All morning long, young Shades flitted about like hungry chicks, craving explanations to things Dianus had discovered for herself hundreds of years before. A small flock of them bustled around her perch at the top of an old church; their questions centred on the denominations of Christianity. She led them to the church in the hopes they would seek their own answers and leave her time to explore the city. Instead, they pestered her and the poor Catholics until the afternoon, when they grew predictably tired of learning.

She would never understand that.

Dianus let her wings carry her over the city for a good while, delighting in the refreshing air. A new adventure began today. New to the city by less than a week, she had yet to decide where to start. Accents came easy with years of practice, she could be a businesswoman, or an immigrant, or a holidaymaker. Perhaps the easiest option was to play a local. She landed softly behind a closed deli and donned her façade.

She strolled into the high street as a gorgeous brunette, and like all other Shades, drew plenty of attention. Dianus cared little for the wolf-whistles and appreciative stares. They had no depth, and were therefore uninteresting. Still, she smiled at all who looked, for at least when they tripped over their own feet, it was amusing. 

Around her shoulders hung a small satchel, carried by both her façade and her Shade form, which usually contained the latest in hundreds of journals detailing her research. She kept the rest stashed in hiding places around the world. Today, she needed a new journal. So upon clocking the nearest chain book store, she slipped inside.

A shiver trickled down her back as she swept past the air conditioning and caught that distinctive scent of new books. Briefly eyeing the non-fiction, Dianus found her way to the notebook section. She liked to have an entirely different journal every time she started a new project, and fortunately, the humans kept supplying her with new styles. She plucked from the collection the very first that caught her eye; leather bound and shaped to depict a brick wall, complemented by an antique key.

“Hello,” she greeted the cashier with a smile. The young man behind the desk openly stared. “I just moved here from out of town, and I was wondering where the best place to get a coffee might be?” Regaining his composure, the young man babbled out a list, from which Dianus caught but one name, and fumbled through her checkout. She delivered more than the required payment, winked and breezed out of the store. With currency being so easy to come by for a Shade, she used to wonder why they weren't all filthy rich. Humans seemed to like that idea, especially in the United States of America. They called it “the American Dream”. Immortality had to have something to do with Shades' indifference towards money, she decided.

Doffing her façade as soon as she travelled beyond the high street, she flew into the clouds, allowing the wind to turn the pages of her newest journal.