This is where it all starts. Before man walked the earth, there were angels, then demons. Soon there were countless species, not including humans, though most of them preferred to stay in the shadows, humans moved to the forefront and the prey became the predators. Just as there was always conflict, there was also a safe haven for all things in the know of things that go bump in the night.

It started as a small cottage in a serene meadow where creatures of all sorts would laze in either the sunlight or moonlight. The keeper would deliver food and drink to those who desired it. As humans evolved, so did everything else. The forest around the meadow was cut down to make way for businesses and housing, so The Keeper adapted. At first, she decided on a bar because your more oblivious humans had a strange aversion to alcohol. Granted they were probably smart on that move, as it wasn't very good for them. Still isn't, but as the years passed, their thinking changed and grew. Unfortunately, they became ignorant too. This was a good thing for the creatures who preferred to stay in the shadows, away from the now dominant species.

The haven still exists in the form of a rather unassuming hole-in-the-wall bar that could be accessed from either a door in Chicago or any one of the numerous portals around the world. The inside is dimly lit but spotlessly clean. The bar itself was made of teakwood, a symbol of the eternity that the bar had been there and will continue to be there. It was enchanted so that any scratches, rings, nicks, etc. would wipe right off. Even with this spell, the bar felt old, ancient, even. The floor had been in since the ancient Babylonian empire and was a beautiful gray stone work. The Keeper kept the bar well stocked with old liquor, new liquor, beer, wine, and even blood for the vampiric patrons.

Though humans in the form of hunters did stop in, they were few and far between. They usually came in without an idea of what they were walking in to, so problems would often arise with them. The rules were posted in a few different languages: English, Latin, and ancient Greek were the main ones, but they were simple. No fighting, no killing, no business, and no maiming. If anyone broke the rules, they would be kicked out, though The Keeper would almost always give one warning and one warning only. Things escalate too fast for anymore. Most of the time, if someone needed to be escorted out (read: kicked out), it was typically other patrons that would do it. If for whatever reason you were escorted out by The Keeper, you weren't welcome back, ever.

The nice thing about being some unnamed nearly immortal species, was that you didn't need to sleep. Or eat, for that matter, but The Keeper would sometimes eat just because she felt like it. While others often referred to her as The Keeper, she took up a human name. During the last few centuries, she stared going by the name Ariella Thomas. She tried, anyway. Everyone either calls her The Keeper when they aren't talking to her, or Ace when they were.

"Ace! Another please!" The demon shook his empty glass at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Demon or not, patience is a virtue, Erin." She took her glass and filled it up.

Erin held her hand out expectantly.

"Say please," Ace teased.

The demon grunted. "Please?"

The Keeper gladly handed her the stiff drink.

She swung around on her seat and slid off back toward her table.

One by one, the rush slowed to a crawl, just in time for a demon she didn't particularly like to come sauntering through the doors.

"Azazel." She greeted tersely.

"Ah, sweetheart, how's your sister? Still missing?" He taunted.

"Don't think you'll be missed when you go missing." Ace set his usual drink down in front of him.

"Oh, you wound me, darling."

"I'll do much worse if you keep it up."

He laughed then moved to a table and started chatting up some other demons.

"What a creep." Ace turned to see a witch in the seat next to where the yellow eyed demon just left.

"Yeah, but until he breaks the rules..." she trailed off.

"What about unspoken ones? Or unwritten ones, rather?" The witch tilted her head.

"Hasn't even done that. I do have my own rules to abide by, and he knows it."

"What about that sister he mentioned?"

"Haven't seen nor heard from her in, what 2,000 years?" She shrugged. "I'm sure she's fine. What do you want to drink?"

"You'll find her." She glanced it the numerous bottles behind The Keeper. "I'm thinking some absinthe. The real stuff, not what they make now."

Ace nodded and filled a glass for her. "There you go."

"Thanks." The witch slapped a twenty euro on the bar and walked away with her drink.

The Keeper tucked the bill into the register. She checked the bar for any orders and when she received none, she started wiping the bar down. If she were being honest, she missed the meadow and her cottage. Now she was stuck in the middle of a large human population without her sister, working alone at this bar. Maybe she should hire some help. The populations of most species were growing to ridiculous numbers. She was already planning on enlarging the inside of the bar, as it wasn't that hard to do, but she wanted something else. She just wasn't sure exactly what it was. With that thought in mind, she finished cleaning the bar. Now she had to gather the dirty dishes. Yes, a chef would be great idea. There are just too many people to keep up by herself anymore.

When there was only a few patrons remaining, she went to work on the poster. "Chef wanted," it said, "Contact Arielle Thomas at The Haven for details". There was no contact info. Anyone who had business reaching her knew how and better yet, knew where.