Ahh, chapter 3 ! Vee finally gets to meet Goliath.
I'm sorry if things seems to go slowly, I tend to begin my stories this way. But I promise things will get more interesting soon :)
By the way, the picture I'm using for this fanfic ''art cover'' is a drawing a dear friend of mine drew months ago. I have a link to the drawing on my profile ! So, yes, you can actually see what Vee looks like :)
Also I have several drawings of her and Brooklyn on my Tumblr blog (username : verothexeno). Feel free to give a look to them !


"Brooklyn! I was looking for you."

The red gargoyle had only set foot on the clock tower for a second and Elisa was already seeking out for him.

"We need to talk."

Uh oh. She was probably going to talk about Vee, no doubts.
Brooklyn tried to play it cool, leaving no place for surprise on his face.

"Heh, alright, go on," he replied.

She went straight to the point: "You need to be more careful when helping people. You can't just go into their house or talk freely about what you are."

"What do you mean?"

Elisa looked unamused.

"Look, a young woman came into our headquarters this morning and she told us that gargoyles helped her last night. She was able to describe you and even knew your name! You don't know who she is and what her intentions might be."

"Hey, I did the right thing, okay?" lightly growled the gargoyle. "She was loosing blood and had troubles standing up. She didn't want to go to the hospital, what else could I do? Leave her alone in that damn alley?"

The woman lifted her hands in defense.

"… I guess I didn't know the whole story. I'm just trying to protect you guys. I have enough troubles during the day, I don't want more during the night."

"I can look out for myself, thanks."

A low thump was then heard, a huge silhouette now standing at Elisa's side.
Brooklyn instantly recognized Goliath and soon regretted the way he talked to the human.

"You may have done the right thing," he began in a low, rumbling tone. "But a stranger is still a stranger, we have to be careful, Brooklyn."

"And I want you to meet her," rapidly added the young one. "I don't want her to be a stranger anymore… she's not afraid of us, Goliath. I know I can't tell everything to anybody and I said nothing! I saw her again tonight and she agreed on meeting you tomorrow."

"What?"

"Please, I'm not asking for much. If you judge that she's up to no good, I'll leave her alone. … But if you say otherwise…"

"I see."

The large gargoyle approched the other, leaving a hand on his shoulder.

"It is normal to seek friendship in other places. … It is hard to find kindness in this world and this is why I will trust this feeling of yours, for now. I will go with you tomorrow night."

"Goliath, are you sure?" intervened Elisa with a concerned tone.

The leader nodded: "We can't hide ourselves forever. We need allies, friends, in this cruel world. If we refuse to open ourselves to the city, how else are we going to know more about it and its people?"

The woman looked down, defeated.

"You're right. … I don't even know why I'm trying to contain you all."

Goliath lifted her chin up, showing a soft smile.

"Because you are a good person, Elisa. You care for this clan and its safety. If you want, you can accompany us."

The human replied with the same smile: "I guess I can do that before going to work."


Rain was pouring that night over Manhattan, making things hard to see at this time of the day.
Vee was standing on the apartment building's rooftop, wearing a now soaked with rain trenchcoat, even though she was holding an umbrella above her head. She almost regretted this upcoming meeting, mostly fearing to catch a cold than to see the gargoyles.
What was Brooklyn doing? Maybe he cancelled everything because of the rain? There's no way he could see anything with this damned weather!
The young woman sighed, looking at the sky one last time. She was about to head inside when she heard someone talking through the rain:

"Wait, Vee, I'm here!"

The red gargoyle landed near her, his whole self completely wet.

"Brooklyn! I was wondering if you would come or not! The weather's horrible, we shouldn't stay outside."

"… Do you have enough room for us all?" he questionned, gesturing towards a larger silhouette holding a smaller, more human, one.

Vee gasped at the sight. She guessed the bigger gargoyle to be Goliath. He was tall and muscular, his skin tone of a soft lavender color, contrasting with the dark brown of his long hair. The woman was then surprised to see the detective Elisa Maza, the cop she saw the day before at the police station. Although she knew the woman was friend with the gargoyles, Vee didn't expect her to be here tonight.

"Uh, I- I'll try to make space," she replied in an uneasy tone.


Getting them inside the building wasn't that much of a hard task as no other humans could be seen in the building's alleys at this hour of the night. But when Vee got to her place with the trio, she knew she had a bad idea about taking this apartment.
Goliath's head was almost touching the ceiling, his imposing frame taking much place.
Water was dripping from the group, a clear signal for Vee to go fetch towels and hand one to each, including herself.
She invited them to sit down, then going to her small kitchen and make water boil in a kettle.

She was scared. So scared. She didn't expect Goliath to be THAT imposing. And to see Elisa here too, she feared of being arrested for no apparent reasons. Brooklyn was a welcomed sight, but now that the others were here too, she knew everything was real and that her world was changing for something far more grandiose than she expected.
After asking her guests if they wanted something to drink – Elisa a coffee, Goliath some tea (which surprised Vee) and Brooklyn nothing – the young woman finally came back with her own drink in hands, tea too, and stood silently, her hands slightly shaking. Some hot water was falling on the ground, making her gasp when some fell on her foot. She gulped, not sure about what to say.

"You seem awfully stressed," began the lavender gargoyle in a low voice.

That remark made the human jump a little, trying to steady her hands.

"I-I'm sorry, I just … I guess I didn't know what to expect," mumbled Vee in a nervous tone.

"Heh, relax," added Elisa playfully, leaving a hand on the other's shoulder. "Nobody's going to bite you."

She was probably right.

"Where to begin?" wondered the young woman.

"Tell them your name and where you're from, that should be a good start!" answered Brooklyn with a soft smile, encouraging the human.

Vee was grateful for the red gargoyle to be here with her. Even if it was only their third meeting, she already felt at ease around him.
She calmed her thoughts, looking at Goliath with a heart-warming smile, presenting herself as she would for any stranger:

"My name is Véronique, although most people call me Vee. I am from Québec, in Canada."

"What is your business here in New York?" rapidly questionned Elisa.

"She's a musician!" Brooklyn said with enthusiasm. "She travels to many places and she plays that strange instrument … a saxophone, if I recall?"

Vee let out a small laugh: "Correct. But I haven't really travelled to many places. It's my first time getting out of my country for musical affairs. I got a contract asking me to play here with the New York philharmonic orchestra in December. … I'm a soloist for one of their pieces."

"What kind of music do you play?" asked Goliath calmly.

"Mostly classical. I have studied in that domain for over ten years. I also sing, if asked for it."

The lavender gargoyle sipped his tea, somewhat pleased with that answer.

"I think we will get along very well."

"What do you plan on doing after meeting the gargoyles?" asked the detective again.

"… Nothing?" replied Vee, somehow confused. "I didn't even expect to meet their leader tonight! I mean, three nights before I had no idea gargoyles existed and even were alive in this world. What would I obtain by revealing their existence? Fame? Money? … I'm sorry detective, but I have everything I ever wanted in life."

"What if someone threatened you for informations or offered you something you ever wished for?"

"… I do not easily betray my friends, detective. I believe everything happens for a reason. My meeting with Brooklyn wasn't probably by mere chance. For all my life I've believed in things that we couldn't see or thought non-existing. Life has finally offered me a chance to prove myself that all my dreams weren't in vain.

"Quite a lunatic," joked Elisa.

"Mostly an opportunist!" replied Vee. "I see this meeting as a new experience in life, a way to learn more about the world surrounding us. Our life is a symphony that needs to be written down not only by ourselves but with the help of others."

Goliath hummed a low sound of approbation.

"You speak with wisdom, Véronique. Without Elisa's help, my clan and I would have been long dead by the hand of our ennemy. We've also met other people along the way that helped us discover more about ourselves. It is thanks to the humans that we have finally discovered our true purpose; to protect those in need. This city is our castle…"

Vee smiled, a bit surprised by that answer. Goliath now seemed more serene to the human. Yes he was muscular and tall, but he now looked like a patient, strong, guiding figure that seemed to have experienced many situations in life. He looked like a real leader … who was now sitting on Vee's couch, holding a cup of tea.

Brooklyn cut the small silence hovering the place: "… So, what do you think of her?"

"I won't say anything for the moment, except that I don't feel her as a threat," answered the other gargoyle. "I think I have heard enough."

"That didn't last long," commented Elisa with a slight surprise.

"You're heading back into that rain?" asked Vee with concern.

"There is no other choice and Elisa needs to get to work," answered the lavender gargoyle, standing up once again. "… This will not be our first and only meeting, Véronique. In fact, I have to say I'm glad Brooklyn found you. He'll finally have a … quieter influence in his life."

The red one frowned, knowing the leader was talking about his adventurous attitude.
Goliath extended his hand to Vee to conclude their meeting. The young woman shyly put her small hand in his, surprised by his delicacy.

"Until we meet again. And hopefully it will be in a more … open space."

Vee repressed a laugh: "Yes, sorry about the place. New York apartments are not the best!"

Elisa took a last look at her before exiting the place with the larger gargoyle. She was smiling softly, her attitude clearly changed since yesterday morning.

"… If you ever need to talk about things, you know where to find me," she said. "Oh and thanks for the coffee."

The door finally closed, giving a chance for Vee to finally sigh and fall down on her couch.
What a night!

"Well that went better than I expected."

The human jumped, her gaze soon meeting the source of the voice; Brooklyn still sitting on the couch, by her side.

"Oh dear! I was so focused on Goliath that I didn't see you were still here…."

"Don't worry, I can be really quiet at times, it's perfectly normal. … I would prefer to wait for the rain to calm down a bit before heading out, if that's okay with you."

Vee smiled: "I wouldn't mind at all, friend."