.
Fun. Shopping. Me? Hmm... I wasn't much of girly girl. Sure I could excited about a new outfit but I knew guys that were worse... with better wardrobes too. Actually owning a wardrobe for me would be a step up. I cast my eyes about the place but no shop really catches my eye. I've been here numerous times but there's nothing I want or need right now, so I don't feel drawn to any particular location. I'm still standing there, arms folded when he returns to me. I can't say I'm surprised. And not because I'm egotistical and think he's drawn to me, but because half the reason I couldn't settle on a shop was because I kept looking over to see where he was. I might have looked less conspicuous had I just followed him in the first place.
"Go? Go where? You actually want to talk to me now? Because there was a moment there when I thought you would be happy to be shot of me. You aren't really a talker are you?"
I don't need him to answer that last part. It's obvious. The first question too was probably stupid. Like I cared where we went. I was just happy to carry on the conversation. I'd probably follow him back to his if he walked us that way. I probably should start acting smarter. It's not like I can defend myself. I'd rather not die again so soon. I'm not sure I could survive that again.
I take a hold of his arm and link mine through his, even though he doesn't offer. He doesn't seem the type to offer, so waiting wouldn't do much good. Besides. I need to try and make a better impression on him. Show him I'd like to be friends and all that. Maybe he'll loosen up if he realises I'm no threat to him. Though I'm sure he knows that anyway. He's probably way more intuitive than I am.

[Roderic]

She loops her arm through mine and I stop. Immediately. Simone does that and it brings the same reaction usually. Whatever I am doing is postponed as I find a way to inch away. A good few inches.

"Do you normally attach yourself to the first guy who gives you a second of their time?" I say as I try and break free from her hold by pulling my arm away. "And no. I have opinions and thoughts on a lot of stuff but I don't share them openly. I'm a stranger to you and you're a stranger to me."

I start to walk again, but stop. I turn back to look at her. "Look. We can talk, but there has to be some boundaries. You've crossed a big one already. I don't like being touched. Germaphobe." I lie, but people usually back away when you say that.

"You ever been to the quarantine zone?" I ask out of what seems, no where. But I had plans and knew why I asked that. "It's pretty cool." I say as I push open the door to the outside world, hoping that would hook her in.

Once I'm outside, I dig around for my lighter and cigarettes. "Want one?" I ask her as I pop one in between my lips, then light it with a tiny bone shaped lighter. I stop to do this, pushing the button on the lighter down a total of four times before I lit it. I look at her and wait before putting the lighter back in my coat.