I've been reading books of old the legends and the myths

To Piper's ever increasing satisfaction, West Side Stories was thriving.

It wasn't as if Piper herself had ever been even slightly concerned for the success of her business. She'd done the model, researched the best place to put the store, carefully hand selected each piece of the decor and placement as if she was putting together a puzzle. She'd done everything herself to insure the success of her business. That was... except finance it. Technically, Piper had argued when she'd proposed the idea, the money was hers. Her parents - well, mostly her father - had been well prepared to send their three daughters off to college. And Piper's two elder sisters had went out of state to school and used up every bit of their own college funds pursuing whatever degrees they'd picked before settling down with their husbands out of Sacrosanct. But Piper... despite her brilliance and ability to select whatever school she wanted... had chosen to stay in Sacrosanct. The University of Sacrosanct was enough for what she needed. She'd gotten her Bachelor's Degrees by dual majoring in English and Business, and even gone on to get her Master's Degree in English Literature - the latter being something her sisters relentlessly mocked her for. Why get a degree in a language you speak? But she'd excelled at it, and by living at home and keeping up on scholarships, Piper had left college with a pretty penny in her college fund.

"We'll save it for when you get married, or when you want to buy a house," Her father had said when she'd inquired about the rest of that fund. But she didn't want a big, lavish wedding or a down payment for a house in Anacosta Heights. She wanted to open a book store. She wanted to live her life surrounded by the books that she cherished as if they were old friends. She wanted to read all day and write on the side and what better way to do that than by opening a store where she could be surrounded by that? But her father had been less than keen on the idea. "You could open a different business, something more... lucrative?" But Piper had a dream and a vision and in the end, her father had given in after Piper had agreed to pay back the money when (her father said if at this point) the business was a success. And so Piper had killed herself working on making sure everything was perfect. From the tall bookshelves stacked with books to the antique chairs and couches that were strategically placed around to encourage getting lost in a good book. There was even a space in the back that she hoped would, one day, become a cafe to further encourage the homey atmosphere of her prized shop.

However, though business was booming and Piper was regularly sending payments to her father, the elder Aldersley certainly loved to check in on the young girl. He called regularly to inquire about how things were going - at least twice a day - in addition to his frequent calls asking about her safety. Her father was overbearing on his youngest daughter about her safety in the supernatural city - though who could blame him when his elder daughters had accepted his advice and Piper always seemed to seek out adventure? Close the shop before dark had been a rule he'd tried to press on the young woman, one that she regularly ignored. Her father, despite living in one of the most densely populated cities for supernatural creatures, lived his life being ridiculously fearful for his children and what those creatures could do to them. With that in mind, Piper had neglected to tell him about her recent run in with a vampire (she'd survived, hadn't she?) nor her favorite regular customer who just so happened to be a warlock. No reason to give her father a heart attack or a reason to hire a body guard for his youngest child who was full of wanderlust.

"Yes, Dad," Piper said into the phone as she reached high upon the shelf to stack a new set of novels during a quiet lull in business. It was his fourth call of the day, this time warning her about a series of muggings on the Southern side of town that he was sure had to do with a couple of young Weres. "I'm being careful when I walk home, Dad." Piper was oblivious to the sound of the door opening, nor the customer that walked the aisles of her shop. "Yes, I have my knife... and my pepper spray... and... Dad." She groaned slightly into the phone as he set into another tirade about how his daughter simply wasn't careful enough. Piper wedged the phone between her chin and her shoulder as she meandered back towards the front of the store, the glimpse of pink hair catching her off guard. "I have a customer Dad, I'll call you back." She said, hanging up the phone and slipping it into her pocket before he could protest. The young girl stepped around behind the counter, her smile bright as she eyed the young woman who had entered her shop. Her eyes couldn't help but wander up to the woman's pointed ears, a jolt of excitement making Piper stand up even straighter. "Hi," Piper said, her voice bubbly as she smiled. "Welcome to West Side Stories. I'm Piper, I'm the owner here. Can I help you find a book? I totally encourage reading around here."