Chapter 240
Verchiel led her down the corridor, away from the atrium and towards the sound of talking and tinny music. They turned down a side hallway and through a doorway draped in vines. The room inside was a large circle made of brick and plaster and lined in doorways and open spaces, like a shopping mall. Just like Malick's office, the ceiling was made of glass and electric light imitated the sun. Vampires milled around in various kinds of clothing, many with shopping bags.
Katelina coughed and Verchiel reminded her, "Some vampires live here. We have to buy things just like everyone else."
"I suppose." Her eyes moved from what looked like a music store to one full of home d¨¦cor and another with shiny shelves of electronics.
Like a kid in a hurry to share a secret treasure, Verchiel excitedly steered Katelina towards a vine draped door on the back wall. It led to another circular room and a ring of clothing stores. One had cloaks and ruffled shirts on display. The next one had bikinis and miniskirts. Across the common area was one that sold designer clothing; skimpy bits of clothes in crazy colors and sequins. Next to it was a shop called "Across the Decades" whose main window display consisted of a kilt ensemble neatly sandwiched between a gothic-style wedding dress and a pin striped zoot suit. The rest were just as strange. It was like time was bunched up in one brightly lit place.
It was too much for her to deal with. "Which one do you shop in?"
"Whatever catches my eye. Geneva usually has a good stock of black."
"What's with all the black?" She pointed to his clothes. Like the other Executioners, he wore a black shirt, black jeans and a long black coat. "It's so clich¨¦."
"Clich¨¦'s have to come from somewhere. It starts as an original idea, then becomes a clich¨¦ when everyone embraces it. Who's to say we weren't the originators?" She rolled her eyes and he added, "I do wear other things."
"Prove it."
"I will tomorrow." He patted her on the head. "Now, come along, Kately."
"That's not my name." She scowled, but followed him to a store that had a fat, stuffed crow perched over the door. Inside looked like Jorick's wardrobe. Though there was an occasional splash of red, purple and dark blue, most of the racks were filled with black.
There were two vampiresses browsing the selections. They looked like they'd stepped off of a Goth website; black hair, black makeup, skinny jeans and corsets. They smiled at Verchiel in a way that seemed familiar. He winked back.
Geneva turned out to be a brunette vampiress. She stood behind the cash register, wearing a crushed velvet dress and an amused smirk. Verchiel gave her a long once over and instructed Katelina to "find something." Then he draped himself over the counter and started a lively conversation. Katelina rolled her eyes. It was obvious he was trying to pick Geneva up, so why drag her along? What was she supposed to be? His wing man? He was as bad as Jorick. He'd dragged her here and abandoned her among unfamiliar clothes and worse, unfamiliar vampires. Customers came in and out. In her paranoia, it seemed that even the ones who ignored her were staring.
She found a few clothes and followed the sign to the dressing room. Finished, she hauled her purchases to the counter and dumped them in front of Verchiel. "I'm done if you are."
He gave her another condescending pat on the head. "Took you long enough."
She jerked away and Geneva rang the clothes up. When the total flashed across the screen she asked, "Who's paying?
"Put it on account," Verchiel said airily.
"Yours?"
"She's not mine, sweetheart. She's Jorick's."
Geneva tapped the counter impatiently. "Fine, whose account?"
Verchiel over enunciated, "Jo-rick. No surname that I know of."
"Regular account or Government?"
"Government. He just got a new job."
"Sorry, I don't recognize the name. What do I look for him under? The guards?"
"Nope. He went straight to the top. Look under the Executioners."
She stopped tapping. "He went straight to being an Executioner? That's unusual."
"He's unusual. Anyway, charge it to him."
"I don't suppose you know the account number?" When Verchiel and Katelina stared back blankly, she sighed. "Only as a favor to you, but if this Jorick comes down here throwing a fit, it's all on you, got that?"
Verchiel agreed quickly and, after a few keystrokes, Geneva packed up the clothes and sent them on their way. He promised her he'd come back and see her later, but she took it as though she'd heard it too many times before.
Once in the common area, Verchiel snapped back to business. "Well, that's clothes. What else do you need?"
Her first thought was underwear, but there was no way she was going to look at that with Verchiel around. As if he'd read her mind, which he might have, he tugged her into a nearby store full of pink, frilly ruffles and deposited her in front of a display of thong panties. Her cheeks turned red. Before she could protest, he disappeared to the front of the store where an attractive female employee giggled.
Katelina found some decent undergarments and, against her better judgment, dropped them on the counter. Verchiel cheerfully flapped the purchases around and went so far as to hold a black bra over his eyes and shout, "Buzz, buzz! Human fly!" Katelina jerked it away from him and told him to grow up.
They charged them to Jorick's account too, as a "favor". When they purchased toiletry items and makeup it was the same thing. Between the "favors" and attention, Katelina got the impression that Verchiel spent a lot of time in the shopping area, mainly in the back rooms.
She followed him into other stores. He browsed through lots of things; CDs, silver rings, posters of girls in bikinis, but never bought anything, just rifled and winked at the women.
