Arlo James

See what it's like to be a vulture's lunch

There was something almost sweet, really, about the way that little Panda leaned forward as far as she could without tumbling from his shoulders to peer into that little shoebox he'd apparently been given. His little companion clearly entirely curious of the contents of that box as Arlo made himself comfortable upon that upturned crate and pried that lid free. Maybe it was...wrong to have hoped that box might be filled with bundles of cash, he never had seen Patrick hauling money around and yet a part of him had almost hoped that some of what Patrick did on that computer all day involved moving vast amounts of money to offshore accounts that Arlo might one day inherit. Clearly his hopes had been too high. In fact, they had been way too high. That box was filled with, well, crap as far as he was concerned. His fingers almost effortlessly plucked that small cactus out of the box, the plant surely in desperate need for a drink- Arlo half inclined to feel he understood just how it felt before he moved to place it on the small table beside him. His vibrant blue gaze flicked briefly upward as his Little Bear chirped almost excitedly at the sight of it, Arlo offering her that tale about his Maker and Patricks own love of those plants. He'd had hundreds of them. An entire room in that apartment they'd once shared had been dedicated to them, Patrick taking care of them like they were his children. Even Arlo, whom possessed near no interest nor knowledge of plants or gardening had been impressed with the varieties the man had managed to grow and how colourful they were capable of becoming. He'd only ever asked, once, just why his Maker had loved them so much and yet in typical Patrick style the other vampire had just shrugged, he always had liked them, they were different, unique and easy to care for. The simply idea that Patrick had merely liked caring for something having taken several years to sink in. Arlo eyeing his own small cactus once more. Was it supposed to be subliminal messaging from across the grave or something? Some metaphor for care?

His attention shifted back to that box then. Arlo taking out that ticket stub for a theatre he'd never heard off for a show played years ago. Was this supposed to be in here? He frowned slightly, the confusion on his face surely clear before he laid it back in the box, his eyes drawn instead to that neatly printed 'username' and 'password' written out in Patricks hand and yet what they were a username and password for he hardly knew. Was he supposed to just guess this stuff?! What was Patrick playing at? He was dead and he was still a nerd who didn't explain himself. That frustration of sorts teased readily at him, Arlo unwilling to admit that some of that irritation simply came from a grief that was still...raw in a way. It had been over two years, he should be over it by now shouldn't he? He hadn't been this upset when his own grandmother had died and yet somehow Patrick's death was a wound that wouldn't close. He'd liked the man, sure, they'd been friends, but even that still didn't explain how much it upset him even still. Maybe it was a vampire thing. Maybe they just had heightened emotions or something, maybe it had to do with the fact Patrick was the one who'd made him. Was that why it hurt so badly? Maybe he was just being ridiculous.

"I don't know what any of this is for, I don't understand. It's an account for something but what I haven't a clue."

He sighed again, one hand reaching up to run through his pets fur before his attention turned to that phone, his hand barely gracing that surface before it flared into life. How it still had power after all this time seemed more like a miracle than anything else, Arlo staring blankly at it before some sort of program initiated, that colour and text flying across the screen. What on earth was it doing? What was a bitcoin? His gaze glanced briefly to his companion, the vampire almost sure she had attempted a shrug before that realisation of just what the phone was doing seemed to settle within him. Arlo jammed that lid back on far faster and perhaps with far more force then necessary, as if that box might contain that affinity that had, in that moment, been passed to him. Was this supposed to be Patrick's idea of a joke? Panic settled within the young vampire now, those words coming in a rush. He knew this power, he'd seen it before and he sure as hell didn't want it. It belonged to Patrick, it wasn't his to take and more than that he was almost sure the man had died for it- even if by accident. That sudden press of his Little Bear around his throat was hardly missed, that deep purr vibrating within her, those efforts to calm him perhaps succeeding in distracting him at least a little, that tense hold to his form easing slightly. He could handle this right? He'd just....get rid of the power somehow. One hand settled on the Panda's back, his fingers stroking that fur in some effort to find some point of clarity- only for the lights to go out. Fuck. They needed to leave before this got out of hand. Before he blew something up.

Arlo was readily on his feet within moments, those near panicked barks from his pet briefly seeming to invade his thoughts. What was she so upset about? His gaze fell readily upon that plant then. Did she really want that cactus? It was hardly worth the battle right now he supposed, Arlo snatching up that little plant, tucking it into the box before heading for the door. Arlo near colliding with Tim on the way out, the man asking him where he was going. Trying to explain to a human just what was happening hardly seemed like a good use of his time, Arlo, for once, simply attempting to leave. You know Arlo, this isn't how jobs work, you can't just leave before the end of the night, especially not now! We haven't got any power, we need you too-.

"Look, I just have to go alright, Im sorry, I'll make it up to you."

The lights would probably came back on when he left all the same, Tim (hardly looking impressed) managed to rummage in his pocket for a moment before passing him that five dollar bill with the assurance that was all he was getting for his 'effort' tonight. Arlo managed something akin to a scowl and yet here and now he hardly had the desire to argue, Arlo shoving past the man and out onto the street, flicking that hood up at the same time to conceal his little pet from any prying eyes as they made their way down the street now. Arlo had gone no more than a few strides before that club suddenly surged back into life and light. Great. It was him. That shoebox remained firmly tucked beneath him arm, Arlo starting to head for home with some vague intention of working this out then only to have the box start...beeping. His attempts to ignore it lasted no more than a block, the vampire almost reluctantly slowing his pace to open that lid again, the phone flashing as it beeped. The words 'Transfer Complete' dancing upon the screen now.

"Transfer? Transfer of what? How do you turn this thing off....."

There had to be a button or something right? This phone older then what he was used too, did he have to hold something down? The phone, for its part, hardly seemed co-operative, Arlo groaning out loud as it continued its beeping, the man simply reverting to pressing any button now in the hope it might do something other then beep only for some website to flash onto the screen. Now where was he? This was not working. A soft sigh at last falling from him.

"You know what Chicka? I think we need a computer. An actual one."

His tucked that box back under his arm then, adjusting his path, Arlo heading then for one of the few places he knew might actually be open and that might let him use a computer for free. It was hardly a far walk to the public library, that large sandstone building still lit as Arlo hurried across the street, the man pausing to make sure his Little Bear was well hidden before slipping into that building. I was quiet inside, no more than a handful of other people within that warm space and no one at all on those computers in the back as Arlo made his way over to them, that phone mercifully, no longer beeping. He sat himself easily in that chair, setting the box beside him before reaching in for that phone, eyeing the web address before typing it into that larger computer- that same page flaring to life on the screen.

"Alright so it's a website for....something. Getting started with Bitcoin. Install the Bitcoin App now, ok, no, not going to do that, choose your bitcoin wallet? I don't want a wallet I just want to....ok login information. Do you think that's what this is?"

His fingers reached for that piece of paper with username and password written on it, his gaze glancing towards his Panda once more, the man pausing to enter that information onto the screen, a small picture rolling for several minutes before that login was accepted, both Arlo's eyes rising in surprise.

"I have one thousand bitcoins. Great. I have like a thousand fake game coins or something. You ever been to a library before Chicka? You might as well have a look around because it looks like all we're getting tonight is like video game money. Why the hell would he leave me this?"