Path of the Vampire forum

The night before had been stressful in ways for Marty. He had spent hours on the phone, calling around and sorting things out from his old human life. He was hoping to have avoided a future trip back to New York, but it looked like that would be the only way of getting all of his things, along with sorting out all that was needed to sorted. Maybe it would have been easier to just leave it all, cut all ties without a word. Marty just didn’t see that working out and he didn’t want people coming to this city looking for him. Best just to handle it all himself. He would simply figure that all out another time, and though he had tried to find sleep that day, it hadn’t come easy. He ended being up before the sun would set, and simply got ready for the night. It was time for a break from training, at least for this night. He had been hunting those relics for his sire, with no luck. He had found maybe two of them, and that had been after countless kills down in the catacombs.

Once he knew the sun was down for sure, Marty would catch a portal to the station. He took off on foot, pulling his jacket closed, to button it up. A hunter green scarf was wrapped around his neck and his glasses would fog up for a short moment as he stepped out into the cold night. The man made his way then on foot, to a destination he had caught sight of a few nights back. It was not one of his typical hang outs, as in it didn’t serve alcohol. Though it would serve well for another addiction he harbored. Books, he had a love for books, and the older the better. His mass collection was still back in New York, but he hoped to change that soon. Until then, he wanted to pick up a few books from this quaint little shop he had seen in passing. It took him a little longer than expected to find it. He had taken a wrong turn and had to double back. It didn’t bother him though, Marty was in no hurry and found the quiet walk actually very pleasant.

The shop sign soon came into sight, Books & Beans, what an odd name for a book store. Though the moment he walked into the warm shop, he caught the strong smell of coffee and the beans half of the name made sense. The scent of old books, also filled the air, and he absolutely love it. His eyes would linger, almost lovingly, over the sight of all the books that filled the shop. It was certainly much larger than the outside hinted at. It was tempting to dart down one of the isles and begin rummaging through the books, but first he would head towards the counter. An older woman sat lost in the book held in hand. From the cover if looked like one of those romance novels that his great aunt Shrilly would spend hours at her kitchen table reading. Slowly Marty would approach the counter, noticing a coat rack near, he would pull of his jacket and place it on one of the hooks. So much about the quaint little shop felt like a warm cozy home. He would unwind his soft scarf and simply let it hang from his neck.

”Excuse me….’ The words were spoken with the play of a smile, one that would linger as the woman looked up from her book. “Oh dear, I’m incredibly sorry…. Didn’t even hear you come in.” Marty would guess she had gotten to a good part in the book. ”It’s quite alright, you didn’t keep me waiting long at all. I would love to buy a coffee, nothing fancy, just plain black.” The woman would give a nod, and share a smile of her own before setting to getting his coffee. For the short moment he waited, his eyes would linger around the shop. The woman quickly gained his attention once again, setting before him one of those disposable cups, with the domed lids on top. Marty would thank and pay the woman, before setting off down one of the isles. That’s when he noticed the old book. It was A Christmas Carol – By Charles Dickens. It hade been hidden amongst some of the books on one of the overloaded shelves. This would definitely be a nice read for the holiday, one that he had read before. He would take a sip of his coffee as he flipped the cover open, and nearly choke up his drink as he discovered something. The book was a first addition, a book over 170 years old.

Marty clung to his new found treasure, and slowly made his way down the aisle once more. Drinking happily away from the cup in hand, he wore a new kind of smile. First to catch his sight, was that of what looked to be an old couch, at the far back of the store. This was his destination, a perfect place to relax and enjoy his coffee, and check out the condition of his book, of course. That’s when Marty caught sight of the young woman, a vampire too he would guess. He had noticed recently that some were easy to spot now, almost like they held some felt aura about them. Something about this woman though, gave off the vibe that she was bothered by something, probably best not to bother her. He would chose only to share a smile, and small nod of his head at first.