Ch.03
Third chappy of my story.
To recap, we met Angel (she of the horrid 80's cartoon name). The new Next Door Neighbor and Sign Teacher. She is there to protect Leon and Chris from an enemy, only known as Rune.
Ch. 03
Monday afternoon found Angel riding along the crowded streets of Chinatown. The engine of her motercycle purred as she navigated her way to Count D's petshop. She was a little apprehensive about meeting the Count. He did not have a file, he was a non-entity in her world. Her brothers could easily find information on any human, but this Count was a huge question mark.
Count D, huh? Angel felt as if that name sounded familiar.
When she found the petshop, she parked her bike. Taking a deep breath, she walked down the stairs to the petshop.
Entering, she blinked to adjust her eyes to the dim light. The rich color of red was everywhere. Animals lounged around the shop, untethered by cages. Incense curled in air, creating a hazy fog around the room.
Angel grabbed the wall as she got a good whiff of the incense. It assulted her senses, making her weak. When she opened her eyes, she couldn't stop the gasp from escaping her lips. The animals were gone! In their places were exotic humaniods.
“Good afternoon,” a soft voice said. Angel turned to see a very effeminate man walking towards her. He wore a rather expensive cheongsam in black and gold, his black hair fell in silky waves over mismatched eyes. Gold and dark purple gazed at her with interest.
“Welcome to my petshop. Our shop has a wide range of animals, from small cats and dogs to bird and even amphibians. How can I be of service today?”
Angel smiled. “Are you Count D?”
“Count D is my grandfather. I merely look after the shop for him.”
“You also go by D, right?”
“I do. It's an old family name,” the man said. “What can I help you with?”
Angel took in the room again before saying, “I don't know if Leon told you I was coming today or not?”
“Ah, the Sign teacher. Yes, we are expecting you.”
Ok, is it my imagination, or did it just get like fifty degrees cooler in here?
“I am. My name is Angel Darkstar.” Angel looked around again, and realized that there was no human boy among the exotic animal humanoids. “Where's Chris?”
“I'll go fetch him. He's in the back. Do make yourself at home.”
Angel sat on the nearest couch, snuggled between a large cat and a snake. She ignored them as they talked about her, not wanting to let anyone know that she could see them in this form. She was playing a human, and humans would only see and hear animals.
A few minutes later, D returned with the most adorable blond-haired little boy. Angel's motherly instincts practically salivated as the boy was gently prodded towards her. So, this was Chris, huh?
“Hello, I'm Angel.” She signed as she talked, showing Chris what she could teach him. The boy watched her apprehensively, hiding slightly behind D. “How are you?”
Chris looked from Angel to D. The chinese man gently prodded the boy closer to Angel. She could tell that neither male liked this idea, and she was wondering exectly what the living situation was.
The boy wasn't alone. A young man with bright red hair and horns like a ram had followed him in. It took Angel a few seconds to see past the incense fog at the creature's animal form. A totetsu, a man-eater, and it was hovering protectively over Chris. How cute, he had a bodyguard. That put Angel's mind at ease.
Chris sat gingerly on the couch, watching her as if she were a wild animal. The totetsu curled up by the boy, his eyes on Angel. When he saw her looking at him, he licked his fangs. The boy turned to D, not letting go of the man's hand.
(I don't want to do this.)
“It's all right, Chris,” D said. “Do this for Leon.”
“Is there a problem? I was led to believe that this would be beneficial to both Chris and Leon.”
D looked at her, a coldness in his purple and gold eyes. “No problem, Ms. Darkstar. Please, continue. I'll go get some tea.”
Angel smiled at Chris, trying to be as harmless as possible. “Why don't we start off simple? I'm going to teach you how to say 'yes', 'no', and a few simple phrases. Won't that be fun?”
For the next few minutes, Angel showed Chris a few signs. She took this time to also observe the boy. There had to be a reason why Rune was hunting him and Leon, but she couldn't figure it out. The boys had no connection to her people, so they should have no connection to Rune. Unless Rune's insanity had taken a whole new turn?
D returned with a plate of sweets and tea, artfully arranged on fine china plates.
“Thank you,” Angel said. She ignored the sweets, taking up a cup of tea. The amount of suger in the drink nearly made her gag.
Chris grabbed one powered suger pastery and quickly gobbled it down. Angel wondered how anyone could keep their figure surrounded by all these sugers and carbs.
Suddenly, Chris doubled over. Angel and D reached out as the boy started to throw up violently. Blood mixed in chunks of sugery pastry. The animals around them got agitated with worry as Chris trembled in Angel's arms.
“What happened?” D asked. It was obvious that this unnerved the man. He knelt by Chris, trying to support the boy as he heaved.
“I don't know. Is there a room where he can lay down? Take a bath?” Angel's mind quickly filed through all the possible reasons for this sudden change of events. Right now, she felt like a failure. Something had happened to Chris, and she was powerless to stop it.
“He has a room in the back,” D said. “He sleeps there sometimes.”
“Does it have a shower or bath?”
“Yes.”
Angel nodded and pointed to the totetsu that had been hovering by Chris since he entered the room. “You! Take him to his room. Turn on the shower and wash him. He's running a fever, so the water can't be too cold.”
The totetsu blinked, looking from her to D. When the chinese man nodded, the horned humaniod scooped up the boy and ran to the back.
Angel wasn't done yet. She quickly started cleaning the floor, telling D what to do almost absentmindedly.
“He will need to be hydrated. Water, nothing more, every half hour. He won't be able to stomache it at first, if it's a simple virus. If it's something worse, then he may need attention.”
“And just what do you think he has?”
Angel shrugged. She picked up one of the pastries, taking a bite. She needed the sugar to help her think, having not eaten in nearly five hours. With a sudden gag, she spit out the bite, along with bile and blood.
“What happened?”
“Well, I think I have an idea on what happened to Chris, but the why isn't coming to me,” Angel said as she wiped her hands clean of her own mess. “I want to say that these pastries were poisoned, but the poison used shouldn't have hurt Chris.”
D narrowed his eyes. “Poisoned?”
“Did you add anything to them?”
D shook his head. “No. They were dropped off for Chris. He's got a secret admirer,” D said, a smirk gracing his lips. “Someone's left him flowers and now cakes.”
“Cakes filled with poison! How many did he have?”
“A few,” D said. “What poison was used?”
Angel stood up, digging through her purse. “It shouldn't have hurt Chris. He's human. It's poisonous to my people, so this doesn't make sense. I might have to draw some blood from Chris. This is too bazziar.”
D was suddenly in front of her, his hands on her face. She felt the threat around him, a power crackling in the air. It hit her. D wasn't human! She was in his territory, and had knowledge of a threat to someone he felt was under his protection. That made her threat. She could see it in his eyes, feel it in the air.
How could I have missed this? Damnit, Angel, you're slipping!
“Tell me what you know,” D demanded, his voice silky smooth. “What are you?”
Angel smiled, matching his deadly smirk. “I am not your enemy. I'm here to protect Chris and Leon.”
“What are you,” D repeated. Angel was suddenly aware of how sharp D's nails were, and how close they were to the tender skin of her throat.
“I'm an Aternum. My mission in life is to hunt down the rouge, Rune, and kill him,” Angel whispered. “He's hunting Leon and Chris, and this is just one piece of the puzzle. The longer we stand here grandstanding, the closer Chris comes to death.”
D let her go, but his eyes promised that this was not over. He took her to the back room, where the totetsu was fairly panicking. Chris was burning up and very weak. He lay in the tub with luke warm water washing down on him.
Angel quickly knelt by the tub and yanked off her coat. She pulled Chris to her, trying to feel the poison in his veins. Now that she knew what she was looking for, she could heal him. She had been born to be a Healer, but Rune ruined that. Her gifts had festered as she pursued the darker arts of hunting, fighting and killing. She only hoped that she still had enough of a spark to save Chris.
“Tell me about this poison,” D said.
“It's called White Dragon's Blood. I'm just going to let you figure out why it's called that. It's not harmful to humans or any mortals. I don't even think it'd be harmful to you,” Angel said softly. Her mind was really on Chris, trying to coax his body to heal.
“So, why poison the cakes with it? Maybe you were the intended victim?”
“You said it was left for Chris,” Angel reminded him. “And, if Chris has this reaction, so will Leon. Two birds, one stone.”
D was silent for a bit before he said, “The cakes will be destroyed.”
“Now, please. This will take a while.”
Angel ignored what was going on around her. She had wanted to get some of Chris's blood to have it analyized to see if he had the blood of her people, but she could tell now. He did. She would have to discover from where. His reaction to the poison made him no less then the second generation son.
She knew all of her people, their numbers had dwindled greatly during the centuries. The idea of immoratilty had driven many to an almost suicide - giving up their long life to live with their perfect mate. She had lost count of the number of funerals for her fallen brothers. The females were the first to fall, more suceptible to “love”. Angel was one of the few left, jaded and scarred.
With so little of her people still around and Rune being a threat, all children were identified. There was no way that Chris and Leon could have slipped by the recognition of the family.
“Hand me the towel and his pjs,” Angel said. She didn't see who complied with her orders as she dried Chris off and dressed him. She carried him to the bed and tucked him in.
“Will he live?”
Angel turned to see a little gir with curly blond hair watching her. The girl was twisting her frilly dress in her tiny hands.
“He'll live. He needs rest.”
D entered the room. “What will you tell his brother?”
“That Chris has a stomache virus. He'll be fine by tomorrow night.”
D watched her for a moment. Angel knew that she had to play it safe. She was on his territory now. Whatever he was, it was not something that her people had dealt with before. There was no file on him or his family, no mention of this area under the protection of any others.
Still, his name is familiar.
With a sigh, Angel said, “He has to drink water tonight. His body is still sweating out the poisons. For a bit, he might throw up the water. Don't stop giving it to him, though. He should have a glass about every half hour. Force him to drink, if you must. Tomorrow, you can start him on a weak, watered down drink. Tea or fruit juice would be best. By lunch, he can have soup. By dinner, he should be able to handle solid foods.”
D nodded. Angel walked out of the room, ready to leave. She had no doubt that Leon would stop by, and D would tell him that Chris was sick. Little boys get sick all the time. She had to get home and have someone do an extensive search into Chris and Leon's past. Who in their family was an Aternum? And why weren't they known?
She had almost made it to the door when Leon came walking in. Her heart did a little flip as she found herself staring into his blue eyes. She was amused to note the mixture of surprise and pleasure she found on his face.
“Hey, Angel, you're still here? I was, uh, just coming by to pick up Chris.”
Angel smiled. “I was just leaving. Chris isn't feeling well. A little stomache virus.”
Leon's face fell and panic set in. “Is he ok? Where is he?”
“He's in the back. I'll take you to him,” Angel said. Leon's urgency caused her to walk faster, his fear for his brother choked her worse then the insense.
D greeted them at the door, looking as if he expected them. He had Angel's coat in his hands. Leon barely acknowledged D as he rushed past and knelt by the bedside.
“Keep watch over them,” Angel whispered. “We're not out of the woods yet.”
“I will not allow any harm to come to them. I promise you that,” D said.
Angel sighed, her eyes drinking in the tender scene. Leon, big and strong and protective, tenderly stroked his brother's head and whispered words of encouragement. It tugged at Angel's heart. That was what she had always wanted. A man and a child, that love that was present in the room.
“I won't let anyone harm them, either,” Angel said. “I'll destroy the world before I let any hurt them.”
“That makes two of us.”
With that, Angel turned and left. Her thoughts were still on the tender scene and the poison that still circulated in her veins, that she didn't see the man who had followed Leon inside the pet shop. She didn't notice him as he followed her out.
I tried to keep everyone in character. I highly doubt D would like anyone mucking in his territory.
To recap, we met Angel (she of the horrid 80's cartoon name). The new Next Door Neighbor and Sign Teacher. She is there to protect Leon and Chris from an enemy, only known as Rune.
Ch. 03
Monday afternoon found Angel riding along the crowded streets of Chinatown. The engine of her motercycle purred as she navigated her way to Count D's petshop. She was a little apprehensive about meeting the Count. He did not have a file, he was a non-entity in her world. Her brothers could easily find information on any human, but this Count was a huge question mark.
Count D, huh? Angel felt as if that name sounded familiar.
When she found the petshop, she parked her bike. Taking a deep breath, she walked down the stairs to the petshop.
Entering, she blinked to adjust her eyes to the dim light. The rich color of red was everywhere. Animals lounged around the shop, untethered by cages. Incense curled in air, creating a hazy fog around the room.
Angel grabbed the wall as she got a good whiff of the incense. It assulted her senses, making her weak. When she opened her eyes, she couldn't stop the gasp from escaping her lips. The animals were gone! In their places were exotic humaniods.
“Good afternoon,” a soft voice said. Angel turned to see a very effeminate man walking towards her. He wore a rather expensive cheongsam in black and gold, his black hair fell in silky waves over mismatched eyes. Gold and dark purple gazed at her with interest.
“Welcome to my petshop. Our shop has a wide range of animals, from small cats and dogs to bird and even amphibians. How can I be of service today?”
Angel smiled. “Are you Count D?”
“Count D is my grandfather. I merely look after the shop for him.”
“You also go by D, right?”
“I do. It's an old family name,” the man said. “What can I help you with?”
Angel took in the room again before saying, “I don't know if Leon told you I was coming today or not?”
“Ah, the Sign teacher. Yes, we are expecting you.”
Ok, is it my imagination, or did it just get like fifty degrees cooler in here?
“I am. My name is Angel Darkstar.” Angel looked around again, and realized that there was no human boy among the exotic animal humanoids. “Where's Chris?”
“I'll go fetch him. He's in the back. Do make yourself at home.”
Angel sat on the nearest couch, snuggled between a large cat and a snake. She ignored them as they talked about her, not wanting to let anyone know that she could see them in this form. She was playing a human, and humans would only see and hear animals.
A few minutes later, D returned with the most adorable blond-haired little boy. Angel's motherly instincts practically salivated as the boy was gently prodded towards her. So, this was Chris, huh?
“Hello, I'm Angel.” She signed as she talked, showing Chris what she could teach him. The boy watched her apprehensively, hiding slightly behind D. “How are you?”
Chris looked from Angel to D. The chinese man gently prodded the boy closer to Angel. She could tell that neither male liked this idea, and she was wondering exectly what the living situation was.
The boy wasn't alone. A young man with bright red hair and horns like a ram had followed him in. It took Angel a few seconds to see past the incense fog at the creature's animal form. A totetsu, a man-eater, and it was hovering protectively over Chris. How cute, he had a bodyguard. That put Angel's mind at ease.
Chris sat gingerly on the couch, watching her as if she were a wild animal. The totetsu curled up by the boy, his eyes on Angel. When he saw her looking at him, he licked his fangs. The boy turned to D, not letting go of the man's hand.
(I don't want to do this.)
“It's all right, Chris,” D said. “Do this for Leon.”
“Is there a problem? I was led to believe that this would be beneficial to both Chris and Leon.”
D looked at her, a coldness in his purple and gold eyes. “No problem, Ms. Darkstar. Please, continue. I'll go get some tea.”
Angel smiled at Chris, trying to be as harmless as possible. “Why don't we start off simple? I'm going to teach you how to say 'yes', 'no', and a few simple phrases. Won't that be fun?”
For the next few minutes, Angel showed Chris a few signs. She took this time to also observe the boy. There had to be a reason why Rune was hunting him and Leon, but she couldn't figure it out. The boys had no connection to her people, so they should have no connection to Rune. Unless Rune's insanity had taken a whole new turn?
D returned with a plate of sweets and tea, artfully arranged on fine china plates.
“Thank you,” Angel said. She ignored the sweets, taking up a cup of tea. The amount of suger in the drink nearly made her gag.
Chris grabbed one powered suger pastery and quickly gobbled it down. Angel wondered how anyone could keep their figure surrounded by all these sugers and carbs.
Suddenly, Chris doubled over. Angel and D reached out as the boy started to throw up violently. Blood mixed in chunks of sugery pastry. The animals around them got agitated with worry as Chris trembled in Angel's arms.
“What happened?” D asked. It was obvious that this unnerved the man. He knelt by Chris, trying to support the boy as he heaved.
“I don't know. Is there a room where he can lay down? Take a bath?” Angel's mind quickly filed through all the possible reasons for this sudden change of events. Right now, she felt like a failure. Something had happened to Chris, and she was powerless to stop it.
“He has a room in the back,” D said. “He sleeps there sometimes.”
“Does it have a shower or bath?”
“Yes.”
Angel nodded and pointed to the totetsu that had been hovering by Chris since he entered the room. “You! Take him to his room. Turn on the shower and wash him. He's running a fever, so the water can't be too cold.”
The totetsu blinked, looking from her to D. When the chinese man nodded, the horned humaniod scooped up the boy and ran to the back.
Angel wasn't done yet. She quickly started cleaning the floor, telling D what to do almost absentmindedly.
“He will need to be hydrated. Water, nothing more, every half hour. He won't be able to stomache it at first, if it's a simple virus. If it's something worse, then he may need attention.”
“And just what do you think he has?”
Angel shrugged. She picked up one of the pastries, taking a bite. She needed the sugar to help her think, having not eaten in nearly five hours. With a sudden gag, she spit out the bite, along with bile and blood.
“What happened?”
“Well, I think I have an idea on what happened to Chris, but the why isn't coming to me,” Angel said as she wiped her hands clean of her own mess. “I want to say that these pastries were poisoned, but the poison used shouldn't have hurt Chris.”
D narrowed his eyes. “Poisoned?”
“Did you add anything to them?”
D shook his head. “No. They were dropped off for Chris. He's got a secret admirer,” D said, a smirk gracing his lips. “Someone's left him flowers and now cakes.”
“Cakes filled with poison! How many did he have?”
“A few,” D said. “What poison was used?”
Angel stood up, digging through her purse. “It shouldn't have hurt Chris. He's human. It's poisonous to my people, so this doesn't make sense. I might have to draw some blood from Chris. This is too bazziar.”
D was suddenly in front of her, his hands on her face. She felt the threat around him, a power crackling in the air. It hit her. D wasn't human! She was in his territory, and had knowledge of a threat to someone he felt was under his protection. That made her threat. She could see it in his eyes, feel it in the air.
How could I have missed this? Damnit, Angel, you're slipping!
“Tell me what you know,” D demanded, his voice silky smooth. “What are you?”
Angel smiled, matching his deadly smirk. “I am not your enemy. I'm here to protect Chris and Leon.”
“What are you,” D repeated. Angel was suddenly aware of how sharp D's nails were, and how close they were to the tender skin of her throat.
“I'm an Aternum. My mission in life is to hunt down the rouge, Rune, and kill him,” Angel whispered. “He's hunting Leon and Chris, and this is just one piece of the puzzle. The longer we stand here grandstanding, the closer Chris comes to death.”
D let her go, but his eyes promised that this was not over. He took her to the back room, where the totetsu was fairly panicking. Chris was burning up and very weak. He lay in the tub with luke warm water washing down on him.
Angel quickly knelt by the tub and yanked off her coat. She pulled Chris to her, trying to feel the poison in his veins. Now that she knew what she was looking for, she could heal him. She had been born to be a Healer, but Rune ruined that. Her gifts had festered as she pursued the darker arts of hunting, fighting and killing. She only hoped that she still had enough of a spark to save Chris.
“Tell me about this poison,” D said.
“It's called White Dragon's Blood. I'm just going to let you figure out why it's called that. It's not harmful to humans or any mortals. I don't even think it'd be harmful to you,” Angel said softly. Her mind was really on Chris, trying to coax his body to heal.
“So, why poison the cakes with it? Maybe you were the intended victim?”
“You said it was left for Chris,” Angel reminded him. “And, if Chris has this reaction, so will Leon. Two birds, one stone.”
D was silent for a bit before he said, “The cakes will be destroyed.”
“Now, please. This will take a while.”
Angel ignored what was going on around her. She had wanted to get some of Chris's blood to have it analyized to see if he had the blood of her people, but she could tell now. He did. She would have to discover from where. His reaction to the poison made him no less then the second generation son.
She knew all of her people, their numbers had dwindled greatly during the centuries. The idea of immoratilty had driven many to an almost suicide - giving up their long life to live with their perfect mate. She had lost count of the number of funerals for her fallen brothers. The females were the first to fall, more suceptible to “love”. Angel was one of the few left, jaded and scarred.
With so little of her people still around and Rune being a threat, all children were identified. There was no way that Chris and Leon could have slipped by the recognition of the family.
“Hand me the towel and his pjs,” Angel said. She didn't see who complied with her orders as she dried Chris off and dressed him. She carried him to the bed and tucked him in.
“Will he live?”
Angel turned to see a little gir with curly blond hair watching her. The girl was twisting her frilly dress in her tiny hands.
“He'll live. He needs rest.”
D entered the room. “What will you tell his brother?”
“That Chris has a stomache virus. He'll be fine by tomorrow night.”
D watched her for a moment. Angel knew that she had to play it safe. She was on his territory now. Whatever he was, it was not something that her people had dealt with before. There was no file on him or his family, no mention of this area under the protection of any others.
Still, his name is familiar.
With a sigh, Angel said, “He has to drink water tonight. His body is still sweating out the poisons. For a bit, he might throw up the water. Don't stop giving it to him, though. He should have a glass about every half hour. Force him to drink, if you must. Tomorrow, you can start him on a weak, watered down drink. Tea or fruit juice would be best. By lunch, he can have soup. By dinner, he should be able to handle solid foods.”
D nodded. Angel walked out of the room, ready to leave. She had no doubt that Leon would stop by, and D would tell him that Chris was sick. Little boys get sick all the time. She had to get home and have someone do an extensive search into Chris and Leon's past. Who in their family was an Aternum? And why weren't they known?
She had almost made it to the door when Leon came walking in. Her heart did a little flip as she found herself staring into his blue eyes. She was amused to note the mixture of surprise and pleasure she found on his face.
“Hey, Angel, you're still here? I was, uh, just coming by to pick up Chris.”
Angel smiled. “I was just leaving. Chris isn't feeling well. A little stomache virus.”
Leon's face fell and panic set in. “Is he ok? Where is he?”
“He's in the back. I'll take you to him,” Angel said. Leon's urgency caused her to walk faster, his fear for his brother choked her worse then the insense.
D greeted them at the door, looking as if he expected them. He had Angel's coat in his hands. Leon barely acknowledged D as he rushed past and knelt by the bedside.
“Keep watch over them,” Angel whispered. “We're not out of the woods yet.”
“I will not allow any harm to come to them. I promise you that,” D said.
Angel sighed, her eyes drinking in the tender scene. Leon, big and strong and protective, tenderly stroked his brother's head and whispered words of encouragement. It tugged at Angel's heart. That was what she had always wanted. A man and a child, that love that was present in the room.
“I won't let anyone harm them, either,” Angel said. “I'll destroy the world before I let any hurt them.”
“That makes two of us.”
With that, Angel turned and left. Her thoughts were still on the tender scene and the poison that still circulated in her veins, that she didn't see the man who had followed Leon inside the pet shop. She didn't notice him as he followed her out.
I tried to keep everyone in character. I highly doubt D would like anyone mucking in his territory.