First Date (Tag M-)

[daywalkingblade]

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?"

Comments

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

[daywalkingblade]

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.

I appreciate it!

[cold_as_snow]

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."

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

[daywalkingblade]

"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."

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

[cold_as_snow]

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.

See what? ;)

[daywalkingblade]

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?"

;]

[cold_as_snow]

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.

[daywalkingblade]

"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."

[cold_as_snow]

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?"

[daywalkingblade]

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.

[cold_as_snow]

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.

[daywalkingblade]

"He's dead. Had to kill him. Was a suckhead mole from the beginning. Kept him around because he was useful, then killed him when he made his big reveal." There was no remorse in his tone. If anything, there was a kind of brutal satisfaction. Suckheads were one thing, but traitorous humans really pissed him off.

Blade nods as she comments on the sword, and then without a word they are both off. Setting up the scene took maybe half an hour at most, if that. She'd caught on fast to the trapping, and that was good. Admittedly, he'd been a touch worried that she'd accidentally set one off, blowing the whole operation, but he decided to have more faith in her competence than fear in her newness to the devices. The faith was well placed. He watched as she finished up her end of things and disappeared around back.

There was no need to delay any further. He walked right up to the front door, silver stake in hand, and kicked it open. The latch splintered through the wood and the door slammed against the wall. Blade strode in, burying the stake in the unfortunate motherfucker that happened to be standing next to the entrance with a plastic cup. He died with a stupid look on his face, never quite comprehending what just happened. Then Blade just stood there. It took about ten seconds for the shock to turn to realization and the realization to turn to either terror or rage.

"What the FUCK?! What's HE doing HERE? KILL HIM!"

About half the room went to do just that. They ate silver plated bullets with garlic filled hollow tips to the head or chest as he drew his semi-automatic faster than most human eyes could follow. In seconds, all was ash and screaming in the living room of the farmhouse that the vampires had trashed and turned into some kind of rave den. That further pissed Blade off - good, honest people had lived here before these rats had infested the place. It enraged him that his best hope was that they had died cleanly rather than be turned into one of the suckheads he was taking down.

More than he could quickly count went running for the one other main exit in the back of the house. They'd be running right into M-'s hands. Poor bastards. The bullets would have been quicker and easier for them. He didn't react as he heard several soft explosive FUMPs and saw portions of the house bathed in light and further suddenly truncated screams. This would all be over in minutes, unless M- had trouble. It was a good, clean kill of a nest of them.

Excuse him, "Coven". Ha.

[cold_as_snow]

"He's dead. Had to kill him. Was a suckhead mole from the beginning. Kept him around because he was useful, then killed him when he made his big reveal." There was no remorse in his tone. If anything, there was a kind of brutal satisfaction. Suckheads were one thing, but traitorous humans really pissed him off.

Blade nods as she comments on the sword, and then without a word they are both off. Setting up the scene took maybe half an hour at most, if that. She'd caught on fast to the trapping, and that was good. Admittedly, he'd been a touch worried that she'd accidentally set one off, blowing the whole operation, but he decided to have more faith in her competence than fear in her newness to the devices. The faith was well placed. He watched as she finished up her end of things and disappeared around back.

There was no need to delay any further. He walked right up to the front door, silver stake in hand, and kicked it open. The latch splintered through the wood and the door slammed against the wall. Blade strode in, burying the stake in the unfortunate motherfucker that happened to be standing next to the entrance with a plastic cup. He died with a stupid look on his face, never quite comprehending what just happened. Then Blade just stood there. It took about ten seconds for the shock to turn to realization and the realization to turn to either terror or rage.

"What the FUCK?! What's HE doing HERE? KILL HIM!"

About half the room went to do just that. They ate silver plated bullets with garlic filled hollow tips to the head or chest as he drew his semi-automatic faster than most human eyes could follow. In seconds, all was ash and screaming in the living room of the farmhouse that the vampires had trashed and turned into some kind of rave den. That further pissed Blade off - good, honest people had lived here before these rats had infested the place. It enraged him that his best hope was that they had died cleanly rather than be turned into one of the suckheads he was taking down.

More than he could quickly count went running for the one other main exit in the back of the house. They'd be running right into M-'s hands. Poor bastards. The bullets would have been quicker and easier for them. He didn't react as he heard several soft explosive FUMPs and saw portions of the house bathed in light and further suddenly truncated screams. This would all be over in minutes, unless M- had trouble. It was a good, clean kill of a nest of them.

Excuse him, "Coven". Ha.



The sound of Blade's entrance was unmistakeable, and even as some of the dead showed some remaining bravery by charging him, the first frightened vamp disappeared out the back door like a rat from a sinking ship. Almost instantly he found himself a gust of ash that was almost, but not quite, enough to stop the second vampire from charging forward. She was as quickly dispatched as the first, and there was a pause as the vampires who were now terrified of the front and the sides wondered what was lurking outside of the door.

"Show your fucking face you coward!" snapped a frightened vampire who was hoping if they could see it they might stand a chance. After all, there was only one Daywalker and he was coming from the other direction.

M- stepped into the doorway where the light illuminated her and her pupils became small as pinpricks. Sure, she had the advantage in the dark, but what was this kind of thing without some showmanship? She smiled slowly, letting them see every bright white tooth.

"It's just a chic-" The silver knife buried to the hilt in the vampire's lung stopped the word with a desperate gasp. No, of course it wouldn't kill the vamp, but it would hurt like hell and catalyze the others to move.

She moves fast, matching them with speed and beating them in brutality. Using the confidence of silver, she incapacitates as much as kills, letting vampires linger in agony if it provides her an opportunity to herd or corral the others away from the door. She laughs as she moves and the sound is high and sweet, like the ringing of bells, even as she ends yet another undeath.

[daywalkingblade]

Despite his own engagements, Blade could clearly hear the vampires at the back door. His stoney mask broke in a grin. So she was wiping them out. Good. His half of things was going just as well. Those that charged him got a stake. Those that ran got a bullet. It was all so simple, so uncomplicated. This was an element of the job that he liked. Once a good plan came together, the rest was just zen. Did he miss his sword? Sure. But he knew it was in good hands. Interestingly, her vampires were screaming for longer. It was as he had anticipated, but he still noted it.

Soon enough, it was all done. They were all dead. Next would be the cleanup by throwing grenades in every room to make sure any hiding got vaporized. But first, he had to go see how M- was finishing up. His booted heels crunched down on broken glass from where they had made a mess fleeing as he walked to the back of the house.

"M-?" He looked around, wondering where she would be.

"Son of a BI-" A vampire leaped out and got a stake through the heart. Blade didn't even turn to look at her. He just kept right on moving to where he figured M- would be.

wth do I keep doing?

[cold_as_snow]

M- was doing her clean up when Blade walked in, removing heads and precision wounds to hearts. No one was particularly tortured so much as left to their wounds and unable to deal with the pain until she ends them. Which is roughly when one of the older vamps uses the classic weakness of humanoids who forget to look out for predators from above by crashing through the ceiling to land on her back. M- goes down to her knees with the sudden unexpected force

There is a moment where it looks bad. Very, very bad. Then the vampire learns the same lesson the one in the car did. Don't touch the woman with anything you want to get back whole. She stands in a sudden motion that sends shards of the vampire falling to the ground to break, last going the torso and head which first shatter then flare in a sudden burn. The completion of the gesture is throwing one last light grenade up through the hole in the ceiling where the sudden blast of light results in the explosive sound of the vampires upstairs getting caught in the blast.

"How's it going?" She asks, her hair askew and body dusted with ash.

I dunno! I was curious, but I don't mind.

[daywalkingblade]

Blade steps in just as she is jumped from above. His reflexes are quick as he tries to draw a bead on her attacker, but it doesn't matter. He swears as he tries to get a good shot, but it is a tangle of limbs. The bullet could all too easily hit her. Of course, then it ceases to matter as he watches what her ability to ice flesh looked like when it affected a whole body. It wasn't pretty.

With an effort, he unclenched his teeth, stopped the minor tremble that had started up at the thought of actually seeing her get fucked up, and holstered his gun. The toss up of the grenade was smart. To be on the safe side, he pulled out a master remote and set them all off. For several seconds, the entire house was ablaze with light. There were indeed a few last screams, then nothing. He'd already made sure to toss a few down in the basement before kicking open the front door, so he was sure there was no danger from below.

"Better, now."

There was something very attractive about her with her hair and clothing in a disarray from the fighting. Even the ash added some kind of luster to her that he couldn't quite place. Maybe it was just the thrill of the successful hunt, the adrenaline still pumping through the veins, but he found himself obviously checking her out, his appreciation evident on his face.

"You handled yourself well. At least as good as a lot of hunters I've seen in action, if not better. How do you feel?"

To compensate for the weirdness I pulled my blade movies down for a watch

[cold_as_snow]

Her eyes clench shut against the blaze of light, refusing to let it make her useless on the walk out of the building. The sound of the dead giving up is music to her ears and the ensuing quiet is enough encouragement to have her give the room another once over. Bone and flesh ash fills the room, but there's something clean to the air that wasn't there with dead claiming the place. Things were resting better. The night was calmer.

And Blade was so very alive. Ready to move to save her, then not moving, his blood coursing and adrenaline high. Checking her out for more than wounds. She can't really help but look him over with a very similar appreciation. Or take a few steps closer, unsure what she plans until she holds out the sword to him, flat against the palm of her hand. The smile that curls her lips is hungry, but controlled.

"Like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like there are other things on my mind."

They will always hold a special place in my heart. Especially the first one. So much love...

[daywalkingblade]

There was one thing in between him and her, and it was his sword. That was one important thing, and he took it from her as she held it out to him. With a quick motion, he slid it back into its scabbard on his back. It had done its job in protecting her. In that he was proud. He wasn't so proud of how he'd almost blinded her before, though. So she could do the day, but extreme amounts of that kind of light were about as annoying to her as they were to him without his sunglasses. Noted. He'd have to get her a pair of sunglasses of her own.

That left the fact that there was now nothing in between them except the victory high and her innuendo that vampires were about the last thing on her mind right now. Was he actually considering that seriously, right now? In this place? Yeah, yeah he was. Fuck it.

He stepped forward, sliding a gloved hand along her jawline. True to form as a man of action over words, he didn't say anything as he leaned in and kissed her. Her lips were surprisingly cool against his, but he liked it. What could he say about it, anyway? He wasn't as cold blooded as a vampire, but he was cooler than the average human. If he allowed himself the fiction, he could almost think she was like him, or he was like her. Almost.

But regardless, it felt good. He hadn't allowed himself anything like this in a long time. Now though...now he felt like he was on top of the world. He was the king shit. There were no truly big bad suckheads that could challenge him and endanger someone close to him. This might not be right a month from now, or a year from now, or who knew how long. She might grow into that woman in the car. She might not. But for now, it felt right, and that was enough for him. Now was all that was important in this kind of life.

The first one was my favorite movie from like age 11 to 15 or so...

[cold_as_snow]

The way he takes his sword gives another flavor to her smile. A little softness to flavor desire as the warrior puts his sword away somewhere safe. They both are what they are, and, somehow, that isn't a problem for the moment. No problem at all given his next step forward.

She tilts her head back slightly as his hand runs over her jaw, encouraging him to touch more of her skin even through the gloves as she reaches up to stroke along his cheek just as he leans down. His body is warmer than hers, but not so warm as to feel alien. His lips are soft even as his body is strong. The moment is perfect. The kiss is perfect. She takes a step to close the distance between them, leaning against him, even risking the metal of his armor for that.

I'll admit, I still have yet to find another to replace it as my stated favorite movie...

[daywalkingblade]

At her encouragement, he deepens the kiss. His hand slides back behind her head, tangling in her red hair. The kisses are sweet, and his tongue meets hers cautiously, and then with more abandon. When she leans against him, his arm slips behind her to hold her tightly to him. At one and the same time he curses and is thankful for his armor - curses because it keeps him from fully feeling her torso against his, but thankful because he uses kevlar so he doesn't have to worry about that iron allergy quite as much. He just has to keep her from touching a lot of his weaponry. Although truth to be told, that's mainly just the guns - the stakes are all silver on the outside.

For several moments, he revels in the affection. Seeing her in action had been the last boundary between him and allowing himself to feel something for this woman that had so easily slipped into his life. It had perhaps even been only a formality, but a necessary one. And he had barely waited for the so-called "test" to be over before he had kissed her. Maybe he wanted this more than he realized.

The moment holds as long as it can, and then he pulls back just a little and breathes in deeply, her scent filling his nostrils and bringing forth a smile. Then he glances around the room and back at her.

"The moment is right, but is the place?" It was the cleaned out nest of suckheads, rife with the ashes of their kills. No one would disturb them here, but this was a very classy lady for all of her skill in hunting and killing. She wasn't the queen any more, at least not now. She was M-. But there was still something in her bearing that said he should respect her as royalty. But that could have just as easily have been his version of puppy love.

I have the same issue at the moment. Fido is close, but not quite there

[cold_as_snow]

She forgets where they are as one kiss becomes many and she learns not just the feel, but the taste of his kiss. Her fingers running along the back of his neck, teasing the bottom of his carefully cut hair. There is no one else there, just the two of them and that is a freedom that is pure and sweet. Especially as he goes to hold her tighter in his arms.

Later she will remember that, for the serious man that his is, this is fast. That he had thought about it at dinner, before the test, and that moment it was clear they weren't going to die, he had responded to her offer. M- is so very glad he responded to that offer. She won't be a creature defined by love, but she won't be a creature who must be alone to define herself.

Her breath come just slightly faster than before the kiss, more from the restraint and the stop than exertion. She wants to get closer again. Funny, she doesn't remember needing closeness like this before. Perhaps she is a creature who lives alone in her world until she lets someone in.

"Perhaps we can find somewhere more fitting? Unless you want to hold out for another time?"

I had not known of Fido until I just looked it up! I may have to find that one now.

[daywalkingblade]

Blade glances around again at their surroundings. The high of a good battle won is still in his system, and will likely be for a while. They could certainly go further here. However, he found that he cared about her more than that. It was a quick kind of of care, true. Not quite love at first sight or anything silly like that, but in his mind this was a woman that deserved better, that deserved the best. Fucking over a kill was not the best. Perhaps the woman in the car might enjoy that, and perhaps there would be time for that later, but right now? The first taste of intimacy? No. Also, this was a place where people had lived and loved that had been defiled. He would defile it no more.

But that did not mean they had to go far. What limited knowledge he had of the fae said they were natural beings. As an unseelie, the night was her domain, under the moon and the stars.

"This way." He nodded to the back door and took her gently by the hand. After but a step, he paused and took his hand back. Without much ceremony, he pulled off the gloves and stashed them in a pocket. Then he took her hand again in his and lead her outside.

Half a mile of walking, perhaps less, took them to a wide open field. It was one unused for planting or harvesting. The family that had once lived in the house had likely used this area for picnicking and the children for play. It was a fresh, clean place, free of the stench of dead vampires. More, here she all but shone. He slowly lifted a hand to remove his sunglasses, wanting to see her without their dimming effect. His eyes widened, a bit of surprise in them at just how startling the change was. Or was it just that without the blinders of the mission and the worry for her safety, he was now able to appreciate her fully?

"Beautiful."

His various weapons and anything resembling iron fell to the ground as he unclasped them all. The kevlar joined them. In moments, he was just a man in black jeans and a shirt. Being stunned by her unearthly beauty didn't get in the way of the pragmatism of taking off everything that would either be harmful to her or come between them.

It was one of the better uses of netflicks I've ever had.

[cold_as_snow]

It's good to be out of the house that's been haunted for too long. She has spent so very little time out of the city since she woke up, wrapping the very toxicity and danger of a city built of steel and iron around herself. The poison of it helps suppress the least human parts of herself which have already come to bear with this hunt in more than one way. Walking through the farmland brings out something else until she's almost able to predict the appearance of the empty field.

His eyes are remarkable when he actually takes the shades off. Expressive, which could very easily explain the other part of why he kept them hidden. It would be difficult to keep the stone look up between his eyes and his surprisingly mobile mouth. Of course, his smile just added to the mystique. And he called her beautiful.

Silver knives in sheathes make their own little pile as he strips his weapons and armor. The softer gleam of old world silver is barely visible between the leather wrapped handles and sheaths, but part of her wondered if there wasn't another reason he wore those leather gloves between all his silver weapons. Besides, she had no plans to have him find one of her knives while his mind should be on other things.

M- steps closer to him, realizing this is the first time she's seen Blade anything other than armed to the teeth. There's a kind of vulnerability to that, without making him any less dangerous. Which was good, because they both knew she was never actually unarmed as long as she was awake. He had just seen a demonstration for himself. Neither was looking to become something. Just to let enough of their guard down to be touched by someone else. So she peels her gloves off, letting them fall with the knives as she reaches for him.

I'll see if it's still there, although my internet in the new apt here SUCKS. }:/

[daywalkingblade]

Blade steps forward to meet her, and there in the middle of the soft grass under an almost new moon they embrace again. Before their kiss, he breathes in deeply of her scent now that it isn't mingled with undeath. The ash had fallen away in the walk, but she still looked beautifully disheveled from the fighting. A warrior princess. Part of him hesitated, uncertain of if he was worthy of a woman such as her. She had been a queen. He was but a warrior, and a solitary one at that. Blade was no knight. There were fairy tales about trysts like this, but everyone knew that fairy tales weren't real. Or were they?

The hesitation was brief, and he broke it by pulling her more fully against him than before and kissing her with heat and passion. The man who was always in absolute control stopped thinking and let instinct take over. Who cared if she used to be a queen? Who cared that he'd always been obsessed with preserving humanity, and now he fell for a woman that wasn't human? Who cared how different they could be, or how similar they actually were, two people who groped for humanity even as something inside each of them denied them it? For the moment, he could just be, be himself, and be with her.

The moment once again lasted forever and no time at all. Would that it could last forever, but there reached that point where they would either go further or nowhere at all. He broke the kiss, but could not resist peppering her face with many smaller kisses before resting his forehead against hers.

"Are we doing this? Do you want to?"

Ugh, that sucks.

[cold_as_snow]

Whatever reason he has for pausing is a bad reason, but she doesn't bring it up. M-'s recent romantic ventures might have been more complicated that a soap opera about Greek gods, but she at least had them. Blade has been alone in most ways for a long time, if not most of his life. A moment to catch himself makes sense and is more than made up for when he closes the distance.

This embrace was nothing about art and everything about finding what they both needed in the moment. She didn't miss her name because she didn't need it alone with Blade under the open sky. M- was a part of the night, a part of the approaching winter, and entirely a woman in the arms of a suitor she desired. And then there's a break and a question. Two questions.

She looks up at him, pupils dilated, lips slightly bruised. "I want you very much. Do you?"

Capped at 3mbps on the highest tier. And usually it's less than 1. But presumably, Comcast is coming

[daywalkingblade]

His eyes met hers, and he thought about the question for a moment. Really, he knew the answer even before she asked it, but it was a question that deserved consideration. It was interesting that brown eyes could be softer than most, and his were no exception - a stark contrast from the hard man they belonged to. There was no doubt that he wanted her right here, right now. Nothing was complicated about this. Nothing should be.

With a brief nod, he pulled off his t-shirt and flicked it to the ground. His torso was well muscled and not as scarred as one might think from a lifetime of fighting. It was the regenerative ability he had from his vampiric blood. There were a few scars, sure, from when he had been unable to get to his serum or to any blood quickly enough to heal cleanly.

In further wordless answer to her, he stepped forward and slid his hands up under her shirt. The feel of her skin against his was amazing. It had been too long since he'd held a woman, felt her move against him. For several moments, he just let his hands roam up her back and down along her sides. It was cool, and pleasant. Instinct pulled him closer to her again. She was of the night, and the night was in him. After those moments of just feeling her, he started to slide her shirt up and over her head, his fingers deftly unclasping her bra as they went over that part.

"Yeah. I do."