When the Rain Falls (Open to all)

[darkiron]

Night again. This always happened at night. It figured though, the time to play with the humans away. It's not like it bothered Samuel Ferris, 36 and in his prime he would say. This was the prime time for him to come out and play with the monsters. The Paranormal Watch Society, of which he was its founder and sole member, preferred to come out at night. That's when the best work was.

But, did it really have to rain tonight? Honestly, did it have to? Sam adjusted his old, worn fedora and jammed his hands in his raincoat pockets for something. He continued to make his way down the street in the pouring rain before he finally came to where he was needed. The police tape was up and the scene had already been cleared. The body was too obvious though. Demon's work, another poor human caught in the pouring rain and in the middle of the night.

The blood was still on the ground, the rain having a difficult time washing it all away. A cigarette box came out along with a lighter. Putting one in his mouth, he put the box back and lit it, his hat brim keeping it dry as he inhaled the smoke and put the lighter away. His light brown eyes came back to the scene, resting on it. He absorbed the crime scene and tried to picture everything that happened.

Police in this city, poor show indeed. He stepped over the tape and squatted down over the dried blood. His hand went towards it, seeing the way it landed and the way it chipped up. The rain contaminated it though. He didn't have the equipment for this.

That's when a glint caught his eye. Looking over to a drain run off in the street, he saw it just right. A necklace hung precariously into the sewers. It didn't fall that way, couldn't have. This was a message, a stern one at that. Something the police seemed to completely overlook. Narrowing his eyes, he moved towards it to retrieve it. He unhooked it and looked at it. It wasn't placed, his reasoning had been wrong. It had simply fallen. Now this was a lead.

With a sigh, he pocketed the item in his pants. No sane jeweler was open, this just meant he had to figure this out in the day. Looking about, he could hear the city alive with fights and cries, he got used to it though. There was only one shining bastion of hope, one place he could go in the middle of the night to gather his thoughts and handy information. Crushing out his cigarette, he decided this was where he would go to warm up a bit.

The sign to the diner "All Night Long" hung dull in wet sky as Sam made his way in. The ringing of the bell all too familiar to him. Taking off his coat and hat and setting them on the rack, he was then greeted by the lanky, pale gentleman behind the counter. The man's red eyes looked to Sam as he came to settle into a chair.

"Evening Sam, another case?" the man asked with a toothy grin, his large canines showing.

"Looking that way Damien, though I'm not sure. Rash of demon murders, all humans though. Makes me wonder if it's more chaotic than I thought," Sam let out a sigh as he rubbed his face with his hand. "This one is going to be interesting, lemme get a cup of coffee."

The lanky man nodded and went off to make the coffee. In the mean time, he pulled out a beaten old journal and thumbed through it, paying no real mind to the other patrons in the diner.

[¡мuş℮!]

The dark haired Native sat staring out into the rain drenched city. It was night time, but she could handle herself well enough to know how to avoid danger at all costs. Well it was a little easier for someone such as her. Someone who could sense what was coming around the corner before she even made it there. It made living in this city so much easier for a human with that knowledge. You did not have to worry about what was going to jump out of the dark; it gave a being a sense of ease instead of living at the edge of their seat the whole time. Whatever she could not sense little voices and whispers of spirits that still walked the streets aided her. After all if she was not there to aid them, how could that talk to the living?

The steam from the coffee swirled upwards towards her face sending and almost immediate caffeine rush to her brain. A small content smile slid across her facial features. What could make this night any better? Nothing as far as Evangeline could tell. Except for maybe having the souls keep their voices down a little bit so she could enjoy some peace and quiet. But then if there were not any at all she’d feel out of place…alone.

As if sparked by her lack of focus the voices silenced a little and one of them whispered quietly. “The window.” Angel’s eyes instantly flickered towards the glass façade of the café. She noticed a man in a long rain coat walking towards the shop moments before he entered. There was something about him that she could feel. The air around him was not his; he was being followed by something unseen. But it was faint, and she could not pull it out of hiding. However she was not trying too hard. Did not want to frighten whatever poor soul was attached to the man.

Intently she studied the individual, and how the store owner seemed to know him as a frequent visitor. ‘Sam’ as the man of the café called to him. Why was the spirit world seemingly quiet for this gentleman? Could it have been a fresh soul following him? She listened to the conversation exchanged. So he was working a case? Her mind flickered through the few spirits that were around her poking to try to receive and answer from them. But like her they knew nothing as of yet. This intrigued her.

[DeWinter]

Hugging her bookbag tight, the rain was making it feel like a ton of bricks. This is what she get for missing the bus back to her job. Why did she have to go to school? Was the Ph.D. really that important? Oh YES!!! With her Ph.D. she could escape from the lab and do way more field work. She could recover more items instead of relaying idiot interns to do it. She could make sure every thing was safe and secure and treated like the gift they were.

She sighs as she remove her glasses once more to try to clear them of the rain, only to have them cover again. She was getting cold having left her jacket in her lab partner's, well ex-lab partner, car. How dare he try to make a move on her? They were suppose to be heading to this meeting tonight to hear a spearker talk about King Solomon, but no all he could do was try to make a move on her then force her out of the car. Well not really force more of make her feel like if she took his offer on taking her back home would involved her calling the cop and stabbing him a few time. She couldn't have her home lab set up ruin like that.

All the time and money she put into that place and have it ruin by some idiot who thought she was an easy piece of a$$. So what if she is 26 and still have a figure that people compare to Jennifer Love Hewit? So what if she has beautiful long auburn hair with hot red tints in it? So what if her eyes are almost the color of jade? So what? She was scienist and a darn good one that. She could recover and copy anything you put in front of her. Well expect maybe if it was from the Baroque period because if it is "baroque" don't fix it. Yet, even with her skill she still wasn't being taken serious. Apparently having a Ph.D. is more important than the years and years of experince she has. Shaking her head that was a whole other subject she had no desire to think about right now. All she want was to find somewhere to sit down and calm down.

Shivering a little from being wet and cold she saw a sign in a dinner that said "All Night Long". "Coffee... good. Then maybe I can see if a cab can pick me up and take me home." She whispered to herself. Opening the door she headed inside. She saw a lanky man behind the counter and another man close by. He was handsome short-of. The way he was dress and looking threw that beaten book remind her of an old cop. Almost like how her grandfather was before he passed. Always studying something, it was him that made her fall in love with trying recover hidden treaures that the past left behind. He gave her anything she wanted to make sure that dream come too, unlike the rest of her snobbish family who just wanted to buy things then make more money. She push those thought away too. She haven't talk to her family in a long time. She just took what money she could squirreled it away and moved out here. She even went as far as to change her name from Anna Elizabeth Haverst to Elizabeth Hamlet (Elizabeth because her favor person in the world was Queen Elizabeth the first and Hamlet because that was her favorite play in the world).

Still shivering she sits down close by the man, Sam, and once she was able to get comfortable she glance around. Seeing a few other people in the dinner she then placed her bag on the counter she waited for the lanky man to turn around. Once she was able to get his attention she would order herself a cup of coffee and start looking through her bookback to make sure none of her papers were damage. "what do you want?" She heard the lanky man said as switch the button that made the coffee. "Cup of coffee place?" She asked. She saw him nod his head and smiled a little. She look down and noticed that her shirt was almost see threw. She sighs, nothing she could do about it now. She begin to open her bookbag and pulling out her files. "Alexander... King Aruthur... Solomon... Judas..." were scribbled all across the folders. "Great!! He ruins my night and now my work!" She growled a little. She begin to open the files trying to keep the water from spreading to the next page. A couple of pictures of the relic she was working came falling out close to where Sam was. Unware, she kept working on trying to save the information on her last month work.

[darkiron]

Sam sat quietly, content with not only his study but the cup of coffee that'd been delivered to him moments before the other woman wandered in. He payed no mind though, the cup of black filled his sense with memories of simpler times before. His head was practically swimming and for a moment all seemed to be right with the world. That was, until the woman next to him let out a yell over her books being ruined and the pictures fell to the floor.

Ever the gentleman, Sam decided to help the poor girl out, she looked as though she were having a rough go of it. That's when the pictures themselves caught his eye. He narrowed them, looking at the images and looking to be deep in thought. He'd almost seem frozen as he stayed there, staring at one of a particular relic. It would, of course, be Alexander's cuirass. Interesting photo to have indeed.

His expression would soften though, smiling to the poor woman.

"Rough night?"

[DeWinter]

Elizabeth continued to straigthen and save her work though she could tell a lot of her work was lost. Thank goodnes for computers!!! Saved everything she typed up and have them stored at her office computer and home, of course nobody knew that she did that. Some stuff is kind of senstive, but she didn't want her work to get lost. Part of her teens was spent being a public nuisance or at least being one to her parents. She learn how to hack and codes by the age of 12, but of course that was before her grandfather showed her how to put her talent into other use. Instead of creating a mess, how about she try to save something instead? Learning she was quite skilled with a brush and she could still use her computer she develop many programs to help analyize and recover lost works she could later repaint if she needed or was able to put back together.

She was so lost in her own thought she didn't notice her was coffee was done. She started looking around for her pictures. Where was Alexander's curiass? She just had it. Oh, no!!! She couldn't have lost it. No, it should be in filed. She started to open her back and fished out more files. But no pictures. She stopped when she heard someone speaking her to her. She turned to look Sam straight in the eyes. She was right, he was handsome in that rugged haven't slept in a while and probably care more about his job then his hygine. But he was handsome none the less. She smiles a little. "You can say that... scared that having to walk in this rain ruined my work." She reached out to grab the pictures he picked up for her. "There is. I was looking for that one. So scared I losted it." She said, more to herself than the man.

[darkiron]

He returned to his coffee and journal, making sure to close it as he took another sip of the hot cup of joy. He leaned back a bit on the stool, crossing his arms with a slight smile.

"Interesting photos you have there. Not something you'd expect a young woman like yourself to be carting around in the pouring rain. You were off to something important I take it. Seminar of some kind."

Sam stared at his coffee, watched the steam rising into the air, ever present of the other woman in the place that seemed interested in him. Different sort of interested though, not the kind you find in a bar or a club. The kind of interested that begs for questions but no answers are coming. This, of course, made Sam interested in what those questions were as he decided to put the woman's probing eyes on the back burner and instead focus on the one immediately next to him.

[DeWinter]

Elizabeth just looked at him. "What do you expect? Fashion magizne? Books on how to catch a man? Please..." She growled. She was really getting tried of people judging her. She place the picture back into her folder. "Interesting... like you know. Jeeze, everybody is the same. Judge you by how you look." She looked over at her bag and just notice a cup of coffee there. "Oh... thank you." she quickly said as she fish out some change to give to the lanky man. She didn't mean to be rude, she honestly didn't see him bring her the cup.

Reaching for it she noticed it was not that warm, but it will do. She take a sip as she felt the shivers trying to start back up. She should really be getting home, but her work. She sigh again. "I am seriouly going to hurt him the next time I see him." She whispered. She didn't realize she was ignoring the man who picked up her photos. "sorry... did you say something else?" She asked when she look over to see the man was still looking at her.

[darkiron]

He continued to smile, an idle hand moving to the cup in front of him as he stared at nothing in particular. With a slight puff of air running past his nostrils he looked back to her before looking ahead again.

"You left someplace in a hurry, no jacket in this weather isn't a great idea. It was recent, something happened. Books suggest archeology of some kind. Interesting topic, like it myself. Wasn't anything life changing, you'd have gone somewhere other than a diner. Me personally? I go to a diner to think, clear my head, shake off something minor that happen. Killing a person, guy made a move on you. Left your jacket in his car. How am I doing so far?"

He grinned, eyes shifting back to her.

[¡мuş℮!]

It was hard not to notice another new entity entering the place of business. And seeing the exchange between the man and soaked new comer she attempted to back off her interest in either. Drawing attention was not something she intended to do, especially if it meant intruding upon another’s daily life. The living was more finicky about how they were approached than the dead.

The voices stirred again and began mumbling nonsense and silly things. But it was nothing that seemed important at the moment. She let her thoughts glaze back over listening to the souls like a child would a white noise machine to go to sleep at night. Hazel eyes moved back to stare out the window. Every now and then she would peer back at the two. And she was attempting not to eavesdrop on their conversation. But every now and then a spirit would whisper something causing her to glance back at the two.

[DeWinter]

She had to hand it to him, he was very perceptive about majority of her night, but anybody could have guess she was in a hurry and something happen to make her leave her jacket without a second thought. And maybe it wasn't that important or maybe it was and she knew she couldn't do anything about it.

"And I am guess a cop? if not something along those lines... working a case or obsess with one that got away. That books holds everything. Details about a scene, a client, and even about the victim themselves. Also holds information about anything you found even if it doesn't seem that important. I am guess was married... divorce maybe a year to two years ago. If not then you just ended a serious relationship... how I am doing? Reading people is easy." She said coldly. "But if you are not perceptive then you'll lose stuff."

She signs as she look back at her folders. "And what you guess was right. I am working my Ph.D. in anthropology specializaing in archeology and cultural anthropology. My lab partner and I was suppose to go to this seminar on King Solomon, but instead he decided to go to this park to make a move on me. When I realize that I punch him in the face and got out of the car knowing if I demand he takes me him he could try to push me into a bad situation." She rub her arms a little then reach for her cup to take a sip.

She was too caught up in her talk with the man beside to noticed that every now and then a lady would glance their way. She thought she caught her staring at the man next to her when she first came but that disappear with her own thoughts.

[darkiron]

"Almost right," he said, resting his head on his hand. "Private investigator, working a case for a client, never married though, never had time. You on the other hand, several failed attempts at relationships, all of them idiots who couldn't relate to you. I'm being rude however. Sam Farris ma'am."

He extended a hand to the woman next to him. That's about the time, however, he'd also turn slightly to the other patron, and smile politely.

"You as well ma'am."

This night was going to turn out interesting.

[DeWinter]

Elizabeth was gripping her folder so hard that she was beginning to leave nail prints in it. She bit her lip to keep from saying mean and rude for once. She didn't like people poking at her private life. He was almost correct expect that she had have only one relationship. Or at least what she would a relationship and he left her due to her focus on her work instead of him. It hurt a little, but she got over it. But her flings he was right. They were idiots. Drooling... dumb... idiots. "That was rude actually. You could be right. Sam Farris? I'm Elizabeth Hamlet, not like you'll remember after this." She said. She was still gripping her folder pretty tight.

[¡мuş℮!]

Having realized she had been spotted her eyes dropped to the cup before her, as her teeth clenched tightly together. Well best not be too crude.

“Evening.” She stated in a pleasant voice and added a smile to top it off. She was careful not to interrupt the other woman speaking. The voices went quiet. They had been whispering more to themselves than to her anyway. But now their attention had been grabbed. She uncrossed her legs and switched so the opposite was now criss-crossed over the other. Her hand wrapped loosely around the mug she took a sip.

[darkiron]

The response Elizabeth had given made him smirk. He opened up the beaten journal and flipped to a blank page. Bringing out a pen, he clicked it through the silence of the diner and wrote down her name on the page. Putting the pen back in his shirt pocket, he showed it to her with that same smirk on his face.

"There, now it's committed to my memory."

He knew, somewhere deep inside this would probably upset her. By this point, however, it didn't much matter to him. His mind wasn't on the way a stranger he just met and read like an open book felt about him. His mind was more on the safety of the two ladies that were sitting in the diner.

[DeWinter]

"Ay... so you are special." She commented. It really irked her that he did that, but whatever. She finally got her shivering under control. She would check her files when she got home. She didn't feel like stay around here any more. She drag her fingers through her almost died hair. Finishing up her coffee. She fished out a few more bucks and place it on the counter. Standing up, she place her bag on her shoulder. "Well can't say it has been a pleasure to have met you Sam Farris, but it has been some what interesting." She spoke as she started walking to the door. She would just edure it. She forgot all she had on her was ten bucks and her debit card and she haven't found an ATM yet. Reaching the door she saw it was still raining. "Great..." Well hopefully she can make it back before her pictures become ruined. She takes a deep breathe and start to head out into the rain.