East

The east side of the city is the very heart of Sacrosanct - it's unique skyline is a clash between modern sky rises and small Victorian-inspired storefronts. In the heart of downtown, the sleek colored glass buildings reign supreme though their old-world roots can be seen in the most peculiar places from the lamp post styled electric street light to the stone sidewalks. The old world architecture slowly returns the further from downtown you travel, however. It's here that magic thrives, it hums in every stone and can be felt in every breath. Often, newcomers to the city may become overwhelmed by such sensations but, eventually, it becomes an ever-present feeling that's hardly noticed.

What You'll Find Here

City Creek Center
Dark Hunter Department
Inner Sanctum
Red on the Water
Starlight Tower

Where you invest your love, you invest your life;


Posted on December 07, 2017 by DAREIOS
East

It's not the long walk home that will change this heart, but the welcome I receive after the restart.



Dareios awoke at his usual time, after merely an hour or two of true slumber. He tossed and turned in his attic-fortified master bedroom, unable to find the mental rest needed to lay his body and mind to sleep. This was unfortunately not unusual these days for the age-old vampire, whose endless to-do list for his half-dozen jobs and volunteer responsibilities kept his brain ticking away at seemingly all hours.

The morning sun was perhaps the most piercing, but Dareios had fortified his old historic brownstone decades ago to make the majority of his home safe to roam in the shadows no matter the hour. As such, off he went, mingling from room to room in a pair of maroon satin pajamas, and doing his best to resist the urge to plant himself in his ornate office, behind the grand mahogany desk, and chip away at more work. There was a city council meeting in the morning. A neighborhood committee about rezoning a former parking lot to become a park, and another open forum in the afternoon with him and the city's police chief to discuss bias in arrests when it came to humans versus supernaturals. Not to mention a few of Dareios' more disreputable clients were late on their payments, despite having accepted his usual shipments. That would require some quick need to address, he mused, as he he tapped a cold silver spoon against the equally frigid palm of his pale hand.

Dareios' business, aside from the antiques, required a more delicate and discreet touch now that he was more than just a friendly and rich charitable giver to a dozen foundations and causes in this city. Ever since he sought out elected office, his supernatural drug ring business was still very much operable and booming, but he hardly handled any of the day-to-day jugglings of it himself anymore. It was important that he distanced himself from it at all costs, even if he kept the income stream kept coming in to his brownstone in one way or another. The antiques shop had proved for years to be a wonderful front for this business. But as his drug trade grew across Sacrosanct, his furniture business could not keep up. He'd recently allowed a reporter from a high society magazine into his basement shop to drum up some excitement for the age-old trinkets he collected, restored and sold with his long-time human friend and associate, Aaron. The excitement around the election and his name recognition did gives the fledgling business a brief boost, but Dareios needed to keep it up if he wanted to find balance in his books between his legitimate and illegitimate companies.

It was just 7 a.m. when he finished whipping up a batch of homemade blueberry and banana pancakes. Cooking helped him pass the time and he appreciated the attention to detail the act required. He placed the perfectly cooked savory cakes on a plate, topped it with just the right touch of cream, drizzled it impeccably with molasses, and let a few morsels of fresh fruit tumble down. He cocked his head to one side as he admired his handicraft for a minute, then toppled the plate's contents into the trash. He grabbed a chilled bottle of blood from his fridge and descended upstairs. It was time to get ready for the day.

The day came and went. Meetings ended, phone calls were made, laws enacted, even.

As he rode along in the backseat of his government-issued hearse, his phone vibrated in his pocket to alert him of his next and final appointment of the day: meeting Dorian. The corners of the vampire's lips turned upward subtly as he read the reminder off the screen of his phone. Dorian had been a pleasant and curious distraction when he met him at the Witchery. He was thrilled that the fae man was interested in seeing him again, if only to purchase a few pieces in the current collection Aaron had curated in the basement. As the vehicle pulled up to the front of his brownstone, Dareios spied his new friend already there and waiting for him in front of the steel gate entrance, standing casually in the drizzling, cold rain. He stepped out of the car and tugged his peacoat closer to his chest, but moved eagerly to greet him.

"Dorian. I'm sorry I'm late. But it's great to see you again." He said behind a beaming grin. "Come on, let's get out of this awful weather before it really starts to come down." Dareios shuffled the fae man past the security gate, and the armed bafoons required to secure his private residence. They stepped up the stone steps, through the large and ornate front door and into his foyer, where Dareios began to tug off his scarf, damp coat and gloves. He motioned for Dorian to do as well, if he so wanted. "The showroom is actually in the basement." He explained casually while fitting his outerwear on the spindly coat rack in the corner. "Business has grown enough that it certainly warrants it's own storefront. But there's something still so charming about it being here, at home." He talked, flashing his friend another smile before leading the way toward the staircase that led below.

Dareios flicked on the lights as they reached the cold basement floor. For the most part, the space was elegant but bare bones. Dareios always wanted the antiques to speak for themselves. Aaron had of course gone home for the evening at this hour, but had left a sheet detailing the available pieces for Dareios to review. The space was packed with interesting arm chairs and couches, side tables and armoires. "Can I get you a glass of wine as you browse?"

Dareios Auerbach | Vampire | Vinyl

Replies