Fleur-de-lis

eat, drink and despair: Side B

Vanitas's p.o.v.

'How do I keep getting myself into these situations?'

"No, I'm not giving you sexual favors for money." I say to the gentleman that followed me out of the club.

The guy from the other day apparently felt especially slighted by encounter so he went and told as many people as he could that I'd fuck guys for money if they caught me after work. Desmond was shaping up to be a real class act...or was his name Dante? It didn't matter. I just know that I dodged a bullet by not conceding and going out with him.

"You're really gonna be like that?" The man asks, incredulously.

"I'm really gonna be like that." I state matter of factly.

He sucks his teeth in disappointment. "Whatever, then." He waves me off.

I take a breath. I hate life. At least I could go home and relax for a bit. Taking my usual route to the over pass, I start on my home, walking past the shittier parts of town. About halfway there I happen to look up and notice Pedro a good distance away, slipping down a street not in the direction of home. He was usually at home this time of night. Where could he be going?

It wasn't really my business but something told me that I should follow him. Getting into my predatory mindset, I dissolve into the shadows of the night. I stalk Pedro from a safe distance, being sure not to make a sound. Pedro slips into one of the old residential areas with income housing, an odd area for him to be. After several block, Pedro abruptly sneaks onto the grounds of an abandoned middle school. I find a place to contemplate Pedro's motives while staying hidden. What reason could he have for showing up in an old school? It was definitely shady. Was he meeting a contact here? Selling something? Buying something?? If Pedro was getting hooked back on drugs I'd seriously kick his ass.

Pedro dissapears inside of the building, prompting me to think of how to follow him inside, descreetly. Spotting a maintainance ladder on the side of the building, I quick make my way to it and climb to the top of the school, finding a door leading inside. I quietly open the door and close it behind me. Inside was dark, naturally because nobody would pay the power bill at an abandoned school. I wasn't sure were Pedro had scurried off to but there was a feeling of violence in the air. It made my skin tingle. What could possibly be going on here?

I slip downstairs and go through the dark halls, completely unsure of where I was headed. Suddenly I hear feint footsteps coming from further inside the school. I make my way in that direction to find myself at the entrance of the gymnasium. Peeking the the door, I recognize Pedro's silhouette move across the room before seemingly disappearing. I furrow my brow. Maybe if it wasn't so dark I'd understand what just happened better. Where did he vanish to?

I take a deep breath. It was probably a dumb idea to press further into this situation and yet...the idea that Pedro could be doing something stupid made me worry. The image of Azazel flashes through my mind.

'So annoying.' My inner voice rings.

Deciding to be stupid, I slip inside the gym and cross the room to the spot where I'd last seen Pedro. I stop at a wall, left briefly confused. I feel around for anything I might be missing till I touch the hinges of a door.

"Oh."

I find the knob and turn it. It opens to a dimly lit set of stairs leading under the gym. Apparently this school had some secrets older than it was. Just down the staircase was another door and I could hear a whole lot of commotion just on the other side of it. The hair on the back of my neck stands up as that violent energy in the air grows stronger. What has Pedro gotten himself into?