Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Lutetia City

as written by SerinaBloom and Ginafien

"Fine thats fair."

Crista finished her meal and then paid John what he asked for.

John nodded his thanks.

"feel free to ask me questions, lass, i'm an open book."

Crista sighed a face John.

"I'd like to ask where you came from. You've only come here recently haven't you? Where were you before?"

"Pass"

John said without hesitation, although he had just said he was an open book he wasn't willing to talk bout where he had come from.

Crista raised a brow. He said he was an open book but I suppose everyone was entitled to their secrets.

"Fine, then...how about family. Do you have any?"

"I grew up an only child and my parents were killed when f was fifteen."

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that."

"it's fine, it was a long time ago and eventually i've moved on."

Although John said this, there was a hint of sadness in his voice.

Crista nodded.

"I understand."

Crista herself had never known her parents. Before being taken and recruited by the Monastic Order as a paladin Crista had been living on the streets as an orphan.

"any other questions?"

John asked politely.

"What else do you do besides working here in the forge?"

"Not much really, I try my best to work just to keep out of trouble, of course i leave to buy groceries and a bottle of whiskey every so often."

"Oh, you drink."

"Occasionally, maybe a glass every two weeks. Some say rye is good for the health."

John said the last part with a smirk.

"I suppose some would say that."

"What about you? where do you hail from?"

"I don't know. Lutetia is all I've ever known."

John nodded and smiled softly.

"I guess all we both have at the moment is this city."

Crista gave a small smile.

"I guess so."

There was a crackling sound and then a voice calling for Crista from outside.

"Oh...thats my radio."

John sighed and nodded.

"Thank ya for the visit, the supplies are in a box on the counter, have a great day lass."

He seemed a bit morose at the fact that she would have to be leaving.

Crista nodded and went back into the shop, taking the crate with the materials inside.

"It's was nice talking to you John. I'll be by again."

With that John's face brightened.

"I'll have something better than soup nd tea when ya come around next time."

Crista smiled a bit more this time, giving off a bit of warmth.

"That sounds nice."

Crista loaded the crate onto the back of the large motorcycle before mounting it.

"I'll see you soon."

The engine roared to life and Crista was off, far down the street in seconds.

John sighed as he watched her departure. Unsure if she felt it, but even just having met her recently, he felt deeply for her.
 
as written by SerinaBloom and Ginafien

For some time Crista didn't return to John's shop, she was deep in thought about him though. Constantly weighing her options and deciding if this was the right thing to do even if she did truly feel for him.

John had been learning to cook in the mean time, he wanted something else to do beside forge. He also bought some more tea, of course he just wanted to do all this for a paladin that captured his heart.

Crista was trying to ask another paladin about such situations involving a paldin falling for someone outside the order. They simply laughed and said it would be a futile and ridiculous notion and of no benefit to the order. Over all other paladins completely avoided any more of romance or attachment. Still Crista was bombarded with thoughts of him.

John hardly ever left his house, he didn't like being seen too often. With a past like his you would not want to be recognized.

After a long period of thought and emotional ups and downs, Crista returned to John's shop, her destrier making her presence known before she even entered.

John was cooking lunch as Christa arrived, he even had a herbal blend of tea. He was humming to himself as he tested what he was making.

"A few more minutes and it should be good ta eat."

Hearing the Destrier engine he perked up and couldn't hide his grin.

Crista stood outside after dismounting from her destrier, thinking again if she should be here and if she should move forward with this. She sighed, lowering her head in thought.

John peeked his head from the window and waved to the paladin, he beckoned her inside with a warm smile.

Crista looked up when she saw him looking out his window. When she saw him smile she could only respond with a smile of her own and she approached the door, going inside.

The smell of cooking meat and vegetables with spices mingled in the shop as well as his dwelling.

"By now ya know which door ta use."

John called from his dwelling.

"it's just a force of habit."

Crista walked through his shop, into his home, smelling the meal he was putting together.

"Mmm. That smells very good."

"Aye, it does, i've been learning ta cook."

John put a lid on the pan and put it on low heat to simmer for a bit.

"What bring ya here, business or pleasure?"

"I just came for a visit."

John nodded and poured two cups of tea, as he sat, he set the tea cups down.

"Have a seat lass."

Crista walked over, taking a seat in her usual spot at John's table by now and sipped her tea.

John sipped his tea and sighed happily.

"Let me guess, you came once and fer all ta tell me that we can not be together no matter how much we love one another?"

"I'll be honest, Its absolutely ridiculous to even think that things will end up going well for us. It's just not a wise choice."

"On that note, I don't rightly care. I'm happy being around ya ya make my heart race a mile a minute, and all I want to do is hold you in my arms, at least once."

"You didn't let me finish. Despite all the restrictions and rules I'd be breaking and how difficult it would be...I don't care."

John didn't know what to say, she was willing to do so much just to be with hi. He was suddenly taken aback and simply looked at her with admiration and love.

Crista was looking down at the cup of tea in her hands.

"There are a lot of things I can't do for you. I wouldn't even be able to live with you without drawing the attention of others in the order. Even though it's not a specific rule, unofficially no paladin is supposed to be in love. It would have to be totally secret."

"Like I said before lass, we just have to make every second together count."

John said this while smiling.

"I just don't want you to regret it. I'll only bring you trouble."

"My life has been full of trouble, a little more wont kill me."

"If you're really sure."

Crista sipped her tea, smiling to herself. She didn't know where this would go but something about it gave her a good feeling.

John knew deep down in his heart that nothing bad could come of this.

"So, coming in for a hug or going to sit there like a bump on a log?"

Crista chuckled a bit as she put down her tea cup.

"Alright, alright."

Crista got up from her seat.

John stood and well. He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her in a tight and loving embrace.

The feeling of being held so tightly was unfamiliar to Crista. She couldn't remember the last time she had ever been hugged if she ever had been. She knew one thing, she'd never felt so safe. Crista wrapped her arms around John as well and despite the fact that she looked like any normal girl when she wasn't wearing armor, her strength was anything but normal. It was no surprise that a paladin of her caliber would have such inhuman strength.

Although with the surprising amount of pressure that came suddenly from the young paladin's embrace John didn't. He was as durable as the steel he fashioned.

"I promise that i wont ever hurt ya, or do anything wrong to ya. I want ya ta be happy with me lass."

"You promise?"

She looked up at him, asking him this sincerely. She'd never trusted anyone outside the "family" she had in the order, though she didn't necessarily trust all of them.

"Forever and always."

John closed his eyes with a smile, he brought his face in close to Christa's their lips not quite touching but his breath gently batting her lips.

Crista's face burned red. Being this close to John didn't make her uncomfortable. It made her nervous. She wasn't sure how romance worked and she wanted it to go well between her and John. For all she knew, John was the only person she would have the chance to love.

John smiled bit and kissed Christa softly, his lips gently pressed against hers as he continued to hold her within his embrace.

Crista only had a moment to be surprised before she was swept up in a feeling of weightlessness. Her face was flushed as her eyes drifted closed and her embrace became more gentle.

After a few seconds John broke the kiss and opened his eyes.

"You're the one I wan't to be with."

Crista's eyes opened and she looked back up at John.

"Why me?"

"Because from the moment I saw you, you melted the steel of my heart with the flames of your love."

John was well aware of how cheesy that sounded.

Crista couldn't help but laugh.

"Hahah, no really. I want to know."

"Honestly from the moment I saw you I fell in love. Over time I just couldn't get you out of my head, to be honest, I didn't ant you out of my head.

Crista smiled a bit.

"Heh. I think I may have been the same."

"The food is burning."

John said this and sighed.

Crista hadn't even noticed and looked over to the kitchen wide eyed.

"Oh no. I'm sorry."

John let go and rushed over, he removed the food from the pan and scooped its contents onto the plate.

"We're dating now, you're obligated to eat this with me."

Crista Laughed at that comment.

"Oh are those the rules then?"

"That and sometimes you have to come read me a bedtime story."

John said his voice completely serious. Setting the plates down as he himself sat.

Crista chuckled and walked over to grab a plate.

"Fine, only if you'll sing me a lullaby now an then. Can you sing?"

John grinned and looked her in the eyes.

"I'll sing ya songs from when I was little and my ma sang fer me."

"Hm thats sounds nice."

Crista said looking back at him with a warm smile.

John ate what was supposed to be fried battered meat with a side of vegetables, the batter in some places was black as well as the vegetables.

Crista took a bite of the meat.

"Looks like you just saved it."
 
as written by Ginafien and SerinaBloom

"Thankfully so."

John ate and drank his now lukewarm tea. He was genuinely happy, the girl that he had suddenly fell in love with, loved him back.

Crista in this moment, almost forgot about her real life back at the monastery. Almost as though she was already beginning to believe this was her real life. Crista had never met anyone like John. Everyone she knew was part of the order and everyone in the order was all about their work and sacrificing their lives for the sake of the order. Crista was never a selfish person, but for once she was doing something for herself, something that made her happy, and it was thanks to John.

As far as John was concerned this was his life, and nothing would take him from that.

Before Crista knew it, it was very late and the sun had already set.

"I'm surprised no one from the order has called to ask about me."

"And I'm happy that no one from the order has come for ya."

"Perhaps I'll test just how long it is I can stay before they call me in."

John smirked and winked.

"Already learning ta test boundaries, i like that lass."

"At this point I might as well."

Crista yawned slightly, covering her mouth.

John smiled and got up from his seat, he collected their dishes and went to the sink. Deciding he would save the dishes for another time he went to Christa.

"So lass, don't ya at least feel a wee bit better knowing that I'm going o hug and kiss you more often now?"

Crista smiled. The part of her that had been longing for affection had been starved since childhood, and so Crista was inwardly blissful at the idea of someone caring for her so much. Of course she would be discreet about it as was her nature.

"I suppose I am a little happier, yes."

John stretched and yawned.

"It is getting rather late ain't it lass? If the Order don't call my bed is big enough for two."

John hoped that this didn't come off as anything inappropriate.

"Okay. That's fine."

Crista hadn't been totally detailed in exactly what all of her restrictions were but she was putting her trust in John that he would understand.

John would never try anything other than hugs kisses and cuddles on this young woman. All because she meant the world to him.

It did get late and Crista got tired, taking John's offer and choosing to share a bed with him for the night. Hoping not to be given a rude awakening from the order in the morning.

John picked up up suddenly bridal style and whisked her away to his bedroom. Laying on the bed with her in his arms he couldn't help but smile.

Crista had shrieked and clung to him when he picked her up and pouted slightly at him before settling down to sleep.

"You have the cutest pout ever"

John was so madly in love with her and was simply over joyed that she was in his arms. He smiled and kissed her once before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

When morning came, Crista rose early as usual almost at the same time as sun rise. She felt a comforting warms around her, remembering that she had stayed the night in an unfamiliar place but she did not want to leave. Despite this she knew if she stayed much longer the order would become suspicious and call for her if she did not show up at the monastery soon. She sat up with a soft groan and stretched her arms above her head.

John too got up and kissed her cheek before walking to the forge to fire it up for the day. It seemed that his day too started rather early.

Crista got herself out of bed and cleaned herself up. Just before she went to go she followed John into the forge.

"I don't know when I'll be back again."

Sweeping her off her feet and leaning her backward he kissed her deeply.

"I will await your return my love."

John said with a cheerful smile.

Crista's face turned deep red. She was embarrassed and caught off guard, both firsts for her. She chuckled a bit and smiled back.

"Alright, let me go now. The sooner I go the sooner I can come back."

John obliged and went to his work, he had a quota to fill for the end of the week.

"I'll see you soon."

It was difficult for Crista to tear herself away from her secret life she had acquired, but she was still dedicated to her responsibility as a paladin. So she mounted her destrier and made her way to the monastery, hoping she could return soon.

Crista's dream began to speed through time, showing to her again the time she had with John during the year that she knew him. She remembered when she would stay the night and read him stories like she promised, and he would sing her to sleep like he promised. Crista became more and more used to visiting John secretly without the order knowing and as time went on Crista even considered leaving the order. That was unheard of and she wondered if it was even possible.

John once let her see him in his wolf form and she was at first a bit dumbstruck, so used to seeing him in his human form. Crista warmed up to it soon enough though and she even found it somewhat cute, just to pick on John a bit, knowing he would deny it to defend his manly pride. She learned more about him as the year passed and more about his life, starting to sympathize with the lives that werewolves lived under the order's "protection."
 
as written by Ginafien and SerinaBloom

During one of her lasts visits John knew that he had to come clean, that he had to tel her what he had done in his past.

Crista listened intently to John when he told her about his past. At first she was shocked but as he continued to explain and told her why he left she sympathized and promised that she wouldn't tell a soul.

During that time John was relieved that she understood and couldn't be happier, unfortunately all good things must come to an end.

Crista remembered the last day she saw John. She had stayed the night with him but had to return to the order for a mission she was being called to. If she had known what was going to happen, she would have stayed, and maybe then John would have lived.
 
as written by duramon

Another dead end patrol. Keeping up the Order's presence and running the law through the streets of Lutetia as per usual. It was just his luck to get put on the safe route, he'd been late arriving when they were handing out assignments and so the Paladin was stuck with morale duty. Making sure that the people knew they were safe and that the order were keeping watch, and sending a message to the supernaturals that the Order still owned the streets and not to act up. It went against his better judgement, but he still wished something would happen on these patrols every now and then, if only to speed up the clearance of scum. He was confident enough in his skills to dispatch the low-ranking ruffians that would take up residence on the route, and on the way he'd be helping the residents. It was win-win, too bad it had already stayed dead silent for over half the route.

He was in his greys, crimson sword at his hip, forged when he took the Silver. The Rosary was strapped to his back and a Lawmaker lay nestled in its hostler on his upper thigh, even the safe routes of Lutetia represented danger after all, and a lone Paladin with just a blade wouldn't make for much of a messenger. He heard a clank and turned to the source, spotting a lone woman with red hair, she was out in the open wearing a black dress-shirt unbuttoned to some kind of red shirt. That information phased through as a side note, what caught his eye was the thick pipe held in her hand. Maybe tonight'll be interesting after all. He thought.

The Paladin drew his blade and pointed it at her, cut off by the womans voice just as he'd opened his mouth. "No speeches thanks, I ain't here for your religious crap. We know how this'll go, let's just get started already." She yawned out, swinging the pipe back and forth in front of her. She didn't seem particularly remarkable physically, but monsters hid in all shapes and forms. He sighed and nodded, getting into a defensive stance and approaching the woman, looking intent on a melee battle before swiftly pulling out his Lawmaker and launching a slug at the woman, unperturbed when the bullet missed its mark. What was shocking however, was the flash of pain that followed his second shot as the woman advanced, the pipe buried in his shoulder, had she thrown it from there?

This was going to be a little more annoying than predicted. He reached for The Rosary and pulled it into his hands just as she'd rushed in, swinging the gun like a club he collided with her arm and the satisfying crack was replaced by a confusing clang, a blow that should have smashed into her ribs stopped against the arm. The woman grinned and brought up her other hand, a muzzel flash illuminating her features as a hidden gun fired, the bullet clanged uselessly into his guantlet as he maneuvered, shrapnelling to bite into his arm in minor scrapes. The two parted and he fired The Rosary in a sweep to make some room, only for her to slip back under his guard with twice the speed she'd shown before, a heavy crunch let him know his chest-piece had given way and the awkward clang rang out again.

He felt the sting in his chest before he saw the fist that had entered his ribs, the tan skin of the woman had torn to reveal an all too familiar alloy across her arms. Some of the bullets had found their mark in her legs, marked by blooms of red in her clothes, the rest it seemed, had missed or torn through the skin of some sort of armour. However, these injuries were nothing. The devout Paladin could feel the blood welling in his throat and dropped his weaponry, snatching the assailant in a crushing bear hug, pinning her arms awkwardly to her sides the moment she removed her hand from his torso. A singular glaring red eye met his and sharp canines glinted in the dark as she smiled, even as the Paladin felt something of hers give way.

"Sorry buddy, maybe in another life." She taunted in a strained voice, and the Paladin felt burning pain through his head, relinquishing his crushing hold in an instant as the snipers bullet pierced his skull and lodged itself within. He slumped to the floor and she took a deep breath, pressing a finger to her ear after she'd composed herself. "Nice shot, but I should've handled it." She reprimanded "Ma'am, time was up, I just followed orders." came the reply. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, newbies were always such a pain, no matter what business she was in. She tore out the ear piece and threw it on the ground in annoyance, cursing quietly.

"Fuck." She kneeled down to the Paladin's head level and cradled her ribs "How're we supposed to send a message of strength from a cheap shot like that huh?" She questioned the corpse, sighing heavily the woman, known as Mordred or Mord, jammed her fingers through the bullet hole, fishing out the bullet carelessly and warping the wound to match it as close as she could as if she'd done it by hand. A difficult task after a sniper bullet had fucked around in the Paladin's skull. Her gloved hands came out more crimson than black, the blood soaking into the fabric as she tried to shake off as much of the Paladin's giblets as possible. She clapped her hands together and stuck out her tongue in disgust "Eugh, never gets any less fun." She joked, picking up the earpiece again and carefully putting it back in with a sigh.

"I fished out your cartridge, standard rules don't apply to me, now we've wasted time cleaning up." She chastised, the voice on the other end stayed silent for a moment before a quiet "Noted." came through. She looked up to hear sirens coming through, someone had notified the LCPD, and doubtless the church would be in tow with their Paladin causing a ruckus. She looked down at the corpse and cursed again, snatching his gear down to the utility belt and strapping it all on swiftly, she'd have to take stock later, and the armour was out of the question. Mordred began to make her get away before looking back at the body and pausing, growling in annoyance before sprinting back, the sirens getting closer as she reached it.

The PD would find the Paladin rested up against a nearby wall, the pipe removed from his arm and the worst of his wounds respectfully patched up with quick bandaging. A lit cigarette trailing smoke from between his teeth.

At his side 'growing' from the blood-spattered pavement was a single rose sticking upright proudly in the face of the horrific scene.
 
as written by Script

The night dragged on. Though at first it seemed that they had escaped the Wraiths' pursuit, that illusion was dispelled when - upon their first attempt to exit the catacombs - Nox's pursuers were waiting for them in ambush. They narrowly escaped losing any more lives in the resulting skirmish, before retreating back underground once more.

The second time this occurred, it became clear that they were being tracked. Though for the time being the Wraiths were reluctant to follow them underground, that every time they resurfaced the Sylvestre hit-squad was waiting for them was a sure sign that something was giving their position away. But what?

In the wake of the second confrontation, they sought a moment of respite. Deep in the tunnels, in a moderately sized mausoleum, they paused to discuss their next move.

Jamie leaned back on one of the stony walls, briefly closing his eyes. His clothing was in tatters by this point, torn from where the animancer's swords had scored strikes on him or where bullets had found their mark. Though the wounds themselves had closed up, his skin and clothes were stained crimson as evidence of numerous injuries. He was tiring.

"They're tracking us," he opted to state the obvious, breaking the almost oppressive silence. "Somehow. Maybe their animancer?"
 
as written by Emperor Jester

The poison had not yet wormed its way out of his system, but already his regenerative properties were beginning to get used to such a handicap. Adapting to it, and even overcoming it, if just slightly. The arm and shoulder certainty didn't look any better on the outside, but Nox could feel his sinew, bones, and muscle all reconstructing themselves deep beneath the skin level. Years of conflict and war had taught him to recognize the slightest of shifts to his internal workings.

He'd flex the hand, testing its responsiveness. Not good. The Caer Lord needed time to recover from this...coward's parlor trick.

"I doubt it. I feel no magic at work here, aside from my own. But somehow, they are most assuredly tracking us, getting ahead of us before we emerge. No matter how quiet we are, no matter how quickly we move." A long pause, as if chewing on something incredibly bitter. But he didn't speak again, not for awhile. Too much to brood on and contemplate.
 
as written by glmstr

Aurelie had managed to pick up her things from the corpse of a spawn during one of the earlier escape attempts, now she was clutching any object that couldn't either fit in a pocket or be hooked/holstered to a belt or other part of clothing.

The lesser vampire finally spoke up, glancing nervously at the others.

"If we are being tracked, could we try splitting up? It would be dangerous for whoever is being followed, but the rest of us could escape."
 
as written by Calcos

The sharp chirp of the brass bell above the heavily-scarred wooden doorway emanated throughout the small office as Sirius slid his way in, his shoulder pushing him into the building, his right hand gripping a rather large paper bag that had collected a fair amount of grease at the bottom. As he made his way inside, he eased the door closed, walking into the work space and setting the bag down onto his desk. Cora sat at her post, watching him expectantly as he rummaged through the lunch sack, finally procuring a pair of paper-wrapped sandwiches, tossing one her way before unwinding the white sheet from around his own.

Pork, with onion, served on rye bread.

Lunchtime was a special hour of the day for the both of them, and they had to make the most of it. Today, he decided to splurge a bit and go with the good stuff. He sat in his chair, as creaky as the rest of the building, settling back and eviscerating large portions of the sandwich with each bite that he took. He allowed himself at least three before speaking, his mouth halfway full. "Any phone calls while I was away?" he said, his baritone English accent muffled by the wad of food that was steadily congealing betwixt his molars.
 
as written by Lialore

Cora had been doing nothing. She didn’t even try to hide the fact, although she’d heard him coming at least a minute ago. Even her shoes were off, but he didn’t have to know that. She was rotating in her chair, slowly from side to side. She’d bought the spinning one herself, simply for the extra fun to be had on those really quiet days. Or those days where she couldn’t be bothered to answer the phone.

She caught the sandwich gingerly with her fingertips and dropped it to the desk, making a face. There was a reason she was so skinny. She was one of the pickiest eaters of all. Sirius was getting better. But as usual, she began inspecting the food carefully.

“Yes. Actually. You have a new enemy by the name of David, or ‘Dave’ as he asked me to call him after hearing my charming accent. Says you scratched his car a few nights ago. Didn’t really have any solid evidence that it was you, other than those stupid glasses. But don’t worry. I assured him that it was definitely you and that all damages will be repaid in full” Cora said, offering him a whimsical glance from beneath her lashes as she took a bite of the food that she deemed ‘OK’.
 
as written by Calcos

"Hm," serious said in mock contemplation, continuing to burrow further into his meal. He chewed, swallowed, and set the now half-eaten sandwich down upon his desk. "You should have let him know that I'd be glad to meet him in court; for what it's worth, he'd at least get an apology out of me. And nothing else." He flashed a grin as he spun his old wooden chair around, looking about the room.

It was an ancient building, made of various types of wood. It had been abandoned for years before Sirius found it, had it fixed up with what little money he could spare, and set up shop inside. All about were several cabinets and shelves, each containing files and books and oddities that seemed out of this world --and most of them were. On one particular shelf there sat a jar containing the fetus of a goat-demon, a series of test tubes all lined up in their metal rack containing liquids of varying nature, a glass orb containing the ever-watchful eye of an incubus, beakers full of crushed flower petals, and a lamp containing a particularly ornery djinn, the services of which Sirius had called upon only once, to help him locate his keys. Djinns, being the mischievous creatures they are, saw fit to bring the keys to their owner, by having them appear in a rather colorful place.

He never forgot where he placed them after that.

With his back to Cora, he stretched, arms upward as his frame was wracked with a flurry of sickening cracks and pops. "Really though, we need to find some work soon. I can't keep the water running if there's no money coming in." Running water was one of the few amenities in the office that wasn't stolen or otherwise free: the electricity was afforded by a nethecite-powered generator, their telephone landline was graciously gifted to them by a jury-rigged setup running outside, and the basic cable was being creatively borrowed from one of the neighbors.

"And I absolutely must have my showers."
 
as written by Lialore

Cora frowned at his grin then tucked her hair behind her ears; a sign that she was actually about to use her brain for a change.

“Nothing has been reported, but I’ve heard a lot of rumours regarding blood-suckers lately. Disappearances, searches, general fighting. But… I mean, I wouldn’t want to question your abilities of course… Yet I also wouldn’t want to be burying you next week, so maybe leave that one alone.”

She subtly pushed her feet back into her boots and got to her feet, abandoning her food. There wasn’t much roaming space so she just wandered with a thoughtful look on her face.

“I was thinking of taking a walk through Merveilleux, maybe. I try not to be judgemental, but necromancers are always up to no good” she said as she absently picked up a particularly dusty jar of flower petals and then blew on it. “Plus you get to wear your snazzy specs. I know you love that.”

There was a moment when she thought about making a joke about her stealing. If matters did get dire, there was always that option. Cora wasn’t sure how aware Sirius was of her – quite ironic - antics, if at all. But as far as she was concerned; she wasn’t hurting anyone.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sneeze caused by the dislodged filth. She jerked her head back in surprise and returned the jar to its place with a wrinkled nose.
 
as written by Calcos

Sirius clenched his fists at the mention of vampires --a gesture he hoped had gone unnoticed as he quickly relaxed his grip again. He turned his head to the side, peering over his shoulder at his partner. "Trouble is, we're an investigations agency. We don't have work unless someone hires us. Running in and solving crimes without being asked do doesn't exactly pay the bills." He looked back in front of him, striding to the window. He pushed the curtains aside, peering out into the streets.

Lutetia was a grimy city, full of unspeakable horrors and run-down buildings. He'd seen worse, to be sure, but that didn't make this place any less dilapidated; the air was a miasma of choking foulness, plaguing the lungs with every intake of breath. The stones were decaying, crying out for rejuvenation as they supported the weight of homesteads throughout the city. The streets were in desperate need of repaving, each crack a memory of the broken dream that this place was.

And yet, it felt more like home than most anywhere he'd ever known. He sighed, dropping the curtain from his grip. "Has our ad gone out to the papers yet?" he inquired.
 
as written by Lialore

Cora rolled her eyes, at both his reaction to her vampire comment and the words that followed. Wiping her hands on her skirt, she circled then leant on her desk, watching him curiously.

“It doesn’t pay the bills” She confirmed. “It gets us noticed.”

“Mhmmm. They’re putting it in Friday’s paper. I personally think you should’ve used the photograph. Not sure why you’re still above selling your sex appeal. It won’t be available much longer, you know, when there’s no water.”
 
as written by Calcos

Cora's comments would be responded to with a scoff. She knew as well as he did that getting noticed wasn't the issue; he was quite sure that the simple act of setting up shop had painted a rather large target on his back for several of the more unsavory residents of Lutetia. No, getting noticed wouldn't be too difficult at all.

It was the being needed that would prove much more problematic.

"I'd hate to embarrass you by having my face plastered about for the public to see. I know how much your reputation means to you," he said with a chuckle. The ad was sufficient enough anyway, in his mind: it had a name, a succinct description of what the business was all about, and a phone number. It even had a quaint little logo drawn up by a local artist. "Besides, they'd never recognize me if I took the glasses off."
 
as written by Lialore

“You’re right. I wouldn’t want it to be known I associate with someone in such desperate need of a haircut.”

“So” she began again, not doing so well to hide the tiredness now. “That’s it? I really can’t see anything picking up before Friday. Maybe next week will be better. I’m not sure what else there is to do, that we can afford: but wait and hope.”

‘Maybe next week will be better’. She was sure she said that last week. It was surprising how doing nothing could be so exhausting. And it wasn’t that she needed the money, it was that this was meant to be a distraction, a way of moving on. Her gaze had dropped to the floor, and she stared at the uneven wood without focusing. It was probably foolish of her to have been so optimistic after years of constant disappointment. She blamed Sirius.

Cora snapped out of it and cleared her throat, clearly a little disorientated.

“What have you been doing today, anyway?”
 
as written by Calcos

The silence that permeated between them was palpably disconcerting for both of them; an awkward tension that threatened to erupt into heated debate at any moment. It had been slow-going to get the business up and running as well as he had anticipated, but the lack of clients wasn't an easy fix. Cora hated that, and he knew it. He also knew that she was only here because he had helped her, and because it was the best course of action for her to take to find her missing sister. He knew she was here because she needed to be, for now. After that need was fulfilled and her life was back to a relative normalcy, then what? He didn't know the answer to that question, and he didn't know if that was any better than knowing.

Finally, she inquired as to what he'd done that day. He was fully prepared to tell her that he had roamed the streets aimlessly, looking for any potential leads to a case he could take up. He was prepared to tell her that he had handed out business cards and put up flyers around town; that he had been marketing their brand to potential customers.

He was prepared to lie to her, when in reality he had paid a visit to Richter, trading him yet another Lutetian weedhopper--something of an obsession of the old doctor's--for some pieces of nethecite that they would need in the coming days. The reality was that the slow, arduous task of waiting was draining him more and more each and every day. The reality was that, today, he felt like hanging up his hat and calling it quits.

And he was prepared to look her in the eyes and tell her just the opposite.

However, lies were only good as long as the liar believed them, and he doubted that there would be enough conviction in his words to prove passable. He sighed, the truth ready to come rolling off his tongue in a flurry of confession. Just as he raised his head to speak, however, the light filling the room fled, only to be replaced by shadow. Sirius perked his ears up, hearing the calamitous rustle of metal scraping against stone outside the walls. With a quickness, he unholstered a pistol and made his way for the front door, wrenching the damned thing open and looking towards the right side of the building.

He looked back at Cora. "Stay here," he said as he stepped outside.
 
as written by Lialore

Cora let the silence wash over her, it was an uncomforting caress. They were both uneasy. And she felt like that was only about to get worse. The tension was snapped, but they were thrown straight into her suspicions.

When the shadows came, so did her witchlight. It was instinct. Cora was on her feet in an instant, the off-white orbs of glowing light seemingly sat in her palms. She closed her fists quickly to extinguish them, aware of her embarrassment amidst the confusion.

Her amber eyes shone in the dim, watching Sirius as he went to investigate.

There was no eloquent way to put her disobedience, yet her foot catching the door as it began to swing shut was still a better way to reply than ‘fat chance’. They hadn’t been working together long. This was something he’d probably have to get used to. Or learn to appreciate, since her ass-saving abilities were pretty impressive too - normally.
 
as written by Calcos

Cora's defiance went unnoticed as Sirius' focus was entirely upon the unseen happenings outside of the office; he could hear the discordant sounds of metal scraping against stone, an ear-splitting symphony of racket that both unnerved and irritated him. The sound seemed to be reverberating from around the corner --it was very close.

Sirius had no idea what could lie in wait behind the veil of cobblestone that was the office building's wall. Being that this was Lutetia, it could be any number of things, from werewolves or vampires to a particularly bothersome wight or a common street urchin. Still, he wasn't about to take any chances: the silver that laced his bullets would likely be sufficient enough to put down even the most fearsome enemy.

If not, then, he'd have to improvise.

He placed his back against the wall, affording himself a peek around the corner. Although he couldn't see what it was causing the disturbance, he could make out the faintest of silhouettes, unidentifiable from the angle at which he now stood. Whatever it was, the figure was tampering with the generator. 'Great,' he thought, 'They're fucking with my nethecite.' Drawing in a deep breath, he exhaled silently, whipping around the corner with both pistols akimbo, fingers ready to unleash hell upon the unfortunate cretin who dared intrude upon his property.

Just as quickly as he raised his firearms, he dropped them in exasperation. Before him, kneeling down and tinkering absentmindedly away at the generator was none other than Richter Strauss himself. "Bloody hell, Igor, ye nearly gave me a heart attack!" he proclaimed. The elderly man snapped to attention, looking Sirius dead-on in the face before beaming a wide, mostly false-toothed smile, seemingly unfazed by having guns trained on him.

"Ach! Sorry to trouble you," he said in a thick Germanic accent. "I just dropped by and happened to notice that generator not running at full capacity. Decided to fix it up for you!" Sirius sighed, his eyes rolling slightly upward as he holstered his guns. "For the love of God, man, give some warning next time. I almost scooped your damn head off!" Richter grinned again, standing. "That would be most shameful, true," he joked.

Sirius shook his head, trying hard not to give the old man the satisfaction of seeing him smile. "Well, come on in then. Have a cup of tea, or something. Cora, fetch Igor here something to drink, yeah?" the investigator said in a way that sounded more commanding than requesting.

"A spot of beer wouldn't go unwelcome, ja?" the old man chirped.
 
as written by Lialore

Cora peered her head around the wall when the talking started, the breeze tickled her skin which was a little hot from the start. Her eyes narrowed as the conversation unfolded, in fact, they were practically glaring. Subtly really had never been her strong point. She emerged, her hostess with the mostess guise truly on.

She listened, and waited. Then waited a little longer after they’d finished.

Tea. Beer. Her lips pursed slightly as she wondered if they were expecting a little extra in the drinks, something they couldn’t do themselves perhaps. Sparkles, maybe. But no, this was apparently her job now. She’d be sure to ask Sirius for an apron and a notepad for orders once this lovely get-together was over.

There was definitely a reason she’d spent most of her life working away from customers and clients.

“You know, where I’m from, if someone meddles with your things without permission, they’d usually walk away with at least a black eye” Cora said. Everything about the way she said it was incredibly lovely, from her tone to the smile that accompanied. It was just a shame about the content.

With a wave of hair, she went back inside and out of the way to fetch what was asked for, cranking the caps of the bottles off with her teeth quickly before they saw. The fact that they had beer in the office probably said a lot for the state of the business currently. She stood in a back for a moment, enjoying the sharp cold of the glass bottles before returning to the office, placing them down on Sirius’ desk then retreating to her own.
 
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