Haunted Roads

When: Very Early Morning
Where: Towers
Who: Tavin and Jerzy

It had been too long since Tavin had spent a night at the apartment. He knew that Jerzy had noticed his longer then normal hours. He knew the kid wondered, but didn’t question. He knew and yet more often then not, he was still out late and back out early. It wasn’t the first time Tavin got a bit consumed by work but it had been a damned long time since he seemed to put it first. This time around, however, it wasn’t work that really had Tavin’s attention. The last few days he was able to get a few meetings with supernaturals he thought might be able to help his sister out. The trouble was that he had to keep the details rather vague. He wasn’t looking to make it obvious what was going on. Tavin never let his personal life be open and he couldn’t take the risk of tying his name to hers. Not yet.

All in all by the time the night was near over Tavin was frustrated as fuck and less then pleased. He hated the fact that he had to go about things this way. It felt like the past all over again. Where the only methods he had to protect them with was actually damned risky and far from what they actually needed. He fucked it up before, he didn’t want to again. Which made every failed meeting or day with no progress that much harder to take.

The sun would be up in an hour or so. Tavin was slowly making his way back to the towers. His car was parked there already, left in favor or walking to his last meeting. He needed the movement, that way to expel some energy. He needed the time to calm his racing thoughts, to get his act together before the meeting would start. And now…now he needed some time to get that irritation out before he made his way back to the apartment. Would the kid be awake? Tavin didn’t doubt it. Jerzy too often stayed awake waiting for him. Was a nasty habit to get into, made for a lot of sleepless nights. Not that he slept much anyways.

The streets were nearly empty, but in the shadows Tavin could feel the movement of a vampire racing back home and the slight shift to the air as a demon moved nearly unseen in the air not that high above him. It amazed him at times how obvious some of this shit was and how oblivious those few others on the streets right now were. The bum down the way didn’t even blink. The earlier riser catching the bus didn’t look up from her phone. Tavin ignored it all, pausing only for a second to put a cigarette to his lips and light it. It wasn’t what he really wanted, wasn’t even close to enough to start to calm him down. But it was a start. One that would work till he was in his own room.

By the time he got to the towers the cigarette was spent and discarded, snubbed out before the tower doors were pushed open and Tavin cut through the near vacant lobby. The worker at the front desk gave him a nod, Tavin vaguely returned it before finally making his way back to their apartment. How long had it been since he’d stayed for more then an hour? Hell how long had it been since he’d slept?

It was probably a bad thing that he didn’t know the answer to those questions.

At the door Tavin jiggled the keys a bit before opening the door, always gave Jerzy a bit of a heads up that he was home. Kid could get spooked pretty easy. Not that Tavin blamed him leaving here. Was one of the many reasons Tavin had to debate moving already. That was a thought for fucking later though…he was too tired for it right now. “You awake?” Tavin questioned just loud enough to be heard but not so loud it would wake the kid if he wasn’t.

Who: Jade and Tavin
Where: The Towers, 13th floor - Pool Area
When: Evening
What: Imagine meeting you here...

Jade had a night off from work, and after she'd been awake for a while, she'd decided to try out the indoor pool that she'd seen before but never swam in. She was sure that other tenants must use the pool, but there was nobody else up here, same as the day she'd toured the building. She didn't mind that. At her job, she spent so much time dealing with people that it was nice to have some downtime. Hotel management was definitely not a job for the meek.

Once arriving at the pool, which was dimly lit and surrounded by deck chairs and foliage, she put her towel and robe down on one of the chaises and strolled to the deep end. Pausing briefly, she seemed to be waiting for a signal, or possibly just orienting herself to the humidity in here. Once she was ready, she dove into the water, propelling herself through the light and shadow cast by the lights beneath the surface. It was soothing, and she turned to float on her back after she'd swam for a few minutes.

Life had been busy lately, and when it hadn't, she'd made it so. She needed distraction from her Sire and his machinations and manipulations and from the knowledge that Tavin and Jerzy lived right here, in the same building. She'd made it her business to find out which apartment they occupied, though she'd done nothing with the knowledge. It had upset Jerzy terribly to see her as she was now, and she could only imagine what he'd told Tavin. She was probably lucky that Tav hadn't come to hunt her down with a stake and holy water, she thought wryly.

She'd love to see Tavin again, which was an excellent reason for her to stay away. One, he didn't want her, and she couldn't imagine that her being a vampire would change that, and two, she could be dangerous to him. Well, him and Jerzy. She hadn't given in to Tony's... unique information gathering methods at the Theatre du Macabre that night, and she didn't plan to. She supposed he could try to torture the information out of her, but he hadn't taken that tactic yet. She'd be rather surprised if he did. It wasn't that she didn't think him capable of it, but it hadn't been a tactic he'd seemed to have any interest in using on her thus far.

Ah, well. Right now was for forgetting problems, not trying to create more. Jade floated, occasionally trailing her hands through the water to achieve a small amount of movement.

When: Night
Where: Towers
Who: Tavin and Eliina

The night before the full moon, Tavin should have been home with Jerzy. He normally was. He’d come home early in the morning, he’d eat the breakfast Jerzy always had waiting and spend the entire day with him since he knew tomorrow night he'd be gone. He wouldn’t work, hell he’d not even really go anywhere if he could avoid it. But tonight was different. Tonight he told the kid he needed to go out for a bit and he didn’t want him to worry none. Just something to take care of and he’d be back. The words weren’t lies; there was something he had to take care of. Eliina.

He’d been watching her off and on for weeks now, following her through the city, seeing where she worked. He gathered up every bit of information on her he could. He’d waited and he’d debated. Tonight wasn’t the night to do this. There would be better times, better chances, if he just waited. But the days around the full moon always put him on edge. His patience always seemed to flat line. He wanted to know who she was. He needed to figure out what her presence meant before Jerzy accidentally stumbled into her. The kid didn’t need to know she was here. Not yet. Not until Tavin had some real answers for him.

Maybe others would be joyful; they’d have tears in their eyes and hope in their hearts. Tavin wasn’t one of those people. What he had was wariness and disbelief. He didn’t trust her here. He didn’t trust anyone that sent nosey ass little humans after him. There were too many ifs. Too many unknowns. And those she kept company with did not exactly give him anymore reason to trust.

If he got even a hint that something was up Jerzy and he would be gone by morning.

Tavin was never ever letting someone hurt that kid again.

He was protective of family, he had always been. Once that had included Eliina…but he didn’t know who she was anymore. Maybe, deep down, there was a part of him that wanted to believe that there was chance to have her back in their lives. They had looked for her…hunted for her so that they could be together again. Now that she was possibly in front of him it wasn’t so simple anymore. Not that it had ever really been.

There was no more delaying, no more digging into her life or watching from the shadows. Tavin was waiting now just beyond her door…he knew she was going out tonight. Someone had spoken so the other day when he’d been so very near and yet so very far away. Tavin had a knack for that, far better then any human could. Heightened senses helped in that but it was more the stealth and speed he had on his side then anything. Abilities that helped to keep him unknown to those he watched.

He could hear her now on the other side of the door. The slight jangle of keys grabbed. There was still time to turn away. Time to rethink this. To realize any other night would be better. But to him there were no other times. No other chances. That patience was gone and now there was just that need to know.

Tavin waited…and he stood there still when the door finally opened. Back to the wall, arms folded against his chest, bright cat like eyes hidden behind dark glasses. But though she couldn’t see his eyes he could see hers. Eyes that were too familiar to not be hers. Eyes that he knew to be his sisters…

When: Nightfall
Where: Around the city
Who: Tavin – Narrative

Eliina. Tavin hadn’t let himself think about his sister in a very long time. The past was the past and the only family he held concern for was the brother that he had to protect. Beyond that Tavin had all but given up. Long ago the pair had attempted to look for her. Seeking out information, going through the available channels to those like them. People that wanted no paper trail and only paid in cash. The sorts of people that refused to give up information on them but were demanding it from others. The search never went well and always resulted in dead ends. Eventually the two had to simply move forward. Forget all else and just focus on surviving the days ahead of them. Now when the two weren’t looking she was there.

Supposedly.

Tavin didn’t believe anything anyone spoke. Especially those paid to make someone see their way. Tavin wasn’t going to be convinced by some total stranger that what they said was true. And though the nosey woman had spoken of “neutral ground” Tavin knew that to be bullshit. There wasn’t really any such thing. Not for the people that he knew could be after them still. Sure I don’t know you but I’m going to sit right here where you tell me and why don’t you just tell everyone where to find me….no thanks. Tavin watched his ass better then that. After that meeting Tavin was a ghost, falling into the shadows and scarcely seen by anyone. That didn’t mean he stopped working, far from it, but he did so in a way a bit different then before. Tavin knew how to keep out of sight. It was something he had to excel in more and more as the years passed.

It was never him that he was worried about though. Tavin knew he’d be able to find ways of escape, ways to disappear. Jerzy…that was another story. He told the kid to stay inside for a bit, not necessarily the best way to keep him from being seen since the Towers was pretty active but it worked. It was good enough for right now at least. While Tavin did some investigating of his own.

He didn’t go to any of those that he knew, even if many of them owed him favors. He didn’t go to the supernatural he worked for either…no point to get anyone more involved then they had need to be. Plus if someone did you a favor…you had to do one in return. Tavin attempted to keep himself out of the negative when it came to that. Finding her wasn’t the easiest thing he’d ever done, but it wasn't impossible.

A different name, some big company, a bit of digging and he found the person that had been looking for him at the least. Was it really her? He couldn’t say, not completely. He’d seen her once, at a glance, in passing that he made sure would be nothing more then that. Lost in a sea of faces Tavin could blend right in. The sight of her meant little however, how could it after so many years? But at the least the characteristics he remembered were the same. But the feel…scent…that was an unknown. He hadn’t been able to get close enough. There were too many around, making it difficult to focus just on her.

Tavin hadn’t told Jerzy yet. He wouldn’t either. Not until he was certain. Completely, one hundred percent, certain. Though that was just the start wasn’t it? Even if she was their blood….their sister…that didn’t mean shit if she had ties with those the two were never going to be near again.

Tavin had a lot of digging to do…much as he disliked it he might even have to call in a favor or two. He’d do what he could to learn all about her and then, once he had, meet her on his terms.

The full moon. Tavin was always on edge on the full moon and never wanted to work. People were just too fucking much when his nerves were shot. Idiots and their attempts to try to con or talk like they knew more then him. Other dealers thinking today was the day to try to push and dominate. No…work rarely went well the day of the full moon. Before working with the supplier he now was Tavin had to fight his way through it, just grit his teeth and manage to get through the day somehow. Now working for the one he was, they knew to give him today off no matter how damned busy it was.

Losing business wasn’t in any of their best interests and today with Tavin like he was, it was a good possibility. Normally a smooth talker and great charmer…Tavin was more likely to snap today then give a shit about working something out.

No work to take up his time…but Tavin didn’t really stay around the towers either. He knew that all things considered, the whole shifting thing still didn’t always sit well with Jerzy. Shit it wasn’t like Tavin could blame the kid. It wasn’t exactly a pretty process and Tavin wasn’t exactly a sweet and cuddly person before or after it. Well…maybe after a bit as he was too damned tired by that point to complain.

Tavin was at the apartment through the morning only because he was passed out till sometime around noon. One advantage of it all, he got to sleep in today and tomorrow. Rare damn thing for Tavin who tended to be up nearly 24 hours a day all week long. Sleep and him weren’t exactly close but today he gladly took the hours that it allowed him.

Once awake he crawled out of bed, showered, dressed in worn clothes that didn’t matter, and said his goodbyes to Jerzy. Giving the monthly speech about keeping the doors shut, not going out, all the shit that the kid already knew but Tavin always restated anyways. He knew that Jerzy understood why tonight was such a bad night but…it never sat well with Tavin to be so damned removed from contact. Once shifted…getting a hold of him wasn’t easy. He had sense of self when shifted but it wasn’t like he could just come running back to the towers if he somehow knew something was wrong. Humans noticed some wild cat running through the halls.

What was left of the day was spent driving for Tavin. He removed himself from the city where it was far too damned likely someone would spot him. Again it was difficult to take himself that far away but it was what needed to be done. If a wild cat was spotted out in the middle of no where no one really cared. If one was spotted in downtown Seattle…it became headlines. Neither of them wanted that. Tavin knew to keep out of sight and mind when shifted, just like his life normally was really. But things happened…and it was just better to not tempt fate too much. Getting out of dodge was always the smarter choice.
Soon enough the car was parked and Tavin started walking by foot. Putting distance between the car and him, keeping those links between everything as distant as possible. Especially with nosy bitches following him around lately. He made sure no one was following, that no one even had a clue as to where he disappeared to tonight.

Slowly the night hours bled away…city turning to dense forest around Tavin as he walked. Eventually it was time for the countdown. When the last bit of light began to fade away and darkness claimed everything. Clothes were stripped off and tucked away to be found after the night. Tavin waited…staring up at the sky as the moon became the dominating presence.

Staring upwards until the still slightly painful shift was over and it was time to run….time to hunt….

When: Night
Where: Old Tavern
Who: Tavin and Veronica

The place was a tavern like a hundred other taverns in the city. A bar was to the left, tables were to the right and people shooting pool or playing darts hung out towards the back. The air held the scent of drying green beer and the music playing was a few years behind the times mixed with Irish tunes. Sports scores flashed in bright colors to muted TV screens, waitresses wore jeans and called everyone hunny. The place had a family sort of feel, enough of one that most dealers wouldn't come around these parts. The close knit sort of communities were bad business. Piss off one and you pissed them all of.

But Tavin knew the guy that ran the place. A guy that was called the son of the owners but really he owned the place. His half demon blood just made him age a bit too slow for humans to be comfortable with. He was one Tavin might call friend, even if he only half believed it. More then anything he was a long time buyer and refused to work with anyone else. Business ties like that kept Tavin going well in this field. A business man above and beyond the rest, not just a sleaze looking to fuck everyone over.

He'd already done his dealing for the night. The sort of stuff that they got out of the way first thing so that business wasn't hanging over head. But the guy didn't mind Tavin loitering around a bit. Others at the bar sometimes picked up a bit. Plus the guy could make a mean steak. That, at least, was his favorite. Jerzy liked the onion rings. Tavin planned to bring him back some grub from this place. Another hour or two...he'd already texted the kid to let him know.

Tavin, for the time being, was seated to the back of the tavern. A group of guys not that far from him were arguing over who was next to shoot at pool and a group of rather sweet and innocent looking girls were playing darts to the left of him while getting drunk for the Saint Patties Holiday. From where he was he had a clear line of sight of almost the entire place...and a side window to the left where he could just slightly see his car. Tavin always picked spots like these. When you were in the field he was you constantly had to watch out for your own ass. Being aware of those coming and going around you was part of the game.

Part of why he was lingering, he'd thought he'd seen someone following him earlier that night. Not something Tavin liked. Hanging out here gave a time lapse. If he had that feel still when he left...then something was going on. If he didn't...then he was just being a paranoid fuck like he wouldn't deny being.

“Hey Joe, going deaf over there? What part of keep them coming did you not get?” Tavin joked, flashing a too toothy smile at the guy, he knew what Tavin was and so he just snickered and grabbed up a fresh glass. No ice, straight whiskey for tonight. “Alright alright, keep your pants on, I'll remind the girls to keep an eye on your glass.” the girls that weren't related to the man at all, even if for the feel of the place they tended to go by sister and the guy by Brother Joe.

Once the fresh drink was brought over Tavin raised it up, giving a bit of a salute to Joe before nearly downing the contents.

Tonight was becoming one of those long nights that just didn’t seem to want to end.

When: Night
Where: Bar
Who: Tavin and Abby

It was dark. It was raining. It was typical Seattle weather and for being a cat, Tavin couldn’t say he minded it. He was likely one of the few that didn’t run about with an umbrella tonight. What was the point when the wind was picking up like it was? Just made you look like a fool chasing the weaving and near breaking thing about. No he simply moved quickly from location to location, never letting himself linger so long outdoors that he could be considered anything close to soaked. Course he had goods on him so letting himself get that dosed by the rain wouldn’t quite work in his favor.

That probably had something to do with why he was lingering about in this bar rather then moving on when it seemed the buyers had run dry. Always he was looking for that next deal but he wasn’t so hard up to get the goods moving that he had to rush around like a chicken with his head cut off. He was still above most others when it came to amount made. Selling was never a problem for Tavin, apparently he had a great business sense. It just wasn’t one that worked in that “real world” sort of atmosphere. Then again Tavin didn’t fit into that corporate business world mold regardless. He preferred the night hours; he didn’t do suits and ties, and just try to tell him to cover up everything that made him stand out a bit.

The bar wasn’t anything fancy; it looked like a hundred other bars he’d been to. Wood tables, stools at the bar, an older guy behind the counter and a few younger kids running around serving up drinks and wiping down tables. The lights were dimmed, the windows were a bit smoky, and radios spouted the most recent sports scores or highlight news stories that no one was really paying attention to. It was boring, plain, and not overly busy. But the few that were looking to score knew that it was one of the places Tavin could be found. At least for this week. Tavin changed locations often and never let any user know him so well that they could tell others where to find him too easily. Was a good way to have a cop show up looking to play the I swear I’m a junkie now sell me some goods game.

Tavin was good at spotting them, he’d seen them try it on others dealers enough. But they always had a heart that beat a little too fast and a look about the eyes that junkies didn’t. Humans wouldn’t notice these things, but he did.

A glass was on the table in front of him, the contents half finished but only half way considered interesting by Tavin. It wasn’t as strong as he’d like and the air was warm enough to the place that the ice melted nearly as quick as it was put in. Apparently one of the cute little waitresses with perky tits kept complaining about it being cold…so up that heater went, never mind that most of the guys in the place were damn fine with the temperature it was around here.

He itched for a smoke but this place actually kept that smoking ban in mind, most places didn’t care…that is until they got fined. Then suddenly they were smoke nazi’s. Ideally he was watching the bar, the way the people moved and listening to the conversations had that they didn’t seem to even think about someone else catching. That was the interesting thing about a bar. No matter how packed or empty everyone seemed to think that no one could hear them. Even when they were screaming to their friend over music. Tavin always heard though and sometimes he found out the most interesting things that way. If anything it was helpful in the clubs…gave him hints to who was looking to buy.

Picking up his drink he took another sip of the half watered down liquid.

Who: Roxy and Tavin
Where: Old Town Towers
What: Jerzy's cat is loose again, so Rox brings her home
When: Early evening

She'd been hauling in groceries when she'd first spotted the thing - the little furball that went dashing through the open door of her apartment. It looked vaguely like the kitten she'd seen prowling around the hallway days before, one that had been retrieved quickly by a dark-haired kid from down the hall. Was the poor thing loose again? Seemed to be the case, though dashing into Roxy's apartment might have been the worst choice. Sure, she had a cat but she also had a dog who was used to sharing the place with it's feline family member. This new intruder probably wouldn't be welcomed warmly.

Dumping the bags onto her kitchen table, she closed the door before the whole trio was running loose in the building, following the loud growling she could hear down the hall and into her bedroom. Jinx, the cat that already called the apartment home, was curled up on top of her pillow staring balefully at the source of all the noise. Crouched down so that he could peer under her bed - and growly rather loudly - her white pitbull, Saint, had the poor kitten back into a corner. Literally. "Ok, ok, that's enough," leaning down, she pulled him back by the collar, leading him back out into the hall and closing her bedroom door. It took a few moments of coaxing to get the poor kitten to come out of it's hiding place, looking about as traumatized as could be. Little thing probably hadn't expected such a greeting.

Scooping the cat up into her arms, Roxy figured taking it back down the hall was the best course of action. Besides, the kid would probably be out looking for it again so she'd save him the time and effort. She stepped over Saint and grabbed her keys, kitten snuggled up in one arm as she headed down the hall. Her memory couldn't exactly pull up which number it was, though A5 looked to be the right distance from her place. Oh well, only one way to find out. Raising a hand, she knocked loudly and waited until the door opened to hand back over the little escapee.

When: Evening
Where: Old Town Towers, A5
Who: Jerzy and Taavi
What: An early dinner so Taavi can go out after

So, the Maggie chic was as close to a mother as Jerzy had ever known. Even if Jerzy was sure she wasn’t much older than him. Maybe five years. Now that was fucked up. Shit like that had a way of getting him down on himself. But Jerzi didn’t talk much about shit like that. The world was full of negativity, when he found something positive, like Maggie, Jerzy didn’t want to in any way, foul that.

There had been girls, ok a girl, that Taavi had allowed close enough, and that Jerzy had really liked to. But Maggie was a whole different thing, a relative stranger really. Gave Jerzy warm fuzzies to think there were really good people out there.

She’d dropped off some goodies, of which, Tanya was now enjoying her part, a jar of kitty treats. The other, a tray of cookies almost too pretty to eat, was sitting in the center of the dining table (yes, they did have one of those.) He had lectured Tanya as he set the tray down that she was to stay off the table today. They were going to actually be using it. They, meaning the humans. Er, human and uh… were. Not that Taavi wasn’t completely human to Jerzy, but yeah.

So, he left the cookies alone, but instead tackled the HoHo’s and Candy Hearts that were the gift from Taavi. Made Jerzy smirk when he saw it. Made him want to do something equally nice for his brother. But aside from kicking his ass at Halo, he didn’t think he really had any good skills, and certainly no money. None of that mattered though because Taavi could buy whatever he wanted for himself anyway. What he decided to give him was, what he thought would be a favorite for both of them. A home cooked meal in a clean apartment.

He did his best, straightening messes, trying to put things where they belonged. But half of it unfortunately, ended in piles, shoved in drawers and cabinets, or even under cushions. This was pretty common when Jerzy tried to clean. Then he found the vacuum cleaner Taavi had bought last year. He used the hose to suck up dust where he could see it, then vacuumed all the floors, whether carpet or linoleum, or tile.

By the time he was done with all that, the frozen chicken he’d put in the oven was almost done. Jerzy put the tub of mashed potatoes in the microwave and beside that the steam in bag corn. He didn’t turn it on yet though, he was going to wait for Taavi to come home before he did that. Soon, he thought. In fact, he didn’t even leave the kitchen, but stood there, petting Tanya on her perch on the counter, waiting for the sound of the front door.

When: Night
Where: Club
Who: Tavin and....

Loud. Pounding. Screaming. Thudding. Fucking annoying. And the music played on. Tavin was seated to the back of the club nearly cloaked completely in shadows and out of sight and mind of many in the place. Only those that needed to know where he was knew. He hated Saturdays. Sit in the club and feed the addictions of any made up freak that came on by looking to score. No words, just a flash of cash and an exchange. Normally someone else was given this job, Tavin had earned some sway and that sway tended to keep him out of the grunt jobs. Tonight some bitch was sick and Tavin was the one picking up the slack. Good worker he was he didn't bitch but it was damn known he wasn't happy.

Two days going on three now, sleep was fucking over rated. Jerzy was going to give him shit. Kid knew to let it go when Tavin gave him that look though. That this isn’t the damn time to get on my case about anything sort of look. Tavin was already wearing it. Little bitch addicts didn't care though. So long as they got what they wanted they could care less about the one giving it to them.

He had had plans for today. Appointment to get some ink done. Take the kid out for some dinner. Yeah little shit but for Tavin time wasn't exactly something he had a whole lot of. Saturdays during the day he was supposed to get it. Supposed to was the key word lately. More work, more responsibilities, more cash too. But if he had to listen to one more young kid's voice cracking as he tried to scream his emo-tastic fucking lyrics he was going to have to tear someone’s head off.

Enhanced hearing had its downsides. Tonight was one of them.

Tavin rolled his neck a bit, adjusting a bit to make himself comfortable. He had at least another two hours, till the bar shut down and a little after. The long haul, he wasn't going to get to escape this crap like he'd been hoping. A quick text to the kid was at least issued so he wouldn't wait up or anything. Course he probably would anyways, kid didn't always like to listen. If it was possible it might piss Tavin off, but one person that Tavin could never get mad at was his kid brother. He was also the only person Tavin didn’t lie to. Everyone else was fair game.

A twenty was slipped into the pocket of a worker who came by, snatching up his empty glass and handing over another. Strong liquor wasn't near strong enough tonight. Took too many to get a buzz on and no buzz was going to be enough to make this scene any better. Twenty each time kept the girl showing up though, bit of liquor was better then no liquor at all right now.

Boots went up onto the table, Tavin leaned back into the cracked and worn seat, phone in his hands. Texting rather then paying any attention to the club. He didn’t give a fuck who was on the dance floor or who was hitting on who. No drunken drama or want to mingle. He was there for one reason only. A reason that came by and giggling offered up some cash. Tavin slipped the goods over, grabbing the girls arm to make her linger a bit. Make it look like they were old pals, keep it all friendly like. Tavin knew better then to make it obvious what he was doing. He’d been in this game a long time.