This place was... different.

From the moment Lucas crossed into city lines the energy and smells of 'others' wafted and waned in the wind.

He wasn't sure who else might be able to pick up the subtle tinge of magic in the air or the misplaced scents of ferals he knew didn't belong in the city, and while it didn't make Lucas nervous, it certainly made him... cautious.

Humans were simple creatures. Easy to deal with.

The rest of them? A nuisance. To Lucas's dismay, he didn't have much experience with the walking dead. They were only scary stories he didn't care about, a threat that had not yet pertained to his life or the people who had once been part of it. But now? In this place?

Well.

The stink of vampire was just as prominent as the rest of them, faint trails and passing bys of their presence left in the streets and lingering in the air. It certainly had Lucas's attention and the were-dog found himself reaching into the depths of faded memories for any information that might save him a headache in the future.

Could he bite them? Out run them? Fight them, if he had to? He didn't know what the odds of that might look like - but he'd be willing to find out.

The rest he wasn't so worried about. Weres often roamed in packs and Lucas, quite bluntly put, wasn't interested. It didn't mean it wouldn't come to blows, eventually - didn't everything? But it wasn't a path he was actively seeking to return to. As far as he was concerned they could keep their hierarchies and rules. He was done being someone else's soldier.

Instead, it was time to rest.

...If only he had a place to do so.

The weather was unkind during Lucas's wanderings and the high was fading just enough for the rain to be uncomfortable. Plus, it was cold. The wind-chill alone would normally have been enough to keep most people inside this time of night. Even the homeless seemed to have dispersed into their favorite nooks and crannies, sheltered in the best way they knew how until the rain passed.

But not Lucas.

While four legs and fur might have been a more functional choice for the evening, a cigarette was far more alluring in such dismal circumstances. His chosen path took him just off the main roads into a quieter residential area, something he hadn't quite been paying attention to until he found himself much farther in.

Smells expensive, Lucas mused as he lit up. And by the look of their iron rodded gates and neighborhood watch signs? It probably was.

The signs warding off suspicious activity didn't stop the were-creature from meandering in the rainy streets as he pleased, those dark, glassy eyes of his trailing over every single townhouse with excruciating interest as he browsed.

Rich people often had a pharmaceutical treasure trove in their bathroom cabinets without even realizing it. Small, temporary little goldmines locked away in pill bottles that were just beyond his reach. It was tempting enough to stop and consider, but truthfully breaking and entering wasn't Lucas's first... work preference. He'd find a supply chain sooner or later to get him what he needed. Until then...

He'd deal with it.

But first he'd deal with this rain.

Lucas