thoughtformed | [Action/Video]

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[Action/Video]

Who: Anita Blake and YOU!
Where: Downtown New Moore
When: Today, afternoon.
What: Having a bit of a personal problem, really.

[With the afternoon to herself, Anita has taken to giving herself a more thorough tour of New Moore, with an especial interest in Starbox. She misses her usual coffee place from back home, but when hard-pressed, Anita's never met a cup of coffee she didn't like. With her cup in one hand and the other supporting the strap of her shoulder back, she begins to head in the direction of home at a leisurely pace.

She begins to slow down even further when she approaches the storefront of Hoarders, considering stopping in for a few minutes, but as she does so, there's the faint sound of footsteps slowing to a stop just behind her. Decidedly non-human footsteps, at that. Something much smaller.

Turning around, she raises an eyebrow as she realized that she's made a four-legged friend during her tour of the town. The raccoon before her sits up and tilts his head to the side, clearly pleased with the attention he's sure he's about to receive.

Anita can't exactly blame him. He looks like the last attention he received came in the form of being plowed over by someone's car.

She sighs, facepalming.]

Well, crap.

[The raccoon isn't the only friend she's going to pick up today. As she continues to walk through town and even as she gets closer to home, the roadkill parade behind her seems to grow exponentially. To say the least, she doesn't look exactly pleased. Feel free to run into her anywhere along the way?]

[Video, Evening:]

[Once she's home and locked all of her admirers out, Anita is quick to get on the network, hoping she can get this resolved before Rose gets home and asks her what the hell is going on.]

So, I'm having a bit of a problem today. I need chickens. Does anyone know where I can get chickens? I could also make due with a goat, but I'd rather not. That gets messy.

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People.

[Anita looks plenty disapproving as she clarifies.]

If anyone dangerous from my world shows up here, you and Shepard will be the first to know. I can't think of many people I would be glad to see here. Luckily, those practitioners are few and far between. The people I work with are pretty upstanding folks.

[Except her money-grubbing boss.]

There's definitely a handful of people from home I'd like to see again, but not at the expense of being trapped in this place.

[She nods.] Though I appreciate your honesty. And I don't really doubt you bringing up anyone you think we should keep an eye on.

[She turns her hands up.]

I've got nothing to hide. I meant what I said when I first talked to Shep about joining the force. My interest is making sure that people are safe. Protect and serve and all that.

Honestly, there are a couple of people I miss, but mostly? The way my luck is, the people this place would choose to throw at me are people I was glad to get away from. At least for awhile.

And I have to say it's nice having a partner that takes the badge seriously. [She frowns.] Not that I didn't at home; I have a good team back there. [But she's also had enough experience to know not everyone walks that thin blue line with honor.] I've got Castle here which... Isn't so bad. But I can't see the other boys being too thrilled about being cooped up in this place for long. Not that any of us are.

[She nods in agreement.]

I don't have a badge back home, but I work with a bunch of cops who are, thankfully, decent people and do the badge proud. They do their best, even if the rest of the force laughs at them for being on the Spook Squad.

None of us are particularly thrilled, but I know what you mean. Different people are better suited to change. Some could adjust. Some couldn't.

You should meet Castle, if you haven't. He's not a cop either but he's been consulting with my precinct for the last three years.

Spook Squad? [She can't help but smile.] I take it not everyone you know takes the whole vampire-killing, necromancy thing seriously?

I met him briefly over the network. Seems like a nice guy.

[She says that honestly, and even spares the guy a smile.]

Well, the thing is, everyone knows vampires and werewolves are real. Vampires are legal citizens, and werewolves and wereleopards and all of the other furry critters are just people who have been unlucky enough to be infected.

Since vampirism was legalized, though, they had to put together a new task force to handle them, since vampire slayers couldn't just go out and stake them without a warrant anymore. The law applies to them, just like anyone else.

The real name of the squad is the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team, but most of the people on it were put there because they pissed off their superiors. They're all good cops, which implies that the ones who wanted them out of the way? Not so good. It's a joke to some of the others in the department, since they treat it like punishment. Hence "Spook Squad." We've tried to make it our own, take the sting out of the name.

[Kate nods, processing all the information even though it sounds like something out of an urban fantasy novel. Not really her genre. Of course, if the thing about them being fictional was true, well, that could be exactly what all that was.]

Well, it sounds to me like you're all doing your best. Personally, I wouldn't be nuts about it but... I get my fair share of psychos just working a regular homicide. Not sure how well I'd handle it if they were all vampires and were... whatevers.

Shame they look at it that way, though. I mean, I imagine the death rate doesn't matter if your a vampire or a human. And if you guys are out there saving innocent lives, that's supposed to be the thing that counts.

It's pretty intense... but you get used to it. Personally, my career options have always been limited. Dealing with the monsters? Kind of a given for me.

Maybe someday they'll come around. I think our squad might have to pull their asses out of the fire a few more times before they do, though.

You couldn't have done something else? I mean... Yeah the dealing with monsters thing is useful, I'm sure. But it doesn't have to define you.

[Coming from the woman who let her mom's death define her, that's a laugh.]

Well, being an animator wasn't a choice. If you have the power, you need to use it regularly... might as well make money at it. The thing is, being a vampire hunter kind of goes hand-in-hand with that. Animators have partial immunity to vamps. It means we're the best for the job.

[She smiles thinly.]

It's not that I mind it. I'm damn good at what I do, and being the resident monster expert is a perfect fit for me, since I'm out there among them all the time. I don't have to let it define me... but if I'm not out there taking care of the vamps, I don't know who will be. Too many people just want to think of them as fanged humans, and that's not the case. That's how you get yourself killed.

[There are exceptions, but... that's messy.]

Then there are the "monsters" who deserve justice, too. Like the lycanthropes. Some of them are scum, but most of them? Just regular people who got really unlucky. Doesn't matter that their condition isn't their fault. People hate them for it. I want to make sure they get treated fairly, because I know what it's like. People hate me for something I didn't choose, too.

You know, I actually find that pretty admirable.

[Kate can relate to that, at least. Granted, she doesn't have any special powers, but she's a damn good cop. And there's no one she trusts to do the job as much as she trusts herself.]

There's definitely some weird vampire fascination where I come from, too. Personally, I don't get the whole romanticizing of the concept. My world would probably react to them the same way.

[She nods in agreement, her smile remaining grim.]

It's not all black and white, but there's definite romanticism going on.

[Says the woman who was dating both a vampire and a werewolf for the past several months. She doesn't miss that mess very much at all, although a part of her does, admittedly, miss the men that were a part of it.]

There's an entire district in St. Louis dedicated to it. Run by vampires, for locals and tourists alike. It goes by the Riverfront, though most people call it Blood Square. Less "acceptable" name, some of the vampires there find it offensive. But it's proof positive that people forget what they are. The vampire strip club itself is proof enough. People go there hoping to be bitten, to be put under thrall.

[She shakes her head.]

It's self-destructive.

[And for a moment, she felt a pang of guilt -- wishing she was three years younger and able to say all of this without practically dripping in hypocrisy.]

[Kate does look a little disgusted. It all sounds so over the top.]

Castle and I worked on a case like that a few years ago. Some kid who got caught up in that lifestyle. They had all had artificial teeth and were part of covens and drank blood.

But it was all just fantasy. Just people trying to find a place to belong. A really weird place.

[Once upon a time, she might have had to suppress a shudder at that image. Now, it was something she had come to accept. People found vampires fascinating, instead of treating them as dangerous.]

Maybe it's always about that. Trying to find a place to belong. Not a particularly healthy place, but some way to feel worth something.

[She frowns, disapproving.]

They think the monsters are magical. They just haven't spent enough time with them yet.

I might not know anything about vampires but I know plenty about monsters and believe me, I've spent enough time with them to know that magic is an illusion.

[Then she gestures to the zombie raccoon.]

Speaking of monsters... I probably better go run your errands.

[Anita nods, offering a grim smile that will have to pass for grateful, for now.]

Thanks. I'm going to see what I can do about that graveyard mold and the chickens. Think you could point me to the nearest cemetery?

[She pauses.]

We have one, right?

Yeah, we have one. I don't exactly frequent it much but I can give you directions.

[She explains how to get there from where they are.]

Where should I meet you once I get your shopping list?

Outside the cemetery will do just fine. Right before dark? I won't make you come in and watch or anything, it's just easier to handle this there. There's more power available, it'll go more smoothly.

Right, okay, sundown at the cemetery it is. Because... that isn't a creepy at all.

But I am definitely not sticking around.

[She puts her hands up, shaking her head.]

No offense taken. I can handle it from there on out. Thanks again for the assist.

[Kate laughs.]

I'd say "anytime," but I'm hoping this will be the first and the last. I'll see you later.

[She smiles and offers Kate a haphazard salute before turning her back.]

Here's hoping. See you at sundown.

[ANITA OUT. PEACE.]

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