|
|
Post by Dantia on May 11, 2010 13:40:19 GMT -5
This was the slowest time of day. Dusk was around the corner and the suns dying rays filtered through the window and hit her right across the eyes. Not that this was unusual. The murky yellow light hit eye height twice a day and she usually didn't bother to get out of the crossfire. After all, how else was she to stay awake? Ever since Harold had gone under deep cover things had been slow around the shop. Just regular business and for the most part Beatrice was alone. Not that she was slack. She trained, kept an ear to the ground, and waited. It was the waiting that got to her. Not knowing what had happened to the others, to Harold. Ever since she'd had to cut ties with her old life, Old Harold had been the only family Beatrice had.
She shook herself out, limbering her arms and legs, and ran long pale fingers through her tangled mess of red hair. Such maudlin thoughts weren't going to get her anywhere. For now she had to wait and take care of things on her own. It was just sometimes her world was too much. The knowledge struck her with the weight of a brick wall. Occasionally she longed for ignorance, for the blissful existence of the rest of her kind. Yet, that was not her fate. To rail against it would only lead to woe, for both herself and for others. This was her burden and she had to carry it. Even when she was just, “Jo, the girl at Harold's down the street.” Maybe even most importantly when she played that role.
She played it like a fiddle now. Beatrice sat behind a glass counter displaying knives, rings, and jeweled mouth pieces. She flipped the pages of her magazine like a pro, chewed mint flavored gum, and pretended to ignore the world. Today she was just another lost youth in ragged jeans and a faded logo t-shirt. The shop would seem empty without her careful optimism and the ticking of the thirty or so hand made clocks on the shelf behind her. Beatrice was at home in this role, playing her part. Wishing that this was who she really was. Maybe it was, somewhere past the hunter and that damned knowledge.
She didn't even look up when she heard the rusted bell above the door chime. Although, she let her eyes slide slowly to the left to size up the newcomer. “What do you need?”
|
|
|
|
Post by Serpentis on May 11, 2010 14:01:09 GMT -5
Today was horrible for Tommy. It was bright, and the sun was shining. He hated the evil yellow hurt ball...or Sun as many other referred to it. He loved the night almost like a vampire himself, he regretted getting up today. He however was here for very important business....money. He needed money. Tommy being a kid of 18 didn't want to work. He had spent the morning eating a bowl of reese's puffs cereal and watching old reruns of Batman: The Animated Series from the 1990's. He had dressed himself in his usual ragged baggy jeans, and loose black t-shirt. He wore a pendant around his neck that had a dragon imprinted on bronze surrounded by glyphs. He wore a composite metal ring with a large emerald imbedded in it.
He opened the door with a strong push with his muscular arms. He entered the store slowly, surely, confidently. He approached the girl at the counter, giving her a once over.
"Hey, I need to pawn this"
He said as he reached into his pocket and brought out a large red ruby. It shone brightly in the sunlight, shooting prismatic beams of red light all around the store. The ruby was about the size of his hand, so large it shouldn't be real.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dantia on May 11, 2010 14:27:08 GMT -5
She turned her lazy gaze first to the scruffily dressed young man. Something about him raised her hackles, there was a sort of hum behind her eyes that meant that she was in the presence of something not quiet human. This was reinforced by the fact that he actually had golden eyes. Not a fifty-dollar lens job either. She was fairly sure this was the real deal. Beatrice was also sure he wasn't a Fang or a Pup. That's were her expertise ended, she really hadn't had much experience with the rest of the supernatural underbelly. In a way it was exciting, here was something she hadn't encountered before. But on the other hand he pulled out a ruby the size of her fist.
Her jaw dropped.
It was large, perfectly cut(not that she was any sort of gem expert), and refracted the rays of the late afternoon sun beautifully. What was he doing bringing this sort of thing here? To the Bronx? She looked from the ruby to it's holder and back again. It had to be hot, the sort of hot that meant that the wrong sort of people were after it. Or maybe he didn't really have a grasp on the sorts of things that were usually dealt with in her line of business.
“I...look...that is one large ruby and this isn't a jewelers. I can't give you much for that and I can't really guarantee its safety either.” Then it hit her, the open window. She got up in a flurry of movement and pulled the blinds closed in one smooth motion.“Did anyone see you bring that thing in here? How stolen is it? Hell, you've got to be in some sort of trouble to have hold of a rock that size.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Serpentis on May 11, 2010 14:40:40 GMT -5
Tommy laughed at her realization. He watched her run around the room, shutting blinds. He turned the ruby in his hands, making it flip from side to side. He was unperturbed by this.
"You can keep it here, and you can give me what its worth" he said confidently
"It's not stolen..." he laughed
"and if you keep it here, it should be safe enough from its original owner....they would only attempt to get it at night, and at night this place is almost the last place the owner would like to be" he hinted as his eyes glinted with mischief.
He left the ruby on the counter and walked around the shop examining things he wanted.
"Or if you can't give me much cash....perhaps you can give me the rest in....ordinance"
he said smirking as he hefted a hand gun, checking it and looking at it in detail.
"Or if you have any melee weapons, I can take those instead" he said smirking
He shifted, his golden eyes scanning the store, and passively scanning her for any sign that she knew what he was. He knew she was a hunter, he could see it, the faint aura that those who were hunters of the supernatural with his spirit vision. This ruby would be the only place he could sell this ruby, the neonate vampire he had stolen this from would not sick his elders on a place of hunters. He smiled at his own deviousness, the plan was foolproof.
|
|
|
|
Post by Iota on May 11, 2010 14:50:58 GMT -5
Julian wasn't a fan of doing mere leg work that he would assign to a neonate, he had other things to attend to and it was in an area of the city that most Ventrue wouldn't venture into. It was "Beneath" them, as it were. Still, this was a matter of importance and to make sure nothing went wrong he would have to do it himself. He knew that hunters lived in this particular building, but he was not fussed as they were not the expertly trained kind sent by the church, so they would not bother him if things took a turn for the worse.
Julian pushed gently the door to his limosine shut, he looked the building up and down for a few moments before sighing to himself softly. "So...unclean" he stated with a raised eyebrow. He took out his leather gloves from the inside of his Goergio Armani jacket and slipped them on his hands, for he didn't want to get any of the dirt from the lower ranks of society on his skin. He made his way to the door before pushing it open, the ring of a bell above the door rattled away as the door brushed the shell of the bell, Julian looke dup to the bell "Quaint.." He was a rather condescending man, naturally. He looked around the shop, taking note of the stock. He stood in a regal fashion, his arms linked behind his back, standing up straight and his head up high.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dantia on May 11, 2010 16:01:13 GMT -5
Beatrice did not like to be laughed at. But her personal ire was halted by this man's apparent knowledge of her calling. Could he sense her like she could sense him? If so what did that make him, he most definitely wasn't another Hunter. She shook her head in dismay, she didn't have time to worry about that. She chewed her lip in frustration and watched as the young man began to examine the poor excuses for weaponry that were on display.
That was standard pawn fair. The good stuff was down below.His apparent knowledge gnawed at her. If he could sense her, he must be a Warlock. They had magics at their disposal that could very well reveal her. She turned and grinned, she shouldn't let this appear to bother her. That was a fools move.
“I can't pay much on that thing. Maybe one, two hundred tops. Since there is a chance that you're lighting up my place like a beacon just by walking in here with it I think that's reasonable. As for ammunition, you pay for what you want or we work something out. There's not another person who'd take that thing and we both know it. I want to help you out, I do...but I've got to stay low key.”
Maybe it was actually saying “low key” that did it. Fate often played an ironic hand when it dealt, but this was almost too much. The rusted bell above the door chimed on cue and a well dressed and very pale man entered the dingy little shop. It was like a flash back, even though she knew this was not the same man. Or vampire. His aura was strong and broke upon her like waves. That was power, old power. He was undoubtedly here for the ruby. She smiled, large and disarming and said with confidence she wasn't sure she felt.
“Do come in. How can I help you?”
|
|
|
|
Post by Iota on May 11, 2010 16:19:26 GMT -5
Julian moved towards the counter, he laid his eyes on the young woman. She was attractive, in her own way. A nice distraction from the dreggs that drag themselves into his office on a daily basis. It hadn't taken long, all but a few seconds for Julian to notice the ruby, he raised an eyebrow before turning his gaze to Tommy.
"That does not belong to you comrade." Julian took a mental note of the man's appearance, incase any kindred or other supernatural enquired about it. He turned his attention back to the young lady "Ah yes, to business...one of my...associates.. was believed to have sold a certain item to a "pawn" shop with in the past few nights.. i wonder, has an item like this." Julian takes out a photo of a small box, the size of a ring box with intricate celtic patterns covering the exterior, it was golden. "passed through this...." He looked around for a moment,with yet another raised eyebrow "establishment..?" Julian gave off a soft sense of tone, he wasn't here to hurt anyone, he had other things of more importance to attend to.
|
|
|
|
Post by Serpentis on May 11, 2010 16:41:16 GMT -5
Tommy watched as none other than the prince of the local camarrila walked into the pawn shop. Well I can't believe that they sent the fing prince after a neonates' jewel....jesus christ...
Tommy slunk to the back of the shop, examining the lower grade stuff. He needed a good sword...granted he could just make one but that was beside the point. He wasn't afraid of the vampire prince, mostly because he knew that everyone knew how entrenched Tommy was in garou culture and if he died, then the rest of the vampires would be facing an army of ferals. Tommy walked back over the the girl, deciding to give her flanking should she desire to make a fight out of this. He smirked, readying his magic, his eyes glowing softly with the gentle hum of power.
He shot a meaningful glance over the vampire's shoulder to the hunter across the counter and suddenly an idea popped into his head. A terrible idea that was just too fun to miss out on. He started making faces at the vampire prince. He stretched his mouth out and crossed his eyes waggling his tongue at the vampire. He started strutting like the vampire did, mimicking his every move with a mocking tone, eyes crossed and fake vampire teeth in. He rummaged around in his back pack and "coincidentally" produced a wine glass full of Hawaiian punch which he started lifting mockingly and swaggering with all around the room.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dantia on May 11, 2010 17:15:09 GMT -5
Beatrice leaned over the counter and took the photo gingerly from the vampire. A few nights ago no, two weeks ago yes. Other than the craftsmanship this piece hadn't seemed out of the ordinary to her. It was scuffed and the gold was dulled with grime. It didn't really look much like the image in the photograph, but she was sure they were one and the same.
She looked up from the image and was assaulted by the antics of the young ruby thief. He swaggered around the room with a sort of perverse joy, she was sure he could sense this vampire, gnashing fake vampire fangs and swilling red juice. Where he got these things she didn't know. It would have been amusing in almost any other circumstance. She paled and tried to motion the warlock to knock it off. Either he couldn't see her or did't care. Beatrice stifled an errant chuckle with a cough and returned her gaze to the photograph. It was safer that way.
“I had something like this come through two weeks ago. Although, I have to warn you it wasn't in the same condition as this photo. It's heavily tarnished and I couldn't tell if it was actual gold. The guy that came in with it seemed to need the money in a bad way so I lent on the box without the expectation of actually having him return for it. I normally clean items like this but haven't had a chance yet. If you'll give me a second I'll get it out of the back.”
Beatrice shot an anxious glance at the warlock and quickly went through the curtain behind her desk. She moved the faux velvet painting that hid the “rare” safe and pulled out the envelope that held the box. She hoped the warlock could stay out of trouble long enough for her to get back out there. She quickly closed the safe and headed back out front.
|
|
|
|
Post by Biowulf on May 11, 2010 18:28:45 GMT -5
A stooped over old-looking man walked down the alley. His hair and trench coat stirred slightly as a soft breeze wafted down the way. The corners of his moustache lifted a bit and he squinted at the debris flung up in his eyes. A gnarled, twisted hand clutched the coat closed as the other held a clear plastic cup with a few quarters and pennies in it. He shuffled along the sides of the buildings in search of a place to look for change and sell a few things he picked up off the streets. He came up to a road, the end of the alley, and across the street he spied a sign: Harold’s Quick Cash Pawn. Ah! A nice place to find some change .He made his way across the road to the store, taking care to make himself look a little more appealing than your average hobo.
He opened the door, it gave a little jingle, and he blinked a couple times to get rid of the glare of the sun. He wandered about the place, inspecting objects as he eyed the people within: A rich man, a tom-fool prancing around pretending to be a vampire, and a pretty young lady at the counter. He dismissed the young fool as an idiot that was provoking a vampire. What a fool that boy is. If he’s lucky he’ll just end up as a ghoul. But that rich looking one might have change, even if he is a vampire, he thought so he shuffled over to the rich man, holding out his change cup and rattling it. “Change, sir. Change for a poor old man, just a little charity for a homeless, down on his luck man. Please my good man.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Iota on May 12, 2010 8:01:24 GMT -5
Julian gave a slight nod to Beatrice, she had what he needed and it was worth being patient for, he placed his right hand on the counter, tapping it slowly with his index finger with timed precision. He took his time to look around at the shelves and to see what else was in stock, most of it was just miscellanious junk to his eyes. His unliving eyes crossed a piece of "junk" that had a reflection, it was through this that he witnessed the tom foolery of the other "customer". He watched inconspicuously. He wasn't about to give the jester the time of day. It wasn't the first time some one thought they were some sort of hot shot. He let the man play his games as it was bringing no harm.
After a few moments had passed, another "customer" entered the fray, or so to speak. A bum of sorts, there was something about him that pulled at Julian, had he seen this man before? he wasn't sure, but as he didn't try to slay Julian on sight, he guessed it was just a figment of his imagination. The man asked "Change, sir. Change for a poor old man, just a little charity for a homeless, down on his luck man. Please my good man." Julian looked over the man for a moment, pausing before he responded. "You caught me on a good day, comrade.. be thankful." Julian slid his left hand deep into his trouser pocket, dragging out a $20 note. "for your troubles and to get you a decent meal." The Prince never made it a habit to be charitable, he would often tell bums to "get a job, pissant" but today was a good day, he found what he wanted, lucky for the joker and the homeless man, to say the least.
|
|
|
|
Post by Serpentis on May 12, 2010 21:06:28 GMT -5
Tommy eventually got bored of mocking the vampire in the shop. He put away the fake vampire teeth, the wine glass and resumed looking at the curiosities in the pawn shop. He fooled with his pendant absent mindedly as he picked up a medium size object made out of pewter. It was an odd thing, vaguely disturbing in nature. It was a bas relief of a squat figure with the furry body of a bat, wings protruding out of its back at grotesque angles, and the head was humaniod but had tentacles protruding from where the mouth should be. He studied it closely, unable to figure out what it was supposed to be. He finally set it down, and as he did, it hit him.
"This is Cthluhu!" he yelled triumphant at finding a statue of the eldritch horror from H.P Lovecrafts mythos.
"Oh my gods, I have to have this!" he said as he ran over and plopped it down on the counter nearly giddy enough to jump around.
|
|
|
|
Post by Biowulf on May 16, 2010 22:50:40 GMT -5
“Thank you kind sir, for your generosity.” Silanus’s eyes gleamed with disappointment though. It was not in the form of change, but that could be easily rectified back at the box. Now for the real business, to pawn some “found” merchandise. As he bustled up to the counter, getting his items ready with a hand under his coat, he was cut off by the excited young man with a statue in his hand. He could tell the boy hadn’t even noticed him in his excitement so he planned to educate him in respect for his elders. He grabbed him by the arm and began yelling.
“Now listen here young man, you can’t just go running around the place as you please thinking you own the world! I could have been knocked down and broken a hip, or lost all my change! My beautiful change! I oughta whip your young whippersnapper keister with my cane.” He pulled a long, black, metallic-looking cane and he waved it menacingly under the boy’s nose. “Ya gotta respect those older and wiser than you boy or else you might just end up hurt.” He got up in the boy’s face. “You’re lucky I don’t have time for you or I’d teach you a lesson my special way.” He then turned around to begin talking with the shop dealer.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dantia on May 24, 2010 9:28:58 GMT -5
She pushed through the curtain divider and instead of entering her dusty little shop she burst into a veritable circus. There wasn’t a plain human among the lot here and she was nearly cross-eyed with the vibrations her strange patrons gave off. If Harold could see this he might change his views on non-humans, he may well agree with her. Because sitting right before her was the vast array of the societal spectrum playing out like a badly written play. This, of course, was regular fair for this sort of business and although she was technically a hunter by profession this type of opportunity fir observation was what she thrived on. She wanted to learn more about the others, not eradicate them. Unless their crimes made them worthy of eradication.
She sighed and gently set the tarnished gold box on the counter and flashed a disarming smile at the old man and the younger. “It was just a misunderstanding. The shop is small and easily crowded but I’d be happy to see to both of you once the business of my current customer is taken care of. If you’d both just wait a moment I’m sure everything can be quickly and efficiently sorted out.” She hoped. She had a suspicion that this wasn’t going to be easy.
Beatrice turned her attention to the owner of the golden box. “ Since this item was obviously stolen I’ll take a loss on it and return it. It really looks like someone tried to set this thing on fire, I mean look at the scorch marks here and here…” She pointed to two places most damage. “ A jeweler may be able to sort this out for you.”
|
|
