Where Shadows Lurk and Darkness Dwells

6

London,

Term of the Pike - Hunter's Moon

Heron's Pace, Sojourn of the Blackthorne, at the Firefly Pass

Run 308 after the First Cataclism

YiJun kept his senses attuned to the night. This was the grounds of the Confederacy of Nations' London Chapter, the former Houses of Parliament having been given over to every organisation that worked on solving the problem of the undead. Rationally, this should be the safest place in the entire United Kingdom, where it came to the threats posed by the very plague they fought against. But the grounds were not impervious to the occasional visitation - succubus and incubus hauntings had been known to happen, as well as the odd zombie infestation, courtesy of the Abbey. If those had made their way in, one shouldn't assume vampires wouldn't.

He walked faster, hood of his coat pulled up to keep away the sudden cold wind coming from the river. Little red lanterns hung above doors, offering a glimmer of familiarity to those who, like him had left their East Asian homes to join this place of learning. The Chinese community had grown over the years, along with the Joseon and Nihon, the residents claiming little pockets of territory where their culture and habits prevailed. It was at this not-so-small neighbourhood that YiJun often came to indulge on the several restaurants and teahouses serving the food he'd grown up with. Not far from it, the Joseon Quarter - too small to be considered a district - had also become something of a playground for him and his brother, Simone trailing along more often than not, given her obsession with Joseon's gastronomy. And the soju, one mustn't forget. Simone could down bottles of soju with the best of them.

It had been a while since he'd last visited the pharmacy, though, where traditional medicine was practised by experts who'd come to lecture at the Academy. When in need, YiJun tended to resort to his mother's sect, often hiking all the way to the local Chapter of the League of Huntsmen, on the other side of the extensive campus. Still beat having to grovel at the British Federation of Covenants for them to open a gateway to the mountains of Huangshan. Those people always seemed to have a couple of sticks up their arses, what with their ingrained arrogance.

Pausing to take his bearings, YiJun studied the doors, looking for directions.

"You want the pharmacy?" a man in his forties asked, cigarette dangling from his mouth. "One of the students, mn?"

YiJun nodded, there was no point explaining, it would only delay him. And it was already so late, Locust only minutes away.

"Down that alley, take a left turn, you'll see it straight away."

"Thank you."

The man threw down the cigarette butt and squashed it. "Don't mention it. Make sure you bring your friends over for a bowl of noodles. Wang's noodles, I always have my stall placed on this street, anyone will tell you my noodles are the best. Bring your friends."

Nodding, YiJun waved a farewell and rushed down the alley. And there it was, the pharmacy, two bright yellow paper lanterns flanking the door, gaudy red characters over it. He'd made a wrong turn somewhere and approached from the opposite direction he'd used, on the rare occasions he'd visited the place. Door being closed, he wondered if maybe the pharmacist had already turned in. Light softly glowed from within the square window, though, so he approached the entrance with baited breath.