Tekeshi had never been uncomfortable in his own skin. He also had never looked so radically different to himself before. Even masquerading as white, it was still close enough to his natural skin tone it wasn't shocking. He had never been black before.
He looked down at his hands, and hoped he wasn't looking too weird. The whole morphing thing made sense in the context of a five thousand year old demigod who had seen almost all the major empires rise and fall from a front row seat. For a seventeen year old who had only figured this whole thing out about four or five months earlier, it was a major wrench in the mental faculties.
He looked back up at his surroundings. Northern Ireland, seemed British in a way. He heard Ireland, and he thought that there would be more green flags, and leprechauns. Honestly, he hadn't even come across any yokai yet. Of course, when he went through his mental library of history, he remembered that the people here had mostly been British colonists, and had remained closer to England when they were granted their independence. Or were they independent? Tekeshi had never really paid that much attention to politics, only laughing when people found obvious results from elections an unreasonable surprise.
Two days he had been here, and of a substantially different appearance, without being able to figure out where this facility was. He had mostly just hung around pubs, listening for any kind of weirdness that might give it away. The disappointment and irritation was becoming the primary fuel for him.
"Another jar," the server asked him.
"No thanks, I'm not feeling that great, so I think I am going to head off," he said, actually feeling a little tipsy.
"That's a shame. yer seem a wee oyt av sorts, loike yer ain't even comfortable in yisser own buff," was the reply, with the man sitting down at the table with him.
Tekeshi was having to wonder if there was just some rule in the world that waiters and waitresses had to sit down with troubled customers. He really wasn't interested in the company, but he wasn't sure how to get out of this conversation.
"A little bit, I may have caught something on the plane. Uh, what is my tab," Tekeshi hoped that might get him out of things.
The waiter didn't even blink, "Score foive quid. Dare is a doctor dat 'as dead on prices for tourists dat nade ter be checked oyt raun de corner."
"Uh, I don't think I need a doctor. Probably just a good nights sleep."
A woman with the brightest pink hair that Tekeshi had ever seen, and more drunk at one in the afternoon than he had ever seen, sat up and looked at him, "Dun feel bad, a gewd couple people dun feel rite in their bill skins. People say dat yous need ellp, but wa' yous need is ter find someone oo tinnie ellp yous cotton ed oo yer."
The waiter looked over with a stern look, "Lady, yer 'av been towl dat if yer keep botherin' other customers wi' dat auld drivel, yer were gonna be banned."
"Yer all juss a bunch o' transphobic assholes. Wa' else could it arl bottle and glass fe 'im not ter feel comfortable in 'is skin? Maybe we should ask 'im?," she returned, confusing Tekeshi at first.
Transphobic? What did she mean by that? He had... oh. He hadn't ever met anyone like that before. It was a popular thing at one point, but then the world had moved on, and it more or less just went back to being part of society, and not a rallying cry. He wasn't quite sure how to approach telling her that he was definitely not.
Thankfully the waiter stood up for him, "If yer man is, den dat is 'is business, not yers. Oi'm not puttin' anyone oyt on blast dat isn't puttin' themselves oyt. Consider dis de last straw, git oyt, an' stay oyt or oi 'ill 'av de peelers remove yer. "
"Sound. Yous misogynistic douchebag. Ay 'ope dat someone bns down this soppee shithouse. Ay wul make se dat people kun about 'ow yous feel about de oppressed," the woman got up, very unsteadily, and stumbled out the front door.
The barrman gave the waiter a look, "Go ahead an' let de cops nu dat dare is a trollied doll tryin' ter stir up trouble, William," he turned back to Tekeshi, "Oi'm sorry aboyt dat. a few av dohs type are still loike a blue. Oi don't tink they realized 'oy much trouble they actually caused for de people they tart they were 'elpin'. Oi don't care if yer are, jist don't make gollier dayle av it. Eric Quinn."
Tekeshi watched as the man extended his hand, "Alexander Cosgrove, and I'm not. I haven't ever met anyone like that before in my life. God, just the hair on her would make a person run... wait, did she have an Adam's apple," Tekeshi suddenly realized.
"Yeah. loike oi said, oi don't care, but oi 'ill in me brown be a straight up deck aboyt. Yer man is puttin' de effort in, so oi 'ill indulge 'imself. Thankfully they are few an' far between. Whaen oi wus a sprog, yer couldn't go cock an' 'en meters withoyt seein' wan, dat wasn't dat passin'," Eric said with a shrug.
"I, don't want to imagine it," then he shivered as he realized, "The scary part to me is, she, uh, he, it? They didn't look that bad. I, may have another beer."
Eric reached over and slapped him on the shoulder a couple of times, "Don't fale too brutal. Dohs dat yer canny tell 'til yer jist realize it cause confusion an' chaos. Sadly we 'ad ter learn she 'ad gone al' de way whaen an asshole decided ter pull 'er skirt down last week. De owner almost banned 'er den jist ter snooker further trouble, but oi convinced 'imself dat it wud be better ter let 'er 'ang 'erself, than git a lawsuit," he got up and returned in a moment with another drink for Tekeshi.
"What do you mean by all the way," Tekeshi wasn't sure that he wanted an answer to that question.
"Let's jist say she ran oyt av sausage, an' isn't gettin' anymore," the Irishman said, making a snipping motion with his fingers.
Tekeshi wasn't a sheltered child. He was the leader of a street gang, a small time rock star, and the most powerful being on Earth. He had lived in a large city, and he may have passed who knows how many of these people in his life, and had never known or cared. Being confronted with the realities of it, was more than a little shocking.
"Uh, now I really need the drink and a lay down," he said, as he brought the glass up to his lips.
"If yer loike, oi can git yer a can av tomato juice as well. Dohs pearly whites tell me yer might fale better after dat," Tekeshi nearly sent the cold drink of beer out over the table several degrees warmer.
Once he had swallowed it, "I, hyuck, don't know what you mean."
"A wee lay-ra in de day, an' yer might 'av a few words wi' sum other vampires. We 'av a gran' few dat frequent us," Eric said with a kind smile.
That was the last thing that Tekeshi wanted. He had specifically been avoiding vampires since all of this began. It seemed like the default for any that weren't related to him, was to drop to the ground and worship the very ground he walked on. He didn't like that. He didn't care if he was the focal point of vampiric existence now, he did not like the worship.
"I would rather avoid that, unfamiliar vampires meeting each other often leads to conflict as a greeting, and I don't want to end up damaging this establishment," Tekeshi hoped that he could get away from here quickly now.
"Norn Iron is still Oirlan'. we may 'av a few more Sasanach born in dis part, but dat doesn't mean we ain't witness ter a few brawls from sum meatheads dat git a few ter many shorts in dem. 'Uman or fae," Eric waved his hand dismissively.
Tekeshi liked that the man had some really good manners, but he really wanted to leave. He thought furiously of a way to get out of there without being rude. He wasn't the best at social situations, and it was obvious that he hadn't gotten that much better since he was a kid.
A loud, heavy voice came from near the bar, "Wot the hell are yee deeyuhn on yor arse? Thor are customers waitin on drinks, an' ah divvint pa yee tuh chit chat. The strumpet that comes in at neet gets that honor."
Eric grimaced, "Dat artifishal tart started in on 'imself. it 'ad 'imself a wee shuk up, so oi wus makin' sure she wasn't runnin' business aff."
"Ah knew ah shud hev telt hor tuh hike it when ah saaw that skengin dye job. Ah apologize fo' that, ah try tuh run a decent establishment, but sum iv those relics still find a wa tuh cock it up. Tek a drink off eez bill tuh myek up fo' it," the owner said as he approached the table, "An' then git yor arse movin. Unless yee want tuh sit on yor arse at that tyeble withyeut gettin a check."
Eric gave a strained smile, "Aye sir. It wus nice meetin' yer Mr. Cosgrove. oi 'ope yer git ter feelin' better, an' fale free ter stop in any time for a draink."
Tekeshi handed over a few bills, and told them to keep the change. Once they had gotten to the other side of the building, he slipped out. Eric had been nice enough, but he talked too much for Tekeshi at the moment. Not to mention that he had given him information that he really could have gone the rest of his life without knowing.
As he made his way down the roads to the outskirts of Bangor, he felt a tinge of something. As he stopped he realized it was a weak yoki aura. He found himself at a bit of a dilemma. He really needed to stop finding lost puppies, and sending them to his family. Yet there was a much stronger part of him, that made him unable to walk by without checking it out.
"Is this from what I seemed to have gotten of Shinso's personality, or is this from how Aunt Yukari raised me? Either way, I should go see," he said to himself as he started walking down an alley towards the feeling.
It wasn't an inviting place. It was everything but inviting. The smell alone almost made him run the other way. He knew what a rotting corpse smelled like, and was surprised that the place wasn't covered over with cops. He really hoped that he wasn't about to come across it.
"Oi'm sorry mister, but oi... nade... ah, dis wus dense," the weak feeling was the strongest it had been.
Tekeshi turned around, to see a scrawny girl there. She was dirty, malnourished, and her clothes were torn, to a degree in some places revealing things they shouldn't be. She was about his age, maybe two or three years younger. She was also a vampire, which made her condition strange to him.
In all of his life, he had never heard of a destitute vampire. It may have been that he had never had a reason to, but he thought all vampires had a house, or clan, that they belonged to, and helped provide for them to a degree. She was a definite outsider.
"I guess you already figured out who I am, so no point staying in this guise," he said as his skin lightened, and his facial features went back to normal.
"Yer... oi'm so sorry. oi'm jist so starval, oi 'enny 'ad anythin' ter ayte in days, an' oi 'av barely been able ter keep from passin' oyt. please don't kill me for insultin' an' threatenin' yer," she pleaded as she fell to her knees.
This was the exact reason he did not want to see any other vampires. It was like they had some sixth sense to know who he was automatically. Not to mention some compulsion to do exactly like this girl was doing now.
"Just get up. I'm not going to hurt you. God, I don't think you could have hurt a human like you are. Come on, on your feet. We are going to have a chat, and you are most likely about to have a much better life, because I seem to have an obsession with good deeds, and giving my old man more work," he reached down and gently stood the girl up by her shoulders, promptly averting his gaze from a rip across the chest area of her shirt.
She trembled, " Me lord, oi wud never 'arm a 'uman. Oi couldn't tink av it, De covenants wud clap me 'unted down. Oi canny appayle on yer for any more mercy than me life."
"Please don't go all formal, it feels way too wrong. I'm seventeen, and not your Lord. Just, what is your name," he asked, hoping that she would finally act her age.
"Maggie, Maggie Clark. Please, 'av me body in penance. So'tiz al' oi 'av," she said as she moved to start taking her clothes off.
"Ok, we are hitting the brakes there. This is not happening. I have a girlfriend, technically two. Even if I didn't, I would probably kill you with the shape you are in. Rounding it out, just, that is way wrong on so many levels. Look, Maggie, I'm Tekeshi. Tekeshi Aono. Are you from here, and where is your family," Tekeshi liked the power that let him seemingly pull random items out of thin air so much more at the moment, as he produced one of his jackets to wrap around the girl.
She looked down at her bare feet, "Dead for a year. They made a dayle wi' Fairy Tale ter 'elp dem git stuff in an' oyt av de auld 'ospital in Derry, an' whaen they weren't able ter anymore...," Tekeshi didn't need to hear anymore as she trailed off.
This was a stroke of luck in all honesty. He hadn't been to Derry yet, so it was no wonder he hadn't found hide nor hair of Fairy Tale's operation. He hadn't actually been to any other cities but Bangor. He wouldn't have expected them to be working in the second largest city in the country.
"Maggie, I could almost kiss... put those lips away. I'm not kissing you. Oh God, there has to be a way to turn this off. Look, for right now, come with me. I have a camp out in the sticks, and I have some blood there. You, probably need all of it looking at how bad you are. Come on," with that he led her out of the alley.
It took about half an hour for them to reach where he had set up in the woods. The clearing was just big enough for a tent, and the war machine Buick, with some space for a person to move around. As almost everyone did, Maggie looked questioningly at the ancient car. He probably did need to find a less conspicuous ride, now that he wasn't getting in highway gunfights in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.
He walked over to the car, and pulled an electric cooler out of the backseat. There was nothing worse in the world, than congealed blood. Thankfully, the batteries were rated for seventy two hours, given that it was one designed for carrying donor organs, just in case the transport vehicle had an accident, and it took time to recover the organ cooler.
"Here, suck this... don't get on your knees. Just sit down and drink the blood. I swear, did your mind stop in the gutter, or go all the way down to the sewers? Once you finish that, I will give you another. Now, in between drinks, what can you tell me about this hospital in Derry," Tekeshi was convinced he had just found Machiko her new best friend.
As the girl drank deeply she managed to get out, "Not much. Mom an' Da didn't want me anywhere near any av waaat they were doin'. They were 'opin' ter make enoof chicken's blow, ter move us oyt an' down closer ter Dublin. Whaen they were gone, they lef me 'ere in Bangor."
"So, have you ever even seen the hospital? Do you know where it is in Derry," he asked, not expecting much now.
"Whaen oi wus a wee lassy. Foive or six years auld. Oi 'enny been ter derry since den. Oi only nu dat wus wha they were 'eadin' cos oi cud 'ear dem blather at noight," she replied as she finished the bag off, and Tekeshi handed her another.
He grimaced at the lack of info. Information was power, but so was a fully automatic .338 caliber rifle. They were just two different types of power. Which he quite possibly was deprived of both. Fairy Tale tended to work outside of cities to avoid too much attention. This meant that there usually wasn't anyone besides their people close enough to hear the gunshots.
If the hospital was in the middle of a city, he might not be able to go in guns blazing like he had been in the past. Aside from a police response, there were too many people in the case a stray round found its way outside. It wasn't like he actually needed the guns, but they made things easier. Less, personal.
He thought back to the gorgon he had killed in Thailand. It had been haunting his dreams in the last few days. The thought of slaughtering people wholesale with his bare hands shouldn't have bothered him that much. That was how vampires were supposed to do things. It had to have been just the coldness, but even that wasn't out of the ordinary for a vampire.
"Uh, Me Lord, may oi 'av another wan," he was brought back to reality by Maggie tugging on his sleeve, the empty bag held out to him.
He sighed as he handed her a third. This one was going to take the cake. Nalin had been a bitch. Uh, what was her name, the orc woman had just been a worried mom. Now he had found a stress perverted sycophant vampire to send his folks, What kind of collection was he making here, and was he in any danger from Utsuki from said collection.