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detectivedreameater · 4 years

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What We Do In The Shadows|| Morelia and Marley

TIMING: A few nights ago probably PARTIES: @morelias and @detectivedreameater SUMMARY: Sometimes you have a nice meet up with a shadowy gal pal, and sometimes that dinner is interrupted by a sentient tablecloth.

In all honesty, Morelia didn’t know what she was doing going on a date with someone she didn’t know. It wasn’t even an exaggeration - she didn’t even know the name of the woman, let alone her species. But, hey, she had nothing better to do and she was pissed enough at Orobas to go out and have fun on her own (though, deep down she knew he wouldn’t care). Best case scenario, the mystery woman could be a powered human and she’d get a different kind of meal that night - worst case scenario, a warden could be waiting on the other side of the table. But alas, there was no point in being a paranoid fae, and the knife always pressed against her left thigh underneath her dress gave her a fake sense of security.

She was used to the strange looks she got every time she left her house, and when Morelia entered the Thai Thanic it was no different. Then again, only weirdos wore sunglasses in the middle of the night. Or perhaps it was the fact that she was extremely over dressed. Still, she didn’t care, and looked around until she spotted the promised leather jacket, a satisfied grin appearing on her face as she realized that the other wasn’t joking when she called herself attractive. Slowly, she made her way towards the table, her purse held between both hands, the clinking noise of her heels lost between all the chatter around them. “You look like you could use some company, my dear.”

This wasn’t anything unusual for Marley to be doing. Especially at night, under the cover of the darkness that she felt so attached to. A part of. Mara, after all, could not be killed at night, so of course she would feel that way. She’d arrived to the restaurant early and procured a table near the back-- for privacy, of course. She settled her sunglasses on her face, feeling the comfort they brought her more so than the regular pair she carried. It might’ve been odd to most, but she didn’t care. They were as much a part of her as the need to feed on fear at this point. Most people didn’t bother to ask her, either. Something about the intimidating aura she put off. Even the other detectives often shirked from her.

But when a voice cut through the crowd, low and lilting, and Marley looked up-- she was met with a sight she had not prepared for. Someone else wearing sunglasses, eyes hidden behind their sheen. Another mara? Could it be possible? A tentativeness gripped Marley’s chest, but she just smiled. “Only if you’re wearing the lace you promised,” she said, even though she could clearly see the lacey dress she’d promised to meet her in. Marley took a moment to stand, looking at her up and down, taking in the sight. Held out her hand. “You didn’t disappoint.”

Being stared at didn’t bother Morelia in the slightest. She never really knew if it was a personality trait or if it came with the lampade package, but she knew that she had beyond exceptional beauty and adored how it took breaths’ out of people's lungs. It was pleasant and it showed on her face, but it didn’t wash away the intrigue of the other also wearing sunglasses this late at night. There was nothing suggesting that she was one her kind; the usual pulling she felt when another fae was nearby was completely absent, and Morelia couldn’t help but wonder if she was just one of those weirdos people always mistook her for, or if there was something more to it.

A soft laugh rumbled in her chest. “I never do. And there is more lace, in case you were wondering.” Not that she had really promised anything, really, but it felt good to be acknowledged anyways. With an arched eyebrow, she took her hand. A firm grip, but nothing to taste. So far, this was looking promising, but Morelia couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that the other didn’t have magic inside. Still, a smile was still plastered on her face as she left her purse on the table. “Shall we?”

The other woman’s voice sounded like a cloud, if it were to speak soft and lofty. Marley was immediately smitten with it, smiling as she took her hand. Not too cool to the touch, but it was still more so than others. She was pretty sure mara didn’t run cold, but she didn’t come here to parse out what species she was. She came here to have a good time, and if that second part happened as well, then it was just a bonus. Her eyes dropped ever so subtly at the mention of more lace. “Oh?” was all she said, raising a brow. “Well, guess I’ll have to use my imagination for now.” She motioned to the table. “We shall.” Sat back down across from her, eyes sharp behind her glasses, wondering how she wanted to play it this time. Licked her lips. “I have a fun idea,” she said after a moment, “to keep the mystery alive.”

“Let us hope your imagination doesn’t run out.” If her eyes hadn’t been covered, Morelia would’ve winked in her direction, but instead she sat down and laced her fingers together as she rested both hands on the table. She looked ready to do business, and maybe, in a way, she was. There was something about her voice that made her feel drawn to her, and for a moment the fae only wanted to keep her talking. The appearance of her tongue for half a second threw her off for a moment, and she was thankful the other couldn’t notice that her eyes were fixated on her lips. “Hmm. Mystery you say? If it has to do with our identities it would be a pity. I would love it if a woman as beautiful as you gave me her name.”

Marley’s eyes followed the other woman as she sat across from her, hands hooked together in such a neat way, resting on the table. She was much more formal than Marley herself, sitting with legs slightly spread, elbows on the table, chin on her knuckles. She tilted her head. “Oh, well, if you wanna know my name that bad, I’m at least gonna make you work for it,” she said, giving a smile, soft but somehow devious, filled with her every intention for the night. Her thoughts, for a moment, slipped back to Anita. And how this woman’s allure was just like hers. She pulled the thought away and focused on her, shifting so that her cheek rested in her palm and she rolled her lip between her teeth a moment. “Think you can live with that?”

Another laugh rolled off Morelia, her body relaxing a little. Oh, if she knew she wanted more than to know her name, and she was glad the other hadn’t picked up her wording. Popular knowledge of being careful with your name had spread faster than she’d liked, but every now and then she was lucky enough to get one - not that she needed it, of course. Ann Marie had worked so far, and she didn’t need a new one for now. She focused on her mouth once again, her own lips pursing while her head tilted slightly to one side, as she pretended to be pondering. “Well, I’ve always loved a challenge. This time is no different, my dear.” One of her hands extended, on the table, softly poking her arm. “What can I do to get it?”

Marley shivered at the touch, watching the other woman closely. Her eyes dropped to the hand on her arm for a moment, before coming back up. She wondered if they were looking at each other, or at different parts of each other. She’d never met another person so hidden behind glasses, like hers. “Tell me about yourself,” she said, words she’d somehow ached to ask someone else, but never did. Never would. “What’s a woman like you doing in a town like White Crest?”

Her fingers lingered for a moment before returning to her side of the table. Morelia hadn’t expected that question as it kinda drifted away from the whole concept of mystery, but she would take the bait. “I needed a place where I could fit in and this town has given me exactly that. There was, also, an open job at the hospital that I was more than happy to fill.” She also needed to move away as far away from Virginia as she could, and her criminal record mixed with the lack of passport made it difficult to leave the country. Both truths that told different sides of the same story. Leaning back on the chair, she casually fixed her sunglasses. “I could ask the same. What does this town offer that has made you stay?”

“The hospital? Interesting,” Marley said, still leaning forward on the table. She was already fascinated, but this was making it more so. “This town certainly has its charm, and finding a place for everyone to fit in, no matter how...strange.” She was half tempted to take her glasses off, but didn’t. “Oh, the mystery and the death rate, of course. Do you know how many cold cases this town has? How many unexplainable deaths? How could I not be drawn here?” The waiter came by and they ordered drinks-- a gin and tonic for Marley-- before she focused on her counterpart for the night. “So here’s a hypothetical-- you meet someone in a bar, and you get on well with them, but you know they’re hiding something. Do you go home with them, or keep the night going?”

Her lips pressed together as she suppressed a soft laugh. With her luck, of course she had ended up having a blind date with a cop. “I always thought the lines of White Crest’s finest were filled with old, bald men. I’m pleased to see I was wrong.” After the other, she ordered sangria for herself. Morelia’s mouth remained closed for a few seconds after the other spoke, thinking about a good answer for that. “I guess my answer would depend on what I think they’re hiding. There are few things that would make me back away from an interesting person.” And like that, she took her glasses off and folded them, placing them on the table. She knew her eyes weren’t exactly special, not when glamoured at least, but she was well aware that her stolen magic was going to run out in the next couple of days, which meant that it was only a matter of hours before the black hues turned disappeared, leaving space to a glowing silver. “And, of course, the supernatural isn’t one of them.”

“Don’t worry,” Marley said with a smirk, “there’s plenty of old, bald men on the force still.” She grinned again, watching her, watching her movements as she answered, the way she held herself, the way her hair fell down her shoulders, the way she remained posed and postured as she talked. Something practiced, not bred. Watched as she reached up and took her glasses off and-- there was nothing strange behind them. So, why? No glowing red eyes, no iridescence. A glamor, perhaps? Marley knew a lot of supernaturals chose to glamor, and most Fae had to, to fit in. Was this woman Fae? She certainly had the air of one. “Few things, huh?” she said, leaning back finally. A hand reached up, fingers pushing gently against the wires of her own glasses. After a moment, she pulled them from her face, eyes cast down. “Gotta say, I like a woman who knows what she’s about,” she said, then, lifting her gaze, glowing red across the table. “Like what you see so far?”

Both her eyebrows shot up when the other looked up. Red eyes could only mean one of two things: either she was a vampire trying to impress her, which she had already discarded earlier after shaking her warm hand; or she was a mara, which made sense looking back. Morelia wasn’t really familiar with the species, not recalling ever crossing paths with one in the past at all. Still, she knew about them; or at least had heard stories about their fear induced appetite and how they were practically unkillable at night. A smirk slowly showed on her own face, suddenly very impressed. Had their meeting happened during the day, her reaction would’ve been completely different; but she was also protected by the night - in a different sense, but that was still effective. A soft laugh escaped her. “I had already figured out this night would be interesting, but you brought it to the next level. I’m definitely enjoying the evening.” Resting her right elbow on the table, Morelia used her hand to support her chin, her turn to lean forward on the table. She let her glamour go, flashing her own silver eyes for a few seconds, wondering if she had already figured out what she was yet. “Are you?”

Silver eyes. Marley knew about silver eyes. A species of fae. They were also creatures of the dark, of the night, slipping through shadows, just like herself. Though where she went invisible, they became shadows. And where she became intangible, they leapt through the dark from spot to spot. Still, it was almost nice meeting another who was wholly like her, but wholly different. After a moment, she slid her glasses back on, and looked across the table. The waitress came back with their drinks and set them down, gathering their food orders next. She wondered if the other woman actually needed human food, or if she was like her and fed off something other. “Oh, I’m definitely having a good time,” she smirked, tracing her finger along the rim of her glass, before dipping a finger in, and sticking it in her mouth, drawing it out slowly. “Okay,” she said after a moment, “you can ask for my name again.”

Morelia’s smile fell slightly as the other put the glasses back on, a little disappointed that their little show was over, but understanding why she did it as the waitress appeared. She took a quick look at the menu that seemed to have been forgotten until now, picking the first vegan thing her eyes landed on. Dealing with human food was always a gamble with her, as she was never quite sure how much iron she’d had to deal with. Avoiding meat and legumes usually seemed to do the trick. Both her eyes narrowed as the other teased her, and she wondered if maras were able to tell when a heartbeat sped up. “What happened to the mystery you were aiming for?” Though she knew the trick most likely wouldn’t work now that she had shown her true colors, there was no shame in trying once more. “If I ask nicely, will you give it to me this time?”

The fae’s choice of food was interesting, though it made sense, once Marley remembered their weakness to iron. She looked down a moment, waiting for the waitress to walk away, before casting her glance back up at her counterpart. She didn’t miss the slight droop in her expression which signaled her disappointment at Marley’s eyes hidden behind shades again. Still, in public, without a glamour, she didn’t want the questions. A grin grew onto her face when she spoke again and Marley shrugged, cheek resting in her hand, the other playing with the little straw in her drink. “I said you could ask for it,” she replied, “I never said I was going to tell you.” Plucked the lime out from her drink, stuck it between her lips and bit down.

Another laugh threatened to leave Morelia’s mouth, but a sudden tug to the fabric beneath her arm made her attention suddenly shift, and she moved her eyes around, wondering if she had been too mesmerized by the mara that she hadn’t noticed a waitress bumping into their table. Weird. She blinked a few times, looking back at the shades, resting her chin on her hand once more. “Being a tease suits you, my dear. Maybe if I give you mine you can change your…” Her voice trailed off as another tug of the fabric made her whole arm tremble, and Morelia straightened as she watched the corners of the tablecloth move on its own, tangling around both of their wrists. The hell? Her free hand tried to yank the cloth, but it didn’t bulge, getting tighter by the second. “Are you --- Is this your doing?”

Something was happening, and in the blink of an eye, there was a strip of white fabric wrapping around Marley’s wrist. “What the--” she started, then looked up. The other woman was wrapped up, as well. “I’m not--” but she didn’t get another chance to say anything when the cloth yanked on both of them, pulling them from the booth and crashing to the ground with their drinks and everything else on the table. Eyes turned their direction. Marley felt the cloth begin to tug again and in an instant, allowed her body to go intangible. The cloth slipped right through, seemingly choking itself into a knot. But the other woman wasn’t so lucky, as the cloth wrapped around her neck and began to squeeze. “Fuck!” Marley said, reconstituting herself and standing up, grabbing at the cloth, trying to yank it back. “The hell is this thing? Someone get a knife!” she shouted to the room, people looking on in confusion and shock. “Don’t just stand there!”

The dim artificial lights were enough to avoid Morelia from disappearing, as there wasn’t a dark enough shadow she could blend with. As soon as the other woman easily disentangled herself, she let out a curse that was quickly cut short by the fabric wrapping around her neck, and thankfully she had been quick enough to slip one hand in between before it started pulling itself, tightening and quickly stopping the air flowing to her lungs. Shit. The lack of air made it impossible for her to fight against the thing; her hand wasn’t enough to allow the passage of oxygen, and Morelia came to the conclusion that if the other woman didn’t do anything, she would die a very humiliating death. Half her glamour was gone, panic and fear slowly but steadily rising inside of her, and her head felt lighter each second that passed, a weird and painful burning sensation on her lungs as they screamed for air. Silver eyes tried to find the mara, silently screaming for help.

Marley didn’t stop to question the black painting the woman’s skin, as her glamor supposedly slipped, opting to stow that information away for later. She leapt for the cloth trying to strangle her, wrapping her hands into it and tearing a large chunk off, sending her flying. Whatever it was screamed, which meant it was sentient. It could feel pain. Scrambling back up, Marley dug into her pocket, pulling out the lighter she kept there. Didn’t really think about the implication of setting a cloth that was strangling someone on fire, and flicked the lighter. Flame erupted. The sheet caught fire in an instant. Another screech made Marley drop the lighter, clasping her hands over her ears. Everyone in the restaurant tumbled with the noise as well. Someone was calling the police, others were scrambling to get away, abandoning their dinners. Someone had been heading towards them with the knife Marley had requested, but had since abandoned that quest as well. Marley watched the fire blaze up the creature’s skin as it screamed, finally loosening its grip enough for the other woman to escape.

If she wasn’t scared before, then she definitely was once whatever was around her neck went up in flames. For the first time in several decades, Morelia screamed, or at least attempted to scream with the very little air inside her lungs. Flashing images of a burning house in front of her eyes, accompanied by the feeling of a lit torch and dried grass on her hands; a past mistake that would haunt her forever. As soon as the thing loosened its grip on her throat, Morelia slipped her other hand between her skin and the fabric to pull it and the fire away from her, the screeching next to her ear nothing compared to other screams she’d had to deal with in the past few weeks, but this time she didn’t get resistance from it, the now dead cloth engulfed in flames next to both of them. Her chest felt tight in a way she didn’t know, and even though there wasn’t anything around her throat she was still struggling to breathe, black tears running down her face as her right hand touched her red marked neck, and her body suddenly collapsed from the effort, her glamour completely gone as her head hit the floor.

Shit. That was Marley’s first thought. A seasoned detective, trained in emergency tactics and for stressful situations and all Marley could think was-- shit. The next moment, someone screamed. Marley whipped around and grabbed another table cloth, yanking it from the table behind her, hoping it, too wasn’t sentient. Cover her up was her second thought, registering moments after the table cloth was lain over Morelia’s unconscious-- gods, please don’t be dead, she so didn’t need that kind of attention right now-- body. Pushing forward, Marley scooped her up into her arms, even as people started to head their way again. “Out of the way!” Marley barked in her authoritative voice. “I’m an officer of the law!” Flashed her badge as much as she could while carrying a body-- person, carrying a person-- across the room. People shuffled out of the way quickly. Someone offered to help, but Marley ignored them. Maybe she didn’t even hear them. Get her somewhere hidden, was her final thought, as she barged from the restaurant and bee-lined for her car. Safety was behind her tinted windows, laying the woman down and removing the sheet. Skin, pale slate, swallowing the shadows around it. Eyes closed but Marley could remember the swirling, white glow they’d had in the moments before her glamor returned. Antlers, digging into the leather of her back seat. Shit, she thought again, crawling into the car behind her and shutting the door. “Please don’t be dead.”

A pounding headache blasted Morelia’s head, though if it was from hitting the floor or because her brain was still needy for oxygen wasn’t clear. Her whole body groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, confusion washing over her. Where was she? It took several seconds to realize she was in a car and that her glamour was completely gone. It wasn’t hard to add one plus one and determine that her companion had carried her, and the sensation of someone next to her only confirmed it. She blinked several times, before it suddenly hit her. She was alone in the car of a stranger that had recently set her on fire. Glowing silver eyes flashed open as she scrambled to sit as far away from the other, antlers hitting the roof in the process making her wince. “What the FUCK--” She mumbled, her back pressed against the door. her heartbeat steadily speeding up. “--were you thinking when you set that.. that thing on fire? I could’ve died----” And it hit her. She saved her. She was in debt. Shit. Without adding anything, Morelia opened the car door, and with the advantage of the dark night, she merged with the shadows, getting away as fast as possible.

Marley frowned. She didn’t protest, didn’t argue, didn’t even attempt to stop her as she raced from the car and disappeared into the night. Lamapde, that was what they were. She looked up to examine the scratch marks on the roof of her car now, and the torn bits of leather on the seats. She understood the implication of what saving a fae meant. Eventually, she got out of the car and looked around, but it didn’t seem as if she was coming back. Not even a thank you. Well, that was fine. She knew how to contact her. With one last glance back to the shadows, Marley said, “You owe me.”

#chatzy #chatzy: morelia #morelia #wickedswriting #what we do in the shadows

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