Haunted Roads

Who: Slade and Vallis
Where: An alley outside the Metropolitan Grill
When: Friday night

Being damn good at your job afforded one certain luxuries - one of which was being able to actually choose whose money you were playing with, for once. Slade was especially picky seeing as her nest egg was large enough to tide her over for quite awhile and so it was only the most elite in any given social setting that she would even consider. Thankfully Seattle seemed to have an abundance of wealthy individuals with absolutely no idea in how to invest their bulging bank accounts. Her reputation from Manhattan had proceeded her to this new coast it seemed, thanks to a few of her bi-coastal clients. She'd already had some sort of dinner or brunch with a potential investor every day this week. Tonight was yet another one - a kid in his thirties who still had a nice chunk of change he'd made in the dot com boom whose prior advisors hadn't done shit with. Slade, on the other hand, was more than confident she could do quite the turnaround number on it.

When inquiring where she'd like to meet, she'd gone with the Metropolitan Grill over any of her other usual haunts that might be drawing an unsavory Friday night crowd. The place was on her top ten of best places for a very, very dry martini and that was really all she needed out of this little business dinner. Sure the food was good, the atmosphere rather impressive for a first time meeting setting, but it was the shaken martini that really drew her in. To keep up appearances though, she'd only had one at dinner - no sense in appearing to be some unprofessional lush. She'd walked the potential investor to his car afterwards, a brief exchange of business cards marking his exit before the dark sedan pulled away from the curb. Slade fully intended to go back inside and have another drink or two, unwind before she headed home to the Towers, but first there was the small issue of a nicotine craving.

Dressed in one of her usual dark designer suits and a pair of rather pricey vintage Chanel pumps she'd had for years, she started towards an alley running alongside the Grill for a quick smoke. She fished a cigarette from her handbag, deposited it between her lips and ignited the end until the embers caught. She inhaled sharply, a cloud of smoke filling the air as she tucked the remaining pack back into her clutch. She'd barely made it a foot into the alley when something splashed across her calf, soaking the top of her shoe. "Fucking christ," she growled, the scent of blood assaulting her senses. Goddamn vampires, did they have to be so messy about the whole feeding bit? Didn't the years teach them anything?

Who: Serena and Nox
When: Afternoon
Where: Seattle Aquarium

Nox had spent most of the morning at the station trying to put a dent in a massive pile of paperwork on his desk. Extreme concentration and a slow day in the crime world had allowed him to make a bigger dent than he'd expected. By the time afternoon rolled around, and he was able to take a lunch break, he decided he needed something to soothe the senses and reward himself for a job well done. The aquarium nearly always helped in that regard. It was dark, quiet, and watching the fish put his mind at ease. He was particularly enamored with the underwater dome exhibit.

Leaving the station, he took a cab to the aquarium. Nox came here a lot, so he actually had a membership, something Hesper laughed about until she was blue in the face. Yeah, so he was a bit of a nerd. It didn't bother Nox. He always enjoyed himself at the aquarium, and even the simple act of handing his membership card to the teen at the entrance managed to put a smile on his face. Walking in, he headed straight for the underwater dome to park for the next hour.

To ensure the tranquility of the environment wouldn't be disrupted, Nox switched his phone to vibrate. There was always a chance he'd get a call or text from work, and he didn't want to ruin the ocean experience for anyone else in attendance. As he stood before the glass, watching the poetic movement of the animals on the other side, he caught sight of a little girl to his right who pressed her nose right up against the glass. The blond's eyes were impossibly wide, and their blue hue was intensified by the reflection of the water in them. His smile grew by miles as he watched her watching the sea creatures. Having spent much of the last two weeks working on the case of a murdered seven year old, it helped to see a child alive and happy. This was why he worked so hard... to keep such terrible crimes from happening, and to ensure justice was served when the worst did occur.