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Post by MP on Feb 26, 2021 20:04:44 GMT -6
The tunnel was a labyrinth of intersections, dead end grates, and darkness designed to discourage intrusion. Every misstep was an uncomfortable reminder of the lack of cell reception, of the veritable maze back to the surface, and one's very human vulnerability. It was more than just paranoia. Sometimes there were other footsteps in the distance, not Faolan's own. Sometimes the air chilled around him, as if some force had ghosted past. And the pinprick of light that had been growing in the distance abruptly winked out.
A shadow was moving down the tunnel ahead. Something serpentine and flowing; something that scraped along the stone with what might have been scales, might have been claws. The hiss of its passing wafted through the dark, a primal sound that dizzied the thoughts and weakened the knees as it turned the corner and was gone.
But nothing stopped him as he came to the end. The tunnel mouth widened, blooming into a familiar yet altered cityscape. The same architecture, the same overcast skies, as if he'd never left. But the streets were unfamiliar, the sign faces sporting unfamiliar characters, the walls marred by graffiti and old claw marks. All manner of supernaturals walked, crawled, and lumbered down the streets, and more than one cast the lone human a sideways look.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Feb 27, 2021 23:36:34 GMT -6
Faolans pupils swelled as the meagre light of the tunnel faded, and he pressed close to the wall as the slithering form scraped nearer. He'd been in the Underground before, but never alone - and never along this route. His pulse raced at every echoing noise, and the looming darkness pressed in at his back with an almost tangible weight.
The human quickened his pace towards the mouth of the tunnel, letting out a breath of relief as he stepped out beneath the clouded sky. Golden eyes scanned over Sarkanys scribbled instructions. Right at Wynhall, and then the third alley on the left. The vagueness was only slightly concerning.
He kept his gaze forward and tried to ignore the occasional stare. Humans were allowed down here, alone or otherwise. The first alley passed by, and then the second. Faolan hesitated at the entrance of the third and tried not to think about the possibility of being human trafficked.
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Post by MP on Mar 23, 2021 2:39:10 GMT -6
Not far down the alley, a set of stairs led down to what looked like a basement entrance. It was drab, undecorated, marked only by a plain-font sign above the door. "Songbird," it said. As Faolan watched, a trio of women pushed through the door, baring sharp-tipped fangs as they chattered. A dusky light and the dull thump of music streamed briefly after them until the door swung shut. That brief peek was enough to see the gleam of several nocturnal eyes on the other side.
"Shoulders, Dr. Mura."
A hand clapped him on the offending muscle. Sarkany sounded cheerful this evening. No sooner had he appeared then he was ushering the doctor forward with a light pressure of his hand.
"Tense shoulders always mark you as someone who doesn't belong. Plus it puts knots in your neck."
He cast a conspiratorial grin at the man.
"Clever thought, but a little neck gristle won't deter anyone. Stay alert, but keep your muscles loose. Helps you blend with the crowd. Helps you move fast if you need to."
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Post by qhostqrowls on May 10, 2021 20:01:25 GMT -6
Faolan jumped at the unexpected weight on his shoulder, but there was nothing but relief in his expression when he smiled up at Sarkany. The thrill of success at finding the right place had been dampened by the thought of entering alone. Wandering dark tunnels he could do, but the prospect of embarrassing himself socially was another thing all together.
"Oh, Sarkany - right." He relaxed his shoulders with an exhalation. "I didn't notice."
Even with his more relaxed posture, the human felt no less nervous as they neared the Songbirds nondescript entrance.
"This, um - what kind of place is this, again?"
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Post by MP on Jun 20, 2021 23:45:32 GMT -6
Sarkany, by contrast, showed no such nerves. He was already strolling ahead, holding the door open as two middle-aged men filtered out. One smiled a thanks, the tips of long fangs gleaming. The seraph glanced back, holding the door for Faolan.
"Songbird caters to creatures of the night - your standard Romanian vampires mostly. Though you have some betal, aswang, even rougarou once in a blue moon." He grinned at his joke. "It's a place for the undead to indulge in one the favorite evening pastimes."
Bass thumped through the open door, along with the boom of many feet. Someone, in a tone-deaf and enthusiastic wail, was singing along to I Will Survive, accompanied by scattered cheers. Kanagi nodded along to the music appreciatively.
"Do you sing, Dr. Mura?"
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Post by qhostqrowls on Jul 31, 2021 21:58:51 GMT -6
Faolan's pupils swelled as he walked over the threshold, his demeanour shifting from nervous to bemused in a matter of seconds. His gaze skimmed over the patrons and landed on the super belting out the familiar tune, watching them intently for a few astonished seconds.
"Oh, no - I mean, not very well." He answered Sarkany belatedly, feeling blood rush to his face at the suggestion. Not without a few drinks and a lot of encouragement.
He glanced at the Seraph as the singer hit a particularly pitchy note, failing to supress a slight grin.
"A bit better than that, though."
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Post by MP on Aug 1, 2021 22:14:28 GMT -6
"Unfortunately," Sarkany said with an answering grin, "perfect pitch isn't one of immortality's gifts."
He broke off with a delighted greeting at the sight of the hostess - a raven-haired woman who could have stepped out from the pages of Dracula. She answered him with a smile that could have thawed ice.
"Sharky! Wondered when we'd see you back." She flashed a welcoming smile at Faolan. Despite the blood-red eyes and cruelly pointed fangs, she had an air of genuine friendliness. "Table for two? Sparrow just asked for their check."
"Table, yes?" Sarkany looked to Faolan for confirmation. Then back to the hostess with a bright smile. "For two, yes."
She shook her head playfully.
"Right this way. Just don't let Yianni catch you."
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Post by qhostqrowls on Aug 7, 2021 2:01:51 GMT -6
Faolan smiled back at the hostess, inwardly pleased with how naturally the expression came. A year or two ago he would have flinched back at the first hint of fangs. The benefits of working with supernaturals, he supposed, and being friends with vampires like Ru and August. There was still a decidedly watchful air to the man, but it was a far cry from how he'd once been.
He trailed after Sarkany as they were led to the table, considering the vampires nickname for the man. Maybe he was a shark shifter of some kind? He certainly had the teeth for it. But the eyes didn't really match. Maybe it was just a play on words.
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Post by MP on Aug 12, 2021 0:36:01 GMT -6
The last singer, despite his tone-deaf performance, was met with whoops of encouragement and genuine applause. He smiled shyly and made his way back to his own table, where his companions met him with claps on the shoulder and a fresh song list. Sarkany smiled to himself.
"Hasn't changed a bit," he said to Faolan cheerfully. "Come by often enough and you'll start to recognize most of the faces here."
He nodded at the next singer up - a breathtakingly beautiful woman waving to the karaoke jockey. As her selection started, she craned her flawless neck forward. And forward. And forward. Her body sat with its hands folded demurely in its lap, waiting for her disembodied head as it drifted up to the mic.
"Cassidy's here every Friday." Sarkany whispered. "She's unaffiliated at the moment - her kind tend to be solitary, she says. But a few of the musically minded covens have extended invitations lately, and I hear she's shopping around. A hobby-based sort of thing. No hard feelings either way."
He paused to join the appreciative smattering of applause. Cassidy had hit the high notes flawlessly.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 17, 2021 20:32:39 GMT -6
Faolan watched the womans head float to the microphone with only a faint look of surprise. He turned back to Sarkany attentively, nodding as the man spoke, finger tapping along to the beat of the song against the tabletop.
"How do you -" He paused to join in the applause, genuinely impressed by her voice. "How do you find this out? I mean, obviously you talk with them, or listen." A slight shake of his head, as he glanced around the venue, at the patrons, at the shine of their eyes and the glint of fangs as they conversed or laughed or took a draft of their drinks.
"But I feel like it would be weird if I did. As a human."
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Post by MP on Oct 30, 2021 19:59:47 GMT -6
"As a human?" Sarkany looked up. "I'd expect curiosity from a human first of all. They make the perfect tourists. No magic, no miracles, no competing sapient life in their own lives - so they pretend, at least. Coming from a world like that, who wouldn't be curious? And what's the harm? Not like a human would be out to prey on me, lure me out for some species feud, kill me over territory."
He sat back, tipping his head.
"Well, most of the time. Still." He shrugged. "What's the harm? Be interested. It's interesting, hm?"
He nodded at the stage, where a spectral ball of light had drifted up to the stage, accompanying Cassidy's refrains with an enthusiastic voice of its own.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Dec 6, 2021 3:36:24 GMT -6
"It really is." Faolan watched the light float upwards with visible curiosity. He hadn't seen anything like that, yet, even with the constant influx of just about every type of supernatural into the hospital.
It was a little hard not to stare at every new feature he saw in the seated crowd, and so he looked back to his hawk-eyed companion.
"And I guess I'm not the threatening type of human, anyway." He smiled faintly. "Maybe too far the other way sometimes."
Many supers had a right to be wary of humans - centuries of persecution would do that, and with the modern world dominated by his own species. But it wasn't as if a predator ever forgot what it was, and neither did it's prey.
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Post by MP on Dec 15, 2021 20:20:43 GMT -6
"What is 'the other way?'" Sarkany glanced over. "Too friendly? Or too edible?"
Yellow eyes glanced Faolan up and down, sizing the doctor up for the first time - at least visibly - since they'd met. But if it was appraising, it at least lacked real predatory interest.
"Frankly, if you hadn't called attention to yourself, I wouldn't take you for ideal prey. Too wary. Too, hm, khame to be a sure kill."
He accompanied the foreign word with an odd, one-armed flex.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Dec 20, 2021 2:32:41 GMT -6
"Too edible." Faolan confirmed, smiling faintly as the seraph looked him over.
"Well, that's relieving to hear." The smile brightened, and the doctor paused for a moment. He'd been too shy to ask Sarkany much about himself - his species or his magic - but now seemed a good time.
"Khame?" He echoed, trying to get the inflection of the word right. "What does that mean? And - what language is it?"
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Post by MP on Dec 21, 2021 0:28:54 GMT -6
“Mine, of course,” Sarkany answered, all false innocence. “It means…”
He winnowed the air with his fingertips, thinking.
“Flawless. And also unremarkable. One bird in a flock of thousands, all together. Whatever people might think of predators,” Sarkany shrugged. “We mostly see the weak. And I suppose the very strong.”
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