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09.19.16 Meara tried to steal from you, and you caught them!

Meara had taken a break from killing zombies in the quarantine zone and was laying on one of the couches in the lobby of Corvidae Flats. She was piddling around on her tablet, flipping around through some digital sheet music she had ordered. She was trying to decide what she was going to start rehearsing when she got home. She hummed through the melodies, trying to see what was calling her when she noticed movement to her left.

There was a man bent over a little ways past the piano, seeming to be inspecting the floor. Meara thought this was a little odd, as there was no way anything good could be in these blood soaked, zombie brains addled floors. People often said Meara had the grace of a cat when she danced, but she also had the personality of one too. She was constantly curious, leading to an often insatiable wanderlust so she could explore more of the world, cultures, and people. So now, Meara was curious to see what the man saw so interesting.

Her hand placed her tablet in her back pack before she pried herself out of the comfy couch cushions. She padded over slowly, the plush carpets masking her footsteps. As his back was turned, she noticed that his satchel was left open, leading to her sire’s words about pick-pocketing to ring in her head. She gave a shrug and leaned over to slip her fingers in and out of the satchel, pulling what appeared to be a coupon card out. Meara quickly straightened and started to think up an excuse for if he called her to question.

[Wearing]

Do you have any idea what you’re doing?

Meara had expected the man to turn and glare at her.She was going to hand him the card back and explain it was in the process of falling out of his little bag. However she didn't get that opportunity. Within seconds, the redhead was staring down the barrel of a pistol that was pointed directly at her face. Before Harper Rock, Meara had never seen a gun up close. Now in a matter of weeks she had learned to use one, butt hat didn't mean she had to like it - she preferred less violent means of action. In a way her nativity handicapped Meara in her new life as she was very poorly informed about the underbelly of the city and now she was deep in the thick of it.

A surprised shriek escaped from the redhead as she brought her hands up to cover her head, like that might protect her from a gun. The little card in her fingers fluttered down to the ground, landing in between them on the dirty carpet. Blue eyes squeezed shut as she prepared for the inevitable gunshot going off. She didn't dare open her eyes before she stammered a short statement out.

"Sssorry, sir! The card was falling out of your bag and I was going to give it to you so it wouldn't be lost." The words came out so fast that it might have been partially unintelligible. She took a few unneeded breaths before continuing. "I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that given how dangerous this city can be. Very sorry." Getting shot was certainly not on Meara's to do list today, so she hoped he would let it slide.

Meara felt her cheeks redden as the tall man implied she should be stealing elsewhere, and then promptly looked at her shoes to hide her embarrassment.

She had tried a little bit of pickpocketing, but honestly she wasn't any good at it. She still had too much of a conscience to be a good thief. She liked giving to people not taking away. The people she chose were always the ones that had no money. Meara was going to have to find a higher paying gig and soon if she was going to be able to find a place to live other than a cot she had set up above the shop. She usually managed, but life was more expensive here she was finding.

As she was looking at the floor she noticed a smashed bit of glass near the man's feet. It looked like he was trying to collect something out of the carpet. Maybe he was a bug collector or something - people have strange habits. Eventually, her blue eyes moved from the floor and up to catch the man's gaze. "I am genuinely sorry - for all of this and causing you to break your equipment." She said quietly before turning to leave.

Meara stopped in her tracks when she heard the man speak up. She kept her back to him for now, listening as her fingers toyed with the tulle of her skirt. She audibly exhaled as she sensed that the danger was now passed and perhaps there might be a connection to salvage after all. Meara was encouraged to hear he had more supplies, maybe he was an amateur scientist. How cool would that be...

The redhead turned around slowly to face the individual now known to her as Bjorn, being sure to keep her hands visible. She walked a few steps back, letting her eyes take in the man she accidentally startled. He seemed strong and confident, cleanly dressed. If he was a vampire he surely wasn't some inexperienced rookie like herself because of the way he wielded that gun. She was still a terrible shot. There was so much she didn't know still, so if this man was also a vampire, she was sure her greenhorn was showing. Perhaps if he noticed that, he might be willing to teach her or give advice. She barely knew anyone so far.

Pink lips turned upwards into a slow smile before she gave a cheerful curtsy to the man. "I'm Meara Quartermaine. Nice to meet you despite the circumstances." She paused a moment as she formulated a question that might break the ice. "Were you collecting a specimen for an experiment or something when I startled you? She would leave it there, and discover more about him as she went.

“I am just passing through.” Meara responded as she pushed her hair out of her face. “I come over here to hunt zombies, and then I head back to Wickbridge afterwards. I’m a manager in my sire’s shop in the 8th Dimension Shopping complex.”The redhead chattered away, more firmly in her element now. She loved actually talking with people so she had hoped to maybe make a friend out of this misadventure.

Bjorn alluded to that he was looking for a crafting ingredient. As he described it, it sounded somewhat familiar. She remembered making something with a vial of that, some kind of trap. She enjoyed tinkering at the bench in the shop, even if she was only mediocre at it. “I have a couple vials in my bag, let me look.” Meara shrugged off her messenger bag and placed it on the floor. She squatted down and dug around in ghe bag for a few moments. She grinned when she found what she was looking for then held it up towards the man. “I think this is a vial of feral blood, whatever that is.” Admittedly Meara was poorly educated on the creatures that went bump in the night. Maybe Bjorn might know more than she.

“If this is what you need, you may have it. Consider it a token of my appreciation for not shooting me in the head.”