Music.

It was definately the thing to go with this time around. Everyone loved music. They always have and they always would. Trends even tended to repeat themselves, but it wasn't always what was "in" that concerned this little shop owner. An all night shop, open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Okay, she had to go with six and half, most people liked their Sundays off...

Lucine had long ago decided to make her money in small shops, but she always had to make a deal with a day time counterpart. Someone she could trust. But, she was brand new to Demaitre and knew so few people. Perhaps she could hire several people for both the day and the night shift. Hopefully.

She was small, which was part of why she had such trust issues. No one really took her seriously. Her ballet straight posture, her discreet stride, even the immeasurable knowledge was always assumed for a know-it-all kid. Looking at her, most thought she was somewhere in her late teens, early twenties. Of course, she couldn't just say, "Well, y'know, I'm only seventeen". That would just blow everything.

She had learned to be direct, dress apropriately. As she became comfortable with the area, she would eventually assume a more causual appearance, but until then, this dark complected child would have to be more adult. She stood inside one of the out of the way buildings on St. Raine's Square. It was quaint, everything decorated to suit the times. A few comfy chairs tossed out amongst the rows of CD's, tapes, and other paraphenalia (sp?) that lined her shop.

Along the ample glass windows, painted in white and blue cursive, the shop's name was set for the world. She hated naming these places. They were always so dorky, having to constantly change them. At first, it was simple, it was fun. Now, it just felt like a chore to name it. So, she quit being creative. Lucine's Place was the given name.

Finishing a smaller sign, she slid the "Help Wanted: Apply Inside" sign in the window, directly by the door and as near to the streetlight as possible. With a sigh, she turned from the window and returned to her perch at the counter, flipping on the open sign as she went.

Nikolaos ran her hands down her black tanktop, smoothing it out. Since she usually couldn't control her body temperature she never bothered to stay warm or cool. Her jeans were fitted in all the right places and worn in the knees. She looked exactly nineteen and yet her eyes held the knowledge of almost nine hundered years of history. Her smile was gone and her emerald eyes passed over the cursive white and blue lettering above a local CD shop.
"Lucine's Place?" she asked herself. "How creative"

She touched a slender hand to the glass window and read the help wanted sign. She needed a job. Well, she didn't need one. Although, it'd be nice to have one. Nikki was qualified to be quite a few things but she had to much to do. She supposed having to feed at night and staying hidden during the day were her major setbacks. She smiled as she walked in and noticed the young girl, obviously the owner. Her black stillettos miraculously made no sound as she seemingly glided towards a shelf of CDs.

"Thank God it's after sunset" she whispered to herself, looking back out the window and noticing the last light rays fading into the distance. She ran her slender fingers along the backs of the CDs, examining them with care. Music... sure, she loved it. But nothing was more entertaining than the music of the night and a thrilling run. She closed her eyes, visualizing the fields of Ireland.... running, the howling of wolves at her back, her heart racing, the night air caught in her throat as teeth sunk into her shoulder.

Nikolaos felt her eyes snap open and she touched a hand to her neck, feeling the large pulse in it. God, her pulse was so fast. She shook it off and ran her fingers over her shoulder. The skin was perfectly smooth. Once upon a time she had a scar. Fortunately she was a vampire and vampires heal....

Nikki strode away from the CDs and approached to counter, waiting for the girl to adknowledge her. She wondered if the girl could guess what she was. Nikolaos smiled, just wide enough so that her fangs did not show.
"Hello" she said in a warm voice. Strange for such a cold vampire. Ha!

The all to pleasant bell tinkled over the door, signaling someone's arrival. She had moved behind the counter and was going over what appeared a pile of paperwork. She looked up momentarily, sending the young woman a quick smile. "Welcome to Lucine's. If you need anything, just let me know." Her voice was a dark melody of an accent that often betrayed her origins, though she had managed to soothe it when it was necessary.

Despite the paperwork, she was keeping track on the woman, listening to her as best she could. She noticed the stillettos and also how unusually quiet she was. She also heard the whispered comment. A slight expression threatened to tug her lips into a smile, but she held it with a soft sigh. It was very obvious what this woman was. What was that old expression, like recognizes like? Birds of a feather? Something like that.

The list was getting tedious. It was inventory. That was all. Inventory. She sighed again, in time to notice the woman approaching her. She looked up, giving her the most professional smile she could. She inclined her head at the woman's greeting. "Hi there. What can I do for you, miss? You're finding everything alright, I hope."

Nikolaos felt a smile grace her lips again. A pair of small fangs peeked out this time. She was close enough to tell now. Four hunderd years perhaps? Nikki was usually good at guessing ages but being older made her feel better. She wasn't too keen on new vampires. This was a vampire. She was sure... though she wondered if she belonged to a coven or not. That, she couldn't really tell. She hoped the girl wasn't an independant. Most independants weren't so hot. Most were tormented by other coevns.... certainly not the Nephim.

"Please, I'm Nikki" she said with a cooler smile. Her power retreated. She didn't really feel like playing vampire bitch today. Honestly, she was less of a bitch than most vampiresses... the ones back home were hell.
She smiled at teh thought. Vampires. Hell. How appropriate.

"I'd like to apply for a job" she said in a smooth voice, meeting the other girl's eyes, not bothering with any tricks. "May I please have an application?" She said please. Manners were important. She almost laughed thinking about what her mother would say. Manners are everything... blah blah blah blah... It was funny. Really, yet here she was, still remembering to say please. It was laughable but true.

She nodded. "Alright, Nikki." She reached beneath the counter and pulled up a simple slip of paper. It was really drab and unexciting, but hey, it's an application. They didn't have to be fun. "I'm Lucine, by the way. Go ahead and fill this out and bring it back when you're done. I'll give it a look over and see about an interview." She smiled hopefully, sliding the page across the countertop to her.

"Though I appreciate help, I need daytime help more than anything, if you know of anyone." She wasn't hinting, she wasn't trying to be subtle, she was being rather matter-of-fact. She wasn't going to pretend she didn't know that Nikki was going to apply to work the night shift, with her. She had no problem with that, she just wanted it known that she needed help in other areas as well.

Nikolaos smiled. "Yes... I'll see what I can do" Nikolaos took the form and filled it out completely. She wrote nineteen for her age since she wasn't really sure how people would feel knowing that she was really eight hundred something... Yeah. Best not to spook the Managaement. Though she supposed that Lucine was very astute and caught on quickly.

Nikki turned in the form and smiled. "I do hope I can be of some help... and I will see if I can find andyone who has time to work the day shift" she smiled, a hint of fang peeking out.

She nodded with a slight smile. She glanced over the application, then did a quick sweep of the room. She looked up at Nikki. "I'm pretty sure you'll be hired, but I just want you to know there are a few rules you'll have to apply when on the job." Again, she glanced about the room, then moved to the side of the counter, lifting a portion of it. "Come on to the back room. I think I ought to let you know them so that there is absolutely no confusion, okay?" Lucine said to her, indicating a door just to the left of her.

Nikolaos arched and eyebrow but her sarcastic expression faded. Paranoia was a mixed blessing. Or was it just Precaution? Nikki smiled, her fangs peeking once again... no bother hiding now.
"Of course" she said, nodding gracefully and following Lucine. "Rules and Regulations..." she drawled with a kind smile. "How fun?"

A yes, a sarcastic vampire, too typical...

She allowed Nikolaos into the stock room, but left the door open, just in case someone else came in. "I do not allow significant others to come around while you are work. I do not allow any fighting between yourself and the customer. The customer is always right. And I do absolutely not allow any mortals to be harmed who are within the confines of my shop, nor will they be used for feeding purposes. You got that?" Lucine asked, giving her a stern expression. It wasn't that she thought that this woman would pull any stunts, but it was that she had had these incidents happen before, especially among her night shift. She didn't want there to be any confusion. "If you can comply with those simple rules, you're hired."

Nikki smiled sweetly, her eyes glinting slightly in the new darkness... "I have no significant other.. I can control my cravings.." she flashed another smile. "The customer is always right... What do I do if there's a hold up?" she asked. "Simply disarm am I correct?" she stared at her with serious eyes and nodded slightly. "I think I understand... yes." her voice was soft.

An amused smirk crossed her face. "Excellent. When can you start?" She asked, taking a step back and allowing Nikki out from the stock room and back into the store itself.

Nikki grinned, fangs peeking once more. She gave a small laugh and replied. "I could start whenever you need me... As long as I am notified. My address was on the application..." her voice trailed off. Let's see... she lived... wait a minute... died under the St. Mary's Chruch in the catacombs. Technically it was death... She was dead. How lovely!

Lucine glanced at the application, then smirked. "Come in tomorrow night, as early as you can. From there, I'll write you a schedule for the next couple of days so I don't have to worry about contacting you." She almost let her leave, when she remembered what she had asked for. "And hey, don't forget to ask around for the morning shift, please?"

Nikolaos smiled over her shoulder as she reached the door. "I will ask around and... I will come tommarow night as early as I can" she smiled. "It would be a hassle contacting me. Good night" she laughed softly and smiled at Lucine. She genuinely liked this girl, as much as she was capable of that is. She waved ehr hands and stepped out of the shop, night falling around her and the outside air rushing at her along with the heart beats of a few people walking nearby.

She nodded to the girl with a slight smile. "I'll see you tomorrow. 8:30 sharp!" She called to her as she left. With a sigh, she returned to pretending to pour over lists and inventory and the like...
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The next night, just before eight, Lucine was unlocking the door to her store. She stepped inside, hitting the lightswitch, the yellowed blubs illuminating the once darkened room. She glanced at her watch. Nikki had half an hour before she would start. Lucine chewed at her lip.

Her store was new still and not very well publicized. Customers were far and few between, but were usually big buyers. She just hoped she got one tonight so as to see how well Nikki actually worked with people.

((Sorry it took so long.x_x' There ya go! ))

((yeah sure.. and I'll edit this one))