14427/1st Impressions

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1st Impressions
Date of Scene: 06 June 2022
Location: Melville, Haven
Synopsis: The Chosen One meets a Federal Agent and mental alarm bells go off.
Cast of Characters: Leon Kennedy, Buffy Summers




Leon Kennedy has posed:
    They say that old habits die hard. Well, our Leon Kennedy never quite managed to develop habits of a police officer beyond his academy training, as he was a member of the Raccoon Police Department for oh, exactly one day, or was it night. But still, his time in the academy had given him a core from which to build upon.
    And tonight, he had decided to go out for a late night walk. Late night? More middle of the night. He had a weird life. He kept strange hours. It afforded him the ability to be up this late and note yawn his head off.
    Tonight, he wore a brown bomber style jacket over his clothes, nothing befitting a uniform, but he was well armed. As he approached R.A.B.E. Memorial Hospital, he noted how empty the parking lot was. "Must be a quiet night." He was more used to people having some kind of random injury.
    Little did he know that this was delivery day...

Buffy Summers has posed:
The blood bank would deliver to the hospital from their donations twice a week. Most weeks it went fine. But every once in a while, some vampires that were new to town or freshly crawled up from the grave would show up there expecting to get a van of free meals.

Thus, Buffy was here twice a week. Today was no exception. She was dressed in a pair of jeans with a blue top, a light sweater over it since nights could still be a little chill at times.

She had taken up a spot on the opposite side of the road. Sitting on a bench in front of a strip mall. Sort of tucked away a little so she can keep an eye, waiting for the blood bank van to show up.

She had her phone out in her hand and seemed to be scrolling through something.

Leon Kennedy has posed:
    Those in the know avoided hospitals on delivery days. And it was surprising how many people knew, without actually knowing why. It was just habit. Going to a hospital and seeing the parking lot virtually empty for example, someone with an issue that can wait until morning, might assume that it was short staffed, and so, they'd take some pain killers, and try again in a few hours.
    Leon Kennedy didn't exactly look like a vampire, but then, vampires didn't have a 'look', until they went vamp faced. He wore contemporary clothing, so that wasn't an obvious sign. He did seem confused, as he walked towards where deliveries were made. The cement was wet, yet it hadn't rained. Crouching down, he ran two fingers over the moisture. "Water, but why would they wash the parking lot at night?" Was it holy water?

Buffy Summers has posed:
Movement.

Buffy was on her feet, already tucking her phone away in a pocket as she quickly stepped off into the shadows. Easing her way along to the side, quickly crossing the street. Into the bushes. He might hear a slight rustling then nothing.

And if he followed his suspicion about the water, he might come across a sprinkler head. Hooked to a hose. Someone had hooked it up and left it in the middle of the parking lot.

Then the sprinkler came on. Spraying holy water in a circular pattern around the lot.

Leon Kennedy has posed:
    Hearing the rustling in the bushes, Leon Kennedy's head turned in a sharp jerk, but the sound ceased. Without moving his head, he looked left and right, checking the extreme periphery of his vision. Nothing stood out. A hand went in front of his chest, ready to withdraw a gun from the shoulder holster, but not yet doing so. It just looked like a defensive position.
    Slowly, and quietly moving, he kept the bushes he had heard something from in his periphery, but began to settle back down, looking around. And then the sprinkler came on, dousing him in holy water, probably diluted, but still, it carried the blessing of some holy order.
    He scurried away, as the water only made that floppy hair style of his even more pronounced, plus, who wants to get wet? "Oh, what the?"
    After he got out of the range of it, he expanded, "who puts a sprinkler in a parking lot?"

Buffy Summers has posed:
As he put his hand in that position, Buffy narrowed her eyes. Not really the motion of a monster but sometimes they carried knives and the like so it didn't clear him either. The only thing she knew for sure was this guy was not a vampire. Or a demon for that matter since they also reacted poorly to holy water.

Which left a whole lot of other things. Next test would involve silver and she drew out a necklace. A little toss and it was at the edge of the parking lot near the bushes. Even as she turned the faucet off and the spinkler stopped.

It was less than a minute later that Buffy walked up the sidewalk. "Where is it? My Mom is gonna kill me," she was muttering to herself then came up short as though surprised to see someone in the parking lot. "Sorry. I was looking for a necklace I lost. Silver with a cameo. Have you seen one?"

Leon Kennedy has posed:
    Kennedy was an expert when it came to knives, though knives made poor ranged weapons. Sure, you can throw them, but once you do, you kind of have to go over there and retrieve it to use it again. Bullets were single use. All he had to worry about them was running out of ammunition: which of course, was quite the issue unto itself.
    His jacket would dry off, eventually. It was summer in New Jersey, but it was also the middle of the night. And seeing a young woman approach him in a hospital parking lot was unusual to say the least. "Where's what?" He asked, his accent vaguely neutral. "Your mom? Is she okay?" His voice showed obvious concern for a stranger in need. It was soft and welcoming.
    Once he understood, "oh," and he began looking around. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a flashlight, which he began using to scan the wet pavement. The water made it reflective, so the necklace would be harder to find if it were out there. He began walking in a search pattern, thought that wouldn't be immediately obvious to someone without similar training or a keen eye for such details.
    "What's your name? I'm Leon, Leon Kennedy, by the way. Are you sure you lost it here?" He wanted to ask what she was doing, she didn't look injured, so decided to try vague support, "your mom's going to be okay." He was guessing she was the one who paid a visit to the hospital.
    And then he saw something. He abandoned his pattern to move and crouch, so he could pick up the silver necklace. It had some mud on it, wet from the sprinkler. He tried to clean it with his fingers at first, and then pulled out a handkerchief from a pocket, giving it a clean. "Is this your necklace?"

Buffy Summers has posed:
"I'm Buffy. And my Mom is fine. She isn't in the hospital. I was visiting a friend here earlier today and when I was at home, I realized my necklace was missing. I called the hopsital and searched. Was retracing my steps so it's a long shot," she explained easily enough as she started walking too. Around the parking lot, not too close to the man. She wasn't getting her usual warning signs of a monster but she had learned that wasn't foolproof either.

Interesting that he had a flashlight on him. Most people didn't just carry one of those around. She probably should be she had pretty good night vision so never thought about it. Why would he have one?

"OH!" She moved closer since he passed the silver test. That covered a lot of monsters between it and the holy water. She wasn't completely at ease but moreso now than on first sight. "You found it! Thank you so much! My Mom gave it to me. Said it was my grandmother's cameo though the necklace was new."

Leon Kennedy has posed:
    "Nice to meet you," he would have offered to shake her hand, but the distance made that somewhat awkward. "This thing must mean a lot to you," to have worried about it long into the night and searching like this. That or she was a college girl who kept strange hours too. In fact, that second one seemed more likely to him now.
    "I hope your friend is doing well too. They didn't happen to jump out of a second storey window, or ride their bike into a tree, did they?" Then he laughed it off, "old memories... of people I know." He added that last part, not wanting to come across as dangerous, or stupid.
    Still in his hand, he undid the tie with surprising finger dexterity. "May I?" He asked, offering to put it around her neck if she'd let him, though as she was still cagey, he would most likely put it in an out held hand.

Buffy Summers has posed:
It wasn't so much cagey as cautious. "I should clean it first. Who knows what got on it." She looked around at the parking lot then at the round sprinkler then back to the wet fellow offering her necklace. She held out her hand to offer the palm for him to place the necklace in.

"Good way to wash a parking lot, I guess," she comments.

Leon Kennedy has posed:
    He had tried to clean it with a handkerchief, but she might not have noticed, or who knows, maybe the young woman thought he had cooties. Plus, silver polish was better than a cloth with nothing but a bit of elbow grease. "All right," and he gently placed it in her hand, a little slowly. The chain brushed against her skin first, coiling as he was deliberately placing it in the centre of her palm, with the pendant portion last. "Careful now, we don't want you to lose it again."
    Looking across the parking lot when she mentioned it, "sure, I guess. I'm still new in town. Did you drive? I'm not sure these streets are safe at night." He was concerned about her safety, though it may put her back on edge, as a monster could be trying to ensure that she was vulnerable.

Buffy Summers has posed:
At that point, the white van with the blood bank logo pulled into the parking lot. Pulled up close to the delivery door by backing in. Driver and passenger got out and quickly moved to make the transfer, looking around nervously. Buffy and Leon get a glance from them.

"I don't drive. Buffy and cars are non matchy things." Even years later, she preferred to use public transportation or rideshares. It was best for everyone on the streets. "I walked over. I work kind of weird hours sometimes so it's not a big deal to me. But I should get going before my mother gets worried." She tucked the necklace securely in her messenger bag, a quick glance to be sure the delivery was going smoothly. Seemed to be.

Leon Kennedy has posed:
    When the delivery people gave him and Buffy a nervous glance, Leon Kennedy intentionally began walking away from them, close enough that he could keep an eye, but he tried to alleviate their concern, and hoped that Buffy would follow suit. "Non-matchy things?" He asked, face turning into a half grin. The way she spoke was adorable.
    "I don't know why the people from the blood bank are so nervous, but I think it's a sign that I should walk you to the nearest bus stop, home, or at least call you an uber. Do they have uber in this city? Besides, I couldn't live with myself if you lost that thing again." Yeah, how to talk him out of this? Good luck.

Buffy Summers has posed:
She followed. For two reasons. First to give he blood bank workers their space. Non threatening, moving away toward the sidewalk. Second, because she was pretty sure that this was going to be a smooth wrap. And thus she had no reason in character to stay. She had her necklace so should be heading home.

"We have Uber. Lyft. DoorDash, Uber Eats. Wait, does that count as Uber since it's the same company although it's delivery food instead of yourself? Nevermind. We have them all. I can order one." She pulled out her phone and swiped it open.

Course if he did stick with her, it gave her the opportunity to be sure he wasn't trying to lure her into a trap. So she went a little down the sidewalk.

Leon Kennedy has posed:
    He knew enough not to do half a job. If she was going to take an Uber, Lyft, or any other kind of pickup, he was planning to wait with her until it came, just to be certain. "Are there any good restaurants I should try?" He asked, as she seemed to know the lay of the land. He followed as she moved to the sidewalk, moving with her, even shifting so that he was on the side closest to the road. Just one of those things that he had been taught from a young age. If you're going to walk with a lady or child, put yourself on the side closest to the road. It was safer that way.

Buffy Summers has posed:
"I like the Waffle House." Which was a statement that seemed fitting for a college student at the wee hours of the morning. That was one of the best times for the restaurant, after bars shut down but students were still wanting to be out with friends. "It's cheap." Which was another reason.

She did list off about four other places. And all of them seemed to have that same low price point in common. Nothing fancy. Nothing nice.

She finished typing into the app then tucked the phone into her pocket. "Ride should be here in five minutes. I should be okay that long. I mean, I figure you have a life and things to do at this time of the morning."

Leon Kennedy has posed:
    "Waffle House, huh. I do like a good waffle." He could go for a waffle right about now, and might look it up after the ride showed up. He took note of the other places that she had suggested. "Oh, it's okay. I don't mind waiting." He was careful not to be too close to her. There was a fine line between being a gentleman, helping out a lady, and veering into stalker, or creeper territory. He wanted to very much remain on a nice guy making sure a young woman got home, safe and sound.
    Though he hadn't actually thought of a legitimate reason for his patrol. What reason would a man in his late 20's have for walking around in the middle of the night? He did suck at that aspect of espionage. It was so much easier to just shoot at your problems, rather than come up with a good story. So he decided to tell the truth, knowing it would come across as a joke. "Oh, just saving the world, one person at a time. Besides, the longer I spend with you, the longer before I learn if Bludhaven is the one city in America with warm water in its sewer system."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Mental alarm bells went off.

Buffy looked at him in confusion as she came to a stop. Still in front of the hospital. The blood bank van pulled out slowly, the same driver and passenger that had been in it originally. It pulled off and disappeared down the street. Which meant her work here was officially done for now.

Except this guy. "Why would you be in the sewers..." Then she paused and added. "And did I miss you telling me your name?"

Leon Kennedy has posed:
    Darn, she would have to take it as if he was being serious. He tried to laugh it off, reaching up to run a hand through his dishwater blond hair, which immediately fell back into place after he disturbed it. But for a brief moment, his baby blue eyes lit up. "Sorry, I've got a bit of a twisted sense of humor." He had told her his name was Leon Kennedy, while she had only introduced herself as Buffy, but he was happy to tell her again, "Leon, my name's Leon Kennedy."

Buffy Summers has posed:
"Leon. Got it now. Though I probably won't remember in five minutes. I'm like a goldfish," Buffy said since they were known for having short memories. She continued to watch the street mostly, glancing at him from time to time. It wasn't long before a Honda came up the road and slowed to stop in front of them. The woman in her 30s rolled down a window. "Good morning. Are you Buffy?"

"I am." And she moved to get in the car. A glance back. "Thanks, Leon. For the help with the necklace." With that, she hopped in the front seat of the ride share and they were soon gone to her destination.

About two blocks over. Which took about a minute to reach. And an odd look from the driver but Buffy had put a nice tip on the ride so she just accepted.

Leon Kennedy has posed:
    "You know that's a myth about goldfish. It's just something that parents tell their children when they ask if the bowl is big enough." Which may have been Buffy. Claims to have a bad memory, but that could be a myth too. Either way, she was soon gone, and he would resume his patrol, on foot, though this time perhaps with a silent stalker, watching from a distance, observing. He wouldn't encounter anything problematic, so his patrol, and hers, if she followed, would be a wash. Were she to continue it until he went home, she would track him down to an apartment at 1013 Parkthorne Avenue.