They walked out into the open living room and Sigrid looked at Stanley. "So, what do you think?"
He blinked at her. "I think it's really nice and has everything I could need. But you know I don't need something this nice-"
Sigrid held up her hand and turned to the property manager. "Let's go back to your office to work out the details." The man nodded with a smile.
Stanley took a final look around at the condo he would need to furnish. It was so much nicer than his room in the attic and it made him feel like a grown up. Of course, he had no idea how to furnish a condo... or cook a meal... or wash his own clothes as these were things his Baba had insisted on taking care of. Something else to learn. So much for feeling like a grown up.
The thought of the old woman also dimmed his spirits. He missed her, gruff as she was.
As they made their way back downstairs to the main floor Stanley's mind went back to the myriad of things he had yet to do to replace VRL's sick network. How was he supposed to do all this domestic stuff too?
"Stanley, could you give us a moment? Wait for me in the lobby?" Sigrid asked as they exited the elevator.
"Uh, sure," he managed before the statuesque blond followed the small man down the hall back to his office.
He wandered down to the lobby and made himself comfortable on the couch in the sitting area. As it was early afternoon there wasn't too much traffic in and out but he did see a few people. He thought about that. Were they... people? Humans or members of the Hidden Races. He had to accept that both were now 'people' to him.
He heard the sound of someone struggling and looked to the inner door. A woman with long blonde hair and too many parcels was trying to hold the door open and get her bags inside. He looked over to the security desk but the man behind it showed no signs of noticing.
Stanley got up and jogged over. "May I lend you a hand?" he asked.
The bluest eyes he'd ever seen froze him in place. He noticed she was young, probably his age and was wearing scrubs so she probably worked in a hospital. When she realized he was just trying to be helpful her eyes softened and she smiled at him. He was once more locked in place as she had such a wide and brilliant smile with just a hint of an overbite.
"That would be much appreciated, thank you!"
Her words broke his paralysis and he picked up the six grocery bags at her feet while she took the remaining four. He was surprised she was trying to carry so much. "This is a lot to carry. You might want to consider one of those-"
"Grocery buggies? Yeah, mine died about two blocks back. The wheels came right off! Cheap piece of crap," she explained and looked at him expectantly.
As her eyes were level with his he realized they were the same height. He blinked at her wondering what she was expecting.
"I'm Sandy."
"Oh! Uh, Stanley. Stanley Garin."
"Are you visiting someone, Stanley?" she said with a coy smile.
"No, I'm looking at buying one of the units or rather the company I work for is and I'll rent it from them," he answered.
She gestured towards the elevator and he moved. "Who do you work for?"
"VRL. They're an investment house in Manhattan," he said and watched her press 4. Something clicked in his mind. Fourth floor. Human. Damn.
"What do you do at VRL?" she asked, still smiling as he watched the numbers absent mindedly.
"CIO," he replied but his mind was going over the implications of making friends with humans in the building. He missed her skeptical look as they exited from the elevator and went down the hall a little.
"Really. You're the CIO?" she smirked.
Stanley came out of his thoughts as he realized she didn't believe him. He considered that and knew she had every right to be doubtful. It sounded crazy to him as well.
She was unlocking her door. 404. "Yeah, I know. I just started yesterday and it still seems like a dream." He glanced back at the elevators. "Can I leave them here? I'd better get back. It was nice meeting you, Sandy!"
"Yes, thanks for the assist. It was nice meeting you! Wait! Which unit are you looking at?"
He started back and looked over his shoulder. "901."
"Maybe I'll see you around, Mr. CIO!" she said with a wide smile which was a little bit dazzling. He smiled and nodded as he stepped back on the elevator.
When he stepped out into the lobby he spotted Sigrid standing in the waiting area looking more than a little worried.
"Where did you go?" she asked with her brows furrowed.
"I just helped a woman carry her bags up to her unit," he answered.
She stared at him incredulously. "Stanley, what the hell?"
"What?"
She pitched her voice so only he would hear it. "Would you get into a stranger's car if they offered you a lift?"
"No, of course not!" he scowled.
"You were just in a kidnapping attempt yesterday and I heard from Mr. Duncan that the same people were following you today! You have to start being more careful! There are people in this building that might... not have your best interests at heart," she said glancing around.
He gave her an exasperated expression. "Well that's less than helpful."
Sigrid shook her head. "I can't talk about it here. What did she look like? What unit does she live in? Please tell me you didn't enter her condo!"
Stanley was starting to worry if he was going to be safe living here. "She's young like me. Long, straight blond hair and blue eyes. A nice smile. Her name is Sandy and she lives in unit 404. I left her groceries outside her door and I returned to the lobby."
"Ah, an even floor. Good. Good." Sigrid mumbled to herself as she relaxed then her eyes snapped to Stanley's. "Wait a minute, nice smile?" She looked troubled.
"Yeah, I know. Maybe we could talk tonight so I can get some instruction on how I'm supposed to live my life now?"
Sigrid heard the pain in his voice and just nodded as they made their way out of the building and headed back to the office. A talk was a good idea.
Paloma sat quietly in her living room concentrating on the flame of the lit candle on the coffee table before her. She'd closed the blinds and the room was dark except for the tiny flame. She used this one source of light to focus her mind and close out the deluge of images that now flashed through her mind unbidden.
The sex she'd had with Stanley the night before had been unlike any she'd ever had. Even now she felt the echoes of her epic release and she craved more but she knew she wouldn't need to feed, and probably shouldn't feed, for a long time. The wild magic coursing through her cells made her feel like at any moment she might instantly transcend into a state of pure energy and leave her flesh behind.
The drawback for this intense energization was that her minor psychic gift had been supercharged. The Wild energy had found someplace to go.
When she'd awoken this morning, her mother had been sleeping in the chair next to her bed. Unlike the glimpses she'd had before now the aura around her mother was brilliant and chaotic. She watched the woman sleep for at least ten minutes trying to filter through the confusing overlapping images in the aura but her mind couldn't identify what she was seeing or decipher its meaning. She just didn't have the training for it.
That's when she'd noticed the changes in her skin. Her lovely black and deep blue coloration had become a pearly silver white. She extended the claws on her fingers and they were also white! She let them retract and thought about getting up to look in the mirror.
"You're awake. Good!"
Paloma looked at her mother and her aura was just as chaotic as before. She instinctively pushed back on her abilities and they... muted. She sighed in relief and looked away, glancing at the alarm clock. It was still early but... what day was it? She suddenly had the sensation of time dilation.
"What day is it?" she asked.
"You've only slept overnight," Camila assured her.