Irene
Irene looked over the paperwork handed to her at entry and the permeating smell of medicine in the solemn hall, sliding her gaze impatiently at the doors across from it. The concerns of accountability and cost were lost on her in comparison to worry for Julius, and they would continue that way until she managed to see him. But it was a fact the ramifications of the encounter went beyond the two of them, or their justice in opposition to the other woman. The vampire looked at the end of the hall, where the owner of the store was tiredly speaking to a policewoman and rubbing blearly eyes below his glasses.
To hear the people in question say it, by the time the police arrived to the store, the crooks had already cleared out. Maybe it was for the best that they didn't stick around to mess with the kind of people who included that witch. Irene didn't expect them to be able to deal with her anyhow, but the more she saw of this place, the more her understanding chafed.
People didn't ask for your race on admission to a hospital in these terms where she came from, and they certainly didn't ask if someone in dire straits had been the victim of magic before anything else. It was very helpful of the man, who'd been the original victim in that situation, to accompany them this far and walk her through some of these distinct assumptions. But the offputting chill in the back of her neck did not lessen with the realization the hospital was owned by a medical research corporation.
Hurried taps echoed on the grey floor, following a team of nurses rushing a tubed patient past the center of the corridor. As they vanished around a corner, a softer set of steps replaced them. Irene saw the owner's thin shadow stretching along the wall next to hers as they stopped next to her, offering her a wry but measured smile.
"Excuse me, Ms. I hope you've been taking your time digesting the proposal. I can answer any questions in filling it that you may have," he said, hands disarmingly loose to his sides. In contrast to most of the personnel running around, his outfit was dark rather than light, and a more formal affair, complete with a tie, not the vests of someone caring to the injured.
Irene let out a dry chuckle, gesturing with the papers she was holding at him.
"Indeed, I've read it. Asking me to assume a debt to the hospital and the company it represents, intended to be resolved agreeably through deducted work suited to my skills or submission to exams and follow-up cooperation compliant with basic human rights, whichever the creditor deems more advantageous or appropriate. A little one-sided, isn't it?"
"Its sensible concessions should tide over any doubts you may have as to our legitimacy, and considering your lack of ID and cash, I would say it's a very fair deal as presented."
"Maybe so, but I won't be committing to anything until I am certain that my companion is being properly cared for."
"Certainly. We can visit him now and you may see for yourself," he said, curtly closing the distance to the other side of the hall and pushing the doors open. "I'm told he's remarkably sturdy for someone who otherwise appears normal."
Irene almost barreled over the man as she followed, mouth set in a thin line.
