Plenty pulled Gwen into the hall to ask, ‘Is she okay?’

  ‘She will be,’ Gwen answered. ‘As soon as she gets fresh blood in her.’

  ‘Aren’t you uncomfortable? Why is she so sick?’

  Gwen shrugged. ‘I don’t feel great, but not like Hinata. I don’t know why her thirst is more than mine. Maybe it’s because she’s bigger than me. Maybe I paced the shark blood better than she did. Or maybe I’m just more used to the feeling, so I carry it better; regardless why, the point remains: she needs blood soon, and so do I. We can’t keep taking sips off you. You’re already unwell, and in Hinata’s desperate state, she would drain you.’

  Plenty gave a determined nod. It was true, he was tired and often dizzy lately.

  ‘Guess I’m off to Strangers, then. Let’s hope our extortionist is good for his word.’

  He pulled the map out and opened it, looking for his destination. Tess had X’ed its location before they left the copper consulate. Strangers was a stone’s throw away. Plenty determined his route, folded the map away in his pocket, and then rushed out the door.

  It was late afternoon, and the sun was low as he ran down the stairs. Long shadows stretched out under tall buildings. The district seemed to be waking up. Windows opened as Plenty walked by, and people were stepping out to run errands. Overhead, little lights along the main thoroughfare flickered on, like fireflies. Purveyors swept the walkway in front of their establishments, like they were readying for the day’s shift.

  No one seemed to take much notice of Plenty. Without Hinata and Gwen beside him drawing attention, he was invisible among the local rabble, who were listless, almost dead-eyed. They didn’t walk so much as they shuffled. He noticed it in earlier districts, but here, the effect was profound. He saw a man leaning against a building, and as Plenty passed by, he realized the man was asleep standing up. Farther down the way, and just off the path, a woman slept, curled on the ground. Many more slept on benches in the central district square park.

  Plenty arrived at Strangers to find it almost as grand and intricate as the district church. But where Nightlife Church was gothic and severe, Strangers was luxurious yet tasteful, almost cozy. Blooming vines of fuchsia morning glory brought color to the tall gate surrounding Strangers. The walls, like everything in Nightlife, were crafted in a dark stone, so polished that Plenty could clearly see how badly he needed a shower and to trim his facial hair. The windowsills, rooftop, and decorative accents were composed of red or grey stone. A few blackbirds perched on rooftops nearby, but none on the Strangers building itself.

  Plenty approached the front gate and found a man sitting in a box on the opposite side.

  “We don’t open ‘til sundown,” the man said dismissively.

  Plenty hesitated. He didn’t know many human norms, much less Garden City social customs, but he knew Hinata needed blood, and his best lead was inside that gate, so he pressed on.

  “Hello, um, Win sent me?” he said.

  “What?” the man snapped.

  “Win? Winchester? Brother Winchester? He told me to come here. I– I didn’t get any other instructions. That’s all he said.”

  Plenty felt a bit silly, and the man glared at him suspiciously, but then he opened the gate.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “I don’t know what you’re on about, but if Win sent you, you probably ought to talk to Candy. Go inside. She’ll be at the bar. If she’s not at the bar, wait there. She’s probably just grabbing stock. Go on.”

  The man pointed toward the door and shut the gate behind Plenty.

  Well, getting here and inside was easy enough, he thought. Now what?

  He opened the door to Strangers and entered.

  The inside was clean, lit by candlelight and a crackling fireplace, with high ceilings and a wide open main floor for mingling. Along the walls were booths and doors to private rooms. The bar was centered on the main floor, and behind it, a beautiful, big-breasted woman in lacy underwear was cutting fruit.

  Plenty stepped up to the bar and asked, “Is your name Candy?”

  She looked up, appraising him at a glance. “And you are?”

  “Name’s Plenty. Win sent me here, though I confess, I’m not sure what for.”

  “Hm. Figured you were the one he told me about. Take a seat,” she pointed at a barstool opposite her. “You any good with a knife?”

  “Uh… good enough. You want a hand with this?” he gestured toward the fruit.

  Candy looked at him like he was an idiot. “Yeah.”

  She grabbed a green fruit and sliced the top and bottom off, then in half, then a slice down the middle of each half, then sideways into thin slices. “Like such. Cut all these, then I’ll have something for you.”

  “Oh. Um, okay. I don’t mean to be rude or ungrateful, but I don’t understand what’s happening here,” Plenty said.

  Candy was already walking away. “Cut the fruit. You’ll figure it out. Call me when you’re finished.” She lifted a hatch on the floor and disappeared down some steps.

  No one else was around, and Plenty didn’t know what else to do, so he cut the fruit. It didn’t take long. Candy went up and down the steps twice with boxes before he finished. He called her over, and she gave the fruit a disinterested nod. Then she upturned the sliced fruit into some canisters and looked at Plenty appraisingly.

  “Alright, you’re handy with a knife. What else can you do?” Candy asked.

  Plenty was getting irritable. “Can you just tell me what’s happening here? I need help. I thought that’s why I was sent here, but this feels like a job interview.”

  Candy was unfazed. “Help? Oh, you must mean this.” She reached into a satchel hanging behind the bar and pulled out a large thermos. “Here’s the thing, Plenty: this was not so easy to come by. Certainly not discreetly, and much less on such short notice. And Win tells me you’ll be needing regular disbursements. This can be done, but it makes my already trying job much more trying. Look, I don’t know what kind of arrangement you and Win have. That’s not my business, but this is my business, and I don’t give anything away for free. Certainly not my valuable time and effort. Of course, Win and I have an understanding. When he asks for a favor, I’m inclined to give it to him. But I don’t know you from Adam. Once I hand you this, I will have satisfied Win’s request, but you’ll still be needing blood on the regular. So. Now you understand what I can offer you. What can you offer me?”

  Plenty relaxed. These were simple terms he could understand. He thought for a moment about what he could offer such a woman.

  “May I have a cup of water?” he asked. She obliged. Then he held up the cup and sang softly over it. Soon, the water turned to misty vapor that spilled over the rim of the cup and flowed down the bar to settle like a cloud of mist on the floor.

  Candy looked mildly impressed. “So you’re a secret water mage, is that it? Okay, I can work with that. Anything else worth knowing?”

  Plenty wondered whether he should tell her he could heal wounds under the moonlight, but decided that might reveal his true nature. Besides, the mist seemed sufficient. He shook his head no.

  Candy handed him the thermos, adding, “You start tonight at high moon. Wash yourself first. And get your own thermos. This one’s mine, and I want it back.”

  Plenty took the thermos and said, “Thank you. I will. I’ll be back tonight.”

  Then Plenty ran home.