Realistic or Modern Don't Go Out After Dark

[Mitchs98]

"No, we only arrived here about a year ago. It seems like it's been longer though. Unfortunately we've pretty much just kept to ourselves most of the time. You're pretty much the first person I've ever talked to casually like this.' he said just now realizing the fact that he'd spent a year doing basically nothing of value. He'd have to be a little more social in the future.
"What about you? You're a ghost so I'd guess you've been around for a while" he said curious.

Annalise Fredricks




Anna nodded, though she hadn't exactly been in Sleepy Hollow long herself so she couldn't say much. She was also somewhat of a recluse so she wasn't any better than him. Though, the only reason she had was because once again most people were scared of her. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear nervously she shook her head. "I've only been here roughly six months. I've only been dead for two years..so. Yeah." She replied. "You're kinda the first person I've talked to for a while too. Kinda..nice to have someone to talk to. I've been lonely, to be honest." She added sadly.


"Though...enough about that. I take it you like to read too?" She asked him. "What kinda books do you like?"

 

[Drakerus]

Annalise Fredricks
Anna nodded, though she hadn't exactly been in Sleepy Hollow long herself so she couldn't say much. She was also somewhat of a recluse so she wasn't any better than him. Though, the only reason she had was because once again most people were scared of her. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear nervously she shook her head. "I've only been here roughly six months. I've only been dead for two years..so. Yeah." She replied. "You're kinda the first person I've talked to for a while too. Kinda..nice to have someone to talk to. I've been lonely, to be honest." She added sadly.


"Though...enough about that. I take it you like to read too?" She asked him. "What kinda books do you like?"

Sora

​

Sora smiled, happy that he'd helped fill the emptiness that gripped the lonely soul. Hearing her question he picked up the book he had dropped and showed her the cover. Wolfie was back to sleeping since the excitement had ended.


"Well, it depends on the subject of the book. I like learning so I often just read books with facts but I'll read a fictional book once in a while when I'm bored. This one lists a whole bunch of demons and facts about them. Some of them are quite...interesting." he said casually.


"What do you like to read?" he asked.

 

[Mitchs98]

Sora

​

Sora smiled, happy that he'd helped fill the emptiness that gripped the lonely soul. Hearing her question he picked up the book he had dropped and showed her the cover. Wolfie was back to sleeping since the excitement had ended.


"Well, it depends on the subject of the book. I like learning so I often just read books with facts but I'll read a fictional book once in a while when I'm bored. This one lists a whole bunch of demons and facts about them. Some of them are quite...interesting." he said casually.


"What do you like to read?" he asked.

Annalise Fredricks




Anna kept a constant smile on her face as Sora spoke, clearly happy to have someone to talk to beyond the level she'd expressed thus far. "Horror books and thriller have always been my favorite, really. Pretty much anything with something supernatural like a vampire in it. Though I kinda learned to not exactly be too picky after I died, sorta started reading everything once I arrived here." She replied. "Kinda ironic, a ghost reading supernatural themed books, huh?" She added with a giggle.


She'd never really thought about how silly the idea was until now, a ghost reading books about ghosts. She couldn't help but to laugh to herself at the very thought now that she'd brought it up.

 

[Drakerus]

Annalise FredricksAnna kept a constant smile on her face as Sora spoke, clearly happy to have someone to talk to beyond the level she'd expressed thus far. "Horror books and thriller have always been my favorite, really. Pretty much anything with something supernatural like a vampire in it. Though I kinda learned to not exactly be too picky after I died, sorta started reading everything once I arrived here." She replied. "Kinda ironic, a ghost reading supernatural themed books, huh?" She added with a giggle.


She'd never really thought about how silly the idea was until now, a ghost reading books about ghosts. She couldn't help but to laugh to herself at the very thought now that she'd brought it up.

Sora

​

"Well, if you think about it, it's only natural you'd want to learn more about yourself or people like you, right? That reminds me, what kinds of things can ghosts do? I've read a few books about it but there's really no better way to find out than the real thing.' he asked her. He was quite interested in the abilities of non-humans ever since he learned they existed here...wherever 'here' was exactly.

 

[Mitchs98]

Sora

​

"Well, if you think about it, it's only natural you'd want to learn more about yourself or people like you, right? That reminds me, what kinds of things can ghosts do? I've read a few books about it but there's really no better way to find out than the real thing.' he asked her. He was quite interested in the abilities of non-humans ever since he learned they existed here...wherever 'here' was exactly.

Annalise Fredricks




Anna shook her head, "I didn't mean factual books..well I mean I read some of those too. I mostly meant fiction." She told him. "And as far as what ghosts can do..Obviously the whole walk through walls thing, seeing as we technically don't exsist. We can teleport and use telekinesis. Kinda cool." She explained, pausing and demonstrating her power of telekinesis by lifting a book on the other side of the table without touching it. "We can disrupt electronic stuff..though for me that's kinda more on accident than on purpose." She continued. "Oh! And I can do this too!" She suddenly added, a replica of herself appearing beside him briefly before fading away a few minutes later.

 

[Verse Zero]

New York City


Two Nights Ago


[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTg8bi9tBV0[/media]





The beat of the music reverberated through the large warehouse. Strobe lights flashed and a disco ball turned lazily at the center of the high pitched ceiling. The crowd was huge, easily at least four hundred people dancing, grinding, chatting, drinking, and lounging throughout the club. Barrista's flipped bottles, mixed tequila, and often swinging to the beat of the music.


The African DJ with his baggy jeans, sleeveless shirt, and reversed lid hat studded with 'THUG' along the front held an earphone to his left ear. His right hand moving records and keeping the volume pumping as the crowd worked themselves into a dancing frenzy.


"Hey, whats your name!!" a woman bellowed over the music. She was a little heavy, cute faced, voluptuous, and heavily intoxicated. The man next to her turned, wearing a black armani suit, and spoke, "Name's Luke sweetheart."


"Doo, you come here offen?" The woman's speech seemed to slur progressively with each sip of her purple colored beverage. Luke smiled, "Sadly no!"


"Awe..."


Luke grinned, then whipped his head around. He sniffed the air subtly. Spotting a woman in the crowd, a middle aged brunette, beautiful by all accounts. Dark brown eyes under fair skin with perfect skin like polished marble. Luke turned back to the woman next to him, now desperately cradling the bar counter as if her life depended on it, or maybe if gravity had shifted 45 degrees.


"Excuse me, Miss." said Luke, not even waiting for the woman's reply, as he got up and walked over. The music hummed and he began to move with a spring in his step. Hips jigged, arms moved gracefully, and a smooth spin landed him right behind the brunette.


"Lovely night gorgeous." said Luke. The brunette was about to reply when she looked up and froze. Her eyes widened in shock and fear. She backed up, stumbled into a group of college students, mumbling something utterly incoherent. Luke kept moving to the beat and looked at the woman as if something amusing was transpiring before him. The edges of his lips swung up in a devilish grin. The woman backed away, desperately moving towards the nearest door. Luke made to follow, casually, slowly. His movements mixed in with the occasional pelvic thrust.


The woman burst through the door and shut it with all her strength. As if someone was going to batter it down at any moment. "Oh god, oh god, please please please."


"Relax sweetheart." The woman looked down the alley way and let out a shriek. From the darkness, came the cha-cha slide, Luke's grin remained. Jazz hands up Luke paused in his motion, "I love this song. Dance with me."


[media]



[/media]
The woman screamed, "LEAVE ME ALONE!" She bolted down in the opposite direction of where Luke stood. Rounding the corner she stopped, Luke was standing before her tapping his foot to the beat and snapping his fingers.


"Downtown! What you see is what you get girl, don't ever forget girl!" Luke's voice was sultry. The woman's fear manifested in tears as she shrank away in fear, turning around she bumped into a suited chest.


"Oh baby you wound me?" Luke's smile could cut glass for its sharpness.


"Please...please!" the woman's sobbing muffled anything else as Luke knelt beside her, "There there love. I gave you twenty years of youth...and beauty. Now it's time for you to pay your debts."


"But...but...," A finger touched her lips and not a whisper came from her lips. "But you lived on borrowed time. Goodbye love." Luke snapped his fingers, the woman's head jolted left with an audible crack. The brunette, equally beautiful in death, was gently lowered by Luke to the concrete alley pavement. Passing a hand over her eyes Luke set them to be shut.


While with his other he pulled out a small glass vial. The stopper was in the shape of a serpent coiling. Uncorking the stopper Luke held it to the woman's lips. A golden tendril, bright and radiant, slithered into the vial. Re-applying the stopper Luke stood up and admired the glowing radiance.


"Your soul matches the face I shaped for you gorgeous. Sleep tidy."


A snap of the fingers and Luke was gone.


Sleepy Hollow, The Present





The light steps of a man who had traversed these streets many times navigated the route with a casualty belonging to one familiar of the locale. Meandering down the street was the town's pawnbroker. Mr. Kasymir was a familiar face in the town.


Passerby's smiled and waved, their greetings returned by the broker as he walked down the street. "Good evening." said Luke as he passed by a couple walking their golden retriever. Taking in a fresh breathe of air Luke hung a left and held out his right hand. Opening the door with a soft jingle he stepped into the establishment. The clattering of plates and voices carried about the place. Maria's Diner.


Nodding to a couple people having breakfast Kasymir moved to the closest booth, near the corner, and sat down. His eye's roved about the place, casually, but with intent. His eye's momentarily latched onto a young female employee. Kat. Then on as he put his arms on the table and took the menu from the small holder near the window.

 

[RealisticFantasy]

Katrina Van Tassel

Tagged: @Verse Zero


Location: Maria's Diner


Status: Chatting with an old... friend




Attitude: Frustrated, aggravated, irritated and a perfectly wonderful day gone south

She could practically feel the vibrations caused by his steps, practically hear the words he formed, practically saw him on his commute over to the Diner. To her, it was like he was announcing his presence to the world. She didn't even have to turn around when she heard the small bell hanging above the door ring out to see who had decided to stop by. Turning with a small sigh, she grabs a pair of mugs and strides over to Lucion.


She sets the mug down on the tabletop beside him a little more harshly than intended. She didn't know why she was angry. Well, no. She did. She just didn't know why she cared about his deals. They weren't any of her business. They were out of her jurisdiction. He respected at least that much. But, god damn. She could practically smell the woman's soul on him. It was like he hadn't even tried to hide it. No. It was like he was trying to irritate her. And boy, oh boy. That's what he did.


After pouring him a cup of coffee, she takes a seat across from him and pours her own cup in silence. She grabs a pair of sugar packets, shakes them, and tears them open. After pouring the sugar into her coffee followed by a trio of creamers, she mixes the coffee with a spoon. Dropping the spoon back onto the counter top with a soft metallic clatter, she folds her hands beside her mug of coffee and looks to Lucion.

 

[RozieRawrs]

Brittany Miller

"Maybe saving the person you loved was the wrong choice."

Riley ha always been the one to see through Brittany's lies. She had always been able to watch her co-worker cry, and be able to make her smile afterwords.


Brittany had always been grateful for that.


Brittany looks away from her friend and colleague, "Maybe, but it's better to have loved and lost, then never loved at all." Britt looks up at Riley, they had been sitting in the back room for almost an hour now, as their co-worker sat in front, supervising the drunken idiots that would stumble into the bar. Brittany's shift didn't start until ten, but even she didn't want to wait around for several more hours. She didn't want to sit at home, alone, hurting, wallowing in her own self pain.


Brittany had told Riley about an event that happened five years earlier, an event that had broke her heart.




"Why did you save me, Brittany?" Erin stares at Britt, his eyes pained, drained. His blood stains her hands, her clothes. He stares up at her, unsure of what else to do. This was his end, he knew it.


"Because I love you..." She replies, tears stream down her pale cheeks, Erin's mind blasts thought of death into her unconscious, she snaps into her thoughts and wipes tears off of her cheeks, blood now stained her porcelain skin.


His blood. Erin's blood. Erin's...


Brittany's face contorts into an angry twist as Erin's hands go limp, fire rushes through her eyes and she screams, a high pitched wail that no mortal should produce.


Nobody said she was mortal.




Britts eyes flash up to Riley, she had been focused on the past.

"Pardon?" She asks her friend, Riley giggles and shakes her head.

"I said, 'Do you want to go clubbing before our shifts start?' You were obviously off in dream land."

Brittany smiles as her friend laughs, she nods, "Sure, when do you want to leave?" She asks, Riley shrugs.

Right now. Riley's mind screams at Brittany and she nods, her friend, however, just looks at her like she is nuts.


Britt has never told a living soul what she is... Unless Erin counts. But Erin was on the brink of death when Britt finally confessed why the bullet went right through her and into his chest, why the stab wounds on her chest didn't effect her, why she healed her wounds as if nothing had happened.


Because I'm different, somehow she had told him.


Different. Always different.


(Brittany is at the local bar, I know there wasn't one in the description, but no place is complete without one. If admin wants it can be just outside of town if there is no room. @RealisticFantasy )
​

 

[Drakerus]

Annalise FredricksAnna shook her head, "I didn't mean factual books..well I mean I read some of those too. I mostly meant fiction." She told him. "And as far as what ghosts can do..Obviously the whole walk through walls thing, seeing as we technically don't exsist. We can teleport and use telekinesis. Kinda cool." She explained, pausing and demonstrating her power of telekinesis by lifting a book on the other side of the table without touching it. "We can disrupt electronic stuff..though for me that's kinda more on accident than on purpose." She continued. "Oh! And I can do this too!" She suddenly added, a replica of herself appearing beside him briefly before fading away a few minutes later.

Sora

​

"Wow, that's pretty cool!" he said impressed, "Wolfie and I can do magic but uh, he sort of has to be awake first..." he said as he gave a sidelong glance at the slumbering wolf. He discovered the ability within a week of arriving at Sleepy Hollow when the wolf saw a stranger as a threat. They had to spend hours thawing the poor guy's frozen arm. From there they practiced here and there but they've never had a practical use for it so it was more like a hobby.


"My shift's pretty much over. If you'd like to...hang out sometime I'm up for it. I mean, if you want to..." he suggested sheepishly. He was a bit rusty socially since he hadn't interacted with people much since he had first arrived at the town.

 

[Meek]

Name: Priscilla Montgomery


Location: Maria's Diner

Priscilla made her way down the street slowly. She was taking in the new place. Quaint. That's the word that came to mind. But there was also this feeling about it, not something one could describe in words. A small building down the road looked interesting. A diner. It seemed to be buzzing with life.


Prissy checked her bag to see just how much of her stolen savings she had left. She flipped through three bills in her wallet and counted the change at the bottom. Enough to get a night in a motel and something to eat. Tomorrow she'd have to risk drawing out more money outside of town.


As she reached the diner, she paused just outside the door. She tried to scan the inside, but her eyes barely saw past her reflection in the glass. Just then, her stomach grumbled loudly. That was her queue to go inside.


It was like she'd stepped back in time. The diner was something straight out of the fifties. If the people were dressed any differently, she'd have pinched herself. Prissy realized then that although they were dressed normally, most of them were dressed well. She stood in the doorway for a moment, trying to decide if going hungry for the night was better than ruining everyone's meal with her street apparel. But again her stomach growled, and she swiftly went to the bar and hopped onto a stool. She left a seat between her and a man in a black coat.


"Please have something greasy." She whispered hopefully to herself.

 

[Shireling]

Van Tassel Manor


As it grew darker, Aldous stumbled inside and went to the kitchen. The kitchen of the manor was quite a large affair. Originally a small wood-plank room with an iron stove, the room had been expanded after 1815 and renovated in 1910 and 1957. It now included a galley kitchen, where two servants and a cook had once prepared meals, but was now laid barren save for tarnished pots and pans hanging forgotten on their hooks.


Aldous lit a candle as he entered. The house was wired with electricity, but he rarely used the lights, and he made his way to the tall cupboards on the eastern wall. He was unsurprised when these yielded not but two cans of beans and a loaf of bread. Aldous's stomach, as if sensing it would not be fulfilled that night, rose in a grumbling protest. These nights were not uncommon for Aldous, who was averse to going to the grocer until starvation was upon him. But, unlike most nights, he was downright tired of beans and bread.


Suddenly determined, he went into the hall where the old landline phone clung limply to the wall, an address book sitting atop it. He set down his candle and began leafing through the book, checking every restaurant in the small community of nearby Tarrytown, New York before ruling all of those out and settling on the one local establishment he had once frequented. Maria's.


He stopped going to Maria's because of all the riff-raff that passed through. Aldous wrestled with himself constantly that he should so dislike the younger generation, but to him they were alien, unapproachable. Attitudes and certainly fashions had changed since the 80's and early 90's, and Sleepy Hollow had changed very little since the 1950's anyways. Until now, of course, with tourists and new commerce bringing in new people. Some of them looking so foreign to Aldous they might as well have been from Mars. It was just one more reason to feel alienated in the town of his birth. But, better not to dwell. He took the phone from the hook and called up the diner, hoping he could get Maria to send someone with an order as a special favor.

 

[Mitchs98]

Sora

​

"Wow, that's pretty cool!" he said impressed, "Wolfie and I can do magic but uh, he sort of has to be awake first..." he said as he gave a sidelong glance at the slumbering wolf. He discovered the ability within a week of arriving at Sleepy Hollow when the wolf saw a stranger as a threat. They had to spend hours thawing the poor guy's frozen arm. From there they practiced here and there but they've never had a practical use for it so it was more like a hobby.


"My shift's pretty much over. If you'd like to...hang out sometime I'm up for it. I mean, if you want to..." he suggested sheepishly. He was a bit rusty socially since he hadn't interacted with people much since he had first arrived at the town.

Annalise Fredricks




"Oh, so you're like..a wizard? Neat!" She told him excitedly. Her eyes widened slightly in shock when he offered to hang out with her. She guessed he was serious on the being friends thing. "Of course I do!" She replied almost instantly. "Like I said..I haven't had anyone to talk to normally in so long. I'd be stupid not to accept an offer to hang out with you." She added soon after. To think, the day she'd chosen to come into the library was the day she'd make a friend for the first time in what seemed like forever. If possible she'd get up and hug him, but she hadn't quite gotten the hang of a physical form in the least yet. "Wait, by shift, do you mean you work here?" She asked him.

 

[Verse Zero]

Luke Kasymir/Lucion


Maria's Diner


Luke made a surprised expression as Katrina placed the mug down with enough force to make a resounding clack. Swiftly pouring him the hot beverage with practiced grace. Then, in surprise, sitting across from him and furiously making her own coffee. She smells the brunette on me, man women are like hawks, a touch of jealousy perhaps...kinky.





"Puppy die?" spoke Luke in a tone that sounded concerning, though Katrina would be able to discern the faintest hint of sarcasm. Keeping her gaze, and expression, Luke takes two creams and sugar. Emptying the contents of the small plastic containers and paper packets into his own mug. Stirring it casually with a wooden utensil.


So tense, its not like I had intercourse with the woman, not my type you see. I prefer my women to have a certain...ghastly beauty.





In reality Lucion knew full well what was bothering Katrina. For she did not own a puppy. She never did like the notion of his deals. But, as part of a secret rule there was no deal making within the boundary of Sleepy Hollow. Lucion respected that unequivocally, and in the towns past even took out the trash who sought to broker a breach of said rule. Lucion, alongside Katrina and maybe a couple others, knew the true nature of Sleepy Hollow. But even then Lucion always seemed to find a method of irritating Kat, but never angering her to the point of cutting their ties, for their relationship stretched back over a century. Of course know one knew that.

 

[RealisticFantasy]

Katrina Van Tassel

Tagged: @Verse Zero


Location: Maria's Diner


Status: Chatting with an old... friend




Attitude: Maybe the slightest bit smug

She hadn't been expecting an apology or anything of the sort. Lucion wasn't that kind of man (Ha! Was he even a man at all?). But Katrina couldn't help but be further irritated by his sarcastic remark. She shoots a look around the Diner to ensure that no one is looking before making a subtle downward flick, causing Lucion's coffee to spill down the front of his suit as he lifted the mug to his lips. Though the coffee was rather hot, it wouldn't cause him any harm, just mild discomfort and a ruined suit.

"Oh, Mr. Kasymir! You're so clumsy today," Katrina jumps up immediately, her voice mimicking Lucion's tactic of carrying just the slightest hint of sarcasm. "You wait here and I'll go get you some napkins. In the meantime, have my coffee." Katrina smiles in mock sympathy. She couldn't drink the coffee after all. She simply enjoyed the smell.


She walks over to a pair at the booth beside them and leans down slightly, whispering just loud enough for Lucion to overhear. "Sorry for the scene. Poor old man's just getting senile." They nod sympathetically and Katrina waltzes off to retrieve a stack of napkins, swaying her hips slightly to convey the smallest sense of pride. Sure, it was childish. But he certainly deserved it.

 

[Shireling]

Van Tassel Manor


After a dialing tone, Aldous was greeted with a mechanical voice on the other line stating, "Tarrytown Regional Telephone is no longer servicing this line. This line is now owned by AT&T. To resume service, please mail payment to our offices at 464 Maple St., New York..."


Aldous hung up. "I knew I was forgetting something." He mumbled. Begrudgingly, he went for his coat. He was finally going to leave the house on a weekday, something he hadn't done in two years. He put on his black shirt with the stiff white collar, tucked his glasses and pocket bible into the breast pocket, and threw on his overcoat to leave. He locked every lock on the door as he left, across the garden and down the lane to the diner.


Maria's Diner





When Aldous entered the diner, he was immediately greeted with a torrent of energy, most of it malevolent. As a man of God, in tune with the spiritual forces of the world, the psychokinetic energies of the world around him were as percievable to him as temperature is to a normal man. It offended his very soul to be in the establishment, but as he walked farther along the bar, past Lucion, from whence most of the negative energy radiated, he felt much more at ease.


He took a seat at the far end of the bar, not making eye contact. None of his congregation were here, no familiar faces. He sat still and waited to be served, taking out his glasses and glancing over the menu on the bar in front of him.

 

[Verse Zero]

Luke Kasymir/Lucion


Maria's Diner





"Gahh!" Luke let out a small cry in surprise as the coffee spilled down the front of his coat. In truth it would not even have harmed it, boiling hot or no, mortal wounds did not apply to a being such as himself. Sure, if Lucion was possessing someone the body can suffer injury, only kept alive by his essence pervading it. But Lucion can also appear in physical forms, one such being that of Luke Kasymir. Needless to say he needed to act the part of an older gentleman, to keep up appearances at any rate.


Little brat hopefully realizes that I look scarcely over 45. Hardly old and senile mind you. Hmmm, maybe she's into that, sugar daddy is a thing after all.





Luke gives a reassuring smile to a few patrons seated nearby as he begins to sip Katrina's own coffee. Careful to subtly examine it for any other nasty surprises. That was when the bell chimed once more and the town "Reverand" came in. Luke offered a brief, positive glance, in the Ministers general direction. Aldous didn't know what Luke actually was, I mean it isn't something you advertise, let alone readily believed. But Luke in a dour sort of way could sympathize with a man of passionate convictions. Even if Lucion would call them false and pretentious at best. But in the guise of Luke he offered no negative opinion on the good Minister and his community programs.

 

[RealisticFantasy]

Katrina Van Tassel

Tagged: @Verse Zero


Location: Maria's Diner


Status: Chatting with an old... friend




Attitude: Maybe the slightest bit smug

Katrina returns to the booth with a thick stack of napkins as she didn't have the patience to consider what amount was required and bring only that. She tosses them onto the countertop in front of him, sitting across from Lucion was again and taking note of the Reverend. The little ghost boy could handle him whereas Lucion was more of her caliber of customer. He was such a pain that it was almost fun at times.

"Can you handle cleaning up after yourself? I know I often do it but really you should learn to be independent. I don't want to enable you," she remarks with an impish grin. A simple coffee spill and things were almost back to normal. Almost. She had made her opinion known and she certainly intended on elaborating on later in a place where she could be much louder with no repercussions.


She shifts her weight slightly and, with a nod to the mug, asks, "How's the coffee?" That was one of the worst things about being dead to Katrina, along with a lack of a few only physical abilities. But not being able to taste nearly topped her list. The scents were constantly wafting around her, torturing her. Plenty of new and better food and drink had come about since her death and all of it she could only enjoy by scent. Back in the days, way long ago, when she and Lucion bickered far less than they do now, Lucion would sometimes try to describe the way things tasted to her and she would spend whole afternoons listening and imagining.

 

[Verse Zero]

Luke Kasymir/Lucion


Maria's Diner





Luke let a smirk reach his lips as he flourished a napkin. Neatly prodding it along the stains to soak up the now cool liquid. "The coffee is ravaging love, just like you, a bit on the bitter side though. Think old school coffee circa...well. You'd know." Lucion was of course referencing how coffee tasted when Katrina was still alive. Of course then it was a delicacy and good coffee was a treat to say the least. But it was often bitter, as table sugar and good cream was often a confection the working classes could not afford to possess. So when at a coffee house many had to deal with drinking black coffee or with cheaper brown sugarcane from the West Indies.


Lucion, like Kat, did not miss those days when it came to food and beverage. Not that Lucion ever really needed to eat or drink, and Kat now certainly did not, but while Lucion could enjoy it as a pastime. Katrina could not. At least without some incantation that would restore a conscious ability to taste, even then it's a temporary thing, a drawback to being a ghost.





"I do have some news for you, which you may be interested in, I have an acquaintance coming to town in a few days time. She'll be dropping off something I have paid a hefty some to acquire. The transaction will of course be taking place just outside of Sleepy Hollow in the woods. Cheery I know. She will however be lodged in the town for the duration of this business arrangement. Oh...and here is the kicker," Lucion-as-Luke leaned in close to whisper to Katrina, "She's a succubus."





Succubi by their very nature fed off the affections of a lover or victim. The parlance depends on the situation. Sure, some Succubi literally fed off of a human's life energies till they withered and died; while, more 'modern' Succubi did not kill their lover/victim. Only feeding enough and then moving on. Needless to say, it was better to tell Katrina that a female Succubi would be rolling into town within the week, you know just in case. Not that I have anything ulterior planned for this lovely little hamlet. I just know how unhinged ghosts can be. Realms above and below I've had to put enough of them down to know many reasons why.

 

[Shireling]

Maria's Diner


Unnoticed and overlooked about four seats over from Lucion, the Reverend sat in a far-off gaze at the menu. As someone who is silent for long stretches of time, Aldous was an excellent listener. To him, picking conversations out in a crowded room and listening to the inflection and meaning in every word was no different than identifying the birdsong of the cardinal from the oriole.


To his credit, he wasn't eavesdropping on the nearby conversation. He just happened to be listening. He didn't even consciously process anything that was said until the word "succubus."


At the mentioning of this word, Aldous jolted a slightly perceptible bit in his seat. Fearing this was noticed, Aldous collected himself enough to hum casually to himself the tune to "Washed in the Blood." After a few bars, he softly croaked without looking up from the menu, "Waiter!"