A Nicer Kind of Evil (DD)

It was roughly 12:30pm in the afternoon. Ashleigh was walking with a large bodyguard through Little Germany. This particular area had everything a typical German vending street would have. So lots of circular wooden looking stalls that were selling bratwursts, paprika covered fries, plenty of German beer. As it was getting to the colder time of year, the stalls were also selling drinks like hot chocolate with optional marshmallows. It was by no means a Christmas market yet but it was still something to remind Ashleigh of home.

As she bought a plastic cup of fries and a bratwurst and a cup of beer, she would add a small dollop of ketchup to her bratwurst and sat down on one of the umbrella-ed tables, her bodyguard placing the beer down for her "thank you Butch" she said with a kind smile, her bodyguard sitting next to her and just keeping an eye out while Ashleigh took a bite of the large sausage, dipping it in the ketchup occasionally.

[OOC: The circular food stalls basically look like this http://www.cornerstonesguesthouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/feast.jpg?05e8da ]

As the month changed, the residents of California became ever more stingy. Whereas before Kiara could hold an empty container out and have it filled with confectionary, now whenever she knocked on a door the occupants seemed irritated at her presence. It was only after various helpful persons had deigned to shout "Halloween is over, freak!" did she understand. The night in question had been some sort of festival. A little like Dia de Muertos, now that she thought about it, but with less emphasis on remembering dead relatives and more... feeding travellers. Which was as good a cause as any, Kiara supposed.

Thus, the hospitality she had enjoyed in Belize and Mexico's Southern states dried up overnight. Here she was cold and starving and the citizens of this 'enlightened' society didn't offer her board for even one evening. They locked their doors and had the cheek to chase her off when she tested them. And don't get her started on those so called hotels. They charged a fee for services that were suppose to be their privilege to provide. Wouldn't even allow her to bless the building as alternate compensation. It was Mexico City all over again.

An icy Autumn wind caused her to shiver as it touched her bare skin. She had assumed she would be able to make her own warm weather clothes. She had not anticipated such difficulties as acquiring materials. Kiara now used her staff as a walking cane, and wandered ever onwards with hooded lids, ignorant of the glances levelled her way.

Her nose led her to one of the local markets. Before she even heard grills sizzling she was salivating. From behind her mask, slumped heavily against her staff, she observed a transaction. More money exchanged hands. She sighed. Acquiring cash had been another one of those things she had told her parents she would 'deal with' without dedicating any thought towards. She considered asking the dispensers to spare some food but eventually decided she would have better luck in asking some of the customers.

"Spare some food, Sir? No...? Are you eating that? You are...? Sorry to bother you but- No it's not a costume. I'm an actual obeah shaman. Would you like this amulet? I'll trade it for the rest of that burger. That's wonderful! Oh you can see what it's made from silly. Copper, some black thread, and hardened earwax... Wait... Where are you going? Miss?"

Kiara noticed she was getting unkind looks from the stalwart servers and positioned herself to be hidden from their view. She came to be stood next to a big bear of a man that eclipsed her petite form. She smiled up at him, "Can I sell you any magic today?"

Butch would look down to the small girl as Ashleigh leaned forward against the table to see past him "magic you say? What kind of magic little one?" asked the blonde haired woman in her German accent, a grin growing on her face with a look of interest and curiosity.

She would begin to examine the girl and the more she examined her the more she got intriguing to Ashleigh, she seemed very...exotic, not the kind of person you see wondering the streets everyday. If she knew magic, maybe she could be of some use to Ashleigh, but if not well...she'd have to see.

"Plenty."

There was a biter. Kiara had never heard a German accent before. It was just as exotic to her as her own must have been to Ashleigh. She took in the make-up and jewellery that the girl wore and then decided Ashleigh too had a shamanistic look about her, albeit from a different culture. This reassured Tzul. She rounded the bodyguard to gain a more comfortable position before delving into the spiel learned from her father.

"Obeah magic is morally unbound. It can be used to hurt and heal. It can find true love or severe bonds. Provided you believe in our spirits and pay them due reverence, they can grant you many boons." Kiara hadn't seated herself. She was squatting next to Ashleigh, holding her staff erect as the dead eyes of the mask glanced upwards. In her hand was the same amulet she had tried to trade the other woman. Kiara now infused that talisman with a piece of her soul. It visibly glowed with astral energy as she held it out to Ashleigh. Suddenly she would clench the object in her hand and make it disappear; light and all.

"All I ask is to share your meal. If your request is complicated, some hospitality would be appreciated while I prepare the necessary materials." It was a little bold to throw in requests for housing when her immediate concerns were food, but Kiara felt confident about this one. And all the while her arm rings rattled like hollow bones.

Ashleigh listened to Kiara and would grow more and more interested with her "Obeah magic hm? I've never heard that kind before, it must be a kind of ancient one not from Europe yes?" she asked before she held out the cup of fries to her "unlike most fools around here, I can see potential, and you my dear have oodles of it. Instead of a mere one time thing, how about I offer to take you in, you could work for me and I'd happily provide you with food and housing, just so long as you remain loyal to me...and don't worry, I look after people who are worthy of my time such as you, don't I Butch" she said with a smile before looking to the man "ya sure do Miss Viper" he said with a grin while Ashleigh would pat his arm in a caring manner.

Keeping crouched, Tzul registered a peeking interest and replied enthusiastically, "It's got African roots like voodoo. But it's not exactly ancient, no. Comparatively new. We're still pioneers of the craft." Kiara wasn't well versed with European subsets of magic. But she had garnered the impression that most were a combination of misplaced esoteric secrets. Meanwhile spiritualism in the Caribbean Gulf was very open. It was a type of magic in its infancy with a myriad of unexplored possibilities. Its vagueness came from being less than 300 years old.

Her eyes dilated when fries were offered and Kiara lifted her mask for the first time. Beneath was a small face with untarnished skin and heavy eyes. A chin strap kept the mask from falling off her head. As the temptation was given she was reminded of her father's ability to fast over long periods of time. She had never been ecstatic over such demonstrations of self-discipline. Kiara ate the fries.

She wasn't prepared for the extent of offer that came next. Despite the existence of magic, there were still many who were sceptical. Heck, there were still huskters out there, pretending to be the genuine article. The people in Jump City appeared to be more credulous. Well after all - there had been a mass attack from the realm of the damned not two nights gone. If such episodes like that were common fare, as Kiara suspected, then practitioners like her might even be ordinary.

"That's very generous, Miss Viper." Tzul was aware that she might have oversold herself. That she was not as skilled a dream-weaver as her father. But her uncanny canniness regarding spiritual matters should allow her to compensate. "But loyalty is not a thing I am prepared to sell. I can promise confidentiality. Any spells I weave are the business of the client. Followers of obeah do not judge."

Ashleigh would continue to listen to what Kiara said and would give an understanding nod "well okay then, as long as you keep my secrets there's not much more I can ask of you in that department, in terms of the job that I have for you, I would like to offer you the job as a waitress at my club, yes I know it may sound meagre but I can guarantee you that I'll have better jobs suited to you down the line. But to start off, serving food to customers is what I need you for right now, and in exchange I'll give you a living space to call your own and food whenever you need it" she said as she crossed one leg over her other, staring down at the crouched Kiara with a small smile.

Kiara sweat-dropped when it was suggested she waitress. That was a twist for the conversation, "A job? Forgive me but I thought-" She had hoped that her services as a spiritual advisor would suffice. The girl had never had a job outside of her own family before. And though she knew what a waitress was she was not exactly intrigued by the vocation. As far as she could tell their duties consisted of standing between you and the cook or bothering you whilst you were trying to eat.

Usually so humble, she was tempted to say this was beneath her. However, she recognised that she was in sore need of the offer. This was the first piece of decent charity she had found in two days. "D-Do you think I would make a good waitress? Don't you need to go to college for something like that?" Oh no. What if they expected her to do... maths! Times tables might be necessary. She would rather put her mind in the hands of Xoygil the Defiler. Her reluctance showed.

Ashleigh would nod with a smile "worry not, I will teach you everything you need to know, and this is only for now, later I can guarantee you that I'll have better jobs more suited to your specialities" she said calmly before she stood up from the table "all you need to do is hand out food and look pretty, and you're already wunderbar at one of those" she told Kiara before offering her hand to shake "so you work for me and I'll give you all that you need, agreed?"

Tzul set one side of her mouth into a frown. It always came back to learning. As if the world wasn't educated enough already. She hoped what Miss Viper proposed didn't require visiting any schools. The shaman had never set foot inside one before and wasn't about to start now. But at least the long term prospects sounded better. Her mother was always saying she would have to grow up eventually. She hadn't really made an effort to ingratiate into society. Too busy being other-worldly with daddy. Yet even he put on a suit and paid taxes.

When Ashleigh stood, Kiara rose too, stepping back to grant some space. The woman's reassurances left her flustered. How could she possibly know that her ability to hand out food was wunderbar? It was a lovely compliment, but... Oh wait... Unless... "Pretty people serve food better? Huh. I wouldn't have thought that." The compliment was foolish, yet it pleased her.

Overall the deal sounded suspiciously vague. Kiara did vague well. She didn't need to know what the depth of a pool was, she just swam. She shook the offered hand, "Agreed. Thank you for your kindness. I won't let you down." Then regarding her own attire against her employer's she asked, "Is there an outfit?"

Ashleigh would nod "of course they do, they also earn more money from patrons" she said as she would motion Kiara to follow her "I don't fear that you will let me down Kiara, you seem like a girl who can get things done" she said before she gave a little thought "once we get to my business, we can sort you out with an outfit" she said with a smile as she would begin to lead Kiara to the abandoned warehouses.

As they set to depart, Kiara stuffed her mouth full of the remaining fries. Chips were hanging out as she tossed the bag onto the table they left in their wake. She concluded her meal very messily as they journeyed on, cramming the extremities in with her hand. Her family had known hunger in its past. Bad harvest coupled with a tumultuous hurricane season had made times hard. It was unseemly to consider discarding food. She accordingly made the most out of any meal provided.

As they walked Kiara studied Butch openly. He was pretty large. The girl found his apparent disinterest in his surroundings quite powerful. He didn't look directly at her even once. She liked people who could maintain calm and suppress an inquisitive urge. At some point she spoke to him, "You must be a waitress too. What's it like?" That, at least, broke Butch's inherent disinterest and elicited a response.

Butch would finally look down to Kiara when she asked her question "nonono kid, I ain't a waitress, I'm a bodyguard, I make sure no one tries to hurt or bother Miss Viper while she's walking around the city, I've talked to the other waitresses though...they say it's nice. Working for Miss Viper is always a joy" he told her while Ashleigh would be walking just in-front of them, but able to hear the conversation if they weren't trying to be quiet.

When they eventually reached the warehouse district by the docks, Kiara was once more hungry. It had only been a light meal on top of a famished start. If anything it had merely wet her appetite. She shushed her stomach as it growled and came to stand next to Ashleigh. The girl possessed no shoes but the walk had not been difficult for her, her soles long since hardened to the debris of the ground. You might even say her sole was as resilient as her soul.

"It's a big place. You live in one of these? My family of six used to live in a hut more to the size of that," Kiara pointed to a distant kiosk for fishing bait and tackle. She had not spoken in search of sympathy but realised what she said must have sounded plaintive. The mask came back down, "But we never wanted for much. And we never had to clean a hall as big as this." She wiggled her staff at the row of warehouses.

But while these structures were big they were not especially tall. Kiara knew from her time in cities that if you were well-off you had a big building. If you were important you had a tall one.

Ashleigh would give a small smile to Kiara "ah, these are not my house, we still have to go down yet" she said before kneeling down to a manhole cover and putting her hand to it, sending an electrical charge as a tube shaped elevator rose up "not far now, this'll take us down to the house" she said, as she stepped in and invited Kiara in, as Butch stepped in it would be very cramped, but the elevator took them down quite quickly and opened up to reveal a well lit and very large dance floor area with a stage and a DJ deck mounted in the middle, a bar beside the elevator with a rack full of various spirits, next to the bar was a strong looking door that would lead to the restaurant.

On the other side of the area was a staircase that lead to Ashleigh's office, the large window next to the door showed a plush looking office and living area with a throne with neon furs and lights adorning it, the door would also lead to a hallway of various small meeting rooms where the drug dens would be held.

Under the staircase was the basic men and women's toilets and following the wall along to next to the stage was a large shutter which led to the goods elevator.

"You will be working in the restaurant" she said as Butch would take a seat at the bar as Ashleigh led Kiara into the restaurant, through two pairs of heavy doors, the dance room was sound proof and the doors were also made to dampen the sound of the night club area, the restaurant was an area of peace and tranquillity with plush looking leather and polished oak chairs and tables.