After Dark

[GreyCat]

[center][url="http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/267610-after-dark-ooc-not-startedaccepting/"][size=5][font=georgia,serif]After Dark[/font][/size][/url][/center]

[i]"This is madness," one of the vampire chair-holders had growled. From where he stood, somewhat off to the side of the council room, Tyler had hid smirk behind his serious mask. [/i]Madness? This is sparta![i] he had thought with silent laugh. It was a sentiment voiced several times in the past month, ever since the Council first announced their intentions to reveal the supernatural community on their own terms, rather than let the government do it for them. The time for questioning the decision was gone. And this hearing was simply that; a chance for the locals to hear the choices of the initial faces of the myths. And the reason he was here was because he was one of those faces. He had almost regretted his likability.[/i]

[i]"Madness or not, that is the Council's decision, and you will abide by it." The vampire snarled, but made no further comment. The Council's representative, known only as Garret smiled at the lack of further . "Good. If there are no further protest, I will take my leave. The list of Initial Faces has been made available to you. This sitting is adjourned." His business complete, Garret vanished as he always did, and Tyler left the meeting before anyone could catch him.[/i]

That was a day ago. He had know about his candidacy for about a week now, but hadn't said much to anyone about it. He was sure he was causing quite a stir in the community about now. In any case, until the day of the big reveal came, it was business as usual in his coffee shop. He looked up suddenly when he heard a cup fall. "Hey, Mark! You stain, you buy!" he yelled from the counter to the young man half way across the room who was hastily mopping up his spilt coffee.

"Sorry, Tyler," he apologized. "I didn't get any on the book." Tyler sniffed, but went back to minding his store. Really, why did his father think to combine a library with coffee? He lost more books to stains that he did to willing purchases. The name 'Stained Pages' was ironic. Still, a purchase was a purchase, and he got paid either way. And he would need the money after the reveal, because he knew his costumer base would be severely depleted for a while following that.

[The Amazing Avian]

"Still tense about the big reveal coming up?" asked Leon, putting down the copy of [i]Purgatorio[/i] he was holding. "Don't worry, even knowing you're a were, people still know you and since you haven't snacked on anyone yet, they'd probably still be reasonably comfortable around you. Granny has come out to a few humans and they still buy from her, Detective Matthews knows about every were and vampire in the city, and some of our longstanding regulars know us. Business might be down for a couple of weeks, but we still have some regulars here who are gonna come back. Besides, very few people can brew coffee like the one here."

[Hotaru987]

"Ugh...Why is it so bright?" Racheal muttered staring out of the window in her home, but makign sure to stay in the shadows of her home. Bordly she rested her head in her palm and watched the people below her walk about, smiling and laughing. She wished she could be out there...Well....Without feeling pain and dying that is. Racheal took in a deep breath - not that she needed to anymore - and sighed. Racheal glanced over at the dark umbrella laying against her wall. With how hot it was today, she wouldn't be able to stand it for more than an hour even with her umbrella. "I would have to find some place with shade and rest. Perhaps lying under a tree or in a building would suffice." Racheal told herself while standing, and retrieving her umbrella. She pulled her dark hair into a pony tail - a weird name if you ask her - and put on her dark shoes. She exited her home and opened her umbrella to sheild herself from the sun. Racheal could already feel the heat tickling her skin. At the moment it wouldn't be to much of a problem but she knew that eventually she would have to find some shade to rest under. With a quick glance at her surroundings she began walking, not having any specific destination in mind.

[Ｄｈａｒｃ]

[font=comic sans ms,cursive][size=4][color=#4b0082]Alexander sat alone in a darkened corner of [i]Stained Pages[/i]. He never got coffee, he never got any books, he never even socialized with any of the other "regulars". He simply sat there with one transformed ear to the wall, listening to the sounds of the city. The alley next to the store was home to a frequent amount of dealers and buyers of all sorts. Some people sold blood, others traded interesting facts about the local businesses and people, and many other people did many other things.[/color]
[color=#4b0082]Today, there was a man selling reagents to some person who [i]sounded[/i] like the apprentice to a Black Witch. The apprentice was having trouble haggling for Were's heart...Alexander missed what kind of Were it was, but it was something that must have been hard to kill or difficult to find.[/color]
[color=#4b0082]Alexander heaved out a heavy sigh, and decided that for once, he was going to actually do something other than loiter. He approached the counter, and began to speak.[/color]
[color=#4b0082]"Erm, excuse me?" he began. His Australian accent was still very noticeable, but it wasn't as thick as it was immediately after the move. "I'd like a, ah, small black coffee, please?" He didn't know what he wanted. He'd never even had coffee before; all he knew was that some people liked black coffee and some people didn't, and that his parents were the kind of people who did. He shifted his gaze downward from where Tyler stood behind the counter and tapped his foot nervously.[/color][/size][/font]

[The Amazing Avian]

"One black, coming up." Leon walked behind the counter and pulled a metal coffee pot from behind the counter, then a cup from under it. He opened the pot to make sure the grinds weren't floating and poured a cup for the client. Leon had seen him here before several times among the regulars, but he didn't know his name and it struck him as a peculiarity since he knew just about every regular in Stained Pages. He pulled a lid for the cup from under the counter and placed it on the cup. "So who are you? I've seen you in here a lot, but you don't really do anything." There was a scent emanating from this man and he knew he was a were, not a wolf or a cat, but something else. He couldn't get a clear read on the scent, but it was peculiar. Leon pulled another cup from under the counter and poured himself some coffee while waiting for a response, silently tensing his muscles in case of hostility.

[Ｄｈａｒｃ]

[font=comic sans ms,cursive][size=4][color=#4b0082]"Huh? Oh, I'm Alexander...But you can call me Alex, if you want, I don't mind..." He shifted nervously and graciously accepted the warm cup. "I, uh, I'm still kind of new in town, even though my family moved here about a year ago..."[/color][/size][/font]
[font=comic sans ms,cursive][size=4][color=#4b0082]Alexander sensed the person behind the counter tensing up. "Don't get all cautious or anything, I won't bite..." Then, he was struck by an odd thought. How had he been able to read a person's feelings? He could only do that with animals...Was this person a Were too? He needed some way to test it out, without drawing attention to them. He gently sniffed at the air. [i]He smells like a dog...No, he has the scent of the wilds on him...A wolf, probably...[/i][/color][/size][/font]
[font=comic sans ms,cursive][size=4][color=#4b0082]"So, uh, yeah...How much do I owe you?"[/color][/size][/font]

[GreyCat]

Tyler listened in on the conversation from across the counter where he was stacking supplies. He had left the front cashier to Leon after his little comment about the reveal with a half-hearted grunt on his part, though he had to admit the guy had a point. Still, a friendly out lady claiming to be a witch was a far cry from a him being a were. People could dismiss her as crazy, or just a tad senile. Matthews was doing his job, and has almost shot him when he first found out anyway. That was the typical, and somewhat sensible, reaction to someone who was a flesh eating beast after all. Still, Leon's optimism had cheered him up a bit. And now a new were in town.

"You don't owe us anything," Tyler interjected. He walked over so that he wouldn't be overheard by the regular folk. "I can give a Were a break every now and again. Just don't expect it again." He flashed Alexander slight grin as he headed to the kitchen to fetch some more cookies for the display. "Welcome to Stained Pages; Book store, coffee shop and temporary safe house."

[Hotaru987]

Not 20 minutes into her walk she was already sluggish and feeling the effects of the sun. Racheal placed a pale hand onto her forehead. Its not as though she was sweating, but simply in an expression of tiredness. "I really should find a place where there is shade." She looked around. Racheal didn't want to just be standing out in the open. People might look at her strangely and possibly realize what she was. Her pale, and sharp features were already a dead give away. It was then she spotted a building called Stained Pages. She had heard of the place, but had never been inside of it. Mainly because she was never outside long enough to make the trip down this way. If she remembered correctly it was both a book store and a coffee shop, and while the coffee wasn't of any interest to her she could use the excuse of reading a book at rest indoors.

Racheal swiftly made her way into the building, closing her umbrella as she entered the establishment. As she breathed in the air she instantly noticed, [i]'There are weres here too?' [/i]She didn't speak to anyone, and just went over to their book selection. It was quite numerous, more so than she had believed initially. Either way, Racheal was just relieved to find some place to get out of the sun. She scanned the shelves and eventually landed her gaze upon a Shakespeare book. It was one she has read countless times but she just couldn't grow tired of it. Book in hand she found a seat where least amount of light hit and began reading.

[The Amazing Avian]

"Yeah, now should be the best time for us to stick together since there's probably gonna be a lot of hostility directed towards us. Also, try to get along with other members of magical communities, like vampires. We really don't need more than one race aiming for our heads." Just then, a young woman with an umbrella walked into the store. From the look of her, Leon knew she was a vampire, but he felt a strange attraction towards her, definitely not something normal considering the longstanding feud between the two races. "There's one of them now, don't let onto the fact that you know shes a vampire and don't let her find out you're a were. She can probably tell though. Vampires have an annoying habit of knowing stuff like that."

[Ｄｈａｒｃ]

[color=#4b0082][font=comic sans ms,cursive][size=4]Alexander bowed his head. "Thanks, mate." He picked his head back up and smiled at the two fellow weres. The second who had approached was undeniably a cat. "As I said, my name's Alexander. Might I ask what you two are called?" He took a sip from the coffee, and felt odd. It was dreadfully bitter, but he didn't have any disdain for it, like he did for all other bitter foods. The heat didn't even bother him in the slightest. He then glanced over at the vampire the were behind the counter mentioned. [i]Hmm...Vampires...I'm not necessarily sure what the whole deal is between us and them...What's with the feuding? It just doesn't...[/i][/size][/font][/color]
[color=#4b0082][font=comic sans ms,cursive][size=4]"...make sense." Alexander just now noticed that he had been thinking aloud the entire time.[/size][/font][/color]

[GreyCat]

Oh dear. A vampire. Not a young one either. This one was old; it was daylight. Most could hardly stand being up during the day. She had to be upwards of one hundred. He had a nagging feeling that she was one of those who won't think highly of the whole reveal deal. Most vampires didn't like the idea. Considering they fed on humans generally, they were in for more of a hatedom than Weres were. Of course, many vampires didn't care about current events, so she might not even know. And considering she picked up Shakespeare of all the books available, it was a good sign. Here's hoping. If nothing else, he would go for diplomacy.

He put on a nice pleasant smile and headed over with one of his single sheet menus, though that might be a bit much to call a list of specialty drinks. "Good morning, welcome to Stained Pages," he said in his practiced barista tone. "I have a menu that you can look through if you like."

[Hotaru987]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]Racheal had long ago stopped paying attention to what she was reading. Even though her eyes diligently followed the words on the paper, and she turned the pages, her mind was focused on the three males at the counter. Normally she wouldn’t have bothered with paying attention to other supernatural creatures, but she could feel their eyes continuously filter towards her direction. Racheal was starting to feel a bit self-conscious. It was obvious they knew what she was – probably smelled blood on her, or perhaps her pale features gave her away. [i]‘Maybe I should just leave. I didn’t rest long enough though…It will be hard trying to walk back to my home. I should have checked the weather report before I came out. *sigh*’[/i][/color]

[color=#000000]She was jarred from her thoughts when one of the weres came over to her. She jumped, almost falling out of her chair in the process when the boy spoke. Racheal cleared her throat in a sorry attempt to regain her composure, before speaking, “U-um sure…I’ll take a look.” Racheal only agreed to be kind. Ever since she was turned into a vampire, human food no longer had any taste to her. After looking over the menu she ordered, “I’ll take a medium black coffee please.” [/color][/font][/size]

[Hydra of Ages]

Athi liked coffee. She liked it a lot.

These days, it was rather difficult for her to get a decent night's sleep. Five hours would be a luxury- more often than not, she did, between her studying and... extra curricular activities. Coffee made up for a lot of that- caffeine was the only type of magic she needed, and it was perfectly logical. Even her addiction could be defined if she cared to dabble into psychology (she didn't), so no worries there. Coffee was a reliable thing she could deal with- nothing strange ever happened with coffee.

If she had her way, [i]nothing strange would happen ever.[/i]

Stained Pages was a weird bookstore, but if it allowed her to study and settle her caffeine addiction at the same time, it was good in her books. She hadn't had a chance to visit recently- and the look of the place didn't inspire much confidence- but it was simply too good to let go. She needed to do some research on Native Spirituality in any case- all smoke and mirrors of course, like any sort of supernatural explanation for nature, but important to study from a purely philosophical perspective for a paper she had coming up.

But first, coffee.

"A large, please. No cream. Eight sugar, and a shot of expresso if you have it. If you don't, tell me you do anyway, the placebo effect can account for most of its effectiveness," she said at the front counter, before taking a sniff and wincing slightly. Wet dog smell, unpleasant. Still, coffee.

[GreyCat]

"One medium black, it is," he confirmed, not needing to jot it down. It was a simple order, one easy to remember. Still, he got a private laugh at her extent, though he limited it to a small smile so she wouldn't notice. Maybe she [i]wasn't[/i] that old after all. Most old vampires tended to become stuffy and self absorbed drama queens that though the world was insignificant compared to them. Though, that just might be his bias, seeing that most of the vampires he knew were on the council. Most of the council members were self absorbed drama queens. Either way, seeing a vampire take a prat fall certainly made his day.

"I'll be back with your order in a minute," he said with friendly smile. A medium black didn't take too much effort to make, and a he quickly set a fresh cup to brew for her. He even threw in a free lady's biscuit to go along with it. He hesitated a bit. One question he never got a clear answer to was whether or not vampires could eat normal food. The ones he new were either very secretive or he never had the opertunity. Still, since he was acting as if he didn't know she was a vampire, it wouldn't matter much either way.

[Hotaru987]

[size="3"][color="#000000"]Racheal sighed[font="Calibri"]. [/font]If she was going to get through this day she was going to have to play it much cooler than she just did. She waited patiently for her coffee, passing the time by reading more of the book. Racheal couldn’t remember if she had this book in her library. Once maybe, but not anymore. “I think I will buy this book…” She thought aloud. Moments later the were returned with her coffee, and also a biscuit. That surprised her, and she chanced a glance at the boy. Could it be he didn’t know she was a vampire. Giving her free items would be a waste since she couldn’t really enjoy them. Or perhaps it was some type of joke or test he was trying to pull.[/color][/size]

[size="3"][color="#000000"][i]‘My god. I just realized how paranoid I have become over the last few decades. He is only being polite.’ [/i]Racheal promptly scolded herself. So she thanked the boy with a small smile gladly accepting the items. “Would it be possible for me to also purchase this book?” [/color][/size]

[The Amazing Avian]

Leon set upon making the espresso the new customer had ordered, adding a bit of showmanship to the order by juggling and spinning ingredients that went into the coffee as he usually did when serving ladies. This time was different though. He felt weird, it couldn't have been her, he had never had problems serving coffee with a show before. He threw eight sugar cubes into the air almost to the ceiling and caught them in the cup, only missing the last one. This wasn't right. He started feeling a bit dizzy and weak, he took another sugar cube and added it to the coffee, now looking drained. "That's $1.40. I would have added the cost of the juggling to it, but seen as I missed that sugar cube, I can't in all good conscience charge for that." He handed her the coffee and a biscuit to accompany it. "The biscuit is free of charge." He coughed into his elbow. He was feeling very weak, but couldn't allow himself to show it. He had felt something like this before. Silver. It had to be silver.
[center]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/center]
Dorian and Arsene arrived in Newport. This city was too rough for his liking, he preferred formal occasions since he always dressed the part, so he felt awkward whenever he was in places like this. He particularly liked European cities since they exhibited some class while going about their daily business. "Come, Arsene. I made reservations to a nearby hotel where we can stay. Take the luggage, will you? In the mean time, I want to see if there are any books here that I can't find in Europe. I heard of a bookstore called Stained Pages that serves coffee as well, I'll be there." Dorian said with a smirk. He always had that smirk, which according to many, made him seem like a condescending jerk. Which he was, though he didn't like to be called that. "Oh, the room is booked under both your and my names, so don't panic when the clerk asks for the name. Remember you got us kicked out of that Hilton hotel in Boston because of that. And try to not destroy my violin again, Stradivarius violins are very hard to come by these days and the frequent repairs have cost more than the violin itself."

[Dad]

As the sun set set over Berlin, and the loud buzzing and whirs of the Große Stärke factory began to quiet down, Warden turned to his trusty right hand man, co-owner, and best friend, Arthur Bertram. He was a slender and slightly balding man, nearly as tall as Warden, standing at six feet, and two inches. His brown splitting hair and green emerald necklace were his most noticeable traits. Disregarding those facts, Arthur was just another ordinary man.

"Arthur my friend," said Warden. "I've been so busy dealing weapons to other countries that I've literally given everyone time off but myself. I'm hoping to take a vacation as soon as possible. And as lovely as that sounds, I have no-one to run the factory while I'm away . . . .excluding yourself."

Arthur's head perked up a bit as Warden continued.

"This is a rare opportunity my friend. What say you?"

Arthur lowered his head again, this time into his fist, as he pondered on Warden's words. "[i]Me? Run the factory? Why. . . that'd be magnificent! But where can I recommend Warden to visit that isn't far away so that I may reach him in emergencies. . . .? Of course! Newport! Newport, Rhode Island![/i] Well sir I hear Newport is splendid this time of year."

Warden's face lit up like a Christmas tree, and a smile spread across his face like chicken pox. "I'll take that as a yes. But for now I must be off," he said staring out the window now. It was getting late. . . and tonight was said to be a full moon. "It's going to be dark soon and--"

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking," said Arthur, cutting off Warden abruptly. "I've noticed over the past several years, that during each blue moon's night, you leave the factory explicitly early. . . and so. . . "

Warden raised an eyebrow at this point, wondering if Arthur knew his secret.

"One night sir. . . I followed you home. You had left the Brior case file on your desk, so it gave me a good reason to pop in. when I arrived at your home, I noticed no answer, so I assumed you may have been in the yard, shooting disks. When I went around. . . "

"[i]So it was Arthur I sensed that night.[/i]"

"Well sir, your secret is safe with me. But I must ask, is that all there is to, erm, your kind's power? It looked painful, but I didn't see what I expected. There was no howling. . . and the only thing that really changed was your hands, ears, height, and muscle mass. I was expecting something more. . . .furry."

Warden chuckled, placing a hand on Arthur's shoulders. "It's called a half-state Arthur. But before I leave for Newport in the morning, I'd like you to drop by this evening, around 6'ish. The moon will rise promptly at 6:37, and I'm sure you're curious. But come alone. This is not a show and tell. [i]If he tries anything. . . I may have to kill him.[/i]" said Warden, snatching up his briefcase. Opening the large brass doors to his office, Warden waved a brief good-bye to Arthur, as he trotted down the stairs, to his private elevator, and down to his parking garage and car.

After Warden left, Arthur hurriedly closed the doors behind him, and breathed into his shoulder. "Did you get that Chief? Six o'clock. . . "

[GreyCat]

"Hey Casanova, you aren't owner, so stop giving away our stock," he hissed quietly, though he knew that Leon could both hear him, and know he was joking. Somewhat. It he did that too often, a certain employee would find their pay docked a few dollars next pay day. He focused on his customer. So maybe vampires could eat normal food. He was still slightly embarrassed that he didn't know that fact. And he was supposed to be a Guide. Well, he knew a lot about shape shifters, and that was what counted for his job. Still, more income was always welcome.

"Yes it would. Let me check that over a bit and give you a price," he said pleasantly, taking the book and making a swift examination of it. It was still in decent condition. Basically new. Most of the clientele wasn't into the classical works of Shakespeare, so she didn't get a used or slightly used discount. It was a price to pay for having an open library in a coffee shop. (Literally, he put an extra 2% on the prices in coffee shop side of business to handle damage loses from the bookstore side, though his costumers never knew that.) "It's 8.99 for the book, and a dollar twenty for your coffee."

[Dad]

[[b]5:58 p.m., Outside Adalric Mansion[/b]]

"We'll be able to hear everything you hear and say Arthur. Be cautious. Our boys will be on immediate standby if anything goes wrong," said a scraggly voice through the speaker in Arthur's collar. It was the Chief of Police who had been working with Arthur for some time now. In fact, he had been working with Arthur since he found out how close of a friend Warden was to him. It was that same night that Arthur discovered Warden was a were that Arthur had been traced and followed. After his departure from Warden's home, he was swiftly pulled aside where he was questioned.

[[b][i]Four Months Earlier, Undisclosed Location, 7:47[/i][/b]]

"Your name is. . .Arthur Bertram, Vice-President and co-owner of Große Stärke. Is this correct?" questioned a scraggly voice from behind thick glass.

Before Arthur could answer, two men in all black, ski-masks, weapons drawn, stepped before him. One lowered his weapon to draw the dieing lamp above them to Arthur's face. It was cold, damp, and smelled a bit like kerosene in this stone room, but Arthur cooperated.

"That is correct," he coughed.

"Mr. Bertram. What you witnessed this evening was the transformation of a Werewolf. We are unsure what stage of transformation this was, but judging by the fact that you were so close and are still alive, we are sure this were is very advanced. In addition, we have been monitoring your contact with Mr. Warden Adalric, and we know that you are long time companions. We would like to use this as an opportunity to draw him into a false sense of security, so that we might capture and study him. Should you choose not to cooperate, we have the means to put you away for a LONG time. However, I can assure you that, in the even of Mr. Adalric's capture, you will be handsomely rewarded. Do you understand?"

It was all happening so fast that Arthur barely had time to comprehend what was going on. He understood the gist of it however. . . . he had to betray his best friend or face life in prison.

"I. . . I understand. . . . "

[[b]Present Day, 6:00 p.m. Outside Adalric Mansion[/b]]

Arthur nervously knocked on Warden's door, wine bottle in hand. As the large marble doors creaked opened, a cold sweat ran down Arthur's face and spine, which he managed to wipe away just before he saw Warden's face. Unfortunately, Arthur didn't realize Warden could sense the disturbance in his heart.

"[i]Arthur seems disturbed. Something's not right.[/i] Good evening my friend, come on in out of this cold. Is that [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][size="2"]Spatburgunder [/size][/font]you've brought? A fine red wine!" he said to make light chit chat.

The mansion was enormous. Walking into the grand hall, the first thing you notice is the open foyer and large top-curved windows with red drapes. Standing amidst them was an indoor fountain in the shape of a lion, spewing fresh water from it's roaring mouth, while standing atop what looked to be a mountain top. Above, in the carved ceiling, was a bright chandelier, in gold trim and beveled glass. The floors were a fine brown and white sandstone, with very distinct engravings of Warden's initials. And to the left most corner of the living room was a marble staircase, winding up at least three floors.

"Come, sit. Let's enjoy what little time we have left in the evening," said Warden, closing the door behind Arthur. He waved a hand towards the white leather sofa amongst the foyer. They sat and talked for about thirty minutes, eating bits of cheese and crackers, taking a sip of wine every other occasion.

"My is it that time already?" questioned Warden aloud. Warden got to this feet and showed Arthur to the back door, which led into the gigantic back yard. "As promised, I will show you the full extent of my abilities. But again I warn you Arthur, this may scar you for life," said Warden in hushed tone. The moon was beginning to show it's face, and just as it cracked past the skyline, Warden's eyes that gazed quietly into the moon's heart, began to flare and draw back.

Arthur was taken aback at what sounded like bones cracking now, as he stared in amazement, watching Warden grip his head in pain. A low growl emitted from Warden's chest. Warden began to grow now, taller and taller, causing a gasp by Arthur which each sudden burst of height. His back curved, his spine standing up more sharply now. His ears became taller and pore pointed, and his feet expanded in width as well, until they ripped completely out of his shoes, showing the entirety of his dirty fur and large claws. Then what shocked Arthur the most was the now long tail that began to grow at Warden's lower back.

"A. . [b]tail[/b]?!" Arthur's reaction caused stares amongst men in the background with the Chief of Police.

Then, Warden slowly turned to face Arthur, his blood colored eyes peering into Warden's very soul. "Is this what you wanted to understand Arthur?" e said in a twisted voice. "I'm not a typical Were," he said breathing a heavy fog.

[Hotaru987]

[color=#222222]Racheal let him take the book and examine it. While waiting she took a sip of the coffee, let it sit in her mouth for a bit before swallowing. There was a flash of disappointment across her features before it was gone. Though she couldn't taste it, it had a texture like velvet and went down her throat easy. It probably tasted very good, and not the bland and stale taste her vampiric taste buds offered. She came too when the boy told her the price for everything. "Of course," She reached into her pocket and fished out a wallet. It looked pretty old fashion and a male style wallet like that back in the 1900's. Even so she handled it delicately, and pulled out a 20 dollar bill. "Here you are sir." Racheal gave a small, closed mouth smile. She was glad she ate before she left her home, otherwise it would have been difficult to stay in the building. While over the years she has managed to control her urges to feed, that didn't make it any less difficult to fight the natural instinct. Racheal waited until her returned with the change before asking, "Do you have any other works by Shakespeare? Or perhaps some Sherlock Holmes novels."[/color]

[Dad]

The night suddenly got colder around Arthur. He could feel death staring him in the face. But before he would allow this nightmare before him to turn from friend to foe, Arthur had to warn Warden. Placing a hand over his shoulder, and muffling the microphone inside his collar, he finally revealed the truth to Warden. Everything. The night he was captured. . .. the investigation regarding his very well being. . . Arthur spilled everything faster than a fat kid in a chocolate factory. It was quite the mess. Fortunately Warden handled it like a gentleman.

"You need not worry, Arthur my friend. I wouldn't dare harm you. I am hurt, but I realize that under that level of pressure and circumstances there's not much you could have done. I forgive you. Are they watching us?" questioned the distorted voice, while turning his head to the moon.

"Yes sir. They have an eye on us now. So how will you flee the country then sir?" Arthur asked hesitantly.

"Well Arthur, I'm not the only were in the world. I have brothers. And so I shall find shelter among them. And when the heat has died down, I'll make my way to America. I'll send someone for my things of course. But don't worry about me," Warden sighed. On all fours now, Warden turned to the open fields behind him, the fields that hid the forests and mountains from view. "Thank you Arthur. And be safe. I hope to see you again someday."

Leaping and running at high speeds, Warden vanished into the night under the moonlit fields. Heavy fog covered his tracks, and so the forces tracking him would not be able to find him.

Arthur watched with a heavy heart and frightened soul. The Chief of Police's voice crackled under his palm, when Arthur finally answered with, "He scared me and got away. But I am alive."


[hr]

Several days later Warden found himself on the mountain side, near an old ranch, which looked to be still operating and inhabited. He was curious, so turning back into his human state, he gathered his tattered clothing and took a look inside the large barn attached to the ranch's stable.

"Hello?" he whispered. "Is there anyone he--"

A loud crack rang out behind him, startling Warden so bad he fell backwards. Rolling over now, there was a shotgun pointed in his face. "Who are you and what business do ya have here son?" said the sruffy old man standing before Warden. The old man's body left a scent. This man was definitely a were.

"I um. . . I'm just looking for some help from my brethren. Surely you can smell my scent," he said cautiously.

The old man wiped his nose with a free hand.

"So you're a were eh? This old snout ain't what it used to be. But if you're tellin' me the truth then ya must've smelled me too. Sorry about the gunshot. Can't be too wary nowadays," the old man said reaching out a hand to help Warden up. "Ya look like you've been in a scuffle. We'll get ya fixed up inside and you can explain everythin' at supper. Gon' now. Just knock twice and let the lady know you're a guest of mine."

Warden politely thanked the old timer and headed up to the house. On his way inside, he spotted a private plane, colored in a bright red with white pinstripes. This was Warden's ticked to America.

[The Amazing Avian]

Leon's ear twitched as he heard Tyler's little quip, and again when he heard mention of the great detective. He leaped over the counter with a flip, landing on his left hand and performing a handspring flip, then upon landing did a third flip, this time with a corkscrew for added flair. [i]I show off too much, but hey, if I can why not?[/i] he thought to himself. He landed a few feet away from Tyler and the guest. "Why yes we do, There's a copy of the entire Holmes collection, the four novels and 56 short stories. It's $35. A bit much for a book for some people, but it's a must have for any mystery lover. Hell, book lover in general. For a reader to hate Holmes is like a geek hating Lord of the Rings. It just can't happen."

[Hotaru987]

While waiting for the young man to reply, the boy still at the counter suddenly jumped over the counter and did some flips in the air. She raised a slight brow at that - it was quite impressive. A bit showy, but still impressive none the less. He proceeded to inform her of their collection of Holmes books, but she didn't need the entire collection. Just a few books that she had misplaced over the years. "Lord of The Rings?" Another smile graced her pale features, "It just so happens I enjoy that book very much. Sadly I have yet to purchase and read the final book. Would your library hold that book as well? If so, I would very much like to buy it now." As a polite gesture she took a bite of the biscuit, almost gaging at the terribly stale taste. Though she managed to recover, and hide it behind a smile.

[The Amazing Avian]

"Lord of the Rings, one of my favorite series in history. Yes we do, paperback is $15 and hardcover is $25. We have them in multiple languages, including Elvish for the hardcore Lord of the Rings fans. Last week someone bought the Elvish language trilogy and asked if we had other books in Elvish. I think we also have the bible in Elvish, but anyway, Lord of the Rings is awesome." Leon was an avid reader, made sense he would have read Lord of the Rings. There were few books in Stained Pages he hadn't read, and most of those were intended to appeal to a female audience with stories about friendship and love. They bored him too much for him to even attempt reading them. The door opened again, this time a man with a suit and a cane stepped in. His scent was human, but had an odd feel to it. Not ordinary human. There was something different about this one, not really sure what, but there was something. The man walked to the library and began browsing the books.

[Dad]

After a long and drawn out story, Arthur explained to his fellow Were who he was, what he did, and how this old man could help him. It didn't take much convincing after offering the old were 100,000 Euros, to fly him to America in his biplane. After returning home, the old man would deliver a notification to Warden's personal bodyguards at his home, instructing them in code, to find and deliver Warden's goods and merchandise to him in New Port. It wouldn't be long before Warden would begin living an entirely new life on the other side of the world. What with being run out of Berlin and nowhere left to go, why not start fresh? Right?