daywalkingblade | First Date (Tag M-)

First Date (Tag M-)

The black muscle car rumbled into the gravel parking lot of what looked to be a bar/saloon in the middle of nowhere, upstate New York. The place was south of Rochester by about forty miles. Above the entrance, a tacky red neon sign read "The Roadhouse". There was no one hanging around outside, but thee were several cars and motorcycles. It was pretty quiet for what one might expect of a bar, at least from the outside. As the car pulled to a stop, Blade glanced at his passenger. This was going to be...interesting. She was too pretty and far to classy for a place like this. Hell, she was probably too stunningly beautiful to be in this car with someone as rough around the edges as Blade. But here they were. People would notice as they went into the bar, but nobody would say anything. Of that fact at least, Blade was certain.

"We're here. Stay close, and order whatever you want. The food's actually pretty good, and the drinks are better. Once I get some information on where to find some suckheads, we'll be out." He flashed a little bit of a toothy grin. "Guess you could say this is the closest to a "date" portion of this outing as we'll get."

They both pushed their doors open and stood up out of the car. The parking lot remained silent. Hunters and mercenaries were probably inside drinking quietly, enjoying a bit of peace. There were the occasional loud, rowdy drinkers - usually the mercs - but most just wanted a place to rest and get information before the next big job. Also, most didn't trust the night enough to be drunk out in it. Blade knew the bartender inside. A good woman by the name of Ellen who really knew her shit. It was why he liked coming here. Of course, he knew the bartenders in most of the Roadhouses around the country. It was a bit of a chain, but not in the corporate sense. When a place was named "The Roadhouse" in some back country nowhere, it was a kind of secret sign to all hunters and some mercenaries that this was a safe haven and a good place to exchange information and get jobs. They were also neutral zones. Any who dared cause any trouble in these kinds of places was blacklisted, and that was as good as being fired in this line of work. In some cases, it was a death sentence because it also meant no assistance in any job ever again.

"You ready?"

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There would be the question of whether or not she were glamouring him, if she knew she had the ability or how to use it. She doesn't know how, and the truth is beyond the native attractiveness she radiates, there's a damned good chance M- doesn't need it. The woman is a femme fatal, even when she doesn't intend to be. Especially when she feels drawn to someone like Blade. The affection, attention, and more runs through her and feeds instincts and to satisfy an ache. Certain things don't change.

"The point is to explore something new, too. Being a little bit of your old self is hardly a sin."

M- didn't let her eyes drift over to Ellen. Not with the way Blade kept his look on her even as the information goes on. His eyes are hypnotic in their own way, and she wonders if she isn't a little caught by him. Definitely more than a little caught when he gives the generous tip and comments about what else he's thanking her for.

"Clever and kind."

"That's good, because one thing about me that you'll learn; I don't change much."

His gaze finally broke from hers to stand. It was probably a little amazing that he could hold her eyes through sunglasses, but it was pretty much a habit by this point. Blade was okay without the sunglasses, but he preferred them because most light was just intense enough to bother him, especially during the day. Ironically, most vampires dealt with it better than he chose to, but most of them were trying to fake being human. He wasn't. At least, he wasn't any more than necessary to pass through human society.

"She is." He answered M-'s comment, although she could have been talking about either him or Ellen. Either way, he preferred that the complement go to Ellen than himself. "Let's roll."

M- scoops up her silverware effortlessly tucking them away so they're hidden in her pocket. No sense leaving things that expensive behind, even if she does have the money. Not to mention the evidence as she stands and follows him.

"Good meal, Ellen."

And then she's working on her way out the door after Blade.

Blade wasn't the type to hold the door open for a lady. In all actuality, he'd likely never even learned that it was appropriate in certain situations in order to feel a lingering sense of guilt for not doing it. As such, when they went out to the car, he opened his door and sat down inside it without a second thought, expecting her to do the same. Ellen's frown in the doorway as she crossed her arms made absolutely no sense to him.

Once they were in and buckled, he flipped on some techno hip-hop that he was fond of, threw the car into reverse, and rocketed off down the lesser used highway. Twenty miles east put the site in a secluded area that was still a necessary artery for going back and forth from Rochester to other parts of the state. Given time, the vampires could really build up their numbers. Given more time, they might decide to move into the city. But they wouldn't be given that time. Blade and M- were going to nip this nest in the bud.

"Alright, here's the plan. Probably going to run across one of these hitchhikers she mentioned. In about five miles, I'm gonna pull the car over and put you in the driver's seat. I'll be crouched in the back. Suckheads like the pretty ones. You'll be a motherfucking honeypot for the little shits. Gorgeous, alone, clearly not from around the area, and ripe for the turning. You lure whichever one is on hitchhiker duty in, I incapacitate it, and we find a way to torture the information about where the nest is out of the bloodsucker. Maybe your freezing thing'll come in useful for that. Most of 'em are weak little pussies and don't take much pain to talk, but you never know."

He flashed a grin at her, his own sharper incisors making it very predatory. "Somehow I doubt even the most stubborn of them will want a slow death by freezing." His gaze returned to the road. "Think you can handle it? You're the star of this first stage of the extermination."

Just as well, really. M- would accept him holding a door open for her out of respect, but chivalry would have only gotten him a subtle kind of disdain. Women might be treated with a certain ingrained sexism among human cultures, but it was only a weakness to be exploited in her eyes. So Ellen was frowning at Blade for no real reason at all.

The music is interesting. Nothing that M- is aware of, but interesting enough to fill the silence until Blade talks. The plan is one of those classic things that lasts because it works. Let the predator think they're hunting until they're too distracted for anything else. Wrapped in compliments that aren't quite compliments, but details in a plan.

Her smile is a subtle thing. A slight quirk of her lips and shift of her brow. "I have no doubt that I can. The only thing that surprises me is that you'd let me drive your car."

"Good."

He shakes his head with a small smirk. "Normally, you're right. I wouldn't let anybody drive my baby. Me and this car, we go back a ways. But it's about priorities. You'll learn that about me. Killing these bastards is number one. Always and forever. My car is a close number two. Your safety is a close number 3. Give it a while, and you might make number two. No offense, but I've known my car longer." The smirk became a grin as he patted the dashboard.

"But," he was sober again, "Number three is really fucking important, no matter which number it is. Part of the reason you're lower than the car is also that you can take care of yourself. I've seen the...potential." The freezing. "Much as I love her, my car can't. So I'm putting number two in number three's hands. Don't let me down."

Of course, that show of trust was a huge point in her favor. Saying that he knew she could take care of both herself and the car showed that he actually had faith that she'd make it through the night just fine. That in turn said that he had faith that she'd pass this test, and that implied that this was almost just a formality for him to get to what he really wanted. If he didn't really want to explore something with her and he didn't have faith that she could survive and thrive out here, then she wouldn't be here. It was as simple as that.

Edited 2012-08-21 19:46 (UTC)

"Truthfully, your priorities are right. Anything that tries to hurt me is going to find out exactly why that's a very bad idea. Your car is simply subject to whatever whims the driver and passengers subject to it to. Besides, the car has nothing to prove at this point."

Not that M- is really acting like a woman with a lot to prove. If anything, she's calm, waiting with a gently curled energy, like a big cat napping before a hunt. She stays that way until they reach the stopping point, and the shift is from relaxed to readiness that is still surprisingly steady.

"I hope so, M-. I really do."

They reached a spot on the road where there was enough of a spot to the side to pull over and change seats. It actually took about six miles to get to that kind of point because even though the road was supposed to be a highway, it was still more of a two lane affair with old, twisting trees hunched up to either side. The night sky was clear and starry, but it was hard to tell through all of the branches. If there was going to be a creepy place for vampires to ambush people, this was it. They had miles and miles of country to hide in - miles and miles not to be found by Blade. Unfortunately, they'd fucked up and gotten noticed by somebody, and Ellen had gotten wind of it and passed the intel along to him. Tonight was not to be their lucky night.

Was Blade tense as M- drove his baby? Of course he was. His teeth were clenched tight in the back seat, but he held the same impassive demeanor as ever. No need for her to know just how tense he was entrusting her with his car. There was a time when he would have called himself stupid for trusting a woman he'd only known for a little while, but...he had not 'but'. He couldn't argue with his former self. He trusted her, though, for better or for worse.

They didn't have long to travel. About ten miles later, the headlights picked up a guy in black jeans and a hooded jean jacket trudging along the side of the road, his thumb out. This one was really playing it up, too. He was dragging a foot behind him in a limp, as if he'd been in an accident somewhere along the way and just needed a little help. When his eyes glinted in the headlights, his features looked so incredibly sad and pleading. It was a good act, if you were stupid. How many people had fallen for it without ever thinking? Thinking that they hadn't passed any accident for this kid to be limping from? He looked scrawny and mostly harmless, but the situation was all wrong. Hell, where was his cell phone? He looked too young not to have one. But humans were...soft. They saw this picture of a poor kid and felt the need to help out.

Blade hunched further down behind the seat. "That's our suckhead." But odds were, she didn't need to be told.

((P.S. I think your tiand*** AIM account got hacked - it logged on and sent me a link to a site that wanted me to click on a your name versus my name a few days ago. Unless that was you? I starred the last three letters in case you want it kept private. :) ))

It's always odd to be out of the city where it's too dark for the lights to work. Everything picks up silver lines to make up for the lack of light. Makes it hard for things to sneak up on her from the shadows. Makes it hard for her to pick up that certain places are spooky because she doesn't have the natural aversion. Bright lights are far more likely to blind her and is therefore more dangerous. She tilts her head back and takes a deep breath, letting the smells of the night fill her lungs. Her smile is best described as feral before she slides into the seat.

She doesn't mention that she doesn't know if she can drive or not. The second she slides into the seat, she finds herself familiar with the car. Her hands run lightly over the steering wheel before she rides on the road, forcing herself to drive more slowly than she wants to for Blade's sake. He was trying, but the line of his jaw betrayed him.

There was no reason for Blade to say it. The kid was good, but there was no reason for him to be out on the road. But how many people would actually think of that? Not many. Humans tended not to realize they were prey anymore. So she just nods even as she slows down, rolling the window down as she does.

"You okay?" She asks with clear concern.

The guy is at the window with an uncanny speed that would maybe strike the unwary as eerie. To Blade, it is classic suckhead. They lose track of what it is to be human, so even when they're putting on their best show, there will always be tells. Always. The fluid speed is one. He can be just that fast himself, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't notice it for what it is. Familiarity can't breed ignorance in a hunter.

"N..no. I had an accident a while back. There's nowhere on this road for help. I..I'm afraid. What if I heal funny before I get anywhere? What if I...die? You've gotta get me to help, miss, please!"

Die. Hmph. As Blade silently prepares a silver garrote, he has to keep from snorting. Yeah, this suckhead'll die just like the rest. Maybe it'll be a good critique of his shitty performance. Hamming it up much? He was almost glad that he finally had someone to share this bullshit with. You had to see it to believe it.

It was good to see him move. The vampires were fast, and the truth was she didn't know if she needed to be that fast in the given situation. Or strong, or half a dozen other things. The same instinct that let her know she could drive said that she could handle the fight. So far it hasn't led her astray. Hearing the sob story, she parks, unlocks the door and gives him a sympathetic smile.

"Get in. It would be cruel to leave someone alone and injured on a dark road. I'll give you a ride somewhere safe."

She radiates a kind of friendliness and warmth that's underlined with concern as the vampire gets in.

"Thanks lady, I really appreciate it."

The guy slid into the car, something a little too smooth about his movements. Most didn't see it. Blade did, and he was starting to suspect that his former fae partner in this hunt did as well. It made him happy for some reason deep down to see her handling things so well, but he warned himself not to get too excited; this was still all of the easy shit. The rough part was coming up in, well, just a few moments actually.

When the car started rolling again, the vampire made his move. He began rubbing his hand along her inner thigh, almost as if he was coming on to her or molesting her. It was the kind of thing that made Blade see red, far more than he would have normally. He wanted to stake the motherfucker through the chair. But he had to let this play out. Killing one suckhead wouldn't solve the problem, and without him they couldn't get to where they needed to go.

"Keep driving, lady. I'm going to show you a really good time." He smiled at her, revealing fangs. At this point, most women would be startled, demanding that he stop, and becoming either indignant or scared. The fangs would terrify them, and probably startled more than not into silent compliance. "You'll fly higher than you've ever flown before." He laughed aloud, all of his sad puppy demeanor gone. If she started to struggle, his nails would lengthen and he'd subtly remind her how close he was to severing a major artery in her thigh.

Blade clenched the garrote, but kept his peace. It looked like he wouldn't need it after all. Assuming M- didn't fuck him up in a spat of temper of her own, this stupid little bitch was going to lead them right to the den of wolves. A silent movement switched the garrote for a stake. Once they got to the home base, this monster's ticket would be punched.

The vampire misses subtle signs in M- as she starts moving and he decides to start playing handsey. A regal disdain runs through her, subtly, sure, but nothing he would have missed if he weren't so intent on being a creepy vampire stereotype. She says nothing until his hand runs a little too far up her inner thigh and his little monologue finishes up.

It's fast. There's so much water in a body, even a vampire's body, just waiting to give up the constant struggle necessary for heat. When he tries to move his hand, there's a crack that registers before the pain of having his hand first frozen, then the soft tissue broken everywhere but the bone that connects them until it, too, gets cold enough break in his panic.

Her hand darts over in a movement the vampire is too distracted to stop and she grabs the handful that is his groin with a cold hand that makes the vampire freeze, not so literally, and whimper as she applies a slowly increasing pressure.

"The good news for your future is that you apparently are smart enough for me not to speak this particular threat out loud or follow it up by mentioning this is not the only way I intend to castrate you if you don't cooperate. The next bit of good news is that I have need of some information. Give me it to me, and I promise you won't die while finding out exactly how much of your body I can freeze then break off at a time before damaging your heart or cutting off your head. Or decide to take a few days and revisit the more tender parts of your anatomy whenever they begin to grow back."

She glances over and there's a flash of a brutal streak that says she could laugh while doing it.

"Nod your head if you're willing to make the deal."

Edited 2012-08-23 02:54 (UTC)

Well, things didn't always go as planned. M- Wasn't going to play the fearful damsel being led back to the lair of the vampires. It might've been the quieter, less flashy way to go, but there was something regal about her that wouldn't allow her pride to even be faux wounded so. Blade's lips pursed and he nodded in appreciation, still unnoticed and likely to remain so behind the seat. It would appear that he wasn't even needed at the moment. It really was her show for the moment. He was impressed.

The vampire was still screaming bloody murder about his hand. A string of obscenities along the lines of "WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK, LADY? WHAT KIND OF FUCKING NUT ARE YOU?! YOU CAN'T BE A HUNTER, YOU CAN'T!! JESUS GOD, JUST LET ME GO!!!!" It went on like that until she grabbed his family jewels, beloved even to a suckhead that didn't need to make any babies, and then he shut up and glared at her in a mixture of fury and terror.

"We were gonna turn you, make you an immortal hottie, but now you're just gonna get drained, bitch. We're gonna fuck you uUUUAAGH!" Apparently she had reminded him of his lack of control in the situation. He finally gave her a sullen nod at the deal. "Yeah, sure, whatever. You can go to your grave knowing whatever it is that's so goddamn important that you'd risk the wrath of The Coven for it."

At that, Blade snorted. He couldn't help himself. They'd given their little club a name? The vampire spun around as much as he could and when he saw Blade, he started to panic again. Blade just grinned at him.

"Oh nonono, FUCK no, FUCK THIS SHIT, man, I did NOT sign up to fight the goddamn Daywalker!" Forgetting his tenuous position in his panic, he actually tried to leap out of the car with her grip still firm on his tender bits.

The vampire talked too much. Far, far too much considering most of it was utterly useless information and ranting. Really, did it think she was afraid of it and the other vampires? Creatures of the dark, her well toned ass. Just children thinking they understood even for one moment what it meant to be part of the night. That time of perfect rest, unease, safety, and fear. M- could feel it. The power delighting in a conduit that had largely been lost.

The gaze that met hers in the mirror almost spooked her, belonging to an entirely different face that was still hers even as she gunned the engine, forcing the doors shut faster even as her grip tightens into an absolute inhuman force on the handle she has on his flesh.

"Shut your insolent mouth, you useless corpse, before you find out exactly why you're afraid of the wrong person in this car. Yes, the Daywalker is a scary son of a bitch who would happily torture you until you give him the information that he wants and then proceed to kill you."

She pauses, wondering where this voice came from. Cold, cruel, beautiful. Nothing amongst humanity had brought it out, but balancing the wheel and pinning the vampire left enough of her active mind busy to let this old skeleton get some flesh. Was this what Wade had missed and others feared?

"I, on the other hand, have no crusade that needs me. Which leaves me days, months, perhaps even years to explore certain fine points of pain on a captive who could survive it. You would do nicely."

Mab.

Since there was no hiding any more, Blade sat up and just leaned forward between the seats with an elbow on each one. There really was no need to jump into this little spat between her and the vampire. She was doing a fine job on her own, and he just couldn't help grinning the whole time. This was the kind of entertainment that he missed working alone. It was better than the Nightstalkers, though. This was a woman who definitely knew her shit and was far more than capable.

But the woman that spoke, the woman that lurked behind those beautiful icy blue eyes...that was not the woman that he had come out on this "date" with. He observed it all in silence, still enjoying the vampire's misery but recording all of it. It was the first hint he got that this might not last. Sure, he felt a little bit of sadness deep down at that, but it was good to know that she was finding herself little by little. This was the Queen. Queen Mab. A cold shiver shot down his spine as the words sounded in his mind with all of the regal tone one might expect.

"Nooonononono..." She'd convinced him. He had heard it in her voice too. A newly born babe to the night recognized its better, recognized a woman that had been one with the night since before the night even had a name, since it was but a concept in some god or gods' eyes. "Please lady...Blade..don't let her..."

Blade put his hands up. "Her show right now, suckhead. Not mine. I'd give her whatever the fuck she wants."

"I..I...what do you want?!?! He was wailing now. It was kind of pathetic how quickly she cracked him.

Blade looked at her. "I like your style. Glad you're on my side." But was she, really? Something told her that the woman inside the woman in the driver's seat was on no side but her own.

And yet still he felt drawn to her. Interesting.

Blade was a comfortable shadow over her shoulder. She should be worried that he'd stab her with this particular flare, right? No, not really. Plenty of hunters would, but Blade wasn't any old hunter. He was the Daywalker, which clearly meant something, as did the streak of vampirism running through him. Hunt his prey with him, and he would put the rest off until later. After they both dissected what was happening here and now. Which starts with the mewling wretch in the front seat.

"Directions to this Coven of yours. After your description, I just have to go visit these welcoming individuals of yours."

As the vampire gives the instructions and she drives, her gaze flicks back to the mirror. That dark and dangerous thing was still there staring back out of her her eyes, and it did not frighten her. M- knows in a quiet way that what she's seeing doesn't mean she can't be the kind self either. Just that she isn't quite as simple as she was the moment before. That's comforting in a way she can't explain so she can answer the question that isn't quite in Blade's statement to her.

"It does keep things more interesting."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you want, just make it quick, all right? Don't make me your butterfly pinned to a goddamn board that you poke at just for shits and giggles..."

Blade gave her a wry look. "You'd think he thinks you're his personal devil, with a hell already laid out for him." He looked back at the vampire. "But he's smart. Knows there's no way out of this for him."

The directions he gave her had her turning off the road into a dirt path that didn't even look like a road at first. Once under the trees, it widened out a little, but only a little. They passed through thick darkness and then by a large, moonlit field to the side. Wherever they were going, it was several miles back off the road. He told them that it was a farmhouse about a mile further on, one probably no one missed when suckheads ran it over.

"Probably gonna need to walk from here to keep the element of surprise." He paused, then looked at her. "I like interesting. But I'm not sure if I'm gonna be heading back with the same woman I came out with. Not sure how I feel about that one yet, but I signed on to this knowing you'd be changing. Guess we'll have to see what's what when this is all done."

He started to walk down the path. After a few steps, he raised a hand in a gesture over his shoulder. "You can kill him now. Just don't let him scream. And feel free to enjoy it all you want. I can wait."

M- smile is tight and smile as she nods both at Blade's observation about hell and the vampire's acquiescence. Odds are good a demon wouldn't give a second thought to a vampire that wasn't born one. Whatever was left of his soul was a dried up husk. Nothing worth keeping or tormenting. The stop and figuring out how to get the vampire out of the car without giving it a chance to run were more interesting, but still successful.

"They say you never cross the same river twice." Which was one of those sayings that meant nothing and everything at the same time. M- wasn't entirely sure which half she meant.

She left Blade to lead the way while she kept a hold on the vampire as they started to walk. The second Blade mentioned killing, the vampire gave a last vestige of an almost living thing and tried to run. He got one step before a slender silver knife was between the ribs on his back, puncturing and tearing his heart. A breath later and the fire was gone and so was her knife, back in a pocket.

"Buying into the show, were we?" Not that she doesn't look gleeful over the kill.

Edited 2012-08-26 05:31 (UTC)

The river maxim gave him pause for thought. Like her, he thought it could mean quite a lot or nothing at all. Of course, that was pretty much everything to him. In his world, things were pretty black and white. Shit was either meaningful or it wasn't. She was the closest to gray that he'd come in a long time. But still. He felt that he had a little bit of wisdom that he could toss in there with it.

"Yeah, but are you the river or the one crossing?" An eyebrow lifted, he gave a slight shrug, and kept walking on.

Blade wasn't surprised that the vampire tried to run. He was a little surprised with how easily she dispatched it, though. Well, maybe surprised wasn't the word after the display in the car. Impressed? Perhaps. If there was any surprise, it was for the fact that she did so easily dispatch it, rather than keeping it for all of the fun tortures she had mentioned.

"Maybe a little. It was pretty damn convincing." He nodded once in approval. No need to ask if she might've bought into the show a little herself. She was back to M- again, and the other name had already faded from his memory as anything specific. It was a strong feeling, but that was all.

"Course, now we get to see how good you are at stealth. You're so..." He floundered for the right words. "...You stand out. A lot. Think you have what it takes to come up on a crowd of suckheads unawares?"

She doesn't have the answer for his question about the river so she just shrugs gently, letting the question flow over her. It could go either way, really, and sneaking up on a nest of vampires wasn't exactly the time to fall to deep contemplation. Later, maybe, when the dead were at rest as they should be. Maybe not.

"Maybe if he mattered. Maybe if his crimes called for it. The violence is there, but his body called for a real death more than I was inclined to indulge in that kind of ugliness and monstrosity."

And that's that. The show wasn't exactly a show, maybe. Maybe more tipping her hand and finding herself surprised but not shocked by the cards. Or some other convoluted metaphor that means M- knows she's capable of being a monster, but chooses to save it until the right time. Like when they actually get to the house of the undead.

His words pull her out of her revery, and leave her with an impish smile. "We'll certainly see, though I admit you do seem to have stealth down to an art."

She pulls her hair back up, not wanting it to get in the way of her sight, even though it reveals more of her pale skin that tends to shine even in low light. Her footsteps become impossibly quiet on the path as her focus narrows down and her senses strain to pick out the first sign of the nest they are about to disrupt.

"Good answer. I like you." Of course, that much was obvious, wasn't it? She was here. She was still here. After a few moments, he followed up in a quieter voice with, "I take some cold pleasure in every suckhead I take out. But that don't mean I like to extend it any more than I have to. Always gotta remember that these are real people being ridden by whatever kinda demonic viral bullshit vampires are. I kill what they've become, but more importantly, I free who they were."

It's what he believes, and almost what he has to believe, although it's not without evidence. Vampires do act very differently once they turn from human to suckhead. But he had to kill his mother, and he doesn't like to think that the bitch he staked is the same woman that gave birth to him so long ago. He staked a monster to release his mother. That was that.

Her compliment pulled him back into the present, and he gave her a small smile. "I've got to. Vampires have better senses than humans, and I carry a lot of ordinance. But for what it's worth, you may stand out to the eyes, but I can't hear or smell a damn thing about you. Nice."

It wasn't too long before they came up on the farmhouse. The vampires inside weren't making any attempt to be secret. Why would they? They were in the middle of nowhere. The BFE of BFE. All of the lights were on inside, and they could see vampires passing in front of the window, clearly having a good time and partying. They weren't as sophisticated as their city counterparts. This looked like a country barn party for some high schoolers hiding away from the parents and authorities. Laughter drifted to them in the night air, and...yes. He could hear some of them fucking. A den of sin and vice, just like they liked it. And they weren't suspecting a thing about their impending doom.

"Jackpot."

She watches him as he talks about the belief that runs him, and the flash of something deeper to what he does. How many people assume he kills just to get the revenge of his birth on the others? How few vampires have ever thought that the Daywalker might be something more than a the thing that hunts them at night? And yet here was a man who was oddly religious in this moment.

She smiles back, easy yet with a restless energy to her. "I do what I can."

The vampires are a sharp contrast to the hunter, all chaotic bacchanalia within the barn. She thinks for a moment that it would be quite easy to block the doors and windows, wait until until sunrise, and torch the place. But that isn't exactly a hunt, and who knows what a mass of scared vampires might try in the meantime.

"Got a game plan?"

For several moments, he didn't answer. Instead, he stared at the house, formulating his game plan. Busting down the door and killing everyone in sight would be easy, but it would let some get away. No, you had to be meticulous about these things. The vampires owned the playing field, but they were sloppy. Stupid. Blade and M- could set up that playing field in any way that they wanted, as long as they were quiet about it.

"All right. This is how it'll go down. You seem to be able to take care of yourself, so I'll hit you up with a real test, one I wasn't so sure you were up to before. You get to find the back door and go in from there as soon as you hear them noticing me coming in the front. You close the trap. But first, we get to set up these." He held up a UV grenade. "They're gonna try to escape any way they can. Gotta make sure that whatever window they crawl out of, whatever side door they find, as soon as they try to get out they set off one of these and turn to ash."

He took a few moments to show her how to set the traps, tripwires and all. Both he and those he'd worked with had perfected these little traps over time from just simply grenades to something that could be used to control a situation.

"Also, take this." He pulled his sword. "Grip isn't iron, and the blade is titanium. Silver edging. Figure you more for a sword woman than a gun woman. But you let anything happen to her and we're gonna have words."

He gave her a bunch of grenade traps and motioned her to take one side of the area while he took the other. There were enough to trap every exit and place them around the lawn like mines. If any of the vampires managed to get past either of them, they the whole damn area would start to light up like midday.

The ingenious light grenades and assorted traps brought a whole new light to M-'s eyes. It's clear she gets certain details with rigging the trip wires, though others take a little longer, like she has to figure out where certain details come from when it comes to the mechanics. But when she gets them, she's clearly pleased by the process.

"My compliments to the inventor of these brilliant contraptions."

Then she pauses as she takes the sword, test the balance and weight. The fit wasn't quite as seamlessly natural as her knives, but infinitely more comfortable than a gun despite the fact the blade was proportioned for a larger man. Yes, she would do just fine.

"I'll trust her with my life."

Her steps stay light even when she's loaded down and begins to set the traps with a careful hand. Not quite how Blade would do it, but something about her choices brings up vague memories of catching rabbits and other game with snares and traps in the winter cold that has so little to do with her actual experience as to be surreal. Not so much as to distract her from the work or to rig a few of the bigger windows to flash once for the first escape attempt and again when someone else tries.

Then she's waiting quietly in the shadow of the back door, hardly breathing. Waiting for Blade to take charge.

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Apologies for the delay...it's the first week of the semester at a new university!

Not a problem. I was kind of wonderign if that was the case.

It's been crazy! Fun, but crazy. New jobs always are, I guess!

Especially the beginning of the school year.

Lesson 1 - Parking is no better for profs than it is for students. -_-

The same rule goes for highschool teachers if they don't show up at the buttcrack before dawn

Yikes! Yeah, it's a pain because you pay for a parking pass and can't park! Grr

Ugh. That's not fair. Or shocking.

Nickle and dime, nickel and dime. I love universities, but they do nickel and dime you a lot.

I swear I replied to this days ago.

It's all good. You know me...I've had that happen more times than I can COUNT so I can't talk!

I appreciate it!

I seriously think I write posts out in my mind and forget to type and send them sometimes.

I know for a fact I do that. Also, pretend you didn't see that.

See what? ;)

;]

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