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VALENCIA NOIR

Act I

In a city like this, anything is possible.

Dreams have life spans as short as rain storms, nightmares come and go whenever they please, and reality blurs beyond recognition, leaving people trapped between dreams and nightmares.

Resting on the line between Heaven and Hell-good and evil, dreams and nightmares-this is a city where humans and magical creatures play out their everyday lives. Doing their best to get a head and stay afloat in this sea of madness, it’s not uncommon for the people of this city to dance on that delicate, thin line. Some fall into Hell, others ascend to Heaven and the rest stay in Purgatory to catch glances of the two.

If you couldn’t tell, I’m talking about L. A.
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The early October sky was painted with water color gray with storm clouds as fat raindrops bombarded the city below. The light of the afternoon storm tinged the buildings and streets with shades of gray, creating an observant and somber atmosphere. As rain water gushed down the storm drains and into the streets, pinging against windows and dinging down fire escapes, a young man was resting against a building, watching the storm roll by. Dressed in a light brown trench coat with a matching fedora, this tall young man removed the wrapper from a sucker in his pocket before popping it into his mouth. His bright blonde hair, big blue eyes and snow white wings contrasted against the mandatory gray.

My name is Dexter. Dexter McBane. I’m a detective in the lower part of Los Angeles.

Turning up the collar of his coat and pushing the rim of his hat down lower over his eyes, Dexter rolled the stick of the sucker between his teeth and started to walk down the street. As the rain slid down his back and feathers, his eyes were wide and took in everything around him, hardly discouraged by the cold rain or the gray.

God must have had a sense of humor when He decided to send me here after I died. An angel in Los Angeles- the city of angels-imagine that actually happening. But it wasn’t until I started to look around that I learned that He was right to send me here. The people in the lower side of town need a guy like me, to fight their fights and get them justice. Yeah, sometimes I’m just another gumshoe, hired by jealous spouses to prove that their loved ones are cheating-

Up on the other side of the street, a young man and woman were laughing under an umbrella as they tried to escape the rain. “Shouldn’t you be getting back to your husband now, baby?”

“Nah! The old coot thinks I’m visiting my mother for the weekend! Can you believe that?!” Dexter could only shake his head and keep walking as the cheating couple laughed and walked away in the other direction. He kept walking towards a small, square building sitting on the corner of the street like it was an old bulldog.

But the rest of the time, I’m getting people what they need, not just what they want.

Entering the building on the corner, Dexter shook himself loose of rain before climbing up a flight of squeaky stairs. The building was old and almost falling down, with bricks peeking out from behind the wallpaper, pipes moaning, mice living in the walls…but for the last few months, it had been home to the angel. At least the second floor was more presentable. It had to be after all. That was where Dexter had sent up his detective business. He felt himself smile at the words on the window in the door as he stood outside the make shift office space.

McBane and Levion: Private Investigators

It was almost hard to believe but it was true. Laughing a little, he walked inside and looked around. The reception area was simple; a book shelve, some chairs, a window and a desk with a type writer on it. The girl behind the desk and typing at it would have been simple too, to fit the theme of the room, but she wasn’t.

“Oh! Hello Dexter, welcome back!” The office receptionist, Sveta Simon, was a beautiful girl with short, chocolate brown hair and lilac blue eyes. Despite having the personality and habits of a nun, she still had a fantastic figure, with wide hips trapped in a tight blue skirt and ample chest, the cleavage seen beneath the popped top buttons of her white blouse. This was mostly for comfort, not to allure.

“Hi Sveta. It’s raining cats and dogs out there again… is Tyler back?”

“He’s been back for a while now. I think he’s arguing with a customer about money again…I would have handled it myself but the man on the phone scared me a little after a while…”

“Ah, don’t worry about that, Sveta. That’s why Ty and I are here! To handle these jerks so you don’t have to!”

Sveta had to laugh her sweet little laugh at this. “Thanks Dexter!”

Now Sveta is a sweet kid-incredibly smart and beautiful too! It was almost hard to believe a girl like her would come to this part of town to ask for help about anything. But still, she showed up months ago, asking me to help her find her creators and the reasons behind her birth-and by extension, her entire existance.

Sveta was a homunculus, an artificial human being made by alchemy or science.

There were no new leads or clues in her case that I could find…but I couldn’t turn her away. So I offered her a job at the office until I could get some leads or information that she could use. She seemed really excited about the idea and has been at that desk ever since.

“I better get in there and make sure he doesn’t chew this head off over the phone.” Dexter said, starting to take off his hat and coat.

“Okay…oh! Before you do, here’s the electric bill. The city is going to turn off the power soon…again…I’m starting to do the math on how we can cut down on electricity around here. I’ll figure out how much money we’ll have left from the emergency fund once we’re done paying, too.”

Dexter felt himself grimace and moan as he took the envelope from Sveta’s hand, quickly taking in the new flowers on her desk…and the diamond cross around her neck that rested above her breasts. “Purple orchids…nice! Wait…is that a Tiffany’s cross?! Those cost over a hundred dollars, easy!” There was no way she could afford that on what her pay check was offering!

Sveta was surprised by this observation, looking at the flowers and her cross with flushed cheeks before covering the cross with her hand. “What? Oh-these! Well, these…these are-well, gifts! From… from my…”

“It’s okay, Sveta. You don’t need to say it. We know you got a boyfriend. We’ve known for weeks now! We just wanted you to tell us.” The angel thought her to be so sweet for being so shy about it.

“Oh…well, okay! I have a boyfriend! I just wanted to keep it a secret, but I guess it’s okay if you know! I have a boyfriend alright!” Despite the nervous laugh, Sveta did seem happy not to keep that a secret any more. But her laughter still seemed…off.

Dexter shook it off as nothing to worry about.

“Take my advice, Sveta. Marry this boy! It seems like he can take good care of you better than me and Ty can!” There were protests from Sveta as Dexter ducked into the office door behind her but he still had to laugh. Much like the front office, the back was just as simple. Two desks were pressed back to back in the center of the room, with two chairs, two phones, two windows to the fire escape and a ceiling fan slowly spinning above them. Despite the weather outside, it was still muggy and warm in the back room.

“Hey listen, man! I don’t care if you don’t like what we found out for you, you still gotta pay us the second half of that check! What? I’m a-what now?!”

As Dexter hung up his hat and coat on the rack nearby, revealing his black tie and white shirt with brown slacks, he looked over to his partner at his desk. His feet were propped up on his desk, black pants speckled with mud and water. His chair was leaning back on its hind legs as he held the phone to his ear- his furry white wolf ear. Tyler Levion was a werewolf and a rare white wolf at that. His wild white mane and golden eyes were elements that contrasted against the city of grey again. His fluffy white tail swished in frustration behind his chair as he argued with a client on the phone.

“I don’t care if you’re not happy with the results! You wanted to know if your wife was cheating on you and she is! It’s not our fault she’s looking for love in other places! That’s what a thirty year age difference does! Hey- hello? HELLO?! GAH! Skin flint!”

Slamming the phone back on the receiver, Tyler straightened up and loosened up his dark blue tie. “Geez…”

“I take it we’re not getting paid the rest of that check?” Dexter asked, sitting at his desk across from Tyler’s, rolling up his sleeves to his elbows as he sat down.

“Not unless you want to beat it out of an old man to get it. When are these guys gonna realize that these girls only stick around for the money and not their personalities…or their built?”

“When young girls stop being beautiful and have either money or daddy issues…it’s really sad sometimes.”

“Yeah, it is. Hey, give me one of those suckers, will you?”

“Sure, here.”

It must be weird, going into business with a werewolf with the kind of reputation they have in the magical world. But I couldn’t have asked for a better partner-and a better friend. We met a few months ago, when were both still new in L. A. Tyler and his uncle- Alexander Rowenn- were some of the first people I helped and made me see what I had to do for this town. Fresh off the boat from Alaska, they were being corralled by some goons that wanted werewolf pelts to sell on the black market. I managed to set them loose and get them out of town in time for the full moon and we’re been tight ever since.

“By the way Ty, Sveta says we’re about to lose power again for the month.”

“Seriously?! Dang it, man! We need some money if we want to keep this place above water! And free of water, if the pipes burst again…or the roof gives in…”

“I know…something will turn up though. I just know it!” Dexter was always the optimistic one, looking on the bright side when things were looking bleak. It was something that Tyler had gotten used to and found contagious, as he soon found himself smiling. “Yeah, I guess it will.”
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Dexter was just starting to make some phone calls as Tyler read the newspaper when a tapping came at their door. “Guys, guys! We have a client! We have a client!” Sveta sounded really excited about this, despite her whispering.

“No way!”

“Who is it?!”

“You won’t believe it! It’s Tristan Skyes!”

“Tristan Skyes? Wait-the owner of three nightclubs and a big time contributor to the arts and society?! That Tristan Skyes?!” Dexter was really surprised by this! Tristan Skyes was a well to do businessman-a society boy-not the kind to come down to lower L.A much. This had to be some kind of case…maybe even a scandal. Either way, the angel was almost excited to hear about it!

And Tyler…well, he slowly got out of his chair and started to move towards the window, with a frozen guilty look on his face.

“I know, it’s just amazing! I’m sending him and his lady friend back here now!”

“Ty, this is it! I told you we were gonna get a case and now…Ty? Ty! What the heck are you doing?!” Dexter whipped himself around in his chair to find his friend climbing out the window and onto the fire escape.

“Just trust me, Dex! I can’t let him see me!”

“Why not?!”

“Just-Just trust me okay! It’ll botch our chances to get this case! You’re gonna have to do this without me!”

“Dang it Ty! Don’t leave me alone with this guy! Get back in here!” Quickly making a lunge for the window and fitting his wings under the panel of wood and glass, Dexter struggled to pull Tyler back into the room so they could both meet their mysterious client. Tyler was putting up quite the fight to stay outside.

“What the Hell are you doing?” A deep voice from behind them asked.

“Oh God!” Dexter was quick to abandon Tyler on the fire escape, the sudden force of him snapping back into the room sending the werewolf over the edge to dangle on the network of metal by the claws on his fingertips.

“AAAAHHH! Dexter! Help me out!”

The angel slammed the window shut and tried to look natural. “So-uh…yeah!” Tyler was so going to kill him for that.

Dexter sat back down at his desk, finally getting a look at Tristan Skyes. He had heard a lot about him but never saw him in person. For one thing, he was tall. Like, tall enough to make Dexter feel like the class shrimp, and he and the werewolf were both close to six feet! That was kind of expected for a gryphon in human form though. Other than that, he was well put together while in human form. Crimson red hair styled neatly, long handsome face with mysterious gold eyes, black and red suit with polished shoes and a golden gryphon on his lapel… Tristan screamed up town Los Angeles.

The angel had to wonder again why a guy like him was there in lower town.

“You’re already weird. And a little rude for not offering the lady a seat…” Tristan said, gesturing to the lady by his side. His attitude screamed upper town too.
“Oh! I’m sorry! Hold on.” Dexter quickly got off his seat and wheeled it over to the lady the gryphon walked in with. “Here you are, ma’am.”

“Thanks. But you don’t have to call me ma’am, I’m not that old. You can call me Sidra! Sidra Valentine!”

Sidra Valentine was a china doll compared to Tristan. She was a tiny little thing with smooth white skin and small red lips that made the perfect smile. She was also a demon, as the red eyes, short purple hair, horns and little bat wings on her back hinted at. She gave off a certain air of…sensuality as she sat in Dexter’s chair. Maybe it was the tiny black skirt and tight stockings she wore, the dangerous looking shoes or even the blouse that she wore covered with tiny silver chains that connected to a watch in her breast pocket… Either way, it made the angel feel a little warm under the collar- a little more than usual while in this room. Still, he took her hand and shook it when she presented him with it.

“Pleasure to meet you, Sidra!”

“You’ll call her Ms. Valentine while I’m around.” Tristan said. Despite the calm in his face, the look in his eyes almost made Dexter feel like he would eat him if he didn’t watch his step. Needless to say, he made Dexter nervous. A little sparrow up against an eagle.

“Yes sir.” He sat down on the edge of his desk before clearing his throat. “Uh…now then. If you don’t mind me asking…what business do you have with our agency today?”

“I can trust that you at least keep up with current events in this town.”Tristan said, picking up the newspaper off of the desk and dropping it into the angel’s lap. He pointed to the story on the front page.

“Yeah, of course. A jockey was just murdered at the Valencia Race Track last night…Cyrus Gilmead! The police are looking into it. So far, they don’t have any solid leads…”

“They have a suspect. That’s why I’m here.”

“You…know the suspect?” He had to wonder if the gryphon had connections in the police department to know this. It wasn’t even released in the paper yet.

“I do. She’s an old family friend of mine. Tayte Fallon.”

Dexter felt something in his stomach drop then. “Tayte…Fallon? As in the Family Fallon? Like the leaders of the gangsters that control the east side?”

“The very same. I’ve been friends with their parents, grandparents and so on for…I forget how long. About as long as the Fallon family has existed, I suppose.” The casual tone that Tristan was using to talk about the Fallon family was scaring Dexter something terrible. The Fallons were some of the most dangerous gangsters in the city. The three brothers each had their own set of skills that made them powerful and effective gang leaders and their youngest sister was supposed to be a ruthless killing machine!

“Okay…and…what-what do you need me to do for…Miss Fallon?”

“We would like for you to prove that she’s innocent.” Sidra replied. “We both know that she’s innocent, but we need the evidence to prove it. I know she didn’t do this…” She sounded concerned about the welfare of the Fallon girl in this. Could they have been friends somehow?

“She’s made it clear that she doesn’t want me interfering with her life-her brothers do that enough-but I want to help. That’s why I’m hiring you to find the evidence to prove her innocence.”

Dexter started to really feel it in his stomach now. Tristan was asking him to help keep a gangster out of jail. He’s heard stories of what these people were capable of and it gave veteran police officers nightmares! How was he supposed to help her out if he was sure she was guilty of horrible deeds before this particular crime?

“You have to help. I know for a fact that she’ll be railroaded by the system so that they can finally put a Fallon away. That’s why I’ve come to you. You’re not with the police, you have little connection with them and you have nothing against the Fallon gang to make it personal. I can pay you whatever amount you need, money is no object here. Just help Tayte.”

For a moment, Tristan had lost his calm façade and showed a bit of concern and worry for this old family friend of his. It led to a stirring of feelings inside of Dexter.

It was moments like that with Tristan that can make a man stop and reconsider his beliefs. Was it better just to let someone go without even trying? To let them pay for past crimes you know they committed without looking into present accusations? Or were you supposed to work on what was in the present without thinking about the past? I knew what I believed in. That you had to pay for what you did…but I also believed in due process. Evidence. Justice for all.

“I’ll do it. I’ll take the case.”

Sidra looked delighted while Tristan smiled softly before putting up his blank, serious face again. “Good. I guess that means that stinking werewolf also accepts…but I can deal with that.” Dexter was confused by this but he would ask about it later. Right now, he was trying to wrap his head around the fact that he actually accepted a case that involved keeping a dangerous criminal out of jail. Tristan and Sidra got up and started to head for the door. The gryphon helped the demon with her rain coat while he prepared for the rain himself.

“We’re both going to be in New York for a few days. I’ve been sponsoring a ballerina by the name of Chloe Lewis and her debut performance is at the end of the week. We’ll be back a few days after that. I expect results when we return. I’ve managed to talk Tayte into singing with another girl at my club, the Golden Wing-as an old favor to me. I don’t know if she’ll be there for long so you better get down there fast and see if you can talk to her about this murder and if she had anything to do with it. She may not talk, especially if she’s in a position where she actually needs help-or she’s just in a bad mood. God know she’s tried to rip my eyes out while like that… I’d hate to think of what she could do with a skinny kid like you. Good luck.”

“Uh…don’t-don’t worry about that! I’m on the case!” Dexter had to guess at when in the heck he ever said anything like that before. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that Tristan would eat him if given the chance…and failing this case seemed like the perfect excuse. If he didn’t, this Tayte would… As the couple started to leave the office, Sidra turned around and gave Dexter a business card from her little clutch purse.

“I’m an artist with the guild that works out of the museum in town. I do a lot of drawing and painting for auctions and private parties. I would love to draw you while you’re flying! We’ll set up an appointment after you solve this case! Bye Dexter!” Sidra took Tristan’s arm, looking much like a daughter and father instead of girlfriend and boyfriend. They started to head back out into the rain and gray.

At least Sidra had confidence in him, unlike Dexter in himself. Once they left, Sveta looked up from her type writer. “Ahhh! Oh Dexter, this is so great! You and Ty have a case again! Oh…don’t you think they were a beautiful couple?”

“Oh crud! Tyler!” Leaving Sveta to gush, the angel ran back into the office, opened the window and pulled Tyler back up from the fire escape and into the room. Once the werewolf was back inside, he glared at Dexter as he pulled off a sheepish, embarrassed smile. “So…uh… Chloe finally made it to New York! Isn’t that great?”

“Spare me!” Tyler walked over to his desk and kicked his feet up again, crunching the remainder of the sucker between his fangs. He was pretty peeved about being left to dangle on a fire escape because of Tristan…but he was still pretty happy about Chloe. She was a former girlfriend living out her dream as a ballerina after all. But he was even happier about getting a job again. “So, the chicken dinner wants us to keep the Fallon out of prison huh? That’s a tall order, even for the old pros…but I heard he’s willing to pay anything to make it happen, right?”

“Chicken dinner? Uh, yeah! I’m not sure if we’ll be paid whether or not we find anything that could help her case, so we’ll have to do our best! There could be an innocent future at stake!”

“Uhhh….okay, we could think that, if you wanted to. But then again, we could think about the future of our bills and Sveta’s pay check while we’re working on this instead.”

“Either way, we got work to do! We need to get down to the Golden Wing and see what we can find out about her! Maybe check the tracks too if the rain lets up for clues…”

Dexter was quick to get to the coat rack and grab his hat and coat again. Tyler stopped pouting to do the same, slipping on a dark grey trench coat and a black fedora.

“Hey! My cousin Reisen works down at the Wing! She’s the main act that sings every night! She’ll probably be able to tell us if the Fallon dame wacked the jockey the other night!” Tyler exclaimed, grinning a wide fanged smiled as he remembered his cousin. He slipped his ears under the fedora and whipped his long mane of fur out of his coat. His tail could still peek out from underneath in the back.

“That’s perfect! The place could be full of witnesses! We might already have a lead there!” Dexter was already liking their odds. Slipping his wings through the holes in the back of his coat, he buttoned and tied everything nice and snug before looking to Tyler. He was ready too. They both went for the door and walked through the main office. Sveta stood up from her desk as they left.

“Good luck, you two! Be safe!”

“Hold down the fort for us, Sveta. If we’re lucky, we’ll be back in no time.” Tyler said as he went through the door to the rest of the building.

“We’ll solve this and be able to get this place fixed up! Just you wait!” Dexter was the last to leave the office, jogging lightly to catch up with Tyler on the stairs. “Ready to do this, partner?”

“You got it, partner. Let’s do this! For the big, fat paycheck!”

“And for justice.”

“That, too.”

The rain hadn’t let up as Dexter and Tyler left their building and made their way into the streets. Everything was still touched with grey. The Golden Wing nightclub was located up town so there was quite a bit of walking to do. Dexter could fly that distance easy but he rarely did. Tyler could have kept up if he did fly but they both chose to walk a lot while on a case. It gave them a chance to see something that couldn’t be fully observed from a car or the bus- the change. The change in the city colors. Figuratively speaking, Lower L.A could only afford shades of grey while upper Los Angeles brought every color imaginable and displayed it proudly for anyone that took notice.

This case wasn’t going to be like the ones Tyler and I handled in the past-that much was obvious. Gangsters were the furthest thing from our expertise and with good reason! There had to be a first time for everything though and this would be our first time. As the grey of the city slowly changed to more pleasing colors, we couldn’t really enjoy it. We were trying to think and decide what this case could have thrown at us. Since neither of us were psychics, we could only hope for the best. Los Angeles was a city of changing moods and colors as it openly mocked reality. One minute it’s rosy and kind to guys like us. The next it’s grey and bleak. Then there are moments for the truly unfortunate where everything goes black, and they never see anything again as they fade away.

We always hoped that we wouldn’t be some of those poor souls while out on a case.

Because in a city like this, anything is possible.


((This is dedicated to everyone in the Valencia school for Magical creatures role play. For making such great characters and being the coolest friends ever. Enjoy!))