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Sean Hampton smiled to Old Bridget as he made his way back to the shortcut of his night shelter, the female skal returning the kind gesture. He had been providing so much help for her people, both emotionally and physically, it gave the sewer skals hope, hope that they could still be people too, despite their condition. He also brought them some blood and flesh to eat, he didn't need it any more thanks to Jonathan's... forced help. He was still unsettled about the memory, but he understood that the man's intentions were to help him, so he didn't lose himself to the monster within.
He made his way back to the night shelter, checking on his sleeping flock. However, not all of them were sleeping... He noticed a young man staring at him as if something horrible happened while he was gone... "What's wrong Ben? " He asked with concern, knowing he wasn't afraid of him. He visually gulped and pointed off to the room where Sean did his ceremonies. Sean felt a dreadful feeling creep into his chest, he didn't smell any blood so... no one was hurt, but that didn't mean nothing bad happened. Cautiously, he walked into the room, seeing the cause of distress. It looked as if his place was ransacked, every corner was searched, or so it appeared. Some of his things were knocked on the floor, tables were flipped over, chairs were tipped... Priwen, it had to be. They were the only brutes cruel enough to do this, for all the gangs at the docks respected the Sad Saint, even the Wet Boot Boys. "No... No no no… " He muttered as he was looking for the little wooden cross that used to rest on a side table, where some candles were that were thankfully not tipped over.
He searched and searched, fixing the furnishings while he was here, but no matter how much he looked, the cross was nowhere to be found. Could the Priwen have stolen it? But why... it wasn't anything of real value, not money wise anyway. It had sentimental value to Sean of course but that was worth nothing to them. He could still do his speeches, it just wouldn't quite be the same... He didn't let this waver his faith in the Lord of course, for he needed no cross to feel the love and holy spirit of God.
Sean continued helping everyone, both human and skal alike, at the sewers and the night shelter that evening. But some people who were close to the man could tell that he did seem a little sadder than usual. Later that night, Tom, the bartender, and owner of the Turquoise turtle pub, asked him about it and after some careful convincing from Tom, Sean told him what happened. No one at the docks were fit to take on Priwen, plus it could literally be any of them that could have taken it...
"I'm sorry Sean... I know that cross meant a lot to you. " The bar owner said, feeling for his friend. But Sean smiled, that good-natured, innocent smile he always gave before he said something pure and strong in faith. "It's alright Sir Watts, I can still care for and guide my flock to the Lord just the same. " He said, but Tom could tell that he'd be happier if he had the cross back... If only there was someone he could ask, who'd be willing to search just out of good faith...
"If anybody ever comes across it, I'm sure any one of us would return it to you. " Tom assured anyway, despite Sean's unwavering faith. "I have no doubt and it would be greatly appreciated. But until that day, I shall continue tending to my flock. Thank you, good friend. " Sean said politely before he turned and left the pub, having picked up some food Tom was holding for him, to take back to the night shelter.
Even later that night, another friendly face poked his head in, though of a vastly different class. He was a doctor, dressed in a fine grey and brown coat, golden pocket watch, groomed black beard, and pale eyes. "Jonathan~" The bartender greeted cheerfully. The doctor had done a lot for him and the docks in general, it was still a Hell hole, but thanks to him and Sean, the place was much better than it would be without them.
Jonathan looked like he was deep in thought, for he paused and blinked at Tom in surprise like he just now realized where he was. "Oh, hello Sir Watts, apologies, my thoughts were elsewhere. " He admitted before he took a seat. Tom didn't think the doctor drank, he never drank here before, so he didn't bother asking. "What brings you here? " Tom asked, wondering if Jonathan was looking for someone again. "Oh, just checking up on this area of London, is everything well? " So he was making his rounds, makes sense, though it's been a few nights since Jonathan came into the pub, not that Tom was complaining.
"Nothing you can do, doctor... Though... " He trailed off, mulling over whether Jonathan would be willing to help Sean. "The Sad Saint was raided by those priwen guys earlier tonight and they stole a cross from him. He says he's fine without it but I believe he would be glad to have it back. I know you cross paths with that crowd often, maybe you could find it for him? " Tom Watts asked, knowing it was a longshot, but Jonathan was more than just a doctor... he had done things no doctor would, he hoped this would be one of those times.
The ekon perked up, he hadn't visited Sean in some time, the man was wary of him after what he did... so he felt keeping his distance was best. But if Sean needed help, he wouldn't mind providing it. "I could check around. The Priwen Guard has stolen from people before, but I am not sure why they'd take a cross. " He wanted to ask more about what happened that night but he figured Tom wouldn't know, if Sean was being humble about it. No instead he should talk to Sean, ask him what he knew, maybe Jonathan could pinpoint what member took it, or at least what kind of member he was looking for. Of course, once he found the cross, taking it back to Sean would be... tricky. As a vampire Jonathan couldn't touch holy objects like that, in fact, all vampires besides Sean had this trouble, but he figured he would cross that bridge once he got to it.
Tom wasn't sure why they'd take a cross either, that lot seemed to have plenty of holy objects for... whatever crazy crusade they were fighting for. He was glad to hear Jonathan would look into it though, he figured he would, the doctor was a good man despite being a bit on the fancy pants rich side. "Thank you, Doctor Reid, I think Mister Hampton could use someone helping him for a change. " With all the help and aid he gave everyone here, it was the least anyone could do for him.
The ekon then turned to leave, as Tom said everything else was fine and he rather not delay. The bartender didn't argue and just went to tend to the other actual customers he had. Jonathan went straight to Sean's night shelter but found himself stopping when he was right outside the entrance... The last time they talked, Sean was pretty upset, refused to even let him do a medical check-up to make sure he was alright. It was unlikely the man was over it now, so he had to be careful... and mindful.
He entered and scanned around for the priest, which he soon spotted was praying over a man in one of the night shelter beds. Not wishing to be rude, the ekon waited until the prayer was over. Though as Sean whispered comforting words to the man, the taller vampire began to feel a slight... content feeling inside, the same kind he felt when he was gazing over resting patients in the hospital, at least, ones that were recovering and would be alright. The ones that he had a bad feeling about was a entirely different and much less pleasant story.
Once Sean turned around, he did flinch a little when he saw Jonathan standing there... what did he want now? Probably to just check up on his health and make sure he wasn't hurting anyone. "Hello again, Doctor Reid. " He said in a calm, quiet tone as he often did, even though he was still a bit wary of the man. "Is there something I can do for you? "
Jonathan thought quickly on how he was going to say this, not wanting to put the man on the defensive. "Tom told me that priwen broke into your night shelter here some time ago and stole your cross, is this true? " Though as soon as he mentioned priwen, a few of the people at the shelter gasped and ducked down, understandably afraid of them and wanting nothing to do with them. They just wanted to be left in peace to survive on what they could
Hampton however, not that it surprised Jonathan, remained strong, though not happy. "Keep your voice down. Doctor Reid, my flock don't need more things to keep them up at night. " He told the ekon in a quiet tone, before letting out a tired sigh. "Yes, I don't know why they were here, but they took that cross. It's not... a dire situation, Doctor Reid, besides, I don't know what you could rightly do about it. " He had somewhat of a point, there were many more dire things going on than a missing piece of wood, but this was something Jonathan could do, despite Sean's doubts.
"I could track them down and get it back from them for you if you could just tell me where they went? " Jonathan said, though he was unsure if Sean had much info to give on the situation. But soon he noticed Sean's concerned look on his face. "When you say to get it back for me, you won't... kill any of them, right? " The priest asked, understandably concerned about murder and killing, though it was less understandable when one considered the fact priwen is not just a singular innocent guy. Jonathan had seen the damage priwen do to perfectly normal humans for their 'cause'. Still...
"No, I might have to defend myself if they... see my true nature, but I won't attack them. " He was not a murderer after all, but he did have self-preservation regardless. He found no joy in it of course, but it wasn't too far off from his time in the war. He could tell this did disappoint Sean a little, but he didn't kick up a fuss, probably understanding and knowing it was too much to ask for the man to give his life over to them instead of fighting back. "I didn't see anything, I was gone to the sewers and when I returned, I saw the aftermath. My flock, however... they saw it, but please, they have already been through so much. "
Jonathan looked around him to see the people, they have been cold, hungry and afraid for a long time and were clearly just doing their best to recover under the care of the Sad Saint. But after the break in, they were all pretty shaken up... the last thing he should do is question them about it and dig up old memories, cause more doubt and worse. "I will ask elsewhere, don't worry. " He told Hampton, there were other people outside the shelter that possibly could have seen more.
Sean visually relaxed and offered a soft smile to Jonathan. "If that is all, I will return to tending to my flock. " He announced, hoping the doctor was done. Luckily he was and gave a slight nod in return before he turned away and walked to the exit of the shelter.
As he pushed open the door though, he was greeted by another friendly face. "Jonathan! Oh thank goodness you're here, I have something important to tell you! " It was Ichabod, clearly excited about something. Jonathan quirked an eyebrow before he closed the shelter door, not wanting his important whatever to disturb the people. "What is it? I'm a little busy. " Jonathan lightly snipped back, not having a lot of patience at the moment.
The man nodded but then carried on. "I know but, you're here to find Sean's cross right? " He asked, which caught the vampire's attention. Of course, Ichabod hung out around the shelter a lot, maybe he did actually see something and wasn't too traumatized to tell him. "Go on. " Came the simple reply from the doctor, hoping for a lead.
Ichabod turned and pointed down the narrower street by the shelter. "Four priwen guards came out of Hampton's place and went down that way, muttering something about vampire activity. I was going to follow them but... I lost where they went. Though I did see one of the smaller guys was holding Sean's cross! I can't believe it, those heathens! How dare they steal from Sean Hampton, the guy has been a saint for our community." The human said, clearly upset about the incident, which Jonathan expected since he seemed to hold Hampton in high regard. He didn't disagree, but it was more important to get the cross back before they got too far away than to talk to Ichabod about how kind the Sad Saint had been. "Thank you, Mr. Throgmorton, I will search down there. " The doctor answered politely before he turned and began to walk down the cobblestone road.
At first, everything seemed normal, which wasn't good... he needed clues, some kind of sign that they have been through here. A few times there was a side alleyway and he wasn't sure if they went down that way or not. He ended up having to just guess and hope he was right, in which he assumed they stayed on this main path unless they saw a skal down one of the alleyways.
After about an hour of walking, he started to pick up a smell... the smell of blood and a lot of it. He also heard the sounds of skals… the sounds were distinct, unlike anything he's heard before and it always disturbed him a little that he could have easily ended up as one of them, instead of an ekon. It was a curse and he hated it, but at least he could still think and function... instead of totally losing his mind to the sickness. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and focus, the blood smelled like human, likely more than one.
Focusing his vampiric senses, Jonathan tried to pinpoint where the blood and skals were at and after a moment or two, he figured that they were the alleyway up ahead a ways, next to an abandoned wooden cart. The cart itself was tipped over, the wheel broke off, it looked recent... very recent. The wheel itself was nowhere to be found, just some splinters from the wood. He didn't like the feeling of this, but took a deep breath anyway and carefully began to walk down the alleyway, the smell of blood getting stronger, the stench of the skals also causing his stomach to turn a little unhappily.
As he turned the corner, he finally saw the scene, the priwen guards had met an unsightly end... Probably from the skals. It was pretty messy, hard to tell just how many there were, whether this was the same patrol or just another, unrelated and very unlucky group.
They have been dead for just a few hours, judging from the smell and... scraps he saw. If he hadn't seen so many gory scenes in his time, he probably would have thrown up. The skals were still feeding off the bodies, eating their flesh like animals. Soon one of them saw the ekon though and snarled, alerting the other skals. Jonathan knew they will attack now, so he drew his blade and sprung into action just as the three beasts charged him.
However, past all the carnage of dead priwen, one was actually still alive... unknown to the vampires currently fighting, as the smell of blood was just so strong, it was hard to pick up any signs of a living human still in the area. But there was, peaking out of an old metal trash can, frightened green eyes watched the battle between the two vampire types. At first, she thought that the man in the long coat was human, but then he grabbed one of the skals and sunk his fangs into its neck, drinking its gross blood. She then realized, from what little she was taught, that he was a vampire too, just... not as ugly and savage as the others, but that also meant he was more dangerous.
Her eyes flicked to the little wooden cross on the ground, not far from the trash bin, but just out of reach... She stiffened when the last skal let out a pained growl, before it died, leaving nothing but silence in the area. Not wanting to tangle with a vampire that just killed three skals in less than a minute, she ducked back in the trashcan fully, hoping he will just pass her by once he saw there was nothing here worthwhile... Right? She was pretty sure his type of vampire wanted blood straight from a living neck, not lap it off the ground or anything like the skals were doing. So as long as she stayed hidden from him, hopefully, he will move on and let her get out of here.
Jonathan though spotted the cross and at first figured one of the dead priwen had it but dropped it when they were attacked. So he walked over and was about to try to use a cloth to pick it up, but paused when he noticed all the trash by the trash can... Almost as if something pushed it out? Jonathan actually found himself rummaging in trash cans quite often, looking for discarded supplies he could use to help his patients, but even he didn't leave this much of a mess. Normally he'd suspect maybe the trash bin tipped over during the fight, but it was standing up... Even if it did tip over, who had the time to set it right back up before getting mauled? He looked around further to inspect the carnage... it was difficult to tell but it seemed there were only three corpses. Suspicious, Jonathan walked up to the trash can and grabbed the lid, lifting it up to see what was inside.
What greeted him was nothing like he expected, it was a person, a human, he expected that, dressed in priwen clothes. Normally he'd have to fight them off, as they fired flaming crossbow bolts and worse at him. But this time... this time was different, it was a girl, no older than 20, maybe even younger, not a weapon in sight. She wasn't very big either, her slim frame fitting in the trash can with concerning ease. Her eyes stared back up at him with pure terror, clearly, she knew what he was. Despite priwen often being the enemy, hunting him and attacking him, it was clear to him that this lady was just a frightened young woman and of no real threat to him.
Suddenly, as he was still trying to figure out what to say, the lady lost her nerve and leaned on one side of the trash can, causing it to tip over, herself and some other trash spilling out. Some of the trash was even in her red hair, but she couldn't care less as she tried to scramble for the cross. Jonathan knew if she got to that cross, she could very well use it against him, stun him and get away, which was more of a concern for her than it was for him. There were skals all over this area and none of them would have an issue jumping a single priwen, unarmed and terrified. The smell of fear was intoxicating to him, he couldn't imagine what it was like for those who relished in it.
With that in mind, he lunged towards her to grab her by her jacket, lifting her up off the ground by it. "Let me go! Please! " She screamed, squirmed and kicked in his grasp, but all he did was dangle her away from him as her limbs narrowly missed hitting him. She didn't even really have the usual annoying bravado priwen had, she was just frightened and struggling with fight or flight instincts, flight clearly winning out. "Please ma'am, calm down, I'm not going to hurt you, but if you run off into these streets, you will likely run into more of those skals. "He said, attempting to reason with the poor dear.
She squirmed a bit more after, but once she realized it was doing nothing, she stopped and looked at him, letting out a shaky breath. "Y-you... you're a vampire... All y-you do is hurt people. " She said, which... she wasn't entirely wrong, most vampires did just hurt people and while fighting priwen was often self-defense, it was still killing human beings. "I'm a doctor, ma'am, first and foremost. My... condition came after and I assure you, I don't prey upon unsuspecting humans. " He explained to her, unsure if she'd believe him but.. it was the truth.
The girl searched the vampire's pale eyes for signs of malice, hunger or any other unpleasant sight, but... All she saw was concern and even a hint of hurt. She knew vampires could be tricky creatures, but it was hard to fake the eyes, they were windows to the soul, or so she believed. His claim of being a doctor made her glance at her shredded comrades.... guessing that there was nothing he could do for them. "Okay... I'm sorry, sir vampire. " She said eventually, slumping a little in his hold since there wasn't anything else she could do.
Jonathan then gently set her down on her own two feet, being pretty sure she wouldn't take off as long as he didn't do anything to startle her. "Call me Jonathan or Doctor Reid. " He requested politely, not really being a fan of the V word being used towards him yet. The girl blinked, before shrugging, she guessed it was nice to have a name to go with him. "Okay... Jonathan, if you're not out here to... e-eat people, what are you doing? " She asked, a hint of fear still in her voice, but she was clearly giving him a chance and that's all he really could ask.
"I am searching for an object for someone... It was stolen from him, by your people. " He explained before his gaze focused on the cross on the ground. "That, it belongs to Sean Hampton, the Sad Saint? I'm sure you heard of him. " He was pretty widely known in the Docks so Jonathan expected her to know him, or at least of him, even if they never met. Though the ekon grew confused when the woman hung her head, seeming... ashamed. "I... I took it, the others didn't know... " She said quietly, looking back up at the doctor with guilty eyes. She clearly felt bad for her actions, but he was curious as to why. "Why did you take it? Didn't the guard of priwen give you a cross? " He never really checked to see, but he assumed every priwen member had a cross.
The girl shook her head though. "I was s-supposed to get one but... we were out at the t-time and would get m-more when some of the other members got a-around to carving some out of o-old stakes. " She explained, before taking a deep breath, knowing she should probably explain further. "I... I was so scared... earlier that night, we saw a vampire... tear a civilian into ribbons... I didn't h-have any weapons because I was j-just supposed to watch the others and l-learn. The others didn't s-seem shaken up... they just killed the vampire, but... I was terrified. " She wrapped her arms around herself and turned away, ashamed for being so frightened. "I'm supposed to be a vampire hunter and... I can't even stand up to one." And she could hardly look Jonathan in the eye, his pale eyes just sent shivers down her spine every time she glanced at them, even when he wasn't doing anything wrong.
Jonathan didn't approve of her stealing from Sean, but he did understand why she did it. Still, he wanted to return the cross back to him, perhaps if he could convince her to come with him? Perhaps Hampton would be willing to give her another cross, one with less sentimental value. But before he voiced these thoughts, he realized there were other issues too... The girl certainly had some troubles, but in his eyes, no one could blame her for being scared. She was just a young girl, heck, when he saw his first skal, William Marshal, he was mortified at the sight. He was only able to stay strong due to his time in the war and as a doctor, both serving many unpleasant sights. "It's alright young lady, it's natural for you to be afraid, you would be a fool not to. " He assured her.
The girl wiped her face with her palm, feeling a hint of warm moisture by her eyes... she didn't realize she was tearing up, but she was. "Maybe I'm just not cut out for hunting vampires... I mean, here I am just... talking to you... no offense. " She let the words spill out of her mouth before she realized what she did and attempted damage control with the final comment. However, part of her still felt resigned to being the ekon's meal, even if he made no move to bite her, it was just this instinctual feeling from being around a literal predator, larger and stronger than she was, probably faster too. She had no idea why he was being so nice, but the young priwen was still suspicious that it could all just be a ploy.
Jonathan frowned, not angry, but almost sad to hear her words and see her tearing up. "Well, I may very well be biased, but maybe there's a safer job you could apply for? Safer, for both of us. " He suggested in a lighter-hearted tone, not expecting her to take his words seriously. He was biased though, not that he felt threatened by her, but he didn't want to hurt her. It would be a pretty cruel twist of fate if they met again in the future and she was a bit more seasoned. He didn't want to fight priwen, he only did so in self-defense, otherwise, he'd gladly just leave them be unless they stole something or what have you. This young lady was hardly the only member of the guard who stole something from a civilian.
The lady let out a light, strained laugh, of course, the vampire would want her to quit her job being a vampire hunter, it was in his best interests after all. "Just a little biased... Sir Jonathan. " She muttered the last part, not wanting to forget her manners. The man wore a pretty fancy coat, after all, so he was likely on the more wealthy end... that did raise the question as to why she was out here, wanting to hunt vampires instead of doing something a bit... safer, especially for a woman her age.
"Why do you want to be a member of the guard of priwen, miss?" Jonathan found himself asking before he filtered them and now realized it may be a sensitive question. He figured most became members because loved ones or friends were killed by a vampire, he was starting to figure that's what her story was going to be, but still withheld assumptions until she said so. That is, assuming she even wanted to answer.
"Y-you don't have to call me miss... Bella is fine. " She shyly gave him her name, mostly because it was weird to listen to a vampire calling her miss all the time. She debated on whether she wanted to tell him her life story, she recalled that priwen had records of some ekons who enjoyed getting to know everything about their soon to be prey before sinking their teeth in, could that be what he was doing? But if she didn't tell him, then he might just kill her anyway, so it wasn't a huge difference. "It started back when I was a young girl... One night both of my parents left the house when they thought I was asleep. At first, I thought nothing of it but... when they came back come morning, I knew something was wrong... They were pale, cold and their eyes... They were worse than yours, they were red. "
Jonathan listened to her story thus far and cringed a little on the inside, knowing what it meant for them to have worse eyes than him. But he didn't interrupt and just waited for her to continue. This wasn't exactly the best place to be standing around listening to one's life story but hopefully, she would be willing to trust him just a little if he did without just killing her once he got bored.
Bella shivered from the cold London night air and the memory both, struggling some to finish it but knowing she had to. "I was scared... at first I figured they... they were turned against their will... But then they came to me that evening, asking permission to make me like them... make me into a vampire. They also explained to me that the night before, they left to find a vampire they were in contact with to turn them... All for this wild idea of our family living forever. " She felt a fresh wave of tears build up in her eyes, though she wiped them away pretty quick. "I ran then... my parents were no longer my parents at that point, they were monsters... " She muttered more quietly, not caring at this point if Jonathan was offended or not. But something told her his condition wasn't a willing one... the willingness is what sickened her the most about what happened. "So I want to help hunt down these monsters, to keep them from tricking people into becoming as them.... or even forcing people. "
But of course, she was just talking to a vampire instead of hunting them down, having stolen a cross from a priest and hid in a trashcan as her comrades were slaughtered and devoured. Part of her sort of wished Jonathan would eat her too, just so she didn't have to live with the shame. But he appeared to not be interested, for some reason. "I haven't been one for very long, but I have met a young lady who asked for the same thing. I, however, refuse to pass the curse on, no man or woman deserves to suffer its effects, even ones who are ignorant to its burden. " She heard Jon say, which comforted her a little and reinforcing the fact he likely wasn't turned willingly. That left her with the struggle of if it was fair to kill every vampire just for being one, considering some wasn't able to choose.
Either way, this wasn't the place to debate these thoughts, Jonathan rather get a move on from this carnage. "If you don't mind young lady, I would like to get out of this place, it's... quite unpleasant. Would you mind picking the cross up? I... I can't touch it. " He admitted, a little sheepish about the last part but surely she understood, it was why she stole it in the first place. Bella shook her head to focus and glanced around, feeling a few fresh wave of disgust at the sight of the dead skals and the priwen group members. He was letting her take the cross though? She could just run with it... but to where? And what if he caught her? No, she firmly told herself, she must return the cross, it was the right thing to do. "O-of course, yes, please let's get out of here. " She walked over to the cross and picked it up, clenching it close to her chest.
Satisfied and ready to go, Jonathan turned and began to walk out of this place in the same way he came. "Thank you for trusting me... Perhaps you could stay at the shelter for a while, Sean has helped many troubled and struggling people, I am sure he'll take you in. " Of course, Sean was a vampire now too so perhaps that wasn't such a good idea... He will have to see first hand before judging though, maybe if she met two nice vampires she'd be willing to accept that not all of them were bad.
Bella kept close to Jonathan but made sure to be behind him, he can't sneak up behind her and bite her if she was behind him instead, at least, that's her reasoning. Though at this point, she figured he wouldn't do that anyway, but it helped her paranoia. To his offer of staying, she blinked... he had a good point, perhaps she should do that. She probably counted as troubled and struggling, mostly on what she wanted to do with her life, maybe Mister Hampton could help, if he wasn't too upset about her taking his cross. "I think I will... Thank you, too Sir Jonathan, you've been... nice. " And she couldn't for the love of anything understand why, but she was thankful.
He glanced back at her with a slightly surprised look. "It's no trouble, just avoid walking these streets at night if you can. Vampires are not the only danger out here... " Humans proved to be plenty dangerous on their own, after all. Bella nodded back with an unsure smile, that was true, it wasn't fair to blame all the danger on vampires, even if they made up for a lot of it during these times.
After that, they walked in silence for a little bit, but it didn't take long for Bella's curiosity to get the best of her and she began to ask the doctor vampire questions, like how he came to be and how it was like to still be a doctor despite it. The answers she got were not overly assuring, but they were mildly expected. She was unsure if she'd feel comfortable letting him work on her if she was hurt, knowing that the vampiric side of him would just want to drink the blood instead of patching the wound. But he did assure her that he had no accidents thus far.
It didn't take much longer to get to the night shelter, Ichabod was there but he didn't see Bella, Jonathan's form was large enough to block her entirely and she was more than happy to not have to face the probably unhappy locals. She had stolen from a highly looked up to man after all, but not because he was rich or royal, but because he was kind and compassionate to all, helping them one way or another. She hoped he was the forgiving type, given how nice he was to folks he probably was, but she still tried to prepare herself.
Jonathan walked up to the night shelter and knocked on the door, hoping Sean was still around and not with the sewer skals again. It took a few moments, but soon the door opened, Sean looking at Jonathan with mild surprise. "Welcome back Dr. Reid, can I help you? " He asked, unsure if he believed Jonathan got his cross back so soon, or if maybe he just had more questions.
The ekon didn't say anything and instead looked behind him to Bella, who still looked unsure, shy, clenching the cross like it was a lifeline. But when Jonathan nodded and stepped aside, she knew she had to face Hampton and it was only fair that she did. Once the large man was out of the way, the girl stepped forward, holding the cross out to Sean to take. "I believe.... I believe this is yours, sir? " She asked timidly.
Of course, Hampton could see the clothing she wore, she was priwen, but she was also a young girl who Jonathan deemed not a threat. "What happened to the others? " He asked, confused and maybe a little dreading of Jonathan having done something, but he didn't take the cross. Jonathan piped up then, so Bella wouldn't have to retell it. "They were killed, by feral skals. She would have been killed too if I didn't find her. " And he was right, she could only hide in that trash can for so long and it wouldn't take much for them to figure out she was there once they got hungry again.
Sean looked between Jonathan and Bella before he held his hand out to her. "Come on in child and... keep the cross. The Lord watched over you tonight, for taking that cross, a symbol of His Holiness, Jonathan was able to find you. " It wasn't a huge surprise that Hampton believed it was intended by God and, for all anyone knew, it could have been. Bella retracted the cross hesitantly then, surprised that he didn't want it back, before giving the priest her empty hand. Upon closer inspection, she could tell his face was a bit off, but... she was taught that staring was rude and maybe his face got burned or something, either way, she didn't suspect a skal, since he was not snarling or drooling over himself.
Hampton then softly laid his other hand over her's, a genuine, kind smile on his face. "Why don't you come inside? Rest for a bit and get out of these dark, dangerous streets child. " He offered her and she did hesitate for a moment, but she didn't really have anything else better to do... At this point it was probably best that she quit The Guard of Priwen, they likely would have kicked her out anyway if she went back and told them what happened. So she nodded and moved to stand beside Hampton after he released her hand, as he put his focus back to Jonathan. "Thank you, Doctor Reid, for your involvement in all of this. I have nothing to really give you except my gratitude and my prayers, but I hope it's enough. "
Jonathan wasn't really looking for payment however and just gave a friendly smile. "Just take care of Bella, is all I ask. She's been through a lot. " He kindly requested, not that he had any doubts that Sean would, it was after all what he lived for it seemed. The priest nodded in understanding, glancing back at the woman, apparently named Bella. "We will don't worry. "
The ekon then bid Bella and Sean farewell, before he turned and left, still needing to finish his rounds in London. Bella meanwhile, had a helpful time at the night shelter, finding peace with the loss of her parents. Eventually she came to the conclusion that she had to put the grudge of vampires aside, for life had much more to offer. Sean Hampton in the meantime also gained a bit more respect for Jonathan and was not as distrusting, the trauma was still there, both from that night and his childhood, but he better understood Jonathan's motives and was more welcoming whenever he came around, allowing him to treat his flock more openly if any of them were ill or in need. The Sad Saint of the docks still needed time to recover but things will only get better.