Of Vampires and Hunters [Closed]

[Lucyfer]

“Ma cherie,” the purring voice came from her left, so the doll-like woman rolled over. A chuckle was heard, “Ma cherie, it is sunset. Wake.”


Lazily, those green eyes opened and turned her back around to see the forever-young face of Jean-Baptiste Godfrey looking down on her, trying to smile and be nice. She was not buying it, and rolled all the way over so she was facing him as he remained perched on his toes at her bedside. “Why must we leave so soon?”


Long, cold fingers touched her cheek and brushed the auburn curls from her face, “An old friend of mine called. He wants to see us.”


“Yes,” she knew that much, “but why now? This town is beautiful.”


“We will return.”


“When it has changed,” the pout of her lips stated her protest.


Jean-Baptiste sighed, retracting his hand and moving those fingers through his own black hair, pushing it up and out of his blue eyes. “You know that will not work, ma cherie.” Not that she’d ever grown out of some of her habits. After all, they worked quite well on mortal men, and even some other vampires. Jean-Baptiste simply knew her too well. “Our plane does not depart until 2am. I am waking you, so that you may go see the town.”


They didn’t need to sleep, but Jean-Baptiste had noticed his childe, Lydia, seemed to enjoy it. He had asked if she dreamt, and she had said yes, but never told him what. He didn’t ask, of course. If she wanted to share her dreams, she would.


His friend slept, too. He dreamt, such strange things. Supposedly, he’d made progress on one of his dreams, and Jean-Baptiste was curious to see what it was he’d managed. Many advancements had been made by humans. They no longer died so easily to disease.


Could it be possible that Jean-Baptiste’s sire had done something similar? Ah, how he hoped so. And yet, how he feared that answer, too.


“Oh,” Lydia seemed to understand then. “Well, out then. I need to get dressed.”


He laughed, “You, modest?” But she was getting up, and when he stood, she started to push him towards the door. He laughed all the way to it, and was shoved out of her room. He walked to the living area of their shared penthouse, and sat down on the couch to await her. Soon enough, she came out, make-up done. How she did it, Jean-Baptiste didn’t know—they didn’t have reflections, but it was always immaculately done. “Shall we get a drink first?”


“Isn’t it too early?” She asked, throwing on a coat. Though the place was fully furnished, there was little there to indicate that anyone lived. They brought little with them, whenever the shifted locations.


“It is a Friday, ma cherie,” the black-haired vampire said as he fell in step with her, out the door and to the elevator. He pushed the button down to the ground floor, “As I understood, a Friday before these, ah, finals—some sort of test,” he had no real idea what they were. “For some reason, that inspires the college goers to get wasted and weep over their life decisions.”


Something like a cackle escaped her lips, “Well then! Yes! I want to see the casino!”


“You always want to see the casino,” he sighed, as if in suffering.


It was how the two of them stayed rich, so he really couldn’t complain. Lydia may as well be Lady Luck incarnate. “We’ll go to the casino. The boat one?”


“Yes the boat one!”


The doors opened to the grand, golden lobby. Only the best. “Very well,” and out they walked. With one hand, and a flick of his wrist, Jean-Baptiste was able to bring a cab over to them. He looked like money in his dark suit, though, and the woman in black was a stunning piece that proved it. She slipped easily into the backseat, and he besides her. The cab was directed where to go, and off they went to enjoy what was meant to be their last night in the town.

 

[soldmysoul]

"So how'd you manage get a place on such short notice?" Alister asked his sister as they entered their new, yet temporary abode.


"I told you, remember Mr.Baker? He's the one who owned all that real estate, this apartment building being one of them. I got into contact with him for the first time in years and told him the situation so he's letting us stay here however long we need. And it's already furnished." The girl held the door for the bellman as he pushed in a large metal cart, carrying several suitcases. "Just set it off to the side right there." Harley motioned with her hand as the bellman did so. She handed him a twenty before he excited, closing the door behind him.


Allister was already off exploring their new space, "that was nice of him!" He called out to to his sister.


Harley grabbed the largest suitcase of them all, the same one that was secured with a digital numerical lock. Laying it out on the floor, she entered the package and carefully opened the case to reveal their entire arsenal. Guns, holy water, blades and her favorite, the crossbow. After making sure everything was intact, the case was them closed again before being stowed away in one of the closets. Now she could relax. There was nothing more stressful than having to have their supplies secretly and safely shipped across the states, all the worrying could finally be put aside.


Allister came back out into the main living area where Harley had already dozed off on the couch. "Har, I thought you wanted to take a walk through the city, get to know what's around here."


She groaned, sitting up, "we literally just settled in and I didn't think I'd be near this exhausted."


"Just get up and let's go."


Stumbling to her feet, Harley bent over to tighten the black boots that were on her feet, "alright, alright.'


Outside the city streets were lot with hundreds of lights as dozens of people bustled down the sidewalks and through the roads. It was definitely something, for someone who enjoyed the city life of course. The two began to walk, staying close as to not get broken up by the crowds that took over.

 

[Lucyfer]

The were soon approaching the lovely boat casino, docked on the river forever, and illuminated with bright golden lights. “The mighty Blackchip Casino!” Their driver informed with some delight. It was stylized like a pirate ship, and no doubt it would play to that image within.


“Thank you kindly,” Jean-Baptiste said when he brought the taxi to a stop right before the entrance and the bridge onto the boat. He paid and offered his arm to Lydia, who accepted it. The lights were in her eyes, and Jean-Baptiste knew they’d see nothing else of the town. “We have only three hours, then we must be heading towards the airport.”


“I know,” she spoke dismissively as they walked across the red carpet towards the doors. “Until then, le bon temps roulé!” She lifted one hand skyward and he laughed a bit, opened the door for the both of them.


“Do remember your health,” sometimes she forgot. He did not need her thirsty on the plane. That could not go over well. “I’ll leave you to your games.” He’d only interfere if he hung around, but he’d be watching. Times were not as bad as when they met, but sometimes dear Lydia still upset the wrong people.


“Thank you,” and with that, she all but skipped off in those black heels and backless dress to go find a good table for cards. He chuckled and shook his head.


‘Youth.’ As if either of them could be called that. He heard the sounds of shanties, and decided to make his way towards the entertainment lounge, mingle, and enjoy whatever show was being put on.

 

[soldmysoul]

"We're really in the middle of all the action." Allister noted the amount of restaurants, shops and clubs that they had managed to pass in such a short period of time. "And look, we're right near the water too." The way the lights reflected off the water really were a treat for the eyes. The siblings made their way over to the waters edge, taking a seat on one of the city provided benches.


"What do you think that is?" Harley asked, motioning with her hands toward the large and heavily decorated boat.


"It looks like a club or something. I can't see what the sign says. It's loud though."


"Hmm." Harley had already lost interest, her eyes dancing off to the next subject. "Hey, Ali, go get me a drink" she said, fixing her eyes on a Starbucks across from where they were sitting.


Allister sighed, he knew his sister had worked hard all day trying to make sure the move went smoothly. He stood, "please don't wander off. I'll be back." Harley replied with a soft smile and nod. He went on his way.

 

[Lucyfer]

It seemed the Black Chip had opted to have a fun evening so far as their musical choices went. Shanties were on the agenda, sung by a group who called themselves Jack’s Monkey, an obvious allusion to that Pirates of the Caribbean movie series.


Jean-Baptiste sat near the counter of the bar as he enjoyed the songs, laughing and clapping along with others when necessary, and at times adding his input. They called for it in the song about the Drunken Sailor, a favorite from the old days.


“What do you do with a drunken sailor?”


He drew many eyes from many women, but one was eventually bold enough to approach, a sight in a burgundy dress with her fall of black hair down her back. They chatted for a little while, and he made sure to slowly introduce caresses, drawing her further and further under his spell. “Do you have a room here?” He eventually asked, never careless with his food.


“I do,” she responded. “Why?”


“I was thinking of staying here,” he lied, but making it obvious it was a lie, “but I couldn’t find a single online picture of the rooms. Could I see yours?”


She took him by the hand, not seeming to notice how cold he was, and drug him along to find her room. He followed willingly, and when the door was opened for him and he was tugged in, he closed it behind him. Her hands went right for his jacket, but he stopped them, grabbing both of hers and pushing her against the door.


There were many things he would do, but take advantage of a woman in two ways was not on the agenda. As much as he appreciated the sight of lust in her hazel eyes, he knew she’d had a bit too much to drink. He did kiss her on the lips, but only to have an excuse to start kissing his way down to her neck, and then puncture it.


Her gasp became a moan. The bite was only initially painful, then it was pleasurable.


He didn’t drain her, but took enough to make her weak. He lifted her when he was finished and licked the wound closed, hoping the alcohol would make the memory muddled as he laid her down, and then exited the room to return to the band.


~***~


Elsewhere, Lydia had already earned the nickname of Lady Luck. It seemed with every card dealt, or with every roll of the die, she came out ahead. She, of course, thrived on the gamble and the ecstasy of every victory as others wallowed in their sorrows over losing so much. She bounced, grinned, and laughed her way through the money of the arrogant SOBs who thought she was a brainless ditz.


It was a role she knew how to play all, too, well.


One man in particular got on her nerves, and she mentally marked him. When at last he’d had enough, throwing his chips at her and storming away, she grinned. “Would you watch these, please? I need to make amends,” she spoke to the House, rather than another player. The job of the House depended on being reliable and not cheating, so she knew she’d come back to all her money.


She had hoped the man would go to a room, but he walked outside. ‘Damn it.’ Across the bridge he went, though he paused shortly after getting off of it.


He turned around. “What do you want?” He spat at her.


“I just wanted to apologize,” she answered. “If you’re having a hard time, I could give you back some of the money you lost.”


She knew it would offend him. The red that painted his face showed all of his blood nicely as he all but yelled, “I won’t take your charity!” And his eyes narrowed, “You cheated.”


“I didn—” she was very familiar with this situation, as the man approached her and took one of her arms.


“Where’s the loaded die? In your purse?” He reached for the small black bag, and she didn’t stop him. She only took a step back, which pulled him along.


‘Good.’


He emptied the purse onto the ground as she made a show of struggling to get away from him, but in reality, she was pulling him towards a darkened area near the bridge.


No die fell, of course. He looked back to her, and her mask of painted fear. “Where is it?”


She shook her head, in clear confusion. He let go of her arm, but before he could make another move, she grabbed him around the neck and slammed him against the wall of the bridge. Now it was his turn to look frightened.


There was no foreplay, no getting him comfortable. Lydia went right for the neck and dug her fangs in. There was a second’s struggle from the man, before he succumbed to how good it felt.

 

[soldmysoul]

After waiting in the line that seemed to never end, Allister was back outside once more, a frozen beverage in his hand. A homeless man sitting on the ground, lifted his cup shaking it so that the change inside could grab Allisters attention. Allister sighed, placing a $5 bill into the mans cup and was thanked with a nod of the head. "Hey, do you know what that big boat is?"


"That's the Black Chip Casino! Beautiful place, with even more beautiful women!" The man made himself laugh.


"A Casino, great." He knew what having a casino nearby meant, lots of careless, belligerent drunks, roaming the streets. "Uh, have a good night."


"You as well boy. Watch out for those women though- they'll suck the life right out of ya!" The man was back at it, roaring with laughter at himself,


Allister shook his head a bit before he wandered over to the grand ship, which was now a bit closer to his current location. Large groups of casino-goers entered, as those who were done spending away, exited. The tall man stood and watched all the people before his attention was stolen by what seemed to be a couple off to the side, arguing perhaps. It wasn't long until the man and woman were lost into the darkness. Something, Allister could sense, was off.


Making his way over to the casino was an easy feat, going almost unnoticed as everyone seemed to be preoccupied with something far more interesting. He then heard the man's accusatory voice toward the woman, which gave Allister the direction to follow, eventually leading him close enough to watch the unfolding scenario. Suddenly, he became irate as he saw the man rip the purse from the woman, emptying it onto the ground. However, just as he had the courage to speak up, he froze- the second he caught glimpse of her fangs which were almost instantly penetrating the mans skin. Part of him was cheering the red head on, that man deserved it, but the other part of him was taken back.


Allister watched, keeping his presence unknown as he went through possible scenarios in his head. He had nothing on to protect himself, he couldn't confront her, not where she was currently at least she'd have way to much of an advantage over him. Instead, he waited where he was. It was secluded, yet there was enough light to see, and enough time to get back out to where the majority of the people were if something were to go down. The condensation from the now melting drink, began to drip down his forearm.

_____________________________________

​

"Allister Verona!" Harley called for her brother as she left the Starbucks that he was no longer in. "Dammit" She muttered angrily, walking back out onto the sidewalk. She turned to a older, obviously homeless, man sitting along the side of the brick building. "Excuse me-" she knelt down in front of the man who was reeking of booze, "I'm looking for my brother, his name is Allister. He's rather tall, he was wearing a short sleeve, gray v-neck. Here-" she pulled out her phone, showing the man a picture of her brother.


"He went to the casino over yonder" He pointed a crooked finger over to the Black Chip, "said he was on the hunt for some ladies."


She raised an eyebrow, standing back on her feet, "no that wasn't him."


"Alright he didn't say that, but he did ask me what that ship was. Then he headed off in that direction."


Why he would wander off, knowing that she was waiting for him was beyond her. She groaned, tipping the man another five before she too headed toward the ship. Making her way inside, Harley stopped, noticing all the beautiful people inside, laughing, drinking and having a grand ol' time. Harley sighed, looking down at her own attire. Dark fitted jeans, a low cut black shirt, covered by a black leather jacket. She stuck out like a sore thumb, and the stares she was getting only proved it. However, she continued further inside, keeping the lookout for Allister.

 

[Lucyfer]

The blood gave away a human’s way of life. It was often why hunters had the best blood—many of them kept their bodies healthy, and so their blood was as sweet as nectar. This man had survived on one too many glasses of wine and a few cigarettes a day. Rich steaks and potatoes fed his diet, the typical too-rich white collar American, but the taste was not bad.


Lydia licked the blood on his neck to cover her mark and let go of him, watching him slip to the ground, not quite conscious, but alert enough to respond to stimulus. She licked her own lips, “Thank you,” she said, before she turned to leave him.


It was when she stepped out of the shadows that she saw the pair of eyes watching her, and she came to an abrupt stop to stare back. ‘What did you see?’


Going to ask would be stupid. Most humans would decide all they saw was a couple having an intimate moment in the shadows. Asking would make one suspicious. ‘Turn away. Walk inside. Go get your winnings and find Jean-Baptiste.’ She did turn quickly away, and went to gather her purse and all of the discarded things that the irksome man had dumped on the ground. Right then, she wished she hadn't let him get away with so much. Then she could have just walked right into the casino and hidden away in the crowd.


~***~


Jean-Baptiste passed by the strange woman near the doorway who stood out like a sore thumb amidst all the well-dressed individuals. He was making his way back to the band when he gave her a once over, and decided she must be a college student come to blow off steam.


‘Though that does not appear to be common.’ Most of those here looked to be in their late 20s, and older. Even he looked a bit too young to be here, but he dressed like he belonged, so that helped. His childe would also blend in quite well.


He did look down into the bowl, just before turning into the entertainment room. He paused, frowned. There was no evidence of his childe down there. He expected she would be making quite the scene. Something was off. ‘She might be feeding.’ He considered accepting that, but his instinct turned it away. Something was off. There was even an anxious energy below, at one table.


That's when it clicked. 'Someone she disliked....' So she had gone off to feed, then. She'd just chosen someone she didn't like, as per usual. That seemed to be her favorite way to hunt. It wasn’t the safest.


It was probably the stupidest, actually, but that’s what he got for picking a gambler. 'Oh well.' He imagined everything was okay, but he made a note to go look for her after a couple of songs just to be sure.

 

[soldmysoul]

This was the part he had not thought out in his head however, what exactly he would say. What exactly does one say after witnessing something like that? He walked over, helping the woman pick up her things, "uhm-" he went to speak but the words in his head stumbled around just before they could exit his mouth. "I just came over to make sure you were alright" he lied. He knew very well that she was alright, in fact, he should be checking on the man to see if he was alright, but he would continue on as if he saw nothing that happened over in the shadows. "I saw how rude that mad was, he shouldn't be talking- or touching women like that." He kept his cool, nonchalantly, and quickly, examining each item he retrieved from the ground. Mainly, he was looking for any hint towards her identity.


_______________________________


Harley headed over to the roulette table, the dark green velvet-like material covered in dozens of chips. She remembered her uncle Vincent picking up her father, said they were going to the casino. When they returned, Uncle Vinny had his arm around her father, his head thrown back in laughter as he retold the story of his big wins on the roulette tables. Her father, was not as lucky, having blown $30,000 in that single night. When you have money, like her family did, that $30,000 would be soon forgotten in a matter of days.


She stood there for longer than she had intended, the small smile abandoning her lips as she remembered where she was, and why she was here. She continued on, trying her best to scan each and every slot machine and every group of gamblers. Making her way to the dimly lit bar, she knocked into an older man and his wife, causing the middle-aged woman to spill her dark wine over her golden gown. The stares given to Harley by the couple were enough to make a child cry. Harley quickly reached for a handful op napkins from the bar, "I am so so sorry! I didn't mean-" she was cut off as the woman in the gown, grabbed her husbands glass of whiskey, throwing the liquid contents onto Harley. Her jaw dropped.


"This little girl needs to watch where shes going!" the woman spoke, not directly to Harley of course, as she grabbed the napkins, trying to hastily pull the wine from her dress before the stain set in, "My dress! Costs far much more than what you're wearing! You shouldn't even be here, are you the janitor?!"


"Val, honey, we'll get you a new gown." The man that Val was with, stood firm, clearing his throat, "I need a manager over here immediately."

 

[Lucyfer]

The individual came over, and suggested he had seen the argument. Lydia wasn’t sure how to respond, either. The tension was there, but she wasn’t sure if it was one-sided, or if they both felt it.


So, Lydia played along. “I’m all right,” she answered, “My father taught me how to defend myself,” her passport was her main source of identity, opened up on the ground. She hadn’t bothered to change her name over the years, so Lydia Godfrey was printed on it. She picked it up and stored it away in her purse, along with the rest of her things—phone, make up, everything else, “He was just upset over a bit too much money lost.”


With everything in her purse, she straightened up, “Thanks for your help,” she offered as she put the purse back over her shoulder, “I need to get back in to cash out,” she turned towards the door, not waiting for him.


~***~


Some reactions were uncalled for. From his place on a stool, Jean-Baptiste witnessed a woman splash another with alcohol. ‘That has to burn.’ Just the thought of alcohol in the eyes was an unpleasant one, though he wasn't sure if it actually touched the woman's face. He wasn’t sure if it touched her eyes at all, and he certainly hoped it didn’t.


He slid off his stool as a manager was called for, and decided to play the role.


He could usually pull off authority figures quite well, particularly when he rolled his shoulders back and met people’s gaze. He looked to the man who had called him, but then looked to this Val, “Your dress might be worth more, my dear, but medical bills are very expensive, too,” he shifted his eyes down to the girl, “I don’t suppose you’ll want to be suing for any damages from the woman’s intentional assault?” He made sure to emphasize that part, and looked to see if this Val would lose color at the implications in his tone.

 

[soldmysoul]

The small glimpse he got of her passport was just enough, the name Godfrey stuck out more than anything else, she's exactly who they were looking for. Had the stars aligned just enough for his luck to change? One of the vampires they were after was right there in front of him! Of course, confronting her about it here would only himself killed as he had nothing on to protect himself. He decided Harley could wait, he would text her in a moment to let her know hes alright, she would be more than pleased to know that they indeed had come to the right city. "I'm guessing you're coming from inside the casino then, are you here alone now?" Allister tried his best to hide the fact that he was a bit nervous, if this woman was as crazy as some of the vampires he'd encountered in the past, he could be ripped into pieces in a matter of minutes.


_________________________________________


It took her a few seconds for Harley to get over the initial shock of what just happened, she would rather deal with a ravenous vampire over a snotty bitch any day. As she saw the other approach, her nerves grew out of control, she hated confrontation like this and she was drawing too much attention which made the situation more awkward for herself. Then he spoke to her and she had no idea what to say before catching glimpse over Vals disgusted glare one more. She perked up a bit, "a sincere apology is all I ask. Then I will dismiss the idea of bringing up any charges." The mockery in her voice was apparent, which seemed to anger the couple more, leaving them, however, speechless.


"Well it was just a simple misunderstanding," the husband, growing anxious at the thought of paying any legal fees, "Valerie."


"I apologize." The words slithered from her gritted teeth, quickly turning to avoid looking at Harley any further. "I'd like to go back to our room, darling."


He looked back at Harley, "I do aplogize for her behavior-" he started to say under his breath so his wife would not hear.


"Darling!" She demanded, obviously embarrassed. The two hurried off to cash their winnings so they could leave.


Harley relaxed, looking up to the 'manager', "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into her. I'll clean this up though." She reached for more napkins from the bar.

​

 

[Lucyfer]

The man followed along, and it made sense. If he was here, then he was likely at this location to go to the casino. Of course he would be coming inside.


She took his question as concern for her well-being, since she had already upset someone, “Yes, I’m here with my,” shoot, what story had she and Jean-Baptiste agreed on? “brother,” she decided. Same surname. It was just odd, since she considered him a father.


He just didn’t look old enough to be her father, and explaining it to humans was just not worth it. Inside the casino they went, and she glanced around. No sign of Jean-Baptiste, “I’m sure he’s around here somewhere, I’ll be all right,” she said with a smile, “I hope you have good luck,” and she walked towards the stairs to descend into the bowl of the casino. ‘Collect winnings. Find Jean. Cash out.’ He hated to be called Jean. She limited herself to its use.


~***~


Jean-Baptiste enjoyed the reaction of the rich humans, almost as much as he enjoyed the request of the young woman. Obviously, an apology was more threatening to the pride of Val, who didn’t think she did anything wrong.


He could see it in the way she grit her teeth to say the simple, insincere, words. “Thank you,” Jean-Baptiste said when the apology was granted. The man was quick to get his wife out of there, and Jean-Baptiste took to leaning on the counter where they had been, quietly amused with how easy that situation had been resolved.


He then saw the girl get down to clean up the mess and he sighed, “You know that’s what the employees here are for,” yet, he found himself taking a napkin and kneeling down to help her wipe up some of the wine that hadn’t soaked into the carpet despite himself. “Someone would have enjoyed the isolation of cleaning this up.” He knew people who liked to clean dishes because it wasn’t a social job.


Still, he said it as a joke.

 

[soldmysoul]

He knew she wasn't with her brother, he knew the story. Still, he followed her, "are you sure? I can help you find him. The way some of these men are looking at you, I mean, they'll leave you alone if you're with me...maybe." He was just coming up with words on the spot, but he could only imagine how ridiculous he looked, or sounded. Maybe the awkward sincerity in his voice would at least make her feel bad for him, making her feel the need to let him backpack along. Then again, if she really was one of the vampires they were looking for, he was almost certain that they feel no remorse, especially not after what they did to his friends and family.


A bit of anger boiled up inside him as he began to think too much about it, he had to dismiss it in order to move on to the task at hand.


_____________________________________


The crowd that had been hanging around to indiscriminately watch the events that had just unfolded, began to disperse as if nothing had happened.


She stood back up, tossing the wad of napkins into the trash. "Well, if there is anyone else here like her, they'll have other opportunities to do so." After ridding her clothing of the excess moisture, she looked back up to the stranger. "Listen, I'm actually just in here to find my brother, once I find him I'll be on my way out, I promise. Actually, you haven't happened to see someone wandering around here that looked out of place, a bit like me?" She laughed a bit referring to her wardrobe. "He's my age but he get's distracted so easy and just wanders off."

 

[Lucyfer]

“If I needed protection from them, I’d have my brother with me,” she did not actively stop the follower, but she made it clear what she thought of his awkward following-along. “This isn’t my first time at a casino, dear,” the term of endearment was not meant to be endearing.


Predators knew predators. Considering the scene outside, Lydia reconsidered why he was following along now. This was a bit too much, even if he was playing the ‘awkward young man’ rather well.


She returned to her table and gave a nod to the dealer, “I’ll go ahead and take my chips to cash out, please.”


A bag was taken from under the table, and the chips clinked into it nicely, to the envy of many nearby people. Oh yes, some men were certainly eying her for both money and looks, but quite a few noticed the awkward tag-along in the gray v-neck and reconsidered.


~***~


Jean-Baptiste followed the gesture and tossed his napkin into the trash, as well. He listened to her story, but shook his head, “I have not, but I have not really left this area,” he motioned towards the band, indicating he’d been enjoying the show this evening, “I could assist you in searching, if you like. I need to make sure my sister hasn’t lost all of our money,” he knew that wouldn’t be the case.


“I meant to do that a bit earlier, actually,” he glanced towards the clock on the wall and saw that a few minutes had gone by since he arrived, and he guessed perhaps a couple of songs. He hadn’t been paying all that much attention to the music. “We can hunt them down together,” he suggested with a chuckle, “though she doesn’t look anything like me. Red hair,” he gestured to his own dark hair, “but that should make her stand out.”


Otherwise she’d blend in just like anyone else, dressed to the nines and looking like she ought to be someone’s arm candy rather than a gambler herself.

 

[soldmysoul]

He knew his sister would do so much of a better job at this than he was doing, but he couldn't let her get away now. On the other hand, if he were her, he would try anything to get rid of him. "Alright, let me cut to the chase" he said, catching up to her so that he was now walking briskly beside her. "I saw what happened outside. I saw what you did to that man. But don't worry, before you try and think of something to say to explain yourself, just know that I know what you are. And I'm pretty sure you're the one I'm looking for." He was aware that this was a lot at once, but he knew that she wouldn't be dumb enough to actually start a scene right then and there. "But you do have a bit of explaining to do."


__________________________________


"Well I'll let you know if I see her." she said as she pulled her long, slightly wet, locks up into a pony tail. "So wait- you're not really the manager here are you?" she laughed a bit as she began to make her way to the next unsearched section of casino. At this point, she had just wanted to go home, the day had already seemed to drag on long enough and there was nothing more she desired at the moment than to be warm in her bed. Asleep. The past few days had been nothing but chaos, trying to determine the next city they would call home, and the amount of sleep she had gotten in those days amounted to nothing.

 

[Lucyfer]

They had just left the table when he decided to speak. Fortunately, others were too engaged in their game to pay any attention to them. She continued to walk, too, forcing him to keep up. “Do I?”


Lydia wasn’t sure why anyone would be looking for her. Sure, she had enemies, but she knew her enemies. Lydia did not know this man. All the explaining she had to do, was that she needed to live, and the only way to live was to drink blood. She didn’t kill her prey.


Usually. “You have far more explaining to do than I, since I know you not.” She saw Jean-Baptiste, “But you have no time,” she didn’t bother to hide that as she lifted her hand to draw her sire’s attention. When he saw her, she touched two fingers to her forehead and then waved.


He would understand.


~***~


Jean-Baptiste gave a devilish grin at the woman’s question, “No,” he answered her honestly. He was not the manager. “But I pull it off well, don’t I?” He knew the authority and confidence he held. Years of life allowed him to have it, to act as if the world was his own. He had enough experiences to know how to move in any environment, and be believable.


Usually, Lydia did, too. He saw her wave from across the casino, and then saw the other gesture.


“Quel bordel,” his exasperation translated well with the smile as he waved back, and made the same gesture. “I believe that is your brother with my sister. Let us hope they aren’t getting into any trouble.” If the brother was a hunter, then the sister was a hunter.


Yes, Jean-Baptiste knew that gesture quite well, and he made a beeline for the two of them. They had a plane to catch, the perfect reason to get out of there without any issues or murders following them. He did so hate to get his hands dirty with that, though he also disliked letting hunters live. They’d just kill some other vampire.

 

[soldmysoul]

"Oh, so that's your brother? If I ask him about the whole thing, will he deny it like you? And what do you mean I don't have time? Are you out plot which town you'll completely destroy next, or was mine enough?" His spoke loud enough for Lydia to hear him, but in a manner that would not draw unwanted attention as he kept pace.


______________________________


"Well, in that case, I must thank you for the back-up. You came just in the nick of time too." She then stopped at the mention of her sibling, a wave of relief coming over her once he was in sight. She was already imagining the second they would walk back into the apartment and she could collapse into bed.


"Harley!" his attention became deviated when he noticed his sister. "What the Hell is she doing with him?" He pushed others out of the way, rushing over to his sisters side, putting an arm around her to pull her protectively close, "you didn't do anything to her did you?" The accusatory remark was obviously directed toward Jean-Baptiste.


She pried herself away, "I'm fine. Nothing happened." She was confused, and slightly embarrassed, "what's going on with you, where have you been?"


"It's him," he pulled Harley off to the side, "he's a Godfrey. And her- that girl he's with, so is she!"


She looked back at Jean-Baptiste briefly before focusing her attention back to her brother, "are you sure? How do you know?"


"I saw her passport. She dropped it and I saw her name. But that was after I caught her feeding."

 

[Lucyfer]

There was no response from Lydia, for there was clearly no time for a response as the man noticed his sister and ran off. His sister, was with Jean-Baptiste. ‘This is a trap, then.’ Except as the thought came, she doubted. The man looked too concerned for his sister for this to be planned.


‘What town did I destroy?’ Lydia honestly had no idea. That confused her more than anything. She supposed that was one way of explaining what he was here about.


She didn’t run to join him, but caught up at a decent pace while he was explaining that Jean-Baptiste was a Godfrey. “Laisses-tu il lui voit, ma cherie?” He shifted to French. Rude and suspicious though it may be, he had no care at that moment.


Lydia didn’t answer the question, but stated, “Il pense que nous avons détruit un ville,” she made a gesture towards the man, as Jean-Baptiste raised an eyebrow.


“Où serait-il obtient que ideé?”


“Je ne sais pas.”


Jean-Baptiste frowned. This was a curious lie being spread about him and Lydia, about the Godfreys in general. He looked first to the woman he had been pleasantly chatting with, and then to the hostile brother. “Where would you like to talk?” He inquired in perfect English, accent completely gone. “It seems you have some misconceptions about myself and Lydia.”

 

[soldmysoul]

"Misconceptions? If you want to go on and explain how we have these 'misconceptions' then I'd love to hear it. You two are exactly the reason we came here and here you are, looking and acting exactly the way we were told." Although, in general, Allister was incredibly smart, always coming up with the plan, he wasn't so smart when put on the spot. In fact, he was rather quick to act and talk without thinking. Harley knew this, the fact that she was looking down with a hand over her face was a dead giveaway.


"Al?"


"Yeah?" his ranting came to an end.


"Just shut-up." Sometimes that's what he needed, a little reminder to say, 'hey, you sound like you're talking out of your ass and you really need to stop before you make the situation any worse than it already it.' Instead she opted for 'shut-up'. She took a deep breath to quell any negative emotion she was feeling at the moment before looking back up. "Apparently we do need to talk about this don't we? Either you're really good at playing innocent or we've got a faulty lead yet again."


It had happened in the past, the twins were sent off to a near remote location only to find that the vampire they were looking for had actually been killed several years prior to the incident in which caused them to lose their family had occurred. Harley wasn't about to waste her and Allisters time, chasing after these two if they proved they had nothing to do with what had happened. If it turns out that the Godfreys are not lying, maybe they at least could have some useful information for them.

 

[Lucyfer]

Lydia grit her teeth in frustration of the public location when the man began to rant. He was silenced by his sister, but it didn’t kill the anger in Lydia’s eyes.


The woman had sense at least, and Jean-Baptiste motioned out, “Wherever you would like,” he spoke to the woman, “We will follow, but we would like this to be quick. We have a plane to catch.”


“Vous ne devriez pas laisses-elle choisit.” Lydia stuck to French, defiant. “Elle choisirait un piège.”


Jean-Baptiste answered, almost coldly, “Et nous survivrions un piège.” He then said, “I am sorry, she is young.”


“Ha!” Lydia did find that amusing, considering how old she was. “She’s paranoid you would lead us to a trap, but lead us where you will.” He was not so worried about traps. One didn’t make it to 900 years without surviving a few of them. “Please lead the way.”

 

[soldmysoul]

"We're not going to take you to a trap." She snapped at Lydia. "I just- I want to get things cleared up because I'm tired of wasting my time."


Allister remained silent, crossing his arms across his chest as his angry eyes went between Lydia and Jean-Baptiste.


"Let's just go outside somewhere. Where it's quieter at least. No one will care to know what we're talking about anyway." She started to head toward the exit of the casino at a rather quick pace, she was eager to leave and she had the attitude to prove it. Allister followed directly behind his sister, putting a hand through his hair with a deep sigh. He hated when Harley got like this because she was not quick to cool off, in fact, she would most likely stay this upset for a couple of days.

 

[Lucyfer]

Jean-Baptiste nodded to the woman’s decision to head outside, “That is fine by me,” he offered his arm to Lydia then, who grudgingly accepted it.


The two vampires walked after the dark-haired woman, and out into the cool air. Lydia reached for her phone to check the time. ‘Still plenty of time.’ She and Jean-Baptiste hadn’t been in the casino all that long, it seemed. The chips clinked together in her bag, and she made a mental note to try and find the time to go back that way and get them cashed out.


This hunter distraction was not what she expected to happen. Jean-Baptiste also looked perfectly unnerved. ‘Well, why should he be? We didn’t destroy any towns….’ Not that they had any proof of it.


Hunters also usually didn’t care. A dead vampire was the only good vampire to the majority of them. Lydia didn’t see how this could go anyway but a fight.


Yet, Jean-Baptiste was the picture of calm and poised as they walked over the bridge, and out onto the concrete before the boat's ramp.

 

[soldmysoul]

"He's making me more nervous than she is." Allister leaned over to whisper into Harley's ear.


"Cut it out." She backhanded him gently on the arm before stopping in a dimly lit area. "I just want to start off by saying, I'm not trying to start any trouble. And we're definitely not out to kill any and every vampire we encounter either."


"Unless of course we have to-" Allister cut it before being cut off once again by his sister.


"Al! That's enough, really!" He crossed his arms again, keeping his eyes on the others the entire time as if they were to make a move any minute. Harley took a deep breath once more to soothe her nerves in which Allister was really getting on. "A year ago, a town called Glass Heights was more or less taken over in order to feed a clan of vampires. Well, nearly everyone is dead, including our entire family and everyone we ever knew. For the past year, after we escaped, we've been taking any lead we can get on who is responsible. That's what lead us here. To find the two of you."


Allister sighed, "my sister and I have never intentionally killed a vampire that wasn't an imminent threat. Whether you believe me or not is up to you, but if you can just give us any information you may have." Although his plea was a change of attitude, it was sincere.

 

[Lucyfer]

The man was the blunt one, Jean-Baptiste concluded. That would make the woman the diplomat. He wasn’t sure which was more trustworthy, or if they were both equally trustworthy—both with disparate views on vampires.


Glass Heights was mentioned. “Wasn’t that the hunter town?” Lydia asked, and Jean-Baptiste nodded. It was a place any sane vampire would avoid.


He’d heard it on the lips of his friend and sire most recently. ‘Actually….’ If he was thinking correctly, that was also near where his friend was. ‘That would explain why the Godfrey name came up.’ To show his new life as a new person, Jean-Baptiste had taken the Godfrey surname from his sire, the way Lydia took it on from him.


“I’m sure you didn’t,” Lydia sneered at the man when he suggested they’d never killed a vampire that wasn’t an imminent threat. Lydia believed that Allister believed that, but she didn’t believe it was the truth. Good intentions paved the road to hell. They also ended many an innocent life. All one needed to do was turn on the news to see that. If humans couldn’t handle other humans of different colors, Lydia knew they couldn’t truly tolerate vampires sanely.


“I’m afraid I can be of little assistance. Lydia and I avoided Glass Heights like the plague,” it was on the tip of his tongue to mention his sire, but he thought better of it. He’d see soon enough if the man had anything to do with what happened.


“Really, a plague joke?” Lydia shot him a dirty look, though there was some jest in it.


He gave an apologetic smile, “It’s been six hundred years, are you not over it yet?”

 

[soldmysoul]

Harley's eyes lit up, "so you have heard of it?" A bit of relief came over her, it did not mean in any way that things were solved, it did mean that they were on the right path and that they were one step closer to finding out who was responsible.


Many times she had thought of giving up, why spend the next however long it was going to take, chasing after someone that for all she knew could be dead. Finding this person wouldn't bring her family back. Finding this person wouldn't make her and Allister's lives normal again. The reason she kept going was still as mystery, even to herself. If revenge was to be had, would it truly dispel any anger that she had?


Allister narrowed his eyes at Lydia, he knew for a fact that her comments were stressing out Harley. If there was one thing Harley did in her life that meant something, it was protect the vampires that she honestly believed were innocent despite the outrage it caused among some of the other hunters. But he knew she wasn't going to argue it, not right now, nor was he because he knew he too was part of the reason she was so stressed. He just bit his tongue.


"So why do you avoid it? I mean, are you saying you avoided it before for obvious reasons, or are you talking after everything happened. You know, to be honest, I still don't know exactly what happened."

 

[Lucyfer]

“Have most vampires not heard of it?” Lydia found that interesting, wondering where all their other leads had taken them. She glanced to Jean-Baptiste, who shrugged.


“There aren’t many who make it to our age,” he reminded softly, “Inability to keep up with technology is one reason,” it was through social networking that they had even learned of Glass Heights when they arrived in America. He looked back to the diplomat and answered, “We avoided it initially because of its reputation as a haven for hunters. Not all are as…discriminatory as you.”


Quite a few hunters wouldn’t have even bothered to talk to them, so Jean-Baptiste did see some good in this pair even if Lydia held her doubts. Skepticism was good. It was another reason they survived. “In truth, I was unaware it even fell. It was never on our radar as a place to explore in the first place, and we had little need to keep up on news of it,” avoiding it was enough. Following its history meant little. “We are going to be heading up that way, however.”


“We are?”


“Yes, my sire isn’t far from it,” he suggested, “That may be why you’ve heard the Godfrey name,” he looked to the man, since he had found it of note, “I cannot say if my sire had anything to do with it, but he is in the area so he may know more due to proximity.”