A new routine (Amber Skywulf Open to All)

[ladyamber]

It had been almost three months since Amber had come back to Dallas. She had settled into her new home. All had been relatively quiet. She had since met with Nadine, David, and RPIT. The ones who mattered to her knew she was back to stay. She finally felt comfortable enough to start building a routine again. She was renting a home from David but took her time to really make it feel like hers. She had renovated a wooden shed in the backyard into a new studio for her artwork. She had a top of the line security system with cameras that she knew was being monitored by the pack. She had made a trip to Oklahoma to retrieve some of her more personal and sentimental belongings. Some of it was her artwork. Her paintings and sculptures were now present throughout her home. She had some baskets and blankets that she had purchased from fellow artists. Her grandfather’s headdress was on a special stand in her office. She was reconnecting with those she had left behind and making new friends.



She had been working in her studio a little. It had been hard as she tried to regain skills that had laid dormant for so long. She was not ready for anyone to see what she was producing. Her mind was still in a very dark place. She was not happy with what was coming out of her studio. She almost felt like she had to purge all the negativity and trauma before she could create again. Her current work was dark and evoked fear and anger. She was not happy with it. Her work made her uncomfortable and uneasy but she knew with time it would get better. Until then, she would paint and sketch and then reuse the canvases. She had been using her art with her therapist to help her process everything that had happened to her.



She was ready for the next step. David and the pack had taken over running Wired Angels when she had disappeared. She didn’t want much to change as it had always been her intention to hire pack members to help her run it. Amber was going to begin spending time at Wired Angels and hopefully adding to the gallery. She wanted to talk to Remy to see if he would like to put a few pieces up for sale in the gallery. She planned to help with the bookstore section. She wanted to be available as an indigenous ritualist expert to answer questions. The pack members had done a great job maintaining the shop while she had been away but this was her area of expertise. She had begun going into the shop for a few hours each morning.



She was trying to ease herself back into the routine. She was currently on the sales floor with a clipboard and pen in her hand. She was doing an inventory of the books they had in stock. She was pleasantly surprised to see that someone had updated titles since she had been gone. She wanted to get an idea of where the occult store was. She was not sure what changes she would make, if any. She couldn’t make decisions until she had reacquainted herself with the store. Amber was dressed in an off the shoulder cream colored cotton dress with crochet trim and leather sandals. Her long raven black hair was pulled back in a french braid held by a silver and turquoise barrette.

[Rhea Levitt]

It had been months since she had officially made her move to Dallas but she had kept a rather low profile, mostly staying in the outskirts. That was not to say that someone didn't know she was there but rather that neither she nor anyone else had attempted to make contact. She had sort of been moping about if she was being truthful and just had not been ready to deal with all the extra things she knew were bound to happen when she reintroduced herself to the city.

Rhea had heard things here and there of the happenings since her visit last. She was both appalled and extremely sad to hear of such things happening so close to where she had grown up. Of course she did not know specifics but that required more digging which she was unsure if she should do. In time..maybe.

Looking out the window of the uber she had ordered she watched the buildings as they were passed. A lot had changed both in terms of the city and the undercurrents, it could be felt if you but listened close enough. A frown marred her face for a moment or two before a small smile broke out. The feel of other were-animals could be felt which meant she needed to get out and follow her nose. Well maybe she didn't actually need to, the person driving could probably point her in the right direction but where was the fun in that. She quickly asked for the young man to pull over and let her out then and there and after paying for the ride she exited the vehicle.

Dropping her shields the tiniest bit to get a better feel for the area she felt shifter energy and a fairly large amount of it from a nearby building. Even from this distance she could smell wolf quite strongly which worked really. If she remembered correctly the wolf pack was pretty large not that that was unusual. Honestly wolves were so prevalent that any major city that didnt have a large pack was abnormal. Though she could think of a few cities that didnt have a pack to speak of. Standing up a bit straighter so as not to appear weak or at least not weak enough to be messed with she made her way to what looked like some mix of coffee shop and a book store? It certainly looked busy even from the outside.

Rhea took a steadying breath before opening the door and walking in. God the smell of wolf was such a pungent odor, it had been a long time since she had walked into what felt like a wolf den. At least when she lived with the tigers it had felt a little more like home and the smell of cats was nothing like this. She couldn't help the nose twitch and the slight urge to sneeze. She wasn't allergic of course she almost felt like she should be. She would not turn tail and run back out the door, no she wouldn't do that. Couldn't do that actually even if it felt like a good idea. She could not continue to live on the outer edges of the city not when she knew the city housed a few leopards, or at least it had when she had visited briefly.

Her eyes swept the interior and while several areas caught her attention the thing she needed most was a coffee so first she made her way to the counter. She wore her hair down with a light blue tank with a black velvety looking jacket thrown over it, dark blue jeans and black ankle booties. She wasnt necessarily dressed up but she looked well enough put together that if she ran into anyone important she didnt look like she didnt belong in such an establishment.

[ladyamber]

Amber was in the bookstore section of the store when she heard the door. She took a moment to make a notation on her clipboard about the inventory she was taking. She forgot that Jordana was off this morning. The cafe was busy and had a steady stream of regulars. Some were dressed in business attire and were obviously using the place for a coffee meeting. Others were in casual attire and this just looked like a favorite neighborhood hangout. There were quite a few young mothers in the place. Some of them in small groups. While there were many sitting around with their coffee and food hanging out, this was the time of morning when things slowed down. One of the pack’s teenagers, Tina, was working at the cafe counter this morning. Amber sighed as she headed towards the cafe. Tina had told her she was taking a 10 minute break. She began to head in the direction of the cafe. She called out ahead of her “I will be right there.”

Amber did a good job of shielding her own power. It had become a necessity when she had been trying to pass as human normal. If she let her power fly all the time every preternatural thing in her vicinity would know she was gifted and many of them would take that as a challenge or an invitation for a confrontation. Amber was seeking neither. From a distance she would read as a normal human, although one who smelled of wolves because she associated heavily with the pack. Amber couldn’t help but notice when the wereleopard who had dropped their shields and was sending their power around the place to get a feel for who or better what was in the space. She smiled a little wryly as she wondered if they knew how much of their information they had just shared with those in the store.

Wired Angels was better known these days as a pack hang out. Most of her employees were werewolves but she had a wereleopard who was a shift lead and a few vampires who helped out in the evenings. She also had become friends with Remy who was trying to rebuild the Pard. She had hopes that Wired Angels would once again rise as a neutral hang out for all the preternatural citizens of Dallas. The pack had enough ties and power to enforce the safety of the space and its workers. No one familiar with the preternatural community in Dallas would walk into Wired Angels these days and start trouble without a great deal of their own power and support. Amber’s comfort with being out in public and her anxiety about coming out of hiding was slowly fading. Her anxiety and PTSD episodes were happening less often.

Amber walked out of the bookstore section and towards the cafe counter in the back of the main floor. She saw a woman with her back to her wearing a lovely jacket with jeans and cute boots. Amber knew from a glance that she was the one the roll of power had come from. She was looking at a wereleopard. She smiled and walked around behind the counter. She washed her hands quickly at the sink behind the counter and dried them before turning around with a smile. “Good morning. Welcome to Wired Angels. What can I get for you?”

Above the counter was a long wide chalk board that had a hand written menu on it in very nice calligraphy and colored chalk. It was pretty standard fare coffee, cappuccinos, mocha, expresso, tea of all varieties, with all kinds of additions and flavored syrups available. The food offered was pastries, muffins, bagels, fruit, yogurt, breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches, and lunch options were a variety of deli sandwiches, salads, and charcuterie boxes to go. Prices were reasonable and in line with competitors.