Chapter 10- Special Interest
Tom lifts his head up to look over the rim of his hat into the dark stormy sky. Tuck under his arm ia a wrap groceries and a bag carrying a small poultry thrown over his shoulder.
As he makes his way back to the town house he stops in front of a special interest store. The exterior is no different than any other on the block besides a banner in the window marketing exotic gifts and ointments.
A smirk grows on his face that reassembles the young troublemaker that still lingers inside of him as he recalls reading about such items in a book while he scavenged Nemo's library not long ago. It was during the week after Christmas and before New Years Eve when Mina was not talking to him because of the stolen kiss in the dark room. How much has changed in a day, now in the present they have gotten over and became more than he ever imagined.
Making his decision to put the knowledge from the book to us her walks up the steps to the door. The first thing to hit him is the scent of sandalwood from a burning stick in a holder on the front desk that accompanied along with the rest store in clutter of unusual things.
Behind the desk a woman is trying to place a box on a shelf taller than her, as she began to lose balance she releases a yelp as pair of firm hands grabs a hold of her until she steadies herself and turns around.
The woman revels to be the same decent of Nemo that gives Tom relief with his reasoning in the store.
"Hi," Tom takes a deep breath before asking for the specific items he has in mind.
Skinner's eyes flutters open to a bare hairy back and his legs up in the air, "This isn't what I paid for."
Hyde stops at the sound of the recognizable voice accomplice by the smack of open hands on his back. He slips the invisible man's legs over his shoulders making him drop on the ground.
"Ouch," Skinner stands up while rubbing his head. "You know I already was knocked out once tonight."
"What happened?" Hyde leans his face at Skinner's level with a misfit smirk.
"Well I don't really know I was getting stiff as a tree then….I don't remember," Skinner's hand rubs his head in confusion.
Hyde nods his head forward, "C'mon I need you-"
Hyde's works cut off as his body begins to spas in mutation back to Henry.
"I'm afraid I have absent minded left a file at my office," Steed says after his tour of the navigation room.
"I will have one of my men drive you back-"
"-No." Steed says quickly to Nemo's offer in a nice but certain manner.
Under his long beard Nemo hides a smile on how represed the Victorian culture is in technology so much that the uncertainty scares them. "Very well," Nemo holds his hand out to direct Steed out the double doors, "I will see you to your exit and we will continue the tour in your return."
Tom turns back as he opens the door and nods his hat in thanks to the woman as he exits down the steps with a small brown bag peeping out of his coat pocket.
A bitter breeze hits him causing him to shiver before walking brisk back home in hopes to put all he had purchase in to good use tonight.
A minute after Tom passes the ally way Henry walks out wrapping his arms around him self to keep the small coat over his bare mid drift as a pair of pants and snow cover shoulders follow him.
"So this girlfriend of yours-"
"-She's not my girlfriend Skinner!" Henry snaps at him as he leads him to the location not far ahead of them.
"Ok the woman who you had romantic interest in that was your formal maid and now you are now making me risk my ass for…..a cold ass right now by the way!" Skinner yells out giving attitude.
"Shhhh," Henry looks at him with a finger up to his own to lip to indicate the need of silence as they stop behind the corner of the last building before a four way street with only one gas lamp to illuminate the intersection.
The sound of someone walking in the snow on the empty road is heard as Steed comes in to the light of the lamp and briefly leaves it in a hurry down the road. Just about an eighth of a mile away from the intersection he passes a bundle up woman carrying a medical bag. Steed as a gentleman nods his head as he passes her by. But Mary determination keeps her from noticing him.
As Steed continues on further down the road the sound of snow falling off a roof causes him to stop. He glances around to see nothing but buildings closing and snow softly falling at accelerating rate. He continues on unknowing of the blond woman watching him from a rooftop before flying off to follow him as a cloud of bats.