The Tavern

It is only within the last decade that monsters have truly come out of hiding. The process was (and continues to be) gradual, with the fear of humans being near impossible to dissuade. But these days, monsters of all kinds can be easily spotted almost anywhere.

To humans’ dismay and confusion, many monsters don’t follow the same rules as the mortals they walk amongst. Fae creatures like goblins and fairies, for example, have very little interest in the monetary system that humans have created. The Tavern considers this, often accepting trades as an alternative payment method.

Other monsters, such as demons and the nearly extinct mothmen, have been notoriously feared throughout history, though for the most part, all they seek is to live peaceful, unassuming lives. It was this wish for peace in her own life that pushed Grandma Lorelei to open the Tavern in the first place, and it has been a safe haven for monsters and misfits ever since.

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Reorganizing

Having watched the demon grow up, Marlon was no stranger to Lorelei’s mannerisms and proclivities; he found them about as endearing as he found them peculiar. It was not rare to find them crouched, scrunch-faced and focused in a corner, organizing and then reorganizing the same ten books until it “feels right”, nor was it uncommon to find them cross-legged in the centre of the café at midnight, surrounded seance-like by scraps of cardboard and coloured markers as they manically pasted together their ideas for new window displays.

His favourite of their strange behaviours, though, occured while they were the process of shelving books. It started as simple humming, a quiet tune, but it wouldn’t take long for them to burst into full, contented, likely-subconscious song and dance. It was in moments like these, as he observed the physical manifestation of their enthusiasm for their job, for the little things, for this wonderful place that was left to them by such an important person to both of them, that he reflected on how much the demon had grown. It happened so quickly, far quicker than the Mothpeople ever aged. And just as suddenly as they had become an adult had he become endeared to them, as well as to this time, this place, and these people. He still had his goals in mind, but never before, not even amongst the Moths, had he ever had a place to come back to.

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Lorelei's Office

Their grandmother’s ornate frames and furniture remained, but ever since taking over the business, Lorelei’s small office had become cluttered with candles, vials of rare and unconventional ingredients, and disorganized papers written in Lorelei’s precise hand. The demon might claim to remember exactly where all their things were kept, but at a glance, this may have proven difficult to believe.

What do you think goes on in there, curious customers asked each other. It was difficult not to wonder, with the strong smells of paper, peach and sandalwood that wafted into the café, and the occasional crash or clatter that could be easily heard from even the lowest levels of the building. To most, it would seem as though Lorelei prefered to keep their goings-on very private, always locking the door behind them when leaving and entering.

Under particular circumstances, though, Lorelei did grant access to those who may need the extra space… but still for some, the suspicion that they may be hiding something still crept at the mind.

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"...my friend, Via."

Charlotte was not always sure what to make of her friendship with Via. At a glance, they were quite opposite; in a word, Via was open. It was in her entire being to live openly. Charlotte was notably reserved in comparison.

She doesn’t know embarrassment, she found herself thinking when Via would casually converse with strangers at the bus stop, or flirt with a particularly pretty customer at the Tavern. She never felt inclined to be that way herself; she was nothing but content to be left alone, free to spend her time examining the intricacies of the Tavern’s paintings, the ornate bookshelves, the strange symbols and markings to be found in every nook and cranny. But despite her nature, existing next to Via was like watching life itself burst into every corner of her vision, a crackling pink and yellow against the darkness of a matte black sky.

It were these thoughts that spun in Charlotte’s mind as her skin pricked with the sudden sensation of the vampire girl's head on her shoulder. Against all odds, her friend, Via.

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Daydream

Despite being quite the obvious building, and on a main road no less, Lorelei’s Tavern does not show itself to just anyone.

Take Charlotte King, for example. She had lived down the road her whole life, and somehow, in all the walks she had taken past the store, she had never clocked it as even existing.

Until the day she followed Via inside.

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An Early Morning

It was 5:00 AM in Scarborough, and Caesar had made his way to the Tavern two hours before opening. This would be the first of many mornings that Lorelei would find him waiting for them to unlock the door.

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Flirting

For all the time they’ve spent in each other’s company, Charlotte had never known what to make of Via’s flirtatiousness. She was just like this with everyone, it would seem. It was just another facet of the vampire’s natural charisma, she had decided.

Though in moments like these, with the pretty girl in her lap like it was the most natural thing in the world, Charlotte couldn’t be so sure.

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