Demonology

[k-michelle412]

Zach walked down the crowded streets of the city. Even at night the city was crowded. You could barely blink without rubbing into someone.
The cars horns blared in frustration at all hours. His headphone successfully blocked most of the noises of busy life. Zach might have gone insane if they couldn't.
Humans were so cluttered and frantic it made him anxious. His naturally red eyes were hidden by emerald green contacts as they looked straight ahead to avoid unwanted interactions. His black hair was shaggy and fell into his eyes, sides shaved. He was thin and his long fingers held onto the cigarette he so dearly cherished. It was really the only thing he could ease his nerves with, legally at least.
His feet slapped against the pavement as he went to work. He was a fairly normal being. His mother was a demon and every other year he had the oh so lovely visit to held to visit the banshee and yes he meant a literal banshee. He would never understand why his father ever found anything about a banshee attractive. In his later years he chose to stay with the humans. They were skittish and reminded him of ants but they were fun to wash.
Exhaling a cloud of white smoke he dropped his finished cancer stick to the floor and put it out under his shoe. "Six hours in purgatory." He groaned entering the small video store he worked at with a grim look on his face. He wore black everything, it kept most strangers away, what with his angered expression, multiple ear piercings, black hoodie, skinny jeans, and vans. Most people stayed away and he liked it that way.

 

[Revv]

Sam grinned as the sirens passed the alleyway. She opened her black rucksack to a multi-gem studded necklace. It twinkled back at her as if it was glad to be free of its glass prison. Sam had entered the local jewelry shop disguised as a disgustingly wealthy businessman and pretended to be shopping for the "perfect anniversary present" for her supposed wife. She sure got a kick out of impersonating a clueless man. Eventually the jeweler's patience tired, granting Sam some time to analyze the piece alone as the lady went to check another cabinet. Just the exact moment she had been waiting for. Now in the shadowed shelter of the alley, she transformed back into her real self.

"Ahh, much better", Sam stretched into her shapely body. She took pleasure in keeping her body toned with mixed martial arts training, even though Sam could probably teach the class better herself. She quickly tied up her long, black hair to reveal a red under-layer and peered around the corner to check for police lights. Nothing. Sam stashed the necklace into a smaller leather satchel and tossed the rucksack into the closest dumpster. She adjusted her black crop-top and purple skinny jeans, and then strode gallantly into the streets. Her black boots clapped in applause and Sam smirked to herself, knowing what a devil she'd become.

Sam rounded the street corner back into the city buzz. The evening crowds still had a few hours to burn along the street's entrancing store fronts. This city screamed "sucker". Her dark brown, almost black eyes, darted from face to face as they passed. Between the direct eye contact, the tattoo sleeve on her left arm, and nose piercing, most people gave her a wide birth on the sidewalk. Only rarely did anyone dare cat call her, at which Sam usually flicked them off. A roaming police car crawled by on the road beside her. As an instinct, Sam decided to take a quick extra precaution and turned into the nearest store entrance. This one appeared to be a small video store.

She pretended to browse the store's selection on a few shelves, keeping an eye on the street. Sam hardly visited the cinema, and often didn't care to even watch TV. She made a face at the 'Romance section'. "Oh man, could you get any sappier", Sam scoffed at the labeled video ratings and awards. She wandered into the next aisle where a few shelves of CDs better held her attention. "Here we go..." Sam flipped through some 'Alternative' discs. From above the shelf she noticed a boy listening to headphones on the job and drumming the air with two pens in hand. Judging by the semi-shaved haircut and ear piercings, this clearly wasn't his scene either.

Sam slipped on some demo-phones and hit play. Some random punk rock band was playing. Not bad.

 

[k-michelle412]

Zachary eyes the girl who walked in. She seemed suspect. Not in a bad way but this shop rarely saw clientele and when it did, they were regulars. Also there was the minor detail of her being extremely hot and most of their customers were greasy little middle schoolers obsessed with anime.
Zach kept his eye on her as she walked through the store. He raised a peirced brow as she walked into the romance section. That was unexpected.
Seeing the girl scoff at it eased his curiosity. That reaction seemed more fitting. Seeing as this girl made no signs of leaving soon Zachary lifted his ear buds to his ears and played his music. Getting entranced in the beat Zachary began to drum on the air. He didn't notice the girl looking at him at all.
Once his song was over he hopped onto the counter. He watched the girl behind his feaux green eyes. God these contacts were annoying.

 

[Revv]

Sam skipped through a few of the demo tracks, growing a little bored of this shopping facade. She sighed and ditched the headphones. She glanced at the boy behind the counter again as she mindlessly ran her finger over some other CDs. He looked about her age, maybe a little younger. Sam was almost 19. She caught his green eyes peering at her, and though she usually would have rolled her eyes or ignored it, something compelled her to play up her cover. She dropped her gaze and looked for a suitable album. Grabbing a new punk rock release, she headed for the counter.

"These guys any good?" Sam let a smile slip across her face as she flipped the CD case around for the boy to see. She leaned against the counter, teasingly inviting his attention. There was definitely something odd about his eyes. Sam had a keen eye for detail, she had to given her profession, and his eyes peaked her curiosity.

 

[k-michelle412]

Zach had been sitting on the counter with his headphones in once more.
When the girl caught him staring he instantly averted his gaze. Great way to be a creep. He growled to himself. Despite that his eyes returned as this girl. She was different and he wanted to get to know her but it'd be odd if he just walked up to her.
Plus she's human idiot. One slip up and she'll go running. Zachary sighed to himself. Seriously this was getting pathetic. He looked away.
Hearing an unexpected voice he jumped and tumbled from his place on the counter. Looking up e saw that girl. Zach could barely keep the blush from his face. God she's hot. Scrambling to his feet Zach looked over the album, forcing his eyes to stay there. "Uh..." He read over the title and shrugged. "Yeah. Yeah they're pretty good. Listen to them all the time." He said. His voice was a nice tenor. Looking back to her his eyes looked over her frame. "What are you doing here?" It came out rude and Zachary had no intentions of fixing it either

 

[Revv]

Sam couldn't stifle a small laugh at the boy's surprise as he righted himself. Bit jumpy geez. She wanted to make a snappy remark about him daydreaming, but she slightly pitied him. She hated being trapped behind a counter at her last job in her uncle's auto repair shop. Plus, working with a half-blood was almost as bad as working under a human boss, and she was pretty sure this kid had the later of those deals.

Sam glanced at the window as he talked. Her eyes snapped back to him following his thoughts on the album and just in time to catch him checking her out. She smiled in response to his question and made eye contact with him. "Looking for some better entertainment", she playfully cooed. It wasn't far from the truth. Sam's eyes flickered back to the window and saw the patrol car pass by again in the opposite direction. Finally. She slapped the CD on the counter, "I'll buy it". This would at least give her an alibi. Sam studied the boy as she slipped money from the front pocket of her satchel. She could see light smoke residue on the boy's hand. "The question is, what are you doing here?" This guy didn't seem like your average 9-5 employee.

 

[k-michelle412]

"I work here, duh." Zachary said with a roll of his eyes. That was beginning to become a really bad habit of his.
He took her money and cashed out her CD giving back the change. He handed her the disk with a curious gaze. There was something about her that he couldn't quite name.
"Who are you?" That was supposed to be a thought but Zach had let it slip. Too late to go back now. His eyes narrowed curiously as she continuously peeked out of the window. She was either waiting or hiding. Zachary guessed it was the latter.

 

[Revv]

"Hopefully not by choice...", Sam mumbled under her breath. She took the CD in hand, not wanting to open the main pocket in her satchel in front of the boy. She still needed to cash the necklace and knew that if he caught a glimpse he wouldn't believe it was hers. She couldn't even believe that. Wasn't her style.

"Name's Sam", she straightened from the counter and swung her pack over her shoulder. She studied his eyes again. Those have to be contacts. His eyes were an unnatural green. But what is he hiding? Sam had a lot of faces in her memory, but had only ever seen women with colored contacts. Except on halloween or at raves. By the way he blinked, she wasn't convinced that he really wore them for fun. "Do you usually ask girls for their life story when you first meet?", Sam smirked as she dodged his question, but to keep her response rhetoric she added, "I'm just a gal trying to make a living in this hell hole like anyone else".

Sam checked her phone, pretending to read a message while noting the time. She looked back up at the boy, "Listen, not to insult your little gig here, but you look like you could use some fun". Sam grabbed the pen used for signing receipts and started writing an address on the back of one of the store's business cards, "I don't know what time the Man lets you go, but some friends and I are getting together tonight at our favorite bar", she handed him the card, "you won't need I.D., just tell the doorman that Sam Wilkes gave you an invitation". Sam didn't usually reward flirts, but something about this kid told her that he might fit in among her more-than-human friends. Worst case scenario, he'd be a nice memory snack for her Baku friend and would never even remember meeting her.

Her eyes fell on his nametag now. Zachary. "Do you go by Zach?"

 

[k-michelle412]

"Heard that." Zachary smirked having caught her little side comment. "You really think that I'd be here if I had the choice. That's insulting." Zach faked a pout before laughing it off, smirk still in place. It was sort of his trade mark.

Nice name...Sam. Zach made a mental note to remember it. Something told him she'd be important.
He fidgeted under her gaze as she looked him over. It looked like she was trying to find something and Zach felt like she could unveil his secret and that unnerved him greatly.

Zach was speechless as she wrote an address down. When she first took the card he'd thought it was her number but when she invited him to a bar he saw the address.
He was shocked to say the least. He'd barely talked to this girl and he was pretty sure she just asked him out...or something close to it.

Zach held the card in his hand and looked at her. "Yeah." He said looking back down and stuffing the address in his pocket. "We'll see." He said referencing tonight.

 

[Revv]

Cute. Sam couldn't help but return the smirk when Zach made his playful pouty face. She was surprised to find herself pleasantly amused by this kid. He was charming in some obscure way. At least he kept up with her repartee. His somewhat cynical retort confirmed her earlier judgements. He'd fit in among her friends. Human or not, they were sure to present him with better "choices".

Sam was a rogue agent, and tended to only pursue personal interests. Though in the light of recent events, she agreed to act as a sort of talent scout for a highly private agency. Some might even call it an underground deal. Since Sam had a knack for detecting oddities in the nature of people, she'd been given very few rules, and she liked it that way. Rules to her were more like suggestions anyways.

Looking at Zach now, she shrugged off her duties. "We always have a choice", Sam directed Zach's attention to the window, "it's just a matter of taking the right opportunity". Sam wasn't about to miss hers. She moved backwards toward the door and winked at Zach, planting her seal on the deal, "a no show would be insulting". Sam mimicked his pouty face and then spun on her heel to walk out the door. She put her hand up, but without waving just said, "Catch ya on the other side", as the door swung open and closed behind her. She made sure not to look back as she crossed the street and rounded the corner out of sight. Man I hate playing desperate.

 

[k-michelle412]

Zach kept his smirk in place as she walked out of the door. Sam was definitely a character. He liked it. She had a flare not many people, in either worlds, had and none that he had seen.

Zach mossied on through the store. Other than Sam, no other customers came in that day. Zach cleaned the store and other little things to get busy until it was the end of his shift.

Sitting in his one room apartment Zach pulled out the address given to him by Sam. He wanted to go. Something told him it would be well worth it, plus he'd get to see her again.

An hour before he had to meet her, Zach got up and redressed. He wore an obscure band tea and skinny jeans. He slipped on his vans and ruffled his hair a bit. Alright, not bad.

He grabbed his phone and wallet and began walking towards the bar.

 

[Revv]

Back in her two-bedroom flat, Sam carefully locked the necklace away in a storage safe. She knocked on her suitemate's door. No answer. Guess she must have already left. Sam liked being alone, but at least her roommate mostly kept to herself when she was here. She'd never admit it, but her suitemate kept her in check. They played in the same world after all.

Sam grabbed a pocky stick from the kitchen and sucked on it thoughtfully. Her mind went over all the details of her encounter with Zach earlier. She couldn't believe he was human. Sam smirked to herself. Then again.. you better learn to play "hard to get" kiddo. Her eyes shifted over to the calendar hanging on the wall. The square marking the last day of the month read "Testing Begins", written in red pen. Her teeth snapped the pocky stick. This night will have to be your first training.

Sam popped in the CD she bought from the video store and let it play in her room. She rocked to the beat a little as the setlist warmed up. Not bad. Sam worked out of her skinny jeans and slipped into a red and black grunge plaid skirt. She pulled on black thigh-highs, and let her long hair fall around her shoulders. With a single thought, her hair went from straight to wavy. Who needs a curling iron when you're a shifter. Sam then pulled open the drawer of her bedside table and attached a slim knife holster under her short skirt. With the kind of men she hung around, pepper spray just wasn't cutting it. She laced back into her boots and headed out.

-----

Sam frowned at the crowds outside the bar as she approached. Hate the Friday night rush... She passed the lines and met the bouncer's gaze. Ah, new guy. She smiled and showed him the silver coin which hung from her neck. It carried her clan seal and was the token to get in most nights, unless the club left a demon on duty. With a subtle nod, he allowed her to pass behind him. Sam slipped a card into his front pocket as she passed. "I'm expecting a guest, by the name of Zachary. Help him find the basement when he arrives, will you?" she lent a courtesy wink and continued through the door.

Music, dance lights, and drunks filled the room. The chaos and sensory overload for humans served as a convenient cover for all the passing "fey" in the room. Sam narrowed her eyes on those she suspected to be new recruits. One of the Pyros was trying to turn up the heat with a young 20-something. Ugh, don't act so human. Sam rolled her eyes as she crossed the room. She earned a few interested looks, but ignored them. At least the DJs playing tonight were decent.

She flashed her token at a second guard by the back staircase, and descended into a completely different scene. Below the cliche dance floor upstairs was an edgy and contemporary lounge where "real" bad girls and boys came to play. It was a fairly eccentric place to be, but that was not surprising considering its customer base. An alternative rock band played on stage, and Sam smirked realizing that the housekeeper was smart enough not to hire a Siren this time. Though the guests here were all more-than-human, they didn't look too different from humans, even relaxing into their true states. They just had in-human interests to attend to down here.

A tingling sensation shot up Sam's spine and she turned around to meet the abysmal but unmistakable stare of a Valkyrie. The girl's black eyes softened as they met Sam's. Fiona. "Sorry I'm late", Sam said in a tone which suggested her timing couldn't have been better. "You should really work on your dyes.." Sam leaned comfortably up against the bar counter next to her suitemate, "you're platinum blonde's almost washed out to a white again".

Fiona simply laughed "C'est la vie" and raised a finger to get the bartender's attention. "We can't all just think ourselves into easier looks", she teased Sam back.

"Ha, I don't think my guest is the "blonde" type anyways", Sam gave the bartender her order, "I'll take an Alley Cat, on the rocks".

Sam looked over the noise surrounding the stage to the stairwell. This should be fun.