Chapter Text
Two girls leaned forward intently to watch the computer screen on the decadent fourposter canopied bed. Velvet curtains framed the window, and the scent of old books lingered in the air. The carved desk gleamed under the soft lamplight, echoing the room’s quiet grandeur. Café Forbidden was a building and business that had lasted for over a century with no small amount of credit probably going to three young men that ran it and its secret organization that were immortal.
In a world of humans, there were also the creatures often thought of as myths and fairytales that actually were just as real. Throughout the ages, humans that knew of these other species existence often hunted them either for the prestige and power that came with them or to exterminate them. The Twilight organization was relatively young compared to most monster hunting groups, but they were something different. First being that they did not kill or capture the monster species that were grouped under their own phylum line of evolution from the rest of natural animal kingdom by the simple name of Umbra unless necessary with certain rules. The second was allowing the good among the Umbra to work with them to govern and monitor their own kind instead of letting humans muddle things with their own limited understanding of species that were of similar intelligence to them.
The two human girls had adjusted nearly instantly to learning of Umbra and the Twilights in their first hectic weeks in London England and loved being around them. Both were exchange students from China that had come to study for college. Baileu Ton possessed black hair and was the one that had decided to come to London to study because her great grandmother had moved here and had loved the land. Only on arriving had she learned the full truth about her beloved ancestor. Her grandmother, Sha Rijan, had been an Umbra hunter that had established the Twilights and had started Café Forbidden and recruited the three Umbra young men that still lived here and continued to work for her ideals after her death.
The other girl was just as oriental in genetics though her hair was a soft brown. Mu Shinyao had grown up with Ton and they were best friends that did nearly everything together. Though the first few weeks of being separated from each other with all the Umbra problems Ton’s coming had sparked had defined both of them more than the single package they had been previously.
The computer was playing tense music as they leaned in to watch. As a woman screamed dramatically in horror on the device, a chuckle came from the doorway. They looked up to find a silver haired young man with a lock of red in his bangs leaning against the apartment’s doorway with a relaxed grin. His bright green eyes focused on them intensely. “What are you watching?”
“Paranormal investigators,” Ton instantly supplied.
The tall young man that seemed every cent of normal but had his werewolf lineage hidden away gave them an amused disbelieving look. “Paranormal investigators?”
Ton nodded in excitement, “Yeah! They do a lot of research, and they go to different locations to find ghosts and other kinds of Umbra!”
Luke Bowen laughed, “You do realize that we are paranormal investigators, right? You have a literal library which your grandmother collected on all things supernatural, and we have a ghost to do the modern technology search.”
“Actually,” Shinyao started up much quieter than her friend and much more considering on what she was going to say. “I don’t think we’re investigators like these people. They just do research then go to a place to prove that Umbra are real. They don’t try and solve the problem like we do.”
“Yeah! We’re Hunters!” A voice chirped from the computer as the screen character of the resident technology ghost flickered on.
Luke shook his head fondly at them, “Why in the world are you watching people record getting the heebie-jeebies scared out of them when you meet with and sometimes fight Umbra every day?”
“Ton likes not being in the situation and still being able to point out everything the investigators don’t understand about you, and I like the history and stories,” Shinyao said.
Ton flushed in embarrassment as Luke laughed knowingly at the reason. “I’m making a list of known Umbra places in England and close by countries that I want to see some time. I like watching these other investigators experiences so that I know what might happen when I go and what I should probably do when I try to convince them to become Twilights.”
“You’re just like Rijan,” Luke muttered fondly under his breath before smiling at the lighter haired human girl. “By the way Shinyao, have you heard from my little brother lately?”
Mu ducked her head slightly flustered at the teasing. “Last week, he got reception in Nepal. Some of the pictures he sent were beautiful. I want to go there some day.”
“Tell him that and he might take you with him during your school break,” the silver wolf said with a mischievous smile as he stretched. “I get the feeling he’s going to be back in the UK in the next few weeks.”
“He is?!” Shinyao exclaimed in excitement at the news.
“Chris is in Siberia right now and is not on the friendliest of terms with the authorities that think he’s a spy. I know his routine well enough to know that he usually drops down into Germany as soon as he gets around the mountains before heading either down towards Italy or up into Norway and down to England again. And since he’s already been to Italy on this world tour of his…”
“I hope he decides to run out of Russia instead of fight,” Shinyao said softly to herself with a dreamy set to her eyes.
Ton giggled at her best friend’s crush on the hotheaded red furred werewolf. “Why in the world do you like him? He did kidnap you and he isn’t very nice.”
“He is nice! You just haven’t spent much time with him. Chris is… quiet. Sort of shy almost. And he’s truthful, though I guess you could see that as being a little too blunt. I don’t know why I like him,” Shinyao defended the more rebellious Bowen.
Luke smiled in understanding, “Don’t try and get a reason for anything from my brother. He never has one and everyone he interacts with can’t find one either. He’ll give you a thousand reasons to hate him but somehow you still end up loving him.”
“Exactly!” Shinyao agreed with the only other being that loved the impulsive werewolf Umbra. “I want to cook dinner when he comes back. He cooked a lot for us when we were hiding.”
“The kitchen’s yours then,” Luke agreed with a conspiring wink. “I’ll drag my little brother in to make sure that he actually stops by.”
Shinyao giggled before she grabbed her notepad to begin jotting down everything she needed. Ton huffed as she threw herself back onto a pillow on the bed. “He hasn’t even asked you on a date! You’re getting too attached to a rogue that hasn’t shown that he cares about you.”
“He cares. He doesn’t want me to get hurt and killed,” the brown-haired girl said absently as she focused on her growing lists that was orderly and detailed compared to the scattered mess that her friend’s desk was.
“That doesn’t actually mean that he likes you beyond a friend,” Ton pointed out.
“And you have gone on a couple of dates with everyone that lives here, and you still can’t make up your mind which one you like better,” Shinyao returned without any malice.
The canine Umbra chuckled to himself, “This looks like this is going to be a long conversation. I’ve got to be going. Got an Umbra meeting I have to attend.” He turned to leave but paused. This had both the girls’ attention faster than if he had said anything. He was still for a few seconds in thought before he threw over his shoulder. “If you really want to go to places with Umbra in them like those investigators are, then I suggest you talk with Vlad about that. He’s in charge of historical things.”
Then he was gone like he had never appeared. Shinyao glanced over to her friend before she went back to writing down things. “You better think over whatever you’re thinking about really good. Spend a day or two on it before you say it. You don’t want to get caught with a half thought out plan around here.”
“That’s why I have you! Play the video Wayne,” Ton instructed the ghost as she leaned in to watch the footage.