Batty St Amour

“Not a hooker.” Russell nearly barked out a laugh as the chuckle lingered at the pit of his stomach. “I don’t need a hooker. But you seem like a fine young woman, and I don’t judge too harshly.” There was a point to what he was trying to say, but he seemed to be distracted by the side things. Still, he nodded solidly before finally adding, “It does involve money though. I’m just wondering what your price would be, because it isn’t a…traditionally sought out form of a job.” Before he could go any further, he looked over her, thinning his lips. “I want you blood, from the vein. And I’m willing to pay for it.” 

Batty still felt the walls drawing her back closer to them. “I’m not a hooker and I wasn’t offering.” She countered back in a rare, harsh voice. Her tone was adamant and her pulse quick. Of course, when he explained that he was a vampire and was looking for food, she realized he could probably hear her heart pounding in her chest just as loudly as she could hear it. And for her, she knew he could feast on her veins, with or without permission, but despite that, the money made the offer sound good. Blood was a small price to pay to have ends meet. “How much are you willing to pay?” The girl was smart, she knew better than to start the process of price on her own.

As she heard the other, Mariana merely shrugged it off, clearly not wanting to bite off more than she could chew. And, so long as the dog an instinct to bite, maybe Mariana was glad she hadn’t seen them at the clinic yet. Still, the other young woman began walking away, and Mariana nodded her off, giving a short wave before heading back into the racks of clothes to continue shopping.

Jackson had been stuck in a pit in denial for awhile now. By now he knew Jessica was in town, and yet still hadn’t approached her. What would he say to her when he did finally seek her out? Thoughts that were easy to not dwell on when he was on the hunt. Something programmed into him since his birth, and even though lately – he had started to slowly question it himself. He wasn’t in the position to openly admit this to anyone. The club was an easy scene to meet. He placed the envelope of bills folded into the pocket of his trousers. This certainly wasn’t the first time he had met Batty for information and it likely wouldn’t be the last.

He needed the safe rush the hunt gave him. The comfort his soul seemed to feel when he cleansed the world of one less supernatural creature. Only one person thus far had stood in his way and made him question everything. That didn’t matter anymore though. That was done. Jack had returned to his automated movements. He had grabbed a martini from the bar before he vanished into the denizens. The club helped him zero in on potential supernatural beings under the façade that a club was a safe haven. They could let their freak flag fly or so they thought. Yet there he watched. He sat across from Batty taking the envelope from his pocket and placing it on the table that separated them. “Are you thirsty?” Jack inquired in a soft tone before he took a drink of his own and watched her intently. “Woods in two weeks? We could do that. The club scene isn’t something you like?”

Batty eyed the envelope, but she didn’t reach out for it. She always did her best to relay information before taking the payment, so that there would be no cause for the hunter to lash out at her. While he’d never had any violent tendencies where she was concerned, he was still physically capable of hurting her if he felt so inclined, and he was an older male, which put her on edge more than she’d admit to him. However, money was money and lately, she’d needed it more desperately than ever. The girl swallowed thickly at the thought of trading more names for cash. But, she needed to survive and she didn’t owe these people anything.

“No,” She shook her head, hands moving to her lap where she wrung them together, “I don’t drink.” In fact, Batty never touched alcohol. After being abused for thirteen years at the hands of an alcoholic father, the girl could barely even handle the smell of alcohol, which, in her present situation at the club, was making her nauseous. “No, I’m not one for crowds.” It was amazing she could handle interacting with people at work, honestly. Lowering her voice so that only the boy would hear her, she started talking, but knew better than to go into detail. “But then again, there are things in the woods that go bump in the night. One of which is a bloodsucker.” She’d caught a glimpse of Agnes Dessler drinking blood from a creature in woods only a few days prior. Carefully, untangling her hands from one another, she reached into her bag and pulled out a small envelope of her own. It listed only a few names, but it was what she’d learned since she last saw him. “Have you found out anything about them?” She asked, just as she did every time they met. The them she was referring to, of course, was the thing that had killed her sister and mother 18 years ago.

He wasn’t a dick. Well, usually anyways he tried not to be. In this particular moment he couldn’t help but feel like a very specific ass, this strange girl cowering on the ground while he stood over her wasn’t a good look for him. Ego let go of whatever tense breath he was holding, let himself relax a bit as he pulled his shirt on and stood before her still very much dripping. He could deal with that later. 

“Alright.” He said easily, taking a careful step back to give the terrified girl a bit more breathing room, it’s not like he couldn’t get where she was coming from. Ego would be pretty freaked out if the positions were reversed. “Do whatever you want, take off - I won’t keep you.” Ego breathed out, his tone still a bit sharper than he intended but truthfully he couldn’t really help the irritation. Her reaction was exactly the reason why his ancestors had fled to Fallcrest, it was fear and it was prejudice and he was over it.  “But you shouldn’t be out here, these woods are dangerous.” Ego had grown up here, he knew this place like the back of his hand, the things that went bump in the night were some of his best friends. Guilt continued to tug at him though as he looked at the girl, somewhere in the back of his mind his mother was scolding him for acting recklessly…. Again. “Do you want me to walk you home?”

She’d be lying to say that she wasn’t scared of whatever it was the man was doing. Supernatural happenings were not her forte, but she’d experienced them early in life, when her mom and sister were killed. Still, she knew that not all monsters were things that when bump in the night, most monsters were like her, they were human. They were your father, his best friend, your second grade teacher, the next door neighbor...they were people, most of them. But it wasn’t his supernatural ability that scared her, it was his reaction to her witnessing them. What would he do to her for that? She knew how far people would go to keep their secrets hidden.

As he stepped back, she didn’t allow herself to relax any. All it would take was one swift movement and he could be closer than before. The girl took a few hard breaths, nearly panting from the fear as she moved a step away from the tree, sideways, keeping her eyes on him. Still, she kept her hands up in surrender, trying to put a bit more distance between them. Trust did not exist for her, so his words of release meant nothing, but the ones about other things being in the woods, well, those caught her attention. Her eyes tore away from him to look around her, clearly terrified as her breathing intensified. She moved back against the tree once more, nervous fingers gripping at the bark as she slid to the ground. Batty cowered, tucking her face into her knees. Had she really made it through the past 23 years just to meet her end because she’d been careless enough to take a shortcut through the woods at night? His over made her lift her head slowly, tears she hadn’t noticed filling her eyes. She looked him over slowly. Was this just a ploy? A way to get her alone so he could kill her? Or was he just trying to get her out of the forest before she uncovered something worse, maybe something he’d already done? A stick snapped off in the distance and she flinched. Either way, he seemed like the most reliable way out in that moment and she nodded slowly, but didn’t make a move to get up.

“You really are ready to go huh?” Russell took the moment as a kind of opportunity for himself as he looked her over, narrowed eyes training on her expression. “If you could have anything right now, anything feasible at all, what would it be?” Russell usually liked to hunt his prey, but, this woman seemed so ready to die, maybe there was another way for them to both get something out of it.

Batty shrugged, keeping her gaze away from his. She didn’t know him, nor did she know why he was interacting with her. “Just want to go up to my apartment.” The girl said tightly. His question startled her a little, her pulse beginning to race. Her body didn’t have a fight or flight instinct any longer, no, it had developed into surrender or hide a long time ago. Still, she wanted to flea up the stairs to the safety of seven locks on the inside of the door to keep the monsters at bay, both the supernatural and the human ones. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at, but life doesn’t work like that.” She told him, glaring at a spot on the ground. “Nothing in life is free, but if you’re looking for a hooker, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

“Well obviously.” Mariana made a face, rolling her eyes slyly before adding, “You made that abundantly clear.” She had had enough of the other woman trying to pass her style off as something formidable or even acceptable, but Mariana was not budging, mostly due to her shallow and selfish nature. “Oh. Wow. Well, I’m sure he’s probably a great companion if you’ve gotten through to him.” Mariana had dealt with her fair share of large animals, some that even bite, but thankfully she hadn’t gotten hurt. “That is sweet though! I guess I wish the both of you the best. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.”

Batty ignored the comment, shifting uncomfortably. Sure, the girl might not have meant any harm, but still, she made the brunette uncomfortable. Honestly, she didn’t give a soggy rat’s ass whether the girl liked her choice in clothing or not, in fact, it made her happy for the other girl, that she hadn’t experienced the things in life that had driven Batty to actively avoid attention. Lucky her. But the twenty-three year old hand’t been so lucky. “Yes, he’s just what I wanted; a dog that hasn’t been conditioned away from his instinct to bite when threatened.” The words were sharper than she’d meant for them to be, but hopefully it deterred the girl from wanting to know more. “Maybe,” And with that, Batty headed for the door, not wishing to engage in shopping again for a long time.

“Oh, no, no, you won’t be charged for it. What was it you wanted?” Lucy said before opening the pastry case, looking at her. Glancing at the pastry on the plate she already had, she took a breath before saying “Um, we’re not supposed to take them back when they’ve left the counter. You can keep it too, or give it away, otherwise I have to throw it out.”

“No, I’d only ordered the tea. I didn’t order a pastry.” Batty clarified, but nodded as the girl spoke. She’d never understand why people were so wasteful of food. She saw it at the drugstore, too, throwing out bags of chips that had passed their best-by dates, though, there was nothing wrong with them, or the cones, brownies, and bananas that the ice cream shop she’d worked at when she was younger had thrown away. It was all just a big waste. It wasn’t like she’d licked the pastry just for good measure. Still, she was glad that the girl at least told her to keep it. That was sensible, less wasteful. “Alright, I’ll keep it, I just didn’t want to take it if it was meant for anyone else.”

Batty St. Amour? Liam thought to himself, he had to assume Batty was short for something because it seemed like a joke to name a child something like that. “Charming.” Liam offered at her name, “I am Liam Avraham, I recently purchased this establishment so you’ll understand my reservations.” Liam stated easily as he glanced quickly at the resume and the cover letter, his quick eyes making short work of the things that mattered to him. She had no real restaurant experience, and absolutely no experience in fine dining, but Batty was young and young meant that she could likely be trained.

Liam was a quick study of character, but he needed to get to know her better before making any real decision. It was a question of if she was worthy of his time, or if she’d just wind up a disappointment and besmirch the Manhattan in some way. As it turned out however, a bus boy had called in sick for tonight, so there was an opening if she was willing to take it.  “Ice cream parlors and wine bars are not apples and oranges, Batty, what makes you think you’ll be a good fit?”

“It’s short for Elizabeth.” She said, voice barely audible. Finally, she could fight it no longer and began wringing her hands together where they rested in her lap. Her mother had called her Batty, and Dotty had called her something that closely resembled the name as well. That’s why she’d used that name, whenever people asked her for her name, she’d introduce herself as Batty, like a Katherine might introduce herself as Kathy. Elizabeth was a name that reminded her of less than good things; less than good people. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mister Avraham.” The girl said politely, nodding as he spoke. Sure, he was another upper class guy that wanted to make sure that a girl living in a shoe box sized studio apartment didn’t mess up his new business venture. That’s just how the world worked. Still, he had stopped her from leaving and was giving her a chance, for whatever that was worth, so she tried not to judge him too harshly.

The girl nodded at his words, because, he was right, they weren’t the same thing, but he underestimated just how comparable they were. “No, they aren’t the same thing.” She agreed, “But the parlor gave me experience with taking orders, memorizing tables and who ordered which item, serving food, customer service, balancing two trays of empty glasses on one arm while slipping between the chairs of two large customers, and managing time to make sure everyone is being given equal service.” Batty told him, but that wasn’t what made her a good fit and she knew it. She needed this job, so she was going to have to tell him the truth, “But none of that matters. It doesn’t matter that I’m a hard worker, that I’m never late to work, or that I’m a fast learner.” She mused, already feeling her cheeks getting hot, talking was really not her strong suit. The words she said next were quick, strung together like she couldn’t get them out of her body quick enough. “What makes me a good fit is that I need this job. I don’t mean I need it because I need to pay for my iGalaxy infinity plus, or because I’m a college student that needs money to buy smokes and go out to the club. I mean, I need this job. I work full time at a drug store and that barely pays for my rent, utilities, and food, but now I’ve got a new source of bills on top of that. So for me it’s not about serving wine, it’s about surviving. It’s human instinct to survive, so if a job ensures my survival, you can bet I’m going to make myself the best match there is.”

Batty stood outside the bank in the pouring rain. She’d closed the drug store about a half an hour ago and dropped off the deposit for the night. It was dark and the light from the ATM was the only spot that was illuminated between her and the street lamp 15 yards away. She shivered, her coat soaked through as she hid for a moment under the roofed area by the deposit box. Despite her normal obsession with knowing everything that was going on around her, the twenty-three year old hadn’t heard someone approaching the area. It wasn’t until the movement of shadows caught her eye that she flinched away from the side of the building and stepped out from under the roof. Quickly, she began making her way down the walk and towards the sidewalk, lowering her head and focusing on the ground. Of course, she hadn’t realized that she had dropped the store key until the figure from the shadows tapped her shoulder and she spun around to face him, her keys dangling before her face. “Th-thanks.” She stuttered out, reaching for them timidly.

Lucy was just restocking the pastries, mindlessly arranging the croissants and muffins and everything else from a tray she kept on the counter. Sure, she was used to people coming up and ordering stuff, but when the almost nervous looking young woman came up she said something she wasn’t quite used to hearing. Looking up at her, she gave a little confused expression. “Oh, uh, I’m sorry. It must have been a mistake. You can keep it if you want, they must have just looked at the wrong order.”

Batty nodded slowly, “I don’t want to be charged for it.” Honestly, if it wasn’t for the gift certificate, she wouldn’t have even ordered the tea, she just didn’t have the money to spend on luxuries such as going out. Not with her father’s new expenses falling to her. “I’m not upset, I felt I should return it though.” She explained lightly, and if the plate hadn’t been in her hand, she’d have wrung her hands together.

Sometimes it was nice to get out of town, or, at least nice to get as far away as he dared. The truth was Ego had never left the town except for the odd occasion when his parents had taken them to a neighboring city to visit a great-aunt that nobody particularly seemed fond of. Ego had never seen the ocean, and more and more he felt as if he was trapped – limited by his own expectations for himself. It was in rare introspective nights like this that he ran, ran as far and as fast as he could. Until his lungs heaved and every breath felt like fiber glass. In the quiet of the night, when he felt like he must certainly be alone, he could turn to magic as a form of comfort. It was restorative in a way, the way he could shift the waters of the river with his hands, bend the current and create shapes formed from his own words. He waded in the waters of the river in his boxers, with some careful incantations, and even more careful intentions he moved the water like an independent stream that snaked up his arms, wound across his upper back and poured down the other side, shifting the current like veins across his skin. Moments like this where he could get some clarity were rare and in an instant, it was over with the rustle of leaves disturbing him from his thoughts. Immediately he felt the waters freeze as an anger rose in his chest, prepared to strike at whomever tried to catch him by surprise. Ego however didn’t sense any magical blood within the girl, and in an instant the ice melted immediately and the water fell back into the river. 

“You can relax.” Ego said easily as he waded out of the water and began to pull his pants on, not taking his eyes off of the frightened girl, he may have just stepped in it big time, but she was hardly going to be the first mundane who had come across magic in Fallcrest – besides, who, outside of the know, would believe what she had seen anyways? “I’m not going to hurt you, but how long were you standing there?”

Batty quickly scrambled to stand, realizing the man wasn’t buying her story, and kept her back pressed against they tree. She’d relax when she was dead, which, if her fears were confirmed, she would be soon enough. The reassurance that he wouldn’t hurt her held very little weight in her eyes. People said that almost as often as they said meaningless phrases like ‘trust me’, or ‘I love you’, it was better to take them with a grain of salt, in her experience. “A minute or two.” She answered honestly, her chest constricting uncomfortably as she forced herself not to screw her eyes shut. Tears stung them, but she tried to keep them at bay. Of course, she wasn’t quite sure what she’d seen, to be honest, but she knew it wasn’t natural, that was certain. “I-I won’t tell anyone.” She raised her hands in surrender. It was easier not to fight. “I don’t even know what I saw. Please, let me go.”

For a moment, Liam was inclined to let the woman simply leave - she seemed content enough to talk herself into leaving just as surely as she’d talked herself into walking into his establishment in the first place. She didn’t possess any magic that he could detect, and further to the point, she didn’t particularly seem interested in staying - but still, grief and conflict clung to her like shadows from the night sky and Liam remembered well enough what it was like to be young and uncertain. She deserved a chance, but that was all he would offer.

“I assume you brought a resume, or some list of credentials Miss…?” Liam interjected before the brunette had a chance to leave out the way she had come, the tarot cards still sat in a neat pile in front of him, untouched. “Please, take a seat, you came here for a reason so lets see if you’ll be a good fit for the Manhattan.” Liam stated evenly as he gestured towards one of the many empty seats that were opposite him. “Have you ever worked in a restaurant before?”

Batty jumped a bit when the man spoke again. One, because her back was to him at that point and two, because she’d hadn’t expected him to speak to her again. That, and men often terrified her. After taking a shaky breath she smiled and turned back to him. Not an arrogant, nor a happy smile, but a grateful one. She knew he was giving her a chance. And while she didn’t know why, she wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, or even a regular horse, really. “St. Amour.” She offered, looking down for a moment, “Batty St. Amour.” The young woman didn’t bother offering her full name, because no one called her Elizabeth, even her name tag at the drugstore read Batty.

“Yes, of course.” The girl assured him, opening up her bag and pulling it out. She was smart, street smart, she knew presentation mattered, even if her outer appearance often suggested she didn’t. But, the girl used her clothing, her hair, her lack of make-up to go unnoticed. All attention was unwanted, albeit sometimes necessary. Quietly, she pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down, handing him the cover letter and resume that rested inside of a plastic sleeve, keeping it from getting bent or damaged. Her eyes glanced over the tarot cards, but she showed no reaction to them. She’d never interacted with such things, not having the time when she was young to explore the scary and fun supernatural nonsense on Halloween, nor at sleepovers and parties. She had much more pressing things going on in her life, and that didn’t include interacting with her peers outside of school. Or, really, in school, if she could get away with it. “Not a restaurant, no.” Batty told him, “But I did work at an ice cream shop for four years while I was in high school.”

The reaction from the girl as he sat was a complete shock to Miles. A confused expression freshly planted on his face as he leaned forward. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to scare you.” Nor did he even understand how he had. All Miles did was sit down on the same couch, a wave of worry going through him as he debating what he might have done to cause such a reaction. “I know I could choose one on my own, I just wanted an outside opinion on the couch.”

“Fine.” She said too quickly with a nod, debating in her head about just how badly she needed a second job. Her eyes were big as she looked down at her hands, wringing them in front of her nervously. “You didn’t.” It was a lie and not a very detailed one, but she didn’t like to speak more than she needed to. For a moment, she stood their awkwardly, her feet only staying because she needed to get the application from that manager, who, of course, she could see as she looked up, was helping a customer across the show room. Slowly, Batty looked back at the mail. “Why? You’re the one that’s got to sit on it.”

She looked over the woman, expression faltering slightly as a frown pulled against her lips despite her better judgement. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overwhelm you or anything! I was merely just trying to help!” She tried to call back as she watched her. “Oh, well, animals are really important. What kind of dog do you have? I love animals so much, maybe you’ve stopped by the vet clinic perhaps?” She paused herself for a moment, taking a short breath before adding, “I work there, just FYI, if you ever come in.”

Batty shrugged, wishing the other would just go away. “You didn’t. I just have a very distinct style.” And that distinction was two teared; cheap, and unflattering. “A big one.” She lied, “I got him from a shelter, they weren’t sure what he was. Just that he was aggressive. Doesn’t do well with others.” Anything to keep the girl from trying to follow her home. “Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.” So she could avoid the place, she and her imaginary dog. Neither of them needed any more human interaction than they already had to put up with. Hopefully the other girl didn’t frequent the drugstore, or else Batty was certain she’d be remembered. That sweater really had been too ugly.