The streets of Fells Point a historic waterfront neighborhood with many bars that happily accommodate the merry drunks celebrating one of many national holidays. The sound of yelling, laughing, and singing of the drunk crowd, drifts over the harbor's water. A small creature; part possum part cat, darts through the bunch of people. Chasing close behind it is Dai, an agent of the demon department. Damn it if I don't catch it, it will escape through the main street. Where the hell is my backup? She asks herself shoving a very tipsy guy into his friends trying to keep up with the small creature.
A young blonde woman stumbled out of the bad the Cat's eyes and fell on her butt on the cobblestone erupting into a fit of giggles. The small demon seeing the vulnerable human the creature screeches and changes the path from the main street to the human. The blonde turn to see the demonic creature charging towards her, which frightens her enough to scream in terror. It leaps towards her but right before it could harm her, it slams into an invisible wall. As it landed on the ground, the creature shakes its possum's shape head snarls and tries again but only to be stopped by the wall once more.
"Gotcha you little bastard," Dai call out pushing her way through the crowd her right hand with the palm towards the side, and five fingers close together. She lowers her ring and pinky finger down. "EGO TE AD INFERNUM." A small flame sparks on the ground and forms a circle around the little beast. Once the demon realizes what's happening, it gave out a loud and long shriek and coward away from the agent. The shrieking cause a group of people to look and begin to focus their attention to Dai, the small creature, and the blonde sitting on the ground with the look of shock plaster across her face. The flames begin to form a birdcage around the demon.
As it tries to find a way out the flames from the top of the cages, begin to lower down pressing on the shrieking creature to the ground. Once the beast sinks into the ground, the flame cage leaves a symbol on the cobblestone in ash. Dai blew a few strands of her blonde hair out of her face. Her brown eyes look around and realize there is a large group of spectators. Thinking quick she digs in her dress pants pocket it and pull out a portable bowl and unfolding it she lay it on the ground. She looks at the large group and takes a deep breathe to address them.
"Ladies and gentleman thank you for catching the last part of the show. You all had been a wonderful audience, now if you would like to help me keep my lights on in my crazy overpriced apartment donations is greatly appreciated. Just place them in the bowl." The crowd erupts in cheers, clapping, and others yelling that's the best magic trick they seen in years. Dai bows a few times and notices the blonde getting up. Dai walks up to her to make sure she's okay. "Hey, are you okay? Sorry I didn't mean to scare you." She smile at the blonde; the agent couldn't help but notice how attractive the women. With her long blonde hair tied in a braid and amaze how her makeup that made her blue eyes alluring and the shade of red lipstick makes her lips look so full.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She smiles at her while she dusts herself off. "That was an amazing trick; how did you do it?" She asks still a bit shaken, but her blue eyes show the fear sober her up.
Dai smiles and shakes her head sadly. "A magician can't revile her tricks. But," Dai move a bit closer the blonde can smell a hint of Sage off of Dai. "But if you like," Dai holds up a business card. "I can do a private show for you sometime. My name is Dai."
The blonde girl takes the car. "Names Sophie." She smiles, warmly at her moving in a bit closer.
"Sophie come on our ride is here!" One of her friends called out.
"Well, Sophie, see you later. Dai turns around and walks to her bowl to collect what people 'donated' in it, making sure to kick up the ash on the ground to break up the circle. As she bends down to pick up the bowl, she feels a sharp pinch on her rear, making her jerk up and spin around to see who done it. But with a lot of people walking moving around she couldn't see who the culprit. "Damn drunks." She grumbles and looks in the bowl to see at least fifteen dollars in ones and a red button. "Well," She sighs and gathers the money. "I guess I can get a cup of coffee and a breakfast biscuit." She stuffs the money in her pocket and makes her way to the main street.
It was the last call, and everyone is busy trying to get a ride to either to go to another bar, a greasy diner or just going home. After a few more tries, she was able to get a blue cab to pull up for her.
Once she climbs in the driver, a short Middle Eastern man asks her where she would like to go. Just by the smell in the cab, Dai can tell he is some kind of shapeshifter, but it would be rude to ask him what kind. "I'm heading to the central library."
"The library at this time of night?"
"I'm a security guard," Dai explains, pulling out earbuds.
"Gotcha." He said, turning back around and put his car in drive.
Dai looks out the window as they drive through the busy city. As some of the night owls, humans begin to head home to sleep from a long night of parting or getting ready for the early morning. Many of the supernatural population just getting off work and head back.
The cab pulls up to the front of the main library. "Alright, that will be twenty-six fifty." Dai handed him forty and told him to keep the change. Climbing out of the cab, making sure she's not leaving anything. She looks up at the tall white building of the central library as the taxi drove off. Dai lied doesn't work as a guard. But her office is located under the library away from the public's eye. She makes her way to the side of the building, making sure to make a stop at small moms and pops shop.
An elder were cats couple runs the shop. The old lady dress in green polyester smack and black dress pants, she looks up hearing the bell above the door ring. "Ms. Dai, how are you this morning?"
Dai wave at the white hair short woman. "Morning Peaches, I'm exhausted any type of coffee you can recommend?" The shop is small with the big fridge doors in the back of the shop holding the different types of sodas. In the middle of the shop is small aisles made of shelves that hold junk food, and basic household needs for the evening, or it's too late to travel. On the opposite side of the door is the coffee station with two pots of coffees, coffees cups, lids, and stirrers, various types of creams, and sugars to mix in your drink.
"Let's see if Georgie made a fresh cup." She walks away from the counter and limps to the back room. While she waited for her drink, the agent busied herself on getting a breakfast sausage sandwich and a cola for later she heads back to the front counter. Peaches came back in the front with a Styrofoam cup. "Here we are, Georgie, said this would keep you running for hours."
Dai gives her a warm smile. "Thanks, Peaches," She paid for the drinks and sandwich and head outside. "Tell Georgie thanks for the cup of Joe."
"Of course dearie, enjoy your day." The elderly woman wave goodbye as the younger leaves.
By the time the agent reach the back of the library, she finish her sandwich and takes a sip of the coffee the strong bitter taste made her wince a bit, but she still hopes that it will keep her up. Behind the library between two small parking lots are four small abandon builds. She walks to the, and a small shop with the words Tailor slightly faded off the glass. Taking a quick look around the small street to make sure no one is around to see what she is going to do next.
Seeing the coast is clear she uses her black dress shoe push on a white painted brick by the doorway and the plywood blocking the door lower down to the steps opening the entrance for her. She walks in, and as soon as she enters the small shop, the plywood barrier goes back leaving her in darkness. The darkroom is small with a counter at the very back. Making her way through the room, she made sure not to trip into the rotten floorboards. The smell of mold and rotten wood made her nose wrinkle. Behind the counter is a door that looks out of place in the decaying room. It was brand new oak wood with a key card slot above the doorknob. Reach it she pulls out a crimson red card and inserts into the door. Hearing a click, she pushes down on the handle and opens it to a small sterile room. Walking in and letting the door close, the room shook for a moment as a pleasant female voice chimed. "Going down."
Two sips of her coffee the room top trembling, and the voice announces their arrival. "Fifth floor, Demon Department."
The door opens to a long hallway as the overhead lights turn on one by one showing the ruby red carpet and cream color walls. Every few feet is a dark brown window door on either side with the agents' name printed in black on the glass. The carpet muffles the sounds of her shoes as she makes her way to her office.
As she opens the door to the office, Dai flips on the overhead lights to illuminate the room. Two cherry wood desks sit in the middle of the office. Each desk has a computer and a phone. But other than that their desk is night and day. On her desk are a few decorations she claims needs to be on her desk to help her focus. One is a pencil/pen holder in the shape of a tree that has holes for the tools once they were placed in it the pens and pencils that look like branches. A picture of her and Ray, Dai with her goofy smile holding up a cheesy peace sign with her fingers while Ray tries to look away from the camera. Next to the picture was a bobble head of the grim reaper. To the left of her desk above the drawers is a desk lamp in the shape of a lamp post with a very popular comic book demon slayer leaning against it.
Her partner's desk has a small black pencil cup with standard blue and black pens and a few red pens. She keeps her in, and outboxes organize and clear of clutter brass desk lamp with a blue lamp shade sits next to her computer. Ray wasn't really into displaying anything personal on the desk not since she read that people can take it as a focal point and sent a demon or a nasty curse after her. But something was off of her desk. They're sitting on top of Ray's desk is a large brown package tape close and address to Ray, her partner.
Dai sits on at her desk, sipping at her coffee and look at the package trying to figure out a way to open it without her finding out. She glances at the ticking cat shape wall clock. Knowing Ray only has a few hours before her partner and her boss, and coworkers arrive. Tossing the now empty coffee cup in the trash can she places the soda bottle in the mini-fridge set up against the other side of the office next to a try cart that contains a coffee maker and a box of a coffee's and teas packets, and next to them are a few coffee mugs. Getting the coffee pot started she heads back to her desk and begins to work on her reports on what happened tonight. She plans to finish it before the others come in for the day. But as she works, her eyes begin to droop.
A few hours later, a soft knock came from the door. "Hello?" Call out a deep voice. "Dai? Ray? Are you two in here?" Getting no answer their boss, a large overweight man with salt and pepper hair that begin to thin out on the top of his head, open the door to see who is in the office. Seeing Dai slump over her desk sound asleep. He chuckles softly and turns off the overhead light and close the door. "I'll check on her later."