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Post by Jon Brunner on Jan 3, 2009 3:17:38 GMT -4
Jon pulled his truck in to a parking space outside of Alexis's store and did a once over on himself.
Suit, check. Hair, check. Breath, check. Flowers, check. Wine, check.
Jon had gone over and over all the different kinds of wines he could think of and picked out a Spanish Merlot, that he thought Alexis would like. He had two bottles already chilled inside a small case that would prevent them from breaking and keep them chilled at a good temperature. He had also stopped to pick up a bouquet of lady tulips. He opened up his door and left behind his equipment, he didn't see why he'd need it since he planned on spending his time with Alexis.
He noticed a large tree in front and couldn't help think it was strange since it probably blocked out a lot of light. He opened the door to her shop and looked around. The first thing to hit him was a strong smell of incense, it was almost intoxicating. There was a black leather couch and a scattering of lamps in the room. A few of them were on but the store was still rather dark. It made no difference to him, he'd been in enough dark places with unknown evil that a dark clothing boutique wasn't about to make him nervous.
He continued to look around for a few more minutes before calling out for Alexis. He just hoped that she hadn't changed her mind and left someone else to give him the boot. He heard footsteps moving around somewhere and decided he'd look around a bit longer to give her the benefit of the doubt.
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Post by Alexis London on Jan 3, 2009 21:54:50 GMT -4
Alexis had been having one of those days. The night before, a night of vampire induced insomnia had taken over her. In anticipation of Jon Brunner's visit the following evening, Alexis had stayed up until 2AM rereading the book the book they planned to discuss. At 2:15, a disagreement on the street below caught her attention. A drunk young man and his equally drunk girlfriend were having a disagreement. Alexis was about to chalk them up to annoyingly noisy humans when the man wrapped his hands around the girl's throat. By the time Alexis pulled him off of her, the woman was unconscious. Which was fine, it gave Alexis plenty of time to kill her attacker and throw the body into the path of several oncoming taxis. The girl could thank her some other time. Back upstairs, the action had revitalized Alexis's energy. By the time the store opened at 9AM, she had reorganized, restocked, showered and cleaned up. And it was a good thing, because it was one of the days that the store was packed with shoppers. Alexis barely had time to slip upstairs and change into a high waisted black pencil skirt and an electric blue silk halter top. Now she was downstairs digging around in the back room looking for a pair of silver heels she'd ordered a few days ago. But the shoes had apparently vanished from the time they'd come in the mail until this very second. Oh well, she'd find another pair upstairs. It was then that Alexis picked up on someone entering and moving around in the store. The scent indicating it was Job, but when he called out to her, that confirmed it. She was going to have to make due with the black heels she was wearing. Spritzing on some Chanel No.5, Alexis pushed the door to the backroom open, entering the store. "Jon, you were able to make it. It's lovely to see you again. My, it got dark in here so quickly." Alexis flipped on a few of the lights nearest her, sending more light than she was used to flooding the room. OOC-Mole People book: www.amazon.com/Mole-People-Life-Tunnels-Beneath/dp/155652241X
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Post by Jon Brunner on Jan 4, 2009 5:01:51 GMT -4
"Le plaisir de venir ici ce soir, c'est à moi. I wouldn't miss tonight for the world and might I say you look radiant tonight", a waft of perfume came through the air and Jon realized there was another smell even more intoxicating than the incense.
"I'm not quite sure the practice but I was always raised that you should bring a lovely woman flowers", Jon held out the bouquet of tulips.
"I also remembered that you liked red wine, Gran Toc Hill Reserva, it's a Spanish Merlot. It's a bit strong but I think you'd like the robustness it offers. Please don't let me prattle on anymore. I believe you had a rather interesting read to show me", Jon allowed his eyes to wander a bit, there was still something about Alexis that drew him in but some instinct told him he shouldn't allow it. He was probably getting edgy after so many years of hunting evil incarnate that he was afraid to talk to normal people.
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Post by Alexis London on Jan 4, 2009 11:27:06 GMT -4
Alexis smiled. Aside from the business associates she worked with occasionally, she didn't entertain often.
"Please, I'm thrilled to have someone other than business associates over. The pleasure is mine. And forgive the two dozen scents, I once stayed in a hotel in Chicago which embraced "modern" trends-candles, incense, pillows on the floor."
Alexis blew out the candles nearest her and looked at Jon as he offered her tulips.
"Well, thank you. You certainly have chivalry down to an art. I have just the vase for these. And that wine sounds lovely. Come upstairs. The book and whatever we can find to enjoy with the wine are there."
Alexis stepped around him to lock the store's door and flip the sign from "open" to "closed." Blowing out the rest of the candles, she headed towards the doorway.
"This way." She beckoned to him as she walked through the back storeroom and opened a door marked private. She left it open as she headed up the stairs, waiting for Jon to follow.
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Post by Jon Brunner on Jan 5, 2009 2:06:53 GMT -4
"They say chivalry is dead but that doesn't stop things from coming back. I don't mind the candles and pillows at all. I can understand wanting to make customers comfortable", Jon watched as she began to close the store, he noticed the remnants of yellow police tape across the street on a telephone pole. Normally this wouldn't draw his attraction but the tape was rather new. He was in New York so he didn't pay it much heed.
The unusual feeling of unease came back to Jon as Alexis locked the door. Something deep inside told him to leave now but he continued to ignore it. As Alexis walked past him a fresh wave of perfume assaulted his nose and drew him in. This woman had taste, style and beauty and knew how to use it. He almost wanted to laugh out loud at the thought of Alexis being something evil and controlling him. He kept himself in check as Alexis leded him to a set of stairs that led upstairs.
As he got to the foot of the steps he looked up at Alexis from behind. A primal urge jumped inside of him as he examined her figure, he had met attractive women and he'd met enticing ones but she seemed like an entirely different creature that made all the others pale in comparison to her. he realized he'd been staring at her for almost a minute before he began to make his way up after her.
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Post by Alexis London on Jan 5, 2009 7:49:53 GMT -4
Upstairs, Alexis moved a silver bowl of artificial carnations from the center of the black dining room table and relocated them to an oak cabinet next to it. From the cabinet she took a white porcelin French vase with gold trim. In the kitchen, she filled it with water. Taking a knife from one of the drawers, she cut fresh ends off the tulips stems and put them into the vase. She put the vase back onto the table.
Brunner had good taste, Alexis certainly couldn't argue that. She wondered if she wasn't becoming soft on humans after all these years.
Alexis removed two good sized crystal wine glasses from the cabinet and placed them on the table.
"Hungry?" She directed the question to Jon. "I've got a few things we could try."
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Post by Jon Brunner on Jan 6, 2009 4:28:24 GMT -4
Jon looked around the apartment, it was excellently decorated but that seemed to be what Alexis did for a living, so he didn't expect any less.
"Hungry? Maybe for you but I'll save that appetite until later", he gave her a small wink to let her know she hadn't let a psycho in her home. If she were to look at everything in his truck she might think different but that wasn't the point.
"I could for a bite", he filled up the wine glasses with the wine. He wasn't stingy with the portions either, he had brought these over to enjoy and he wasn't about to get picky with how much they had.
"So what got you interested by these mole people you told me about in the first place? It's an unusual subject to be intrigued by."
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Post by Alexis London on Jan 6, 2009 18:40:37 GMT -4
Alexis smirked at Brunner's words. Human to vampire or not, they both clearly spoke the same language.
"Oh, don't worry Jon. I won't let you leave hungry." She gave him sultry smile.
Her senses could pick up on the wine from across the room. It didn't smell bad-better than some of the candles she had downstairs anyway. She knew she wouldn't taste it, but she could at least drink it.
"Let's see our options then." Alexis kept food in the house for show-and for the occasional business associates that dropped by. Food and a kitchen made her look more normal. Pulling open the refrigerator, she studied it's contents.
"I've cheese, sushi, caviar, fruit, a few random vegetables, a a variety of meat in the freezer and a cheesecake. Anything sound appealing?"
Alexis crossed the room to the living room. She lay two cork coasters onto the black marble top coffee table. Strolling to an oak bookcase, she ran her fingers across the titles.
"Actually, I first read about them in here." Alexis laid a book of fabled New Yorkers on the coffee table. "That led me to seek out the book itself." She laid the paperback book down beside it. "The mole people are a fascinating study. So fascinating I've considered going down to the sewers to look for them."
That was true. No one would miss anyone who was living in sewer tunnels beneath the New York streets. It was prime vampire feeding ground.
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Post by Jon Brunner on Jan 7, 2009 2:52:25 GMT -4
Jon couldn't help but feel his heart pick up in pace as Alexis turned her smile towards him.
"Some fruit would be excellent, something sweet would go well with the wine", Jon placed the two cups down on the coasters. He flipped open the first book and read a few snippets here and there. He closed it and held open the second book as he sipped his wine. He was glad he'd gone with the Merlot, it was an excellent vintage.
He got more and more into the book as he read it. He couldn't imagine people living in a dark enviroment like that. They were creative with the way that they prepared their food and took care of their needs.
"Going down there? Isn't that a bit dangerous, not only because of where you are but who knows what those people might do to you. Then again it would be quite an adventure to see them, I never would've imagined that there would be such a vast number of people living in a place like that. How would you go about planning for something like that, I doubt you can grab a flashlight and start walking down a subway tunnel. Not to mention if something happened you might be on your own or even getting lost down there."
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Post by Alexis London on Jan 7, 2009 20:10:36 GMT -4
Alexis took a plate from the cabinet. Removing the fruit from the refrigerator, she neatly arranged pieces of apple, pineapple, grapes and pears. She carried it over to the coffee table and placed it down next to the wine glasses.
"I'm sure it would be dangerous. It's not like you can call ahead and tell them you're coming. And if you go down there, you can't go armed. If they see you coming armed, they're going to attack."
Alexis settled herself into an arm chair and picked up her wine glass. Carefully, she swirled it under her nose. It did smell good. She took a sip. But she was right-it just liquid. Nothing more, nothing less. There was no enjoyment. But at least she could drink it.
"Planning would be difficult. You'd need to be able to mark your way to avoid getting lost. I'd say string, or something of the like. Spray paint would be easiest, but would indicate graffiti-not the message you want to give. Not to mention getting around the subway trains. You'd have to find a safe access route."
Alexis was mentally making notes. She was going to have to give this a try some time. She took another sip of wine and was mildly disappointed she couldn't taste it.
"Spanish hhmm? I've apparently been underestimating them."
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Post by Jon Brunner on Jan 8, 2009 0:53:19 GMT -4
Jon plucked a grape and bit into it savoring the sweet juice in contrast to the slight bitterness of the wine. It was an excellent combination of flavors that complimented each other nicely.
"I don't think I'd be comfortable going down without anything. They do have flashlights police officers can use in place of batons. I have one in my glove compartment actually because they're really good flashlights as well. Remind me to grab it later and you can use that. I'm not gonna lie though, I'm not comfortable with the idea of you going down by yourself. Surely there must be a gentleman, who's well muscled, well mannered with an excellent taste in suits, not to mention English as well that wouldn't mind going down with you", he reached across and gently moved her fingers to the stem of the glass so it wouldn't warm to quickly. He let his fingers linger a moment on her's as he looked into her eyes before letting go.
"Let's see the basic plans for going down there would require at least a map of the tunnels, first aid kits are always good, the right clothing, and extra flashlights. I don't think graffiti would be good anyway since there's bound to be tons of it to confuse it with. Instead of string I'd go with a flourescent paracord so it's easy to see and it's stronger than string. The trains are another factor in themselves but there are a lot of spaces between trains unless you get stuck on a single tunnel track in which case you'd better hope you can squeeze against the wall enough to avoid it. Finding an access route wouldn't be to hard depending on how willing you are to ignore some laws. Find a construction area and just walk through it or find a maintenance door to go through since they usually lead to the tracks", he took another mouthful of wine. Feeling a light buzz, it'd always been a bit of a weakness when it came to wine, beer and other drinks he could handle no problem but wine always affected him the quickest.
"The Spanish are often ignored when it comes to their wines, most people generally tend to think only the French and Italian make anything worth drinking but I prefer other wines over most French ones. So what is it that got you into running your own business? I can tell you do well with it but it doesn't seem to strike me as a family business."
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Post by Alexis London on Jan 8, 2009 13:22:29 GMT -4
Alexis raised an eyebrow. Jon was very familiar with this instrument. She didn't imagine that was casual human nature. She wondered exactly what it was that he did for a living.
She watched his fingers touch hers, moving them around on the glass. Raising her eyes to meet his, she let a small smile play across her lips. A human actually concerned about someone else? That never happened. All the humans she'd seen were too self absorbed to notice if someone else existed or not.
"Mmm, I actually do think I know someone who fits that bill." She nodded as she spoke, holding his gaze. "I think that could be a fascinating plan. We'd have to try it sometime."
That worked well for her plan too. Going down once with him would give her the opportunity to examine the situation, and then she could go again on her own. It would even keep any subjects lurking below the streets from suspecting her-assuming that all went well the first time.
"The latest fad among my business associates is California wines. They're into the native wines for some odd reason."
Alexis placed her glass on the table and picked up a piece of pineapple. She began dissecting it rather than attempting to eat it.
"My own business? Well, for starters, I don't take orders from others well. I've worked in fashion for a number of years but I don't want to design it. And if you want to work in fashion, you need to either design it or sell it. And I'm not about to work for one of those big department store chains. Too modern for my liking. So here I am."
Alexis licked a few drops of pineapple juice from her fingers. It had the same effect as the wine, except less of a taste.
"What about you, Jon, what is it that you do?"
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Post by Pat Owen on Jan 8, 2009 21:45:40 GMT -4
Pat waited patiently, caluclatingly across the street from Alexis'. Meg had told him to keep close watch on the vampiress. And if he wanted the female demon to lead him to the inevitable confrontation with the Winchesters, he would follow her orders...for the time being.
Pat cracked his knuckles impatiently having seen who he was nearly one hundred percent sure was a hunter enter Alexis' shop.
Hopefully she's cautious enough to keep her head on her shoulders...
Pat eyed the hunter's truck curiously. His eyes flashed a deep black and a wicked impish smirk stretched across his handsome face.
Might as well check out what the guy's got in his ride. Hopefully no dead man's blood for her sake.
Pat shrugged and walked across the street slowly towards the vehicle.
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Post by Jon Brunner on Jan 9, 2009 3:04:48 GMT -4
"Already planning our second date then? I guess nothing says romance like a dark subway tunnel", he wouldn't mind exploring more of the city, Alexis being there was an added bonus.
"Most Americans seem to drink more and more of their own wines and alcohols, I guess it's a national pride issue", he watched as Alexis began to pull apart bits of a pineapple. It occured to him that her reaction to the food and wine were somewhat forced as though she couldn't even taste them. His paranoia was rising up like a tidal surge from whatever place deep inside he had forced it for the night. The only way he could think of finding out what she was, was to try and burn her with the cross around his neck, splash some holy water on her or try and figure something else out. Unfortunately, all of those methods would come off as crazy and if she was a normal person then she'd probably boot him out and that would end his night. For now he'd keep playing it off like he didn't suspect anything, the easiest way to find out if she was a vampire was to feel her gums for the incisors that would extend before they fed. He didn't think she'd appreciate him sticking his hands in her mouth and the only other thing he could get away with was kissing her and feeling for the bumps with his tongue, that way he'd determine if she was vampire or not and at worst she'd think he was a terrible kisser. He didn't relish the thought of putting any of his body parts in a vampire but if she was a demon it wouldn't matter. His cross was palo santo wood with a silver Christ on the front. He'd never been close enough to see if a demon would burn just from touching the wood.
"Me? I'm into the stock market and investments. Nothing much to show with that. Unfortunately not all British men are secret agents or superheroes. We can't all be expected to live lives of action and danger now can we? By the way, I was wondering if you'd look at something for me. I've had this for a while and I was wondering if you could take a guess at how much it might be worth", he pulled out his cross and held it out to her, to see if she would take it. Hopefully it wouldn't have an effect on her but with it being made of holy wood and silver and having been blessed by a priest, if she was something unhuman it would probably burn her. He really hoped nothing would happen.
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Post by Alexis London on Jan 9, 2009 12:47:06 GMT -4
Alexis smiled thoughtfully. Another date? Had she ever had a date? She played the thought through her head. No, she didn't think so. This was a first.
"Well, we've done flowers and wine tonight. Maybe something different the next time-something you won't find with everyone else."
She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it seemed as though Brunner was reading through her act at normalcy. That meant she was going to have to step up her game. She put the pineapple into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully and swallowed. It was such an strange thing to her anymore. She couldn't remember eating to actually enjoy it or want to do it.
Alexis's suspicions went into higher gear as he pulled out the cross. Unless she completely wanted to blow her plan of not killing him, she was going to have to play along. Either he was incredibly intelligent, she had managed to slip up somehow, or he really was just into religious artifacts.
"Intresting." Alexis leaned closer to study the object, making sure to slide the fabric of her shirt lower to keep his attention distracted.
The cross clearly had silver on it-which she was going to have to avoid at all costs to miss a serious burn. The wood itself looked suspicious, but not untouchable.
"I don't typically deal in religious artifacts." Alexis reached out and ran one finger over the wood's edge. It stung slightly, but not terribly. A larger amount would have been much worse.
"I should, there's enough of them. The silver looks a bit dull, hold on a moment."
She got up from her chair and went to the bookcase. She removed a jewelry cleaning kit complete with a soft cloth to wipe off tarnish and a book of art work. Returnig to her chair, Alexis sat down and held out her hand.
"Allow me." She took the cross carefully in her fingers. The wood stung like a mixture of a bee sting and a mug of hot liquid. But it wasn't unbearable. She didn't want to do it for long though.
She picked up the cloth with the other hand and transfered the object into it. Rubbing the cross gently, she looked it over.
"It's an interesting piece of work." She turned the item over in the cloth. "It looks old."
She laid both the cloth and the cross on the coffee table and flipped the book open.
"The Christ figure is Romanesque in nature. The wood is a rarer sort, used in items that were frequently found in religious ceremonies. My guess is that it's probably French. If the age and the wood are both what I think, you could probably get between $300 and $500 for it."
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