Because there were no expectations [Finished]

[Bryce Lamkin]

These days it was rare that she venture so far into the metropolis, especially on her own. Albeit the unorthodox start of her day however, Bryce was determined to make the most out of her venture into the city. Now that the fee for her final quest had been settled, she was left with a substantial amount of spending money. It had been quite some time since she had meandered through the busy streets in search of knickknacks and distractions, but today would be a perfect day to do so as a way to unwind. Not to mention, some time alone might help clear the steam that Sebastian and herself seemed to create when around one another.

Between dealing with the lecherous clerk at the Empath’s guild, then losing a hefty amount of blood to a seal in a sidewalk (first stage of Locate 3), and finally making an unpleasant acquaintance during a transit hold up, Bryce was not surprised to have a colossal headache. She folded a few bills and tucked them into the front pocket of her leather jacket, slipping the rest in her wallet; it had become a habit to spread her resources so that she wouldn’t be robbed as easily. Stepping away from the ATM, she snatched the receipt from the machine and glanced at it, then tossed into the trash bin on her way past the line of people that had been waiting for her to finish.

Taking a deep breath, she tucked her hands into her front pockets and raised her shoulders to her ears, before heaving a long sigh and dropping them back to their original position. She was clad in a black, leather jacket, one she had purchased to match Sebastian’s if he ever let her on that motorcycle of his. Beneath wore a clinging, hip-long t-shirt, which scrunched above the pockets of her jeans. The denim hugging her boyish figure was frayed and ripped at the knees, but was comfortable nonetheless. Pursing her lips as she idly stood on the sidewalk, Bryce glanced over at the corner of the street in hopes of having an idea of where to start this mini-adventure of hers.

Having lost a substantial amount of blood and been all across the damn city, she was in dire need of substance. There was no doubt about it. Instead of asking a bystander for any suggestions for a place to dine however, she made her way away from the bustling Polyhymia Square to avoid the masses which were fleeing their offices for the night.


Surely she would come across a decent place to find grub sooner or later.

[Christian Lecroix]

Despite after settling into a normal routine as of late, Christian Lecroix was uncharacteristically stepping outside what was making him so predictable. He wasn’t always so careless about his time but he could only keep his cop persona for so long. The last thing he wanted his enemies to figure out what his schedule. That even included those who had become an important part of his life, someone such as Chloe or Piper. So, instead of staying home tonight to watch another movie with his friends, Jim Beam and Jack Daniels, he decided to venture out into the city.

Christian had found a parking garage a block away from a strip of street where restaurants and taverns occupied most of the building spaces. Pulling his Tacoma into a parking space between two domestic cars, he made sure the room avail would be enough. The last thing he needed was dents from opening doors scratched into his vehicle. After locking his vehicle up, Christian maneuvered away from where he parked towards the staircase that led to the ground floor. Coming out of the building, he stopped at the portal of the doorway and glanced to both sides of the street. He noticed people wandering aimlessly towards something to do or groups of people meeting up with others they knew…

Turning towards the direction of Polyhymia Square, Christian believed there would be some kind of provisions to help his growing hunger. As he walked, he tucked his hands into the side pockets of his leather jacket. Lifting his glance from the sidewalk, he scanned the crowds just for something to look at while he walked. Stopping in his tracks, he lifted his head a little higher to accommodate seeing someone he recognized. A young girl, no more than her early twenties clad in a leather jacket and jeans, was familiar to him. He couldn’t point out where he had seen her before but it was worth trying to figure out. The worst that could have happened was her telling him he was crazy and never seeing her after that.

As Christian made his way over, he called through the small throng of people towards her. Slipping past a moving crowd, he started closing the gap between them to intercept her.

[Bryce Lamkin]

The hunted could never escape the feeling of being hunted; there would always be this obsession with finding some culprit who was staring or walking the same path. Bryce knew she should feel the least vulnerable in this crowded place, but it was that same ease with which she became unimportant, which could make her sudden abduction trivial as well. As she walked, her body was tense, her mind alert, and her gaze continuously scanning the faces that passed her by. There was a certain apprehension towards strangers now that she had not felt before, at least not as habitually as it was now. Reaching for her mouth, she scratched beneath her nose idly as she came to a stop at a red light.

The same hand that had been on her lip reached back into her hair, tucking the loose strands behind her ears as she searched the mob for any familiar faces. At this point, familiarity was not positive. With federal government scientists eager to inject all sorts of needles into her and question her about her ‘home planet’, it was best she keep a low profile. Old friends and colleagues could not be chanced upon, else word may get out about her whereabouts... The last place she wanted to lure any negative attention on herself was here.

Bryce cast that thought momentarily aside however, wondering whether attracting the quacks here would get them off her back once they realized how many unnatural things occurred in this city. And then she backtracked, for if people were really that prone to believing the things that went bump in the night were indeed very common, then surely there wouldn’t be so many humans wandering these streets at nightfall. Still, she could find solace in the thought of a vampire ripping those men’s necks apart, draining them of life. It was a cruel notion, but after what they had done to her Bryce had developed innate malevolence; surely it was proof of evolution, learned behaviour which would allow the survival of the fittest.

It was then, as she distractedly set foot upon the opposite pavement, unaware that she was walking alongside all the others so mechanically, that she felt it. A presence, a strong and unfamiliar one. Bryce felt it approaching, but she could not spot its physical counterpart. She stopped in her tracks, causing a few pedestrians to walk into her as they muttered for her to move and get out of the way. Her eyes scanned the premise, but it was only once the crossing crowd had dispersed along either side of the block, that she saw someone making their way towards her. Surely she should have paid more attention as to who it might be, but her instinct took over. He called out to her, and when she realized it was indeed her towards whom he was headed, her hands to suddenly moved out of her pockets and to her sides. Surely if it was a human, the expected hunter, she could easily take them down; after all her hands were already tainted by mortal blood. Yet, she did not want to show any unnatural behaviour amongst the crowds.

And so she ran. Fast.

The soles of her beaten up converse squeaked against the cement pavement as she launched herself back into the road, nearly colliding with oncoming traffic. A few drivers honked their horns at her as she jumped over the hoods of their cars, or scarcely missed contact with their front bumper. Surely an accident would hinder her planned escape, but at least she would be faster than a human. Thus far the crowds had not been a great problem, but as she traced back her steps in haste, nearing the busiest intersections, Bryce cursed them all. Her welfare was far more important than that of those around her, and so she pushed people, shoved them aside, stepped on their feet and did not apologize. If only they knew the fate she was escaping, they surely would not hold it against her. They did however, and a few yelled after her when she did not stop to help a middle-aged woman she tipped over. The woman was not of any consequence to her. It was ironic really that in such a callous city, people were showing any interest in their neighbours.

Upon impact her wallet fell out of her pocket, the motion of her legs causing the leather pouch to glide up her flat backside and eventually tip out of its confinement. Bryce was too concerned with running to notice. With her eyes set on a dark alleyway ahead, she began to gather her wits in order to call into her control the shadows that were there. Without any hesitance she flung herself to the floor, panting madly as her knees and hands scraped the rough surface. Closing her eyes, she beckoned the shadows to consume her, and slowly rose to her feet once she was hidden. If he had seen her make her way into the alleyway and followed, he would be unpleasantly surprised.

[Christian Lecroix]

The reaction that Christian had expected and the actual reaction that had ensued his calling out to her, were very different. He had not expected that she would only acknowledge his presence and then take off running because of it. Following the act of watching her take off, he let out a rather loud curse that caused him to receive dirty looks from random passers. For a moment, he regarded the situation at hand and then looked down at his clothing to see what she saw. He didn’t look like a cop tonight clad in a black leather jacket, old faded jeans and motorcycle boots. But the simple fact that she decided to run made him all the more curious to know the reason. And the only way he would be finding that out was if he decided to follow.

And he did.

Christian’s motorcycle boots pounded down the cement sidewalk, barely surpassing oncoming pedestrians that fell into his way. He followed the line of despair that emerged from her attempt to escape from him. As Christian passed through the same busy intersection that she had clogged with stopped vehicles, he received the same kind of support that she had. He made no attempts to pull out his badge from his back pocket and explain himself to anyone. His attention had been too wrapped up in trying to find out the reason this girl (who he recognized apparently) decided to run.

After crossing out of the dangerous intersection, he had gained some closed ground between them. He watched as a middle-aged woman had been plowed into but the girl didn’t even stop to help her up. No, she kept running. But Christian’s slight turn of attention to the middle-aged woman had caused him to lose track of where she had disappeared to. Coming to a skidding halt, Christian let out another loud curse as he brought his hands up to his face. Running them down from the top of his head to his chin, he dropped them after completing his exasperated act. When he dropped his hands to his side, he glanced down to see a wallet on the ground.

Christian looked around for a moment to see if anyone had dropped their wallet but they all seemed to be preoccupied with one another. Bending down, Christian picked up the wallet and flipped it open to see a form of ID that would help him. Ah, so the fleeing woman did have a name after all. She had a name and he had a lead. Christian also had another lead that he didn’t pick up on at first but soon after she started running, it had become apparent. She was no mere human. Since he had chased her at top speeds just to catch up with her but still lost her location.

Near the mouth of the alleyway where he had lost her, he flipped the wallet shut and sent out a telepathic message if she remained nearby still. Eleanor B. Lamkin, I don’t know what spooked you about me but I have something very important of yours in my possession. If you would like it back, meet me across the street to retrieve it. If you still are nearby and get this…

And with a swift turn on his boot heel, he walked away from the place where he lost her at. Christian walked towards the crosswalk at the intersection and crossed with the remaining people to a safer location.

[Bryce Lamkin]

Bryce groaned mutedly as she leaned against the wall of a brownstone building, hands on her thighs. She was breathing heavily, gasping for air as the hair strands gradually loosened from her low ponytail to curtain around her face. Never had she ran so fast, at least maybe not since her last celerity quest, where she had nearly missed the last two pubs due to them being nearly one-hundred and twelve blocks away from one another. Using the back of her hand to wipe her upper lip, she lifted her head to look out onto the sidewalk. No one had stepped into the alley yet, which surely suggested it was probable she had evaded the pursuer. Raising her body back up, she inched closer to the edge of building to look down in the direction she had come.

An unfamiliar man was running in her direction, which caused her to retreat a step or two back into the darker shades of the shadows. The werewolf set a hand on her chest, able to feel her heart pounding within, both due to the sprint and the fear. If she panted any louder, she was afraid he might notice her. Covering her mouth, she forced herself not to cough as an unpleasant itch settled in the back of her throat; she needed water. That’s when she heard it, his voice, in her head. Bryce winced, never very happy with being subjected to telepathy, let alone by a complete stranger. Her eyes widened as she recognized the item in his hands.

This was not good.
At all.

Surely he was no ordinary human if he was capable of manipulating the telekinetic channels, but why would an immortal take any interest in her. If he was not a threat, then why had he called out for her, let alone chase her? No, there was something off about this situation. He was a vampire, there was no doubt about it. He smelled of death, and his demeanour matched up with all the traits that were associated to vampires: pale skin, dark circles under his eyes, inhuman speed, and lastly, telepathy. Why would a vampire be chasing her though? It made no sense. Unless the government operation she was in was fronted by humans but run by vampires, and it was some sort of large-scale attempt to capture werewolves, then she did not understand what motivated his interest. Shaking her head at the ridiculous sci-fi notions that ran through her mind, she returned her attention to him.

Meet him across the street, right.
It may result in taking a detour and freaking out a few humans if she did not proceed with sufficient care, but there was definitely a way of snatching that wallet away from him without being caught. Trained in thievery, celerity, and surprise, there was surely a way of creeping up on him unnoticed. It would require some strategic planning however, and she did not have much time.

Letting out a controlled breath, still working on calming her respiratory and circulatory system, Bryce waited for a large crowd of pedestrians to pass by the alleyway’s mouth. Luckily, a continues stream of humans were headed to the traffic signal, and by blending in amongst them, she did a fair job of covering her scent. A vampire may be able to smell blood, but hers could surely small no different that human blood, right?

Either way, she did not put much thought into the matter, and instead moved with the crowd, slipping into the shadows cast by a rounded plastic roof that lined a tacky 60s diner on the corner. The werewolf proceeded in the shadows up until she was within a few feet away from him, and made use of surprise, celerity and thievery to flash around him in attempts to snatch the wallet out of his reach.

[Christian Lecroix]

There’s a spot.

Christian reached the second building down where there was a vacant spot between a coffee shop and a music store. He could hear the new sounds of techno music vibrating through the brick-layered wall. Looking down both directions of the sidewalk, he took note of everything as his gaze wandered slowly. There seemed to be nothing wrong with the picture but hunters could blend in easier than he imagined. Though his perception skill had been used and practiced to the point that he could pick out hunters left and right. Though holy men had a much easier time blending into a crowd.

Leaning against the brick-layered wall and kept a tight surveillance around his immediate surroundings. Looking towards the direction of the music store, he watched a couple walk inside. The girl had bright blue hair in tight spikes everywhere, matching her boyfriend’s (so he assumed) spiked mo-hawk. He chuckled lightly before a feeling passed over him. It didn’t take much for a cop to realized they were being watched or approached. Christian had spent damn near seven years within the FBI and RBPD to know when to trust his gut.

It seemed it worked well since he dropped his hand holding Eleanor’s wallet down to his side just as she attempted to steal it back. He had been somewhat surprised at how close she had gotten. Turning his body away from her, he slipped the wallet into the pocket of his leather jacket and dropped his arm closest to her to block her from advancing any farther.

“That was close, I’ll give you that.” Christian immediately shot at her before looking at her small frame. “You already know what I am, I assume, but why don’t you take the time the second-sight me to know I mean you no harm. I just want to talk to you.”

[Bryce Lamkin]

Bryce stumbled forth, starling a few passersby as she seemingly materialized out of nowhere. Screeching to a stop, she whipped her head back to look over her shoulder at him. She was ready to make a move for it again, catching the attention of a few onlookers as he took a defensive stance.

“Clearly not close enough...” she spat at him, lowering her fists slightly as she turned her attention to his pocket. From the expression on her face and the shifting of her weight onto her back leg, it was evident that she was already thinking up ways to take her personal belonging from his.

“I already did, why are you following me?” she questioned, narrowing her eyes as she leaned away from him, her legs shifting so that she was no longer in her makeshift defensive stance. Turning her head to survey the surroundings, she was made aware of how unnoticeable they were. The people who passed by them were too caught up in their conversations, technologies and company. When she glanced back at his face though, her left eyebrow arched upwards as a vague memory surfaced.

”You are that guy...” she mumbled, straightening her back as her brow furrowed. Bryce did not exactly remember how she knew him, but she remembered him, vaguely. Shifting her weight once more, the werewolf regarded him with slight apprehension, clearly jogging her memory for any recollection of their previous meeting. Many things had happened since then though, enough to make her forget a nameless face.

[Christian Lecroix]

Pushing himself up from the wall, he stood tall and declined his head to accommodate her. Tucking his hands into his pockets, he kept his arms tucked by his sides before glancing out at the crowd. He too, had noticed a few onlookers with curious gazes passing by but no one seemed concerned enough to stop and question it. With that notion in mind, he smiled lightly before looking back at her. “Damn near…”

“Its not like I was intentionally following you. I recognized you from somewhere and I was going to ask you but you took off running.” Christian shrugged his shoulders as he took a few steps away from the wall. Shifting his weight from foot to foot, he took a quick glance over her shoulder again to make sure no one else had seen her little trick. The last thing he needed was dealing with more hunters after what had happened with Chloe. For a moment, it hadn’t hit him why she had taken off running but he didn’t question her, instead he made a comment. “Shit. I know some cops are obvious but I didn’t think I was. I make it a habit not to look like a cop.”

“Well, that’s descriptive. No offense, honey, but you probably know a lot of guys.” Christian rolled his eyes before reaching into his leather jacket pockets for favor of his cigarettes. As he pulled them out, he took one from the box and offered the pack towards her. He wasn’t sure if it would offend her at all but most people thought it would be a common icebreaker. It usually worked. “How about we make a compromise? You come have a drink with me, just a drink, we talk and that way I can figure out where the hell I know you from and you get your wallet back, what do you say?”

For a moment, he watched her to see what she would say. He wasn't sure if she would take his bait but what other choice did she have? Christian clearly had the upper hand in this situation because of his strength and ability to control his powers to his advantage. She was not a vampire, so she clearly had to be a werewolf. With a smirk, he nodded because he had pinpointed what she was because she had the smell about her that was subtle to humans but a rager for vampires.

"So what do you say?" He questioned once again.

[Bryce Lamkin]

Honey.

Oh how that struck a chord, a chord that rang so loud and out of tune that she visibly cringed. Bryce was distracted however, so instead of chastising him for using such unwelcome terms and denying his allegations, she pondered his previous statement. A cop. Well, surely that was a reason enough to be running, especially if said cop was chasing after you. She had taken many risks before when it came to befriending strangers, never truly taking into consideration the potential danger such endeavors, but today was a different matter. Still, if he was a cop and she recognized him ever so vaguely, why didn’t his presence ring a bigger bell? Surely, given she had never had any acquaintance within the law enforcement sector, she would remember him, if only by that slight, albeit random, admittance.

Watching as he withdrew a cigarette from his pack and then held it out for her, she let out an aggrevated huff at his second urging. Bryce was hesitant in taking a tobacco stick, but did so nonetheless. As an astronaut in training, her habits had to be monitored, kept in check so that her visits at the health specialists wouldn’t reveal any unhealthy quirks, like smoking. Those premeditated days were far behind her now, but having had no reason to purchase any cigarettes since her return and no immediate relations who smoked, she had not picked up the habit. As Bryce reached for the cancer stick, holding it between both fingers whilst pondering whether it was laced with some poison other than the usual, the nicotine-free symptomless werewolf relented and suggested truce.

How about you give me your wallet and badge, then we can mutually hold onto one another’s personal possessions?

There was a certain amount of venom to her words, her irritation ever so present as she stared up at him from her disadvantageous height. They were equals in few aspects, and though he had a strength and height advantage over her, she doubted much good would come to him if he decided to make use of it. Sebastian was thrice the man this guy was, cop or no cop. Still, Bryce liked to think she could handle things herself, at least for now, and if this guy turned out to be part of the federal bureau of investigation, then she really did not want her sire involved.

I may know you, she paused as the cancer stick was lit for her, releasing a short puff of smoke and pulling the cigarette away from her lips.

But I sure as hell don’t trust you,

honey.

[Christian Lecroix]

Christian rolled his eyes.

“Let me rephrase that, I used to be a cop.” He commented, as he withdrew the box of cigarettes and returned them into his jacket pocket. Meanwhile, he fished out his lighter and lit both cigarettes before returning that to the same place. Looking down both directions of the street again, he inhaled deeply, knowing the smoke did nothing for him and to him. Christian had to admit, if Marjaan wouldn’t have changed him into a vampire that night he met her, he would have been going through chemotherapy and probably losing the fight. He had been aware of the aggressive form of lung cancer and emerging liver cancer that plagued his dead body. “There is no such thing as a vampire cop in the police force here.”

Though she was trying to act tough around him, he let it wash over him like he did everything else. If she chose to hate him, that was her prerogative but it wasn’t helping out her situation. When he listened to her declare that she didn’t trust him, he let out a short laugh before releasing the smoke from his lungs. He held the smoke in his lung an uncharacteristically long time before he remembered he was surrounded by mortals. “I don’t expect you to, hell, I don’t care if you do but at the present time, you really don’t have much of a choice, do you?”

As much as he hated being an ass to someone of the opposite sex, this one was a loaded pistol. In some ways, she kind of reminded him of Piper with her independent attitude. With a long sigh, he wiped his only childer’s memory from his mind because it served him no purpose. Christian wasn’t going to go chasing after her again after she left him the first time. Maybe it had been a mistake to change her but regardless, she was still his responsibility. Turning his attention back to Ms. Lamkin, he offered a drink for the last time.

“Here’s what you can do. You can come down to the tavern down the street and have one drink with me or you can pick this up at the station.” Christian offered her two choices that she probably would have flipped him off for. “But if you go down to the station, you might have to do some paperwork to get it back and that could take all night…”

[Bryce Lamkin]

“I don’t want a damned drink!” she shrieked, anger getting the best of her as her pitch rose exponentially. Pressing her lips together, she glared up at him for a few seconds before swinging a punch his way. There was no point aiming above his chest for she couldn’t reach without compromising her stability on foot, and so she hit him beneath the ribs. It was not done with sufficient force to knock him over or even injure him, it was merely theatrics pertaining to her caprice. Bryce narrowed her eyes at him and took one step back, awkwardly clutching the smouldering cigarette in her other hand.

Releasing the tight fist with which she had punched him, she reached up for her hair huffed indignantly.

“Fine!” she swung her arms to her side, nearly catching someone’s face with the burning tobacco. Her hands slapped down onto the side of her thighs before she clutched her hips, seething at him. Tearing her narrowed eyes from his overly pleased countenance, she glanced around him and spotted an all too familiar reddish board hanging over a business’ door a few blocks down. From here she couldn’t see what it was exactly, but it was the closest pub in sight. Not to mention it would be filled up with humans, which she would be far comfortable around than he would. Or so she hoped.

“We go there” she announced, not caring to relent to any other of his preposterous ideas.

[Christian Lecroix]

Christian didn’t know whether to be amused or annoyed by her outburst. If anything, she drew more attention than he would have liked. Perking both eyebrows upward, his eyes also widened when she punched him in the ribcage. It caused him some discomfort because he had not been expecting to be punched by the small firecracker. She had caused him to drop his cigarette on the ground next to his motorcycle boot which made his mood drop. Looking from the cigarette to Eleanor, Christian couldn’t help but make a gesture towards it. “Happy now? You just acted the age of a six year old who can’t have candy.” He commented.

When he looked up towards the tavern that she had pointed out, he sighed. That was the worst tavern he could possibly show up into but it was the only thing close by. With a curt nod, Christian stepped on the wasted cigarette butt with the heel of his boot before tucking his hands into his leather jacket pockets before walking towards the tavern. He didn’t bother to wait for her as he looked both ways before crossing towards the other side. When he reached the other side, he walked down the street to the tavern that she had pointed out as he reached for the metal door.

He held it open for a few seconds, assuming that she was a few seconds behind him as well. Pushing the door to remain open, he walked inside to the smoky atmosphere towards the bar counter.

[Bryce Lamkin]

Bryce couldn’t be arsed about acting like a child, especially when she was standing up for herself in the face of perfected arseholery. Who the fuck did he think he was? Regardless of whether or not he was connected to her pursuers, she found his attitude well matched to theirs—a class act, truly. Scoffing in response to his silence, she followed in his shadow towards the agreed upon tavern; well, she assumed he agreed. Punching the door as it threatened to close in on her, its weight countering his half-hearted attempt to keep it open, she muttered under her breath. Her cigarette had long been discarded on the pavement, but its taste remained on her lips and the scent of tobacco permeated the air. Scrunching her nose, not used to being so in tune with her senses in a crowded room, her gaze lifted to the walls where there were three flat-screen televisions. There was a hockey game on the one furthest from the bar.

Glancing over at the patrons, she witnessed the presence of greasy pub food, which hopefully was few of the many choices this place had. She didn’t announce her presence when she walked up to him, her eyes glued to the screen where the game was being aired. It was a rerun of the Olympics ice hockey game, which was probably why the other patrons were not interested in following the action. Bryce on the other hand, had not kept up with the games at all. Canada vs. USA, it was surely worth watching, especially if the company continued to be so damned patronizing.

[Christian Lecroix]

When Christian reached the counter, he immediately settled into an open spot before someone else tried. He wasn’t sure if Bryce had made it inside the tavern when he kept the door open an extra few seconds that he could have. Leaning in towards the bar, he propped one booted foot onto the floor railing that wrapped around the base of the counter and crossed his arms on the top of the counter. He watched the television for a few seconds before he was being serviced by one of the bartenders. Christian ordered himself something simple as a draft before looking over to see if Bryce had followed him to the counter or if she had chosen a table.

When he spotted her, she had made no comment about her arrival. Instead of ordering for her or asking her what she wanted, Christian just turned his attention back to the bartender. “Whatever the lady would like, just place it on my tab.” He wasn’t trying to be cold when he said it but there was no point in trying to order something she wouldn’t drink or eat for that matter. Best way would have been to let her order herself so she could at least enjoy something out of their whole encounter.

Christian moved closer towards Bryce before he looked around for an open table. He spotted one close to the emergency exit and it had a good view of the entire place. In case someone wanted to cause trouble with him, he could either see it coming or he could make a quick escape. “I’m going to sit over there, if you would like, you can join me.” He commented, as he reached for the large draft that the bartender placed out in front of them before looking at Bryce to order. “Just come join me when you get whatever you wanted.”

There was no point in sticking around for her reply if she was just going to spit an insult back at him. Turning away from her, Christian maneuvered through the throng of people and found the spot he wanted. Getting up into one of the chairs, he leaned forward and placed his glass onto the table before focusing his attention to the television while he waited for her.

[Bryce Lamkin]

Oy! I’m going to need my wallet! Bryce called out to him to no avail, finding herself alone in the presence of the barkeep. Glancing at the countertop and reaching for a menu, she reached up to scratch the side of her head as the man waited expectantly.

He paying for all this? she asked the human, not looking up from the menu as she flipped it over to read its back. The man told her that was the case, and so the brunette pursed her lips and nodded slowly as she wrapped her mind around the few choices she had. Meat. She wanted something substantial and filling that was not primarily grease and going to give her a stomach ache.

I’ll have the ribs and a Cheery Cola... she read off indecisively, finally setting the thing down and slamming her hands gently onto the edge of the counter, Yeah, that’s what I’ll have.

The man nodded and walked away. Bryce glanced over her shoulder in the direction the vampire had gone to as she waited. Was she to wait, or could she just go sit down? Turning her attention to the hockey game, she set the menu back where it had previously been and glanced back towards the barkeep. Within seconds he set a chilled glass before her, announcing he’d bring the ribs when they were ready.

Reaching for her glass, she nodded at the man before making her way towards the man in possession of her wallet. Food may be a distraction, but it surely was not going to sidetrack her. She wanted her wallet back, fuck the company. Still, she could not bring herself to hate him entirely, despite his cockiness and the irritation he ensued. Glancing around to look for any potential threats, she approached the table and set her glass on the flat surface. Huffing, she looked away from him and struggled to set her short frame on the tall stool. Once on it though, she ‘hrmph’ed at him triumphantly and slid her glass towards her.

So, do you have a name or something?