Roleplay City
Infusco => INFUSCO: Enter The Shadows => Brazilian Quarter => Topic started by: Existentially Odd on October 09, 2019, 07:12:14 PM
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Harm saved and closed out of the chart he'd been updating on the computer, lifting his arms like he was about to do a chest press and arching his back in a luxuriant stretch. Six sutures, cleaned and dressed and one sorry skateboarder dismissed. The night wasn't that old but he'd been at the clinic since four that afternoon and he'd be lucky to get out at midnight. It was time for a break. Unfortunately, he doubted the patients would agree. He got up off his wheeled stool and tidied the exam room, binning the paper liner off the chair, spraying and wiping it down with disinfectant and doing the same for the floor. His teal scrubs only had a couple of spots of blood on them; not enough to change.
His microfibre mop placed back in its cupboard and the room singing with the fragrance of rose-scented ammonia, Harm left to collect his next patient. It was a luxurious night, with three doctors in, so he hadn't had to do too much prelim or support work for them, he'd been able to attend to the nurse station-only stuff. When he got to the clerical window just inside the coded security door, he found his wish was granted but not in the best way. Mrs Warburton was in to have her foot ulcer dressing changed. She was a darling old thing, really, but the ulcer didn't get dressed daily, as it should, and Mrs Warburton's expansive figure was rarely washed fastidiously. The crazy old diabetic more often than not wheeled herself in in her squeaky wheelchair with her grubby cardigan stained with chocolate she definitely shouldn't eat.
Stretching his ID card from his lanyard reel towards the scanner, Harm waited until he heard the heavy-duty locking mechanism within disengage - and a loud beep sound - before he pulled the huge door open. He poked his torso through the opening and scanned the brightly-lit waiting room, sighting six patients. Mrs Warburton's wrinkled peach of a face lit up when she saw him and she waved but movement by the door caught Harm's eye before he reacted. The person who'd just walked in did not belong in a free clinic in this part of the city. He caught Harm's eye mostly because of the way he carried himself, like he was trying to be unobtrusive but failed spectacularly. He was too good looking, too well-dressed, too clean to need this clinic's help. That wasn't what drew Harm in for a second look, though.
Harm recognised him. He was Central District Candidate Ben Samson.
Ever since Luke had begun revealing details of the supernatural world to him, Harm had been desperate to know more. Luke would only feed him little pearls of information at a time, however, so Harm had sought more on his own. His joy had known no bounds the night he'd stumbled upon a selection of supernatural print media available at the night markets right near his apartment. The news agent had given him a funny look when he'd gawped at them but he hadn't stopped him buying one of everything available. Harm had read them all voraciously, disappointed to realise that they didn't have regular print runs when he went back every night since but ecstatic when any of them had a new edition. The most prominent articles had been about Ben Samson and Jake McCloud (which had been extra thrilling for Harm, because Jake was Luke's boss) and they'd all included photos.
Realising a vampire had no need for the clinic's services, Harm slipped through the security door and closed it behind him. He had to know what was going on! Now was his chance to get close to a real supernatural - and not just any supernatural, a famous one! Ignoring the hopeful looks being thrown his way from all the actual patients, Harm approached the blond with a nervous smile stretching his mouth. It felt artificial, like his teeth were made of glass and his lips were made of plastic. His skin felt too tight and hot and his heart was thundering wildly in his chest - he wasn't sure whether it was with fear or excitement. Even his hair felt hypersensitive right now.
A vampire, he's a vampire and he's here, holy shit!
It wasn't the first vampire he'd met nor even the first in the clinic but it was the first since he'd begun to understand how this city really worked. As he paused in front of him, Harm decided that Ben Samson was even more handsome in real life. His eyes were hypnotic, his face beautiful and his skin was just ridiculous. What fucking pores? He made sure his tongue and lips were wet before he spoke because he didn't trust himself not to end up croaking hollowly at their imposing visitor and scaring him away. That would be very, very bad. "Uh, h-hello Mister Samson. Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked politely. His voice was a little squeakier than usual but he was proud of himself for getting a complete sentence out, in front of such an overpowering presence. He hoped the vampire wouldn't be able to tell his body was under such sudden strain that his fingers were tingling from inconsistent blood flow.
Oh fuck, what if I pass out? Keep it together, Harm, fuck!
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The streets of the Quarter had assorted trash against the corners of the buildings, like they were outlines of rubbish. Empty crisp packets, cigarette butts, discarded papers of the book, magazine and news varieties, fruit skin waste from oranges, bananas and watermelons, and so much more. He wondered why they were in a line like that, didn't the street sweepers pick them up? The streets here were pretty narrow, so maybe the large trucks couldn't get down here. When he'd turned down the first street, he'd seen a couple of small trucks exiting the Quarter with a skip each on the back - the slightly parted lids revealing they were over-full of rubbish. Guess the city's huge trash trucks with their tipping mechanism couldn't pick up the skips either.
The difference between walking down the outside of the Quarter and then turning down an alley to walk the inside of it was stark. It was like being back in his residential area of New York - tiny apartments with fire-hazard barred windows, buildings that looked like they needed new maintenance, people loitering on the streets because they had nothing else to do. There was a stale smell that came with the area that likely prevented most people from entering the Quarter... and the fact that he was propositioned for sex three times in his short walk down the alley and into another street. He turned the first two down firmly but politely but the third got a snappy 'I'm not a rentboy, fuck off,' because he'd been so vulgar with his suggestion. It was weird how that worked - usually the customers weren't the ones standing there, but walking through. Guess they did it back to front in the Quarter... oh, unless they were there to scare off people who didn't belong? He hadn't been game to scan their minds.
The streets were a little better than the alleys - the people were just people, living their lives. A lot of them had that dead-eyed look that came with the territory for some, while others looked determined. He recognised the look. It was the same look he'd had when he'd lived north of the city in a rundown house with two other renters. Determination to get out and be something better. Well, he'd got out and become a vampire, but it wasn't like he'd earnt a living for himself, he'd just managed to be sired by someone rich. It wasn't exactly TED talk material.
When he was close to the end of the first street, he spied another alley that would take him into the next part of the Quarter. There were no people hanging around this one. When he went down it, a piece of graffiti caught his eye. It was hot pink and looked fresh, standing out from all the other tags. A wolf head, a stick figure of a person where the brain should be, and a circle around the whole picture. He would've thought it was a shifter tag if not for the circle. He interpreted it as the moon. Werewolf, then. Some of the pink circle was covering what looked like an old plaque. It was a big one - big enough for Ben to wonder what it was, but it was so grimy. He looked around and spied half a shirt on the ground. It was dirty as well, but not terrible. He used it to wipe the plaque and clean it as best he could. It was still dirty and hard to read because it was rusty, but his vision picked it up.
'THE BRASS QUARTER' written in large capital letters along the top, with two paragraphs of information in sentence case beneath. He read enough of it to realise that this area of the city - at one point - was supposed to provide housing for the homeless. A project from one 'Peter A. Brass' who'd had a scheme for ten blocks but had only raised enough money for four. It was something that had happened in the 1920s. All of the residential buildings had been rent-free for five years and were then designated to be cheap rent for the rest of their lifetime. The charity organisation keeping them maintained was 'Helpful Housing' and there was a logo of it in one corner and Peter A. Brass' signature in the other. Ben remembered that particular charity. It had become defunct in the sixties. Not enough people had supported it so they'd sold building after building until the money ran out. They'd limped along with two buildings until the early eighties and then they'd folded. He knew about it because his mother had told him she lived in the city as a little kid, in one of those last two buildings, and then they'd had to move because after it was sold the rent went up.
Sighing, Ben moved down the alley and spied a bright glow in the next street. It advertised itself as a free clinic. Huh. He hadn't realised that they were still around. A thought occurred to him that maybe they knew about supernaturals and helped them too? He loitered around the front, looking in. None of the people in the waiting area looked supernatural but the triage nurse behind the counter was extremely pale. With her glossy black hair she could be a goth, not a vampire though. He would only know if he got closer. Intrigued, he opened the door and entered.
He kept his gaze averted from everybody else in the waiting room, not wanting to advertise his shiny blue eyes more than the usual. There was a pamphlet display near the reception desk where the triage nurse sat. Ben turned to those and focussed on the nurse. Ah, a heartbeat. So, a goth nurse, not a vampire. He was looking at a pamphlet, a cheap one advertising a soup-kitchen in the Quarter, when someone walked into the waiting room from the back. A nurse or doctor judging by the clothing.
When the nurse/doctor came straight up to him, Ben looked his way. The expression on his face was hard to place. Shock, maybe? Ben thought maybe he'd made a mistake; perhaps the guy thought he was anaemic. Ben could just pass himself off as a goth. A blond goth. Eh. But then the guy said his name and Ben did a micro double-take. He'd been recognised? It had happened enough times recently that he knew it was from the campaign posters around the supe areas and the ads in the papers. It had been different when he'd been a model - they hadn't known his name.
"Ah, yeah. Can we talk in the back or are you too busy?" he asked, wanting to get away from all the staring people. If the nurse/doctor was too busy, then he would come back later.
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"No!" Harm cried, his expression showing how surprised he was by the request. The fact that he stayed there staring a beat too long also made it obvious but he soon snapped out of it and shot Ben an excited smile. "I can make time. Absolutely. Come this way," he beckoned, backing up a few steps before he spun around and headed for the door.
After a few steps, the grumbles of dissent rose in the waiting room, alerting Harm to the fact that it looked like he'd come to personally collect a guy that didn't appear to need help and who hadn't been waiting as long as any of them. Feeling bad, he veered towards Mrs Warburton in her wheelchair, put his hand on her shoulder and bent towards her briefly. "I'll be right back, okay, darlin'? You alright for a little bit longer?"
"I'm alright, Harm," the old woman agreed, beaming worshipfully up at him.
"Okay, lovely. I won't be long," he smiled, straightening up and sharing that last sentiment with the room at large. Most of them needed to see doctors not him, anyway, they were just so used to missing out, they bitched out of habit more than anything. The grumbles dwindled into mutters and dirty looks that Harm felt fine with ignoring. He swept back towards the security door, raising a finger towards Kiyani, the receptionist trapped behind her screen of thick bulletproof glass, indicating he just needed a short time before he got back to work. She nodded, staring curiously at the man he had in tow.
Harm reeled his ID card from the lanyard hanging around his neck out towards the scanner while his other hand held the coded door handle, his thumb a blur as he typed in his security number. The lock disengaged with a beep and Harm's ID card retracted to his chest as he ushered Ben into the sterile corridor beyond. It was lined with a few sample carts, scales, IV stands and machines situated against the walls in between the twelve doors. A very tall, broad security guard turned their way from his position towards the other end of the hallway, his body language broadcasting that he was poised to enter the exam room he was outside of if he heard the slightest noise that worried him but he lifted his chin questioningly when he saw Harm, looking past him at Ben. Harm smiled and shook his head minutely, telling Mack he wouldn't need his help.
He led his VIP guest into the nearest empty exam room, holding the door open for him to enter before he closed it behind them. The room held the standard supply cupboards and sink against the far wall and a procedure chair in the centre of the room. It could become a flat exam bed but had been left in an upright state, close to the floor for ease of sitting. A computer sat on the desk against the side wall, a wheeled stool in front of it. "Please, feel free to sit," Harm invited, gesturing at the padded procedure chair and pulling up the stool for himself. Whether Ben sat or not, Harm swivelled towards him and smiled expectantly. "What brings you to our little slice of paradise tonight?"
Harm took a steadying breath, trying to calm himself down as he pulled his latex gloves off and laid them across his thigh. It was so weird to not only be looking at a vampire but an important one. He knew more about the upcoming election from the tabloids he'd read than from Luke and he knew he was going to be allowed to vote. He lived in the district! His invitation to the upcoming carnival had only confirmed it for him. Truthfully, not knowing a whole lot about any of it, he'd pretty much assigned his vote to Ben's opponent based solely on the fact that Jake McCloud was Luke's boss. They hadn't talked about it but he'd figured loyalty by association would please his... whatever the hell Luke was (lover? Friend? Associate?).
Either way, he was highly impressed to see Ben Samson in the clinic. His opponent hadn't been anywhere near the place and he was currently the District Leader. Maybe he was secure in his position and didn't feel the need to check out the district's dirtiest secret - while Samson was new and needed to suck up - but it was hard not to be persuaded by his handsome presence. At least he'd bothered to visit. Harm couldn't wait to hear what he had to say.
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Ben picked up the soup kitchen pamphlet and followed Harm past the people in the waiting room, pointedly ignoring their stares because he didn't want to feel guilty. If the nurse/doctor said that he was free when he was really busy, then that was on him and not Ben's fault. The old woman caught his attention when Harm addressed her, but Ben only paused and was on Harm's heels again.
In the private room, Ben chose to sit on the padded chair though he looked uncomfortable doing so. He would've preferred the stool. Slice of paradise? Ben took a moment to collect his thoughts, thinking that this doctor/nurse guy had a way about him that wasn't easy for him to get a read on him. There had been recognition and adoration in his eyes initially, Ben had thought, but that was gone and now he only saw curiosity. There was probably more there but all he could feel was the doctor/nurse's interest in him and his answer. Ben paid more attention to the name badge on the other's scrubs, and whether it came with a title.
"I don't know a lot about the Quarter. I never felt safe to step foot in here as a mortal. Have you worked here long? Do you know if it's just regular folk who come in here or do you have, um... other services?"
Ben's gaze left Harm's eyes and bounced around the room to see if there was any evidence of it being supe friendly. He couldn't see anything that stood out.
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"Interesting question," Harm commended, pulling a wry face as he tilted his head and thoughtfully rubbed the area behind his square jaw and up under his ear. The rusk of new beard coming in was a soft whisper when his nails scraped the blond fuzz. The sound centred him as he gathered his thoughts to answer. It was a strange thrill to hear the vampire so casually refer to 'when he was mortal' and so many personal questions blossomed in his mind that he had to really think before he spoke. "I'm Harm, by the way," he began, flashing a smile and dropping his hand from his jaw to his ID badge, lifting it and holding it up for Ben's perusal. He dropped it when he got an indication that Ben had read it. It had his full name and identified his role as a Registered Nurse. He figured the vampire had noticed it but it was more polite to identify himself, considering his companion needed no introduction.
"I've been in the city, uh, about four years. I'm a nurse at one of the hospitals in the CBD but I volunteer here on my days off - when I can manage it. Sometimes my actual job wipes me out too much to come here but they appreciate all the help they can get. I've been coming here for almost three years. It took a year before anything untoward happened. Looking back, I remembered signs - looks exchanged between the doctors and the office manager, Mack the security guard getting particularly antsy with some patients and not others, weird procedures with weirder outcomes that no-one would explain to me - but hindsight, y'know?" Harm shrugged, smiling almost apologetically into Ben's amazing eyes.
"That night - the night I figured it out - was crazy. Three GSWs, multiple stabbings and a fight in the waiting room. In the middle of all that, this guy comes in, shouting and crying, carrying what I thought initially was a body. He's screaming, 'Help me! Somebody help my boyfriend, please!' and in the middle of all that chaos, I just grabbed him and brought him through. Turned out the guy had a pulse but it was thready and the guy - the one that brought him in - starts babbling about being a vampire and he's only new and he didn't mean to drink so much, he just couldn't stop. I didn't have time to listen to him, I thought he was just another crackhead making weird shit up but I put about four bags of blood into his boyfriend and, you wouldn't believe it, he woke up, got up and just left! With a vampire!" Harm laughed, his expression recreating the incredulity he'd felt on the night.
He sobered, looking sheepishly at the vampire he was with. "A few months after that there were a couple of bro-dudes that came in on one of the days during a full moon and they were pretty fucked up; fractures needing splints, cuts needing stitches, a dislocated shoulder on one and a finger on the other. They were going on about the wild time they'd had the night before and where they'd woken up once they 'changed back', pissed off they hadn't healed better but not surprised after what they'd done. So I figured werewolves were a thing as well as vampires. I've learnt more since then - and I can't wait for the carnival you invited me to next weekend! - but there's always more to know. I said your question was interesting because of those nights. We don't offer any particular services for the supernaturals but they still come here. They're in our patients' lives, they're around all the time. We keep the blood locked in the vault with the meds, just in case. So, no extra help but... kind of yes?" he answered with a guileless smile, his blue-green eyes wide with interest as he waited for Ben's verdict on his answer.
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Ben was horrified but not surprised about the supes coming into the clinic. When the Luminary had been overhauled, he and Kerr had arranged for a clinic and a doctor and nurse fulltime on staff to look after the donors and the guests that stayed with them. It was a private, well-stocked clinic and it suited their purposes. Ben considered that the Luminary's clinic could be made available to all supernaturals - instead of coming here they could go to the Luminary, which was still in the city central albeit the other side of it. The Quarter was closer to the White Rabbit... so people from the Quarter probably wouldn't even want to enter a flashy building, feeling like they didn't belong or that it wouldn't accept them. And what kind of problems would they attract? Fights in the waiting room? The Luminary couldn't afford a reputation for brawling, the VIP suites came with a high price tag because of the dedicated donors. They were only just starting to get some momentum with paying guests, he didn't want them scared away because of the clinic attracting violence. So no, their clinic had to stay private.
"That is all kinds of wrong," Ben said steadily after his quick consideration of what Harm had said. "Weres are supposed to transform in secure facilities so they don't pass on their curse to others, and there's some kind of presence of a were-gang in the Quarter, which doesn't ease my mind any. I saw some graffiti before coming in here. Do you mind if I show you?"
Perhaps Harm would think that Ben would show him by drawing it on a piece of paper, but as soon as Ben had consent, he reached out to touch Harm's mind before sending the image of what he'd seen and then pulling back.
"The vampire thing is a separate issue. It sounds like we need a place for our wounded to go so they don't reveal themselves in hospitals or clinics like this one." Ben considered what that would cost and how it would run. That was just one issue the Quarter had, but at least he had the solution for one problem. There were so many in here that he couldn't look at the Quarter as a whole. It was certainly the kind of place that needed a lot of attention and no easy fix.
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Harm eagerly agreed to Ben sharing the gang sign, expecting him to show him a picture on his phone. He wheeled his stool a little closer. When a foreign image appeared in his mind, however, Harm cocked his head, frowning. He opened his mouth to say... something that didn't come, shocked to realise Ben had just showed him the picture in his mind. To say he was stunned would be a severe understatement... but then the absolute coolness of Ben putting something in his fucking mind overwhelmed him and sent tingles of excitement through his whole body.
"That is so cool, man!" he gushed then realised he needed to start paying attention to what Ben was saying. Something about vampires not showing up at the clinic and the hospital? It was kind of too late for that. Harm shrugged. "If you say so. It doesn't happen often enough to worry the folks that work here. I've only had those two obvious incidents in three years. Do you guys get many injuries?" he frowned, thinking it was more likely the humans that interacted with the supernaturals that needed help, not the other way round.
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Ben was looking around the room when Harm asked his question, his gaze falling on foreign pieces of equipment and machinery, trying to remember what it was like to be human and need those things. He'd not gone to doctors a lot when he'd been living because he hadn't had insurance. Doctors were expensive and now he had no use for them.
"I'm young. If I get wounded badly I'd need blood to help me heal," he said, thinking of how Themba had beaten him so badly he hadn't been able to move for most of a night. He shifted on the chair before he returned his gaze to Harm. "The difference being I'd just drink it."
He stared at the nurse, wondering what else he'd seen that he hadn't identified as a supernatural. "You give your time to the clinic to help these people. What else would help?" Ben pulled the folded up pamphlet out of his jeans pocket and opened it up to look at it. "Soup kitchens are great, but humans who aren't in the know are not my constituents. At the same time I don't know that I should ignore them, either." Another thought occurred to him. "So you've known for two years? Do you know about the earlier setup? The Oligarchy?"
Harm had recognised him from the current media around the place. He might've picked up some more historical tabloids from someone or somewhere else - or maybe there were articles about the way things used to be. Who knew?
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Harm was delighted as another bit of information about vampires was dropped casually before him. Ben was young and if he was badly injured, he'd need blood to help him heal. "Yeah," he agreed to Ben just drinking the blood he'd need, his thoughts drifting. He wondered how much blood would be needed and, as usual, thought about what it would feel like to be the one being drunk from. He'd heard good things... how good could it be, though? He imagined what would happen if he asked Ben to drink from him, right here and now and licked his lips as he thought of those pretty lips on his throat. Would it hurt before it got better? Could it really be as good as Jude - one of his colleagues - had implied?
Blinking, Harm pulled himself out of his imagination as some sticky questions were asked. Here, he'd have to tread lightly. His lips pressed gently closed and his tongue prodded into the side of his cheek as he considered how much to say. He'd be honest, he decided. "Well... the thing is, folks around here, they're proud. I mean this is a free clinic, no questions asked, but you'd be stunned by how many people pay for their consults. Like, most of them. They're proud people down here. They're not interested in charity. They might only pay five dollars but to most of them, that's a lot and it gives them their dignity.
"You're not going to be able to help them easily. Money's not the answer; giving them dignity is. Jobs are what a lot of them need - jobs that pay more than eight dollars an hour. That'd stop them doing illegal shit to make their cash and all the trouble that comes with that; too many drugs, gangs, fights. It's a systemic problem and I admit, I get fucking frustrated with putting band aids on wounds I can't heal but sometimes... it's what's needed and all that can be done. Maybe most of them aren't your constituents but they're in your district, whether you like it or not. You shouldn't ignore them," he agreed, his passion for his topic rousing two red spots of ardour in his pale cheeks. They grew into a blush as he heard himself getting ranty at someone he didn't know - and who was good enough to ask the question in the first place.
"Sorry. I don't mean to... it's just hard. I see so many people suffering. I want better for them but I don't have answers for you. As for the Oligarchy... I've read about it. I... I'm seeing a guy that... uh, well, he works for your opponent, actually," Harm admitted, scratching an itch that had sprung up on the back of his neck. "Luke. He's Jake McCloud's... Sheriff, I believe he's called. He's told me some things about your government, answered a few questions for me - but he mostly tries to steer me away from any of the... monsters, he calls them. He doesn't want me hurt. I know the Oligarchy was the previous government arrangement for supernaturals but now you have the districts. I dunno when or why it changed," he admitted with an affable shrug.
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Ben listened to Harm's impassioned speech, knowing that the nurse cared about the people here and didn't want them forgotten, but Ben couldn't help everyone and if these people - who were also not his responsibility - didn't want his help, then why should he bother at all? He wasn't going to argue that, or mention that they had a Mayor and their own political forum to turn to. It was failing them but Ben had other, bigger, supernatural issues to deal with first.
When Harm apologised, Ben gave him a small smile and shrugged, shaking his head to indicate it didn't matter. He liked that this guy had an opinion and wanted to share it. He wished he had more of that. But then he dropped a bomb. A really big bomb. He was 'seeing' Jake McCloud's Sheriff. Luke. Ben knew him because he'd been placed in Jake's hole beneath the Rabbit. Charon's idea of putting Ben there had opened him up to being violated but had also given him a greater understanding of Jake's people and how he operated. It was an ace up the sleeve.
It also meant that Harm wouldn't be winning any more snippets of information from Ben. His gaze cooled and he said: "Is that so?"
There was a beat where the conversation stilled - like it was holding its breath, then Ben realised it could work in his favour. Harm was chatty, and if Ben wasn't suddenly hostile, they could keep talking. Or rather, Harm could.
"I've met Luke. He doesn't say much." Not that Ben and Luke were even allowed to converse. Jake had funny ideas about them, not that Ben could see himself befriending Jake's muscle for any reason anyway. He'd heard whispers that Luke had become Jake's Sheriff. Guess that was true then. He hadn't been told anything directly himself, until now. "How does he steer you away from monsters if you work at a free clinic? It seems I found you anyway."
He gave Harm one of his modelling smiles.
I made a joke, called myself a monster, isn't that funny?
Hope you're starstruck enough to laugh
And talk some more
Now that he wanted Harm to chat, he was second-guessing his words. At least he'd always had the knack of sounding calm and collected even while feeling anxious on the inside. Only Saraekiel had shaken that - obviously lust and anxiety weren't two sides of the same coin.
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Harm laughed and nodded at Ben's assessment of Luke being the strong, silent type. Yep. Harm could get him to talk but that wasn't anyone's business but his. There was a special kind of warmth and pride he felt in knowing he saw a side to Luke no-one else did. Not even his dick of a boss.
"Well, I did say he tries," Harm quipped, grinning cheekily. "He wants me to move out of the city and never look back, basically. It's more than where I work; I live in Chinatown and I'm pretty sure all my neighbours are vampires. Well, except for this one guy, Murphy, but I haven't seen him round in a while so I'm not actually sure he still lives there and counts," he shrugged casually, dropping the name of the neighbour he'd only ever waved at and said casual hellos to (but whose name he knew because it was on his mailbox). They'd been at the apartment complex longer than anyone, so Harm had formed an imaginary bond with him.
He was learning the names of his newer neighbours gradually - keen to do so in case the opportunity to get bitten by one of them one night might eventually arise - but it was tricky to get to know them because they were rarely ever out at the same time as him. He'd only ever seen any of them at night so he was pretty sure his vampire assessment was right. Either that, or they all just worked crazy shifts like he did. That was the far-less-sexy option.
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At first Ben was going to repeat the line, 'He wants you to move out of the city and never look back?' but he never got that far. That Luke guy sounded intense and very much like a controlling asshole. This was the guy Harm was 'seeing' - whatever that meant; it sounded less than dating, but could be a casual sex setup too.
But then Harm dropped another bomb. Murphy. The name stunned Ben into silence. The city started feeling smaller and smaller, shrinking to the size of this very room in fact. He stared at Harm as he started talking about how many vampires lived in his Chinatown residence. Ben knew he lived at the Mei Jia Apartments now, because he'd visited Murphy there a few times. Early last year had been the last time, when they'd lain on top of Murphy's bed talking about how Ben would sire him once the Academy was finished. It felt like a millennia ago.
He didn't know whether to mention Murphy's whereabouts or the fact he was a vampire now. Was Harm one of the friends Murphy had left behind? Ben had sent a text message to Murphy every other day but got either nothing back or a very short reply. He thought Murphy was either mad at him or busy. He'd asked if Murphy was upset and he'd only received a two word reply: Just processing.
"Yeah, I know Murphy, he's..."
My best friend?
I don't think I can say that anymore.
Ben's heart fell but he managed to finish his sentence with only the slightest pause. "...staying with some friends."
And then there was the other thing. He thought he better warn Harm about it. "Most of the vampires you see in Chinatown aren't actually vampires, so they won't like you calling them that. They're called Kuei-Jin. They're their own people."
He took a moment before circling the conversation back. "So, the guy you're seeing wants you to leave the city? That sounds drastic."
Did Luke know about something big going down? Was he trying to warn his - whatever Harm was to him - away? Was something going on that Ben didn't know about? If it was something that had come up at the meeting, Charon hadn't told him about it.
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Harm’s eyes widened when Ben said he knew Murphy. “Wow, small world!” he offered but refrained from saying any more because of that hesitation over Murphy ‘staying with friends’. It sounded off, to his ears, but Harm was also expecting to hear falsehoods in this place. Many of the people that came in here were working some sort of angle, usually to get prescription drugs. Even if he was right and Ben was spinning him, it wasn’t his business to know why. It wasn’t like he was super invested in chatting with his absent neighbour, just because he was the only other Caucasian in the place or anything.
“Kuei-Jin,” Harm repeated, tasting the exotic term. He said it again just to imprint it into his brain - maybe he could use it in a future conversation to show he was respectful of their species - but, ultimately, he was just disappointed that they weren’t vampires so his chances of getting them to bite him were gone. He’d seen advertising for a club called Venture... but he wasn’t game to go there because Luke would get seriously pissed at him for seeking it out, putting himself in danger on purpose. He’d thought the same thing when he’d read about the Lovebite app in the supernatural papers. He’d stared at the invite code long and hard before shutting the paper determinedly. It was too premeditated. It had to be incidental... he looked at Ben thoughtfully.
“Oh, yeah,” he shrugged and waved a dismissive hand. “He’s just really paranoid in general and convinced I’ll get hurt, somehow. He’s crazily protective. Pretty sure he’d prefer I stayed home wrapped in cotton wool, speaking to no one and doing nothing to keep me safe. I haven’t told him I’m going to your carnival... or how interested I am in being bitten by a vampire. He’d freak,” Harm laughed but it died quickly and then he was staring intently at Ben, wondering what he’d do with his hint. His heart started pounding faster at the thought it could happen.
-
Ben smiled politely when Harm echoed his thoughts, as if he was the mind reader. There wasn't a lot to say about knowing the same human being - except Murphy wasn't a human being anymore.
He liked when Harm repeated the word 'Kuei-Jin' a few times to cement it. It was the same technique Ben used and sometimes felt self-conscious about if people gave him an odd look.
Ben was surprised that Luke had that kind of perspective. He supposed being a Sheriff meant he only ever saw the bad stuff that happened.
"It's just not like that anymore. If you want to be in control, you can download the Lovebite App, or visit Venture." Ben didn't think Harm would want to be bitten here and now, in this sterile room. "Somewhere you can choose who you like and where your wishes would be respected. Things have changed so much since the first time I offered myself for the bite. It was this place called 'Risk', like you took your life into your hands every time you went there. I'm glad it's shut down, it was pretty sleazy. Nowadays it's a whole different scene. Not where Luke hangs out at Jake's place of business. The White Rabbit isn't much different to Risk, but Venture is classy. I have something similar set up at the Luminary, but so far it's just a place to meet up not a place to hang out. Well, not yet."
He didn't care that he'd dissed Jake in his chat with Harm. There was a reason he was running against the guy after all. That Luke guy sounded like a controlling asshole. Instead of commenting on that, he said something that he hoped Harm would consider more poignant.
"Your life, your decision."
-
Harm nibbled on the inside of his lower lip, nodding his acknowledgement of everything Ben said. He was so torn. The way Ben told it, it all sounded clean and safe and so fucking easy and all his questions would be answered!
But nothing with Luke was easy or straight forward and although Ben had met Luke, he clearly didn’t know about his history. Or theirs. Harm’s past emotions tangled with their current situation and uncommitted status, sitting like a lead ball in his gut that he labelled ‘just casual’ but wasn’t sure he believed. Ultimately, Luke was not his dream guy. He was just a guy for now... so why did he follow Luke’s rules and warnings so adamantly?
Well, there was the whole ‘vulnerable mortal’ factor to consider... but Ben made it sound so safe! His mind just kept circling back to that, persuaded by him. Harm could see two clear choices for progressing their conversation right now. He could say that Luke agreed with Ben’s assessment of his home and place of work - hinting he should never go there - and discuss the angst of Jake forbidding Luke from coming to Chinatown to visit him. Or he could go for what he wanted and take a risk. Risk. Funny.
“Would you bite me?” he propositioned, an army drumming in his chest again.
-
Welp.
It was a surprising twist of a question and it put him on the spot. This guy was 'seeing' Luke, who was Jake's Sheriff, a man who was warning Harm away from vampires. And Ben was Jake's opponent, who Luke knew and could recognise and was able to grab him off the street like his fucktard of a boss had done, to deliver a warning or beat him up or who knew what? Ben was little more a constituent at the moment. An opponent, though, meant the lens was very carefully situated on both him and Jake. Jake might not make a move but how tight a leash did he have on his people? He remembered Lisa-Joe coming to spit fire at Kerr over his friendship with Jake. He couldn't control his babysitter, so Ben doubted he would be able to control his Sheriff.
And knowing this, knowing the trouble he would stir by accepting to be Harm's first bite, something that he could live without because he had donors lining up for him... he wanted to anyway. Because it might stir up shit. Embrace the darkness, right? Tally ho.
He smiled, also flattered to be asked. Being someone's first bite was a big deal. "Sure, we can set something up. When are you off your shift?"
-
Harm’s excitement fell a little as he realised he was being put off until later. It didn’t quite meet the simplicity of the scenario in his head - vampire walks into clinic, nurse talks to him, vampire drinks nurse’s blood and leaves - but it was parallel enough not to matter. It was the same guy, it would just be a different time. And place. That Harm agreed to go to to get bitten.
He imagined himself explaining it to Luke (and the fact this was his boss’ opponent and, for all he knew, part of the reason why Luke had been warned off visiting him at home, because that had been about ‘sensitive politics’) and the brevity of the situation wasn’t lost on him. What could it hurt, though? It would be one time and then Harm would know and he’d be satisfied.
“Midnight,” he answered after only a brief hesitation. “I’ll get out on time unless there’s an emergency. You want me to meet you tonight?” he asked for clarification, feeling breathless with excitement.
-
"Why not?" Ben asked through a smile, shrugging. "You're keen to try it out and I could go for a drink."
Ben re-assessed Harm as a package, now seeing a little more than just a nice-looking nurse. Harm was keen for the bite, excited and a little scared, almost self-groomed to perfection. It had taken next to no effort to win him over and Ben liked being someone's first. He knew he was good at it, that he could make the experience desirable. Another donor in the world was a good thing, especially someone as handsome as Harm. And if Harm and Ben consented to it, then it was nobody else's business but theirs.
With the soup-kitchen pamphlet still in hand (now in his left), Ben reached into his pocket again and pulled out his wallet, taking out one of his business cards. He pulled out the Academy ones first and then hunted in again for the Lovebite ones, which had the Luminary's address on it - specifcally Luminescent, as well as Venture. He handed it over to Harm, who would see that it didn't have Ben's name on it - it was just a contact card, though it did have a different membership registration ID number to the one in the newspaper.
"So I'll send an Uber to you when you're off your shift to take you to that address, okay? If you do join Lovebite, use my reference number, it'll bypass a lot of security questions. And I'll see you a little after midnight, okay? We can talk more at Luminescent."
He put the extra cards back into his wallet (save for one Academy card) and into his back pocket, and the folded up soup-kitchen pamphlet went back in his pocket too. A bit of a bulge but it was okay.
He handed the Academy card next. "If you want to know more about the supernatural world, the Academy has a lot of classes available. There's a website you can check out. My phone and email is on there, too." As well as the information that Ben was its founder.
-
Harm beamed at Ben's casual attitude. I could go for a drink. It was just so... well, kinda sexy, actually - that offhandedness coupled with the knowledge that the whole setup was inherently dangerous and wrong. And definitely against Luke's rules for how he should be living his precious life. He wasn't sure if he was more excited by the prospect of finally having his wish come true or by rebelling against the stifling restrictions his relationship with Luke came with.
He took Ben's card with a smile that became more dazed as he received another and so much information that it slightly overwhelmed him. It was hard to believe it was happening, that he'd actually taken a chance and had it pay off like this, yet his body was alive with tingles that told him it was very real and imminent! The Luminary, Lovebite, Luminescent, founder of the Kerr Galvin Academy, supernatural fucking classes? Seriously?! Harm's head was swimming and he knew he'd need a little while to process it all. The only thing he could focus on at that moment was his independence.
"Uh, no, don't send an Uber, I have my bike. I'll ride over, it's not that far," he smiled gratefully up at Ben and then turned his attention back to the cards in his hands, trying to take in all the information they were giving him. He could ask to have the Uber pick him up from his place and Uber back later but he preferred having control over his own transport. He went everywhere on either his bike or buses and it felt appropriate to have the bike there. Like he could leave any time he wanted (whether that was true or not).
"So I'll text you when I get to... Luminescent?" he queried, checking the name one more time. He stood up, figuring any other questions he had could be answered later and that someone as important as Ben didn't want to be hanging around in an exam room talking to him all night. He pocketed the cards so he could concentrate on giving Ben his attention, his stare intent on those unbelievably blue eyes.
-
Ben, now smiling like the Mona Lisa, nodded at the refusal of an Uber in favour of a bike. He wasn't sure if Harm rode a pushbike or a motorcycle but it didn't matter, really. As long as he came.
"That's a good idea. I'll only be a lift ride away," he said, standing also. He wanted Harm to see Luminescent, to marvel in it, to enjoy it for a few minutes at least. They would sit and chat about what might happen next. Ben's first time with Kerr had been amazing but it could've gone so wrong. He wanted Harm to have an awesome experience too. With him.
"I'll have time to walk around the Quarter a bit more, see what else is going on. Thanks for talking to me," Ben said, his little smile growing again. He liked the way Harm was looking at him, liked the recognition. It was very different from the modelling recognition. Those admirers had only liked him because of his looks - it was a superficial worship. This was so much better; it was because of what he was doing, what he could be. What he was... also something he'd worked hard to achieve.
-
Harm scoffed and blushed as Ben thanked him for his time. He supposed he had been the one to sacrifice work but he was the fucking vampire that had made time for an insignificant human. "Ohmygod, no, not at all, it was my pleasure!" he gushed, pushing a hand against his chest as he flushed with pride, staring into Ben's eyes. They were practically the same height; he loved that they had such easy eye contact, it made everything feel so direct and sent a zing down his spine.
Realising he was just standing there gazing admiringly at the guy, Harm broke out of his reverie suddenly. "Wow, okay, sorry! I better let you out of here!" he cried, leaping for the door to the exam room. He opened it and scurried out, striding towards the security door. He swiped his ID card and hastened to open the door once it clanked and beeped. Holding it open, he bowed low and swept his arm towards the exit, preceding Ben with his arm then following him through it only far enough so that he could hold it open with his foot, extended behind him.
"I'll see you later," he told Ben breathlessly with a little wave, his gaze lingering on the retreating vampire's back until the reality of the waiting room sank in. With a sigh, Harm turned his smile on Mrs Warburton. "Come on, sweetie, let's get that foot looked at!" he urged, beckoning her to wheel over to him so he didn't have to reopen the door.
-
With Ben once more out on the street, he headed farther along, keeping an eye out for the soup kitchen even though it had a high number. It would be quite a way up.
Not many cars moved along these streets - not as many as on other city streets, certainly - but lots of cars were parked along it. Almost all of the vehicles were over twenty years old, and not in that cool, classic kind of way. There were small groups of people hanging around on the steps up to their apartment buildings and they eyeballed Ben as he went past. Some of them insulted him while others cat-called. He didn't know whether to turn and look at them or to keep going. With a distinct lack of anything to say, he kept walking.
The pavement was cracked and lumpy enough for him to have to keep an eye on where he stepped. As he moved deeper into the Brass Quarter, the few alleys he looked down were devoid of tarmac completely. He hesitated when he saw washing lines between windows of two buildings over the alleys. There was a distinct dog smell around here, and his gaze caught another of those tags. Ah shit, he'd forgotten to ask Harm about it. Werewolves had even come up in conversation! He could hear actual dogs barking though, which accounted for the dog smell. Ben wrinkled his nose. The laundry might not smell as fresh as their owners would like.
While staring into the alley, two Ward Officers turned into it and walked down it, approaching him. Ben loitered at the mouth of the alley until they were closer, and then he stepped into it, walking up a little way to greet them. He saw their new nametags, calling them Wardens instead of Ward Officers. One of them was a Senior Warden. Cool.
"Hi, how're you two going?" He greeted. They would recognise him because he recognised them, but he didn't remember speaking to them before. The woman looked really familiar, though. "Is this area part of your rounds?"
-
"Good, thanks," Fred answered, smiling tightly at Ben. He wondered why the youngling was out here, now, asking them questions. He supposed it was to do with his campaign. Fred had been made at twenty-one and had been a vampire half a century. He knew enough about the way things worked between supes and mortals to not care too much about this election business but he was fiercely devoted to the work the Ward did in the city. It was for the good of everyone.
"Great! How're you?" Charli asked, speaking at the same time Fred did. She giggled when their voices blended together. The last time the weather demon had seen Ben, she and Owen had rescued him from some sort of trouble at the White Rabbit and delivered him to his sire. It became evident later on what had occurred, when there was an awful trial against that hideous Lazarus. Her heart had broken for Ben. "You look good!" she complimented with a beaming smile.
When the question about this being their patrol area came, the Wardens exchanged looks with one another but Charli was the one that answered. "Yup! The Quarter's our beat," she confirmed, resisting the urge to ask why he asked such a silly question. Why would they be here if it wasn't where they were supposed to be?
-
"Huh, I thought you were closer to the White Rabbit," Ben said after a moment, finally placing where he'd last seen her. He wanted to thank her for her part in saving him but the moment passed as he tried to think of a way that didn't sound weak or patronising. She'd done her duty, after all. "I know that the Captain has boosted patrols in Central." Him and everybody else who read the supe news sites. "Anyway, I wanted to ask if you knew anything about that?" Ben asked, looking over at the graffiti of the werewolf before he actively pointed to it.
He hoped they would tell him it was some random werewolf with a penchant for spraypaint... except the tags were different colours and this one didn't look as fresh as the hot pink one he'd seen first.
-
Charli smiled at the thought that her patrol area was near the White Rabbit and wanted to make a joke along the lines of her going wherever the wind blew her but it seemed inappropriate. Ben had been having a terrible night when she'd been there last and he didn't need to know she'd gone out of her way to help him. She looked where Ben pointed but Fred answered first.
"Ah, them. Not a lot. They started appearing about a month ago. We haven't managed to sight anyone putting them up, though," Fred shrugged apologetically. "There hasn't been any noted activity accompanying them, no new gangs or violent incidents. They just appear. We log the date they appear, their location and colour but... there's not much else we can tell you, sorry." Another shrug accompanied an actual apology this time.
"The log is available at the office, if you want it," Charli offered, feeling like she needed to offer some sort of consolation after having provided nothing concrete or overly helpful in answer to Ben's question.
-
Without anything to ask about the tag, Ben shifted topic.
"What do you do when you patrol? Do you just walk around or do you talk to anyone? Do a lot of people here know that you're Ward Officers? I mean Wardens?" He had more questions but held back on them to get a proper answer for the ones already asked.
He wondered how long they'd been calling themselves Wardens for. It was a much better title than Ward Officers and he hadn't really been paying attention since pinching Owen for his Academy. Other than the brief meeting with the Captain a short while ago, he'd stayed out of their way.
-
"I like to talk," Charli giggled, "but you have to pick your crowd," she admitted, glancing at her patrol partner.
"We approach people when we can," Fred explained. "Having a relationship with the people around us has been proven to pre-empt trouble and diffuse difficult situations more quickly. We know most of the supes by name and quite a lot of the humans, too."
"Most people know we're Wardens," Charli added, "and even if they don't know what that is, they know we're a security patrol, placed here on behalf of the city. They've seen us make enough arrests that they're wary and know we mean business."
"We get respect," Fred nodded. "It's a mix of walking around watching, making tighter passes around the homes we know are likely to have trouble on certain nights - based on patterns we've observed over time - and making contact with the folks we pass in between."
"It helps pass the time on slow nights," Charli giggled again.
-
"There are slow nights?" Ben asked dubiously. The clinic had been full and he could hear people yelling abuse to one another in the buildings they were standing beside. He could isolate them if he wanted to; he could hear a domestic close at hand - husband and wife screaming at each other about his expensive brand of cigarettes, above them and farther back in the building someone was looking for something and accusing whoever was with them of taking it and 'sticking it in their arms', a couple floors above that were two women squabbling over a fight their kids had got into. There was more but he stopped listening to them and to the Wardens' answer.
He thought Fred was full of shit about getting 'respect'. Criminal neighbourhoods didn't respect the law, they resented them.
"What kind of arrests? What's the most common problem that you face?" Ben asked, wondering what needed attention first. He could get the arrest information from the Captain if she cared to give it, but finding out what was the most common issue was best gleaned from the people who had their boots on the ground.
-
Charli laughed again at Ben's doubt there were slow nights and even Fred smiled. Ben's next question had them answering in unison. "Demons using their powers."
"Out in the open, breaking the masquerade rules of every district," Charli continued. "Or stalking helpless mortals for their souls."
"Mmn, nah, vampires scaring mortals, trying to get a drink in a part of town they think will be easy pickings - but they aren't, even when they're high - has to be second," Fred argued with Charli, who merely shrugged as she looked back at Ben.
"Demons and vampires," was her final assessment. "Those two compete for prime position. Days it's definitely demons, vampires probably top the list of nuisances at night. Usually young ones."
"Thirsty ones," Fred amended, sounding mildly annoyed as he frowned at his partner. She gave him a little smile in return.
-
"When you bust them, are they registered? Can you find them n the system? Or are those new vampires freshly made and without permission? Without sires?"
He was thinking of the free blood cup that new vampires could get from Brannigans and knew even that wasn't enough to sustain a newly fledged vampire. The craving was constant the first year and only tolerable in the second - maybe only because they'd learnt how to live with it. He felt it all the time still, even being more than a decade old, an undercurrent of need that transcended all other wants and desires.
He didn't even know what to say about the demons. He'd have to talk to Zeus.
-
Fred was nodding silently as Ben asked his first two questions but it switched to shaking his head at the second two.
"I can see why you'd think that but brand new fledgelings aren't common. It's usually the older vampires we're arresting - ten, twenty year olds - because they come down here trawling for tainted blood. They're old enough that the desperate thirst is gone and they can better appreciate the toxic stuff. They're looking for the effect, not sustenance, per se. Most of the time they buy the drugs on one block and go looking for someone they like the look of on the next, dragging them into an alley to get them to shoot up, smoke up or swallow pills before they drink their blood. Both of them are vulnerable at that stage, it usually turns into a damn mess that we have to clean up."
"There've been too many deaths from it to list. The vampires get excited and drink too early, spurred on by the bloodstream slowly getting more toxic and, without meaning to, they drain them dry, leaving us anonymous bodies and a tonne of paperwork to deal with, just because they can't keep their fangs in their mouths!" Charli chimed in with enthusiasm, keen to unload her exasperation on a new and sympathetic audience.
-
Ben, initially feeling the positive vibes for Charli and negatives for Fred, was finding himself flipping in his attitude the more the two of them spoke. Oh, the female Warden was helpful and chatty, and he owed her for being there when he'd needed help at the Rabbit, but her end phrasing rubbed Ben entirely the wrong way.
vampires who can't keep their fangs in their mouths
men who can't keep their dicks in their pants
The similarity was too pervasive to ignore and he felt attacked on two fronts. He knew it was his own sensitivity and his awareness mostly tempered his reaction but it couldn't shut it down completely. He stared at her a little too long before shifting his focus to Fred.
"And you're taking the arrestees to Jake to deal with?" Ben asked, then wondered what Jake actually did with them. While he'd been staying with Jake, he didn't remember any prisoners being processed or dropped off at the Rabbit, so maybe they went somewhere else. The Oligarchy Chambers underground prison had been changed to server rooms and extra parking levels. Only the werewolf containment rooms had been kept, but there were always some vacancies during a full moon. He'd thought they'd found somewhere else while the Chambers had been closed, and simply not come back.
"Where do you take them after you arrest them?"
-
The Wardens exchanged a look at the question about whether they took the law breakers to Jake but they both nodded. Fred answered Ben's final question.
"We leave them with the District Leader's people and they decide what to do with them. We don't take them anywhere. District Law supersedes Ward Law," the older vampire answered smoothly.
"Usually we see them back on the streets the next night and they've been fined," Charli shrugged, her mouth twisting glumly. "It deters them, for a while, at least."
"And the District takes responsibility for any corpses or destruction incurred," Fred added.
Charli snorted. "Sometimes we spend hours guarding scenes, waiting for them to turn up so-" Charli cut off abruptly as Fred gave her a sharp look. She tried to smooth over the bump in her sentence as best she could. "So we get annoyed. Waiting is the worst part of our job." She pressed her lips together lightly.
-
"Yeah, you see that's stupid. Ward Law should be the primary law and the District Leaders should support you, not the other way around," Ben said, his tone belying his passionate belief. "All that should change District to District is where you drop the felons off. So what about the murderers? Do they walk away with a fine the next night, too?"
He sounded as pissed as he felt. Really, he should've stayed calm to get more information out of them but he couldn't help it. Jake McCloud was more interested in the status than he was in the leading. And if he wasn't doing the punishing and it was his people, too bad, because he was ultimately responsible so their mistakes were his mistakes. Who the fuck delegated the hard stuff to other people anyway?
He could feel a Jake rant coming on, so he squashed it and listened.
-
The two Wardens exchanged glances again, their body language shifting to face Ben more directly as they instinctively reflected their shared beliefs back at him. Their Captain very much agreed with his viewpoint, too and they'd been hesitant to reveal just how much she encouraged them to display loyalty to the Ward before the districts.
"I've had three bodies," Charli began.
"I've had five. Two on my other beat before we lost our partners and got put together," Fred interrupted.
"Right," Charli agreed, nodding like she'd heard those stories before but hadn't thought about including them. She and Fred had ended up together after Owen and Tariq had gone to the Academy's security staff. "Owen and I only dealt with one corpse when we were together, the other two have been more recent," she explained, holding a hand out, palm up, towards Ben in an inviting gesture. "In each case, I don't honestly know what happened to the super that did it. Two out of the three cases I've had, we caught them right there and took them to the White Rabbit for processing but I don't know what happened after that. I haven't seen them on the streets since," she shrugged. "Truthfully, with a death? The focus from the DL's people is generally more about securing the scene, getting rid of the evidence and far less about prosecuting the murderer. That's how it feels, anyway."
"It doesn't sit right with our Captain," Fred hinted then closed his mouth firmly, like he'd said too much.
-
That was a lot of bodies. Ben hadn't quite known how much to believe regarding the hype in the paper about the fae attacks, only two had been detailed while the others were casting allusions and he hadn't had any trouble at the Academy. And who needed Fae to get high when a mortal donor could just be encouraged to put shit in his blood first?
Securing the area so the supernatural secret didn't get out was a pretty high priority, but after the ridiculous show-trial that Jake had put on for Lazarus, it made for a stark contrast of no information about criminals being dumped on his lap from the Wardens.
"Yeah, but you don't know what happens to them and the way it's set up, it's not your place to ask, either," Ben said, sounding miserable about it. "If I get in, I'll be able to change it in this District, but not in the others. Fuck. I don't even think my alliances feel the same way I do about this." Ben stared at the werewolf tag while he thought about it. "Anyway, thanks for talking to me. I figured you're not supposed to so I never heard anything from you."
He didn't want them cold to him or worried that anything shared with him would put their jobs in jeopardy.
"Oh, before I leave you, was there anything that would make your jobs easier?"
-
"This district's the one that counts, though," Charli encouraged Ben with a beaming smile and a shrug. "It's the most populous, the most economically and socially diverse and has the biggest mix of supers by race. It's got bodies dropping occasionally, where the others are quiet. This district is the one that counts," she repeated for emphasis, feeling like it was a point worth stressing.
Ben would inherit the biggest headaches hands down if he was elected leader of Central but that would also mean he'd effect the greatest change. Charli thought his anger at the way things currently were boded very well for the district's future.
Fred and Charli looked at each other again upon Ben's final question, like they'd discussed such a thing many times before (more like bemoaned it) and weren't sure where to start with their list. Charli laughed a little before she began.
"Faster response times from district support crews when there's an incident."
"A paddy wagon, to lock offenders in while we deal with crime scenes, so we don't have to divide our teams with one taking the perp away and one staying behind," Fred intoned seriously.
"Having our role respected and not being made to feel like we're renegades who're just wearing the uniform so we have an excuse to use our powers against our fellow supes," Charli added churlishly but then smiled at Ben to lighten her message. "Other than that, we're good. Our utility belts are awesome as is."
-
Ben nodded, thinking that the new mayor of the city had pretty much handed him the solution to faster response times amongst his many demands. Everything he'd asked for had been to the city's benefit, really, though he'd been a bit shirty during the meeting at times.
The request for a paddy wagon surprised Ben. He hadn't even considered the Wardens would want cars but it made sense that they needed to put people somewhere. It would have to be strong to hold strong criminals. Maybe get them an armoured truck? It would match the 'security' facade that the Wardens used.
"Alright, thanks!" Ben said, and debated whether or not to shake their hands. After a brief pause he offered, and then they went on their separate ways. Fred and Charli moving to the street Ben had just vacated while he continued down the alley into a street that was far narrower, dirtier, smellier and unwelcoming than the other two. This was the kind of street that reflected what people imagined when they thought of the Quarter. Less families being hard done by, more criminals setting up places to lay low.
He could feel it in the air; like being watched by more than just the groups of tough-looking men and women who were eye-balling him. He stood out in even his most casual clothes; jeans, sneakers, button-up cream shirt. He opened his mind to thoughts around him and found himself touching vile, murderous, hostile thoughts before he closed off again. This was not a safe place for anyone, not even him. It was surprising to him that Fred and Charli had even walked down here without being attacked. At the mouth of every side alley that led to the backs of buildings, he was offered drugs or sex or both, and just like the Wardens had mentioned, a few who recognised what he was had offered to get high before he drank from them. At those offers he looked at who they were. Mostly youths who'd maybe once been pretty but now looked hard-edged and filthy.
He kept walking, and after spying yet another werewolf graffiti icon on a dirty brick wall, he saw someone else walking the street on his side, moving towards him.
-
These streets were filled with temptation, drug dealers, prostitutes, thieves, addicts, bite fanatics, and innocent souls desperate to do anything to escape their poverty-stricken life, more often than not turning to crime. Good people forced to make bad choices in desperation, with the hopes it will lead to something better. Caught in the tangled web of poverty which had plagued the Brazilian Quarters and its people for decades. Slum landlords didn't help either. This would be no overnight fix. Wealth, employment and protection could only provide a temporary patch to the problem. Maria was stunned, surprised and humbled by Jake's gesture. This project laid proudly on her shoulders gave her a boost of confidence Maria needed for the Central. Sam was right, Maria fussed about her performance far too much. The citizens of the Central thought Maria was a stern but patient Keeper, and now Maria hoped to earn the confidence of the Brazilian Quarter. A task easier said than done.
Maria's time in the Brazilian Quarter sadly reminded her of her homeland, broken and scattered souls trying to survive by whatever means possible. Making do with what little they had. A free clinic, a food bank and some other bare amenities we're accessible, but their pride was another problem. No one who is wanting to feel worth something is utilizing these programs, or "free handouts," as one bluntly put it last week. It was a state of mind, a refusal for help but there was a willingness to try, but on their terms. Stubbornness wasn't always a bad trait. Maria thought of a reward system at first, but that seemed childish for grown-ups. Another idea hit her later on in the day. A community program maybe? One that would involve the residents, give them the means and resources to rebuild their community in their image. For both humans and supernaturals in the know and not. In turn, it could help them utilize and master their skills, everyone had a nichè in life.
Even prostitutes had customer service skills if given the right guidance to fine-tune their techniques. It would provide an opportunity for Maria to set up scholarships, apprenticeships and help them start a business, once their pride had been healed. Perhaps they would be willing to accept a promise of a future a little easier, and not see it as a handout. Possibly call it... The Heritage Fund? It had a nice ring to it, a new name for a new start.
Her thoughts were cut short seeing Ben on the streets alone. Business no doubt. But he was alone and this concerned her greatly, this area was dangerous. Maria approached Ben with great care, politely dipping her head to the young vampire before coming to a stop a respectable distance from Ben. Dressed up in a blue and white tribal layered top with long sleeves (https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/415597871858496047/?nic=1), large, plain black wide-legged trousers and black flats completed her outfit. Her hair was draped over her left shoulder in a simple yaki style. A large black tote bag hung comfortably from her left arm filled with various tools and supplies.
"Mr. Samson. We have not had a proper introduction," extending her free hand to shake in a warm manner, "Pleased to meet you. I am Maria Adisa. Saltigue, healer and the current Keeper for the Central." Maria stated calmly. A polite grin lit up her face.
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As soon as he saw her walking along the street in his direction, he recognised her. Ben couldn't place where from and he stared at her, knowing from her clothing that she didn't belong here. Even wearing jeans (too crisp) and a button-down shirt (too tailored) with sneakers (too new and clean) was enough to let the locals know that he wasn't from the quarter. He knew about living paycheck to paycheck and he'd been too proud to accept Kerr's money even though he'd become his sire. He remembered it but he'd lost touch with it; he wanted for nothing, now. Money was just a convenience, now. He no longer had opinions about spending it.
She'd held his gaze during the walk that brought them together. He knew she was going to slow when they came within speaking distance and very naturally they both stopped facing one another, as though they'd agreed to meet here, in the middle of this nondescript street. She addressed him by name and then put him out of his misery by stating that they hadn't been introduced. Okay, so he hadn't forgotten her name. Good job. He reached out to shake her hand, wavering ever so slightly when she completed her statement
what the fuck is a saltigue?
will have to google that later
keeper for the central she said
so she's one of Jake's
and he finally remembered where he'd seen her before. The trial. He gripped her hand with careful strength and shook it, thinking that her hand had lovely, long elegant fingers, before he pocketed his hands away, so that he wouldn't fidget when speaking to her. He was immediately on guard because she was one of Jake's people, and high up in the ranks too, if she was a Keeper. Again, Ben was reminded that Jake McCloud was not a true Anarch. He might've stopped calling himself the Black Prince, but he was still surrounding himself with the Camarilla setup. Keeper. Sheriff. Harpy.
A light went on in his head and the shock raced through his body, electrifying it. He wouldn't be able to hide that something had happened while Maria was staring at him. The physical reaction had been too obvious; it was like he'd been zapped by something.
"Excuse me, sorry. Um, Maria, yes, I remember you from the trial," he said, speaking softly because he always did when bringing up the trial. Even so, the burning hatred he had for Lazarus was muted now. So much had happened since then. How long ago had it been? Immortality was going to be crazy if a few months could feel like this. "What brings you to the Quarter?"
He suspected she was doing the same thing he was; inspecting, patrolling, taking mental notes. Maybe more than just mental, she had a bag with her. He'd just typed a few things into his phone.
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Chaos, hate, shame and hurt. Their brief handshake had given Maria a deeper understanding of Ben's well being, and behind that intense, confident stare of iridescent white blue eyes stood a young vampire full of turmoil. She briefly studied Ben's physical reaction, almost like being stung by a bee, abrupt and quite obvious. It didn't take the Tom Hardy Boys to tell her what that was all about, and Maria nodded her head slightly with regret. A shame that was where Ben remembered her from but Maria was pleased he recalled her at all.
"I am here to check up on several people in the area. The graffiti is another intriguing issue," her eyes scanning the filthy looking brick wall for a brief moment before returning her attention to Ben again.
"It appears to have caught your interest as well. Would you be comfortable sharing your thoughts with me?" Maria had heard from Sam that Ben is a bright and perceptive vampire in her class. Then again, Ben might not be comfortable with Maria to share what he speculated the graffiti tag was all about.
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After looking at him with warmth and interest, she turned her head to the closest building where yet another graffiti tag could be seen - the third one he'd come across, this one older and more faded, like it had been the first territory claimed - and remarked on it.
"Looks like a wolf. Could be weres, could be shifters," he surmised, then shrugged. He was telling her nothing she couldn't have already guessed. He'd believed the circle around it all was the moon but he could be wrong - it could've just as easily been a triangle, maybe. "What about you? Seen or heard anything about it? This is my first time in the Quarter," he admitted. If she'd been coming here more often, she was bound to know more than he did.
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That explained why Ben was alone in this dangerous part of the Brazilian Quarters, pleased that he was willing to convey his opinion on the matter, "The first tag showed up a few months ago and like you I thought it was a simple were or shifter tag. Nothing more," then her lips pulled together in a slight frown.
"Now I worry it could also be a warning since a fresh one appeared again," she hoped that was not the case but it was something that could not be ruled out.
"Has anyone in this particular subdivision displayed any violent tendencies towards you, Mr. Samson?" Ben looked fine, his clothes crisp and clean. However, if something happened to him Sam would be stark raving mad if her friend got hurt, and Maria would feel incredibly ashamed.
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Ben nodded slowly when she spoke of a fresh tag on the walls. The hot pink one two streets over had looked the freshest, and they seemed to be tagging the alleys, not the outer walls. Did that mean specific territory was being taken or that it was easier to tag alleys just because it was more hidden away in the shadows?
"No, nobody's bothered me," he replied before changing the subject back to the vandalism. "That's the third one I've seen tonight but I've been going up and down the streets, and I haven't looked in every alley. The Wardens don't know anything about them either," he shared. Then, because it was relevant: "Does Jake have any of his people here patrolling? Or is it just you?"
She looked like she could handle herself, much like he could - well, against humans anyway. Ben didn't fancy going up against an angry werewolf, or a whole gang of them. He didn't know anything about Maria other than what she'd told him but she smelled funky in a way that reminded him vaguely of Sabrina. Not that he would ever mention to a sophisticated looking woman that she had funky smell.
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Maria kept a calm presence in front of Ben and gave him a polite nod. She was relieved no one had threatened harm against him, "Some alleys you should not walk unaccompanied," Maria cautioned Ben but addressing him in a caring tone. "Yes we do have people patrolling all over the Quarters, alongside the Wardens but their patrol routes don't always cross each other. You can't always see our agents either," Ben would have known about the ability Obfuscate from Sam's class.
"Once my own priorities and objectives are completed I lend a helping hand to our security force and the Wardens if they need it. Charli and Fred are on tonight for the Wardens. Manuel, Riley and Ami are on tonight for our security," Maria always took the extra mile to know the names of the Wardens on patrol for the night, finding it created a positive response from the Wardens.
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Irritation rippled through him at her caution. Just another do-gooder telling him what he could and couldn't do because he looked young. Ben was fast losing interest in the conversation - especially when she gave him the names of the Wardens he'd spoken to but had pointedly not given him the names of those he'd spotted but hadn't caught up with. Maybe it was a subtle way to let him know he'd been noticed that he'd talked with them? She was better at cautionary words than Jake was - he was a brute and she was finesse. In Ben's opinion, he just had to be more careful around her.
He would definitely look up that saltigue thing.
"I honestly can't tell the difference between Jake's people and the crims that operate here," he said, looking across the street at the four leather-clad thugs loitering on the front steps of some run-down building. He'd been walking on this side of the street to avoid them - not because he was worried he couldn't handle them (as his vampiric strength made them pushovers) but because a fight with them would reveal that he wasn't 'ordinary' and there was no way in hell he'd take a beating from those goons.
He wondered if she would think him a snob because of what he'd said. So be it. Even when he'd been dirt poor he hadn't been proud of it, wielding his financial instability like it made him tougher or better somehow. He remembered his room-mates friends, going out on payday and blowing all their money on a boozy night out, or spending all their money on weed and then crying poor at the end of the week. Fucking losers.
The Brass Quarter was probably divided into thirds like that. A third of the nasty, criminal element that needed to be booted into prisons or just made to 'disappear'. A third of people hard done by and trying to scrape a living while providing for their families on multiple jobs (and these were the ones he wanted to help), and the last third would be a bunch of losers that were only here because they were too apathetic to pull themselves out of the gutter. People like his dad. People like his brother.
His unkind thoughts were reflected in his expression as he stared at Maria, waiting for her diplomatic answer or lecture. Whether he liked her or not didn't matter. She'd already chosen her side. Only Sam was allowed to straddle the distance between Jake's camp and Ben's... because it wasn't her fault who her sire was.
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Maria had taken note of the annoyance that bubbled across Ben's face, reminding her of Sam in that moment and her own bitter attitude when being cautioned about anything. The scary part, however, was Sam didn't mind getting hurt if things accidentally went south. Maria took no offence to the emotions displayed by Ben, she continued to display a peaceful attitude towards the young vampire despite the negative observation Ben expressed.
"It looks that way doesn't it?" Maria indicated in a calm and mellow attitude. Maria did not think Ben as a snob, she thought he was narrow-minded and a bit rigid with his observations. Examining Bens' gaze flicker across the street, staring at four individuals that were nothing more than tough-looking teddy bears.
"People would not think I come from a third world country in the manner I dress either." Maria held a polite smile while she continued to speak, scanning the young vampire's expression. "It lets the community know we are here to help first and foremost. To get know us and them, no matter how we dress. I find the uniforms can summon a certain type of hesitation to come forward or a complete unwillingness to approach us at all."
"People are medicine for people Mr.Samson," having the words of her mentor pour out of her mouth. It had been a long time since she had to use a proverb in a situation.
Maria found out years ago Americans valued their privacy and solitude. A huge cultural shock that brought a certain sadness and loneliness Maria could not shake for years. In the Senegalese culture, they valued the importance placed on community, relationships and simply being together. Sitting, shooting the shit, and joking with each other is their cure-all's. Maria felt that is what the Brazilian Quarter needed and after long talks with Jake he had agreed to let Maria help clean up the Quarters and bring forth a bright future for the people.
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"Some people might be medicine but others are toxic," Ben replied, his voice low. He dropped his gaze, unable to hold her stare. He was of the impression that on a general basis, Ben could be medicine... but personally, if anyone invested in him emotionally, he was toxic. Could a person be both? He thought so. Jake was medicine to Kerr but toxic to Ben.
He wanted to change the subject, so he brought it back to her original statement, using the medicine thing as a segue.
"So who are you here to check up on? Someone who needs your medicine?" He forced his tone to be friendly and he thought he did a pretty good job of it. He even looked back into her eyes.
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A large cloud of darkness fell over Ben when he mentioned people could also be toxic, verifying what Maria felt through their handshake held true, "Samantha does not believe you are toxic Mr. Samson." Leaving the conversation with a small positive note, whatever Sam seen in Ben was for her to know.
"On several people yes," correcting Ben while giving him a firm nod. "The first one is a Duskborn who is dealing with a slum landlord tonight. My assistance was requested," leaving out the particular details of the case.
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"I wasn't talking about me," Ben said defensively, not liking Maria's assumption. Rude. He frowned at her, wondering how to get out of this insulting conversation when she provided him with information about the people she'd come to see.
Duskborn. Yet another term he didn't know. Saltigue. Duskborn. He was going to be Googling a few things later tonight. He wasn't going to ask her what it meant. He didn't want her to think he was ignorant.
"What kind of assistance did you give?" he asked.
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Yes... that's why Kerr visited the White Rabbit, leaving Jake in tears and in a terrible mood for several nights on end. Jake couldn't even have a movie night with Sam, a toxic mess stood in front of Maria, and until he addressed those issues a bigger storm was to develop. Ben could frown all he wanted but Maria made a good guess Ben had no idea what Saltigue meant and very few did. If Ben didnt and Maria could not tell, he would find out from... what did Sam call it? Googling? She ask Sam later. This was all hidden under an experienced smile.
"Many do not know their rights and more often than not their taken advantage of," she said politely. Careful of what information to give Ben.
"I am due soon to give assistance. If the landlord has not kept to his legal obligations to that person they will be moved tonight," she would not that person in that ghastly situation and Ben didn't need to know more about the circumstances.
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"Oh, I see. You're cleaning up the Quarter one person at a time," he said, his voice and expression lacking emotion though he really wanted to smirk. "Ambitious."
She was the same as Jake as far as he was concerned. She had the same kind of attitude of staring at the minutiae. It seemed that was the kind of person his sort attracted. The ones that 'changed the world by helping a person in need every day'. Dear Lord.
"I won't keep you from providing assistance then," he said, uninterested in dealing with her any further.
Funny - before getting to know Jake he'd got the impression that he'd been a mighty warrior, defending the city against feral attack, driving back the horde and saving hundreds of thousands of lives. Maybe he'd even been that, once. Maybe he should've stuck to being a warrior. He certainly had no idea how to be a politician.
Should've chosen a different field to retire in, Jake. Maybe the modelling life will be better for you than it was for me.
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Maria read between the lines of Ben's empty statement that came rolling out of his mug, his remark and limited perception caused far more damage than Ben would acknowledge. One person at a time? If ten men are digging, and ten men are filling in the hole, there will be plenty of dust but no hole. When numerous people are working and several people are destroying it, nothing is going to get done.
A shame Ben did not understand. It was clear that he did not want to be bothered any longer, the Ben that Sam spoke highly of was absent tonight and Maria wondered what the reason could be. Guilty by association with Jake? Who knew and Maria would not keep him to find out.
"Have a pleasant evening Mr.Samson. I appreciate your input tonight," replying with a thick tone of sincerity and giving Ben a proper farewell nod. Continuing on to address her responsibilities for the night and Jake was not going to like to hear she ran into Ben.