An Eternal Dance

[Maran]

"Adria, what are you doing?!" August hissed after the Thanatologist as she moved past him to open the door and descend the staircase. He knew he'd seen that door slam shut in Adria's face, clearly it was not the wind, clearly something was behind that door, but she had went in anyway without him so suddenly. "Damn it," he swore. Metis would not appreciate him cursing so much. It was unbecoming of a Knight, or at least the makings of one. But in this situation, that was all he could manage to say. "No splitting up," he scoffed. Like in horror movies.

There was no choice but to follow. August went through the door after Adria, with a frustrated sigh. Upon hearing the commotion below he rushed down the staircase. Finally on the base floor, he turned, flashlight in hand, to see Adria's form, bloodied; the grey of ashes strewn across the floor; and the hunched form of the Imperator Draugr, in all of its insanity and office clothing. The smell of kerosene entered his nose, being in a closer proximity to Adria, and August increasingly felt the nausea return.

His eyes wobbled between both figures, his gaze as hazy as his mind was getting. Not that he needed to think. There was no time to think. He just needed to end this quickly and get the hell out.

The draugr, catching sight of the Enforcer, lifted its head with an amused "hm?" It seemed to settle its attention on August then and there, its uncanny stare causing his fists to ball up. He remembered what Serah taught him, to will the blood to do his bidding, and with that he felt a surge of strength flow through his body. Grimacing, he braced himself as the draugr closed the gap between the two with preternatural speed, claws at the ready. August took a step back as the draugr reached with its right arm to claw at his neck -- and catching its arm, August yanked down with a loud grunt, raising his knee to meet the draugr's stomach.

+~+~+~+~+

"Richer folk stay up north. Better neighborhoods, not much crime," Ray replied. They had entered a small living area, sparsely decorated save for a rather odd-looking chartreuse sofa at one end of the room, and a coffee table in front, a Bible laying atop it with dog-eared pages.

"Sensible hunters go south to feed. You can be more reckless down there," Ray noted. A sad but unfortunate truth. Just as it was centuries before, the impoverished remained the invisible. Ray had been one of them. It did not sit well with him, taking advantage of the poor -- but he acknowledged the hunt was much easier there, as most kindred in Chicago knew. Much less of a chance for investigation if something went awry. He sat and reclined on the sofa. It was good to be inside.

"As for the bodies," Ray continued to recall, "majority of them have been turning up around the Dunning neighborhood. Ditches. Woody areas. Online, they say that most of them looked as though some animal mauled them. Claw markings, cuts, bites, bruises everywhere. Nearly unrecognizable." He frowned at the description. It brought unpleasant things to mind. "Were it a draugr, then word of an investigation by the Lex Legis would have spread by now. They hold domain over the city." It struck him as odd that such an investigation was not heard of yet. Typically such a threat would have been dealt with by now, the Lex Legis were usually good at that.

Ray pointed to a staircase at another end of the room. "By the way. Upstairs is your room. The other door in the kitchen goes to the basement. My lab and study."

 

[Lucyfer]

'Ow.'

Slow pain. The shock of being struck was wearing away and Adria knew the wounds along her upper body would take more than a night to heal as the pain started to register, the shock fading as August caught up and took in the scene. The draugr took notice of him, rather than her - which suited her just fine right then.

She reached for her lighter as it moved to August and found itself caught by his grip. An "ooph" parted its lips as the fist connected, but it clearly could burn blood for more than speed - though it buckled a bit under the blow, it still took it impressively well.

It started to move to retaliate, to bury its claws into the chest of the offending vampire, but the sudden light and sound of the dagger lighting caught its attention.

And Adria caught its gaze over the flames. "Stay." Eyes spiraled with the color of the command, but the Draugr didn't falter under the imperious command. It immediately tried to struggle, senses drowned in fear of fire, once Adria threw it. It was no longer so precise when it would lash out at August.

Her aim was good enough to strike the back of its left shoulder, the fire opening it wider and leaving a charred hole through the suit. The creature shrieked. 'Sorry.' Thought for August who might lose himself to the fear as well.

~***~

Ian took in the surroundings, most of all the well-worn bible. He felt a pang, and wondered briefly how old that copy was. How many copies had he been through? Was he still faithful? The soul, and so religion, was ever intriguing - no wonder he was so horrified by diablerie.

North was a richer area. He nodded mutely, acknowledging he received the information. The bodies were mutilated. "Mm," sounded like Bestia or werewolves, though he ruled the latter out by default. Werewolves weren't usually so rash...at least not towards humans. A draugr or a mad Bestia sounded more likely.

He did grimace at note of the Legis. "I don't know how you deal with them," he preferred the Demos. They didn't demand much. They were usually too caught up in their own mismanagement of governments to care. The Lex Legis had plenty of their own red tape but they usually found ways to annoy. From his experiences.

"Thank you," said of the room as he glanced to the stairs, "I won't disturb your lab, though if you don't mind me asking, what projects are you looking into here?" Another glance at the bible, "you seem as if you should be concerned with matters of the soul as well...." Trailing words.

 

[Maran]

August let out a grunt as he realized the draugr was tougher than he had hoped. The discipline of Vigor allowed feats of impressive strength; but in their own way, the kindred did not fall over and shatter easily, unlike fragile humans. They could hold their own -- at least, most of them. This draugr looked to fall into the former category, judging from the speed at which it recovered its bearings, poised to retaliate against August, ready to sink its claws into him.

Until, that is, both caught sight of bright flame. August seemed frozen, his limbs locked as Adria threw the dagger in their direction, his mind caught in an infinite loop of fear. The smell of burning flesh and clothing mingling in his nostrils when the dagger struck the draugr's shoulder was more than a wake-up call. As the draugr shrieked, August did as well, eyes wide and body trembling. The flame, the smoke, the kerosene -- it was enough to drive the Beast within him wild.

All August wanted was to get the fire away -- away, away, away. With that, he dipped slightly, and pushed with as much strength as he could muster against the draugr in an attempt to shove it and the flaming dagger as far away as possible. A pang of sharp pain entered as he felt claws gouging into his back despite his clothing, the draugr's hands seizing the Enforcer's shoulders and holding on with a vice-like grip, widening its stance as it struggled to resist.

+~+~+~+~+

"You do not interfere. You stay quiet. That is how you deal with the likes of them." The times he had dealings with the Lex Legis were far and few the years Ray had been living in Chicago, but the experiences -- not that they were bad -- had left him with a sour taste in his mouth.

"They crave excess. They chase gluttony and greed and will trample those in their way. Their demons build a path to ruin," he said, sounding rather sure of himself. "I learned that, long ago." In the pews on a Sunday, a rapt listener to the word of his pastor, painting a picture in his mind of heaven where all worries are lost.

It was a polite gesture by Ian to not disturb Ray's lab, but Ray thought better. "No. Use my lab as you must," Ray offered to Ian, "It would appreciate someone new." No need to hide his lab from another Thanatologist. He noticed Ian's gaze shift to his bible briefly as he commented on 'matters of the soul,' and for the first time he laughed, though the sound came out as a low wheeze and whistle in the air. He seemed amused, his eyes squinting and his lips curling into some semblance of a smile -- though from behind the mask, it was hard to discern. One could tell much about a person from just a simple look into their home.

"The soul and the body are like a knight's armor and sword," Ray explained, once his laughter died down, "both should be perfect when the knight goes to war, aye?" He picked up the bible. "Perfect in all forms. As for projects... . I am considering continuing my research into the soul, or delving into matters of the flesh. But it is hard without a partner."

 

[Lucyfer]

The sane and the lost both snapped and broke before the sight if fire. Adria hoped August would not, but it was in vain as he fought to escape. The panic of the draugr drew him back with claws, worsening the situation, but it seemed to realize that as Adrian simply took out another dagger. August tried to shove away - it released then, understanding dawning as the flames that had pierced it died.

Adria lit another, and it turned to flee deeper. This time, Adria lodged the dagger in its leg and watched it crumple to the ground in agony, unable to flee as the flames hit.

'See Ishara,' she wanted to say, 'We will take the draugr and go.' No demon seemed to be disturbing anything. Though, putting the creature into torpor without ashing it now might be a difficult task for her. August would handle that better...his strikes were painful, no doubt, but not lethal.

The vampire looked for August, to see if he had fled far, or if he had regained himself. If not, she would have to make due with unlit daggers while the creature struggled to rise.

~***~

Ray spoke with faith, and Ian could not help but be immediately enthralled. It was rare to meet someone so devout unless they were young, and Ray dud not strike him as such. His thirst to know more of this devout thanatologist.

A sound erupted from him at the mention of matters of the soul, and Ian did not immediately catch that it was laughter until Ray spoke. Knights in armor...shining armor. He understood; the disfiguring curse was truly despised. Perhaps, Ray had once been beautiful. Pilgrim used to joke that he had been an Adonis, before....

No one believed Pilgrim, of course.

"I can't argue with that. We do strive for perfection, in all ways," the thanatologists were never satisfied with things as they were. That was why they advanced, studied, and learned. Adapted. "I appreciate the use of your lab...who knows, I may stay here a while. Sabbatical is long overdue...," once the Adria mess was dealt with. "Or you could come see Oregon - not as loud, but pretty."

He moved towards the stairs, luggage returning to sight, "By the way... when are you from? I apologize but...you are...unique from my centuries of unlife and I mean it as a compliment." Likely not something Ray heard much of, but he was like his name, a ray in the darkness, no matter how grotesque he appeared, the mind, the faith, the fervor, and trust - to share his space with a stranger - was so much more than Ian anticipated.

 

[Maran]

'Pushpushpush,' August could only think over and over again as he grappled with the draugr, his back tearing as the frenzied creature held on to dear life with its claws, gnashing its teeth and wailing. Escape still ran in his head, the instinctual Beast inside wanted it, commanded it just as a babe would for it's mother's milk. But in the midst of the struggle, he found his body meeting with the floor face first -- almost comically -- as the draugr suddenly released its grip, running away from the vampires, the flaming dagger in its shoulder extinguished. He lay there on the ground, seeing only a disjointed blur of the present situation as he faded in and out of muddled consciousness.

The burst of flame as another dagger entered the draugr's leg. The screams of agony as the draugr collapsed just as he did. Some shadowed form, walking in his direction.

Then the Beast seemed to subside, and the fog on August's mind began to clear.

"Adria!" August called as he sprung up as quickly as he could, though he buckled slightly as he rose. "Gah," he gasped as the wounds on his back made themselves known. It took some time to realize Adria was, in fact, there, searching for him. After the flame, everything that came after just seemed ... lost, obfuscated in a thick haze. He looked around the base floor, and he caught sight of the draugr; though by then the flame of the dagger embedded in the beast's leg had died, a large smoldering hole burnt into its pants.

"W-what happened?" August did not seem to remember much of the fight.

+~+~+~+~+

'Westward, hm.' Ray recalled. From how Ian described the place, visiting Oregon began to sound much more pleasant than the city, more pleasant than the prospect seemed back in the cafe. He still saw the trip unlikely. The thought of departing Chicago rarely occurred to him. But some distant day, perhaps, when he felt he was ready in both body and mind, he would venture forth. But Ian would not be with him, he expected. Being alone was just too natural for him. He expected it. Especially in his current state. "Maybe I will travel," he said, thoughtfully, picking at the scarred and scabbed flesh below his eye with a finger.

As Ian went to go up the stairs toward his room, Ray stood, running his fingers through his bible, still awaiting some sort of news from Mikhail or another party. This Ian was strange. The ease at which the Umbra seemed to interact with him was truthfully rather disconcerting. And how easy it was for Ray himself to talk to him... But when was the last time Ray actually met with, and spoke to his peers in person? He knew the answer: Months. Years. They did not like him much and did not reach out to him -- but then again, he did not reach out to them, either. He begrudgingly acknowledged this lack of interaction on his part as cause for his discomfort. His mind shifted to a different subject. 'Who did Ian mention at the cafe...' Uriel, Uriel Pilgrim. The other Nocnitsa. If this Pilgrim was Ian's leader, Ray realized, those in Oregon must have learned to accept him, perhaps like him over time. His mind lingered on the thought.

Ray's attention snapped to Ian, looking over to the man when the Umbra asked where he was from. 'Unique?' Ray was perplexed by the word choice, and the characteristic shyness took over again as he turned away completely, uttering "S-Spain. Madrid... uh. Born close to the 18th century," quickly as he did so.

 

[Lucyfer]

‘What happened?’

“You fell and proved you were as useful as needed – a shield and a grappling tool.”

Adria disregarded what Ishara had to contribute, “Thank you,” was how she said it instead. He had helped, the draugr was down, burning blood to try and heal it’s leg to get up. Adria could smell it, the intoxicating scent almost begging her to sink her fangs in. Drink…and drink deep, to the heart’s blood.

Only she resisted that urge of the Beast, and as always, it was too exhausted to command her to listen. Ishara wasn’t interested in the draugr’s blood, either, so she only had to ignore the Beast’s will. “I am sorry about the fire, but you assisted in keeping the draugr in place…we’ll both need medical attention after this,” or just lots of blood, but medical attention wouldn’t hurt if it was available here.

She gestured to it, “We just need to finish it, and I’m afraid if I try now I may ash it,” not what she wanted. She wanted it in torpor, “Do you mind?” If he wasn’t able, she’d do what she could to not ash it, but she wasn’t sure how well that would go. The smell of its blood was being lost, and the scent of August’s weighed heavier in the air now. Another thing to resist.

It was only then Adria wondered how much blood he lost, and how much she might have to worry about another frenzy from him. This was why she kept the damned Beast tired.

~***~

Span, Madrid. Perhaps a Roman Catholic, then. He wondered if there was a rosary hiding around somewhere. Ian gave a nod, appreciating the answer as it came, even as it was done so without eye contact. He decided to offer, “I’m from Avignon myself, France – the 14th century,” he offered then, to make it fair. “I’ll go put my things up, and get settled in.”

He knew he would eventually wear out his welcome, but he had at least a couple of days, he hoped, to try and figure this out. To try and find Adria, and learned what happened to Valerius. He was hoping, still, it wasn’t diablerie.

Hoping this would just be a matter of self-defense, and they could let her go with no other issues. Of course, Pilgrim would be the one to determine that, in the end. ‘But she was never a citizen.’ Another problematic part. A non-citizen killing a citizen. So much red tape…he shook the thought off, as he reached the room, and took it in. Clearly, it hadn’t been used in a while, but it wasn’t a room for a human.

Sun wouldn’t reach him.

He set his luggage down, and began to unpack his things – clothes, books, the few samples of ongoing experiments he brought with him, in case he did have down time to work on them, the blood in the cooler – he needed a plug-in before it ran out of battery.

 

[Maran]

"Uhm... anytime," August muttered, swaying this way and that in a wobble as he remained in a daze. 'The ... what did I do?' he asked himself again, straining his mind for answers, yet he came up with nothing -- he recalled nothing until Adria apologized for the fire, and told him of his role in keeping the draugr in place. The pain in his back throbbed, and copper filled his nose as the wounds bled. "A bandage or two will do." Now that August could see the extent of Adria's own wounds, a weak grin formed on his face. "You look good, yourself." A terrible attempt at a joke, but a joke nonetheless.

Adria made known her desire to keep the draugr in torpor, and August's attention -- that is, what little of it he had at the moment -- was brought back. Across the floor, the draugr continued to burn blood. "I will give it a shot," August answered the Thanatologist, before slowly making his way over to the draugr, whose hissing and wailing only intensified as August approached.

His own blood burning in his veins for a boost of strength, August's punches were slow, hindered by his painful wounds, but powerful -- ribs cracking, vertebrae breaking, the sound of bone split and crushed with a dull 'crunch' filling the air. The draugr could do all but resist weakly, screeching weakly as each blow landed upon its damaged body. At last, the draugr's cries were cut short by a hard kick to the head.

Turning to Adria, August nodded slowly to her, a gesture meant to call her over. He looked down at the beast at his feet. "Now what?"

+~+~+~+~+

So Ian was a Frenchman, it seemed. Ray's 'neighbor,' so to speak, a curious fact that Ray wasn't quite sure what to think of. And Ian was *old* -- much, much older than Ray expected. 'Avignon.' He'd read about that name, poring through the history of the Church many decades ago, in a much darker and lonelier time, even more so than his current situation. But Ray refused to dwell on it; there were other matters to attend to -- even if that matter was simply waiting on a simple text.

By then Ian had already gone up to unpack, and Ray was left alone in the living room. Already the waiting grew tiresome, and he found himself fidgeting and picking at his skin as he killed time poring through the worn bible once more. There was a choice of stowing himself away in his room, as he normally did when the urge to continue his studies did not preoccupy him. The urge to isolate himself attracted him even more now that he had a 'guest' of sorts, even if Ian seemed kind to him; but he felt an obligation to be there, for his fellow Thanatologist, and so he stayed.

Until he got bored. And the thought of Salem seemed to turn up again. Then there Ray was, creeping up the stairs, poking his head into the doorway of Ian's room. He caught sight of the samples that Ian had taken from his luggage. "Those samples. For what purpose do they serve?" he asked, his interest piqued.

 

[Lucyfer]

“A bandage or two,” Adria returned the jest, “and I’ll look even better.”

An appreciative nod was given when he agreed to finish the job, and Adria waited behind, hands clasping behind her back, old thoughts flicking through her head. Old lessons of Valerius. Her nails dug into her palm, as there were no more words from Ishara. No sensation of her, either. Somehow, she expected it, if only to express her dislike with how well this was going.

But, she was given silence from her.

Silence, and the sound of flesh on flesh, as the Lex Legis showed where he excelled. One day, he would be a fine knight. Perhaps he needed to learn to use blades, but then, perhaps he didn’t intend to go up against his own kind. Adria learned to specialize.

When it fell, she moved forward, “I suppose now we figure out a way to get it out of here, without attracting attention.” She should have brought a car. She should have learned how to drive a car. “Would you hav—” Voice stopped.

The eyes of the draugr opened. Again, shock that should have been displayed was replaced with blankness. Emptiness. And she should have looked away when the eyes fixed on her, and the draugr found a voice. “Sit.” Colors flashed through the gray eyes, and even as Adria recognized the talent, it was not a command she could refuse.

She took a step back, and she dropped to her knees, folded them over herself as she sat, both fists clenching at her side, as the draugr then fixed its gaze on August as it began to rise again from falling.

“I told you!” Ah, there was the nuisance.

~***~

As the items were removed from their luggage, Ian began to set things up properly. Clothes to a wardrobe, vials up, the cooler plugged in. He was starting to set up those samples, when he heard Ray. He hadn’t heard him until he spoke, so he visibly jumped, startled, at the sound of his voice. When he saw him there, he laughed lightly to shake off the anxiety. “Experiments, of course,” he gestured towards them.

“They’re samples from our own kind, blood,” didn’t need to be kept cool because of that odd nature of theirs. That, and it wasn’t really for drinking, “Some of it reveals its secrets, what kind of vampire it comes from, memories…but some of it doesn’t. I’ve only recently learned the secret of making sure my own blood gives away nothing about me, and I’ve been trying to understand more about why it does.”

Blood was life for them, “I’ve been comparing it. I think it may better help us to understand the bond of viniculum.” Three drinks, and one was all but a slave to another vampire. “I’d rather not have that fear any longer. The more I age, the more I depend on more powerful blood to sustain myself…I’ve learned to take sustenance from things like animals, but it takes…a lot.”

The problem of being old. It was why he’d started on the path to study the blood, though. It became a burden to him.

 

[Maran]

'This shouldn't be happening. This is not supposed to be happening.' Nothing could have prepared August for when the draugr's eyes opened once more and focused its gaze on Adria, and truly, nothing could have prepared him for when the draugr began to actually speak, commanding her to sit down in a wheezing, raspy voice.

It began to rise, on broken bones and burnt flesh and bruises August and Adria had together inflicted on it. 'This shouldn't be happening.' A swirl of color entered the draugr's eyes once more as it met August's own. An Imperator, just like Metis. He'd forgotten during the fight.

Unlike Adria, August chose to look away, but a swift tackle brought August to the ground, hard, pinned under the draugr. The beast's hand was quick to reach out and clutch August's head, turning to meet the draugr's gaze. And as it did to Adria, the draugr found its voice once more: "Sit," it commanded, and August had no choice but to obey; but before the draugr stood, it raked its claws across August's stomach, slowly, a deep wound that started to bleed profusely as August screamed.

As he lay there, however, the feeling of helplessness seemed to do the most injury to August

+~+~+~+~+

The sound of Ian laughing was enough to startle Ray himself, who visibly tensed briefly. Upon Ian gesturing toward the samples, Ray moved closer to get a better view, though, of course, he maintained his distance -- though it was apparent that curiosity had struck him, being a Thanatologist.

Ray's eyebrows raised -- or at least, what little brow there was after learning said samples were actually from other vampires. Ian's research into the blood seemed to impress Ray, judging from his stare into the other's eyes, unblinking. "I have noticed myself that my body has demanded greater quantities of blood over time, myself. Age does take its toll." Ray was over two centuries old, after all.

"I have studied the blood. But only for a brief time, years ago," Ray said, settling his lanky form onto the floor. He had not even bothered to remove his parka, from earlier. "It has helped to conserve my own blood when I go about things, but I lost interest shortly after." In truth, the vampire who had assisted Ray some in the subject had left town, but Ray's interest was beginning to wane by then anyway.

"I... would be interested in your findings," Ray added. A pause, and then: "How did you come about Salem, anyway?"

 

[Lucyfer]

It was times like these, rare though they were, that Adria wished she could rouse the Beast from its exhaustion and let it pull her from sanity. It would not heed the command given; she should have known that when she tried to subdue the draugr in such a way, but she had wanted to see if it would work. Wanted to test its intelligence. It either had good resistance, or it simply couldn’t work.

The blood of August was still intoxicating, and the Beast certainly wished to rouse – afraid, wounded, hungry – yet its desires were never enough. A different power started to burn in Adria, brought by the frustrations and mounting knowledge that she and August were dead if they couldn’t surmount this, and it burned into her veins, seeming to light them up.

Not literally, but a certain glow did seem to fall over her and forced the eyes of the creature to her. Adria lifted her head, fists still tightly clenched at her side. She couldn’t rise, but other thoughts flickered into her head.

The creature flicked its claws off to the side. Blood slapped against the ground as it turned to her, “Do you truly believe that is going to protect you, --” The term he meant to use wouldn’t pass his throat. He cleared it, shaking his head, as he felt his will clash against the imposed emotions of awe and fear. Fear! Ha. It was just this pathetic vessel reacting, just it trying to accommodate, and forcing false emotions onto him.

He forced a step forward, “It’s not a bad choice,” he addressed the voice he heard earlier, recognizing its presence. His voice was still raspy, still hoarse and adjusting.

He would get used to it in time.

The demon could see the shapeless aura others couldn’t, feminine, a bloody pink, “horribly young, though," cleared his throat. "I suppose your other options all perished. I do not why your kind enjoys this sort of game….” Contracts were messy. Difficult. Not to mention it took so long, assuming the host wasn’t destroyed before the soul was. The soul had to perish before the body could be occupied. A draugr was ideal for that, and the demon had spent his time driving this vampire to madness to take it.

Well, he supposed there was one advantage: when they took the vessel, there was no adjustment time. The other didn’t answer him, though her energy shimmered as if enraged. Ishara could not act as she would have liked; the bonds with her and Adria were not so strong. She was not tied tightly enough to that world.

Adria ignored them, as best she could, as the demon took another step, and tried to catch August’s eye, the pulsing energy around her still trying to command attention while also push the demon from her. Sovereignty was an interesting power that way. If she could catch his eye, she’d issue a single command, like Metis. Like the Draugr. “Move.” She couldn’t remove it from herself, but she hoped she could remove it from him. If not...well, fear frenzy usually overrode everything. Fire would be the next tactic.

~***~

Ian tried to remind himself not to make such startling reactions, but he knew he’d forget again. As with bad jokes. The cost of living so long – some habits never went away. Too old to learn new ones. Hadn’t that always been the complaint of Valerius himself? His obsession to learn new things, to twist his body and shape it to do more, had driven him mad it seemed.

Ian nodded at his assessment, “That’s been a godsend, using less of it. That was the first I figured out as well, it usually is,” something he had noticed. Once one began to realize their blood could be used for so much, like increasing their speed, they started to play with it, to see what else it could do. The first blood one ever mastered was their own, and so, they learned how to make it more effective.

“I’d be willing to teach you. Fresh eyes can always help – you might help me get on to the next, about figuring viniculums out – not that I’d try to bind you, or anyone,” hastily added. No, slavery was a bad taste in his mouth, again, thanks to Pilgrim. Not that it hadn’t been before, but…it hadn’t been as repugnant until he heard his stories.

He asked about Salem, and he sighed, “I was in London with Valerius before all this,” the one murdered, “we heard about Salem there, and a burgeoning civilization of kindred, but not yet…established. We thought we could start a group there under Thanatologist leadership for once,” that was so rare to find, “but we were a bit late. Pilgrim was there when we arrived, but he welcomed us with open arms all the same. He was interested in what we could uncover about the vampiric condition, so he basically let us be, and called on us for our expertise now and then.” It had been…nice, to be respected, and trusted.

It was why he’d come to like the man so much, in truth. Hells, he even let in a former Nazi. He was all about second chances, it seemed, a rare quality among their kind. “There was no real reason to go…just the opportunity to go about research unhindered, and that’s what we found. I was traveling with Valerius for a couple of centuries, before…,” well. Before his death. “Well, never mind that. Age is a terrible beast.” And it had taken Valerius’s mind. Ian didn’t want to fall prey to it like him, to forget that he had once been human...

 

[Maran]

Pain. Long and drawn-out pain was all August could feel as he bled on the floor, the dark blood forming a small pool on top of the wound, soaking through his clothing, and running off his stomach onto the ground... It felt warm, August seemed to note, strangely enough; perhaps it was the sheer disbelief in his present circumstances that led his thoughts astray. The draugr had clawed deep into the flesh, rending his insides apart. He was burning blood in an attempt to heal somewhat, but was there much of a point?

Turning his head, August caught sight of Adria, fists clenched as she somehow managed to attract the attention of the draugr to her. He heard the creature's rasp; 'What was he talking about? What 'choice'? A choice to die quickly, or painfully?' Humor. Another distraction. His chest rose and fell as he labored to breath in the copper-tinged air, in and out, in and out, to manage the pain; to last a bit longer.

He could hear more words dragging out from the draugr's mouth.

'Horribly young... your kind?' What did the draugr notice in Adria that August couldn't? As he looked on, he could notice Adria's gaze on him Was she concerned? He stared into her. Well, of course she would be, she was going to die too, after all...

And then August heard the command. "Move." And so he was free -- And so he obeyed the Thanatologist, but he shifted ever so slightly as to not garner the draugr's attention. He remained there on the ground, attempting to formulate some sort of plan. This did not seem to last long, however. Feeling the surge of strength and speed in his veins was slightly invigorating as he burned what remained of his blood.

With an almighty groan, August attempted to rise as quick as he could, blood spilling onto the floor with a 'splat', and with a swift step, he would rush to tackle the draugr with what strength he could summon. If successful in tackling and knocking the draugr over, he would attempt to pin it down. Though it was increasingly becoming apparent to August, with what blood he had lost and was burning, that the Beast was gnashing on the inside, yearning for sustenance.

+~+~+~+~+

The offer to teach Ray was certainly unexpected, and the Nocnitsa fell into silence, hesitating, registering in his mind all that the offer entailed. There was some concern; Ian did have some degree of trustworthiness, it seemed; but Ray had no intention to bind himself to another kindred in case his trust was misplaced. It was something to meditate on, and so he responded with another enigmatic "Maybe," his fingers fidgeting.

Ian detailed his arrival to Salem with Valerius and Pilgrim's warm reception, and Ray could not help but feel some sort of envy at having travelled for so long. There had only been two places he'd been: Spain and America, nothing in between. To have a companion by his side as well...

A sudden chirp from Ray's phone. Ray took a look at the screen: Mikhail.

We might have her. An Adria did check into the Sunset Resort not long ago.

Ray simply handed over his phone to Ian, allowing him to see the text received.

 

[Lucyfer]

'You should have run.’ It was the first thought to cross Adria’s mind as she saw the flicker of movement, and she thought to alter the order, but her gaze was ripped away from him by the Demon’s claw, a single one pressing into her chin and tilting her gaze up. She averted her eyes this time. She was usually cocky enough to keep eye contact with Imperators, so often their commands had failed once she studied the mind, but this one had broken that.

It had broken Majesty.

That thought sent a cold panic through her, the realization coming with the touch. He shouldn’t be able to do that. “If this is the one you want…,” a trailing offer, and the claw pierced flesh, though Adria bit her tongue to keep from crying out.

Dominate broke, as well. She felt the relief in the flush of fear, and her mind cycling around the thought that she had sat for long. She wasn’t sure which did it, didn’t care, as the Demon was suddenly drawn from her. Its attention split to August with the ‘splat’, and then, as it pulled away, it was tackled.

Adria shifted to her feet immediately, ignoring the blood that was burning. Even the Demon had no choice in the body it occupied, trying to burn it for strength, but Adria wasn’t fool enough to engage again, even as August did seem to get it pinned. She moved for the stairs, but couldn’t just leave August. Not that she wanted to.

She found the lighter that had been dropped somewhere after the Demon’s eye-opening revelation, and grabbed for a dagger. Right now, this was still her friend, and the Demon’s bane. It occupied a vampire body. It still had to play by those rules.

August needed an escape, and pinning it wasn’t an escape. It would get free, harm him, or wear him out… ‘Sorry, sorry, sorry.' Lit the dagger, and threw it to zip by both of their heads. August was pinning it too well for her to be able to strike it accurately.

And the Demon was pissed about that, and it did fight back, tried to free its clawed hands to push them into August. Tried to lift its head to bite him. Anything at all, to break the pin, and make it clear that if August moved a hand, he would suffer for it. Whatever he was holding down would lash out at him.

~***~

Maybe. Ian smiled at the answer and did not press. It was risky. Anything they did was risky though and Ian still had to fear the bond in his trials. So far he had never taken more than a single step, but he was wary.

He was glad that Ray was, too. Ian respected it, even if he longed for the trust...such things took time. Ian had plenty of it. He knew that too well now, of course.

Before more could be said, Ray's phone chirped to life. Ian leaned forward, then hastily pulled back, recalling it was not wise to do that. Ray didn't like him reading those messages. So, he waited, until the phone was offered to him. He read the message slowly.

Twice.

Then he offered the phone back. He rose, immediately prepared to head back out, assuming there was enough night remaining. "Do you know how to get to that resort?" He needed to check it out, immediately. He had to find out if it was her. The name wasn't terribly common...not like Ashley. Still, he couldn't be certain. He had to follow it up.

 

[Maran]

So it seemed the draugr went down and, along with August, they tumbled onto the ash-covered ground. The draugr hissed and seemed to curse up a storm as August put in his best effort to hold the creature still. It was considerably strong yet; but with his own considerable effort August had been able to grasp and pin down its hands. For now. He could feel the sharp nails of the draugr's claws move under his palm, scratching -- or at least attempting to. "Don't run away now," August wheezed as he knelt on top of the beast's body, careful to avoid eye contact, as he turned his head to where Adria had been. Nobody there. 'Where is she?'

August looked frantic as he looked about, searching for the Thanatologist. He caught sight of her as she made way toward the stairs. Was she making a run for it? The draugr was still trying to thrash about underneath, and its head tried to rise to bite at August in a wild rage. "Off, cur!" it screamed out.

Perhaps this was not the best of plans. August was burning what precious blood left holding it down even as he bled; however, it would eventually run out. It was inevitable, and he would tire. It was only natural to escape, August rationalized. Adria would not lose much if he died, after all.

'What the hell is she doing?'

Adria had lit one of her daggers, and then -- a flash of fire. It hurled toward in their direction, and sailed over the draugr and August's heads. In that moment, all was forgotten as that instinctual fear kicked in, and August closed his eyes, ducking his head in fear.

Teeth were hard, and August quickly understood how true that was once he felt the draugr's bite sink into the side of his forehead. He ripped away almost immediately, but already a rivulet of blood was slowly seeping from the wound. Minor, but the pain was still there. So was the fear, as he threw himself to the side, scrambling off the draugr. The fire had caught its eye as well, and it too had fallen into fear. It began to rise, burning blood to heal itself, as August came to his senses and ran towards Adria, gesturing wildly to leave.

+~+~+~+~+

Ray took the phone back when Ian had finished reading Mikhail's message, and he too had stood. It was time to venture out once again, he thought, with a sense of dread. Perhaps it was a good thing he kept his parka on. Ian asked whether he knew how to get to the Sunset, and Ray nodded in answer. "Mmhm," he began, "but it will take considerably long to get there, Ian."

Getting there and verifying Adria was present was indeed important to Ian -- and to Ray himself, he supposed -- and perhaps all of Chicago, really -- if Adria truly was a diablerist. He had left Ian's room, descending the stairs, and awaited the Umbra at the doorway.

There was a churning feeling in Ray's gut as he realized that he and Ian would likely have to take a taxi. Or public transportation. Being around so many eyes in such a closed space... and so he thought. There was nothing more Ray wanted to avoid, but there was a simultaneous sense of wrongdoing that he felt when he realized his fears would get in the way of Ian's investigation. So he tried to think -- a solution which could resolve both issues...

"Ian," Ray called out, "perhaps give the Resort a call first? T'would be the wiser route to pursue before actually going."

 

[Lucyfer]

‘Thank you!’ Adria almost wanted to shout as August fled, waving for her, and she did not hesitate, the blood burning in her veins and pushing her up the stairs rapidly, up, up, up, while the Demon would be consumed by the fear of the Beast. August had pulled himself out, fast enough, so that gave them an advantage to escape, regroup, and figure out what to do.

The blonde rushed out the entrance, towards the gate they had opened, and a bit further, before a gasp split her lips and she dropped to all fours, fangs extended. She couldn’t have retracted them if she wanted to. The Beast was all but screaming, even if it could do nothing in its exhaustion. The scent of blood was in her head. The thirst was strong enough to break through to her, and even if the Beast could not consume her, her body warned that it was near collapse, feeling the weakness then.

She was not old. Blood was lost too quickly that night, and she didn’t have enough in her body to handle this.

The thirst exploded then, and the strength she had faded as what blood she could burn nearly exhausted itself. She forced herself back to her feet, but she needed to feed. Desperately. ‘Not August. You cannot feed on August. You cannot feed on a vampire, unless you intend to kill them.’ If they died, there was no bond. Viniculum. The curse. Well, she could go back and drink the draugr dry, but that was not going to be possible with its strength.

Adria would shift, to look back for August, and if she saw him catch up, she wouldn’t mince words. “We can’t – we can’t fight that – it’s not – I’ll explain. Food.” Caught her stumbling thoughts and straightened them out. “Metis.” They weren’t exactly going to make it out and about subtly, either, with how wounded they were. Metis came to mind as one that could help, before Adria reconsidered. “No.” No, she didn’t want to explain this failure to Metis then, because....

Expression blanked. How was she going to explain?

She didn’t even know. ‘Ah yes, I have a demon that told me there was one of its own here, and warned me not to go there, and did I listen? Absolutely not.’ This…just became more complicated than she wanted it to be, and a hand reached up into her hair and fisted around the locks, blank expression fading, struggling, between need, pain, and fear, and she wasn’t sure then if either were truly real. A brief moment of uncertainty, a sway, and her body made its demands crystal clear that at least the need was real, that the pain was real, and eating would help to relieve that...even if the fear was not. “Food.” Held to that. Food. Then the rest would follow.

~***~

Considerable time. Ian was not thrilled with this, but he rose, and he walked down after grabbing a few of his important things, wallet again, and shoved it into a pocket before following Ray down. When he joined him, however, Ray advised that he call first.

‘I am not sure if I can get what I need over the phone.’ Hotels were notoriously difficult to get information about their clients out, if he couldn’t bribe them with money or just read it from their minds. If he couldn’t see them, he couldn’t break into their minds, either. “I can try,” he supposed.

He took his own phone out, and did a quick search for the Sunset Resort in Chicago, which fortunately brought up just one location, and one number, which he quickly dialed. He was given to an attendant, after having to listen to its voice system go over its hours, check-in schedule, and other such irksome things.

As soon as he heard the voice on the other end greet him, he immediately determined that he needed to lie. “Yes, this is Ian with Via’s Pizza,” that was a large enough chain, certainly Chicago would have one, “I have an order for an Adria at the Sunset Resort, but she forgot to provide us with her room number. Can I get that from you?”

“Adria…,” the voice sounded young, and Ian almost let out a laugh when he heard it continue, “Adria Serin?”

Ian knew that name. Serin – the name of her human life. “That’s her,” he agreed, and gave Ray a look to suggest that he was fairly certain it was the one that he was looking for.

“I can buzz her when you arrive, we don’t like to give out the numbers of our clients.”

“I understand. Thank you. I should be there in about thirty to forty minutes.” And then he hung up, tucked the phone away, “Adria Serin. Serin was her surname from her human life,” he told Ray, “I’m sure it’s her,” now. “We may need to grab pizza….” He almost shook his head at the stupidity of this, but…well, it would help continue the lie. He took his phone back out and began to search for the nearest Via’s, figuring he could place the order for carry-out, and bring it with him.

He wouldn’t need to call though – online ordering was a thing, thankfully, so he started to walk out of the door as he skimmed the menu, before realizing he didn’t care, because literally no one was going to eat the pizza, and starting to add a cheese to the cart.

 

[Maran]

The world seemed a living heartbeat as August stumbled up the stairs, everything in his vision blurry and seeming to pulsate as he hurried behind Adria. He bumped into walls, slammed into corners, nearly falling over his feet as he followed out into the night, outside of that wretched asylum. Adria was further ahead, August barely noticed, and wasn't doing so good herself.

A minute or two later August was there beside Adria. Not beside her, exactly. Once past the gate, the Enforcer had crashed into the ground as the Thanatologist looked back for him. He collapsed face-first, clutching at his stomach in one tired, heap of a failure, bloodied and torn. A failure -- that was what he was at the moment, he felt. Whatever celerity and strength his blood had conferred to him earlier was clearly exhausted. A heavy ache pinned his body to the ground as he had done to the draugr; he was only manage to roll over to look up at Adria as he heard word of food.

"Food?" That was the only word that he seemed to hear Adria say. He asked the question rather eagerly, he felt as though he could savor the word itself. And there was the hunger. The desperation for blood was weighing on his mind like a brick. His wounds stung, especially that on his stomach, but it was too risky to burn any more blood.

He was reminded of Metis, and August went wide-eyed, smashing a tightly-clenched fist into the ground and let out an almighty groan. "Good god, Metis," was all he said, but not much more were needed to tell he was dreading reporting back to her. He rubbed at his face vigorously, an embarrassed wreck of a Lex Legis. He should have died. That would at least be an acceptable excuse as to why he and Adria failed to slay the draugr.

The blank expression on Adria's face seemed to vanish completely as the Thanatologist was overcome with emotion, clutching a fistful of hair. 'Food.'

"Food," August repeated slowly, the hunger coming back into focus, as he turned to fixate his eyes on the Thanatologist. An idea went to his head -- could he not venture to feed on her, after all? It was a disgusting thought, to feed on his 'ally,' but it was... viable. And he needed the blood. Badly.

His fingernails scraped against the hard ground as he tried his hardest to repel the urge.

August turned to the side as he let out a sigh, then chewed on the bottom of his lip. How the hell were they going to feed?

And then he noticed, blurred vision be damned, two pinpricks of light break through the dark some distance away. In the cemetery. He struggled to his feet, latching on Adria's arm to attract her attention, and pointed desperately in the direction of the light.

+~+~+~+~+

Ray had felt a slight glee in finding out his plan worked, though it was not apparent from behind the mask. If anything, however, it was noticeable his eyes had widened as he watched Ian call up the hotel and ask about a certain Adria -- Adria Serin, as he would learn after it was confirmed -- at the hotel.

'A pizza delivery man, though?' Ray thought as Ian spoke to the hotel concierge. Not that he would know how to approach the situation. And thus the thought was dismissed.

But Adria was indeed at the Sunset, and Ray could not help but tense up, crossing his arms as he waited for Ian. What would go down if Ian did go to confront her, he hoped to not find out. It would be dangerous if things turned violent -- he could feel it in his gut. Or whatever remained of his gut.

Ian was committed to the lie, it looked like, and as he walked out the door Ray hesitantly followed. The plan did not seem to work; if anything, it caused Ian to double up his commitment in following this Adria Serin's trail. Ray craned his neck over Ian's shoulder -- it seemed to be his turn to be nosy -- noticing he was actually ordering pizza, and caught him adding a plain cheese to the cart.

"No. Get sausage with peppers. Humans enjoy that variant." Ray insisted, hovering rather closely to Ian now, rheumy eyes watching over the phone's screen.

 

[Lucyfer]

Food. It was repeated as if they were playing a child’s game, almost, mimicking the need and making it painfully clear their ability to form coherent thoughts were long gone. Adria’s frustrations still bit into her, the uncertainty and the fear of the future, of having to tell why they couldn’t just go back there and kill it – no, that would just mean they wouldn’t know what the demon looked like anymore. It’d be free of its vessel.

But food.

Food made sense.

Food was needed, and needed immediately, but they had to make sure not to get caught feeding. Adria was lost in the thought of where to hunt, the territory too unfamiliar, so she did not notice the look that crossed August’s vision, before he touched her arm and drew her attention to light. She jolted at the touch, but her fist relaxed.

Lowered it from her head and glanced in the direction of the lights. Well, it was their best hope right now, wasn’t it? “We were attacked in the asylum. Two stupid college students,” if they were seen and needed an excuse. “exploring a place they shouldn’t be exploring.” And with that, Adria moved, hoping they wouldn’t find hunters. Hoping they would find just regular, normal, humans.

The humans did seem to be of the normal variety when Adria could see them, with their flashlights. Stupid college students themselves, by the looks of it, heading towards the abandoned asylum as well and laughing nervously about it. They saw the shadowed movements, of course, and the lights flashed right over towards them.

“Jesus Christ!” One exclaimed when the bloody mess came into view.

A girl shot a glare at the one who dared exclaim, and immediately rushed over, not sensing the danger at all, “Someone call 911!” She did call back, before the distance was closed and she reached out a hand to Adria’s arm, as if to steady her, “It’s okay – what happened?” She took notice of August then, too, and managed a weak smile to try and soothe him.

“I don’t—don’t call 911,” Adria tried to say, though she saw someone already taking out their phone to do so.

~***~

Ian gave Ray a glance, an arched eyebrow, “Do they, really?” Not that Ian would know, he was just thinking of the cheapest route. Cheese was cheapest, “Well, I suppose I can add those things,” he had heard of pepperoni on pizza, saw it depicted, but sausage and peppers? He would never have guessed.

Still, he added them to the pizza, and then added that to his cart to order it, “The place is going to be on Canal street…it seemed close to the Sunset Resort,” he hoped. The google map he’d looked at briefly made it seem like that one would be close enough to it. “Did you ever have that kind of pizza?”

Or any pizza?

Ian never had pizza. Like so many other things, he never got to enjoy those flavors while he was human. Now he just knew blood, and blood tasted the same after a while. Delicious, but the same. Wait, was he going to need a uniform? The thought just dawned on him. Or anything else to make this feasible?

Well…he’d find out soon enough….

 

[Maran]

Wordlessly, August nodded to Adria's cover. Attacked in the asylum? He'd play a murder victim if that's what it took for whoever was beyond to believe them. Whatever it took for a chance to feed. Adria approached the light as did August, trudging slowly, limping tiredly, behind her.

The light gave view to what really did seem like two college students, and when the couple noticed August collapsed -- was he really selling the act, or was he just that tired? -- to the ground once more, and leaned against a headstone, groaning.

August could hear one of them, a girl, tell the other to call 911, and in response he groaned again in pain, almost overdramatically. Raising his torn sleeve to his mouth he pretended to cough in a fit, and tried to stand as the girl caught up to Adria and try to comfort her. Upon smiling at August, he simply stared back. It was hard to not consider them food at this point.

But he tried to hold the illusion. Just a bit more.

He saw someone, a young man, draw their phone to call 911. He was lifting the phone, just about to call, when August shuffled over and fell forward. The man reached out to catch him before the Enforcer hit the ground and raised him upright, steadying the bloodied vampire.

"Please... just get us out of here first..." August pleaded raspily. "We were attacked up in there--" he pointed accusedly in the direction of the asylum. "Just get us out... running." He looked to Adria expectantly, as though prompting her to say something else to convince the college students further.

Though the man seemed to have fallen for their story, it seemed. He called to the girl beside Adria, "Hey! You still have the car keys?"

+~+~+~+~+

"Yes. Really." Ray had seen enough advertisements for the food around Chicago -- the humans in this area seemed to have an obsession with some sort of invention called pan pizza -- but sausage and peppers looked to be the most appealing to him. The most exotic, and filling, a far cry from what he used to eat long, long ago.

Ray still had to go outside and he still had to help Ian find Adria; but it was a minor victory once again, when Ian added those two toppings to the cart. "Canal Street should be close to where we are to go," Ray affirmed. Ian inquired whether Ray had tried that sort of pizza before, and he shook his head.

"Never before." Like Ian, it had been centuries since Ray tasted human food. But the appeal was still there. The sheer variety that could be made these days was astonishing at times. They had vast markets (the phrase "grocery store" was a word quite infrequently used by Ray) with every food from across the globe! "I sometimes wish I could," he quietly let slip, before he realized what he had admitted, and promptly went silent.

Then a thought popped into his mind, and Ray asked: "If you find Adria at the hotel, Ian... how do we proceed?"

 

[Lucyfer]

August was definitely better at this than Adria, she would give him that. She might be good at blanking her expression or hiding emotion, but all of that was an effort to hide weakness. Showing it…she wasn’t half as good at. He was able to stop the man from calling in the best way, falling on him. Adria would have broken the ruse, and demanded it.

“Uh, yeah, I do,” the girl answered the query about car keys. "Ok, we'll get out of here, come on." An arm was moved around Adria's waist and she didn't protest it, leaned against the other as she ought to. Her mind lingered to how long she wanted to continue this, and she told herself to the car. Drink, and run, leave them unconscious but somewhat safer in the confines of their vehicle.

They were food but they needn't die.

Her companion was trying to aid August as well, blissfully unaware that they were aiding monsters. Adria did her best then to keep her lips shut. Forced each breath - at least she was still in the habit of breathing. It was necessary to talk. The woman was warm; the blood ran through her veins, so close to Adria's own. Yet, she resisted, up to the car. The woman shifted her weight to get the keys, trying to balance everything.

"Okay, you two can get in the back, we'll--,"

Adria cut her off. "Thank you." She said, it coming out as a sincere sigh of relief, before she pulled the woman into an embrace. Replanned...just put her in the car after. She let her head rest on the woman's shoulder.

"You're...," awkward embrace, awkward pat on the back, and then a squeak when Adria turned her head towards the woman's neck. The darkness and the way her hair fell would obscure reality, but the sound she made still drew concern, though she didn't struggle.

"Krys?" The man asked.

~***~

No pizza for Ray, either. Ian almost felt bad for asking as he saw the way the man looked ashamed when he mentioned desiring it. Ian started to shake his head no - it wasn't shameful - but such was as far as he got before Ray shifted topics.

Thanatologists always desired and craved more. Craved change. Even Ian was curious about the food nowadays or he wouldn't keep asking Ray of it. After all, so much more of it was novel to him.

Yet, he allowed Ray a reprieve from the topic.

"I don't know." He confessed. "It will depend on how she reacts. I would like to speak with her and get a confession." He shook his head, "If I can see her, I will know if she is a diablerist." He had been suspicious of her sire, but every time he checked - nothing. The aura was clean of those black, damning veins. "But I need to hear the confession even if she isn't. I need to know why."

He had traveled and learned with Valerius too long to let his death be a mystery. The least he could do was know why and then determine what to do based on that.

 

[Maran]

"Alright, careful, careful," the man muttered quietly as he and August began to make their way slowly to the car. Slinging his arm over the man's shoulder, August's hand clenched tightly on the human's shoulder, almost painfully -- though August himself was seemingly unaware of this. Barely anything was worth noticing; he could focus only on the fact that he'd be able to drink. Soon enough. The man's arm, too, was wrapped around August's waist, and together they stumbled forth. Adria and the woman with the keys were heading to the car as well, and some relief poured over him, in knowing at least they were nearly gone from this place. What a terrible evening it had been -- and that was an understatement.

He could see Adria embrace the woman suddenly as the latter went to retrieve her keys. How... strange-looking it was. August and the man stopped, staring, waiting for the woman to unlock the car. 'What is Adria do--' August thought impatiently, before he heard a squeak let out from the woman's mouth, and only then he registered what was going on.

The man called out: "Krys?"

If Adria was feeding...

August's grip on the man's shoulder tightened as the Enforcer threw himself back suddenly, taking the two of them to the ground in a messy heap. "Argh!" The man cried out, as August pretended to frantically apologize. "My god, ugh, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Clearly annoyed, the man huffed, but still offered a hand in getting August up. As he drew August up from the ground, he was brought into an embrace of his own, what remnants of the Lacertus' strength holding him right in place -- just as August wanted.

"What the--" the man sputtered.

With a swift dip of the head and hunger overpowering him, August eagerly bit into the man, who quickly fell silent.

+~+~+~+~+

A confession. If only it could be so simple. Ray crossed his arms as they neared the flash and cacophony of the inner city, but it was something else that tugged at his mind more than the discomfort of being among the crowds again.

Was Ian really that trusting?

"She will not lie, Ian?" Ray questioned, a hint of skepticism coming through in his tone. Just as humans did, vampires could lie too. "Will she truly divulge the truth to you? Her justification?" If so, perhaps this Adria was closer to Ian than he had thought.

They were passing small groups of people now: pedestrians, couples, groups of friends; Ray could feel himself increasingly uncomfortable as they continued, the occasional glance thrown in the Nocnitsa's direction; some curious, some more accusing. He grew silent once again, perhaps an attempt to draw the least amount of attention he could get.

 

[Lucyfer]

Adria drank until she felt the woman go lax in her arms – well, more lax. The bite usually made them relax when they were unaware of what it was, and they just enjoyed the sensation of it. Such had been the case with this one, and Adria made sure to drink no more than that, though she could have drunk her dry and still not have enough. Wounds had to be healed.

A lick and the wound closed on the woman’s neck, before Adria took the keys from her hand, and struggled to hold her up, leaning against the car to do so. She unlocked it with a button on the fob that was fortunately straight forward, and then managed to maneuver the other woman into the car, grateful she was momentarily away from the conscious world.

It wouldn’t be too long. She’d come to, and hopefully go to a hospital or get something to drink, fast.

Adria let the keys fall into her lap, and looked over t August, “Sorry,” the apology, for no warning – not that she could provide a warning. She would wait until he maneuvered the man into the vehicle, assuming he was careful enough to let him live, too. Then the door would be locked and Adria would shut them in, to move further from the area, feeling a bit better, but not nearly well enough.

~***~

‘She could lie. Her aura would tell at least if she committed diablerie.’ Of that, Ian was certain. The rest, he was not. Adria could lie. Adria could say anything she liked, and it’d be a pain to try and force the truth from her. Her mind was closed, and he could try to get her to lower those guards, but she might be reticent to do so.

The trainings of the Thanatologists were useful to them, and also, a hindrance. Though, there were other ways. If she proved too difficult, he knew he could step into her dreams and try to get the memory to play there. It was a risky endeavor, but he assumed she knew nothing about that sort of power. A guilty conscious would naturally dream of the horrors committed.

“I have to hope, right?” Ian asked Ray, glancing towards him and then seeing some of the looks he received. Ian couldn’t help but reach out to lay a hand upon his shoulder, casting a glare at someone who did offer an accusing look. “We have to give her a chance, and if she squanders that chance…,” he shook his head.

“I know some of what happened from reading the memory of the room, but not all…so I think I can pick up on if she lies too much.” Yet, they would see. And he would try to make it clear he already knew quite a bit, to keep her from lying.

 

[Maran]

It was almost as though he was going to lose everything, the way August clung to the man as the vampire drew blood; the taste of iron, smooth yet tangy running over his tongue, rivulets sliding down his lips and chin. An absolute mess, it was, as he fed hastily and greedily. The man within the arms of his embrace seemed a good sport, simply reveled in the sensation, in blissful ignorance. That is, until August felt the man go lax -- or at least, he would have noticed it were it not for how hungry he was. Perhaps it was his dire need for the blood, but this feeding was among the best he'd experienced. He savored it, his arms naturally tightening around the human as the other went limp.

August needed it. He was hungry. He was injured. And by god this human tasted good.

It was when he could barely obtain anymore that August became even remotely conscious of how far he'd drank the man, and he quickly unwrapped himself, pushing away from the constricting embrace. With that push, the man collapsed to the grass. August wordlessly gasped in a confused stupor; he still felt awful, but he had some blood now. He could burn enough to heal, to get him through the rest of the evening.

Perhaps he'd need it more than he thought he would. At least, that was what August thought as he realized that he'd drank the man past a safe limit. The man lay there, unconscious as August looked around. "Jesus Christ!" he uttered, running a hand through mussed up hair and rubbing his face. "Agh!" he said in frustration. This clearly was worse than the pain.

August turned to find Adria in the car and the woman by the name of Krys, blissfully asleep in the back of the vehicle. And alive.

"Erm, Adria...?" August said, trying to call her attention. He was beside the body of the man now, crouched. "Can you... check a pulse?" he asked, panicked.

+~+~+~+~+

"I suppose," Ray said quietly. He doubted Ian would get the truth -- the complete truth anyway. But hope was something to be admired, and so Ray accepted it for what it was. They would see, in time. The looks continued, and Ray could feel a comforting hand on his shoulder -- from Ian. But at this gesture he simply -- and quickly -- brushed the hand off from his shoulder, and the Nocnitsa took on a visible slouch, almost shrinking, trying to make himself smaller.

Ray muttered something, something about "moving on," and that was what he did, continue to move forward to Via's, silent on the way. They were back now, back in the inner city, and Ray wanted to simply disappear, if only to avoid those damning looks many gave when he was around. Soon, when he looked normal once more, things would be better. He hoped. Whenever 'soon' was.

Via's Pizza was a small establishment, at least this particular instance was. It bore all of the trappings a downtown Chicago restaurant could have -- oddly upscale for a franchise business: granite counters and tables, plush seats, and a solid glass storefront providing a view of the darkened city. A young cashier manning the register, greeted Ray and Ian as they entered: his tone was friendly, though clearly tired at this hour of the evening. "Evening. How can I help you two?" His eyes fell on Ray and immediately his smile went away, his gaze settling on Ian's instead. Ray simply turned his head, staring at the decorated wall to his side instead.

 

[Lucyfer]

Adria did wish that she had noticed sooner, that August was enjoying his feast too much, but she hadn’t. She almost laughed at the way August echoed the man’s earlier surprise, but instead she only smiled, though it faded quickly as she heard August’s requests and the rest of his panic unfolded. As it ought.

She moved over to him at the request and knelt besides the body as well, reaching her fingers out to the unconscious man’s neck. She knew approximately where to search, and she did feel one after a while, though it was soft…fading. From the pallor of his skin, and the shallow breaths, Adria was quite certain he wasn’t going to pull through.

“Two options,” she said without looking up from the body. “We kill them both now, and make it look like a murder,” and not strange unexplainable blood loss, “or we call for an ambulance and hope they’re able to save him,” because if they weren’t, the girl would remember the oddity as a reality, and that could be a potential breach.

Adria didn’t want to have to kill them, but she would. It was their lot in this life, they couldn’t be known to others. Adria didn’t mind all that much speaking in public about the odd things, since few humans would ever understand, but when it came to this…a human left alive, who could turn vengeful, or into a hunter. No, that had to be dealt with.

She would let August decide if he wanted to run the risk of the man pulling through or not.

~***~

A sigh parted Ian’s lips. He really wasn’t used to such reclusive and antisocial people as Ray, even if he didn’t think of himself as a social butterfly. He had a suspicion that touching him would be received that way, and yet he still did it. He needed to stop just acting on impulse.

The Via’s they made it to, once Ray put his hands behind his back, was more lux than the ones he’d been to back in Salem, and he was intrigued by it. He looked around, impressed, and wondered why a place in downtown would be so nice. Of course, then he realized downtown was probably where most of life happened, here.

Every place would try to look nice to draw in customers.

Ian went up to the counter and smiled genially, “I placed an online order earlier for carry-out,” Ian told him. “I’m here to pick it up. Ian?” He offered the name, hoped that was all that was needed. He was pretty sure he’d paid on the website as well, card digits memorized.

 

[Maran]

Uneasy, August watched over the body as Adria knelt to check the man's vitals, fists balled and lips tight in frustration. He'd been thoughtless in his feeding, and now he was paying the price. Adria seemed to know what she was doing, and he looked on, hoping that the worst had not occurred.

It did.

It did, and Adria proceeded to explain their remaining options. August knew what would happen were the girl to live. It would be nothing short of a disaster if she were to remember the truth of what had happened to her and her partner.

The choice seemed to lie with August, and he felt dread shunt itself inside, the feeling twisting and looping into a knot. The man was barely alive. It was up to him whether or not to pull the plug. On not just the man, but his presumed girlfriend too. All due to simple, dumb luck these two humans had their lives on the line.

"I-I'd been so careful up to this point," August stammered. The vampire declined to say anything else as he sat there deathly still as contemplated his decision.

Finally, he rose, legs unsteady. Approaching the car, August opened the door and reached to grab Krys from the car, carrying the unconscious woman in both arms. Gingerly he lay the woman on the ground, positioning her next to the man, studying the two of them with an amber stare that seemed to last for minutes. "Adria, this night's gone terribly, hasn't it?" he asked, though it seemed more like a fact from the way he said it.

"Alright, then. How do we do this?"

+~+~+~+~+

"Oh. Uh, Ian, yes," the cashier answered, though he looked to be uncertain about the order, and promptly went to the back kitchen after uttering a quick "Excuse me." As he left, Ray threw a glance in the direction of the counter, deciding then to lean against the wall as Ian handled business. The pizzeria was dotted with few customers here and there conversing and dining quietly; Ray definitely was the odd one out, sticking like a sore thumb -- from his posture to the fact that he had not bothered to at least lower his hood upon entering.

A short minute later, the cashier returned, pizza box in hand, the scent of sausage and peppers wafting through the cardboard. He passed the box over the counter with an apologetic "Sorry for the wait." He gave a quick, polite smile before punching in some details into the electronic register. "Ah, you already paid online," he noted with a hint of relief. "You're good to go. Next?"

Ray's eyes met with the cashier's and he hastily answered: "No, I am with him," lifting a finger slightly in Ian's direction. The cashier was quick to understand and promptly ignored the Nocnitsa, opting to instead play with his phone. Ray stood there awkwardly, not sure what else to do, before making his way toward the door awaiting Ian.

 

[Lucyfer]

Accidents happened. Usually, frequently, in the earlier years. Still, they happened when under stress, and unfortunately, the innocent suffered for them. August understood, even as he stuttered his words of managing so well. Adria gave a short nod – she believed him, truly, but today he had not, and today, the humans would suffer for it.

His answer came when he went to get the woman, and laid her out besides the man. His hesitance was obvious – despite being stronger, and so much else, August seemed almost…innocent as he asked what to do. Adria couldn’t help but feel a pang at it. Didn’t want to kill it. “Welcome to my life.”

She hadn’t realized she said it out loud until it was said – her life had been fucked up from the moment she met Valerius, innocence taken with her life, as she spent every day plotting her escape, patient, cunning, and now with the taste of freedom she was still fucking it all up around her and dragging an innocent down with her. A mad desire to study draugr led to a demon – she had ignored Ishara, because how could she trust her?

She was only cared for when she was useful. To Ishara. To Valerius. She'd sell her soul now to Metis and the Lex Legis if it meant protection, and yet it was all to break the bonds. Ironic. “I’ll do it,” she wouldn’t feel half as bad as August would, and that lifelessness covered the possibility of any guilt she might feel, made it believable, as well. She’d been dead for a while…might as well act like it. “You can look away,” she took one of her daggers. Slitting throats was easy and believable enough. “You figure out where we’re going next.” There was…explaining to do, still, she supposed, and a plan to be made regarding Metis.

‘Easier to flee….’

But she couldn’t run forever.

~***~

Ian waited a little bit until the box was brought out, and he opened it, to make sure the order was right. He didn’t care, but he supposed he should at least seem normal. A normal person would check before leaving, right? It looked right. Like the mock-up he had seen on the website.

“Thank you,” he said, as he closed the lid and acknowledged that he had paid online. The young man retreated to his phone, “Have a good night,” he said, flashing a smile before he turned to Ray and gestured with his head for them to get out of there. He would take the lead out, but once they were outside and on the sidewalk, he again looked to Ray and deferred.

“Do you know the best route to the hotel?” He inquired, hoping there would be a quick way. Hoping Adria was there. In Oregon she had seemed solitary and as a homebody, but much of that could have been Valerius’s influence as well, to keep an eye on her. Ian didn’t know her apart from Valerius, and it was worrisome to him, now that he realized he was chasing her…he didn’t know enough to predict what she would do.

He didn’t like that.

Yet, he had to.

 

[Maran]

"Serah would disapprove," August thought out loud. It was a low murmur, one of many racing thoughts in his mind, albeit the only one that slipped through his lips. It was all just so pathetic -- tonight was meant to be a show of strength, not of such grave incompetence. But despite his feelings, he exhaled deeply, face softening and shoulders relaxing when Adria chose to carry out the responsibility of finishing off the two human lives sprawled out before them. She offered him the chance to look away as she drew a dagger, and August made no visible reaction as he smelt the kerosene. Something else seemed to occupy the man.

Fuck Metis. Fuck the draugr. August just wanted to go home.

August moved to the car and opened the door, sliding into -- no, more like tumbled into -- the drivers seat and lay his head on the top of the steering wheel. 'Rest now. Think later,' he reasoned in his mind. He would have to drive. Well, try to drive. Helping Adria figure out the city at night was a test of his patience he did not want to undertake now.

He would wait until Adria was finished and safely inside the car, before saying, "I'll drop you off at the hotel if you want. Otherwise, we go back to my place. We should rest. Sort this out after."

+~+~+~+~+

Ray noticed Ian finally approach after he said his goodbyes to the cashier, and he was quick to follow as the Umbra took the lead on the way out. They paused once more and Ray wondered whether Ian had forgotten something.

'Oh. Directions.' He swung an arm to point down the block. "Two blocks down, make a left. We go straight from there." His eyes fell to the pizza box in Ian's hands. Meat and bread. There was a strange fondness for it, the scent something he dearly missed. His stare lingered, before two arms suddenly placed their hands on either side of the box. "I wish to carry it," Ray requested as he felt himself give a light tug as to free it from Ian's hands.

Almost immediately Ray jerked back, stepping away as though he'd been shot. "I-I apologize," he said nervously as he brought his hands, those shaking, fidgeting hands, back to his side.