Haze: Part Three

"I really don't think that this is a good idea, Rose." You exclaimed with a nervous twinge in Your tone, Diana had been steadfast in covering You up, straightening the large green Parka and wrapping the midnight black shawl around Your neck and face that she had procured from her Wardrobe, Rose nodded resolutely as You grimaced at the frilly black shawl

"This is a girl's Scarf!" You moaned, Diana tutted as she made sure that Your ears were covered

"it's a shawl, You uncultured swine, and it is also 250 dollars so I would be grateful, it's the only one big enough that I have in Black, why it needs to be black I don't know," Diana said, looking to Rose expectantly, Her Icy blue eyes flickering, Rose zipped up her black jacket

"Black absorbs light converting it, usually into Heat, but as a Vampire that shouldn't bother You, this way if the Sun decides to come out, then the Black will remove some of the discomforts and the Fabric will shield You, it's pretty basic," Rose said to Diana, who was forcing black gloves on Your hands. Diana considered You for a second, noticing your flickering eyes, feeling your arm as Your hands trembled lightly

"Are You shaking?" Diana asked, making eyes at You and pressing her hand on Your forehead, "Wow... You're really cold."

"I'm Dead, Didi, we tend to be pretty cold." You shot back at Her, Your voice shaking a little, but Diana raised an eyebrow

"I mean like even colder than usual, You look like You've just seen a ghost." She said, touching Your face which was shallow with fear. It wasn't exactly a worry, or that You were even overthinking, it was more like a deep instinct, something deep inside that quaked with terror at the prospect of moving where the Sun could flash it's tyrannous gaze at You at any moment

I REFUSE TO GO ALONG WITH THIS, LAST TIME WAS BAD ENOUGH, NOW YOU WANT TO GALLIVANT IN THE DAYTIME FREELY, UH UH, I DON'T THINK SO ASSHOLE, NOPE, NO, NO, HELL NO, FUCK NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Oh yeah... that instinct had a name.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP, I'M NOT ASKING YOUR PERMISSION, YOU BUMBLING IDIOT!"

............OKAY, I'M SORRY, I'M JUST NERVOUS

"WELL GUESS WHAT, I'M YOU, AND YOU'RE ME, SO WE ARE BOTH NERVOUS, SHIT HEAD, ACCEPT YOU GET TO HIDE IN A CAGE AND I POTENTIALLY HAVE TO TAKE THE WORLDS MOST INTENSE SUNTAN!"

JEEZ MAN, TAKE A CHILL PILL, I'LL JUST... GO BACK TO MY CAGE I GUESS?

"Wait... no, Beast I'm sorry I just... fuck man."

And now, You had to deal with walking around in the sunlight with only half of Yourself, still, the Beast's overwhelming fear was rattling You bones and shaking Your core, that is just peachy.

You gasped as Diana's hand hit You in a hard slap, the skin whipping against Your face with such a great **** that it actually made You recoil a little, "Ow, Didi what the Fuck!?" You cried, but without another word, she slapped You again, even harder this time "Jesus Christ, that hurts!" You moaned, but Diana kept the cold look on her face

"Will You snap out of it, if You're freaking out the whole time, People are gonna realise something's wrong" She commanded in a tone just like Your father's, You shook still, unable to get the fear of the sun out of Your mind

"But-" She got You even before You could protest this time, He left hand this time smacking You into a red-faced fury "Stop. Smacking. Me." You growled at her, But Diana's resolve outdid Your own, her eyes positively blazing

"I'll stop smacking You when You man up and get out there, I am not letting the little cry baby that You were before, moan his way out of this, do You understand!?" She said, Her sisterly gaze making You pale slightly, still, You felt yourself going to moan at her, You were a god damn Vampire Lord, a Superior, You had kills under Your belt now, she couldn't boss You around

"You can't tell me what to-AH!" You cried as she raised Her hand again, ready to strike without hesitation, You braced, throwing Your arms up and whimpering

"S-Stop, alright, okay, I'll stop being a wimp just don't hit me!" You cried, feeling like a little kid again, Diana relaxed, a Smug look on her face, Rose looked at Diana with astonishment, seeing Your tall powerful form cower before Her

"How...?" Rose asked, looking at Diana curiously, Diana placed a hand on each hip, grinned coyly and simply said

"I'm the older sister!" She exclaimed, pointing a thumb at herself and bellowing evilly as You scowled from behind her.

You, Rose and Diana made their way down to the Apartment building reception, a lot of people were eying Your outfit strangely, even the receptionist, who much to Your surprise, was Not Namina.

You paused at the glass double doors, eyes blinking and swallowing nervously as You looked into the bustling street, it was much busier than You were used too by now, many more cars drove past, crowds sped across the sidewalk and the Iron grey sky, thankfully, looked to be shielding the Sun from beaming down, Rose clutched Your arm and smiled at You "It's alright, Beloved." She said in a comforting tone, "I'll be right by Your side." She assured, suddenly, You felt the fear in Your guts begin to melt away, just looking down at her furtive smile seemed to make the Fire inside of You burn a little brighter and the path ahead a little more possible, Smiling and taking Diana's hand on Your other side, You grinned boyishly

"Well, what are we waiting for, let's go!" You said, the little twinge of fear betraying your confident tone.

To say that You were uncomfortable would have been an understatement, for now, paired with Your fear, was the familiar rumble of Your ravenous hunger, growling within at the crowds of humans that bustled past You and the Girls as You walked through the City "I don't see why we couldn't have just driven." You groaned, Your hunger writhing within

"Nonsense, how are you supposed to get used to being outside if You're in a car, Plus I want to make a stop on the way back," Diana said happily, Grunting with annoyance, You continued on, Rose still holding Your arm tightly and Diana walking just ahead of You both, seemingly enjoying the daytime walk.

It was strange, despite being dressed in a large parka and a shawl, people still seemed to be noticing You favourably, Women winked and smiled as they saw You, men staring jealously as Your tall and dark form passed them, "Good to know that My natural Allure still works when I'm nervous." You noted, but even stranger than that, Rose seemed to be clinging to You harder, glaring at women as they smiled at You, she even made a few of them frown and walk faster past as they met eyes with her

"Rose..." You said, nudging her lightly, She looked at You innocently

"What, what's wrong?" She said You raised an eyebrow, chuckling a little

"If You keep glaring like that You might accidentally fry someone's brain or something." You said, stifling a laugh, Rose frowned grumpily

"If You don't want them to be looking at You, then they shouldn't be." She grumbled, unable to contain Your chuckle, You threw an arm around Rose and walked proudly, especially since many guys had been giving her the looks that women were giving You

"You are so Cute, come on, let's get this over with, I wanna find somewhere cold, dark and away from prying eyes." You said with a wink, Rose flushed slightly, folding her arms as the two of Your walked on ahead, Diana still beaming just ahead of You.

Wallace had always been a weird city, You would know You had lived here all your life, but the Place still had this kind of off feeling to it, it was one of the wealthiest cities in the state, with one of the biggest population in the country, everything, at least in this part of Wallace, was very beautiful, the architecture modern, sleek and New, many shops lined the streets that lead down to the busy high street and furthermore into the City's Grand arcade. but indeed, outside of this district of Wallace, was a different story entirely, for if You ventured into the Less wealthy districts, like Old town or the outskirts, You would know why people named it "The Black City", Wallace's original architecture was Dark and strong, great towering rooftops with iron-grey and Onyx black stonework, tens of thousands of alleyways, and dark nooks in every district, making the city like a grand labyrinth that the natively born knew like the backs of their hands.

"Here we are!" You heard Diana exclaim, You and Rose stopped in front of the establishment looking up curiously, You raised an eyebrow, it was Maria's Patisserie, probably one of the fanciest Cafe/Bakeries in the City, not only was it one of Diana's Favourite places since she was young but if Your memory served correct, it was one of many establishments that Your Dad actually owned in Wallace... or... You did now, You supposed?

"What are we stopping here for, We already had breakfast, Didi?" You questioned, a little irritated at the prospect of wasting time out in a Fancy Bakery, Diana grinned, gesturing You in before You could ask anything else, Frowning with annoyance, You opened the door for Rose, who ducked in curiously, as You wished quietly that You were dressed a little more appropriately for a place like this.

The Patisserie wasn't very busy today, or at least by its own standard, a good group of people sat in the fine hickory chairs, small dishes with quaint little cupcakes and cups of coffee before them, but what caught Your eye, what always caught Your eye were the massive rows and displays of beautiful stacked cakes, croissants, pain au chocolat, Cinnamon buns and the very same, red velvet cupcakes with a Golden ribbon on top that the many of the customers had.

Diana stood excitedly at the waiting space, You and Rose joining, a cute Blonde in a Black uniform quickly rushing over to meet Your group "Hey there Guys" She said happily, Her Green eyes flickering around the group quickly "Table for Four?" She asked politely, Diana shook her head

"We are meeting with a Mrs Salvador." Diana said You raised Your eyebrow again "the accountant?" Weird, she didn't just say where she was taking You, it was most likely because she knew you would protest not only to the extension of daytime activity but also Her rampant addiction to the Patisserie Pastries, the Blonde waitress's eyes thinned for a moment, before shooting open wide

"M-Ms Drake, I'm so sorry I didn't recognize You, Mrs Salvador is just over in the corner, right this way!" She said turning to lead you, You did notice how Her eyes flickered at You momentarily before she moved along

You smiled "As vain as it sounds, I don't think that I will ever get tired of the way women look at me now!"

You walked along, following the lady with the girls by Your side, You could feel eyes looking at You, slight whispers catching on Your ears as You emerged into a booth, quite private for a simple Patisserie. Inside was a round five-seater table, where a beautiful, Raven-haired Woman sat, reading a small book through square rimmed glasses and sipping a cup of steaming black coffee, Her eyes, Chocolate brown looked up at the three of You and smiled

"Ah, Diana, lovely to see You." She said in a slightly accented tone, that and the Copper coloured skin told You that she was of Latina descent, Diana grinned as Ms Salvador stood and shook her hand

"Hey Lina, good to see You well, been a while," Diana said in a friendly, although Very official tone. Ms Salvador looked at You and Rose, smiling quaintly... weird, she kinda reminded You of someone, You just couldn't tell who "Hello there, Who is this handsome gentleman, Diana?" Ms Slavador said, looking You up and down with desire in her eyes "You must introduce us."

Diana looked to the Waitress, her eyes flickering for a moment, The Blonde jolted back to life for a moment "Oh, so sorry Ms Drake, One of My colleagues will be over in just a moment to serve You!" She said, rushing away from the booth. With the waitress gone, Diana placed a hand on Your shoulder

"Charlie, Meet Carolina Salvador, dad's... or I guess, Your accountant!" After Diana said that, Ms Salvador's face dropped a little, seemingly she was very confused, still, she extended a hand, You took it gently, being sure not to crush her hand with Your iron grip, "Carolina, as I'm sure You gathered, this is My little Brother, Charles Drake." Diana continued, Ms Slavador's eyes opened a little more, eyeing You curiously

"Charles Drake... but... I thought Roman's Son had disappeared?" She asked Diana, Smiling deeply and lifting Ms Salvadors hand, You kissed her smooth knuckle gently and spoke softly

"It is a pleasure to meet You, Ms Salvador." You said, Ms Salvador, reddened slightly, smiling at Your flattery

"Oh, Handsome and Charming, You certainly are Your father's son-oh I'm so sorry about what happened." She quickly added You smiled

"Thank You." You said, trying to push the image of Your last sight of him out of Your mind.

"Oh!" Diana said, suddenly as Ms Salvador looked at Rose, who stared back quietly, "This Rose, She is.... well... she is..." Diana said, unsure of how to introduce Rose, but much to Your surprise, and completely out of left field, Rose smiled wide, stepped forward extending her hand and speaking in a crip and pristine American accent

"Rosalie Tepes, I'm Charlie's girlfriend, I-It's really nice to meet You, Miss Salvador!" You froze in shock... She sounded, nothing like the Rose that You knew, she sounded Unsure of herself, a little nervous, but eager to be polite, Her face was warm, like really warm and Her blue eyes seemed more ocean Blue and less frosty blue than before, this was certainly not, Rosaria Dracule, Inquisitor of the High court, but Rosalie Tepes, Your beautiful but meek girlfriend.

Miss Salvador smiled at Her, taking her hand and Beaming "Such a Beautiful Young lady, It is lovely to Meet You, Rosalie."

"Y-You can call me Rose, everybody does!" Rose said, her voice breaking slightly, Miss Salvador, apparently thinking that she was adorable, gestured for you all to sit, which Rose promptly did, however, You and Your sister stared in disbelief for a moment before sitting down at the Circular table.

"So, You gonna tell me what this is all about?" You asked Diana, She smiled gesturing to Miss Salvador

"The First, was to meet Lina, She has been the One managing Your funds so far, helping us organise the giving and taking for establishments like this, The Second I will leave to Lina to tell You." Diana said. Miss Salvador nodded, reaching into the laptop bag beside her and brandishing her silver Mac book, quickly opening it and booting it up before speaking

"Diana has asked me to go over Your assets with You, Mr Drake, You have a lot of money coming in and I think that You would like the finer details, yes?" She said, looking up at You expectantly, You nodded profusely

"Yes, of course, I'd love to know what I'm handling now, Miss Salvador." You said, Miss Salvador smiled

"You can call Me Carolina, Dear, now then, shall we get started." She exclaimed in a professional tone, Her clear and concise explanation beginning.

From how Carolina explained it, Your Father owned a vast percentage of the City's small business', apparently He made a point to put stock in Small and Family-owned businesses, boosting their worth and giving funding to help get them back in their feet, You always knew that Your father disliked over globalisation, that He wanted Wallace to belong to the people, naturally, being as efficient and sharp as He was, He didn't double their profits, he didn't even triple them, hell He boosted them tenfold, this was one of the reasons why Wallace was such a wealthy city, it was partly due to Roman and Your grandfather's work.

Apart from that, Your Dad had his hand in real estate, he had men working on the stock market for him, not to mention having hundreds of thousands in Bonds leftover in the Family Bank, even without all of the external money moving in, Your Dad was sitting on a goldmine of clean, untouched money, enough for You to live for several lifetimes... and now, it was Yours.

"All proceeds are currently being in the name of Your father's Next of Kin, that being Diana, I will need to fill out some paperwork with You to get it all signed and sealed over to You, from there if You wish to go over things or change anything then we can go over that now or at a later date, though I suggest that if You do choose that course. Diana, as Your attorney, will assist in finding the best course of action. However, I must stress that Your father worked out a very efficient system here, it more than manages itself, alterations could throw that off." Carolina explained, Her tone very professional as she passed You a big old bulk of forms.

"Wow... that's a lot." You said, Carolina smiled

"I know, I know, seems a little intimidating, but I'll happily answer any questions as we go along, it's just the case of signing Your Name!" She said, clicking a pen and handing it to You happily, taking the fancy pen in hand You stood from Your chair, shuffling over with You chair in hand to Sit next Carolina, pulling the paperwork over, You grinned at her

"Here, the easier to Hear You." You said, Carolina's eyes flickered for a moment, You were close, but she didn't mind, she didn't seem to mind at all

"Oh well, dear Me... Okay then, Let's get started Mr Drake-" You cut Her off with an even deeper smile, Your handsome face looking down at Her

"Charlie, please." You said softly, Carolina flushed as her lips arced

"Let's get started, Charlie."