Carol of the Saint

[Adrian]

Not really able to enter the churches of Rome anymore seemed quite the irony for a man named Saint, but alas certain events led to him being on a type of blacklist. Or at least he had come to see it that way with time through those pristine blue eyes, after how the Inquisition had used and treated him. Not that he held a grudge. . . but instead felt that they might. Constantly worried that one wrong move would land him and possibly Katherine in a dark dungeon normally reserved for monsters.

A place one Vampire might suggest he be taken.

It wasn't particularly hard to track down the young man in this crowd, whom while in his twenties with Blonde hair seemed to have a penchant for wearing mostly white. Plus the clothing seemed a bit loose fitting as though to suit movement. Every bit of outer clothing but his boots, a belt with pouches, and a stylish vest were white, especially his trenchcoat.
Within that pale fabric rested an item of great sentimental importance to him:

Vespertilio.

Beyond that foot long pure silver cross, was a concealed but specialized handgun named the NS Pistol, for which he had an up-to-date permit. It had a barrel for .45 bullets of any specialization, another barrel for something else, and a lasersight as well. Such a firearm and the permit to wield it must have cost the man a pretty penny. But he never seemed to be short on financial funds, even for a man who did not show up for some type of conventional job every day.

Perhaps that could be what he was tending to now, since the Blonde walked down a street not of Rome but in an undisclosed location. Slung over Saint's shoulder was a laptop case of black, likely holding that very device inside the somewhat protective fabrics. Music played through the air, not breaking his reserved expression. . . yet causing a somewhat nostalgic look in those pristine blue eyes. T'was the season after all, even if his friends seemed to be shut away from him and a lack of family for it to be spent with as well.

From the way his breath was visible, the cold air became prevaliant as the scenery suggested this to be a mountaineous area. How Leon had arrived here would be a mystery to anyone that had not seen his entereance to the village, but one could suspect motorized transportation. Where he was looked to be a humble mountain village doing its very best to not be consumed by modern-day materialism. And yet one could tell by the window displays it had to be a losing battle for those stubbornly holding onto the 'good old days'.

Other people looked at him with an acceptable amount of suspicion, giving the impression he had just arrived today. The stride used seemed to have purpose to it, as if searching for something. If asked the Blonde might admit to leaving Rome a few weeks ago, but the reason why would remain discreet in a somewhat polite manner. Unless a few special people asked. . . but all of them were not here, even though one he knew nothing of was on their way.

Taking a seat inside what one could call a restaurant or just a glorified cafe, the young man seemed to let his legs relax. Soon enough the rest of his body followed to a certain degree, except for the reserved expression upon his face. Opening up the case, he pulled out an eggshell white laptop as if to humourously contrast the case while in-keeping with his own personal style. Pressing a 'supernaturally' glowing button caused it to activate fully while the flat screen was flipped up.

Blue eyes vaguely reflected the illumination, as it was becoming dusk in this region of the world, what with Winter days being shorter and the nights much longer. Few minutes of interruption-free were alloted to him until a lady younger than him with a darker complexion and darker hair than him as well approached the table. She wore a waitress' clothing and was in proportion, not looking to be obnoxiously blessed by niether a higher power nor any plastic surgeon. A smile that could be sincere or merely pasted on for a customer rested upon her lips that wore violet lipstick.

She'd bought it herself.

"Not to disturb you but. . .would you like something to drink or eat?"

"Hot chocolate would be just fine, miss."

It would be rude to just loiter after all, and it had been a rather chilly journey up here as well from the place he had begun those travels. One might also note the conversation was carried on in Italian. No heed seemed to have been paid to her as far as eye contact, except for the slight turning of his head. Just enough to catch a glimpse of her chocolate eyes from the corner of his own. A soft sound that could've been amusement or annoyance at the little word tagged on the end came from the nameless Waitress.

"My name is Gionna if you need anything else."

How she spoke her name seemed to indicate either a coy nature or merely asserting he use the girl's given birthname from now on. A slight nod was all she got from the Blonde before he resumed typing up something official looking. Before walking away, a somewhat curious peek gave her a glimpse of the screen's contents. It appeared to be rather official looking, but not knowing how to read english stripped away any chance of learning some tiny tidbit about her customer.

[ To be continued? ]

[Luka]

I am to be wanting moaaaar

MOAAAAR~!

[Adrian]

Time slipped away with the vaguely muffled pattering of plastic keys, a fluid movement done by looking at the keyboard itself & not what occupied the screen. It could have been his own unique style, but that might be a bit presumptuous when considering the volume of people who used computers. Clicking of a built-in mouse also occured on a lesser scale, indicating there would not be only one page involved with his online endeavor. After what added up to a few paragraphs, the Blonde looked up at the screen to proof-read the prose. Occassionally parts of his face or the mood in his eyes would twinge at something on the screen.

Dear Bad Guys and others it may concern,

Policies at your company have to come to my attention within the last year. Clients that we share have reported incidents of forced insurance purchases. In addition, documents collected from your archives show failure to purchase, pay, or any retalliation has been met with unpleasant force. Have you forgotten the sins you commited already? You may bury the past, but never your sins. And though you have forgotten, does not mean you are forgiven.

Money paid in fear has been secured from your account and paid back to those affected. God works in mysterious ways. In addition, my contract states that the fee should be paid by your accumulated funds. So that amount has been deducted as well, along with a Christmas bonus. Any discourse can be settled between you and God. Or members of the Justice department if that suits you. After all, each officer has been a valued customer of your company and should be more than willing to assist.

Happy Holidays,
The Good

Wireless Justice with a T3 connection.

It explained not only what Saint did in his free time, but what had consumed him when separated from Katherine. Though the exact details of his adventures during their seperate ways likely would remain a mystery. Did those who had sinned ever try tracking him down? Did he even pay taxes? One of those giving rather distinct reasoning to carry a concealed weapon. A question of having chosen this mountain town for some type of anticipated showdown made one wonder just what the young man had gotten himself into now. Followed by the enigma of anticipating retalliation, after all what would stop them from hurting the normal families which had been involved.

Unless the customers were all officers of the law, including the Chief?

Quite a cruel mastermind would be required for such a plot to be cooked up that would threaten the only ones which could be sought for help. It made sense then exactly who had been hurt. But why not go public? To alert the general public of a subdued police force would cause massive surges in criminal activity rom those feeling free from lawful punishment. Any sign of a lawless condition often caused chaos, and other departments might have corrupt officers of that 'business' in them which eliminated the possibility of outside help.

But all of that was over now.

"Here's your hot chocolate, sir."

"My name is Leonardo."

A battle of wits had taken the place of Saint's hobby or what could be called his personal income. The waitress had spoken a particular word with teasing undertones, indicating Leon did not deserve such a title or just a playfully good ribbing. But she did not crack his reserved expression in the slightest, an unsuccessful attempt if that were the aim of her comment. Instead of simply nodding like some paid servant, the girl pressed her violet lips into a somewhat thin line and arched an eyebrow.

"Pardon me Leonardo, but you look a bit pale for that name. Unless you're from the north."

"I am."

[Adrian]

Her eyes seemed to give him the once over before deciding to believe that he told the truth, since modern day society did not remain so diverse. Races mixed, people moved far away, people grew as time passed and bloodlines mixed even more from it. For that possibility alone it seemed vaguely unfair to judge a person's origin from their outer appearance. A lower tint of skin colour or a certain shade of eyes only showed the romance of ancestors anymore.

Gionna did not seem the type for prying too far into a stranger's business, only enough to make that person seem less like a fleshy blur as the days went along. But then again, looking at someone's laptop screen could qualify as being rather curious indeed about this new customer. Either way, the Blonde acted non-chalant about even her existence while clicking a tab to bring up another window that had no language barriers about it.

"You seem like you're looking for something. Map-quest won't help out here Leonardo. Our little town isn't on there just yet. But I can tell you where the Inn is located, if that's your destination."

This comment earned a full turn of the head from Saint, looking directly at the waitress while still wearing a reserved expression. Might her words be the reason he had chosen the particular mountain town? It probably had no real bearing at all in an age of Global Positioning Satellites & the likes of other technology. Nonetheless, when he spoke the tone seemed less detached from reality than before and made him come off as a more sociable person.

"It is. Where is the Inn located at, then?"

"I'll show you the way once you're done. My break is coming up soon."

"I don't want to waste your time. Directions will get me there just fine."

"Well aren't you the considerate gentleman? Just sit tight for the next fifteen minutes, I can't waste my time giving out directions to a single customer when other people need me. Enjoy your hot chocolate!"

With those last words given in a curt feminine finality, the violet-lipped girl quickly zipped away from Leon. No reply was given either, as though to show how subtly strong her words had been spoken. But the truth was that about twelve other people existed in this eating establishment, all valid competitors for Gionna's time. Some might have even grumbled or glared at Saint in response to holding up their service from a normally efficient waitress. And as if to keep up that reputation, tan and slender legs moved swiftly to catch up.

Meanwhile, a Pristine blue gaze did not follow their movements & instead reflected with the cold artificial glare of a laptop screen. Upon closer inspection, one might notice the minor detail of a certain tab being closed. The keys pattered softly as one hand went along typing out a series of letters to form words of the English language. Satisfying thirst with the other hand, he took several swallows from the mug that had cooled to an enjoyable temperature less likely to burn away all feeling in Leon's mouth.

[Adrian]

Eventually life's elixer ran out and left him sitting there just browsing around the internet for nothing special. Staying true to his upstanding character, nothing naughty was looked at or clicked on either. Looking at the screen would reveal him looking up online news, perhaps trying to read in-between the lines for something specific. But his all too human ears did occassionally pick up on various conversations inside the town's glorified cafe restaurant. A few were orders given for drinks or food, others regarding plans of the holiday season to make it seem warmer despite the weather. Some spectated over the possibility of people keeping their promises to arrive on time as well.

Outside the building and especially the mountain town, everything had been taking on a pure white cloak of Winter. Snow fell as if it too were on vacation and seeking out this microcosm of human civilization for a realxing holiday. Temperatures would likely fall even farther as the sun continued on an eternal world tour that took it away from here. Yet in the struggle against it all, some people still showed up in the town on occassion to get back with relatives among other intentions. It might feel like an impossible task to carry out after feeling how the wind blew with a spiritually desolate essence, one that wore away at those lacking in self-confidence or common sense.

But out in that environment, surely two beings struggled against all of those dettering factors set on reaching a destination. Time had set itself against the duo in several ways, foreshadowing what would be the almost endless trials ahead to challenge body & mind. One of these two would not back down from the objective, while the other likely had a body more suited to the elements currently being unleashed across this landscape. Indeed, their defiance indicated that the objective would be met & their goal fullfilled in the end. At the very least, a temporary goal of getting back to civilization before heading off on an impossible journey once more.

Does she even care if I come back at all?

That lone thought sat in one seat along with several others on a mentally metaphorical train as it travelled down psychological tracks. In preparation or just looking at the wall-mounted clock, Saint shut down & then packed away his laptop inside the black carrying case. A train had to stop at a new station when she returned to the table, which meant somewhere around fifteen minutes had finally passed. One-sided conversation domination dominated the departure from that cafe, as the girl only got a nod after asking the Blonde if he were ready to leave. But once they got outside, he started to warm up ever so slightly.

"So how far is it to the Inn?"

"Just a few blocks. But anyone unfamiliar with the area would get lost in this weather."

"Makes sense. Is that why you're taking me?"

"One of the reasons."

"And what might the others be?"

"You tip well. I wouldn't want such a generous guy to become a gellato."

Stars slightly outdone by streetlights shone in the sky above, ironically disputing which one had more energy. Both walked down the sidewalk, a strap slung over one of their shoulders while each one had their hands instinctually buried inside toasty coat pockets. Gionna looked more casual now, wearing a heavy maroon & brown parka along with a scarf just short of matching her lipstick. While obscuring the lower half of her face from the icy winds, it would help hide any smudges brought on by lipstick. On the other hand, Leon's only change in wardrobe were a pair of black leather gloves hidden by coat pockets.

After a relatively simple series of turns which summed up to a grand total of five, their coupe d'grace was crossing the street. During their trip nothing notworthy happened, only seeing a few other people walking the street at this hour. It would be common to deduce they were heading home after work. From the outside, it looked to be a moderately-sized building that probably had around maybe twenty rooms or more. Probably in anticipation of skiers. Soon enough a few knocks delivered them into a small lobby consisting of only four chairs total, a stand with one coffee pot plus plastic cups, and a basic table with various genres of Italian magazines. But it might be a bit cheerful to realize that some of them were actually from this month.

"Antony, Mister Leonardo would like a room for the night."

"For two days, actually."

"Is that so? Well if you're staying on that long I might as well get you the nicest room available, eh?"

The man who stood behind the registrar's desk said with a chortle bordering between sarcasm & kindness white dressed in sleeping clothes. He must've only been a day over forty-two, with skin & hair similar to Gionna he stood at a grand total height of 5'4. But for some reason he looked much taller right now standing behind that desk while getting the leatherbound ledger out for Leon to sign. Must have put away only a few moments earlier, in anticiption of turning in for the night. It may have been old-fashioned, but it sure beat depending upon electricity to keep accurate records. Quickly enough it was opened up to the current page, where it got signed by a pen with a chain on the end.

"Well goodnight Leonardo Saint. I have to be heading on back to my shift."

Gionna must have been craftily waiting to see Saint sign his name, under the guise of making sure everything got settled. She got her reply right after opening up the door, after which it swiftly closed before too muh snow got inside. A somewhat peeved sigh came from the elder of the two men, who stepped down off an elevated step to come around out front. With a dustpan summoned from a resting place on the wall, he scooped up the fallen flurries.

"Darn girl should know better than all that. I can't have snow melting all over my carpet."

"Is it new?"

"No. But I like the color."

But little did this Innkeeper know how rare it was for Leon to inquire about something so trivial, the reserved tone & expression conveying as much. Either way a key marked Room 11 ended up in the white-clad youth's possession, with vague instructions on how to reach the room given by the elder man. It seemed with how he headed off, that the guy was determined to sleep once & for all tonight in his own room accomodated by the Inn. Saint followed the instructions which placed him on the second floor, seven rooms on each floor altogether. Entering the room then locking the door behind him, it turned out to not be a dissapointment after all. It offered one king-sized bed, a nightstand, a bathroom, a table with two chairs, a closet, a t.v. that looked around a decade or two old, & of course outlets.

Luckily, the Blonde's laptop turned out to hail from Europe since no adaptor was produced before plugging it into the wall for an overnight charge. After that, clothing was taken off then hung in various locations leaving the young man exposed. Underneath all that clothing was a thin but durable looking black bodysuit of protective armor. It would explain why he did not need to recover much after the fight with Olrox, despite being hurled about the arena so much. Probably purchased after the encounter with Nero, a precaution against being stabbed or otherwise harmed yet again in some way that would immobilize him. But the creator of such an item remained entirely un-named even here. Did Katherine even know about it?

Not taking it off, Leon kneeled beside the bed to say his prayers before placing Vespertilio under his pillow then slipping under the covers of his bed & pulling them up to his neck before rolling around in them a bit. In a comical way, one might say he resembled a cloth-based burrito at the moment. An entire half hour passed until finally falling asleep inside the warm bed, leaving Saint at the mercy of his subconscious. He entered what could rightfully be called a Winter's Dream, the landscape being cold while he looked about from a first-person point of view. Everything was either black or white, the fears that arose within warning of Darkness attempting to encroach upon the Earth.

But outside his mind, dreams commensed into Reality.

A 'Phantasm' came into existence at some point during the cold night, leaving Leon's room & even the Inn itself rather soon. By this time no one was out on the street, no one to witness the somewhat glowing humanoid yet angelic-esque form riding through the night. It held an aura completely different than the Human one of Saint, one giving off considerable power & presence. But not one to threaten any townsfolk, perhaps the reason no one stirred as it passed by the houses in a lonely exploration one might even go so far as to declare a 'patrol' of this Mountain Town. Indeed every inch seemed to get covered as the night went on in a dark progression, though one might wonder if this aura would draw any unsavory characters to the seemingly peaceful town.

[Adrian]

In a winter wonderland, the 'Phantasm' went on with the so-called patrol of the town for whatever arcane reason it had to relinquish the mortal cocoon which the young man seemed to represent. Snowy weather actually accounted for another reason that this paranormal event went along unnoticed by the residents within while they lived during the most wonderful time of the year. Divine intervention to ensure Leob had a nice stay perhaps? This was not the first time this exact apparition had emerged within the vacinty of Leon. But now any who had beared witness to how it entered the world now knew it had an undeniable connection to him in some way. Could it really be true that he was an unwitting and perhaps even unwilling host? Regardless, on the veritable poltergiest went down those streets, even passing by the Cafe which Saint had attended to his buisiness in while sipping hot chocolate.

What did it want with the town?

Kicking up powder in a section meeting the requirements of main street, it displayed to the unwatching & unconscious population that it indeed held a kinetic influence over the material plane. That alone made it a danger to everything in town on sheer technicality, since it was not just a harmless spectre. Anyone present at the Colloseum battle against Olrox knew that the regular rules of But was the kinetic influence something that required concentration? Snowflakes passed right through it when the Poltergiest halted any further movement once near the edge of the street.

[. . .Woulda been longer, but the muse died for some reason. Sorry. I'll pick it up again another time.]