A Spilt Decision.

[meli]

Jake awoke from his nap and glanced around. Almost seemed like it was noon with the light, even though he knew it was closer to 7pm. The light that came through the window caused him to throw his hand up with a grunt. It was always so bright when he woke up, why couldn't he stay up later and change his hours? The dark probably wouldn't hurt his eyes so much. Throwing off the covers of his bed he wandered around his small bachelors apartment. It was sparsely furnished, with sheets for window curtains, a ragged brown couch in front of a small 13" t.v. on a coffee table and a small table that had four chairs gathered around its round top. The kitchen that faced the living room area was overall clean, minus the dishes in the sink, and the left overs from yesterdays supper still sitting out on the stove.
He glanced around then sighed and fumbled open the fridge door, only to discover he was once again out of everything someone could possibly eat or drink. Grunting he walked back to his bed and dug through the pile of clothes that rested on the floor. He tugged on a pair of baggy jeans, his black belt already hooked in and snapped the skull buckle together. Unable to find a t-shirt he wandered over to the closet, and pulled out a clean black t-shirt. The last one he had, he was going to have to shopping here soon, or do laundry...Shopping was just so much easier.
After he finished tugging the shirt on, he walked into the bathroom and brushed his hair, even though it just fell back into waves. Rolling his eyes at his uncooperative hair, he brushed his teeth and washed his face then left the bathroom. He grabbed a black leather jacket on his way to the door, tugged on his black biker boots and headed out the door of his apartment. As he jauntily hopped down the stairs he was reminded of the fact that it was getting dark out. He was going to have to go right back to sleep here soon in order to be able to wake up in the morning. Keeping that in mind he hurried down the block to the store. Running through a makeshift list in his head, he pondered if the store would have milk in or not.
After he had returned, and long after he had eaten, he watched the sun go down through the only window that remained unblocked and stared as he caught a glimpse of the moon. It would be full soon, and a full moon was almost never good news. Sighing heavily he let himself drift off to sleep.

Meli awoke with a grumble and pushed himself off the bed. Resting his elbows on his knees, he dropped his head into his hands and gripped his hair. Jake was confusing, and the lack of motivation the man had almost drove Meli crazy many many times over. With a sigh, he rose out of bed wandered to where he had left the bag. Out of it, he pulled on his black suit pants, his rockports and a white muscle shirt. Once he had those on, he moved back to the closet and pulled on a black button up shirt, and left the top two buttons undone. Tonight, he would see what was going on in the town.
Taking a hunk of gel he slicked his hair back, and then washed his hands and face. Giving both a quick towel dry, he turned and picked up the same leather jacket Jake had worn and left the ridiculously small apartment to wander the dark streets

[Zakura Shaun]

Zakura picked up the piece of the lemon in the mango fromthe stand and took a whiff .Her hazel eyes locked on the man she had seeen come in this store many times before. A familiar face to the neighborhood . she put the lemon in her basket and walked over to an isle watching him .Jake she thinks his name was. she bit her lip and moved to the registers just as he left .
Zakura sighed and shrugged it off . a feeling she couldnt quiete understand when she saw him .

Zakura shaun is her name . Zak to some. she is a women who lives two lives .or lies. she works for a firm outside the hood .she is an illegal assisant by day .but by night she prowls out the streets in clubs . she is in search for something a place or face that may seem familiar toher yet stange ot her . for zakura is human so she thinks .but deep down another part is searching a way to emerge. a darker part somewhat .a creature of the night .

zakura had lost most of her memories ina bad labortory explorsion.cops believed her to be a kidnappee . zak remembers her name and the learning she knew to do her job but as for family and friends she remembers not. But she did realize how strong and swift and agile she was withher body and a weapon..so at night she helps out those who need her mostly women but some men to .why she does this she knows not . but for now she waits and searchesfor something or someone who could break those memories and feelings that await down deep good or bad.

[meli]

Having found nothing of interest in the night, Meli had returned quickly to the apartment. No longer needing to feed after his meal only a few days ago, he sat and watched the tv, even though he didn't have a single care what was on it. The noise was good to have in the back ground instead of concentrating on the single odd noises that ended up wandering throughout the apartment. At least the noise there he new what it was and wouldn't go searching, sometimes for hours on end, looking for the source of a particularly annoying noise.
With four hours to g until Jake had to be awake, Meli decided to let their body rest. The interesting situation that was created due to the split of the mind when Meli found himself turned this way gave them abilities most only dreamed of, but the limits that came with it were problematic. Laying down on the bed, Meli struggled to hold onto the thought as he laid down, but the scattered thought slipped away as he drifted into a fast hard sleep. His one major weakness was that Jake was still the main personality. Jakes dreams lulled him under and sent him into a deep sleep, letting jake drift as well into a peaceful slumber.

Jake awoke feeling actually rested. It was unusual for him, normally he felt as though he hadn't slept at all. Wandering into the kitchen with a happier-than-usual attitude, he took a bowl from the cupboard and then a glass getting ready for his breakfast.. Looking through his cupboards he found his cereal and poured his favorite sugary cereal, Frosted Flakes. After taking a bite, he chewed happily and sat down to watch the one thing no one could make him give up, something that he didn't care that he was an adult for. Cartoons!
He watched Bugs Bunny and Tweety, then sat through some new cartoon that wasn't even in the same league as its predecessor, and finally got up and got dressed in the usual black t-shirt and baggy jeans with a silver skull belt buckle. He paused in the bathroom for a moment to clean up his face and gargle some mouth wash. With that done, he smelt himself to make sure that he was good, and finding he was he headed off to work trading his leather jacket for a plain jean one.
Since moving back to New Orleans he had taken a job as a mechanic at Joe's Auto Repair just down the street from his apartment. It was convenient, and the money was good, so it worked out fairly well. As he walked he listened to his black biker boots scuff the ground, it would be a boring day again. The only way it would be interesting was if something actually happened, which didn't seem likely considering the fact that for the past week of work he had been working on a 1967 mustang that was badly in need of replacing everything. As he passed by the store that he went to almost everyday, since it was so close to both work and home, he wondered if he was going to need something from there for later. Didn't seem likely as he had just stopped in there yesterday though.
Two shops down from the store stood the mid-sized shop that housed only four workers, and only one of them female. Mrs Grear. The boss's mother. She was interesting, to say the least. Other than her, it was Loni Grear the owner, and Bob Frenzie who basically just stood there sipping coffee. Jake sighed, scrubbed his fingers through his hair once more his elated feeling disappearing and headed into the shop to start his day of work.

[Zakura Shaun]

This day was bad .a very bad one . Zakura pulled the dark gypsy type scarf around her face and the coat she wore was light wieght and purple . enough to cover body with . the sun shone high as she walked back to work off her lunch break.. She quickly ran into the beatin down brick building she worked at . the place was dank and dark with a desk to the side and door to the back .books lined the other wall. She liked it here it was dark and must and secluded. she passed by the ole lady who sat at the desk taking calls ."Pearl any calls for Mr. Sandesky '
Pearl " none dear ..umm you having one of your days darling " she asked pushigng glasses on her nose.zak smiled and nodded "yes yes it is " she then went back tothe main room in back and began to go thru papers.she undid her scarf and sighed..
The sun touched her skin lightin gonher hand .a blister was already forming but then it would last long. she figured she had some disease of the skin . but deep down she knew something else was wrong with her .for she was becomign more hungery eating anyting she could find but not gaining anyweight..Sseh liked that part .she grinned as she finished her job.Mr.sandesky was at court today and didnt need her much .she decided to go home early .

Once at home zak put on her nightly clothes of dark red tank and black pants witha belt . her black overcoat and black buckled boots finished the outfit for tonight for when it came .. she sleeked her hair back of dark brown back with a bit of gel then set out to check on her car that needed fixed.
she revved up the old girl of dark midnight blue . a mustang of old..from 1978 . she slowly made it to the garage down the block where she lived. it spit and sputtered and gave a shook .she sighed pounding on the wheel embarrased..she got out stickikng ot the shadows pullingher coat over her head..she got inside and said " can some one help me with this car of mine..please." she stood with hands on hips.

]

[meli]

Stopping off at his locker, he took off his jacket and put on the plain blue coveralls that everyone around here wore and zipped it halfway up so that only part of his black t-shirt was exposed. He changed out of his boots into an older version of the same pair, and sighed. Even Bob hadn't shown up yet, which meant it looked like a very boring day. Grabbing the old manual he had been reading, he slowly walked to the far side of the shop where the old car awaited his attention.
After working on it for a few hours he took a break, then hopped back under the engines hood. His face got almost completely covered in grease, causing his pale blue eyes to stand out on his face. That was when the woman managed to walk in. The surprise of hearing someone, anyone really, that wasn't Loni or Mrs. Grear shocked him enough to bring him up. Unfortunately, being under the hood, his head only managed to meet the edge of the hood. Giving out a sharp yowl, he rubbed his head even as he moved to look at who was there. Wincing while he tried to rub the pain away he blinked, did a double take, then finally let his gaze actually settle on the woman. Most women didn't come this shop. Most good-looking women never came here...hell in all honestly the last female he had seen here besides Mrs Grear, was, well, was Bobs little sister...and little just wasn't the right term. The nicest thing to say about that girl, was that she looked like her older brother. What Jake left out however was the true ending of that sentence. She looked like bob, mustache and all. Looking at this woman however, bob wasn't on her competitive list. She probably wouldn't have been able to tell the little shmuck his name even if he had waddled up to her and said 'hi, I'm bob'. He looked around quick then walked closer to her and leaned far enough to look outside at the car she spoke of. Another old mustang. These cars seemed to be having a bad year with how many he's fixed, this one adding to the tally.
"I can try, usually its t'e smallest thing thats wrong wiff it. If its somet'ing big, well, t'en we'll discuss t'at." He spoke even as he moved around her, a faded accent marring his words. Taking the rag from his back pocket, he wiped his hands, then tucked it back in and popped open the hood of her car. Glancing inside he frowned as he looked things over. He quickly strode back inside only to disappear into a back room, then reappeared holding a jug of water in one hand, and a bottle of oil in the other. First he poured the water into the old engine, then the oil. Poking around he checked out the other fluids in her car, noted they were fine then turned back to the woman.
"Well, aside from t'at, t'ere's only one ot'er problem." He tapped where her distributer cap should have been, wondering how he didn't see it sooner. Well either way, he gave her a bottle of free oil that the car needed, so she probably wouldn't care. "T'e distributer caps gone. Wit'out that, your car isn't going to go anyw'ere. Probably just came loose somew'ere, I can 'ave a new one for ya 'ere in, oh, I'd say two days, t'ree at the most. Until t'en, well, I think your just going to 'ave to leave it 'ere." He wiped his hands again, then his face cleaning off most of the grease. "Sorry 'bout t'at Miss. Course I could take ya out to dinner to make up for it, but I'm sure your 'ubby would probably 'urt me." he chuckled at the bad joke. Without real sleep he had been fine, but after actually sleeping last night, his whole attitude was thrown off. Normally he could make someone laugh with a small off the shoulder comment. Today he seemed to be working for it.

[Zakura Shaun]

Zakura saw the man under another mustang an older one as she could tell. She looked down and gave a small cough as he asked where the cap was. for where it went she didnt know but she knew how..the night she chased down a creep who kidnapped a stripper she knew .(Synthia) , she popped her hood in and slammed the guys hed to the running motor .
Zakura shook her head of the thoughts and licked her lips " ummwell i dont know how that could happen." she said coyly . she stepped back looking at the man seeming to know him but not placing the face .he turned and wiped his face revealing his features more clearly and those eyes peircing as if daggers thru her .she opened her mouth a bit and let out a small gasp of surprise .." um you ,, imean you then can fix it "
she rubbed her back pockets with her hands as she recognized him the guy from the store..he worked here.
She snapped her head up from her thoughts when she heard him say something about dinner.." uhhh what dinner, out with me i dont know if i should "
zak cursed her self __come on girl you know you want to , its him dont be a fool take it this wont happen again its fate __ is the voice deep inside said to her . she smiled and looked to the side at all the cars and tools. diverting his eyes .

Finely she turned to him her hand extended ." im Zakura shaun and i have no hubby or anyone really im busy most nights..but why not i havent been OUt in awhile . but umm where to might i ask."
she leaned up against her car her legs crossed and hands folded tilting her head to him . she was abit uncomfortable as if those eyes could see right thru her yet she could see thru them .
she blinked then blushed " sorry for staring its just im not used to men to much ..atleast talking to them civilized that is " she looked up smiling .

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[Zakura Shaun]

[meli]

He gave her a warm smile as recognition dawned on her face. She seemed familiar and seemed to know him well enough, where had he seen her before? He didn't remember faces well, matter of fact he didn't remember most things from any given day.
Jake nodded slowly as she turned the thought of dinner over in her mind. He knew of quite a few good places all within walking distance, Italian, and a little bulgarian spot both a few blocks down the road. When she turned back to him his thoughts disappeared as she extended her hand towards him. He wiped his hand again to get off as much grease as possible then shook it before she was finished her sentence. "I'm Jake Jensen, no woman in my life at t'is moment, and let's fix t'at s'all we?" He chuckled softly knowing all about not going out, he hadn't in a few months, possibly years since his memory seemed vague for the years gone.
"Please, don't worry Miss S'aun, I've met men in my life time, and most wouldn't even know w'at t'e word civilized meant." He chuckled again then looked himself over. "Think about italian or bulgarian, both are really good where we'll be going." He gave her a small wink then started back towards the back room of the shop, walking backwards so he could face her. "I'll jus' go c'ange and I'll be right back." Practically scurrying into the back he whipped open his locker, stripped off the blue coveralls and tugged off his old boots. Standing barefoot in the small room he looked blank for a second, then he pulled on his newer boots, and jumped to the sink in a vain attempt to get off as much grease as possible.
Had he known this was going to happen, he would have brought...well...he would have brought something, anything to hep him out. Having nothing to really work with, he smoothed his wavy hair back with his fingers then grunted at his reflection. Most of the grease was gone, his clothes were clean and at least they smelled good. He tucked the silver chain that was always around his neck back under his shirt, grabbed his jean jacket with a muttered curse that he should have brought his good jacket, and stepped back into the shop locking the door behind him.
He looked over at her and gave her a smile as he walked towards her. "Unfortunately, t'is is all you get from me tonight." He held his arms open slightly to show off his black t-shirt, and baggy jeans, held up with a silver skull belt. His boots were solid black, and his jacket just blended with his pants, having no emblems or anything to distinguish.
"Now to t'e question, w'ic' did you want? Italian? Or Bulgarian? T'ey're bot' t'is way, so you don't 'ave to choose jus' yet if you don't wis'." He held out his arm for her to take while he stepped up to her facing away from the store and his house to the left down the street.

[Zakura Shaun]

Zakura watched him walk backwards twards his what she expected was his locker room . a tilt to her head a small smile forming on her lips as she found him amusing with his words and gestures.

As he was cleaning up zakura slowly began to walk backher self her head turned down the road gazing at the sun that was hidden behind the old buildings . she looked down toher skin and it seemed to be ok in this light the color was still pale but with some peach to it. Most the city was becoming blanketed in shadows as the light was dulled by over cast . Zak stopped in her tracks rubbing her arm " come on Zakura the light is not that bad right now . You can do this ole girl ' she said to her self. she looked up and saw him come out wearing all black .she put a finger to her lips and grinned . She responded to his comment of his attire " Oh Sir your garb suits you well and for me " she looked down to her attire showing him that she too was casual with tank and leather pants with a belt .a long black trenchlike coat she wore.." i do believe that casual is who we really are so why dress to impress lets just be comfortable for now " she raised a brow and winked to him for approval of his garb. she took his arm looked worriedly down the alley " umm lets go to which one is covered in th eshadows of the clouds and building ..there thats how we choose iperfer it .i dont want the sun in my eyes " she slowly got her dark glasses out that complimented her features. she hoped he bought the excuse for cover ..worried that if she falls into sunlight her skin will blister slightly and she didnt want him to see that . " so wich way .. " her stomach tightened as he turned to answer her those eyes .those wonderful yet disturbing eyes she felt hid something much like her own.

]

[meli]

Walking towards her, he wondered why it was that a woman like this was still standing there willing to talk to him. Most would have looked at him and ran, I mean, he was a grease monkey after all. And his accent marred all of the softer letters like 'h' and sometimes even 's' got altered on his tongue. It sometimes sounded pleasant, but it gave the impression that he was slower than most of the folks around even through everyone in this town had a drawl of their own.
He smiled when she told him the clothes were fine and smiled a little wider when she gave him the chance to look her over. She was definitely a good looking woman. Jake nodded to her words and agreed with the shade, "I had an Aunt once who was allergic to sunshine." he said by way of showing his understanding.
Turning left he walked with her down the street, making small talk with the simple topics of weather, music and the like. They passed two blocks worth of apartments, small shops, and the single gas station of the entire neighborhood. The one shop across the street had a red and white striped awning hanging above the door and over the small patio in front of the shop with a few tables and chairs.
When they got to the door he slipped ahead of her letting go of her arm to hold open the door. "Welcome to Sentina's w'ere t'e pasta's always 'ot, t'e sauce is spicy and t'e meatballs are perfecto!" They had plenty of other things on the menu aside from that, which is why he liked coming here.
Shuffling in behind her, he waved to Jeffery who was the Host. He had found this place by chance since the outside doesn't look like what it contained. Inside, the tables were not so much sparse as private, with candles on each table. The opposite wall held rows of booths with curtains around them for added privacy. Jake decided on just a table near the window instead of one of the booths. The window didn't get sunlight as the restaurant faced east and only got sun in the morning, not an hour or two away from dusk.
Jeffery placed two menus on the table top then held out a chair for Zakura while Jake was left to pull out his own. Jeffery nodded to both of them even as the two of them would sit, and asked what they wished to drink while they looked over their menus.

[Zakura Shaun]

zakura felt alittle at ease with himas he spoke of his aunt . her eyes cast down and she noded " really interesting i thought i was special" she laughed then took his arm as he led the way . seh looked about for abit but then her eyes would drift to his lips . his speach was that of thelocal dilect with some drawl .zakura found this amusing . Still she couldnt shake the feeling that deep in those sounds something lingered just on the tip of his tongue .she was captivated by that., As they reached the little bistro type resturant zakura smiled " well thank so much sir " as jeffery pulled out her chair and asked for thier menus. zakura looked to the booths and was releived to have this table . she adjusted her top abit pushing back a piece of the string to be out of her way when she reached for the menu " umm could i get cooler for now . any will do . and i do believe something spicy is what i want for tonite " she looked up and winked to jake smiling in good humor . she then laid her menu down pulinng back her arm and leaningn the elbow on the back of the chair her other hand coming up and pulling at her fingers. " so jake what do you suggest you know this place and its food . " she said matter of fact ly with a lighthearted smirk . she crossed her legs carefully waiting for a response from either. she looked out the window seeing dusk was forming bu tstill a ways awhile she was ok for now. she thought for tonite she could start late .

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[meli]

Jake adjusted his chair, smoothed his hair back then crossed his arms. Although it was an angry gesture, the rest of his body and even his eyes held warmth and a simple comfortable presence. He nodded his head to jeffery who glided off to the back to get some drinks. "Well, around 'ere menus look nice, but most of t'e time t'ey don't even cook w'at's on them." He paused as Jeffery came back with something pink for her and jakes usual coke and rye. He looked up the other man and smiled briefly. "What is really spicy tonight?"
"Spicy? Hmm, well I'd recommend either the Cajun Ravioli smothered in a creamy Mushroom sauce, or the Kickin' Sample tray. Which has more than it states. On the tray it has jalapeno poppers, egg rolls with spicy sausage, cajun curly fries, small meatballs with a house mix of spices, which are absolutely great, and then a cheese tray comes with it were you pick out your own cheese to calm the tongue as they say."
With another smile for the man he asked for the second one, then took a sip of his drink. "So back to what we had been talking about. Tell me a bit more about yourself. Were are you from? Favorite music, and what you just generally like to do outside of work."

[Zakura Shaun]

Zakura listened to the menu and ordered the first. " hmm yes " she then took a drink as jake ordered . she bout choked when he bombarded her with questions. laying down her drink quickly she stared with a tilt of her head . she looked for amoment as flashes of guns and chasing thru the ceedy parts of the city clubs . and knocking out male scum to say the least.
" umm well music i dontmind some speed heavy . or for lighter days . um smooth jazzy sounds. but rock metal i like when well working out . " she shifted uncomfortable in her seat .she didnt like talking to much about her self but he seemed so interested and well cute as he focused on her . " i well like to read and well seek out new things to do .." she looked down to her drink takign a sip lowering her voice " as for where i come from .you guess is as good as mine..ive been drifting for so long i cant tell anymore..i dont remember to much of family i never much had any . so i drifted from town to another seeking out what i can get " she shrugged . leanign back smiling " now you same questions..i feel theres more to you than meets the eye. whats your secret life " she laughed joking to him not knowing why she felt uneasy saying that..
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[meli]

Jake chuckled at the surprised expression on her face and then nodded his head slowly. "I see, good choices." He was glad she knew better music than most. He had heard one to many times of 'oh my gawd, I love nysync' or whatever latest craze was going on. Knowing she had a mind let him relax more. Hearing about the family part, he nodded his head again, knowing something similar. "Um, well, let's see. From Slidell, just over the bridge-" He flashed a smile at her,"-traveled so much though that it doesn't even feel like home anymore." He could only vaguely remember other places. He remembered being in Chicago at one point wearing some kind of suit, but for the most part, he really only knew that he had seen other places. "I'll listen to anything with a good beat really. All types of rock, jazz, metal, alternative, even orchestra or opera once in a while is nice to listen to."
Jeffery came sauntering back with two plates of food and set them down on the table. He looked at each of the briefly then at Jake and nodded. "Will that be all?"
"For now." Jake smiled as the waiter turned and walked off again. Jeffery wasn't a people person which is why Jake got confused when he found out Jeffery was the Host.
"As for what I do in my secret life, well, its pretty simple, I eat and sleep with occasional trips to see whats going on in the world. I'm a pretty boring guy that way." He smiled again at her. He knew nothing of Meli, or what really happened at night, and Meli was content to have it that way. Jake ate a few things off the plate, popping them into his mouth while he took a break from talking. He had almost forgotten what most people considered a conversation.
He sat talking with her, enjoying her presence and the end of the days light. But as they sat their talking Jake was keenly aware of just how far the sun was in its descent. He knew he had to sleep once the sun went down, it was a compulsion or something with him. One of his friends dads, had gone so far as to say it was a curse or something. Then, he blanked out. What had he been thinking about? He looked over at Zak, smiled, and eat a few more pieces of food. His mind almost went into a rewind kind of mode as Meli tinkered with Jakes mind.
When Jake looked outside, to his eyes he could see the sun still about an hour above the horizon, when to everyone else; It was going to go down in less than half that amount.

[Zakura Shaun]

Zakura leaned over sampling the pasta spicy and surprising tasty . " hm " she would occantionaly say as she listened to jake . She was enjoying the conversation .liking that it wasnt the umcomfortable dribble most would say to her . men who used cheesy pickup lines. women trying to gossip of one another . But he was differnt . just two who were under the radar for the moment. She ddint notice the sun setting right away till she felt a shudder in the pit of her stomach . she turned slowly wipingn hermouth . her eyes gleamed over for sec .the restlessness of what shewas stiringup the urge to seek out and hunt. she turned around to jake he seemed to be in like slow motion trance but then he lookedup t oher ." umm jake i must go really . i am enjoying this and would like to do it again but i just remembered a girl friend of mine needs me tonite..perhaps we can have lunch tomarrow. " she was scoottijng in her chair when she saw his eyes .that feeling coming over her .the uncomfortable one . in a low tone she leaned staring to him " Jake".
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