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“Admit it, you missed me.” He clicked the top of his pen against his thigh, offering Henryk that trademark shit-eating grin before going to town jotting down numbers in the ledger. It took a few days for his hands to feel comfortable enough to grab things, and while the scars were still present, Dresden at least looked back to his old self. “I was the life in this damn place, I think we both know that.” And his teasing was at no end–another indication he’d at least managed to move on from his latest near-death experience. 

His hand paused, eyes narrowing in thought before he crossed out a number and corrected it immediately. Damn replacement made everything so disorganized, and he didn’t like his things messed with, even if it was just a book of monetary values–not to mention their hand writing was intolerable.

“Anything interesting happen while I was out? I don’t like being out of the loop–Jesus Christ, did you have a five year old replace me? Look at this shit…” He crossed out a couple more incorrect values, and while it didn’t show that much was off from the previous night’s earnings, it was still annoying. “Alright, all set. You jumping in the ring tonight? It’s always a treat when you do.”

“I missed your teasing game.” He grinned at that, always amused by the faerie. Henryk wasn’t a huge fan of other species, but it was a good time to start making friends outside of the vampire circles. He was pretty sure feeding off his own kind would make him far less popular with them. “Just more of the same old chaos and mayhem.” 

She’d forgotten her phone behind the counter at work. That was the only reason she was out this late, her wool coat wrapped tightly around her body. Although spring was approaching, without the sun the air was still freezing and she was completely over it. Her hair was twisted back in a loose braid and, while it kept it out of her face, it meant that the tips of her ears were quickly turning red. All complaints of the cold however, fled her mind as she turned the corner and saw the broken door handle on her shop.

Approaching softly, Allison carefully pushed the door open and slipped into the dark shop. Her face twisted with annoyance - seriously, who broke into a tea shop? It’s not like she kept piles of money just laying around. A rustling noise caught her attention and she headed towards the backroom, a quick glance at the register confirming that none of the money had been taken. Flicking up a switch as she passed by, the backroom flooded with light. 

“What do you think you’re doing back here?” she asked, her voice unusually icy. Allison couldn’t say she was exactly pleased to see Henryk snooping around her personal wares. She wondered if this meant the tea hadn’t helped. 

He was frantic, moving about the back room, checking out glass jars and bottles and taking very little care with it all. Some slipped through his fingers and shattered into the floor, while others he tossed across the room out of frustration. There was nothing in there that could help him, just like Ariana couldn’t help him, there was no helping him. He wanted to rip into something soft so bad, and he hadn’t had a good night sleep in ages. Henryk felt like he was one step from a massive meltdown and accidental bloodshed and maybe he’d have to suck it up and knock himself out with some gross potion---

The vampire was so much of a mess, he didn’t register it when she stepped into the shop until the lights flooded the room and she was standing by the door with an icy stare. “This is useless!” Henryk tossed a whole crate of whatever, he didn’t even care anymore. “All of this is useless!”

“I am, and with women as well, but thank you for noticing.” Juliette offered back, somewhere between agreement and teasing, going so far as to flip the hair from her shoulder. “I prefer a more hands on method. Tasers, bit cliche.” 

A smirk curled up the corners of her lips as she eyed not the crowd, but the profile of the man beside her. Strong jaw, defined features. He was conventionally beautiful, a man who was likely also quite popular with men and women alike. “All thirsts, I would expect nothing less from a place like this.” She wondered what it was that went through a head like that one on a daily basis. What kind of man with a dry sense of humor sat at the bar and simply observed. The answer came in his next words. She had been right, he was the owner. “It’s an place, for sure.” She would have to observe further before she came to a full conclusion. “But the pleasure is mine, Henryk.” Jules. She wondered if she should be offended by the casual nickname, but brushed it off. It wasn’t the first time, wouldn’t be the last. “I’ve always been more of a finger by finger girl. The whole hand, effective once. Each finger is another warning. I do appreciate the permission, however. Good to know I won’t be escorted out for a few broken bones.”

She had a good sense of humor, a bit flirty too, maybe he could lure her upstairs. It was a bitch to clean up the office though. Ideally, he would take his victims to the basement back at his place, but he didn’t think Malachi would appreciate the seduction game he’d have to play to get them inside the house. Ah, so tricky. He supposed he could do with the clean up job. “I can respect a woman who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.” Violence had always been a big turn on for him, which explained his taste in lovers. Or at least one in particular.

Fleur stared at him with her hand on his shoulder for a moment longer before she patted his cheek as if he were nothing more than a small child and allowed for it to fall away. “Poor little Henryk. You’re so broken.” She remarked and give a flippant smile. “If you don’t know their age, you might want to try sleeping with the next vampire you intend to take a piece out of. I’m sure your cock would prefer that to taking another hit tonight, hm?” Her favorite kind of advice to give, after all, was when it was wanted the least.

“I won’t keep you any longer. Be free, little bird.”

“Definitely not the first time I’ve heard that one. Point of pride.” He offered, a chuckle of his own to match the vampires. 

Peter wasn’t exactly sure what he meant when he said it ‘made a lot of sense’, but it wasn’t something to really something he felt the great need to dwell on, either. It was pretty well known that Zalman pack were… perhaps laid-back wasn’t the right word, but definitely more accepting in general. Mostly of other wolves, of humans, but Peter felt that that could easily extend to any other species as well. “They don’t have a church, no. I’m more of a pray in private type of person, at any rate. You don’t need shitty stained glass windows to have faith.” A shrug of his shoulders, but he considered the man’s words as the subject fell on the attacks, on his own theory. It was a fair point that the vampire made, Peter would concede that. “Maybe too big for one person. Maybe an over-zealous group of hunters, but it’s only speculation at any rate. Could have been anything without a lead. Vampire, shifter, fae. I’m weary to think it was werewolf on werewolf crime. The only pack that might attack its own kind is Ulrich, far as I know, and the brutes surely would have taken credit by now.” 

Henryk listened to his reasoning and nodded along. “Burning vampire churches and dead werewolves... There must be something in the water. Or everywhere.” He finished his coffee in one drink and crushed the styrofoam cup in his hand. “I hope whatever god you’re praying to delivers because this is one messed up town to live in.” 

“Well, can’t say it wasn’t tempting. But then I’d never hear the end of it, and I’d have to watch your nose snap back into place. Then I’ll just remember you with a broken nose, and it’ll ruin the entire pretty boy look you’ve been sporting for so long,” Xander hummed, reaching over to actually pinch the vampire’s nose. “Do we have drugs? Babe, the entire faerielands are a drug. Where do you think the best shrooms come from?” he joked, shaking his head before he released his grip on Henryk. 

“I know I am. Maybe I’m overcompensating for being the same height as everyone else in the fae world,” he teased, giving the vampire another look before he shook his head. “No, I’m done with the exciting things happening.” An easy lie. He wanted to watch Ashbourne burn from the safety of the faerielands. Hopefully that was sooner rather than later, “You?”

He frowned when the guy pinched his nose, but the information about the faerielands distracted him for a second. “You must throw some wild parties then... much more fun than the Regium’s. Might as well be a funeral.” The offense brought a smile to his lips. Fuck those guys.

Okay, he was officially listening. “Mark that down as something we have in common,” August smirked, probably a common theme for people was an overall desire to not have fucked up shit happen to them. While the witch liked to think that trouble found him, he was at least self aware enough to know he was probably at the root of his problems. Yes, hard to believe, when it came to shit falling on his head he was his own worst enemy. He’d already made the jump that Henryk was probably in the same boat, whether he knew it or not.

Aria had been exhausted after the blood moon, to the point where she’d even accepted help from him. Though she’d never told him what it was about, never before done ritual? Yeah, that was probably it then. That never before done ritual? That must have been the desiring spell that Malachi had him steal from Philippe, that request that started all this mess - for both of them - it seemed. Did Henryk know August had a hand in it? He wasn’t sure, but the witch was here now. 

The cogs officially turned, the pieces that Aria had been hoarding fell into place. He’d have to remind her how rude it was to perform never-before-done-magic without a safety net. Henryk was obviously raw about the whole thing, Malachi had been the one to make the request, Aria had kept the whole spell a secret. Probably wasn’t even his idea to begin with. “She didn’t tell me, no.” August said easily, experimental magic, she really was crossing lines. He was proud, but he wasn’t going to tell Henryk that. He thought further about what Henryk said, born again popped into his mind, but the man was still obviously a vampire. “And you’ve been having a hard time drinking blood ever since?” August asked, he shrugged, off the top of his head? “Well, I guess there’s two scenarios - right - either the spell went right, or it didn’t. So either you’re living with the consequences of magic gone good, or magic gone bad.” He sad simply, taking a drink, “what have you been drinking, if not blood?”

He wasn’t totally shocked to hear Ariana had kept the details to herself. After all, if word got around, it wouldn’t be just his head on the chopping block, but hers as well. At the moment though he wasn’t all that worried about much. Starvation did things to his head. “Yeah, since the ritual. I feel like my head’s about to explode.” He threw his hostage a look. “If I could eat him, trust me, I would have bled him dry by now.”

Pitiful indeed, was that one vampire at the wolf’s eyes. Damián sighed loudly at the other’s words clearly trying to get on his nerves, but he was determined not to lose his temper over a drunk sucker. Not tonight, not with so many distressful information he had to process about the cursed city and whatnot. As he kept talking, however, it was Dami’s turn to raise an eyebrow, his dark eyes measuring the vampire from head to toe with the most disgusted look as the man approached. Cute face for a sucker.

This motherfucker was apparently willing to make the wolf waste his time, and as Damián was about to cut him off and go back on his way, he literally didn’t see that sucker punch coming outta nowhere; his wolf instincts weren’t fast enough to dodge completely in time, causing his face to turn to one side as it was harshly hit on the other, and a bit of unbalancing made him take a step back to recover. A split second of shock ran through Damián’s face while realizing what had just happened, his gaze immediately getting full of a growing rage as it slowly turned back to the vampire.

By the next second, his hand was tightly closed around the vampire’s neck and, quickly throwing his body weight towards him, Dami violently crushed the guy against the nearest wall. “ARE YOU FUCKING MAD?!” He growled loudly, inches from his face, his hand firmly squeezing the vampire’s throat in place as the free one went for a punch on his jaw.

Henryk barely saw it coming when a strong hand grabbed him by the neck. He still had a satisfied smile on his face when the guy threw him into the wall with so much strength, it cracked. If his head was spinning before, now it had done a whole turn around itself. It took him a few seconds to find his footing. “God!” He grimaced. “I wish I had a mint to offer you.”

His amusement was short lived as the hand around his throat squeezed and another collided with his jaw. He was so fucking strong, Henryk could taste the blood in his mind. Something was broken too, he could tell from the burn of reconstruction. Hopefully the alcohol didn’t slow that down too much.