The Accursed Bloods - A were creature RP (REMADE)-Please see OOC before posting!

[SxyCowgirl]

If you wish to join this RP at any time, please go to the The Accursed Bloods - A were creature RP (Recruitment/OOC) thread.

Thank you.

And now, let us begin.

On a large screen in the middle of downtown, a reporter is busy talking about the new cards with flavored strips to give to people for whatever occasion. Elsewhere, out over the dark star-studded ocean and coming in fast, a large, dark blue figure speeds towards the city partially concealed by the darkness of the night. A thin crescent moon shines barely visible in the dark night sky above the city. As the figure nears the Statue of Liberty, screams erupt from tourists below.

Flying just above the buildings, Rosa scans for the green place known as Central Park. she can hear the screams below as she flies overhead, ignoring the sounds. Finally, she spots green ahead. Speeding up, she flies towards it at her top speed. Passing over the border into the park, she folds her wings against her body and plummets towards the ground. Just before she hits, she pulls her wings out and lands, running to a stop. More screams emit from people who had come to visit the park as they see the great dragon touch down. Running away as fast as their feet can carry them, the people in Central Park evacuate themselves.

Rosa shook her large, deep blue head and stretched her wings, looking around. At least there wouldn't be anyone to bother her anymore. She smirked and turned into the trees. As she entered the trees, she began to shrink and her scales melted off into shimmering dust. In a matter of moments, she was a beautiful, but now naked, young woman with long, flowing dark hair and piercing blue eyes.

"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you breaking news. News has just come in that there are a number of people who are claiming to have seen what appeared to be a dragon, flying over the city from the ocean. Nothing has yet to be confirmed on what this is, but some of the many supposed witnesses, have plenty of ideas. Sir, you said you saw something over New York City. What do you believe it was?

[Old man's voice] It was a dragon. No doubt about it! It had big wings, and claws and boy was it ugly!

Well there you have it, there appears to be a dragon, flying around New York Cit--Wait! We now have confirmation that there is in fact something here though it is no longer in the skies, but in our very own Central Park. Police are on their way to the scene now, and so are we."

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac sat looking at the jumbo screen by Central Park. He head heard the swooshing of wings overhead. He didn't know what exactly had been going, on but the "blind man" decided to check it out. He held onto his walking stick to add to the illusion until he entered the tree line. He folded up his walking stick and clipped it to his belt loop as he walked through the woods. He spent a good fifteen minutes sweeping, he had almost given up when he heard a soft breathing. He turned and pulled out his walking stick, holding it like a sword. "Show yourself!" He took a sniff in the air, the scent of cold blood and other interesting scents. "No way... there is no way, dragons aren't real..."

[SxyCowgirl]

Rosa stopped as she heard steps on the grass not terribly far away from her. Ducking quickly behind a tree, she glanced around it to see a man wearing sun glasses. He stopped and turned towards her, somehow seeming to hear or sense her there. He took his walking stick from a belt loop and held it in her direction and spoke. After a few moments of analyzing the man, it appeared that he was blind and so she ventured from behind the tree.

"Oh but they are most certainly real." She assured the man. Though even with his suspicious blindness and brazen way, he was rather charismatic and moved fluently like a creature she had known long ago just after taking refuge in her cave. She walked silently through the grass, circling him slowly. "And who," She asked, "Might you be?"

She had a feeling about this man. There was something more than meets the eye and her curious nature couldn't help but wonder about it. She began to think that perhaps he was one of the reasons she had risked coming to this city in the first place and she couldn't shake the feeling.

[Grimmwolf]

"I am dangerous," He watched her behind the glasses, taking small steps to follow her as she circles. Isaac waited before he lowered the stick and collapsed it and hooked back onto his pants. "My name is Isaac, but I am also known as the Archangel, doubt that you have ever heard of me..." He took a step forward and began to take off his glasses. "Unfortunately, now you never will." He looked into her eyes, his serpent eyes glowing a low green. He was waiting for her to go into paralysis, but when she just stood there, he moved closer, widening his gaze. "Why is it not working?" He gave up and leaned back, sighing heavily as he put his sunglasses back on. "You're not human."

[SxyCowgirl]

She watched as he followed her movements perfectly. No blind man could truly do that, unless there were some other explanation for it. She listened as he spoke and watched him put the stick back onto his belt. Then just as he finished speaking, he lowered his sunglasses, revealing to her that he indeed was not blind. Now slightly self-conscious, but too curious to do anything about it, she tensed a bit, expecting an attack of some sort. Staring straight back into his unusually green eyes, she noted the every so slight twinge that ran down her spine, telling her even more about him. After moments of expecting and being prepared for an attack, she loosened up just a bit and replied.

"You are correct. I have indeed not heard of you, though your threat seems to have fallen short." Ceasing her circling and eying him up and down, her expression not changing from the solemn look of skepticism and curiosity. She continued to stare back at him as he replaced his sunglasses. Not truly surprised by his observation, she shook her head. "Correct. I am not. Not fully anyway. And I seek the company of like individuals."

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac looked her up and down and up at the sky. "What do you mean?" He wasn't able to stun her with his gaze, learning more about her would be the next best thing. He flash a bright white smile, his unusually long canine's lining the the moon light. He felt the scales silently grow up and down his spine, his body getting ready for a possible fight, his eyes turned serpent again, his venom begging to enter flesh. "Others like you?"
Isaac put his hands behind his back, his fingernails growing into small black claws, he didn't trust this woman, no one would be so calm in Central Park in the nude. She was definitely not normal, but neither was he, the change was coming only partially, controlling his own change. The scales were moving down his arms and his legs.

[SxyCowgirl]

She felt his aura changing around him as he spoke. She could tell he was uneasy and noticed scales beginning to cover his hands and neck. She smiled as her assumption was once again proven correct.

"Let me rephrase." She said, scales of blue beginning to cover her own body, spikes growing slowly from her spine. "Others like us."

[Grimmwolf]

His eyes widened and his scales receded. Isaac took off his glasses and looked the woman up and down. "You are like me... only not like me." He rubbed his head a little and looked around. "So you were the-" He couldn't force the word out, his throat clenched as he tried. His mind was beginning to hurt, he had only heard of werewolves, bears and cats, but never a weredragon.

[SxyCowgirl]

"Dragon. Yes. As I have been for over a hundred years. I have come here for the reason I have felt the largest concentration of energies." She said, stepping closer to him, her own scales melting away. "There is a great threat to ones like us. I am here to gather and organize an opposing force. They believe we are a threat to civilization and beasts unworthy of living." Her face was solemn as she spoke, stopping just in front of him. "I give you an option. Join me and help fight the evil that threatens to destroy us, or continue living as you were."

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac rubbed his chin, his blue eyes shining in the lights of the stars. He looked at her up and down again, taking off his coat and tossing it  on her head. He moved into the trees, disappearing from sight. "And what do i get out of this? I have a life here, I am one of the best sushi chefs in New York! I have to cater for a good fifty people in two days. You have to be more persuasive than that."

[SxyCowgirl]

She took the coat off her head and put it on assuming that the reason he had given it to her was she was making him uncomfortable. "Well there is much strength in numbers. And seeing as you are the first I have met, and seem to be like-minded, you will be my partner. You will help me find and convince others to join our cause. So as not to attract too much attention, you as well as anyone else who joins us, will be able to continue with their lives as usual, except for meetings and planning what will be done. As I have no life here, I will stay hidden in the shadows, protect those who decide not to join, and continue to try to find others." She said, following him. Allowing a few scales to emerge around her throat, she pulled one out with a wince and handed it to him. "If you decide you need time to think about it, say my name and I will come and find you. For now, I must leave. The park is no longer safe."

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac takes the scale from the shadows and looked at it. "I am pretty safe, there is no need to really expose myself to any danger you have brought to us." he put his glasses back on, covering his blue eyes in darkness as he pulls out the cane and starts walking. The thought of being in danger began to wrack around in his brain, scoffing it off like there was nothing that could catch him, or even sufficiently give him cause to fear.

[SxyCowgirl]

Like a snake striking, she shot her hand out, catching him by the shoulder. "I have not brought the danger. The evil is here in this city and has been for many years now. It wasn't until recently, when the seemingly random deaths began, that it became a great threat." She explained, stepping up beside him. "I need your help. You are reptilian as am I, though I do not know what reptile resides within you, we are very similar. I will need as much help as I can get. Again, I leave it up to you, but know you will be regarded as a hero when all is said and done."

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac looked over his shoulder and stared at her. "What do you mean?' He turned and took his glasses off again. He looked into her eyes, growing a bit green. "If I expose myself, I will be putting myself and everyone I know in danger." He took her hand off of his shoulder and  looked at her again, his eyes filled with a tiny bit of remorse. "I am a bit of a fugitive, and if they know I am still alive, they will send countless to either bring me back dead or alive."

[SxyCowgirl]

"I am not asking you to show yourself. Not to anyone but myself. It is your choice weather you want to show your other forms to anyone, I will not pretend to try to control you. I do need your help, but I would not ask you to put yourself in more danger than necessary." She slitted her eyes as his changed once more. "Why do you keep removing your glasses?" She asked. She had a feeling it had something to do with his other forms, but she wasn't sure.

[Grimmwolf]

He stared deep into her eyes before looking away. Why wasn't it working? She should have been paralyzed by now. He sighed and shook his head. "You don't even know what I am..." He slid off his shirt and then his pants, leaving himself in the nude before his scales formed over his body, his hair pushing back into spines His eyes were glowing a bright green as his legs morphed into his torso, and he grew larger and longer, he opened his maw, showing the venom glistening fangs. "Gaze upon me, the Death serpent, child of Jormungandr, I am Isaac, the were-basilisk."

[SxyCowgirl]

Pleasantly surprised, she smiled and stepped closer. He was magnificent. His scales gleaming with the fire yellow of the streetlights that barely reached where they were, black as pitch. His eyes were beautiful and would have been terrifying if she had not lived as long as she had. His jaws filled with sharp teeth, two large venom filled fangs shone in the dim light.

"One of my own kin. A basilisk." She observed, stepping ever closer. "That explains you staring at me the way you were. Though why would you wish to kill me? I have done you no wrong." She stopped and looked directly into his eyes, unblinking. "Please consider my offer seriously. I will need much help, though I don't often ask for it, I am asking you. As partners, we could easily take down the evil that builds within this city and prevent a great tragedy from befalling others like us as well as innocent bystanders." Taking a few last steps towards him, she gently laid her hand on the side of his neck, smiling at him.

[Grimmwolf]

A low hiss came from his throat as she touched him. "You know who I am, what I am, I can't afford something like that. Even if you are like me..." He slithered away  a bit, raising himself up a bit as he stared down at her. "Those who are like us tend to be able to fend for themselves, that and they would not be the biggest fans of something that could kill them just by looking at them." He returned to normal and put his clothing back on, resting his walking stick on his shoulders. 'Why do you want my help so badly? I am meant for killing, that is all I have ever been good at until I came here, now it's killing and sushi."

[SxyCowgirl]

"Both of which will come in handy. As a chef, you have connections, hear conversations. As a killer like me, we can take down what threatens to destroy all we know and love." She said, watching as he returned to his human form. "The hunt is already on. All the seemingly random deaths, are not random at all. Whole families are being killed for having a single member like us. Children, the elderly, it doesn't matter, they will die. Unless the ones responsible can be stopped. If our kind could fend for themselves as well as you say, how would you explain the recent homicides and unexplainable DNA of some of the victims?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder in the direction of the path. It had been too long from when she had arrived. They wouldn't have much longer to talk before the park was swarming with some kind of armed enforcements.

"We do not have much more time. We may find a safer place to speak more on the subject, or we may meet up later. Which do you prefer?"

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac spat onto the ground as he heard the sirens coming. He had no choice, if they saw her, they'd arrest him for attempted rape of soliciting prostitution. He gabbed her hand and pulled her to a man hole cover  and lifted it up, "Come on, you better be thankful for what I am doing." he dropped down the hole and waiting for her to follow. What was he doing, Isaac always kept to himself, sure he talked to his clients with ease, but he was never such a spontaneous person. It was the girl, she was making the life rise inside of him, and it made Isaac both angry and excited.

[SxyCowgirl]

A bit taken aback by his sudden change, she followed him to a large, round metal disk inlaid in the ground. He lifted it from its place to reveal a gaping hole in the ground. She had been in cities many years ago, but she had not seen a thing like this and it confused her and made her wonder what other surprises this city might hold. She smiled at his annoyed tone as she followed him through the hole in the ground. "Believe me when I say I am."

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac looked around and saw nothing but darkness. He sniffed a bit as his eyes began to glow. "Ugh, don't look down." He sneered, the smell of sludge under their feet. "There should be a bypass connecting to the subways from here. He continued to walk, holding her hand as she walked in front, using his walking stick to stabilize himself now. It was a few minutes of silent walking when he turned and looked at her. 'Who are you? And I have never had a headache this bad since meeting you."

[SxyCowgirl]

The smell was nauctious, but she just had to assume he knew what he was doing and where he was going. She tried to breathe as little as possible without passing out and took his advice not to look down. He led her through the tunnels for what seemed like a long while before he turned to her and spoke.

"I am Rosa Liluit, the Italian dragon." She said, smiling. "Though in all reality I am not a true dragon. But that is what the people knew me as. Your headache might be either from the fumes, or it could just as easily be how closely related our species are. You are a basilisk, kin to dragons. I am a dragon." She wasn't quite sure how else to explain it. She had shared her cave with whyrms and basilisks alike during her many years of hiding, but had never come across one like her, a were-creature.

[Grimmwolf]

"I would say nice to meet you, but since I met you, there really isn't much that is been good about it." He continued to walk, hearing the sounds of the subway coming closer and louder. He slipped his glasses back on before  opening a small hatch  and walking through it. Isaac took her hand and  escorted her through a maintenance hatch onto the tracks and hopped up onto an empty platform. "I don't think the headache is because we are related, I think it's because you came into my life and now all of this is happening. Not once have I ever had to walk through the sewers."
Isaac glanced around, the smell of metal obscuring his best sense.

[SxyCowgirl]

"And why did you have to now? I do not see a reason." She said, following close behind. She could hear something big ahead and couldn't tell what it was. It almost sounded like the geysers she had visited once but this was not water she heard and it confused her. She did not stop despite being hesitant to go closer to the sound. "Have you thought for a second this has happened for a reason?"

[Grimmwolf]

"Do I have to what, say nice to meet you, or get head aches." He looked back at her through his glasses and let go of her hand, "Or was the walk through the sewers something you were asking about." Isaac began to get angry at he seemingly ignorance of the city. "I went into the sewers because the cops were coming after you, and would think I was raping you and and~" Isaac continued to yell as a train rushed passed. He was waving his walking stick around as the end of the train passed, his face was turning red, "and that's why I have a headache would say 'nice to meet you.' Any more questions?"

[SxyCowgirl]

They stepped up to this area that was like a small ravine made by water running through it, but it was perfectly straight with metal bars running where the water should have been. Looking both directions of the strange ravine, she saw nothing but black, square tunnels. She listened as he spoke again and was about to respond when he grew louder, continuing his words. Not but thirty seconds after she had opened her mouth to talk, a light appeared very quickly in the darkness of the tunnels and grew closer very quickly. As whatever it was passed by the wall into the area where they were, Rosa jumped back in fright. It was some, thing she had never seen before, or could even rationalize. Surely the world could not have advanced so much since she had hidden. The end of it passed and her heart began to slow back down.

"Any more questions?" He asked her.

She nodded but for a few moments she couldn't find her voice. When she did, all she could get out was a meek, "What was that?"

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac looked at Rosa and started laughing, He watched as another subway came to a slow by the platform. Wasn't this part of the subway shut down and abandoned? "It's call a train, fast, efficient... and unpredictable." He pretended to be blind again and watched as no one flooded out, of course, there was a platform onto five car lengths down, this was the last car. Isaac looked back at the girl and stepped onto the train. 'You coming or not?"

[dready]

Corgel looked up from his recipes and took a gander at the station number. "... Huh. Did I miss my stop?" he asks himself, standing up and looking out the window of the subway car. It looked to be run down and abandoned, but then again they would often just close the entrances to the surface and work on the platforms if it was broken, so he just sat back down and looked through his book. The man was sitting in the second car from the front, since he didn't have enough money for a taxi and it started to rain before he could get to work. It wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't for the rain, and that he had a visit from his father earlier in the night. Then again it was always a problem whenever a family member came to see him in person, as if there was some sort of issue that would end their existence if he was not contacted immediately.

The sound of the doors opening made him look up from his book again, and checking the car ahead and the cars behind his own to see any workers. None were to be seen. "... There's something wrong with that," he mutters under his breath and closes the small book, putting it away in his sweater slip. This was the sort of situation someone in a horror movie would find themselves in, and he was not going to be ignorant of the signs that would lead to a possible demise if he could help it. "Better not be a friggin horror movie cliche." Corgel mutters under his breath again, running his hand through a dome of messy brown hair before adjusting his grey sweater from letting a draft of cold air between it and his shirt. His white pants shifted slightly with his feet as he partially pushes himself farther back against the bench and keeps an eye out for anyone before the sound of the doors closing could hit his ears. If anything he could have thought of, the last thing would have been to keep the tip of his tongue in his mouth, which currently peeks out from his lips.

[SxyCowgirl]

((TROST! PLEASE READ THE OOC THREAD BEFORE POSTING AGAIN! THANK YOU!))

A train?! She thought. She had heard of them, seen one at a distance like a large steaming snake meandering across the land but this was nothing like what she had seen. After only a few hesitant seconds, she nodded and stepped onto the train behind him before speaking. "This is nothing like the trains I've known..." She said, looking around at the empty train car.

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac sat down on a seat and looked at her, "Yep, the wonders of the technological age." He sat silently as the train started moving, He saw the car in front of them empty as well. "Must be your entrance to New York," He looked at Rosa and sighed. "Before you ask, I am speaking of why the one in front of us empty, you coming to New York has made people watch the Jumbo Tron.

[SxyCowgirl]

"Jumbo....you mean that noisy thing I heard?" She asked. It was so strange not knowing these things. She had been living in a cave for many years, but she was used to being well informed of the goings on around the mountain she had occupied. She didn't like the feeling of not knowing things here and it frightened her a bit. If she didn't know about these things, what else didn't she know about, and how could they possibly be of use or harm to her. She had never been uncertain, except for when she was very young and in school. She shivered, the memories of those years coming back to her.

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac looked away from her and out the window. "Just please... please stop talking." He rubbed his temples and  waited for the train to stop at the next stop. He sat in silence, until it slowed and he stood up, 'Come one, hold my hand." he took hers in his as he brought his walking stick out started walking into the crowd. The blind ruse was all too familiar with Isaac. He continued to walk, he felt someone bump his side and he turned striking them in their shoulder, making them drop his wallet. He kne exactly where it was, but had to pretend to search for it. When he finally picked it up, he continued out from the subway, Rosa's hand still in his constricting grip. "When you're in the city, you have to know how to act and react, go with the flow, know what clothes to wear."
Isaac continued trekking with the were-dragon until they came to a clothing store. 'Perfect, let's pick you out some clothing."

[SxyCowgirl]

Flustered, Rosa walked not quite beside him but not quite behind him either, making their way through the throngs of people until they reached a shop with odd, but strangely appealing clothing. It was only after his comment about getting her some clothes that she remembered that she was naked beneath his coat. She had been so used to it, being without clothing, in her cave that she had completely forgotten about it but now she blushed. "Oh...okay." She said meekly. What was wrong with her?! This wasn't her at all! She was usually much more confident. Perhaps it was something about this man. Perhaps it was something about this new city. She couldn't tell which it was, but whatever it was made her not her normal self.

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac walked in, 'Excuse me, can someone help my friend here?" he watched as a girl walked up and smiled at him, he made no reaction. "Thank you, I could hear you walking a mile away, you shouldn't really wear heels to work, you'll destroy your soles." he smiled finally, 'Now, my little friend needs a set of new clothes, something tasteful, elegant, and possibly sexy. i won't be seeing it but I'm sure others will be excited about it." he turned his head and his smile widened, though his grin looked more menacing when he  aimed it at Rosa. "I'll find a place to sit, you two have fun now."

[SxyCowgirl]

The sales clerk's face lit up as she was given permission to get the woman before her anything she thought would look good. She grabbed the woman's hand and began pulling her towards the back of the store.

"Ah...but I--" Rosa began to protest, her cheeks getting redder.

"Come with me! I know just the thing!" The clerk said, not letting go of Rosa's arm.

Embarrassed at not only having no clothes of her own, but not having any money to pay for any from this store, she looked back at the man she had been traversing the city with a look of uncertainty.

As the woman pulled Rosa along, she picked off different things from places, holding them in the hand that wasn't attached to Rosa's wrist. Eventually they made their way to the back of the store and the woman opened a door for Rosa. Stepping inside, her mind went back to her teen years when she had gone shopping for dresses with her friends in the European clothing shops. The clerk handed her a couple of items for her to try on and closed the door.

After a bit of a struggle, Rosa opened the door and stepped from the changing room.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

It was strange for her. She wasn't used to buttons, nor pants and she wasn't quite comfortable in this attire.

The clerk complimented the way it looked on her and than gave her something else to try on. This went on for quite a while until she had a number of outfits that she and the clerk had agreed looked good on her.

((The other outfits:

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

))

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac watched from a distance, smirking at Rosa's discomfort. He kept his head turned, so people only thought that he was hearing her get pulled around. He waited for her to come out of the dressing room, and when she did, his jaw dropped a bit. Her clothing looked really good on her. But hey, from what Isaac had heard, all lycanthropes were attractive in almost anything they wore.
He stood up and walked over to them, tapping his stick against the clothing racks and smiled gently. "How does she look?" Isaac looked Rosa up and down from behind his glasses and raised his eyebrows. "Turn some heads? Stop hearts? Melt ice? details please." Isaac laughed a little, a nice feeling after the insanity from earlier. Things were finally calming down, or so he thought.

[SxyCowgirl]

Rosa watched as the man stood and walked towards them, tapping the racks with his stick as he walked. She couldn't see his eyes from behind the dark glasses he wore, but she could feel his eyes moving up and down her body. Listening to his words, she blushed and grinned a bit, remembering a bit of her past. But as soon as she heard the man laugh, a little bit of her discomfort went away and she couldn't help but smile as well.

"Oh she looks amazing in everything I've given her!" The clerk said happily. "Perhaps you could feel how they fit her." She suggested, apparently assuming they were a couple.

Rosa blushed and looked at the girl. "I think it's alright. I don't think he needs to." She protested, though not very loudly.

Though she was attracted to him, she didn't know him and it made her a bit uncomfortable. When she was young, she was used to being stared at by the young men of the town but she had always had a look don't touch policy with them, which she found actually made them more interested in her for some reason. She wasn't about to break that policy now though for a stranger.

[Starlequin]

Valentine Marlar -- Scratchin' Out a Livin'

There was some real hustle n bustle on the streets tonight. The sidewalks were even more crowded and traffic was even more aggressive than usual. And for New York, that was saying something. A lot of the video boards were showing conflicting local news reports, and clamoring reporters were speculating on the cause of a disturbance in Central Park. Everyone had a theory and they were all getting equal airtime, everything from ruptured exploding gas mains to gang riots to terrorist attacks.

The last set Valentine's teeth on edge; he hadn't been in New York for the first one, but after seven years he was as much a native as those born and raised, and the idea of someone attacking his city brought his blood near boiling. But from the various reports and the apparently low level of emergency response, whatever was going on couldn't have been that horrible. A few news and police choppers were visible on a couple of newsfeeds, and a couple of ambulances and a fire truck sat parked in the background of a few others.

And cops, of course. Wouldn't be a party without the city's finest. Val walked, casual but careful, upriver against the pedestrian traffic flow and away from the scene of whatever incident the media was so expertly whipping into a catastrophe. It had been a lousy day already, and he was in no rush to extend his malfortune into the evening hours.

'That fat prick. Like he never accidentally outed a mobster's nephew in print before,' Val thought, irritated. That fat prick, of course, being his editor Walter, who'd spent nearly a full hour chewing him out after being 'persuaded' into printing a retraction of an article Valentine had written the week before concerning a scandal involving a recent spate of grave robberies, a surprisingly musical poodle named Zootzy, and an embezzling scam run by a pair of New York County employees who apparently enjoyed cross-dressing on weekends. Val had put in a lot of time on that piece and thought it was particularly solid, until someone mailed a box of severed cat heads, lined with copies of his aricle, to his editor's office day before yesterday.

'Besides, that's what retractions are for, for fuck's sake! And at least it was someone from the O'Hanlon organization; if it had been the Italians, it could have been his kids' heads in the box.' Val shuddered at the notion and began walking a little faster. And as if that weren't enough, he'd gone home to find one of those charming little notes from his landlord, Mr. Sztrynzinsky, demanding the month's rent on time for once. At least, that's what Val thought the note said. 'Only man I know whose accent is thicker in ink than outta his mouth.'

As he reached downtown the foot traffic began to thin a bit, and Val fell into step a few feet behind an older man in a rather well cut suit. His instincts, honed by years of practice, throttled into overdrive, and his fingers began to itch familiarly. The lift was smooth, light as the air. The old man didn't feel a thing, didn't even break stride as Val expertly withdrew the man's wallet from his back pocket and deposited it into his jacket pocket. A few more steps, and he ducked into a side alley to examine his earnings.

The wallet was polished but worn, filled mostly with pictures of children in various states of play. Grandad was in several of the photos, along with a rather handsome woman and a younger couple; grandma and the family. Val took a moment and studied the pictures; it used to bother him, seeing such happy family pictures, being reminded of what he'd probably never have for himself. Now...well, it still bothered him, but he didn't allow it to distract him any longer. In two of the pockets Val found the usual AARP Visa and Mastercard, and in the main fold, $83 held in a sterling silver money clip. Not bad; at least he'd be eating for a few days. Val left the cards and checked out the I.D. In a couple days, he'd mail...Mr. Mullins' cash-lightened wallet and family photos back to him from an anonymous mail drop box.

Passing through the fashion district, Valentine felt a tingling sensation start to build in the base of his spine and climb up to settle in his brain. He hated these damn things; he'd been getting random headaches for years, almost since he left the orphanage back home. They never lasted more than a few minutes, but they could be hellaciously distracting. He spotted a couple leaving one of the higher-end boutiques up ahead, and suddenly the tingling spiked into a full-blown ringing. For a few seconds Val had to stop and lean against the side of a building until the feeling passed. Once it subsided, he broke into a half-jog to catch up to the pair as they walked ahead. The woman looked like high fashion all over, dressed in what looked to be a brand new outfit from the store they'd just left; the man on her arm poked and prodded at the ground ahead of them with a long, slender cane.

'A sugar kitty and a blind man. This one might actually be too easy,' Val thought with a smile as he approached silently from behind, that familiar itch building once again in his fingertips. 'Ah, well. Their own fault for looking so damn loaded; Sztrynzinsky, you old codger, you'd better appreciate this. Here comes your damn rent...'

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac paid for Rosa's clothes and took his coat back, being a rich and locally famous sushi chef really paid off. He grabbed Rosa's hand and walked out. 'There, more normal." He started walking down the street, looking at people as they passed. Most of the men were dumbfounded as to how a blind man could score such a beautiful woman. Isaac let his tongue slip out of his mouth and he smiled, it felt good to be envied.
Something was wrong with the air though, there was the scent of humans, exhaust and metal everywhere, but something else was locally there. He felt his skin come alive with goosebumps. He stuck his tongue out again, grabbing the scent once more. he quickly turned and smacked the man's hand with his walking stick then pulled down his glasses and locked eyes with him, freezing him cold in his tracks. "Tsk tsk, it's not very nice to try and steal from someone." He grimaced and looked at the man, sticking his tongue out again, only this time, it was long slender and forked. "Fucking hell, another one." He put his glasses back on and pulled out a pair of nail clippers from his pocket and snipped off a bit of flesh from his pinky, causing it to bleed. He held it over the man's eyes, a drop of blood falling into each eye to free him of his paralysis.

[SxyCowgirl]

Rosa felt a tingling on the back of her neck and the familiar feeling of eyes upon her back. She continued walking, though the feelings grew stronger, until the man stopped and turned around. She did so as well, only just after he did, to find another man behind them, now petrified. With a sigh, she was about to turn around again to get away from the scene when she saw the man reach into his pocket, pull out a nail clippers and cut the tip of his little finger off. A bit surprised at first, Rosa continued watching as he had a drop of blood fall into each of the man's eyes, at which time she understood.

[Starlequin]

Valentine Marlar -- Sometimes You Eat the B'ar...

"Yeowch!"

Pain burst in Val's knuckles almost before he realized he'd been struck. He jerked his hand backward like he'd been snakebit, and was about to let fly a stream of cursewords to express his sudden and severe displeasure when Stevie Wonder turned and pulled down his shades. Val's own eyes widened as he met the man's gaze, and his arms began to feel like they were encased in cement. Every muscle in his body went tight, as if he'd just had an electric cable shoved up his ass. Valentine stared straight ahead, his thoughts racing at lightspeed.

'What the--hey! I can't move! What the hell is going on, what did this freak do to me?! I'm not...oh fuck, I am! I'm paralyzed! How the fuck...! OK Val, alright, calm down! Calm...down...ok, he's not doing anything, yet, it's cool, I can get outta this, just gotta focus, breathe, stay calm, I can break out of this oh holy fuck not working I can't breathe can't move aw fuck I'm gonna die gonnadiecan'tbreathefuckfuckfuckFuckFucKFuCKFUCKFUUU--'

"UUUUUCCCKKKK!!" Valentine blinked rapidly as the man's blood trickled down into his eyes, and immediately felt his lungs and muscles snap back to life. His arms, still slightly numb, flailed in what could have easily been described as a comically useless manner as he fell backward and sat down hard on the gritty sidewalk, and he accidentally smacked himself in the face with his wrist as he attempted to rub the, er, 'foreign substance' from his eyes.

"Nyyeeaagghhh!! Aw, just -- what the fuck?! What the fuck, man?! What the hell did you do, you asshole! Did you just freakin' bleed on me?! Did you just pour your blood into my fucking eyes?! Jesus, man! What the...who the...WHO FREAKIN' DOES THAT SHIT?! Holy Mary-fuckin'-Judas, what in the shit is wrong with you, you psycho?! I was just gonna lift your wallet for a few bucks, it's not like I was gonna mug you for fuck's sakes! I mean yeah, ok, this is New York and you get all kinds of freaks on the streets, but Holy Fucking Hell you just poured blood in my eyes! After paralyzing me! With a...damn...glance..."

Valentine's panicked writhing on the ground slowed to a more manageable level and his hysteric shouting fell silent as his adrenaline-soaked brain finally started processing the really weird part of the encounter, and he shifted upward to a more casual sitting position. His initial sense of revulsion was fading fast, giving way to his usual clinical thought processes, and he looked up curiously at the man through a slightly reddish tinge. The Ray Charles impersonator had re-donned his shades, and Val risked another look into his face. The gorgeous woman beside him, he would later be ashamed to say, went largely ignored for the moment. Priorities, after all.

"You just shut down my motor control with a glance. How the hell did you do that?"

[SxyCowgirl]

Still a bit shocked by what had just transpired between the two men and during the tirade of the one who had just been paralyzed, Rosa slowly began to re-realize the feeling that she had. It was the same one she had felt near her companion just before and at the very beginning of their relationship. She smiled and then couldn't help but laugh. It was proving a much simpler task to find the others than first expected. But this could also be a bad thing. If it was a single accursed creature that was responsible for the murders, it could very well mean it is just as easy for them to find others. Rosa's laugh and smile faded quickly as the thought came to mind. She shook it from her head and the smile returned.

"We can explain as we walk. It is not safe to stay in one place long." She said, stepping up to the man and offering her hand to help him up. "My name is Rosa and for this very moment, that is all you need to know. Please. Come with us."

[Starlequin]

Valentine Marlar -- An Easy Invitation to Decline

Val's trainwreck of thought was further derailed by the fashionista's sudden laughing fit. It faded just as quickly as it came, but it was still enough to distract him from her companion for a few moments. Her smile came and went like sheet lightning, there one minute, gone the next only to reappear in a flash.

She finally spoke, and Val swished the sound around in his ears as she offered him a helping hand back to his feet. Something Old-World about her accent, something European, but damned if he could finger it. Didn't matter anyway; he waved her hand away and pushed himself back up. Feeling was beginning to return to his extremities in spades, and the tips of his fingers and toes ached like they'd just been pulled from a bag of ice.

"Well, Rosa, I'm not gonna lie to you, sugar. I can't imagine anyplace being labeled 'safe' with your boyfriend Johhny Dead-Eye here anywhere in the vicinity. And I'm not so sure I would agree that that's 'all I need know' just now, either," Val said, mimicking her accent as he repeated her words. "But I am sure that I can live with the mystery, because I ain't sharing so much as another look in y'all's direction, and I sure as hell ain't going anywhere with you. So if you'll excuse me, it was very nice meeting one of you, but I'm gonna go get myself checked out for various horrific communicable diseases, then I'm gonna get hammered and wipe the last twenty minutes from my memory. Y'all have a pleasant evening."

Valentine gave Rosa a quick smile and pointedly ignored Shades, and turned to walk away...

[SxyCowgirl]

Quick as lightning, Rosa's hand shot out and grabbed the man's wrist and clamped tightly around it. Her face stony and serious she stared him down. "I think it would be in your best interest to hear what I have to say." She said. It had been a long time since she had growled as she just had and it would have surprised her if she had been fully conscious of the sound, as she used to be.

"You are one of us. You felt something when you saw us. I felt it even before I saw you. Things have changed for the worst for us, but there is something we can do about it. But only if we can catch it soon." Almost not realizing it, her eyes changed in a quick flash as a pain ran straight through the center of her brain. Closing her eyes and grimacing in pain, she put her free hand to her forehead. Something else flashed through her head but she couldn't tell what it was. Then just as quickly as it had come, it was gone.

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac put his hand on Rosa's shoulder and pulled down his glasses, "let him go, if he doesn't want to do it, we can't force him." He smiled gently, "that's why we live in America, where upper class chefs," Isaac pointed to himself, "and low town filth," his finger fell in the direction of the other man. "We can walk the same streets, share a glance, "He grinned in his direction, " and even mingle without anyone suspecting a thing. This is the land of the free, where our choices are our own." He let his hand drop and heard a beeping noise, Isaac flipped out his phone and answered.
"Hello? This is Isaac....What do you mean the unagi and fatty tuna have to be taken out the courses!?" Isaac took a few steps away and was arguing with whoever was on the phone, he began shaking in his frustration. "No no no no, I'm on my way right now! Don't you dare leave, I am going to speak to you, who cares if the fish went bad, we can just as easily get more!" He hung up and shoved the phone back into his pocket. "You, Let's go, i have more important things to attend to, and I need a third opinion on my creations." he looked directly at Rosa, ignoring the man entirely.

[Starlequin]

Valentine Marlar -- Chatter, then Scatter

He'd barely taken two steps when a slender, deceptively strong hand wrapped around his wrist and jerked him backward. Val's first instinct was to rear back and punch whoever was grabbing him, but the idea of dealing with Shades in a fair fight -- or any fight, really -- calmed him down somewhat. (Actually, his first instinct was to scream and try to run, but they didn't really need to know that.)

"Lady, I think it would be in my best interest to get the hell away from you two psychos. Now get your hand off of me!" He said, eyes a little wider than normal as she growled at him.

"Sweetheart, I don't know what you felt, but I haven't felt anything but a headache since I laid eyes on you. And yeah, things have definitely changed for the worse; I just found out there are freaks like Marty Medusa over here with magic eyes who can look people to death! Oh, and by the way, dude, if I were you I'd get those things checked out, maybe lasik or something. Or if you really wanna play Zatoichi so bad, just get em removed," Val said, sneering a little.

Shades spoke and started to pull down his glasses, just enough to make Val very, very uncomfortable, and Val plastered another grin on his face. "Oh, you're a chef, are you? Gee, how interesting. Maybe I'll give my buddys at the Restaraunt Guidebook a call, send them over for a little review. I'm sure I can probably convince them to give you, oh, say, half a star, at least."

'Ha, damn straight we've got freedom of choice. And I'm exercising mine right now,' Val thought silently as Sha-- ah, Isaac answered his phone. He turned to walk away again and called back as he moved away.

"Yeah, buddy. You go play with your little EZ Bake Oven. I got better things to do."

[SxyCowgirl]

Still worried about this man, Rosa reluctantly released his wrist. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she had a nagging feeling in the back of her skull that she should follow him. She shook her head to try to push the feeling from her mind, which it did just enough to ignore for the time being. "Keep a watch at your back." She said, before turning away to step up beside Isaac.

[Starlequin]

Valentine Marlar -- Calling it a Night

After a couple blocks, Val slowed his pace from frantic to merely irritated, and shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked. His eyes refused to stop darting from person to person as he passed them by, and he couldn't help flinching a little every time he met a stranger's eyes. As he walked, he mentally recited prime numbers in alphabetical order -- a little trick he'd picked up to counter his initial anxiety when he'd first moved to the city.

'Damn freaks. Can't decide which one was worse...aw, who the hell am I kidding, it was definitely her; it's always a tragedy when a piece of ass that hot goes cuckoo-gitchoo. Wait, what am I on? Dammit. 11, 5, 9, 19, 1, let's see, 7, 17, uh, 13, 31, 3, 29...'

Val kept counting as he moved, brushing alongside a young yuppie prick. He was tempted to fleece the guy just to snatch back a little normalcy in his evening; the asshole was so engrossed in his damn Crackberry, Val could have turned him upside down and shaken him for his wallet without getting pinched. But he just wasn't in the mood anymore. His fingers didn't have their usual itch, and his hands still felt a little sluggish. Better not to risk anymore tonight.

Unfortunately, Val's meditation was a little too effective; it kept him from re-hashing the night's events, but it also stopped him from noticing he was being followed. Val was almost out of downtown when he ducked down an alley off 38th; a few more blocks would bring him back to his apartment. His stomach rumbled again and he gave it a downward glance; all the crap that had gone on and he still hadn't grabbed a bite, dammit.

'Forget this. I'm going home, and I'll heat up some damn noodles. This night is not on my side, and I just wanna get behind closed doors and sleep till noon. Whole goddamn city's gone crazy...'

About midway down the alley, Val stepped in a puddle of...something oozing from the corner of a rusted dumpster, and his foot slid out from beneath him at about a thousand miles an hour. As he'd realize in a few moments, the accident probably saved his life. He went down hard and smashed one knee against the concrete, and his ears rang like churchbells.

"Ah, dammit, what the-!" Val tried to exclaim, but as he clutched at his injured leg he heard a muttered curse behind him, and turned just in time to see a tall man in dark clothes attempting to jerk a baseball bat out of the hole it had just punched in the side of the dumpster. Val fell backward and tried to scuttle away from the attacker as he freed his weapon.

"Whoa! What the fuck, man?! What the hell is it with guys trying to blindside me tonight? Was there a meeting I missed or something?!" Val said, snarling with pain and fear -- and rising, burning anger. This was the second time tonight he'd been knocked on his ass. There would not be a third.

He staggered back to his feet and dodged a downward strike from A-Rod, but wasn't fast enough to avoid his next attack. A-Rod turned the downswing into a side swing and caught Val in the gut with a solid hit, knocking the wind out of his lungs. Valentine stumbled backward and leaned against the bricks, but his opponent wasn't interested in giving him time to catch his breath. He charged forward, the bat over his shoulder, obviously ready to swing for the bleachers. No time to think, Val lowered his head and slammed himself against the attacker's chest, throwing them both to the ground.

The pair wrestled for several minutes, until Val finally managed to jerk the bat away from A-Rod and tossed it aside. He straddled his enemy and grabbed his wrists in each hand, and lowered his face almost nose to nose with the silent man. "You know, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sensing some real hostility directed my way. Have we met?...I don't owe you money, do I?" Val asked, as his breathing finally slowed back to somewhere in normal's neighborhood. The man remained silent, and simply continued to look up at Val with cold, dark eyes filled with murderous hatred.

"Look, if this is about that chick I met last week, she said she was single, I swear--" Unfortunately, Val's protest was interrupted as the man finally got one of his hands loose and pulled a small cylinder from his outside jacket pocket. As he aimed it at Val's face, he had just enough time for a single thought before the stream of Mace hit him square in the eyes.

'Aw, dammit, not again...'

Val screamed in pain and rolled off the man's waist, clawing at his eyes and thrashing about wildly. Through burning, tearful eyes, Val saw his attacker calmly walk down the alley and retrieve his bat and return, slapping the heavy wood against his open palm with each step. 'Alright...that is it!'

As A-Rod approached, Val let the tension in his muscles shift. His body felt warm all over, as if burning coals had been shoved under his skin. The pain in his eyes started to dull, and his face grew itchy as short, dark fur began to bristle up everywhere. The cartilage in his nose stretched and deformed, and his ears grew lengthier and pointier. The sleeves on his jacket began to bulge as his arms thickened, and sharp spikes of bone with webs of strong, veinous cartilage burst through the cheap leather. His chest started to swell, his shoulders widened, and within seconds the thin fabric of his shirt and jacket were overwhelmed and split apart; the shredded garments fell to the concrete in tatters.

Val dragged himself back to his feet as his transformation continued, and he was more than a little gratified to see the look of utter terror and despair on A-Rod's face as he dropped his timber. A thick, heavy ruffle of fur sprouted around Val's bare neck, and wicked boney claws extended from his inhuman hands. His tongue thinned and elongated inside his mouth as his teeth sharpened into a carnivore's nightmare, and his deep-sunken eyes glowed a vicious, golden red hue. The sound of his jeans ripping at the calves, and the rubber of his shoes popping open as his huge, clawed feet burst free of their vulcanized prison, signified the end of his transformation, and he spread his arms wide to flare out his leathery wings.

"Alright, Chuckles. How do you feel about a double-header?" Val asked, his voice even more monstrous than his appearance, like the sound of falling shards of glass mixed with the guttaral growls of a ravenous beast and the screams of a dying child. He bared his fangs in a feral grin, and his tongue darted out almost four inches from his lips and coiled around itself before snaking back into his mouth.

"Play ball," he snarled, allowing a thin string of spittle to drool from one side of his slavering jaws. A-Rod turned and ran out of the mouth of the alley, screaming in stark terror. 'Hehe. Never fails,' Val thought as he drew himself back up to a more civilized posture. The fur and the wings were already retreating back under his skin, and he growled softly as the bones of his ankles snapped back into place from their previous inversion. As always, the nose and ears were the last to revert, until finally he was just a scrawny, bare-chested, barefoot young man in ragged jeans.

'Fuck me, that was close, though. Guess maybe Ray Charles and the Funny Bunny were onto something, after all,' he thought as he clutched his left ribs with one hand and trudged further down the alley. So much for a peaceful night in. He headed home to refresh his wardrobe, and wondered how he was gonna find two nuts in a city positively teeming with them.

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac clenched his fist around the walking stick. He was tempted to turn around and hit the man in the side of the head. he took a few deep breaths, and began walking, he knew that even if he did have friends in the food critic business, Isaac had already received several high scores for his cooking. He didn't realize that his scales had started showing until  he calmed down and willed them away. He was frustrated still, the whole night had gone horribly wrong in a very quick amount of time. He hailed a taxi and got in, scooting over so that Rosa could get in, he didn't know if she had or not, but when he heard the cabby asking where to go Isaac told him to head towards a cross street.

Isaac relaxed a bit, rubbing his eyes under his glasses. Before he knew it the cab had come to a stop, he handed the driver his card and let him swipe, then tossed a fifty towards the man. "Thank you." He walked up and was instantly greeted by a man who consumed way too much coffee on an hourly basis. "Don't speak, I want the unagi and tuna back on, they are good... or was someone stupid and left them out?" He watched the man shiver and nod. "are you nodded or shaking your head? I'm blind you idiot." The man muttered a yes and Isaac sighed angrily. "You have eighteen hours to find me fresh eel and tuna." Isaac walked towards the service desk and smiled. "Hi, I believe you have a room saved for me, I'm the head of the sushi catering." The two people behind the desk fumbled around quickly, pulling out a key card and he took it thankfully. perhaps he would actually get to relax from this night.

[SxyCowgirl]

After a few moments of staring after the man who had just departed, Rosa turned and followed Isaac silently, getting into the vehicle beside him. It was a rank little vehicle that smelled of old cheese and B.O. but Rosa barely took notice. She watched the people and buildings go by her as they drove, still fascinated with this city.

When he got out of the car, she followed him into the great building. He did seem to be a rather important person as the people he talked to were very subservient and did not argue with him. He got a card from the people behind a counter and Rosa was a bit confused. That was a key? How could that be a key? Not quite sure what else to do, she just continued to follow him, unaware of if he realized she was or not.

[Starlequin]

Valentine Marlar -- Uptown

"Hang on, Ritchie, let me grab a -- Ritchie, hold on, dammit, I'm-yeowch! Sonnuva-!"

Val cursed as he stubbed a toe on the iron bed frame, and hopped toward the kitchen counter to find a spare notepad. He'd managed to get back to the apartment without further incident, and decided to give his friend Ritchie Farrino a call. Ritchie worked the Society pages for a couple of upper-crust newsrags, and he had connections with a lot of the grunts in the restaurant and hotel industry. Val figured from Isaac's partial phone conversation and the way he and whatshername were dressed, they were probably heading to an upscale event somewhere, and if that was so, Ritchie would be the man to know who and where. He gave his buddy a brief description of Isaac and told him to call back when he had the info.

After a few minutes, Ritchie had called him back with the address, and eager as always to know how he was gonna get paid back. "So, you met Isaac Dellos? He's a pretty hot commodity, man; I've heard rumors they're talking about giving him his own cooking show, right up there with Bobby Flay! Hey hey, are you going down there right now? You on the guest list or something? Any chance you could get your old pal Ritchie in with you? They say his sushi is to die for!"

"Huh. Yeah, I'm sure it's delicious, Ritch. I'm sorry man, but I'm already crashing the gate as is. I'll see if I can get you a few shots, though. Thanks, partner. Catch you in the funnies, neh?" Val said, hanging up. 'Sushi to die for? Pfft, yeah, right. I'd like to California 'roll' his sorry ass,' he thought with a snort. He pulled a new T-shirt on and slipped into his spare jacket, virtually identical to his old one but with a few more rips and frays in strategically unnecessary places. He'd learned a long time ago the wisdom of buying extra copies; it wasn't cheap, but it kept people from asking questions when he showed up somewhere in clothes different than he'd been seen in only an hour before.

He eyed the shredded remains he'd brought home of his previous outfit, sitting bundled on one corner of the bed; he'd have to dispose of them later. He rifled through the ripped jacket pockets and withdrew the money he'd swiped earlier and deposited the green in his faded leather wallet, finished dressing and was out the door. He considered going directly to the address Ritch had given him, but after a little thought Val decided to make a little detour to pick up a little something special. He had no idea if it would work or not, but figured it wouldn't hurt to have on hand.

Almost an hour later, Val walked into the lobby of the building Ritchie had pointed him to, and gave a low whistle. The place was crowded, bustling, and not at all comfortable. Rich, high-class socialites and high-powered politicos were busily rubbing elbows and doing...whatever it was they did; Val could practically smell the money on the air. He looked around for the Deluded Duo, but no dice. Then he spotted the service desk near the back wall -- clear on the other side of the crowd. Well, he did need some service...

His denims and leather were about as out of place in this sea of designer labels as a chainsaw in an orchestra, but he'd long ago mastered the art of being unnoticeable. Val strode through the crowds, confident, his head up but not deigning to meet anyone's eyes, keeping his breathing slow and his body language tight. It was always the same: don't give them anything to notice, and they wouldn't. Simple as that.

He reached the desk and leaned forward slightly, one elbow resting on the polished, gleaming wood, and waited. And waited. And continued waiting, for nearly a full ten minutes, before the attractive little brunette finally realized he wasn't about to go away on his own and looked up from her computer screen. "Yes sir, can I help you?" She asked, her voice a charmingly bland mingling of boredom, irritation and artificial chipperness that the building's owners no doubt forcibly injected into their employees intravenously during lunch breaks.

Val gave her his best sunny smile and pulled a worn press badge from his back pocket. Flashing the badge, Val leaned a little closer and spoke quietly to the woman. "Hey there, I'm Ritchie Farrino, with The Tribunal. I understand you're hosting a little soiree here tonight, and I'm here to conduct an interview with the caterer, a Mr. Isaac Dellos? I have it under good authority that he's staying on the premises, but here's the thing: my editor made the arrangements for this interview with Mr. Dellos, but he forgot to get the room number, so I was really hoping you could take a quick look and tell me where I can find the man of the hour? If it's not too much trouble? Pretty please, with a bowlful of cherries?" He said with a grin and a conspiratorial wink.

His smile widened when he noticed the girl's growing blush, and drummed his fingers idly on the counter as she tapped on her keyboard. "Well, I'm really not supposed to give out guests' room numbers, but...Mr. Dellos is staying in Room 614," she said, a shy grin threatening to break through her staid demeanor. Val thumped his fist against the counter triumphantly and jumped over the counter to plant a playful peck on the girl's cheek. "Thanks a lot, doll, you really are an angel!" He said with a smile, as her blushing grin finally broke through and lit up her face.

Valentine waded through the crowd to the elevator and waited patiently until the middle doors *CHING*'ed open and let its passengers spill forth around him, like water flowing around a stone, then boarded the empty car and pressed "6". 'At the Copa, Copa Cabana, the hottest spot north of Havana,' Val sang along under his breath, tapping one foot in time with the choppy muzak that piped in from the tinny speaker overhead as he ascended.

On the sixth floor, Val wandered the halls for a few minutes before finally locating room 614. Before knocking, he took a moment and withdrew from his inside jacket pocket the reason for his earlier detour; it had taken nearly an hour and a trip to six different stores, but he'd finally found what he was looking for. He knocked urgently with one hand and pushed the mirrored shades up on his nose, making sure his eyes were completely covered by the reflective glass. He wasn't about to get caught by Shades this time, no sir.

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac was silent, he pushed the button on the elevator and waited for the doors to open again, it was just him and Rosa. He looked over at her and and said nothing. When the doors opened he walked out and walked into his room, holding it open for Rosa before closing it. he took off his glasses and sighed, Isaac pulled out a filter and put a pot on for tea, he sat on the couch and glanced around the suite. "To think that a blind man would need all this... heh." He looked over to Rosa and smiled gently. "You hungry?"

Isaac got up and heard the knocking on the door before he grabbed the phone, he groaned stomped over towards her. "Who is it?' he looked through the peephole then sighed, a little green glow could be seen from other side of the peephole before he stepped away. 'Go away, idiot." He walked away before going back to the phone, he looked over at Rosa, 'Don't open the door." he rang up the front desk and asked for security to escort the man outside his door with as much as needed.

With a small smirk on his face he moved to peek out the hole again, wanting to watch a bit.

[Starlequin]

Valentine Marlar -- Like Talking to a Wall

Val's eyes widened in disbelief behind the reflective lenses, and he folded his arms tight over his chest. In frustration he gave the door a hard stomp with one foot. "What! Shut the hell up and open this door! I've had a bad freakin' night since I met you, and it ain't-" Val heard mumbling from within the room, and he pressed one ear to the door. Sounded like...

Aw, hell, no.

"Hey! I heard that! Did you just call Security on me?! You asshole! You better open this door, or I'm gonna break it down, I swear I will! And when I get in there, I'm gonna tear you apart and put you in your own damn sushi rolls, you...you...you little sawed-off, egg-sucking reptile!"

Valentine reached up and tore the sunglasses away and squinted sharply as he tried to peer in through the peep-hole. Of course, he saw nothing, but he knew Isaac was on the other side, looking out at him. He slammed his palm against the door again, and felt the heavy frame rattle a little under the strike. Further down the hall another door opened, and a tall, extraordinarily attractive redhead stuck her head out into the hallway, an irritated look on her face. When Val noticed her, he flashed her a sheepish grin and leaned casually on the door for a moment.

"Heh, sorry about the noise. I, uh, lost my key. Just a little tiff with the girlfriend," he said, pointing at the door and nodding awkwardly. "Say, are you staying here long? Maybe we could meet up in the bar downstairs later, I'll buy you a drink?" The woman rolled her eyes and withdrew back into her own room, slamming the door shut hard. "Ok, that's cool. Maybe some other time!" Val called with a wave.

He turned his attention back to the door in front of him and squared his jaw. So the jerk wasn't gonna let him in? Fine. Val had a feeling that Miss Tall, Dark and Loony would overrule him -- if she was there, that was. He lowered his voice and added a little smokiness to his tone. "Hey, in there. You in there, cutey? Come on, beautiful, why don't you cut a guy a break here? Tell your boyfriend to stop being such a dick and let me in. What do you say?"

He was pretty sure he heard Mr. Smarmy snickering inside.

"Aw, come on, lady. Look, I'm sorry I didn't come with you the first time you asked, alright? But I nearly got my head taken off a little while ago by Brooklyn's answer to Barry Bonds, and I got a feeling you might know something about it. So how about it, gorgeous? Open up, huh?"

Still nothing.

"Alright, look, I promise I won't beat the shit outta your pet cook, alright?" Val said, glancing back as the elevator *Ding*ed. Probably hotel security coming to give him an intimate tour of the emergency stairwell -- by throwing him down it. "Hey, if you need to think it over, can you at least let me in first? I think it's about to get crowded out here..."

[SxyCowgirl]

Rosa walked slowly towards the door, not wanting to irritate Isaac more, but not wanting to lose the other man for he was one of them as well. She walked up behind Isaac and put one hand gently on his back, the other on the doorknob.

"Isaac. Let him in. If he give us more problems, we will make him leave. For now, let him come in and talk." She said softly, looking up at him. "If he gives us more problems I will help you make him leave."

[Grimmwolf]

Isaac groaned and stepped away, 'Do what you want, not like I give a damn." He stepped away and went back to his work in kitchen, pulling the tea away and placed out three mugs, pouring a little into each. He grabbed sugar, honey and cream to take the the table, he set everything down and scratched the back of his head as he went to the window, his eyes glowing brighter because of the moonlight. He cracked his knuckles before turning around and grabbing his tea, squirting honey and pouring cream into his tea. He stuck his finger in and swirled it around before taking a sip. 'Sweet perfection... "