Bartering a Bargain [Invite]

[Talia]

The sound of pelting rain upon the glass was an unwelcome sound to the brunette inhabitant of the small room to which the window belonged. Normally, she didn’t mind such weather but the current deluge was too wet for her tastes - particularly since she had errands that needed to be run. The blood thief could have waited till the next day in hopes that the storm would let up but she hated being low on ammo given all the vampires that roamed the city. She also knew if she didn’t head out soon that the older woman who ran the boarding house would be knocking to get a count for dinner and would end up fussing over her as if she were ill. Talia only had herself to blame for that as she had indicated on her application that she worked evenings and overnights.Thankfully, though, the woman wasn’t too nosey even if she did have a tendency to mother those she thought needed it.

Chiming from the grandfather clock at the bottom of the stairwell told the human that she only had fifteen minutes to make a clean escape; to delay any longer risked running into the matron in the hall and a subsequently long chat. With a sigh, she swiped her knives off the dresser and strapped the holsters to their usual spots. Her gun was retrieved from the drawer along with an extra clip and slipped into the nearly ever present holster she wore; she didn’t like to leave it laying around during the day in case someone stopped by as it would be hard to explain. Eyeing the window, she reached into the closet pulling out both her raincoat and backpack. A quick lock of the door behind her, she shrugged on the coat as she descended the stairs to slip out the door. Pulling up the hood, she cursed the rain and her lack of vehicle as she headed to the train station.

The train system in the city was more than adequate for her needs so a car wasn’t strictly necessary, but would have been welcome on such days. Such things were luxuries she couldn’t really afford to pursue in the two years she had been in the city - for a wide variety of reasons. It was only recently that things had begun to turn towards the better though she’d hesitate to admit it. Weaknesses were deadly around here and thus best kept close. The ride to her stop was quick and she expertly navigated her way through what passed for the station’s rush hour crowd which was closer to a mid-afternoon one thanks to the global pandemic. It just meant she was able to get to the shop all that much sooner.

The blood thief had initially been surprised to find that Harper Rock was home to a variety of seedier shops that specialized in less than legal items. As she learnt more about the sheer number of vampires and the other various creatures that roamed, she understood the need for several such shops. Shooting things required a lot of ammo which in turn necessitated semi-frequent stops at the various shops to stock up. The brunette knew it was more economical to stockpile much larger quantities than she normally purchased, but storage was an issue with her current living situations. That was something she hoped would be resolved within the next couple months. She didn’t mind the owner of the boarding house even with her nosey tendencies; she just needed her own space for once.

This particular shop was a favorite of Talia’s. The proprietor was always pleasant - well, as pleasant as they came, anyway - and he always had interesting bits and pieces to browse through. She never knew just quite what she would find hidden among the more sought after items which is why she always set aside a couple minutes to browse. Rarely did she make an extra purchase, though, as she was saving for the perfect piece she had found months earlier. To most it was a rather unassuming piece of unpolished, uncut, raw bloodstone - ugly and worthless. The blood thief, though, was drawn to it much like a moth to the flame. She would almost swear she heard it calling to her from the first time she saw it. All she really knew, though, was that she had a connection to it and that it would be the final piece she’d need to step-up her training.

While they had warned her finding that piece would take ages, they hadn’t mentioned they were usually ridiculously priced which is why it still sat upon the shelf collecting dust. Hell, they hadn’t even really told her what she needed to do with it either, but she’d work that out once her bank account allowed for its purchase. The brunette knew she was rather close to the asking price though was still lacking close to a hundred grand. It was still a hefty chunk of change; it was just a hell of a lot less than what she had initially had as a goal. Still, for now, she could peer at it through the case which is what she had been doing when she heard someone enter the shop. Ducking behind the closest rack, she silently peeked around it to watch this new arrival go about their business hoping that it wasn’t a vampire she recognized as she didn’t want any trouble.