Greed is the word

[Sumi Ting Victorian]

Sumi had mixed feelings about the addicts in her tea house. She hated, hated, hated the lot of them. They where disgusting to her. Most of them didn't even know where they where any more. But she loved, loved, loved their money. And she loved taking advantage of their money. It was all too easy to take all that they own while they where in a stupor. Most of them would give up anything.... as long as they got a fix.

Sumi Ting had two offices in her tea house. There was the upstairs office, where she put on a good face for the general public. Then there was the downstairs office, where she conducted most of her "business". She was sitting in the downstairs office now. There where three other people in the ofice at the moment. Two where her bodyguards. One of them vas tall and big, the other short and small. Most people wouldn't expect that the smaller one was much more dangerous.

The other person was one of her customers. He had a complaint. Apparently he thought that he would never give up his wedding ring to feed his habit, but Sumi knew otherwise. His wedding ring was one of the things that he had given up on his own. All the rest of his money, his watch and such, had been liberated from him when he wasn't paying attention. So it was the rare instance that Sumi was being totally honest about things.

"No, no sir. You give me your ring, yes. Never would i take something so precious to a man like yourself."

Ok, maybe not totally honest. But more honest that she would normally be when dealing with someone like this. But it seemed that this man wasn't about to take her word on it. In fact, he looked like he was about to get angry, maybe even cause a scene. Sumi couldn't have that. "You will take him out safely. Make sure he not cause a scene."

The bigger of the two bodyguards walked over to the man, looming over him. The londoner suddenly thought the better of trying to get his ring back. He walked away, mumbling horrid names under his breath.

Sumi sighed. She had to deal with things like this on a daily basis. "He will be back, they always come back."

[Avadar]

Avadar ran into the office flying pass the little British human. Her black pelt shimmering in the warm lamp light. Quickly the form of a black German Shepard appeared on Sumi's desk, papers flying up all around the large smiling beast. If ever a dog could smile this would be one of those moments as the pale teeth stood out brilliantly against the black fur. Yellow tinted brown eyes looked to Sumi with a sort of unspoken fire darting in them.

What happened next would have made most humans faint but to Sumi it was nothing new. This black hound haunted her tea house often tormenting those who were chasing the dragon for it's own amusement. The large black creature opened it's jaws speaking in a perfectly clear female voice, in fact a rather pretty voice with a soft British accent. "Ello love, how is the Tea House doing? I hope I have not been frightening away customers, that would hurt us both."

Ava was not only known for coming around here to just torment a few high humans but she also came here for her own fix of a sort. The blood of the sinful, it was like well aged wine to a hellhound. A few drops were so empowering and pure it was like liquid heaven...in an ironic twist. "Do you happen to have anything delightful for me today?"

What made Ava a great customer was not only the fact that she was going to let you live if you worked with her but the fact that she was perhaps one of the richest...none humans in London. She made a pretty penny with her club and trafficking her little friends off to power hungry humans. Ava also liked to take anything on her victims and sell it off to people willing to buy. It was because of her risky business that she never killed the poor and homeless like most daemons but the rich and powerful. This had given her a name and reputation here in London among the demons, the reputation was never play games with Ava unless you are willing to die for them.

[Sumi Ting Victorian]

For most of her life, Sumi had known that there was more in this world than just normal humans. Back in China, people where more ready to accept such ideas than here. But that didn't make the facts any less real.

It didn't make it any less irritating either. This.... whatever it was... thought it was perfectly ok to just waltz into her downstairs office like she owned the place and trash it. Sumi would have to get one of her employees to clean it up later. "Even if customers where aware, they will think this is a hallucination. I am sure that they see many things that are much scarier than you."

Sumi wasn't about to start a fight, but she wanted this mongrel to know that she wasn't afraid.

"Do I have anything for you? Do I have a choice? You come here and trash this place, take what you want, and give nothing in return! I work hard every day, and then you come in and mess up my office!"

Sumi was speaking in a perfectly normal tone of voice when she ranted. There was no sense in getting worked up about things.

[Avadar]

"No, you really don't have much of a choice now that I think about it. Those of us at the top of the food chain tend to take as we like...that god I'm a bitch, literally speaking because the term for female dogs apply for me just the same." Ava thought a moment over her other comments, about not being frightening. With a large wolfish smile the dark hound drooled black saliva and giggled down in the dark depth of her chest. "That is because you have not seen my real flesh."

Her warm brown flicked to a deep amber color for only a moment before flashing back. It was known that daemons could take the form of a persons worst fears, the hellhounds not so much and because of that they were a little better known for just trying to rip the faces off of those who did not find them terrifying. Talk about a horrible jealous streak. It was difficult to frighten people when they all just wanted to pet you.

Looking down at the desk she lifted a paw off what was probably a very important piece of paper. "Ah sorry about that Sumi old girl, didn't think there was anything of worth up on this old box of wood. I don't understand the value of these sheets." Leaping from the desk her body shifted quickly, her black fur vanishing as a mess of auburn curls fell over her now very pale human shoulders. Landing to her feet she stood in the form of a graceful looking woman with a rather gaunt and pale face.

Her appearance seemed worn and cold as if she were made of stone or ice; her clothes were of dull colors like black and a faded blood red dress. A rather depressing sight she was, made you want to splash a little color on that lifeless form. "I do hope this is much better for you my little Asian friend, more civilized perhaps?"