Chapter 14 - Blood

Iris

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The building was nondescript, a derelict, off-white block matching the others cruwded around it, slowly turning gray with the fading daylight.
Valkyre had stopped in front of it, his shadow stretching out over the bleach white door, Iris' on the wall beside it. The boy turned his eyes to the hunter, mildly questioning, hair and face shadowed behind the hood of the cloak. The rest of the street was deserted, silent.
Valkyre stepped forward. "Need to stop here quickly," he muttered. The boy only nodded.
The inside was plain, clean and sterile. It was designed like a doctor's office, area off to the side filled with shelves for paperwork and tables littered with pens, chairs lined up along the opposite two walls; a waiting room. No one was behind the counter.
"...Wait here," the hunter murmured softly as he dropped his knapsack onto the ground. Iris stood still.
Valkyre headed off down a hallway with the ease and sure footing of familiarity. He turned a corner, rapped briefly on a doorway near the end, then turned the doorknob and let himself in without waiting for a response.
The room inside was rather small, tall exam table along the far end and another, lower one cluttered with papers by the door, underneath a row of cabinets. A woman set down the pen in her hand, sitting back in her chair to regard him, chewing thoughtfully on a polished fingernail.
"Well, well. Long time no see."
Her voice was smooth and flowing, eyebrows quirked in only mild amusement, obviously not really surprised or startled. Valkyre closed the door behind him, not replying.
"You've been away for a while now, haven't you? Work going well?"
The angel's mouth twitched. "I've quit," he stated. Unofficially.
The woman raised an eyebrow. "Oooh, I see." She turned back to her paperwork, scribbling down a few more notes. Her hair, a medium brown streaked with blonde, fell down in luxurious waves from her shoulders. "I suppose you're in need of money again, hm?"
"Three bottles, Maeve." Valkyre said, leaning back and tilting his head to one side slightly.
The woman sighed, putting down the pen and brushing back her hair. "As cold as ever, I see." She got up and rummaged around in a cabinet, pulling out small glass vials and a syringe. "Well then," she stated cheerfully as she worked, slipping on gloves and running over things with an antiseptic napkin, "What're you doing now?"
Valkyre stared back at her blankly, and she sighed again. "C'mon, you're a client, why'd I spill a secret??"
The hunter shook his head. "You shouldn't care so much about other peoples' business," he muttered, holding out his arm. "...And I can't say because I don't know."
Maeve raised an eyebrow at her, then dabbed the napkin over his bared arm, fingers lightly tracing the tattoos. "I'm still guessing you're no longer in favor with the state," she commented, picking up the syringe. There was a pause as she studied the healing bite mark in his arm, but she made no comment.
Valkyre barely flinched as the needle bit into his arm, on an exposed patch of skin between the curl of a serpent's body and inside a crescent moon. "Was I ever?"
The woman drew out the blood, too concentrated on her task to reply. When the stopper was at the top, she emptied out the crimson liquid into the first two bottles, each opening covered with a piece of rubber. Maeve wiped at a drop of blood from Valkyre's arm, then pushed the needle back under.
"We've been having problems with the blood lately," she commented, trying to open up a conversation again. "Some people keep turning in tainted bottles, not telling us about minor dilutions and somesuch. We've had to do tons of background checks and paperwork, and now we need to label everything we get."
Maeve filled up the second and third bottles, then wiped down the needle again. Valkyre pulled his arm back, lightly touching near the tiny puncture holes. "Pain in the @$$," the woman muttered as she scribbled down new notes on sheets of paper.
Valkyre pulled down his shirt sleeve, not replying. He wiped a smear of blood from his fingertips. He disliked having to come here, but he needed the money, more now than ever, and angel's blood was rare and expensive on the markets. He'd known Maeve for years now, and as long as he always had a relatively decent way to still earn a bit of gold, he was fine with the necessary relationship.
Maeve picked up the telephone next to her on the worktable and called the front. She dropped the receiver down again when she was done, passing Valkyre a quick, wry smile.
"Pick up the money up front, Valkyre. Hope you're enjoying whatever new occupation you have," she added, raising an eyebrow again in question. Valkyre only shook his head as he opened the door and stepped out. Nothing more than what was necessary.
The hallway was silent and spotless, all white and gray and sterile.
Valkyre's boots made muffled clumps on the smooth linoleum, but he stopped as he reached the turn. He glanced around the corner, strip of corridor showing the rows of chairs and white-wash wall, his knapsack leaning against the leg of a chair.
Something dropped into the pit of his stomach, some foreboding and dreaded acknowledgement he didn't acknowledge. He didn't even realize it, but suddenly, he was running down the hallway, boots slapping on the ground. Somehow, he'd already known, even before he ran out and halted in the waiting room.
Iris was gone.

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AN: Omfg! Cliffie!
...Bet you hate me now, huh? Well, I figure I need something actually INTERESTING like this to happen once in a while... ::sigh::
Well, lesse. Rather boring for the rest of the chapter, really... Though, wouldn't it be funny if it turned out that Valkie's afraid of women?? XD Jk, jk.
Weeeell. Oh, just so everyone knows... I have midterms! XP Horrible! But, this year, I'm actually gonna study, see, so I'm afraid not a lot of updates for a while. I try to read over and fix up the bits I've got done, and I'll try to space out another chappie or two over the week, but probably not.
Midterms start next week Tues. and go to Fri! On Friday, I will officially be FREE of them! ^_______^- SO wait for me please, mmmhm.
Thank you!

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