Vera awake two hours later as she groaned slightly. Her head was throbbing and everything around her looked like a blur. Instead of being in Daniel's arms, she was laying on the ground. Quickly, she went through her purse, but nothing was missing. Everything was still there. Letting out a small sigh of relief, she turned to see a small vial of blood laying next to her attached to a fake rose. She picked it up and placed it into her purse. Slowly rising to her feet, she made her way down the tunnel, using the wall as an aid to help her along.

After thirty minutes of walking, she saw a ladder leading up to one of the hidden man holes above ground. She grabbed the ladder and made her way up. Carefully, she pushed it up and had a peek out into the darkness. When all was clear, she climbed out and replaced the cover. Upon standing up, she noticed that she was in the abandon part of the city.

"What the…?" She whispered to herself as she moved through the street, "How did I end up here?" She groaned a little and placed her hand on her head, "Remy should be close by. I'm sure he won't mind if I stick around for the night…because there's no way in heck I'm going to make it back to the hotel at this rate."

She was able to find the restaurant and slipped inside. Even though it was old and worn down, she was still in awe by the lovely architecture and faded colors that filled the building. It was hard to believe that something this beautiful had become a thing of the past. In more ways than one, it pained her. Moving through the maze of tables, she walked up to the dressing room door and tapped on it gently.

"Remy, are you here?" She whispered, then opened up the door slightly to see that it was empty.

She allowed herself to go inside and closed the door behind her. She looked across the way at the mirror to see that she had no reflection. Upon reaching the vanity, she placed her purse down and rummaged through it. It took awhile, but she was able to find her earring and quickly put it back on. In the mirror, she watched as she transformed into her human self.

"I wish I could see what I really look like." She whispered, then looked down at her wrist to see that the tattoo covered the two hole marks on the bottom of her wrist, but not on the top. She quickly looked around and saw a pile of Remy's clothes up against the wall. She dashed towards it and was lucky enough to find a very large long sleeved shirt. She quickly changed into that. She looked down for a moment to see that it went down to her knees. She nodded her head in approval, then grabbed a blanket and headed towards the table. She made herself comfortable on the couch before passing out from exhaustion and from still being light headed.

Remy walked up to the restaurant at about two in the morning. He had just come from playing poker at a local casino and his pockets were full of cash. Upon reaching the front door, he saw that it hadn't been fully closed. Staring at it for a few moments, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out three cards before entering. Nothing had been moved from within. Slowly, he went up to the dressing room door and gripped the knob tightly. The hinges squeaked loudly as he dashed in, cards at the ready, but he quickly stopped when he saw Vera fast asleep on the couch. He was able to control his heart rate as he put the cards back and closed the door behind him. He walked over to the vanity and saw her purse and dress on the table.

After hiding his money in a secret spot under a loose floorboard, he changed into a dirty shirt and walked over to the couch in just the shirt and boxers. He leaned over the couch to see her legs sticking out from under the blanket. He was able to see one of the tattoos on her ankle and caught a glance at one just above her knee. Curiously, he pulled up the blanket slightly to see a large dream catcher on the side of her leg between her pelvis and knee. It wasn't black like her other tattoos. This one was a nice brown color. It looked like it was a henna. He stared at it in awe. The detail was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. He was so transfixed by the ink that he didn't notice Vera awaking from her sleep.

Vera groaned a little. Her head still hurt, but felt better than it had when she arrived. She turned her head slightly to see Remy staring down at her leg.

"Why are you looking at my tattoo?" She whispered.

Remy quickly snapped back to reality when he heard her voice. He looked down at her, "Tis really purdy, Cherie. Ain't never seen art work like dis a'fore."

Vera slowly sat herself up, "My friend drew it for me. It started out as a henna…now it's a tattoo. I got it inked over once the dye started to fade. Guess I have dye and ink in my body because of it."

"Do ya have any others dat look like dis?"

Vera turned her back towards him and lifted up the hair on the back of her head, "This one."

Remy looked to see a beautiful snowflake on the back of her neck. While it was a light blue, the design was the same as the dream catcher; henna. He reached up and touched it lightly. It was very realistic. He thought there would be some kind of texture to it.

A slight shiver went down Vera's spin when she felt his hand on her neck, "My friend designed that one as well."

"Might have ta ask your friend ta make me a tattoo."

"He's really good at drawing." Vera released her hair, "He wants to make comic books and design story boards for cartoon movies."

"He's got talent, I'll give him dat."

"He does."

"Did he do any others?"

Vera lifted up the back of the shirt to show him the wings on her back, "He drew Castiel's wings."

Remy was in awe, "How long did dat take?"

"Don't ask." Vera pulled the shirt back down, "Not even one Benadryl would keep me out long enough. Had half of my back done in one day and the other half done in another."

"Ya really like dat TV show, don't ya?"

"Very much so."

"Wha' 'bout da one on your side?"

Vera turned her head slightly to her left, then placed her hand at the bottom of her rib cage, "It's the Evenstar from The Lord of the Rings. My boyfriend has Aragorn's sword on his back, along with the writing on The One Ring on his side. We're fans of the movies."

"I take it ya was drugged durin' dat."

"Pretty much, but at least he didn't need to be drugged, so he drove home while I slept...didn't wake up for about almost ten hours after that." Vera laid back down on the couch as she began to massage her forehead.

"Ya ok, Cherie?"

Vera shook her head, "Headache."

"Sadly, I don't 'ave anythin' for ya ta take."

"Don't worry about it. All I need is sleep. I'll be alright."

"Ya can stay as long as ya like."

"Thank you." Vera whispered before passing out again.

Remy watched her for a moment, then went to get his jacket. He placed it over her before grabbing another blanket and making himself as comfortable as possible on the floor in front of the couch. His mind kept him awake for about thirty minutes before he was able to fall asleep.

Later that morning, Vera sat out on the stage and stared at the painting before her. Just seeing the water made her feel peaceful and calm. She could see a few rays of sunlight coming in through a few holes in the roof and watched as they hit the painting, almost bringing it to life. She reached out her hand and tried to dust off the dirt that had gathered on it, only to find that the paint was starting to chip. She quickly pulled her hand away and sighed a little. She laid back on the stage and looked up at the colorful light fixtures. The rays of light hit them causing an aurora of colored lights to shine down onto the floor.

"It's so beautiful." She whispered to herself as she kept staring at the colored lights, "Very beautiful."

She raised her arm up and had a look at her wrist. The marks on the top had faded and were starting to blend in with her skin. She allowed the back of her hand to fall across her eyes.

'Why do I even put up with him?' She thought to herself as she heard the door opening up. She turned her head to the side to see Remy exiting the dressing room.

"Not a fan 'a da mornin' sun?" He asked her as he went over to her and sat down on the stage.

"Still trying to wake up." Vera pushed herself up and seated herself next to him, "Mornings aren't my thing."

"Think it's late mornin' now."

"Mornings are for normal people. We 'strange' people like to sleep in until late afternoon."

"So, how come ya ain't asleep?"

"Because my body's confused, that's why."

Remy nodded his head slightly, "I went ta see ya last night, but ya were gone."

"I went to see a play. I stopped here on my way back because I didn't feel like walking all the way back to the hotel. Didn't feel like taking a cab either."

"Wish I would have known. Ya could have came with me ta da casino an' watched me kick some ass."

"Is that how you make a living?"

"I play poker. I'm very good at it."

"Then, I'll be sure to never play against you…even though I don't know how to play." Vera stretched her legs out.

Remy took notice to another tattoo on her other leg just above her knee.

Vera watched him, "That's Zero from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Tim Burton is a great director and makes such amazing movies."

"Tis a ghost."

"A ghost dog, but he's really cute. Kind of wish he was real."

"Do ya 'ave anymore?"

Vera stretched out her right leg, the same one the dream catcher was on, and turned it slightly to show off a tattoo on the back of her lower leg. It was a tribute to Fili and Kili from The Hobbit with Kili's bow and arrow and Fili's swords crossing in the background.

"The Hobbit." She said, "Great movies, but the book was wonderful as well, just like The Lord of the Rings. I read the books before I went to see the movies."

"Got enough ink on your body?"

Vera shook her head, "Still want more…just need to decide what and where I want it."

"Don't go fillin' up all your skin, now. Keep some 'a your natural beauty."

Vera blushed slightly, "I will." She scooted to the end of the stage, then jumped off, "Well, I don't think we should sit around here all day. Why don't we go out for awhile?"

"Perhaps some food tis in order." Remy replied before jumping off the stage and landing next to her.

"Food is always in order with me. But, I would like to make a quick trip to the hotel and clean up slightly."

Vera stepped into her room and quickly went over to her bag. She fished around for some clothes until she found a long sleeved black dress, that went to her knees, and a pair of fishnets. She grabbed her combat boots, then hurried over to the bathroom as Remy made himself at home. Upon closing the door, she spotted a note sticking to the mirror. She grabbed it and had a look.

11:00pm Meet me at the following location.

~Aragorn

She viewed the address, then stuck the note on the make up bag, then quickly got herself changed. She clipped her bangs back with a The Nightmare Before Christmas hair clip, then washed her face off before exiting the bathroom.

"Alright, I'm good." She said to him as she walked towards the door.

"Wow. Dat didn't take long." Remy quickly jumped to his feet and followed after her.

"I try not to take forever. There's no point in making people wait for you." Vera replied as she opened up the door, "Now, where are we heading for lunch?"

"Just follow me. I'm sure you'll love it."

"Not really my style." Vera hollered to Remy over the sound of the music playing through the casino, "And, I don't feel like playing any games right now."

"We ain't 'ere ta play. We're 'ere ta eat." Remy lead Vera through the casino and over towards a set of doors that lead to one of the dinning areas. He pushed open the double doors and entered the lounge styled restaurant. He walked up to one of the tables and seated himself.

Vera was relieved to be out of the casino and into a more calmer area. While she was use to loud music at a concert, she wasn't a big fan of the music that was being played in the casino. And, to top it off, the casino wasn't really her number one place to hang out. She seated herself across from him.

"Wow. Nice cushy seats." She allowed herself to bounce up and down a little before getting herself comfortable.

"One 'a ma favorite places ta eat. Ya get a lot 'a food for a great price." He grabbed a menu that was sitting on the table and looked through it.

"Gotta admit, never thought I'd see a nice restaurant in a casino before." She grabbed another menu and had a look, "Woo…I'm impressed with the selection."

"Eat all ya want, Cherie. Tis on me."

Vera glanced up at him for a moment, "Wanna do something crazy?"

"Why did ya make me eat all dat?!" Remy groaned as the two of them walked down the street, "I feel like I'm gonna be sick!"

"Hey, you were up for it. And, it's called walking it off." Vera walked next to him as she looked around at the buildings for this was a new section of the city that she hadn't been to yet.

"I thought we was just gonna 'ave dessert! I didn't know we was gonna eat after it as well!" Remy paused and leaned against one of the buildings, "Dis sucks!"

Vera paused and stood in front of him, "Sometimes it's good to have dessert first. But, I didn't think the portion size was going to be that big."

Remy groaned as he slid down the side of the building, "I'm goin' on a diet afta dis."

"Having dessert every once in awhile isn't going to kill you." Vera grabbed his hand and helped him up, "It's nice to treat yourself. You should do it more often." She wrapped her arm around him and proceeded to walk.

"I don't remember when I last 'ad dessert…I don't even know what I had."

"Well, I'm very sure you won't forget this one."

"Believe me, Cherie, I won't."

The two of them walked for several blocks until they came to an upscale part of the city. Along the way, Vera spotted a mansion long the river. It looked just like the one in the picture she had received. As they walked past, she felt a piece of the sidewalk move beneath her. She glanced down to see the cement slab was slightly loose, which meant that the tunnel was right below them and that someone had already been here. And, she was correct for she could hear the whispers of the ancestors coming from below. She couldn't really make out what they were saying for the sound was a bit muffled, but she was yanked away rather quickly and noticed that Remy had picked up a bit of a pace.

"Remy…are you alright?" Vera asked him as she tried to keep up with him.

"Yeah…I'm alright." He replied.

Vera could tell something was wrong. She turned back and looked over at the mansion, "Do you know someone who lives there?"

Remy kept silent for a few moments before replying, "Maybe."

Vera decided to leave it at that. She was hoping that he'd tell her sooner or later, but if the medallion was inside that mansion, then there was a good chance that he might know where to locate it. She was beginning to think that he could become a trusted allie.