<i>Keep your head down, your mouth shut, and don't go poking around anywhere you shouldn't. Eventually, you'll begin to see the blurred line between reality and fantasy. When that starts… get out while you still can.</i><br/><br/>Weston, otherwise called West, grimaced down at the floor where blood was pooling. It wasn't his own, thank whatever god there may be, but it surely wasn't a pretty sight nonetheless. His gaze flickered up to the large, brutish man, who bore the resemblance of an orc in West's eyes. In hindsight, he realized that the man standing before him may very well have been an orc. It was the magic, or whatever, that blocked his perception, along with all humans, and prevented him from seeing the truth. But he was beginning to see the flickers… already he could generally tell the difference between an everyday human, and<i>one of them….</i><br/><br/>The words of his friend echoed in his mind from when he first took up work in the pub; now that very friend's blood was spread over the floor. "Are you going to just stand there and gawk? Have you got business here or not?" The orc-like man's voice boomed, making West want to jump out of his skin, yet he tried to block any outward reaction from showing.<br/><br/>Standing at nearly 6'4" and with a fit physique, West had been well-set to become a bouncer for the pub known as<i>Elf Shelf</i>. From the name he'd first thought it had some weird theme, but on first impressions, the place had no relation to elves whatsoever. At least… this was what he thought. Looking back upon his first weeks, he remembered getting another job offer for construction which he turned down. Knowing what he did now, he wished he'd taken it.<br/><br/><i>Too late.</i><br/><br/>"I was looking--" West cut himself off, realizing he was in a tricky situation. He wasn't sure what Riley had done to provoke them, but whatever it was, he was dead now. He wasn't sure how he knew it was his friend's blood on the floor, -there was no evidence that it was his specifically- but his gut was convinced Riley was gone. Swallowing a lump that formed in his throat, he looked up at the orc-man's face and took a slow breath, "I was told to come clean up in here."<br/><br/>"That won't be necessary," The larger, more imposing male responded, although he didn't seem like he would be an immediate threat from the way he relaxed his muscles and leaned against the wall behind him. "Get back out front."<br/><br/>He didn't need to be told twice. West spun around so fast he almost fell, and left back into the front of the pub. The sinking feeling in his stomach wouldn't go away, after what he'd just seen. Riley had been acting dodgy for the past couple of weeks, and now this. It only made him wonder what his friend could have been involved in that would have led to this. Stepping behind the bar, he grabbed a shot glass and the strongest liquor they had on hand. In plain sight of the bartender on duty, he poured himself a shot and knocked it back before pouring another. Despite him being on duty, no one gave complaint. This was probably because they knew, on some level, what he'd just witnessed. Thinking of that only made West want to punch the asshole who said, 'I don't know, he went in the back after his shift'. That mother-fucker probably knew all about it. Clint always did have a sick, twisted sense of satisfaction when watching someone else's distress.<br/><br/>"Hey, if you need to go home…" Louie, the bartender began, but West held his hand up to stop him.<br/><br/>"No, I'll stay."<br/><br/>"West…" Louie put a hand on his shoulder, genuine concern showing in his eyes. An irritating flicker showed West a glimpse of something unnatural about the man, but his mind tried too hard to forget.<br/><br/>He sighed softly and set the glass down, leaning on the counter with both hands supporting him. His head hung, and he took several deep breaths. "It's my lunch. I'll take a long one… clear my head. Be back in an hour, okay?"<br/><br/>"If that's what you need, man."<br/><br/>West grabbed his coat to stave off the cold winter air outside and slipped out the door, trying not to think about the blood in the floor in the back. He walked to the nearby convenience store and bought a pack of cigarettes; he wasn't a smoker, but by damn if there was ever a time he needed it, it was now. Standing outside with a lit smoke perched between his middle and index finger, his mind tried to process what he'd seen. Was there a body? Was his perception just keeping him from seeing it? Was there even blood? The more he tried to remember, the more it faded away. He swore under his breath and looked at the time, thinking it was time to go back.<br/><br/>It had only been ten minutes.<br/><br/>He wanted to groan but remained silent. West wanted to sink into the safety of his own little world, but something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was a woman. Once again, those tingling senses warned him she wasn't ordinary.<br/><br/><a class="username" data-user-id="83" data-username="@MintyMinx" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/83/">@MintyMinx</a>