Arlo James

See what it's like to be a vulture's lunch

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been in a library. Years ago. Probably in High School, after all, he'd never gone to college. From what he could tell those buildings had hardly changed. Large, imposing, quiet, warm and spelling of paper. That chief librarian behind the desk glanced up at his entrance and yet she hardly seemed interested in him in any sense, Arlo half wondering of she would even see him with those thick lenses she was attempting to peer out off. Was there some unwritten rule that all librarians needed to be like seventy year old women? He managed to scowl briefly at his own thoughts before hurrying towards the back of the room and those public computers, the vampire praying that phone wouldn't somehow go off again and have them both kicked out. That anxiety of sorts still clung to his frame, this entire night had gone so damn wrong! How did this keep happening to him? More then that, why did it? Would it have been to much to ask for Patrick just to leave him some cash or a car or some baseball cards or something he could sell? Why did the man have to be so bloody cryptic? Then again he supposed, really, he wasn't all that surprised. Patrick was not so much cryptic as he was careful- with everything. He was the very sort of person who'd driven Arlo mad with just how damn perfect everything had to be. Patrick had liked schedules and order, ticking every box and doting every I and yet he was hardly a busy sort of person either. In fact, Patrick was one of the laziest vampires Arlo was sure he had ever met. He left the apartment to feed or attend book club or comic con. Other then that he'd spend his nights laying around or playing online games or writing blogs. He was boring as far as Arlo was concerned. He always had been. Dull and boring and bland and so vanilla it was hardly funny. Yet, for all that Patrick hadn't been, Arlo supposed, he had been a good Maker- in ways he was almost sure he hadn't appreciated enough.

Those thoughts were brushed for his mind then, Arlo making some attempt to focus on the problem at hand, the man muttering those words towards his Little Bear even if he hardly expected she might answer. It hardly mattered, her company was enough tonight, the warmth of her body comforting in a truly odd way he hardly cared to consider to deeply. It was simply nice having someone, even if she couldn't help him with this ridiculous riddle he was left with. Finding that website hardly proved too difficult, Arlo following that URL as it was listed in the phone before the screen prompted the use of that username and password, Arlo neatly typing those in a moment later only to be met with the success of the screen actually changing into, well, something else. Bitcoin. Great. What was bitcoin? Game money? Typical. Patrick probably would think leaving him a world of Warcraft or dungeons and dragons account or something was a suitable sort of inheritance, Arlo allowing a sigh to part his lips then as he collapsed back into that chair. Well- at least he'd found out what that password was for to begin with. All this time and his Maker had left him a cactus, a game account and a shoe box of useless trinkets and oddities. Story off his life.

That inquiry as to whether or not his pet might desire to look around that library was met with a soft sound from his little pet, Arlo content enough to at least try and make the best of this situation. Besides, how much trouble could he get into in a library, his newfound talent couldn't effect a book could it? He'd never seen Patrick possess a book. Then again how much did he really know about this power. God, he didn't want it, he didn't even need it, why would Patrick do this to him? Was this how powers were normally....inherited? Another groan left his lips, those thoughts turning around within his brain until he was sure it would burst, one hand running through his hair. He hardly anticipated the Panda to waddle from her hiding spot in his hood, down onto his shoulders and onto his chest to lean on that desk, Arlo watching her almost intuitively then with those bright blue eyes. Did she want to use the computer? Could Panda's even do that? A part of the vampire was almost tempted to ask her to just tell him what she wanted to look up and save herself the effort before the realisation of how foolish that sentence was seemed to strike him. Alright, maybe he forgot she couldn't talk sometimes.

Her tiny nose moved to nudge his hand, pushing it forward in some effort to bring the mouse to that search bar. Well, this was new. Her hand pressed down upon his own to click that bar before the Little Bear started typing, or attempting to, Arlo's eyes widening slightly. This was....unanticipated. How many Panda's could type? Maybe Seb had been right about her. Maybe she wasn't really a Panda and yet why not just turn into a human then? Why not change here and now? Surely she wouldn't have lied to him this long right? Nah- she just had to be some sort of magic Panda. A really magic Panda. It took the animal several tries and yet, finally, she seemed to finish that search for Bitcoin. That page of search results rolled in front of him, Arlo scowling slightly at those links about mining. Had Patrick left him a Chinese mine? That didn't seem right, he scrolled a little lower then. P2P meant nothing to him, none of this meaning very much to him really before the Little Bear pressed her nose to the screen.

"Alright, alright, hold on, move your head, babe."

He brought that mouse to the link then, clicking on it only for a whole new page to appear, his blue gaze scanning that page then. It didn't seem like Bitcoin was a game currency at all, in fact, he wasn't sure what it did. It was an...internet currency? Alright. An internet currency that was applicable in any country and could be exchanged for money.....actual money. Arlo felt his own eyes widen slightly, the vampire sitting up a little straighter in his seat. A single bitcoin was worth more than two and a half thousand dollars!

"Wow!"

That word was almost shouted, Arlo standing up in the same moment before that angry shushing from the librarian saw the man hurriedly sit back down with an almost sheepish look. Oops. It took barely a moment then for his fingers to brush across those keys, bringing up that converter, typing in those bitcoins and converting them into a currency he understood. Two million dollars. It was more than two million dollars. The shock of it alone readily seemed to see the man simply stare for several long minutes. That sort of money would solve all his problems. All of them. He could buy an actual house. A nice one. He could get new shoes. He could pay back those people he owed money too, all of them and maybe have a little bit left over. One arm lifted hurriedly to wipe at his eyes. Damn dusty books! Arlo hardly willing to let his little pet see him now.

"I don't know if you understand money Little Bear, but I can turn these coins into over two million dollars. I can buy things....."

Instead of stealing them. She had typed into that search engine right? Did that man she understood? Had she always known about Bitcoin? He could barely keep that grin from his features as he easily swept that Little Bear into his arms, pressing her close in that sudden, abrupt hug and rare show of genuine emotion before a new realisation seemed to touch him, Arlo gently returning her to that desk before pressing the keyboard towards her.

"I owe you one, I mean seriously, if there's anything you want type it in and show me a picture. I'll buy you anything you want. I mean, don't pick a castle or a plane or something, try stay within at least a reasonable budget here, babe."

He owed her after all. He owed her a lot. That grin still on his features as one hand rubbed affectionately behind her ear.