Win woke up alone at the Detour the next night and took his time leaving. He smelled the pillow Gable slept on and cuddled it for a while before getting up and dressing. He returned to the Luminary and started looking for jobs. He circled a few that he was interested in until he saw the perfect one; a painter needed another artist to take over her studio, selling her paintings while she was away. He called her up on the phone and spoke to Bianca, who wanted Win to sell her stocked items in the back room, and would prefer he keep the gallery open with fresh paintings of his own on display.
He met her at the studio and she gave him a brief tour and rundown. They were well-suited to each other and she made a few comments that led him to believe she was in the know about vampires. She showed him the wall that was always going to be her wall, and the rest of the studio display area was his. He thought that was fair.
She handed him keys, showed him how to record invoices on the system, and suddenly he was the proud manager of his own artist studio. He spent the next two nights painting his own works and meeting her customers, discovering that she was well-connected with some rich clientele. With his ability to scan their interest, he knew where and when to press a sale, and also to charge a lot more than what he'd originally been thinking. He'd been out of the artist game for too long.
Win set up a bank account at one of the smaller banks, his ID being 'sighted' by a bank teller who he influenced throughout the night. Now that he was earning money he could leave the Luminary and pick himself out a new place to live - somewhere better than the Detour. The week rolled around before he could even think about looking though, and soon it was the night where he had his standing date with Gable.
On the walk to the taxi rank, Win entered the store a few doors down from the gallery where he worked and came out with a small box. The cab driver was paid from Win's newly earned funds and he picked up the key from the Detour's manager, confirming another late checkout. The box in his hands was glanced at but nothing was said.
Win entered the room, freshly turned and awaiting his and Gable's activities for the night, and he closed the door behind him, not locking it. He placed the square, bright pink cardboard box onto the small round dining table and sat on the bed, waiting. He was half an hour early but he didn't want to get naked again this time. He wanted to see Gable discover the box and pull out what was inside it.
