NIGHTSIDERS: Season One (IC / OPEN)

[Aghrabia]

Bill Cohen
Brewer Middle School
10AM

Teaching music in the American education system was... interesting, he decided, having spent some time searching for a word to describe the rather unique experience. He was trying to recharge his batteries after the mark the previous lesson had left on him. His hands caressed the keys of his piano softly, barely making a noise. Teaching music was great, except the teaching part. Most students didn't really care, spending most of the lesson talking to their friends or messing around, but there were still some who had some interest in it- or at least before the rote learning of study finally crushed all the creativity out of them. If there was one thing to be bitter about, it was the American education system. The rote by which the students lived there school lives applied to him just as much as they, even dictating his life on the outside...

He didn't even need the alarm to wake him, and was up and ready 10 minutes before it went off, just as usual. The early Autumn light was just beginning to truly shine when he left the building proper (at around 7), just as usual, for this time of year. The journey from the apartment complex to the school was short- especially with his car- and tedious, just as usual. The 1971 Ford Torino was a particular source of pride, despite the 28 years it had been knocking about, it still ran as smoothly as the day he got. Well, almost. Just-as-fucking-usual. Despite being probably the most cheery person in 5 mile radius, he got just as bored as anyone. Not that he'd cexchange his life for anyone else's, oh no. But still, the feeling was there.

He checked his watch- it was still only 10AM- most of the others in Sunset Grove would be getting up by now, if he knew anything about any of them. In fact, Chet was one of the few that got up at the time he did, or at least a little before, given how they worked in the same place and all. Bill was a morning person, in comparison to most of the others who lived in the apartment block, given the amount of vampires that lived there. At least there was a dance on later, so he could leave early, something he was very thankful for: the boredom of today was amazing.

Bill couldn't wait to get back to his apartment, maybe hed hit the record store on the way back. Coincidentally, he realised that he had forgotten to leave his rent in an envelope for Mina to find as he normally would, but that was only a small matter which he could rectify later- it wouldn't be too much of a dent on his budget.

With some effort, he cleared all the thoughts from his head (he didn't put much stock in most of the ideas the hippies brought over back in the 60s, but meditation wasn't half bad), attempting to focus on the music emanating from the inner workings of the piano. But it wasn't to be. The sound of the door opening jolted him slightly, with the sounds of noisy children streaming in from the hallway outside. He let them take their seats, and, with a sigh, he clapped to bring the attention of his class towards him- this class in particular was a lot of fun...

[Arctica-Aleutia]

Earnest, seeing that the pixie and his feline friend had left, decided to walk the halls for a bit to see if anything interesting was afoot. Nothing usually was, despite the presence of numerous beings that the ghost boy once thought to be just myth and legend. He walked across the attic to a part of the floor he knew to be over the hallways, and phased through it until he reached the ground floor.

"Who needs elevators?" he said to himself.

He stayed in the center of the hall, having long since discovered that his presence interfered with the lights less if he kept away from the wire-filled walls. Walking by Mina's office, he noticed a man standing in the doorway with some traveling bags; probably a new tenant. Earnest would have to find a way to introduce himself at some point, if he proved friendly toward nightsiders.

"Why not do it now?" he thought sarcastically, knowing the man couldn't hear him. He spoke. "Hello, good sir! Welcome to our fine establishment! Might I show you to... your... room..."

His voice trailed off and he froze as he caught a glimpse of another person in Mina's office, one who could quite easily see and hear him. It was a brief glance, for the person quickly disappeared, but it was enough for Earnest to know that it was Richard Graves, or, more accurately, Death himself. Despite there being a notable shortage of conversation companions in the complex, Earnest had spoken to Richard relatively rarely. The simple reason for this was fear. Perhaps unfounded fear, but fear nonetheless. Earnest knew Death was responsible for, well, death, and the transition out of this world that typically followed it. What Earnest feared was that Richard might send him to the afterlife before he was ready, if, indeed, he was ever ready at all. To put it another way, he saw Richard as the only thing that could 'kill' him.

"Um-uh-uh-I... I, um..."

"Run, stupid!" Earnest thought to himself, but he had the unfortunate tendency to freeze up if he was particularly scared, and dying hadn't changed that.

[Talchyon]

Brewer Middle School
Chet Jones

Finally. The last bell rang, and Chet was almost able to move again. After answering the last of the questions a few of the stragglers had, Mr. Kent Graham ushered the kids out and put up a poster over the door window. The other windows had their shades pulled, so they were safe. Chet stretched and said, "Man."

Graham said, "Yeah, tell me about it. How you doin', Chet?"

"Oh. I don't know. I think I have a crick in my back." He tried to twist his back, left to right then right to left. "Nope. Didn't help. Maybe I should see a chiropractor."

Graham just grinned. "You do that, Chet."

If a skeleton could look downcast, Chet would have the look right then. "It's easy for you to say. Your back hurts, you can go to the chiropractor. No problem. But me? If my back hurts, I have to suffer. Or see if any of my weird neighbors in my apartment complex know how to pop your joints back into place. I mean, I tried taking ibuprofen, but, well, it didn't really take."

Graham came over and began to look ashamed. "Sorry, Chet. I wasn't meaning to hurt your feelings."

Chet shrugged. "That's ok. I shouldn't complain. Um, say, not to change the topic or anything, but I was wondering if I could get a little extra this week. My rent's due and I'm a little short."

Graham had recovered from the rebuke after gently teasing his friend. But at the mention of money, he looked serious. "I already told you that my car payments are killing me. I'm giving you what I can, Chet."

"Not even a little more? Twenty bucks, even?"

Graham slowly. "I could probably do twenty bucks. But anymore, and they'll my take my house. And I'm Not going to live in my mother's basement again like I did last time." Getting his wallet out, Graham pulled out a twenty and handed it over to Chet. "Look, Chet, I wish I could help. But that's all I can do right now."

Slowly nodding with a grimace on his skeletal face, Chet meekly said, "Thanks, Kent. I'll make it up to you."

At which Graham sighed. "No, don't worry about it. That's what friends are for."

With this being done, Chet began his end-of-the-school-day-task of disassembling himself into his used cardboard box. Kent would carry Chet's bones back to his car, safely hidden behind several trees and out of sight, so that Chet could re-assemble himself and drive back home. There, Chet would hopefully find enough extra to make up for what he was short on for the rent this month.

[Segral]

Les Claybeach/Investigating The Commotion

After showering, he took a brief pause and wiped the steam off the mirror. He stared at the mirror for a bit, and that's when his thoughts started to wander. Today, it was about Sae and Jude's baby. He got a little depressed for a minute, wondering: "How are we going to accommodate for the baby. There's two rooms, and Sae and Jude use one. Where would I sleep? The couch? And how are we gonna take care of the baby? Both of them work, and I work every night too. Would I be the baby's nanny? Would I be it's godfather?"

But such questions were for another time. Sae needed to shower or she would be late for work. He quickly changed and headed out of the dingy, crappy bathroom.

"Later you two!" he called out to Sae and Jude before grabbing his jacket and sunglasses, and his keys to his Toyota 4Runner, before heading out for the hardware store. He needed paint, paint rollers, a new light fixture, some bulbs, carpet cleaner, and a steam cleaning machine. He was going to completely fix his room, make it not so completely dead and dry. Not so Victorian.

He headed down the painfully slow elevator and all the way down to the lobby, where he stepped out into the dusty, dirty, messy shithole of a foyer. He shouted over to the short landlord "Hey Mina! How's stuff going?" when he noticed a guy rolling around on the floor with his empty bag. "What's up with him?" he asked. "S' he a time traveler?"

[Wheatley Laboratories]

Les Claybeach/Investigating The Commotion

After showering, he took a brief pause and wiped the steam off the mirror. He stared at the mirror for a bit, and that's when his thoughts started to wander. Today, it was about Sae and Jude's baby. He got a little depressed for a minute, wondering: "How are we going to accommodate for the baby. There's two rooms, and Sae and Jude use one. Where would I sleep? The couch? And how are we gonna take care of the baby? Both of them work, and I work every night too. Would I be the baby's nanny? Would I be it's godfather?"

But such questions were for another time. Sae needed to shower or she would be late for work. He quickly changed and headed out of the dingy, crappy bathroom.

"Later you two!" he called out to Sae and Jude before grabbing his jacket and sunglasses, and his keys to his Toyota 4Runner, before heading out for the hardware store. He needed paint, paint rollers, a new light fixture, some bulbs, carpet cleaner, and a steam cleaning machine. He was going to completely fix his room, make it not so completely dead and dry. Not so Victorian.

He headed down the painfully slow elevator and all the way down to the lobby, where he stepped out into the dusty, dirty, messy shithole of a foyer. He shouted over to the short landlord "Hey Mina! How's stuff going?" when he noticed a guy rolling around on the floor with his empty bag. "What's up with him?" he asked. "S' he a time traveler?"

"... A time-traveler?"

Alpha heard someone refering to him and climbed to his feet. He couldn't lay in the carpet all day, it wouldn't exactly help his situation. Unless it was a magic carpet! He studied it for a few moments and seeing that it wasn't glowing or moving or changing colour, decided that, no, it was just an ordinary carpet. His interest in the carpet vanished just as suddenly as it appeared and Alpha turned to face the tenant.
"Uhh, no." the werewolf replied.
"No. I've just had most of my money stolen by a taxi driver, I'm fiiiine." He talked in the kind of voice that suggested he wasn't really fine at all and wouldn't mind if somebody severed his head from his body.

[Nuridia]

“Thanks Les! Later!” Salem called after her roommate as she stepped into the bathroom after the other man had left it.
“Bye Les.” Jude had called before he dashed out and headed off to work. Salem quickly showered and got dressed. She was wearing a black tank top and black pants, with a pink jacket that said “glam” in purple letters. After seeing everyone was gone, she grabbed her bag and walked out, locking the door behind her.

[Shadowwell]

Shaemus and Eamon O'Malley
Apartment 305

The Leprechaun, Shaemus O'Malley, was sitting in his bedroom of the apartment he shared with his brother. The room was orderly in its chaos, the walls were littered with maps of Maine, and Bangor proper as well. Many areas were circled or crossed out, beneath each of the maps were notebooks, that were full of information. They mainly detailed finds and remains of natural landmarks in the areas. Shaemus, as he was currently going by, was glancing at the most detailed of the maps, it portrayed Bangor, it was the least marked upon, as he had to be careful with searching for his cache. With how technology had progressed, if he was not careful, then it was possible his searching could alert others, to the existence of his lost Crock of Gold. He was broken out of his concentration as Eamon knocked on his door. Shaemus called out shortly after. "Rent is on the table, brother, hope you have a good day at work."

Hearing his brothers words, Eamon gave an instinctual nod before turning around and gazing about the room. He spotted his quarry soon enough, an open envelope with money in it lay on the kitchen table. Eamon grabbed it and stuffed it into a pocket, he then donned his jacket before opening the door, and leaving the apartment. There were others out and about, who looked at him as he passed, though his clothes fit well enough, he just seemed different. Though at a glance he seemed normal, there was something different about him, something that would only be noticeable to those of times past. He reached the lobby area, where the landlord, Mina was, others were present as well. Eamon spoke up, interupting the commotion. His voice was elegant enough, though colored by the Irish lilt inherent to his voice."Lady Harker, I apologize for the intrusion, but I have the rent for my Brother and I, right here for you, before i leave."

[The Knockout Gun Gals]

Erika Koskinen: Apartment 207: 9:37 AM

"Thanks." Erika mumbled as she sat down before pouring herself a cup. She didn't like tea; couldn't stand the taste of the stuff, but right now she needed some caffeine in her system to wake her up. She gave the tea an experimental sip; too hot, so she poured herself some cereal and milk and began to eat breakfast.

She wasn't entirely sure what to make of her room-mate, one Masumi Hashimoto; apparently she'd been a journalist for some big news company or something at some point, and yet now she was out here in the middle of nowhere working for some minor local newspaper. That spoke of running from something but, well, she hadn't asked about her own past, so she'd return the favour. The less she had to talk about that the better.

Masumi Hashimoto/Clairvoyant, Apartment 207 (2BR)
09.40 AM

"You're welcome," Masumi answered graciously, as always. She didn't probe the mind of Erika, though she will reconsiders her offer for tea the next time. Tea may not be the taste for everyone's tongues, so to speak. Tea is good, but not for everyone as it seems. Erika, for Masumi, she is a musician. Such strange, indeed. Like her, potentials for somewhere much bigger than Bangor is a thing. But somehow they were here. Perhaps...she is not who she supposed to be? As a clairvoyant, at first she was surprised at the amounts of non-humans. Even in New York, there are bunch of people not humans, in a sense. Vampires are ones in particular. Some resisted her probing, too. Though she didn't do them any harms and tried to pry for information on normal interview.

"Erika," Masumi asked. Perhaps she could find an answer without clairvoyance. "Why a musician like you ended up here, in Bangor? This isn't exactly a big city, and you could do yourself some good in bigger cities."

[Lunas Legion]

Erika Koskinen: Apartment 207: 9:41 AM

Erika sighed. It just had to come up, didn't it? The irritating question of her past that she really, really didn't want to talk about. It always came up sooner or later, since people didn't ever know simply to leave something alone. Well, after the first few times she'd been asked further south, she'd cobbled together a decent enough half-truth from reality.

"Family issues per se. I'm from Massachusetts, Worcester, so I just kept moving up the coast once the last place I was at had its rent contract end, make sure they didn't decide to turn up on my doorstep someday out of nowhere when I'm not prepared. Went into Boston proper first, then Salem, Portsmouth, Portland, Camden, Belfast. Bangor. Was starting to run out of U.S to move into, so I stopped here. And needless to say, I'd much rather not talk about them. They're... Mildly complex, to say the least." Hopefully Masumi got the point. People... Didn't always, and then, well, things got troublesome.

"I could say the same for you though, about doing better in some place bigger. You're, what, a reporter or something? Working little Bangor papers or whatever can't be much compared to working the news scene in Boston, let alone somewhere bigger."

[Segral]

Les Claybeach/Uncertain About the Fate of A Possible Time-Traveler

Les could obviously see this guy was not fine. Anyone lying on a carpet with their head in their hands, moaning was not okay. It either meant extreme shock, depression, schizophrenia, or all of the above. And Shaemus came down too to join their little party. Great. He addresses the guy who was on the carpet.

"Dude, you're obviously not fine. At all." He looks towards his empty bag. "Let me guess, someone scammed you and you have no money for an apartment, and you're now basically homeless. If that's the case, I'm sorry, I can't help you, I live in a 2 bedroom apartment with two roommates, and one's pregnant, so...you can check if anyone else has some extra space...or a couch."

[The Olog-Hai]

Edward England,
Sunset Grove, Bangor, Maine
October 1, 1999

Another long night. Edward sighed. Of course, that took inhaling before he exhaled, too, because he didn't breathe at all. He swore the nights were getting longer and longer. Well, they were, obviously. Even when he was born, people knew about the solstice and equinox and whatnot. Now, there was so much more. There were these things called computers, and even horse-less carriages, cars. They'd been around for a while, to be true, but Edward was never going to fully be able to adapt to this "modern" world, as it would call. He hadn't adapted to his undeath either, to be true, but that's the sort of thing you never get used to. But the nights felt longer than last year, or maybe it was the year before. Edward couldn't really tell. They all tended to blend together, when you were this old.

Edward climbed out of his bed after mulling over these thoughts, knocking over a bottle as he went. Bending down to make sure he spilled nothing, he remembered it was rent day. He didn't really know why he kept to the habit of drinking. It's not like it had an effect on him, and the taste was never the best, nor the same as when he was alive. Reaching under the bed, he pulled out the treasure chest, counting out a number of gold coins that he and the landlord, or landlady, as she was, had pre-determined to be equal to the rent he needed to pay. Edward hoped she hadn't been cheating him this whole time, not having a good grasp of modern currency himself, though he suspected that she hadn't, purely because she had a reputation to keep.

This was bad. He was running low on gold, finally, after all this time. It had lasted him so long, taken him so far. He had maybe a few months of rent left after this, and then he'd have to go out into the real world, and get a job. He didn't look too out of place, though his speech might give him away, so long as he kept hidden the fact that his left arm wasn't really his, nor was his right thumb and right foot. Shoving the chest back under the bed, where it would be safe, given that he never left the complex and never slept, he put the coins in his hand into a leather pouch, and pulling the drawstring stuck it into his belt, exiting into the hallway, nodding at a few of the tenants as he headed downstairs, to the landlady, Mina Harker's, office.

There was quite the commotion outside. There was a person, lying on the floor. A few people waiting to pay rent, too, it seems. One of the two other Irish here, the two "brother's", was here, obviously to pay rent too. Edward approached behind him, and waiting for the others to pay up so he could himself.

This unlife was hell.

[The Knockout Gun Gals]

Erika Koskinen: Apartment 207: 9:41 AM

"Family issues per se. I'm from Massachusetts, Worcester, so I just kept moving up the coast once the last place I was at had its rent contract end, make sure they didn't decide to turn up on my doorstep someday out of nowhere when I'm not prepared. Went into Boston proper first, then Salem, Portsmouth, Portland, Camden, Belfast. Bangor. Was starting to run out of U.S to move into, so I stopped here. And needless to say, I'd much rather not talk about them. They're... Mildly complex, to say the least." Hopefully Masumi got the point. People... Didn't always, and then, well, things got troublesome.

"I could say the same for you though, about doing better in some place bigger. You're, what, a reporter or something? Working little Bangor papers or whatever can't be much compared to working the news scene in Boston, let alone somewhere bigger."

Masumi Hashimoto/Clairvoyant, Apartment 207 (2BR)
09.42 AM

It's bound to happened, actually. She asked another person's origin story and they would ask the same thing to her. Well, that's supposed to happens so no hard feeling. But to be fair, she usually shows some subtle mentions of her clairvoyances but not outrightly said she has that ability. "I don't particularly feel happy in New York. Celebrities, gossips, politicians, even those conspiracies are frying your brain if you stay there longer. I just don't have the patiences to read their minds anymore."

"And your story...is rather normal, actually. I actually expected people who weren't Bangor native would have some interesting stories, because they usually have some interesting stories. Speaking for stories, simple stories are simply my thing. In fact, there are lot of missing persons here in Bangor that could be investigated and for me, that's an enjoyment, a simple happiness out of helping the missing persons returned to their family."

[Beiarusia]

Mina Harker
Sunset Grove Apartments, Bangor, Maine - October 1999

Mina watched the peculiar man with mixed curiosity and irritation. He seemed uncertain, like a kindergartener so heartlessly abandoned by mommy on the first day of school, alone in the scary-big world, but, at the same time, the potential tenant was competent to a satisfactory degree as he'd brought along a cash deposit which required some sense of foresight. He'd come prepared... or so she thought. The man said nothing as he searched the pockets of his bag, found nothing, and then suffered some sort of fit on the office floor all the while cursing to himself in a low voice. Mina didn't know how to react.

The tenant of Apartment 206 arrived just then, shouting over to Mina from the stairwell in a voice that was more affable than one would think his kind capable of. "Hey, Mina! How's stuff going?" he said. Lester Claybeach. Demon. Probably the one who'd startled Mina given his convenient arrival so soon after. He stepped over and took notice of the mess on the floor. "What's up with him? He a time traveler?"

Why was that his first assumption!?

"A time traveller...?" muttered the man.

"He smells like a dog," Mina said flatly. She wasn't too fond of demons. Nasty habit of causing trouble, as if it were a requirement to their very existence, and Mina could only assume that Lester was enjoying a laugh at her expense (she'd never once considered the Grim Reaper as a suspect). To the man rolling on his back on the floor, like a dog ironically enough, she added, "Sorry, but this place isn't a charity. Figure it out or leave." Cruel, tersely so, but Mina could not allow vagabonds and strays to wander the premises considering that paying tenants expected a modicum of privacy. She assumed the man was a Nightsider, a werewolf to be exact, but if not, and he just happened to smell like a dog for whatever reason, it was best to have him gone before he, a possible human, was exposed to something he really shouldn't be seeing. They'd have trouble then regardless if Lester was present or not.

Another tenant arrived before the man could be shooed away. Apartment 305: Eamon O'Malley. Dullahan. A vertically gifted Irishman who effortlessly instilled a sense of physical insignificance in the tiny vampire (the Icelander even more-so). He was here to pay rent. "Lady Harker, I apologize for the intrusion, but I have the rent for my brother and I, right here for you, before I leave." He enunciated too much, but then again he was a thespian so that was to be expected. Eamon picked his way around the others, offered an "excuse me" and a "pardon me" as needed, stepped over the man on the floor, and handed over to Mina an envelope filled with cash money.

The "brother" was stingy so she'd need to count it later just to be sure.

The tenant of Apartment 201 arrived just after Eamon to pay rent: Edward England. Zombie and ex-pirate. Paid in gold coins which was annoying but acceptable. You didn't seem to mind the hassle of exchanging them for modern currency.

Mina thanked the man before returning her attention to the problem on the floor. "Can you please get up." It was not a pleasant request but rather a stern command. He was blocking the doorway to her office, which was disagreeable enough, but also he was an adult which made the entire ordeal rather sad in a way.

Eamon would probably dump the poor sap somewhere outside should she ask, and she was tempted to do so.

[Wheatley Laboratories]

Mina Harker
Sunset Grove Apartments, Bangor, Maine - October 1999

Mina watched the peculiar man with mixed curiosity and irritation. He seemed uncertain, like a kindergartener so heartlessly abandoned by mommy on the first day of school, alone in the scary-big world, but, at the same time, the potential tenant was competent to a satisfactory degree as he'd brought along a cash deposit which required some sense of foresight. He'd come prepared... or so she thought. The man said nothing as he searched the pockets of his bag, found nothing, and then suffered some sort of fit on the office floor all the while cursing to himself in a low voice. Mina didn't know how to react.

The tenant of Apartment 206 arrived just then, shouting over to Mina from the stairwell in a voice that was more affable than one would think his kind capable of. "Hey, Mina! How's stuff going?" he said. Lester Claybeach. Demon. Probably the one who'd startled Mina given his convenient arrival so soon after. He stepped over and took notice of the mess on the floor. "What's up with him? He a time traveler?"

Why was that his first assumption!?

"A time traveller...?" muttered the man.

"He smells like a dog," Mina said flatly. She wasn't too fond of demons. Nasty habit of causing trouble, as if it were a requirement to their very existence, and Mina could only assume that Lester was enjoying a laugh at her expense (she'd never once considered the Grim Reaper as a suspect). To the man rolling on his back on the floor, like a dog ironically enough, she added, "Sorry, but this place isn't a charity. Figure it out or leave." Cruel, tersely so, but Mina could not allow vagabonds and strays to wander the premises considering that paying tenants expected a modicum of privacy. She assumed the man was a Nightsider, a werewolf to be exact, but if not, and he just happened to smell like a dog for whatever reason, it was best to have him gone before he, a possible human, was exposed to something he really shouldn't be seeing. They'd have trouble then regardless if Lester was present or not.

Another tenant arrived before the man could be shooed away. Apartment 305: Eamon O'Malley. Dullahan. A vertically gifted Irishman who effortlessly instilled a sense of physical insignificance in the tiny vampire (the Icelander even more-so). He was here to pay rent. "Lady Harker, I apologize for the intrusion, but I have the rent for my brother and I, right here for you, before I leave." He enunciated too much, but then again he was a thespian so that was to be expected. Eamon picked his way around the others, offered an "excuse me" and a "pardon me" as needed, stepped over the man on the floor, and handed over to Mina an envelope filled with cash money.

The "brother" was stingy so she'd need to count it later just to be sure.

The tenant of Apartment 201 arrived just after Eamon to pay rent: Edward England. Zombie and ex-pirate. Paid in gold coins which was annoying but acceptable. You didn't seem to mind the hassle of exchanging them for modern currency.

Mina thanked the man before returning her attention to the problem on the floor. "Can you please get up." It was not a pleasant request but rather a stern command. He was blocking the doorway to her office, which was disagreeable enough, but also he was an adult which made the entire ordeal rather sad in a way.

Eamon would probably dump the poor sap somewhere outside should she ask, and she was tempted to do so.

Alpha was already standing up, his face red because of all the attention he'd attracted.
He'd much rather be watching himself look stupid.
Facing the landlord and zipping up all the pockets in his bag he'd ripped open in his search, Alpha mumbled quietly, "Look... I'm sorry. I've just had about 700 dollars stolen from me, I have maybe 150 to 200 in my bank? Annnnd, I'm unemployed. Have been for a little while, after..."
He took a deep breath and shook his head.
"Don't worry. The point is, now I'm homeless too. So, is there... Is there anything you could do?"
This was a lot of talking for him, he wouldn't normally speak much at all most of the time.
Alpha waited for the landlady's reply in quiet hopefullness. He doubted she'd do anything, but it was worth asking.

[Talchyon]

Sunset Grove Apartments
Chet Jones

The ride home was mostly uneventful. Chet had been sure to drive his convoluted driving schedule so as to go on streets with a lot of curbside trees that blocked people in buildings seeing him, not to mention taking a path that included more dirt roads, alleys and industrial complex roads where there were no windows in their factories. As such, it always took a little time to get home.

But there was one thing. He couldn't say whether or not it was the case. But some sixth sense told him that someone had seen him. It had to be a sixth sense. He didn't have hairs that could stand up on the back of his neck, being nothing but bones. He didn't have nerves to make him jumpy. So... it had to be a sixth sense. Right?

Hopefully nothing comes out of this. Chet would hate to have to plan another route to school. This one was hard to figure out enough as it was.

That wasn't the only thing on Chet's mind. He was looking for some way of getting a raincheck from having to pay his rent from his landlordlady. Mina. She always made him extremely nervous, like she was sizing him up and finding that he was lacking. And, Chet probably was lacking. He just didn't like to feel like he was lacking. Chet knew he didn't have the social skills of some people, and was the kind of person who would try to tell a joke but overanalyze the punch line so that no one laughed. Well, it can't be helped, he thought. He would have to give her the little he had saved up, plus the extra $20 from Kent. It wasn't going to be enough by any means, but maybe she'd overlook it this once...

Pulling his Buick into a parking spot near the apartment, Chet put on the jacket and hat he brought with him. It's not that he needed them, but he always did feel a little chilly in his bones in October. But the jacket was needed so he could carry his wallet in his jacket pocket. And the hat... well, that kind of went with the jacket.

Walking into the main lobby of Sunset Grove Apartments, Chet had his wallet in his hand and ignored everyone else who was there except his landlady. "Um... hi Mina. So, I am having a little trouble with the rent this month. I've got some. Um... Let me just check and see how much I have. Where'd I put that? Ok. That's 20, 30, 40, 45, 46, 56, 76, 77, what's 77 plus 5? Oh shoot. I lost my count. Let me try that again..." And after some painful addition, Chet found he was at $402. And after some even more painful subtraction, found that he was $48 short...

If he had been paying any amount of attention to the people in the room, he would have noticed the presence of someone new. And possibly not spoken up at all, as one of the few obviously creepy skeletons in the place. Heck. He probably would have waited for a more convenient time to talk to Mina. But things were on his mind, and Chet had problems with paying attention to details about other things when something (or somethings) were on his mind...

[WhatsamattaU]

the Sunset Grove apartments

Pellicius Magnus sauntered onto the grounds of the Sunset Grove Apartments. Riding the back of the great furry dark striped Maine Coon Cat was his master, the Pixie, Achillea. The little blonde & blue haired fae humanoid was only six inches tall and weighed only a couple of ounces, so Pellicius hardly noticed the burden of his rider.

The pair had ranged far this morning and afternoon. First, there was the visit to the All Saints Catholic School and then they stalked the tall dark-haired ten-year-old human boy back to his home. It was an interesting home, too. Achillea was surprised that he hadn’t noticed it before, but maybe he’d seen it and there had been changes since the last time he’d been over in that neck of the woods.

The house now sported a business on the ground floor, “Flower Power Natural Remedies” on Valley Road, near the Flour Mill Dam Rapids of the Kenduskeag Stream.. The shop was run by a woman that bore an extremely strong resemblance to the boy they’d followed, except in the eyes, or eye as the woman wore a patch over her right eye and her dishwater blond hair. The store was empty at this time and the boy had sought refuge in his mother’s arms.

Achillea was able to hear the boy’s side of the story. He’d copied one of his mother’s cookie recipes in return for a promise to secure the popular girl’s support in running for Class President. The girl’s refusal to honor the promise stung the dark-haired boy’s sense of honor (and Achillea’s), but worse was what she had said about his mother.

The mother comforted the boy and told him that karma would bite the little oath-breaker in behind one of these days and she’d have done to her something like what she’d done to the boy. Achillea thought, with a smile, that the payback might come sooner than even the mother expected.

The herbal store deepened Achillea’s suspicion that there might be something ‘witchy’ about the mother, but he didn’t feel any obvious magic about the place. Only an air of love and some sadness.

But now they were back in the Sunset Grove and Achillea thought he’d have a chat with the Landlady. It had been a good month for Pellicius and his rat catching. Before entering Miss Mina's office, Achillea noticed various tenants bustling in and out of it. What in the name of the Faerie Queen was going on? Best, perhaps to wait just a bit longer, out of sight, before visiting Miss Mina.

[Beiarusia]

Bangor, Maine - October 1999

The young woman sat at the intersection. She wore a blue windbreaker splashed in geometric colour (a 1980's fashion faux pas) and a cherry-red helmet that matched the paint of her scooter, an older Honda Elite 150, the four-stroke engine humming pleasantly as it idled at the lonely crossroad with no traffic in sight. The young woman, a teenager, toyed with a silver CD player, skipping one song after the next before finding one that she enjoyed. Head bobbing in-time to the music, she tugged down her goggles and revved the motor before pulling a sloppy right-hander onto the main roadway. The scooter raced along atop the asphalt, swerving slightly from one side of the lane to the other in gracefully lazy arcs, the driver mouthing the words of the song as she enjoyed the ride through the cool October air. She went north towards downtown Bangor, merging with light afternoon traffic and crossing the only bridge spanning the Penobscot River for some twenty miles (the next crossing was at Verona Island), and then started south on Route 1A until automobile traffic thinned from somewhat-busy to empty as urbanization turned to suburbs turned to semi-rural.

The song ended and a few more played before she backtracked to her favorite song on the CD.

A black Chevrolet pulled onto the street and was very nearly hit by the unaware scooter, which swerved at the last possible moment as the car's horn blared loudly in protest. The girl sent the man sitting behind the steering wheel a rude gesture and continued on her way. The Chevrolet pulled up alongside her at the next stop sign, the red-faced driver yelling obscenities at the teenager, the anger reaching through despite the words themselves being lost to the music of the CD player. The girl looked to the man with an irksome expression. She could have shouted back, or maybe give the balding man with a compensating beard the finger, but someone had to be the bigger man in these sort of situations... and she wasn't that person. A swift kick was delivered to the passenger door before speeding off.

Understandably, the man was a bit upset, the tires of his newly dented car squealing as he peeled off after her.

The scooter ducked off the main roadway and into a residential neighborhood, its 150cc engine pushing it along at a respectable pace, but the black Chevrolet quickly closed the distance as it followed every twist and turn until forced to slow its pursuit as a cul-de-sac offered the maneuverable scooter a convenient U-turn. A temporary setback. The car was gaining on the scooter, the driver positively enraged and likely to do something he'd later regret, but the scooter turned onto the sidewalk and into a park, down a narrow path cutting across a freshly mowed field and through a stand of trees in a detour the car could not follow. The Chevrolet braked, hit the curb, and the man was left fuming as the scooter disappeared from sight.

The teenager drifted back onto the residential streets and eventually returned to the main roadway, continuing on her way as if nothing of note had happened. Empty fields gave way to woodland the further south she traveled. It was another ten minutes before she turned off Route 1A and down a smaller road, away from the river snaking along somewhere off to her left, and heading deeper into the trees. Another lane took her up to the grounds of an old building covered in parts by clinging ivy. A weatherworn sign at the entrance identified the place: SUNSET GROVE APARTMENTS. She followed the gravel pathway to the small yet barely occupied lot situated on the side of the building, parked underneath a tree, and killed the engine, allowing the song to finish its playthrough before pulling off her helmet and headphones underneath. Keys in pocket, she trotted over to the entrance and stepped inside.

---

Mina Harker
Sunset Grove Apartments, Bangor, Maine - October 1999

The man finally picked himself up off the ground. He seemed a bit more composed but it was hard to tell for certain. "Look," he said, "I'm sorry. I've just had about seven-hundred dollars stolen from me. I have maybe one-fifty to two-hundred in my bank. And I'm unemployed..."

Not really making a solid case for himself, Mina thought. He then asked if there was anything she could do to help him, to throw him a bone, and perhaps she could, but the apartment barely scraped by as is without offering handouts to every stranger that wandered inside with a sob story. If he was employed then maybe, but there was no guarantee that he'd land a job anytime soon, if at all, and Mina wasn't too interested in going through the eviction process, so was blunt with her decision. "Like I said, this isn't a charity so come back when you have the money or leave."

Another tenant arrived just then and Mina's mood worsened. Apartment 205: Chet Jones. Skeleton. The absentminded bonehead waltzed inside the lobby without so much as considering those present, marched up to Mina (and the possible human that was looking for charity), and immediately mentioned his trouble coming up with this month's rent. The skeleton was short $48. An inconsequential amount if not for Chet's habitual lateness, but that was a problem that could be addressed at a later date.

They had a more important issue to attend to.

Mina used her eyes to try and direct Chet to the newcomer, hoping (but expecting less) that he'd recognize the stranger amongst them and would silently excuse himself before the financially troubled man turned around to see a walking, talking skeleton wearing a coat. Only moments ago she'd entertained the idea of having Eamon tossing the man out on the street, but if worse-came-to-worse she'd need the Irishman to restrain the possible human until they could think of a plan. The last thing they needed was exposure, and they couldn't just keep the man chained up in the basement, not for too long anyway. Someone could report him missing and that could bring more problems. Maybe Lester could use his demonic powers to alter the man's memory? Possible, but Mina didn't want to rely on the Demon if she could at all avoid doing so. He'd probably ask for something in return.

The lobby door opened once more and a short-haired teenager walked inside, saw Mina, and waved with a stupid smile on her face. Elsa Bancroft. Human. Mina's blood donor and "friend", one with a habit of showing up unannounced.

Too many problems at once so Mina reacted without really thinking things through. "We can figure something out!" she blurted to the newcomer, taking him and Eamon by the arms and steering them towards the doorway leading to the parlor, careful to keep Chet out-of-view. "Please wait in the parlor. Eamon can show you the way." Pushing them off she immediately rounded towards Elsa. Avoiding the splotches of sunlight coming in through the window, she grabbed the girl and tried vainly to push her towards the exit. "Why are you here?" she hissed, embarrassingly aware that the others were likely staring.

"School got out early," she answered as if that was common knowledge. She waved to the others still standing near the office.

"Don't wave at them. Just come back later, okay?"

"I can hang out in your apartment if you're busy. Door's unlocked, right?" She started for the hallway. Mina was about to stop her but figured it best to get her away from the others. Elsa knew about the Nightsiders, obviously, but Mina often kept the girl sequestered away whenever she came for a visit partly out of embarrassment and partly out of fear that someone (like a Demon) would take advantage of the air-headed teen. In turn, Elsa made a point to be as friendly as possible to anyone living in the apartments whenever she was left unattended.

And now she had to deal with the man looking for a handout. And Chet. And anyone else who decided that now was as good a time to come to her with a problem... or to cause a problem. Mina, despite looking so young, felt incredibly tired, and to make matters worse her skin burned slightly from the ambient sunlight. She was hungry, too, now that "food" had wandered into the apartment.

Mina turned to the others with an annoyed expression clearly plastered to her face. "Anything else?" she asked those still present.

[Jarnheim]

Bjorn felt very cold for several moments, and felt as though someone was watching him. He couldn't help but turn around, though he saw nothing but the hallway. He tilted his head and pondered what why he had felt what he felt. No less, he wouldn't worry too much about it. In fact, in the next several seconds, he shrugged the feeling off, and completely forgot about it.

Bee-ee-eep bee-ee-eep... bee-ee-eep bee-ee-eep

Bjorn dug into his pocket for his little Nokia 3210, something he bought just a couple weeks ago, as well as one for his dad with some money that he had saved up from previous jobs. He grabbed it and took it out, pushed the button and brought the phone to his face.

"Hello?" Bjorn asked.

The following voice was very familiar. It was definitely his father, with his thick accent (not that Bjorn didn't have a rather thick accent himself) and gruff but light tone. It was strange to hear him from such a device. He hadn't gotten used to such technology quite yet. The answer on the phone didn't come in English, though but rather their native tongue of Icelandic.

"Bjorn, you're coming to get the rest of the stuff here today, yes?" Erik's father inquired.

"Of course, dad. Just let me tell the landlord that I'm moving in the last of it, okay?"

"All right. You know where I am."

And with that, the conversation was over. After a quick goodbye, they both hung up. Bjorn hurried over to the stairways, and went down towards the first floor, thundering footsteps capable of alerting plenty of others on the same floor as to his presence forthcoming. It wasn't hard to hear the footsteps of a man with size 24 feet, much less one who wasn't too far from about five-hundred pounds.

[Segral]

Les Claybeach/Thinking Up Twisted Ideas

The second Les saw the air-headed girl walk in, he knew he had scored. It was time for some fun. It had been a while since possessed Cara, and he kind of missed the feeling. And Chet and Shaemus had reminded him that rent was due. Or his half anyway.

He strolled over to Mina and Elsa and dug around for $300 bucks in his wallet. He handed them over to the vampire landlord. "Hey Elsa." he cheerily said "School killing ya yet? There's my half Mina. Sae will give you the rest later." He then tossed his wallet to Elsa. "Catch!" He said suddenly before taking advantage of the momentary distraction, before possessing her, his own body disappearing and siphoning into hers. "What should I do?" he thought. He couldn't take her anywhere, or that would be kidnapping. He couldn't steal the rent money and give it back later. He couldn't mess with her bike or a car, or that would be vandalism. Stupid legal boundaries. makes everything less fun. He then had an idea. He sprinted into the office, removed the money from the register, and did what they call "making rain". He then jumped out of her body and turned towards the blank Elsa.

"Elsa, why'd you do that? Now she has to clean that up. Disgraceful. Well, anyways, I'm heading out." He walked out to his Toyota, still sniggering. It would take a long time to clean that up.

[Aghrabia]

The last of the screaming herd of children had finally made its way out of the classroom- much to the pleasure of their beleaguered teacher, who gave a long sigh of relief as he collapsed back into his chair. He spent a few minutes in this position, hoping to be able to recharge his batteries even just a little bit before dragging himself out to his car and back to his apartment. This had been a taxing day even for a normally cheery soul such as himself. Eventually, though, the waiting around started to bore him slightly. The way through the school to the car park was quick, thankfully. And so was the drive back to home sweet home: Sunset Grove. A beautiful place, he found, despite its flaws. But he wouldn't be caught up in thought this time that he spent 20 minutes just sitting there.

Getting out of his car, he saw Les getting into his; Bill gave a little wave as he passed- that Claybeach was certainly an interesting character. He pushed through the double doors leading into the lobby and took in the scene before him with a curious expression on his face: the money on the floor, the dazed student with a lot of money arrayed about her (he would bet his life a certain demon had something to do with that), some other residents- Chet the skeleton, for example, and an annoyed-looking Mina. The last part was definitely not a good thing.

"Just a second, Mina, I'll just get my rent for you," was the first thing to come out of his mouth, before disappearing up the stairs.

The journey to his apartment was certainly not long, given that his health wasn't too terrible, and he had made his way back to the lobby after a short rummage through his belongings- now with cash in hand, wrapped up in the envelope he had left it in earlier. $450 precisely. He counted it out himself, though it had taken some time to count it all out (his skills in mathematics had never been the strongest). He placed the envelope on the desk carefully, before taking more time to get the lay of the land.

"Hmm, anything I can help any of ya with?"

[Nuridia]

Tom Juergen, Apartment
A young woman was sitting on the floor of her livingroom, an array of magical items spread out around her. Her grimoire, or book of magic/spells was open on her lap and she had her wand in one hand.
"Alright Tommi, you can do this girl. Yeah you may or may not have fucked up the transmutation spell the last seven times you tried it yesterday, but that's all in the past." she said to herself, running a hand through her short hair. A squeak interrupted her thoughts, and so Tom Juergen rolled onto her back and looked at the large gray rat that was standing outside the circle. He was her familiar and best friend in Maine right now, she wasn't shamed to admit it. Although everybody else thinks I'm the worst witch ever and a total loser, no biggie. I'll prove them wrong.

"Mugs, what do you think?" she asked. A squeak was all she got in reply, the rodent running up and climbing on her chest. "Yeah, I know you can't really talk. I just like to pretend that you can. But you are smarter than most rats, which is why I keep you around." Tom smiled and stroked his fur with a finger, thinking whether or not she should even go through this spell.

"Of course I should. If I'm going to grow as a witch I can't stop trying. Even if I'll most likely botch it...I'll get better! One day...hopefully."
Squeak.
"Don't patronize me, Mugsy. Okay?"

[Anowa]

Catriana Buchanan
Apartment 102
Sunset Grove Apartments, Bangor, Maine // October 1st, 1999.

Catriana had learned quite some time ago that the human body wasn't always off during it's time of sleep and rest. As the body started prepping itself to wake up, senses and conscious controls were re-activated for lack of a better term. Speech was the first to come back, followed by hearing, smell was the last. Sleep paralysis was basically when this process happens to slowly and the person wakes up before their body is ready.

And for the past ten minutes an ungodly muffled screaming was coming from Elsa's room. Khaira had spoken a few moments after it started, stating to the Scot that it was a normal thing, that they'd soundproofed her room to the best they could, and that it was Elsa just reliving past events. Cat knew that whatever the fuck it was, it wasn't a happy memory.

The former hunter couldn't think clearly so she decided it would be best to grab the jar sitting on the counter labeled 'Rent Money' and give the collection of bills and a single gold butter bar to their landlord. After all, eviction wasn't on anyone's to do list. SO after shuffling the 200 dollars or so of bills into a ziploc bag and the rest in the form of smelted gold, she left the room to deliver the rather heafty sum of money.

---

Meat Wagon
Laundry Room
Sunset Grove Apartments, Bangor, Maine // October 1st, 1999.

The same fucking thing happened.

Every week this dumb motherfucker just decides he wants to pull some shit and then he has to come down and rectify the issue.

So here he was, sitting on a chair, a sledgehammer beside him, and a pair of bongos resting upon his skeletal lap. The situation was as absurd as it could get, a skeleton about to have a drum battle with a fucking washing machine. Otherwise the machine would close on him as he was fixing it and the goddamn thing would put him in an eight hour spin cycle.

It was times like this he really hated the fucking scrap heap, "I've had enough of your shit, Paul."

The washing machine busted a fat beat in defiant response.

---

Catriana Buchanan
Stairs
Sunset Grove Apartments, Bangor, Maine // October 1st, 1999.

It was a long walk down, granted she'd spent more than enough of her life doing cardio to keep up with vampires, werewolves, demons, and the occasional leprechaun. But it was just, unwanted.

"How are we doing this morning?"

The voice nearly had Kat jump out of her skin, not only was it unexpected, but the Israeli accent in combination with the rather husky nature of it made it quite clear who it was. The resident millennia old fallen angel who was quite capable of laying waste to anyone she wanted. Even if you weren't aware of that, the fact she was over six and a half feet tall with horns and shredded in the most absolute form of the term coated in a rather relaxing shade of red, made her intimidating regardless. Whether her wings were for show or actually allowed flight was yet to be seen, but more than likely capable.

Oh yeah, she also was literally shaped by God. So most men and some women likely wouldn't be abel to take their eyes off her... Kat included.

Kat replied after a moment of ogling the scantily clad demon, "I'm fine ma'am." an odd tick for the former hunter. The only person, well woman rather, she called ma'am in the building was Athaliah, not because she disrespected the others, but because she had an unconditional respect for the fallen angel. All others in the building -sans Graves who she called 'Sir'- were of an equal level with her, mights more life experience, supernatural powers, some degree of magic, all had something in common in which they were standouts among the rest of man kind. But Graves and Athaliah? They got invites for Thanksgiving at God's house in all likelihood.

"Just bringing rent down to Harker... I assume you're doing the same?" an awkward attempt at conversation to distract from the rising heat within Kat, though the smirk on Athaliah's face made it quite clear she was aware of the goings on of Kat's mind. The crunch of an apple distracted Kat for a moment, and she promptly looked up and over at the suddenly appeared apple in the demon's grasp. For a moment, Kat wondered where the apple came from, and then she noticed just how underhanded the nigh eldritch being was acting. Juices flowed down the angular chin of the red skinned nightsider, flowing freely down her neck and... Kat shook her head, as her own skin began to match the demon's. Her eyes blanched forward, focusing in the rather ratty patterns on the carpeting of the stairway, mind still reeling a bit at just how... shitty the demon was acting. She knew what she was doing to the self-conscious Scot, there was no way she didn't know. A pause as Kat continued walking, the unignorable presence of the Demon beside her keeping the same distance and speed as silence reigned for a moment.

"You're being quite rude." came the distinct, yet quiet report of Kat's Scottish accent.

A pause as the mood in the stairway changed. Yet another point of self-conscious regret from Kat, she could tell emotions, no matter the creature. It's one of the main reasons she left the killing business. It hurt her so goddamn much to drive a wooden stake into a child who just watched a vampire kill his family, then proceed to drain him dry, but not as much as it would've hurt that child.

"I'm sorry my child. I always forget just how emotional your kind can become about themselves." came the hebrew hinted reply.

Kat furrowed her brows, still glaring at the floor, 'Bullshit.' echoed across her mind. The mood changed again, and Kat knew the demon had heard.

As they finally got to the lobby. Kat spied out the mess, as did her rather playful demon compatriot. Electing to let it sort itself out she took a seat in one of the lobby chairs, her posture giving more than enough message to those around her. The decorated woman 's shoulder were slumped, and her body seemed to be curling in on itself, her eyes looking blank and nearly devoid of any outwards life. She was internalizing, trying to ignore the dozens of flashing images of possible futures and ongoing events, some coming, some passing by. She didn't want that, not anymore.

Meanwhile, the millenia old demon took a seat as well, though a few chairs down from the tattooed clairvoyant. Her face contemplative to a degree, as she continued to munch on a seemingly inconsumable apple. Though the seductive tone of consumption was gone. Both sat patiently for the mess in the lobby to sort itself out. Both blissfully electing not to inform anyone of the werewolf about to get booted out.

[Talchyon]

Sunset Grove Apartments (currently being hidden from sight)
Chet Jones

---

Mina Harker
Sunset Grove Apartments, Bangor, Maine - October 1999

The man finally picked himself up off the ground. He seemed a bit more composed but it was hard to tell for certain. "Look," he said, "I'm sorry. I've just had about seven-hundred dollars stolen from me. I have maybe one-fifty to two-hundred in my bank. And I'm unemployed..."

Not really making a solid case for himself, Mina thought. He then asked if there was anything she could do to help him, to throw him a bone, and perhaps she could, but the apartment barely scraped by as is without offering handouts to every stranger that wandered inside with a sob story. If he was employed then maybe, but there was no guarantee that he'd land a job anytime soon, if at all, and Mina wasn't too interested in going through the eviction process, so was blunt with her decision. "Like I said, this isn't a charity so come back when you have the money or leave."

Another tenant arrived just then and Mina's mood worsened. Apartment 205: Chet Jones. Skeleton. The absentminded bonehead waltzed inside the lobby without so much as considering those present, marched up to Mina (and the possible human that was looking for charity), and immediately mentioned his trouble coming up with this month's rent. The skeleton was short $48. An inconsequential amount if not for Chet's habitual lateness, but that was a problem that could be addressed at a later date.

They had a more important issue to attend to.

Mina used her eyes to try and direct Chet to the newcomer, hoping (but expecting less) that he'd recognize the stranger amongst them and would silently excuse himself before the financially troubled man turned around to see a walking, talking skeleton wearing a coat. Only moments ago she'd entertained the idea of having Eamon tossing the man out on the street, but if worse-came-to-worse she'd need the Irishman to restrain the possible human until they could think of a plan. The last thing they needed was exposure, and they couldn't just keep the man chained up in the basement, not for too long anyway. Someone could report him missing and that could bring more problems. Maybe Lester could use his demonic powers to alter the man's memory? Possible, but Mina didn't want to rely on the Demon if she could at all avoid doing so. He'd probably ask for something in return.

The lobby door opened once more and a short-haired teenager walked inside, saw Mina, and waved with a stupid smile on her face. Elsa Bancroft. Human. Mina's blood donor and "friend", one with a habit of showing up unannounced.

Too many problems at once so Mina reacted without really thinking things through. "We can figure something out!" she blurted to the newcomer, taking him and Eamon by the arms and steering them towards the doorway leading to the parlor, careful to keep Chet out-of-view. "Please wait in the parlor. Eamon can show you the way." Pushing them off she immediately rounded towards Elsa. Avoiding the splotches of sunlight coming in through the window, she grabbed the girl and tried vainly to push her towards the exit. "Why are you here?" she hissed, embarrassingly aware that the others were likely staring.

"School got out early," she answered as if that was common knowledge. She waved to the others still standing near the office.

"Don't wave at them. Just come back later, okay?"

"I can hang out in your apartment if you're busy. Door's unlocked, right?" She started for the hallway. Mina was about to stop her but figured it best to get her away from the others. Elsa knew about the Nightsiders, obviously, but Mina often kept the girl sequestered away whenever she came for a visit partly out of embarrassment and partly out of fear that someone (like a Demon) would take advantage of the air-headed teen. In turn, Elsa made a point to be as friendly as possible to anyone living in the apartments whenever she was left unattended.

And now she had to deal with the man looking for a handout. And Chet. And anyone else who decided that now was as good a time to come to her with a problem... or to cause a problem. Mina, despite looking so young, felt incredibly tired, and to make matters worse her skin burned slightly from the ambient sunlight. She was hungry, too, now that "food" had wandered into the apartment.

Mina turned to the others with an annoyed expression clearly plastered to her face. "Anything else?" she asked those still present.

After serious and insistent eye movements from Mina the landlady, trying to get Chet's attention, he finally became aware that this might not have been the best time to come see her. Trying to slowly glance around, Chet realized - a little too late - that there was a whole flood of people here. Most of them he recognized. A few he knew. But there was that one new guy who apparently had been lying down on the ground. He looked very - well - human. Therefore the man potentially a dangerous whistleblower to the whole Sunset Grove Apartments situation of renting rooms to the undead and other friendly monsters.

And Chet had not even noticed before.

Whispering to Mina, he said, "Sorry. I wasn't paying attention. I can come back later..."

Just then, the door burst open and in walked a bubbly, cheerful, somewhat airheaded teenage girl. Miss Mina apparently knew her, and rushed over moving her into another room, along with Eamon, the mustachioed athletic guy who lived upstairs from him. Chet knew him. Somewhat. While she was busy trying to keep those two in the other room, Chet tried to quietly sneak into a dark corner where he wouldn't be seen by the new guy. Trying to act nonchalant about it (and not really doing the job), Chet made it without obvious notice.

Miss Mina came back, flustered. As you would expect if there were strangers, complications and other issues. And asked if there was anything else that needed her immediate attention. Though her eyes were furious and anyone could easily tell that the obvious unspoken answer to her spoken question was a resounding, "No. I'll leave you alone and won't be a bother."

Chet looked at her and mouthed the words, "Sorry. I'll come back later." Hopefully she could tell what he was saying. That was always a problem when a skeleton tried to whisper. It's not like anyone could read his lips, seeing as he had none. He tried to - again, looking nonchalantly and failing - sneak his way out of the room and into the elevator. Pressing the up button, he could only hope for the best...

[Beiarusia]

Mina Harker
Sunset Grove Apartments, Bangor, Maine - October 1999

Mina was dumbfounded. Shocked, even, and incensed to the point of speechlessness. Lester, the demon bastard that he was, had possessed Elsa in front of everyone and, to add childish insult to injury, had seen fit to dash into the office so as to dump whatever cash money was in sight on the floor as if this was the most hysterical thing to have ever happened in the history of the world. He then had the audacity to jokingly blame the disoriented teenager for his own insufferable actions. Her blood boiling, Mina wanted nothing more than to tear into Lester — physically, verbally, and everything in-between — but the infuriating demon was gone before anyone could react, violently or not, the door swinging shut behind him as the ambient sunlight flooded into the lobby. Mina's skin tingled unpleasantly but she didn't care. Elsa stood where she'd been abandoned, dazed and somewhat unsteady on her feet and generally looking a bit green around the gills. Mina hurried over to the teenager without so much as considering the others who'd witnessed the not-so-funny prank. The man who'd just arrived was overlooked entirely.

"Are you okay?" Mina asked as she held onto the girl's arm to keep her from falling over.

"I don't feel too good," Elsa managed through the dizziness. Having one's self-conscious forcibly shoved aside was no doubt a jarring experience. The teenager tried to act cool. "I'll be fine after a little lie down."

An older gentleman stepped into the office to pay his rent. Apartment 203: William Cohen Jr. Human but not quite. He asked if he could help with anything, and Mina pondered if a wizard was at all capable of banishing a demon to some detestable zone of existence worse even than Hell itself, like New Jersey but worse if that was even possible. In the end she asked if he could help with collecting the money before the resident Leprechaun happened across a few strayed bills.

You returned from wherever it was she had been (likely downstairs in her apartment taking care of something or another) and was undeniably puzzled by the mess she'd indadvertedly stumbled upon. The bespectacled Yuki-onna was left in charge of the office so that Mina could help Elsa upstairs so that she could sleep off her nausea. Before the two girls could disappear fully into the hallway leading to the stairwell You called out to remind them that tonight was Game Night. Receiving a noncommittal wave to indicate that she'd been heard, You turned to face the others with a profession-yet-nervous expression, fingertips tapping fingertips as she tried to make heads-or-tales of the situation that had been missed. Most of those present looked to have already paid or had had their questions answered, or were leaving, but two women sitting on the far side looked to be waiting patiently, and then there was Earnest the Ghost who looked as if he'd seen, well, a ghost.

"Are you okay?" she asked Earnest, looking to the other non-clairvoyants to be speaking to nothing.

---

Game Night was a monthly get-together where the Nightsiders living at Sunset Grove would meet in the downstairs parlor to play games with snacks, drinks, and the camaraderie of their fellow non-humans thrown in for good measure. Not everyone participated but those who did typically enjoyed themselves. Usually. Alcohol and impassioned competitiveness were not always the best of pairs, and more than once a game of Monopoly had ended in blows, hurt feelings, and a broken chair. Game Night, however, was a tradition from way-back-when and had continued more-or-less despite the coming and going of new faces as the years wore on. A good time that had slowly become a bonding experience with those who understood what it was like to be forced to live in the shadows of society persecuted because of what you were.

You stacked the boardgames atop one another on the end table beside the disgustingly-patterned sofa, the cardboard battered and faded with age, keeping the larger table to playing and another for snacks (chips and whatever else was brought along). She'd also bought a case of cheap beer, one of which was already missing from the neatly ordered rows. Half-empty in the hand of Mina, the girl sitting sideways in an under-stuffed armchair with feet dangling over the arm, irritated as she discussed the situation that had transpired earlier in the day.

"I should evict him," she said, sipping at the beer. It was pretty bad, and she'd need to drink a lot if she wanted to feel anything thanks to her vampiric physiology and its resistance to toxins, but Mina wanted a buzz if at all possible; to be drunk if she could help it.

You opened a bag of BBQ potato chips with some strenuous effort on her part. "I think you're overreacting," she reasoned.

Mina's scowl deepened. "The demon bastard violated Elsa" — who was currently asleep in Mina's bed — and his idea of a joke is about as funny as having a root canal." The girl had never had a root canal (nor had she been to a dentist) but could only assume the procedure to be excruciatingly painful given what was shown on the television. She took another swig of her drink. "I'd rather shove a cross down his throat. One with the little bearded guy nailed to it so that he chokes on it. But since that's 'overreacting'" — she made air quotations with her free hand — "I'll just double his rent since he likes throwing money around so much."

"What about the Sterns?"

"Collateral damage." Mina was angry and wasn't too empathetic to whoever was caught in the crossfire.

It was well after midnight. The humans who lived in the apartment would be asleep and the Nightsiders who were interested would be arriving soon. It was a risk to have such a gathering underneath the as-of-yet unsuspecting noses of the humans, but nothing had come of it thus far, and the doors to the lobby were squeaky enough that no one would be able to sneak up on them without them hearing. They'd have a good time and likely drink too much but everything would be fine like it always was.

And after today Mina could use a good distraction.

[Nuridia]

Mina Harker
Sunset Grove Apartments, Bangor, Maine - October 1999

Mina was dumbfounded. Shocked, even, and incensed to the point of speechlessness. Lester, the demon bastard that he was, had possessed Elsa in front of everyone and, to add childish insult to injury, had seen fit to dash into the office so as to dump whatever cash money was in sight on the floor as if this was the most hysterical thing to have ever happened in the history of the world. He then had the audacity to jokingly blame the disoriented teenager for his own insufferable actions. Her blood boiling, Mina wanted nothing more than to tear into Lester — physically, verbally, and everything in-between — but the infuriating demon was gone before anyone could react, violently or not, the door swinging shut behind him as the ambient sunlight flooded into the lobby. Mina's skin tingled unpleasantly but she didn't care. Elsa stood where she'd been abandoned, dazed and somewhat unsteady on her feet and generally looking a bit green around the gills. Mina hurried over to the teenager without so much as considering the others who'd witnessed the not-so-funny prank. The man who'd just arrived was overlooked entirely.

"Are you okay?" Mina asked as she held onto the girl's arm to keep her from falling over.

"I don't feel too good," Elsa managed through the dizziness. Having one's self-conscious forcibly shoved aside was no doubt a jarring experience. The teenager tried to act cool. "I'll be fine after a little lie down."

An older gentleman stepped into the office to pay his rent. Apartment 203: William Cohen Jr. Human but not quite. He asked if he could help with anything, and Mina pondered if a wizard was at all capable of banishing a demon to some detestable zone of existence worse even than Hell itself, like New Jersey but worse if that was even possible. In the end she asked if he could help with collecting the money before the resident Leprechaun happened across a few strayed bills.

You returned from wherever it was she had been (likely downstairs in her apartment taking care of something or another) and was undeniably puzzled by the mess she'd indadvertedly stumbled upon. The bespectacled Yuki-onna was left in charge of the office so that Mina could help Elsa upstairs so that she could sleep off her nausea. Before the two girls could disappear fully into the hallway leading to the stairwell You called out to remind them that tonight was Game Night. Receiving a noncommittal wave to indicate that she'd been heard, You turned to face the others with a profession-yet-nervous expression, fingertips tapping fingertips as she tried to make heads-or-tales of the situation that had been missed. Most of those present looked to have already paid or had had their questions answered, or were leaving, but two women sitting on the far side looked to be waiting patiently, and then there was Earnest the Ghost who looked as if he'd seen, well, a ghost.

"Are you okay?" she asked Earnest, looking to the other non-clairvoyants to be speaking to nothing.

---

Game Night was a monthly get-together where the Nightsiders living at Sunset Grove would meet in the downstairs parlor to play games with snacks, drinks, and the camaraderie of their fellow non-humans thrown in for good measure. Not everyone participated but those who did typically enjoyed themselves. Usually. Alcohol and impassioned competitiveness were not always the best of pairs, and more than once a game of Monopoly had ended in blows, hurt feelings, and a broken chair. Game Night, however, was a tradition from way-back-when and had continued more-or-less despite the coming and going of new faces as the years wore on. A good time that had slowly become a bonding experience with those who understood what it was like to be forced to live in the shadows of society persecuted because of what you were.

You stacked the boardgames atop one another on the end table beside the disgustingly-patterned sofa, the cardboard battered and faded with age, keeping the larger table to playing and another for snacks (chips and whatever else was brought along). She'd also bought a case of cheap beer, one of which was already missing from the neatly ordered rows. Half-empty in the hand of Mina, the girl sitting sideways in an under-stuffed armchair with feet dangling over the arm, irritated as she discussed the situation that had transpired earlier in the day.

"I should evict him," she said, sipping at the beer. It was pretty bad, and she'd need to drink a lot if she wanted to feel anything thanks to her vampiric physiology and its resistance to toxins, but Mina wanted a buzz if at all possible; to be drunk if she could help it.

You opened a bag of BBQ potato chips with some strenuous effort on her part. "I think you're overreacting," she reasoned.

Mina's scowl deepened. "The demon bastard violated Elsa" — who was currently asleep in Mina's bed — and his idea of a joke is about as funny as having a root canal." The girl had never had a root canal (nor had she been to a dentist) but could only assume the procedure to be excruciatingly painful given what was shown on the television. She took another swig of her drink. "I'd rather shove a cross down his throat. One with the little bearded guy nailed to it so that he chokes on it. But since that's 'overreacting'" — she made air quotations with her free hand — "I'll just double his rent since he likes throwing money around so much."

"What about the Sterns?"

"Collateral damage." Mina was angry and wasn't too empathetic to whoever was caught in the crossfire.

It was well after midnight. The humans who lived in the apartment would be asleep and the Nightsiders who were interested would be arriving soon. It was a risk to have such a gathering underneath the as-of-yet unsuspecting noses of the humans, but nothing had come of it thus far, and the doors to the lobby were squeaky enough that no one would be able to sneak up on them without them hearing. They'd have a good time and likely drink too much but everything would be fine like it always was.

And after today Mina could use a good distraction.

Salem had arrived back home a couple of hours ago and had headed straight upstairs to clean the house a little bit. She had been late because she'd been out hunting, the thing about being a vampire was you needed to feed on blood. Now she had to feed on twice as much to sustain the little baby vampire. Jude had gotten home only three hours prior and he was tired. Not dead tired, but tired. Apparently his shift had ended later than he thought and he helped his wife clean up the place.
"Where's Les? Babe, have you seen him?" the redheaded vampire asked. Judah stood up as if just noticing something.
"You know what, you're right. I haven't seen or heard him since I got home. How was work?" he asked, hissing her cheek.

"You know, same old same old. How was it for you?"
"We nearly had an accident in the lab, some idiot almost mixed up mustard gas and nearly killed us all." Jude said, flopping down on the sofa with a yawn. Salem immediately rushed over to him, checking him over for injuries. "Oh my god, are you okay?!" she demanded.

"Sae, I'm fine love. I'm standing here, aren't I?" he said with a bit of a smirking smile. Salem kissed him and stood up. "I'm going to go see Mina, see what happened to Les. Hopefully he hasn't caused too much trouble. Plus it's game night, hopefully you're feeling up to it." Shaking out her hair, she headed downstairs to go see her landlord. They already had the money for rent so things shouldn't be a problem. Plus she was another vampire, and one in charge of their living arrangements. Maybe one day she could convince her to let them upgrade to a bigger place.