Fantasy The Twilight City | IC

[TheOneLastRaven]

A loud sudden bolt of lighting sent the Shadowhound patiently stalking Faneirus flying out of his shadow with a loud scree. The creature figured it got what I came for and it wasn't about to stick around for a thunderstorm. It landed in the puddle at his feet, immediately trying to scamper off as fast as it's little paws would take it, homing in on Indiana. The flashes made finding cover nearly impossible to shadowstep to for the little thing. It was stuck running away the old fashioned way.

Indiana adjusted himself one last time in the mirror before stepping out of his room, coat and potion in hand to greet his Father.

"Daddy!"
As the man stepped off the elevator his two youngest siblings ran to greet him chattering away about their day as he heaved both of them into a hug, picking them up and carrying them with him as he walked further into the house The man was the last person you would think could even be capable of running a Mafia-equse organization. If it wasn't for his pitch hair and skin you could of sworn he was Santa, he was jovial and absolutely love his family to pieces, his beer belly could possibly bee seen in orbit, and he gave the biggest bear hugs. Everyone home was happy to see him, with Indiana's mother promptly planting a kiss on his Father's cheek and taking his siblings off his Father's hands. For a shadow he was surprisingly strong as without fail he always bear hugged Indiana and managed to lift him into the air.
"My boy! How are you?"
Indiana laughed as he was set down, "I'm fine Dad. Thanks."

After the greetings his father became serious, an expression of worry crossed his face as he began briefing Indiana on the finer details of what he was working with. The man didn't look like he could run a Mafia, neither did his Mother, but the two were deadly serious about work.
"They're coming in just about over and hour to the club, your Sisters and 4 of your cousins will be stationed disguised as MOPs. Just close the deal, if all goes well you won't even need to know they're there...." The two chatted about any final mission details, "Look this is important Indiana, as soon as we've got this deal closed we've got enough fire and man power to start really taking chunks out of the street." He clenched his fist and glanced up as if remembering something for the first time in a very longer time. "So, get your ass over there!" He patted Indiana on the bath, "Cars waiting for you outside kid, do me proud."

As Indiana stepped into the night and into the car he tossed back the potion and transformed into a blonde human rich kid, that didn't look the brightest, perfect, trap laid in. When you worked the shadows, you never knew who was going to show up. It was apart of their strategy to avoid detection by the other big fish in the pond. If you look too small to be a threat, you can get away with a lot. From the outside in, there were too many divided factions between too many different races, didn't make it worth the Vorzel's time, in reality it was all shadow work. A mistake that Indiana's Dad would make the Vorzel pay for, twice fold.

 

[PrincessAveRedfern]

Ave looked up at her and smiled softly "Oh I am not closed yet, I just didn't have any clients for my last hour so thought I would get some cleaning in. What are you looking to get?" she said as she put down the gun and cleaning supplies. "Do you have a sketch of it already?" she softly walked over to the counter where her computer was, as she put her in her password. She adjusted the sleeve of her dress to be out of the way as she had typed. "Is the person by the door with you as well?" She said giving her a small wave.

At the counter she had moved some paperwork off so that she could lay out some paper, the counter was made out of an old red oak tree, it had a unique design that was engraved on it. She had it done when she first thought of the concept of a tattoo parlor. It had her crest in it along with a vampire and witch symbol to harmonies her being a hybrid.

 

[TheOneLastRaven]

"Well, I figured I'd keep the shop open for a little longer - good thing I did, I ended up meeting a couple new people! Though I'm not sure if I'll see them again." Ender told him. Though, that just reminded her... "Well, actually... I might have to."

"Hm?" Kei wasn't sure what she meant.

She pulled a card out of her pocket, the one Indiana had left behind, telling Kei about what happened. She still wasn't sure what exactly it was for, but she didn't have any use for it currently. If it was something important though, she figured he'd probably come back to the shop to get it. If he didn't... oh well. She had no clue where he lived or anything about him really. Now that she thought about it, it might be a good idea to try and find him again anyways. She recalled how he had made some sort of portal - maybe he had powers like the ones she used to? It was worth a shot to ask him about it.

That was, if he came back. Or if she saw him somewhere else. Otherwise, she'd probably be out of luck.

Examining the card briefly, on the front embossed in that pearlescent black-gold was the word Adonis. It was emblazoned on there in bold yet sophisticated capital letters. Flipping to the back the same font read out a phone number, a job position, event coordinator, and what the business was, a nightclub. Hazarding a guess, since nightclubs don't often given out business cards to patrons, this was Indiana's business card he accidentally left. It was strange it didn't say his name, only his job title. But maybe names weren't super important in that line of work.

 

[galaxywxlf]

Ender took another look at the card Indiana had given her (whether that was purposeful or not) and that was what she saw. The first time she picked it up she hadn't given it any closer attention. She sat next to Kei, showing him the card since he hadn't seen it close up either.

"A nightclub, huh? I'm not a fan of those places. Or any places with lots of people, honestly." He said. "Were you planning to go there or something?"

"I don't know. Probably would just be easier to text him, right? I assume this is his number." She replied, taking her phone out of her pocket.

"Yeah, I guess that makes more sense anyways."

Ender began typing in the number on the card, and then wrote out a message for Indiana.

Hey, this is Ender from the potion shop! I know we don't know each other or anything, but when you stopped here earlier, you left this card. Well, I assume it's yours. If this isn't the right person I apologize. I was just wondering if I could ask you about some things?

There, that should be fine, she thought before tapping the button to send a message. She wasn't sure he'd respond, but once again, she figured it was worth a shot. There was a chance he could help her, or maybe he even knew something about where she came from. Ok, that last part she doubted, but if he could make portals like that, he might be of some use.

 

[TheOneLastRaven]

Sitting in the back seat of the car, Indiana rested his head on his hand and stared out the window at the people and buildings whizzing by. Slowly suits, ties, and white collared shirts made way for the cocktail dresses and popped collars, packs of girls laughing stumbling down the sidewalks. The building went from greys and blacks to the bright neon lights of the nightclub and entertainment district, the rain falling on the window of the car reflecting the multicolored lights.

His eyes focused back on the present, his 'face' reflecting back to him. The longish-blonde hair and baby blue eyes unnerved him somewhat, huffing and sitting back. He felt one of his phones vibrate in the light grey suit jacket beside him. Jet! Ugh, she's using the wrong phone for this op. With an annoyed grunt, he reached into the inside pocket, realizing quickly it wasn't from his older sister, and not one of his burner phones. The phone screen lit up his face in the back of the dark car as he read.

Ah shit. Did I accidentally leave a damn business card? he thought as he started to chew on his thumbnail idly. He paused for a moment and considered if this was a Vorzel trap. He glanced outside again briefly, his shadow hound hadn't come back. A part of him was worried that he found out, maybe hurt the girl because he thought she had some connection to him... Indiana thought back to how he acted, he didn't seem like the type to kill her to get to the phone, but he was still nervous, though he couldn't place if it was purely a fear for his own safety or the girl's as well. He quickly typed up a response.

Oh! Hey! I apologize, Ender. Yes, It's me. I didn't mean to leave this with you. Thank you again for letting me in at the shop last minute. Of course, I could answer some questions, but what would you want from little old me?

He paused for a moment, considering how to verify her identity. The Vorzels could have seen him exit the shop, and might have gotten her name. But only she would know what he bought. The windows were frosted and there's no reason for the Vorzels to plant anything at that shop beforehand. He pulled the potion bottle out and checked the label of the potion. Mother of Moon. Handwritten, this must of been her own mixture, pretty name. He remarked to himself.

Oh and, that potion I bought was fantastic! Do you happen to have the name offhand? I'd like to bulk order some in a few days when I'm back in the office.

 

[galaxywxlf]

Ender felt her phone buzz, so she picked it up to check it. She hadn't expected Indiana to respond already. She read the message, about to start typing when he sent another one.

Oh, the name of the potion. She knew that, of course. Well, sometimes she forgot things like that but she did happen to know this one off the top of her head.

Yeah, of course! That one's called "Mother of Moon." And as for questions, well, I saw you make some sort of portal before you left. I was just curious - how did you do that? Or what did you use to make it? Kind of an odd question, but it's a bit of a long story as to why I'm asking. But if you want to know, I can try and explain.

She finished writing the text and pressed send, putting her phone back down. She looked up. Kei was flipping through channels on the TV, but it didn't seem like there was anything really interesting on. Well, at least not anything he wanted to watch.

"Did he answer you?" The kitsune asked. She nodded. "What'd he say?"

"Well, it was him. He said he didn't mean to leave the card with me, and he wanted to know what the potion I sold him was called. Now I just gotta wait to see what he says about the portals," she tells him.

"Got it," Kei said, going back to trying to find something to watch.

 

[TheOneLastRaven]

Indiana waited anxiously for the reply, he was relieved when she responded quickly. Something told him his Dad would have kicked his ass for getting that heat on them, and it would have been his fault if she had been hurt. Tossing the potion bottle aside onto the seat next to him he typed up another reply. He wasn't entirely sure of her, however, for all he knew she was aligned with the Vorzel, so he didn't want to talk to her too much without confirming everything was on the up and up.

Ah thanks! As for questions of that nature, I would prefer to answer them face to face if possible? It's just something I'm sensitive about. Would you want to go for coffee or drinks sometime tomorrow?

 

[galaxywxlf]

Ender picked up the phone once again, also glad that he was responding rather fast still. It didn't really matter as she had nothing else to be doing, but it was just nice to get a quick response.

That makes sense. But sure, that's fine with me! Where should we go?

Now that she thought of it, she still didn't know this guy's name.

Oh - can I ask what your name is? I guess I never got it.

She sent the texts and put her phone back down, now beginning to think about when she first got here once again. It was still weird to think about it. She wished she knew more about... anything, really. Why she couldn't remember anything, why she lost some of her powers... it all made no sense to her. She really hoped that she could figure all that out eventually.

 

[TheOneLastRaven]

He stopped writing for a brief moment. He never put his name on anything, even his business cards just stated whatever shell business it was, his position and number to his appropriate burner phone. That usually was all that was needed, but this was a card from his personal business, which is how she managed to get his personal cell. She was already too deep in, giving one of his many fake names would only complicate matters, she could easily looks it up and find his real name. He sighed and finished the text.

Oh! I deeply apologize! Very rude of me! My name is Indiana. It's nice to make your acquaintance!

Yeah normal people put Emojis in texts right? Oh god. I'm so out of touch. Indiana thought as he hesitantly and last minute added the weird pictogram.

As you probably guessed from the card I help run a night club, we could meet up and discuss things there? There's VIP rooms up in the offices where we hold the stuffy meetings. Or wait... You're old enough to drink right?

 

[galaxywxlf]

Ender tried to remember if she had ever been past the club Indiana worked at. She didn't think so - she wasn't sure if she could get in those places anyways considering how old she was. If she really wanted to, maybe Kei could help her. He was the type to trick people after all.

Oh, alright. No worries! She sent her first message, pausing when she read the second one. Funny that she was just thinking about that sort of thing.

Not sure how well that'll go. I'm not. Though, if it came down to it, my friend might be able to get me in there somehow. Not really the type to like doing those sorts of things though lol

Maybe she looked older than she was. If that was the case, she might not have a problem after all. She'd really rather not be sneaking around like that. Again, that was Kei's job, not hers.

 

[TheOneLastRaven]

Indiana gave out a small scream and threw his phone across the car, squishing his body against the opposite door as if somehow that would get him away from the conversation.

Oh GOD she's a minor! I hope this hasn't come across as me hitting on her! How does she run a shop? Is she permitted to do that? DOES SHE HAVE PARENTS? IF SO WHERE ARE THEY? WHY IS SHE NOT IN SCHOOL? His internal thoughts screamed.

Okay now he had some questions for her. He did admit to himself he started crime pretty young, but it was a family business. Minors were allowed to work at family business much younger. Technically.
He gently prodded the phone as if it was going to bite him, before picking it up again in a few minutes after he got his courage back.

COFFEE IT IS THEN There's this nicer cafe on 31st Street, it's just a few blocks from your shop. Maybe lunchtime tomorrow sound good?

 

[galaxywxlf]

Kei saw Ender typing away on her phone still. Was she still texting that person she met at the shop? He didn’t bother to ask, figuring she still was and if there was an issue she’d tell him.

That sounds good to me! She typed and then sent, not having much else to say. She saw Kei glance in her direction out of the corner of her eye.

“What?” He asked, seeing her looking back at him.

“Nothing. Alright, I’m going to bed I think. It’s kinda late, isn’t it?” She stood up, stretching before starting to head towards her room. “ ‘Night, Kei.”

 

[Benjamiin]

As Fane stood there on the puddling sidewalk by the dark street, he listened to the thunder in the sky and the falling of the rain. The water around him was loud. Not quite a heavy shower, but not a gentle one either. It made him relax just a tad as he let his focus down ever slightly to allow a few stray droplets to fall onto his face, relishing the cool touch of the water, his worried thoughts of where he was going for the night disappearing for a moment.

Just a moment.

Because it was then, under the piercing light of a rather bright strike of lightning in the sky followed by its loud crackling of thunder, that his attention was wrenched down at the sound of a creature at his feet letting out what seemed a startled screech. At the sight of it standing there in the puddle beside him, he stumbled back a step, staring at it in the dim light from a nearby streetlamp to try and figure out what it was before it suddenly went scampering off.

His blue eyes went wide. Fuck! Was that- was that a shadow creature? A dog or a conjuration of some sort that the Shadows control? He knew next to nothing of their species, but had been warned by Charlie to never speak to the people of the shadows. He said his family had been hearing of them from their boots on the streets, that they'd been rising to power, watching as they gained strength in the city, and posing a threat to his family's territory and influx of money. The Vozrul Family saw the Shadows as an enemy. Fane had heard Kallisthenis mutter a couple nasty things about them, so he assumed Shadows had a good bit of magical power, too, instead of just money, if Kallis seemed particularly angry about their increasing presence and threat.

Seeing the creature lit up by another strike of lightning above them on the sidewalk just further ahead of him, Fane took off into a run after it. He was going to be in deep shit if he lost track of it after it had gotten whatever it had. If it had been watching Kallis earlier, or himself, if it knew who either of them were, he assumed that could be very bad for business. If it had been spying, what had it heard? And for how long? What did it want? But more importantly, where was it going with what it had seen now?

He kept after it, raising a hand to try and pull up the water from the sidewalk up around it as it flitted ahead of him to try and trap it in a pool of water, but it was too fast, seemingly disappearing into every spot of darkness along the street as it could before another touch of light lit up its form. The young Kuthea let out a stressed breath and pulled out his phone from his pocket, seeing a text notification from Charlie from a moment ago that he'd have to look at later, and tried to get pictures of the dog-looking creature, but all of them were either blurry or the creature nearly blended in with the shadows around them. The rain wasn't helping much either. Shit! Glancing around as he ran after it further into the city, keeping the shadowy canine just within sight as best he could, he didn't see any Shadows anywhere about the other people on the streets. Not that he knew what they looked like, but... maybe it was going back to its owner. Maybe he could follow it to them and he get a good look at them from a distance, wherever it was going, and maybe even a name, so at least he'd have something helpful to give the Vozruls when he told them about this spying creature later. He knew they were going to be beyond pissed that he hadn't noticed it watching him sooner. He should've been more careful. And Fane was not looking forward to telling them.

 

[Benjamiin]

"Rad! That's awesome! And yeah, I have it here, lemme just..." Rubith exclaimed about her shop not being closed yet before moving to rummage through her rain-jacket pockets for the piece of paper she'd printed out earlier. The paper she did retrieve from her pocket had a simple design of a sun with an arrow going through the top. Rali wasn't sure what it meant to her friend, but Rubith had been excited the last few days about getting it done since she'd sketched it and printed the design out.

When the other woman, Ave, asked Rubith about her and waved at her over by the door, Rali tensed.

"Oh! No, she's- I mean, yes, she's with me, but she's not getting anything done. She only came with me to keep me company so I could make my appointment. She's had a bad experience with tattoos, see," The white-haired young woman told her, leaning against the counter after she'd set the paper down for Ave to take a look at. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about tattoo removal, would you?"

Rali winced at the thought, her hand reaching up instinctively to grip the handle on the door as she called over quietly to her friend. "Rubi, I don't- we've been through this."

"Right, right," Rubith nodded knowingly with a glance back at Rali, looking back at Ave as she continued in a lower voice. "What about magic, you're a witch, too, right? Do you know of any voodoo or curses I could get done on some humans? Or maybe even a few friends who'd like to go hunting for a bit of a dangerous dinner? I can pay well and- hey! Ames, wait!" She started to ask the hybrid young woman before turning around to rush over to stop Rali when she heard the door opening, grabbing her arm before she left the shop. "No, no, no, I'm sorry, Ames, I just thought I would ask her, in case you wanted-"

"I don't want to do anything like that. Not ever, Rubith. You said you understood." Rali replied shortly, holding the door halfway open and stopped only by the hand her friend had gripping her arm and pulling to keep her from leaving all the way. Glancing over at Ave across the shop behind her counter, she eyed the symbols engraved on the oaken wood before dropping her eyes to the floor. Lowering her voice, "And what would Elise think if she heard you talking about her kind like that?"

Rubith lowered her voice, too, so that Ave couldn't hear her well. Not that that could exactly stop a vampire if she really wanted to listen in, but that was fine. She doubted the woman would say anything if she did hear, hopefully. "I'm sorry, Ames, but Elise is different. I wouldn't ever call her dinner. Elise is not one of them. Elise isn't like her. And it's been long enough, there's no way you don't want to retaliate, even just a little. They're just bloodbags, just like any other humans. She's just a human. We can hurt them back easily."

Rali shook her head, looking up at her friend with a hurt expression, almost betrayed as she jerked her arm out of the older vampire's grip. "She is not just a human, Rubith. They are not just humans. You know what they did, what they can do, because I told you. And we can't- I can't. I can't." Glancing back over at Ave, she closed her eyes and let out a slow breath, looking down again. "Just go schedule for your tattoo. Please, Rubi." She didn't want to be here. Not in this tattoo parlor. Not around the hybrid woman. And not talking about her again.

Rubith opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped herself. When Rali shut the door back, the brunette keeping right next to the exit like before, her friend sighed and went back over to the counter to offer a friendly smile. "I'm sorry about that, I was just joking. The tattoo will be all, please! Anytime this week, I should be able to come in. If you can?"

 

[PrincessAveRedfern]

Ave smiled softly at them and nodded as she waited for them to come back. She chuckled softly once she was back " also no I don't practice magic in that way, I do know of people who do tattoo removals or I can easily just make a balm that hides it from the eye. It doesn't leave the skin but is still hidden. And it does wear off. " She said as she looked at the tattoo and nodded " oh that is a quick one. I know your friend is in a hurry so I can gladly schedule. Would you like me or Anthony to tattoo it?" She said in a him like voice.

As if he had heard his name being mentioned Anthony strutted into the shop. He was wearing black ripped pants, converses and a red t shirt with his leather jacket over it. He walked behind the counter and stood next to Ave as he went through the pile next to her grabbing his pay stub. He didn't bother to say hi to anyone since he could feel the tension as soon as he walked in and saw Ave talking to one of the females.

 

[TheOneLastRaven]

The dog like creature made as many sudden twists and turns at intersections as it could, it's little pug like body blazing through the rain with Fane hot on it's heels. It ran like it wasn't even thinking about where it was going, even down unfamiliar streets and the most complex route to try and shake the Kuthea.
The flash of the camera each time startled it even more, ripping down and alley and body checking a trash can out of its way, temporarily running a little slower before hearing Fane's splashing and heavy footsteps gaining on it and speeding up it's squished little body again, skidding around the corner as neon lights flickered to life above him as the two barreled into the Entrainment District.

A black perfectly shined oxford stepping into one of the numerous puddles dotting the sidewalks up and down the street, as Indiana exited the car. Adjusting his cuffs he told the driver to wait for him in the nearby parking lot, and pull up when he called. Stepping into the club he glanced over at the large horizonal mirror adorning the left wall, the black and purple of the club behind him contrasting his blonde hair and blue eyes. Giving one last deep breath and slicking back his hair, he walked into the club. As he passed the bouncer the music and flashing lights of the club hit him full force. The chatter and laugh of people surrounded him as he walked over the the bar, the wall lined with drinks behind the bartender lit up, cycling between a deep purple and a light pink, matching the rest of the club.

He glanced around, leaning up against the bar, scanning the crowd for his sisters. They could be anyone in the sea of people, also having glamours on them to hide their true identity. Even though he knew he couldn't tell who they were, the thought of them nearby comforted him somewhat if things went south. He set off over to a set of opulent stairs leading up to the private VIP lounge, flashing his fake ID to the bouncer standing at the top of the stairs as he passed by and into the private room. The room marked out for the meet up was bathed in warm dim light, a beautiful stained glass table sat in the center of a black plush horseshoe couch. The accents of gold complimenting the purple that extended into the room.
Indiana sat down with a sigh, and waited for his contacts.


He made sure to wait a good few minutes before exiting the building, just to throw off suspicion. His two Changeling contacts had left a few minutes ago, the deal had been struck, the wire transfer went through, the two groups parted ways without need for more words. Indiana, still taking shelter under the club's awning, glanced up at the rain still falling from the sky. Pulling out his phone, he sent word to his driver, and waited for the car. Suddenly, he noticed something extremely fast was running straight towards him. He panicked for a moment before he realized it was his shadow hound. With a sigh of relief he bent down, sitting on his calfs and the panting pug leaped into his arms, nearly tackling him to the ground.
"Woah!" He yelped, having to steady himself with one arm on the ground whilst gripping the shadow hound with his other. After regaining his balance he stood back up, holding the thing out he looked at it quizzically.
"What's got you so spooked?"
Thats when he caught Fane running full bolt towards him out of the corner of his eye.

 

[TheOneLastRaven]

Kei saw Ender typing away on her phone still. Was she still texting that person she met at the shop? He didn’t bother to ask, figuring she still was and if there was an issue she’d tell him.

That sounds good to me! She typed and then sent, not having much else to say. She saw Kei glance in her direction out of the corner of her eye.

“What?” He asked, seeing her looking back at him.

“Nothing. Alright, I’m going to bed I think. It’s kinda late, isn’t it?” She stood up, stretching before starting to head towards her room. “ ‘Night, Kei.”

Gabs was dancing around as she cooked in her tank top and pink and white pajama pants combo. Her cheap little kitchen speakers singing it's tinny little heart out, playing some pop rock off the local radio station. Albeit quiet enough to not leak into the other apartments. As she hummed, she fried some eggs for dinner, and in the back of her head she knew the city was getting ready for bed but she was just getting started. After finishing up cooking, she curled up on her couch to eat her meal and let her mind wander... Tomorrow was her sister's birthday. She'd need to make her favorite apple pie. She glanced up at her phone resting on her coffee table and shot her next door neighbors a text in their group chat.

Neighbors

Gabs: Hey guys! Do you have any sugar in the house?? I'm out over here and the shops are all closed for the night

 

[galaxywxlf]

Kei heard his phone go off, so he picked it up to check who it was. No one really texted him much besides Ender, so he was surprised to see a message.

Oh, the new neighbors. Right. Think Ender said something about that to me the other day, he thought.

Sugar... they probably did. He'd ask Ender to go bring it over but he knew she was trying to sleep. He wasn't going to bother her with that right now. He began to type a response.

Kei: Yeah, we should. I can bring some over in a minute if you want

He got up and headed to the kitchen, getting the sugar and heading out the door to go over to Gabs' apartment. Once he got there, he knocked on the door and waited.

 

[Benjamiin]

"Ooh, that sounds nice!" Rubith nodded to the other young woman, glancing back at Rali who gave her friend a nod as well knowing what Rubith was looking for confirmation for in their brief exchange of glances. "Yes, that. The balm, too, please."

Turning her head quickly around at the sound of someone else stepping into the shop, Rali moved to keep out of their way yet still staying close to the exit as she looked to see who it was. Focusing on the new person who'd entered the area, Rali got an uneasy feeling. Although, she wasn't sure what for. She didn't recall ever seeing him before, so then... why? She heard Ave telling Rubith his name across the room as the man moved behind the front desk with the hybrid woman. Anthony. It didn't ring a bell, but she had tried hard to forget many of the names she'd been made to remember; to forget their faces, and sometimes, the faces of their family, friends, or the ones she never...

No. It was just a strange feeling. She was already uneasy when she'd come in this tattoo shop, so maybe it was just her nerves. The young woman would've preferred to have stayed back at their apartment, not coming to this kind of shop, not around a hybrid. However, her new friends made a point not to let her be alone when they had the opportunity. They were always insisting she tag along with them, trying to distract her or socialize her. And Rali just did what they asked to make them happy, or attempt to. But for her, it wasn't exactly... easy. Well. They were trying. That's all she could ask for now.

"Oh, Anthony would be wonderful! Or, uh, very nice- fine. He'd be fine. Uh, fine to do the tattoo, I mean. If he's not busy," Rubith answered Ave, her eyes glancing Anthony over with a look of interest as she spoke, fumbling slightly as she tried to choose the right word. Clearing her throat a bit as she recovered quickly, she turned back to the woman at the desk and lowered her voice as she leaned in against the desk closer to Ave, despite Anthony still being right behind her, and not lowering her voice by very much. "He doesn't happen to be single, does he? And what about you? My friend-"

Rali, at this point in hearing this, had pushed past her nerves to make herself walk across the shop over towards the front to stand beside Rubith, grabbing her friend's wrist out of the shopkeep's sight as a subtle signal for her to stop talking. Ignoring the snowy-haired woman's apologetic gaze beside her, she looked at Ave with her best neutral expression and spoke bluntly, almost harshly, cold, to the hybrid woman. "Please forgive my friend's lack of judgement and restraint. Just the appointment for her and the balm, if you're able to. That will be all. Thank you."

"I'm sorry, Rali..." Rubith whispered to her as she turned her head down to her to the side, gently pulling her wrist out of her grip to try to instead hold the younger's hand, the older vampire giving it a little squeeze and sounding genuinely apologetic. It was only when she was serious that she called her by the shortened version of her name instead of the nickname 'Ames' given to her by her friends.

Rali didn't say anything. She just gave a forced polite nod to Ave and pulled her hand out of Rubith's grip, her eyes briefly flicking over at the male vampire behind the hybrid, before turning on her heel and walking out. She couldn't stay in there any longer right now. Leaving the shop, she shut the door behind her and walked just around the building to its alleyway. Pressing her back against the brick wall under the overhang to keep dry and looking up at the rain falling onto the pavement making puddles at her feet, she let out a slow breath to calm herself. The tension she felt in her chest only dissipated a little, waiting for Rubith to finish up inside with Ave.

The young vampire took in a deep breath of the wet, humid air around her. It was dark and cold outside. She was used to that. The dark and the cold, in every sense of the words. She held the large umbrella as it hung down in her hand. She squeezed it, her grip on the handle tightening and tightening as she looked up at the darkened sky and breathed, slowly. The sense of nausea she was feeling in her stomach now, however, was also something she was very much used to. It wasn't normal, though, and she knew that. She couldn't help it. But at least she'd talked to the hybrid, to Ave, even if it was just two sentences, and a bit of a hostile tone. Maybe she should've tried to have spoken more calmly, friendlier, and she hoped she hadn't upset Ave or that other vampire behind her, but it was better than nothing... right?

Besides, Rubith would be out in a few minutes and she would just tell her that she didn't want to go back there with her, then she wouldn't have to worry about seeing the hybrid, or her tattoo shop, or that other vampire again. There were no issues to be had with anyone.

PrincessAveRedfern

 

[PrincessAveRedfern]

Aveline smiled softly at her as she held back a laugh. She looked over at her best friend and back at her "single as a pringle" she watched the girl interfer and nodded softly at her " sorry if the shop makes her uncomfy. To humans they think it's cute a theme, but it's the best way to hide what we are. I like to be safe. I am as well. I also will be throwing the balm in for free for your friend. As for any openings let's look." She flipped through the books and double checked on the computer to see if Anthony had forgot to write any in " he is free tomorrow to do a tattoo around 1 pm" she said as she kicked his leg softly.

Anthony looked over at her and glared as she kicked him " If you needed me so bad you could have just tapped me. What's up" he said as he looked at her than at the other girl " hello" he said finally.

Ave glared at him " tomorrow I believe you will be doing her tattoo. We just want to confirm it with you. Please confirm it while I go and get one of my special balms from my desk. And behave please" she said as she skipped off to her desk. She grabbed the balm and moved her hand over it softly. She figured since the girl seemed frightened she would add a protection spell I to the balm as well. She headed back over where she put it on the table with the instructions reminding of it will wear off and to reapply when does and that alittle does go a long way.

Anthony looked her over " so a tattoo huh? With me. Was I your last choice? What you looking to get" he said as he took a piece of gum out of his pocket and popped it into his mouth. He smirked softly at her as he waited for her reply

Benjamiin

 

[Benjamiin]

Faneirus kept his full focus on the creature, making sure to pay attention to his surroundings as best he could at first, but... as he followed it further and further down side street after side street and alleyways, he wasn't quite sure where he was anymore. It darted around so quickly and he had to keep his eyes on it through the dark not to lose it. So, when it body-checked a rubbish bin, Fane had to adjust his pace to slow just enough to jump over it without falling on his face, regaining his pace after the dark hound just as quickly. The situation started to make him more nervous after that. The little shadow creature really did not want to get caught.

Thankfully, the Kuthea had gotten very good at running in his youth. Running away, to be precise, but he had learned to be fast nonetheless. And while it was strange to be the one chasing something this time rather than the other way around, he was determined not to let it get away. Not to fail.

As it sped up again and sprung around the corner, Fane kept hot on its tail as they burst out into the bright street of the Entertainment District. His steps faltered in hesitation, but shook it off swiftly and kept on. Now was not the time for apprehension. Making it across the street after it and onto the sidewalk, he watched as it ran ahead, leaping into the air and nearly knocking someone down. A person that had crouched to greet it. They almost looked... human? That wasn't right. They had to be a Shadow. It didn't make sense otherwise, right? It had to be a trick, or a trap.

Fane slowed from his barreling run to duck into an alleyway back behind some club he was next to, coming to a full stop rapidly as he was now maybe forty or so feet away from the figure that rose to their full height and had just looked in his direction. Damn. They saw me. As soon as he was in the alley, he turned around to face the entrance and took slow steps backwards to back further into the alley. He placed a hand against the wall to lean against, resting for a moment as he tried to catch his breath, hiding in the shadows as best he could. The rain still fell around him now, though he had gotten a little water on him when he had been running, as it was hard to keep his focus on both the intense movement of the falling rain and the swift creature whilst moving so fast. "Well, shit. This is not how I expected a dinner run with Kallisthenis to turn out. Just go with him to get food for everyone and go back. And now..." Glancing around to get a feel for his surroundings, he realised the alleyway he'd ducked into was a dead-end. That wasn't good. "Now I'm chasing a dog-monster-shadow-spy, alone, and I'm probably going to get caught by some of the dangerous people I was specifically told to avoid by the other dangerous people." My people. Gotta love powerful royalty.

That was when he noticed a door on the wall and he felt a wave of relief. It looked like it led into the club that the person the shadowy creature had run to had stood at the entrance of. He decided if that figure came around the corner looking for him, he could just duck inside and try to lose them in the club. As long as they were the only one here and they didn't have friends nearby, there weren't other... shadow-dog-controllers or actual Shadows, and hopefully no one else came out of this door being his only other exit. He would just have to push them out of the way if he had to. But he'd be alright. Yeah. Moving closer to the back exit door to the club, the young Kuthea kept close to wall in the darker shadows trying to stay out of sight. His glowing blue eyes were focused on the alleyway entrance, ready to open the door and run inside as soon as he saw that figure or the creature again.

TheOneLastRaven