IncuBUST

Octavia

We left the alley and started down the side walk towards Center Park. The waterlogged streets were all but abandoned, the ocasional night-lifer running around ducking into random buildings to wait out the storm. The girl was shivering. I thought about giving her my shirt, but thought better of it. The shirt was soaked anyway. We were about half-way there stewing in awkward silence when I finally got up the nerve to ask, "So what's your name?" She looked up at me and I couldn't tell if the droplets leaking from her eyes were tears or rain water.

She quickly finger-spelled her name. I caught an 'O' and a 'C' at the beginning and the rest blurred together.

"Sorry, my ASL is a little rusty. Could you spell that again slowly?" I asked and she nodded, spelling her name again slowly. 'O-C-T-A-V-I-A.'

"Octavia? That's a nice name." She smiled tentatively and then pointed at me.

"My name?" She nodded. I thought for a moment. She just watched me kill her father. Sure I saved her life in the process, but she could still call the cops on me and they weren't always too lenient when it came to killings committed by Mythics regardless of what the rules said. I looked up at the sky blanketed by clouds and sighed.

"Chase. My name is Chase." There was a moment more of awkward silence and we were nearing the front door of our building when I finally got up the guts to say, "I'm really sorry, Octavia. I'm sorry I...I'm sorry I killed your father. I didn't--" She held up her hand for me to stop and we halted under the eaves of the building.

"Thank you for walking me home," she signed and she unlocked the door and walked inside. I wanted to go up to my apartment and change, but I should probably go back for Sissy...and the body. Maybe I could just call Sissy and have her deal with it. I bit my lip and watched Octavia walk into the building and towards the stairs, leaving a trail of watery foot prints. She looked back at me briefly and then started up the stairs. I sighed and ran back to Samael's nearly killing myself slipping on the white painted stripes on a crosswalk.

I rushed back in through the front door. The cupid that greeted us earlier tried to stop me but I brushed past her and looked around for Sissy. She was at the bar. The speed dating event was over and creatures were coupled up chatting and dancing and drinking and making out. Sissy was surrounded by several Mythics of various genders all of them staring at her in adoration and she was soaking it up. I could see the aura surrounded her like a pulsing umbrella of dark magenta light embracing those around her and entrancing them with her light and her love. There was a small army of drinks at her side courtesy of her admirers. She fed on them at will. Little bits from one and then the other. Feeding was permitted at Samael's as long as it was voluntary and death didn't result.

I cautiously approached the bar and upon seeing me Sissy pulled away from the Black Dog she was face-sucking. She smiled at me and said, "Why Chasey, you're all wet. Did you hook up in the alley out back?" I pushed my way through her entourage and upon reaching her said, "Not exactly. Could I talk to you outside for a minute." She pouted and whined, "But it's raining." I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the back door. Her groupies cried and reached out for her, their fingers brushing her glowing skin.

"Are you sure you didn't get lucky, Chase? You are looking positively radiant," she said with a grin as I pulled her through the door.

"Hey what's with the holes in your shirt?" she asked as she stumbled into the rainy alley trying to shield her hair. I escorted her halfway up the alley and she gasped.

"This is a problem."