15733/A Most Unusual Bank Robbery

A Most Unusual Bank Robbery
Date of Scene:	27 August 2023
Location:	New Hope Hospital
Synopsis:	Jubilation Lee, the former mutant turned vampire royalty is in desperate need of a meal. Jacen Knight, the mysterious paramedic and jeans model, catches a burglar trying to break in to the blood bank at New Hope Hospital in Westchester. Whoever could it be....
Cast of Characters:	Jubilation Lee, Jacen Knight

---

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    The mortal maps draw Westchester, NY as a county just thirty miles outside of New York City. It's calm and breezy, a great place to raise a family, though it's not without that well-earned macabre undertone that many of America's early regions seem to have. Two hundred years ago, there might have been sinister tales of the Headless Horseman terrorizing Sleepy Hollow. These nights, however, Westchester has an entirely different sort of monster...

    ...And she's standing in the halls of New Hope Hospital.

    A young woman -- presumably eighteen years old -- stands in front of the hospital's blood bank, leaning up on her tippy-toes so she can get a look through the thick, glass window built into the heavy door. Only hospital staff and bodies destined for the morgue are allowed on this floor of the hospital. So why is Jubilation Lee down there...?

Jacen Knight has posed:
Wearing a polo with the hospital logo and a pair of specialized cargo pants, Jacen is moving through the hosital. Right now he doesn't have any pressing matters so he is coming up to check on a few of the potential morgue bound carts.

Carrying a clip board and reading as he walks, Jacen doesn't notice her at first. At first. Something draws his attention to her a moment later and he looks up at the young lady.

He raises a brow and asks,"Ya lost miss? C'n I help ya find where y'r goin'?" He friendly enough, but not everyone understands when he is talking to them. Hanging from his belt is a small, leather bag that just doesn't seem to fit into the setting. Around his hip she can just see a small trauma pack for quick response in an emergency.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation Lee has never been one to go unnoticed. In life, she was a living tribute to attention deficit -- boisterous, energetic, and always taking the long way if it's more fun. These nights, however, are different and call for some discretion. Jubilee comes off her toes and focuses again on the metal doorknob that won't turn.

    There's a faint click, a couple more, and then a frenzied volley. Clickclickclickclick. It's the sound of an amateur trying to pick a lock using a kit she got off Amazon. It stops only when she's interrupted.

    Jubilation Lee quickly turns around to face Jacen, trying her absolute best to block his view of the hook pick and tension wrench dangling from the lock just behind her. She looks up at Jacen, her eyebrows peeking up over the top of the dark, Ray Ban sunglasses she's unapologetically wearing inside the hospital... at night.

    When she turns, it's clear that she doesn't belong down here. She's too young to be a doctor and the tone of her voice rules out any possibility of her being a child prodigy finishing out her residency. It's more likely that she got up off a slab in the morgue and decided to take a little stroll. Her skin is pale and free of imperfection. Her dark hair falls to her shoulders, almost seems to shimmer under the basement's awful fluorescent lights.

    "Uhhhhhh...." is all she can say at the moment, totally-and-completely caught off guard. No one was supposed to be down here for at least another hour. She saw to it. She was /sure/ of it!

    "Uhhh...." THINK, JUBES. THINK!

    "Yeah...uh.... could you help me with this door?" she wonders, stepping aside to reveal her shoddy attempt to pick the lock. It's as though she's totally expecting this person to help her break in. Weird!

Jacen Knight has posed:
For a moment he is quiet. He studies the woman thoughtfully and raises a brow," I mean yeah, if'n ya got y'r card." he suggests, moving his hand to the card dangling from a lanyard on his belt, not his neck.

He doesn't appear to have a lot of keys anywhere, but his voice sounds like he would if she can provide it. His gaze settles on the door knob and the lock picks for a moment,"There's better ways ta slip a lock, kits that're almost's useful as the actual key."

There is nothing hostile about him, he is just looking wary.

"Ya gotta card yeah?" he asks trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. Sure that's probably being too gracious, but he's trying not to judge,"I mean it's not like most folks wanna break inta th' morgue'r blood bank right?"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation's cheery expression flattens. She folds her arms across her chest and looks away for a moment. Not only has she been caught, but her adversary seems to be taking his time with her. She secretly rolls her eyes from behind her Ray Bans.

    "Obviously I don't have a card," she answers with an annoyed sort of tone. After a beat, Jubilee reaches up and pulls her sunglasses down her nose a little, staring over them at Jacen, trying to meet his gaze.

    Jubilation normally keeps her eyes hidden behind those dark shades. There's nothing wrong with her eyes. There's two of them. Her eyeliner has been expertly applied with dark winglets drawn in to accentuate their almond shape. No reason to hide these baby browns. So, why would she ever want to---

    And there it is. Those eyes, pretty enough, sure, now seem like they could stop traffic. Piercing, velvety brown irises that seem like they might offer a comfort for all of life's troubles. It could be so wonderful to just submit to what they---- And, it's over.

    Jubilation suddenly turns away from Jacen. She quickly reaches up to push her sunglasses back over her eyes. She slumps a little as the life seems to just drain from her in an instant. Her mouth hangs open, revealing a seat of fangs that were previously hidden in plain sight. Jubilee seems like she'd take a deep breath right around now... if she still had functioning lungs.

    "L--look... I'm just..."

    Tired? Exhausted? Dead? She wouldn't be down here if she wasn't desperate for a meal. She had no chance of glamouring the Wrangler Jeans Guy on an empty stomach... and she tried anyway. She took her shot, missed, and made it terribly obvious what's going on. A rookie move.

Jacen Knight has posed:
He doesn't look amused or angry, but rather seems to be giving her the benefit of any doubt. There is a grim look on his face when she admits to not having the card. Before he can ask, she starts talking.

At first, her annoyance might spread to him, but for the moment he is calm. When she starts to lower her glasses he frowns and almost meets her gaze, but like something screaming in his head he blinks and looks past them.

Taking a deep breath, he exhales slowly and watches her. When she slumps he is a little more at ease, but the revelation of those fangs makes the ease throttle back again. Something more is going on here and now he knows.

Good sense says raise hell, but he crosses his arms finally and he asks softly,"Can ya drink anything other'n human? Don' make me regret askin'. Talk to me an' we'll see if I c'n help ya."

He won't be looking anywhere near those eyes again, but at least he isn't flipping out and pulling fire alarms or worse,"So...talk to me."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation closes her eyes and leans the back of her head against the white, spartan walls of the hospital basement. There's no mistaking what she is. Even those who aren't in-the-know with the supernatural would recognize her as the reason their dog is suddenly on edge. So, can this sudden display of weakness be trusted? Is it real?

    "Jeeeez, what are you even, like, talking about?" Jubes answers, her tone suddenly taking on the qualities of the Beverly Hills valley girl she used to be when she was alive. "...Drink human... How do you even, like, drink a human, mister?"

    Still looking away, Jubes slumps down again after a beat, no longer interested in carrying on the facade.

    "...Yeah..." she answers, suddenly a little more truthful. "....But, like, animals are..."

    Yucky? Gross? Less nutritious?

    "...embarrassing."

Jacen Knight has posed:
"Only drink human blood." he replies flatly. He isn't one to get riled easy at least. Crossing his arms he nods to her and listens to her grumble a little,"Right now I'm d'vided. Good sense says raise hell, but ya ain' done nothin' aggressive t'wards me'n we'll both be better off if ya don't."

He nods as he listens to her and adds,"Ah'ight. If get it fr'm th' proverbial blood bank like you were thinkin', not drinkin' it straight fr'm th' animal? Still embarassin'r is it jus' somethin' in general that's embarassin'?"

He watches her, not wanting a confrontation. She might notice that in his right hand is a strange, small piece of bone or similar. Not using it in any aggressive way, just rolls through his fingers like a coin or a fidget spinner.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Look," Jubilee abruptly speaks up, summoning some of the life that her curse affords her. It's not a command -- she's gotta be careful with those -- but just a turn of phrase.

    "/Hypothetically/... suppose I'm looking to get my suck on. There are, like, a hundred juiceboxes upstairs, just lying down in their safe, warm beds... /metabolizing/.... I could just walk upstairs --- no, wait -- I could just stand in the /elevator/ for thirty seconds... I wouldn't even need to walk up the stairs if I don't want to."

    Jubilation sticks her arm out and points at the heavy door that keeps her from the blood bank. "...And, yet, here I am... talking to /you/... the guy from the poster in my old dorm room...."

    Jubilation stops right there and gently shakes her head. "...Well, /that/ doesn't make any sense....I'd say I was dreaming if, like, I still did that..." She'd sigh if she could.

    "Look, mister, can't you just open the door so I don't have to go upstairs and make a mess?" Jubilee whines. "...Before, like, this gets worse?"

Jacen Knight has posed:
"Threatenin' th' patients seems a bit b'neath ya." he replies evenly. Still not getting too wound up, but that threat isn't a good thing. There is a sigh and he reaches for his keys,"Two pints. Take'm an' get th' hell outa here." he tells her darkly.

The key slips the lock and he tells her,"Any more than that'n people get suspicious an' then they put a key card here'n things get really hard to deal with. Nothin' rare. A or B, no AB an' no O. Get it?"

There is a hint of a smile and he shakes his head,"Didn' see a lotta posters, so thanks f'r that." he tells her with a little easier tone. He motions the door and points at the shelves,"Hit it'n git on outa here b'fore someone figgers out somethin's goin' on."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Doesn't bother me -- it'd be /your/ doing that would put them in danger...." Jubilation replies as looks up at Jacen on her way into the room being opened for her. Now on the other side of the wall, she can be heard rummaging through one of the refrigerated storage drawers that keep the town's donations preserved.

    "Besides....!" Jubilee calls out.

    She comes back into the hall holding a plastic pouch of blood in one hand and a plastic McDonald's straw from the phlebotomist's lunch in the other. "...Haven't had anyone complain, so far..." Jubes points out as she sticks the straw into the pouch like it's a Capri Sun.

    After five or six long, hard pulls from the straw, Jubilation makes a sound that suggests she's deeply satisfied. "Thanks," she adds, not bothering to open her eyes. Instead, she just leans back against the wall and closes her eyes while basking in her good fortune.

    "You know, I'd never be caught dead -- alive -- wearing those on account of having a sense of style and all," Jubilee mutters, still caught up in the warmth that blood brings to the cursed creatures of the night and continuing her babbling. "But me and that poster had some good times."

Jacen Knight has posed:
"Uh huh." he replies softly and lets the door mostly close incase someone else happens by. When she comes back out of the blood bank he closes the door and sets the lock again. His brow raises a little when she mentions complaints,"So that mean ya clean out completely or is there some kinda physical or psychological effect on people?"

He watches her drink the blood, not really overly bothered by it. He keeps a watchful eye open and shakes his head when she Capri Sun's the bag and starts drinking,"Y'r welcome." he replies to her thanks and watches her lean and drink.

"Yeah, prolly wouldn' be too flatterin'. They ain' meant ta fit snug, but there's a coupla ladies lines I hear. Less 'bout work'n more 'bout style with function." He smiles and shakes his head as he admits,"Well then. Reckon I'm glad y'all had y'rself some good times."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "I dunno. It's not like we're all the same..." Jubilation answers, shrugging one shoulder lazily. "But the short list of people I've honored with a hickey always want more."

    "I don't know what it's like on account of not being on that side of the exchange, but..." Jubilation opens her eyes and tilts her head off the wall, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed again. "Don't need to be a rocket scientist to know they like it. A whole lot of 'fang bangers' out there...." Her voice trails off as she makes a connection.

    "...A lot of them work at Hot Topic, if you could believe that..." Huh.

    "I haven't eaten the last bite of anyone's sandwich before..." Jubilee admits with a shocking amount of candor. "...I heard it's awesome! Still, I'm trying to get the word out. Anyone who leaves behind an 'empty' gets to see a sunrise!"
    "So, okay, like..." She's perking up, now that she's eaten. "What's the /deal/...!" Jubilation stops right there and sucks more of the blood through the straw, smacking her lips horrifically after taking the pull.

    "How does lookin' good in those jeans.../A/, land you a job in this stink hole.... and /TWO/.... be so cool about, uh..." Jubilee searches for the word. "...Well, you know." She opens her mouth and pretends to sink her fangs into an imaginary neck.

Jacen Knight has posed:
Not a rocket scientist by any means, he is curious to a fault and willing to listen and learn without much instigation. He checks his watch and tells her,"I've heard 'bout fang bangers yeah. Dunno much 'bout you'n yours. Mosta what people know they learned fr'm Dracula an' movies."

He laughs softly and shakes his head,"Cain' say I'm surprised 'bout th' Hot Topic sorts." he admits,"They gotta way about'm." He nods when she talks about stopping people from drying out others he nods,"Good f'r ya not ta let folks drink out. Good way ta get attention on y'r life."

There is a half grin and he tells her,"I'll tell ya what. I got 'bout thirty minutes left on m' shift. Down'n th' parkin' garage is a black late model F series pickup, second floor, slip 56. Meet me there'n we c'n go somewhere else an' I'll tell ya 'bout turnin' th' jeans campaign inta bein' able ta work'n about any hospital'n th' country and how I know about...Well you know. Someone's gonna come looking f'r me. Deal?"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Not just the attention..." Jubilee replies. "I mean, I /like/ attention... but... " She trails off a little, lingering on dark thoughts of happy memories. "I, uh.... I guess you could say I still play with my food. A bunch of contacts in my phone still have heart beats."

    A peaceful co-existence.

    Jacen's offer to take her for a ride in his truck draws Jubilation's eyebrows up and over the top rim of her shades again. A big grin forms. A big, fangy grin of abject amusement. "Woaaaah, woah, woah, wait a second, Mista Uhmerica Bloo Jeens!" She briefly shifts into a painfully awful impression of a Soviet-era teenage girl. Jubilation's smile turns into a smirk. She pushes herself off from the wall and points a finger up at the man.

    "I bet that works on all the girls in the Flyover States but, like, you're talkin' to a Westchester girl, here. So you got a truck and a crappy parking spot -- big whoop! I'm just lookin' to figure out why you seem all smarty parts and stuff, not lookin' to go park down at the levy... Or even find out what a levy even is!"

    Jubilation rolls her eyes for maximum effect and shifts her weight over one hip. "I didn't die yesterday, ya know! Not getting into some stranger's truck to be taken to Who Knows Where --- to go watch a sunrise for all I know..." She shakes her head and tosses the empty plastic pouch and straw for Jacen to either catch or let fall and starts walking for the stairs. After a few normal mortal-looking steps, Jubilation stops making an effort to make it look natural and slips into a more 'vampirey' walk. She's taking steps, as anyone watching would swear, but it's still as though she's gliding through the air with each motion more luxurious than the last.

    Still, she stops before the stairwell and looks over her shoulder. "Jubilation," she calls out. "Jubilation Lee. Jubilee."

Jacen Knight has posed:
Her reaction takes his mind away from her talking about a list of people willing to let her drink. He laughs...a lot. Not doubled over laugh, but he laughs. When she gets through her first bit he shakes his head,"Noted tovarish." he replies. His only Russian word really gets butchered in his accent.

When she turns to head down the hall he listens to the rest of her rant and looks down at the object in his hand. Sure he can see how easy someone might take that as a pick up line. So he waits until she is good and ranted and shakes his head.

If she can see the spirit world, she would see the spirit of a deer or the like. An instant later he crosses the space between them as she turns back to introduce herself. He stays just out of reach of course and he replies,"Nice ta meet ya Jubilee. I'm Jacen Masters." With that he takes a few backward steps and turns back the direction he was going to begin with,"We all got secrets, I jus' don' like showing mine'n places I might get caught. I dunno much 'bout levies either."