Fantasy Vampires(closed)

[Canth]

Meredith did not need to be able to read auras to know Vlad was not fond of her. Eric was however, and that was all that mattered. Vlad could hate her all he wanted; he was not her target. Besides, Meredith had a feeling he was suspicious of everyone and decided not to take it personal. She finished off her coffee, which was lukewarm now though it still retained its bite, and pushed up from the booth. She shifted around Bram and Vlad, giving them both a sideways glance, though she allowed it to linger a little longer on the taller one, before following Eric out the door. She ignored the vampire’s remark, deciding he knew very well what she had meant. And so did Eric. There was nothing suspicious about a young woman wanting the company of a strapping officer of the law when walking through a foreign city at night. It could hardly be considered sinister.

Meredith followed along, hands folded in front of her holding her clutch. Her heels clicked against the pavement as auburn curls bounced behind her, not a hair out of place. She turned her eyes on the building Eric pointed out, allowing a smile to cross her lips and light embarrassment to flush her cheeks.

When they finally stepped through the precinct doors, they were greeted by a rather boisterous individual at a nearby desk. She studied him for a moment, and then decided he was not with her time. He would know as much as Eric. And, while he seemed more willing to talk, she had already made enough headway with Eric that she decided to run with it. She was watching Isaac when she noticed Eric motion her over.

Meredith followed after him, pausing when he stopped to turn back. She took that opportunity to look back as well, emerald eyes finding Vlad. She could not help but smile. Not her kind, hopeful smile from before, but a mischievous one. She tossed him a rather flirtatious wink, and then spun and made her way towards the back with Eric.

 

[Reynarda]

Vlad ignored the looks he was getting for his comment to Merideth, chalking it up to their downstairs brains. Because seriously, surely they were not falling for her act.

He and Bram trailed along behind. Vlad glared at Meredith’s back and Bram stared a little lower.

Bram looked up and around at the station. He had been in many a police station, both on the right and wrong side of the bars. Vlad had, too, but more for the purpose of bailing Bram out—and for the odd breaking and entering when the police were being protective of what they knew. Bram preferred when Vlad was bailing him out over when the vampire was sitting next to him, glaring at him for messing up and getting them caught.

Vlad looked the new man—Isaac—up and down before writing him off as being little help. Besides, he wasn’t sick.

Vlad was looking just as Merideth smiled and then winked at him. Ha! He knew it. He knew she was trouble. He knew it, and that—Vlad floundered for a fairly polite word—little minx was being insufferable. He made as if to march after her, but Bram grabbed the back of his blazer without even having to look at him.

“I’m Bram,” Bram said, extending his hand to Isaac. “This is Vlad.”

“Abraham,” Vlad protested. “We do not have time for this.”

“Wanna tell me why you’re acting prickish?”

Vlad stiffened, absolutely resenting that. But it shut him up, which was what Bram was going for.

“This officer is going to tell us what he can, and you are being rude. Now show the man your ID and take notes.”

Vlad glared at Bram for the command but obeyed, pulling out his Guild PI ID and his journal.

Bram turned back Isaac once Vlad had his journal open. “Sorry. I don’t think he’s had enough coffee today.” Or blood or something. “Can you tell us what you know about the murders? The other cop mentioned it was weird and people were even saying stuff about like, monsters or something? What’s with that?”

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Eric knocked on a door across the room from where he'd left Vlad and Bram with the rookie, and after a moment a gruff voice invited them in. The office in the back was fairly simple, as was the rest of the department. A small town like Havenwood couldn't exactly afford a huge police station, after all, but there were a few personal touches that made the place feel homier. A few potted plants, some children's artwork taped to the walls and a family photo on the desk. The man behind the desk was in his forties or fifties, his hair greying and his eyes tired as he looked up when Eric escorted Meredith inside.

"Summers," the man said, clearly unimpressed. "I thought I told you to go home and not come back until you were feeling better."

Eric looked at least a little sheepish at the admonishment, his cheeks flushing a bit, but he quickly cleared his throat and gestured towards Meredith.

"This lady said she wanted to speak to you, chief," he clarified. "I just thought I'd show her the way, since it's not exactly safe for young women to be going about late at night anymore."

Eddie did not exactly look pacified by his response, but he at least seemed to put his annoyance aside for the sake of professionalism as he turned to Meredith and offered a hand.

"Of course. Name's Ed Turner, I think we spoke on the phone. I don't know how much I can help you though, Ma'am. The investigation is still ongoing, and we can't risk any information leaks."

Eric stepped back then, giving some space to the two of them, and he debated leaving, but a glance out the office's window reminded him that he'd likely be interrogated again if he went back out, so he decided to linger by the doorway until somebody told him to leave.

--

Isaac grinned and offered a hand to each of them to shake, clearly glad that he had an excuse to put aside his paperwork.

"Nice to meet the two of you, I'm Isaac. Isaac Northman. Even with everything going on, we don't usually get a lot of outside interference here when it comes to this sort of thing, so it's nice to know that at least someone out there other than us is looking into this. If you want, I can put a pot of coffee on for you. All we got is instant, though." He took the chance to stand up and head over to a section in the corner of the room that was clearly set aside for breaks, with a fridge and a coffee maker. He bypassed the coffee maker to grab some kind of awful protein drink from the fridge for himself, though, before pulling out a packet of coffee from the cupboard just in case.

Isaac, thankfully, seemed completely oblivious to Vlad's rudeness as he gave a cursory glance over his PI ID, clearly just excited to be dealing with strangers instead of the same usual folk he dealt with every day rather than looking at the situation too closely.

"Well, I can tell you what I can; rumours have been pretty crazy since the whole thing started about six months ago. Nobody really knows what's going on, though a bunch of the high school kids think it's vampires. Uh, don't tell Eric I told you that, though; he gets all touchy when he thinks I'm being 'superstitious'," he said, making sure to put an emphasis on the air quotes. "Most of the death cases have been insanguination, so I can see why people think that. Lots more missing people than bodies, though, so really it could be anything. The big theory the chief has is human trafficking, but personally, I'm not so sure. I mean, if it's human trafficking, why kill people at all? Especially if you're gonna steal all the blood. Unless there's some kind of black market blood trade, or something, but I've never heard of anything like that."

He shrugged his shoulders as he took a sip of his drink.

 

[Canth]

Meredith came in behind Eric, watching the exchange between him and the Chief, before stepping forward when she was finally addressed. She pushed her hair behind an ear and then hd her hand out.

“Meredith,” she introduced, despite them having spoken on the phone. “And of course, I understand completely. Like I said, my sister filed a missing persons report a few days ago when we determined Lexi was missing. She’s wanted to call in, and has twice already, but has been frustrated with the lack of information she’s been able to get on what’s going on with all the disappearances. She couldn’t bring herself to come in, so I promised I’d see what I could find out.” Meredith had indeed filed a report for a missing Alexis Volkov, citing the last known location as an ice cream shop around 9pm. She had called twice from an alternate number to bolster the facade. Sure, maybe she was putting a bit much into this whole thing, but the whole reason she was out here in the first place was boredom. Why not have a little fun with it?

“And,” she added quickly. “I understand you can’t divulge information pertinent to the case, I just thought, maybe you might at least have some insight. Something that might help easer her mind. With all the rumors going around about monsters and a serial killer...well, she’s not taking them well...”

 

[Reynarda]

Vlad made a face at the word “instant” because he was a connoisseur, but Bram elbowed his arm.

“Yes, please,” Vlad said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. “I would love some instant coffee.”

Bram kept his smile in place, hoping that only years of living and hunting with the vampire was the reason he heard Vlad’s light sarcasm, and not because the vampire was being more obvious than usual. When Isaac began explaining what he knew, Bram nudged Vlad. The peevish vampire poked him back with his fancy-ass pen. Bram glanced down to find Vlad writing not in English, but his runic native script. There was something snarky there purely for Bram’s later perusing pleasure, and Bram really hoped Isaac wouldn’t notice. Now Vlad was writing that they already knew this and this was a waste of time, so Bram returned his attention to Isaac.

“Insanguination, huh?” Bram echoed. “I can see why the kids think that. What do you think it is?”

Vlad absolutely had heard of a black-market blood trade, but that had been nearly a century ago in Chicago. Still, he nodded politely and wrote it down under “human law enforcement thoughts”.

Vlad’s pen stilled, and he looked up. “Did you happen to see Eric with a woman a few days back? I have a hunch about her, but he is being a bit dodgy.”

Bram rubbed his forehead. “Drop it, Vlad.”

Vlad waited until he had Bram’s eyes on his and promptly dropped his journal.

Bram bent, picked it up, and then swatted him with it. Handing the journal back to the smug vampire, Bram said, “Sorry. He’s like a dog with a bone. Maybe if you just tell him, he’ll stop being an ass.”

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Ed looked at Meredith with a sort of sad understanding, the eyes of a father who could imagine the pain of losing a child, but also an officer of the law who was bound to his duty.

"Well, there's not a whole lot I can tell you on that front. We haven't ruled out the possibility of a serial killer, or multiple suspects. We had a press conference on Friday detailing everything we know, if you caught it on the news. But, well, your niece's body hasn't been found yet, so at least there's still hope." The way he said it didn't sound very hopeful, though. After all, he knew as well as anyone on the force did that the chances of finding a child alive after twenty four hours was slim. He very pointedly did not mention the rumours about monsters, and Eric's lips pulled into a thin line as he listened from his position by the door. "Anyways, I understand that you wanted answers, but I've really got to get home to my family. If you leave your name and number I can promise you we'll get back to you when we find any sign of your niece, but other than that, I really can't do much. I'm sorry."

He sounded rather genuine about it, too.

--

Vlad's sarcasm flew right over Isaac's head, thankfully or not, and the younger officer simply smiled and nodded as he tore open the pack of coffee and turned the pot on, humming a little tune as he did so. He certainly didn't seem to mind working late.

"Hmmm, me? Well, I don't know," he mused when Bram asked him his thoughts. He glanced nervously towards the door to the chief's office, then sidled in a little closer and held up his hand conspiratorially around his mouth as he spoke in a stage whisper. "Don't go telling Eric over there, but I don't think the rumours are all bullshit, honestly. He says I'm just being superstitious, but some of those people, they had their throats torn clean out. The running theory is that it was attack dogs or something, but the coroner said he'd never seen teeth marks like that before. Whatever it is that's going on, it's certainly spooky."

He pulled away then, taking another swig of his drink, though he coughed a bit when Vlad asked him about Eric's personal activities.

"Huh? Oh, well... Yeah, there was one a few days ago. We went out for a drink after our shift and she started hitting on him at the bar. Really pretty lady," He said the last words with an air of disinterest, making it clear that he didn't really have much of an opinion on what made a woman attractive. "Of course, she got him wasted, left with him and stole his wallet, so wasn't really worth the trouble. I think her name started with an M? Like Monica, or Marianne, or something like that."

He shrugged his shoulders, though he got a bit more serious when Vlad's words actually sunk in.

"You think she might have something to do with the case? I mean, we figured it was a woman at first, because all of the original victims were guys, but that kind of got dropped after women and kids started getting involved."

 

[Canth]

Meredith dipped her heard, eyes dropping to the floor in her disappointment. This had been a colossal waste of time. Ever the optimist however, she still had Eric. And the day was coming to an end and she could hit the streets, see what she could find. It had not been a complete waste of a first day. She was only just starting her investigation, and really who needed to investigate when whoever the vampire was eventually showed up to feed as expected? All she had to do was wait around until he went out to kill again. This formality was mainly to ensure she was not considered a suspect when it came to it. A random stranger showing up amidst the chaos, and disappearing soon as it finished up? That was sure to draw suspicion. But, if she was a victim of the chaos with a legitimate reason for being there, who left once it was over because she did not wish to remain there longer than she had to was an alibi they could rule out.

Meredith drew in a breath, and then went back into her clutch. She did as before, scribbling her personal cell on the back before handing it over.

“I understand, sir,” her voice was soft in her resignation, betraying both disappointment and frustration. “Thank you so much for meeting with me. I apologize for keeping you from your family and wasting your time.” Flirtation would obviously not work on Chief Summers, which was her usual go-to. He was a family man, which anyone could pick up upon meeting him. But, he was also a family man, which meant kids.

Meredith’s cheeks flushed slightly as she held back tears. She paused, before nodding and turning for the door, where Eric was waiting.

 

[Reynarda]

“Spooky,” Bram agreed, nodding. He wished he could get a look at the teeth marks for himself. He was pretty good with supernatural dentation. “Yeah, Vlad and I have seen some pretty weird stuff. What’s that Sherlock Holmes thing you always say, Vlad?”

“‘When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth’.”

Bram gave a “there you go” nod to Isaac. “We never rule out monster stuff. Anything else that makes it weird?”

Vlad blinked, a little surprised at Isaac’s candor. Instantly, he lowered his journal and eased his features. Dropping his air of superior impatience, Vlad said, “I do. It’s possible whoever was doing this wanted to ply him for information.”

That made the most sense without pulling out the whole “vampire” aspect of the case.

“However, this shift in modus operandi could suggest a second perpetrator,” Vlad mused out loud. “You said many of the victims were not found? How many of those missing six months ago have not been found? When did the victims change? Do the victims share any similarities?”

Bram eyed Vlad, still a little lost. Usually he could follow Vlad’s line of questioning, but he guessed there was something that Vlad had realized upon meeting those two in the coffeeshop that Bram had not picked up on. At least he was back to his easy vampire civility, now, and not questioning people about their personal lives like they were his stool pigeons.

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Ed took the business card with her phone number with a nod, filing it away in his desk.

"Well, as long as you understand. We are going to do our very best to find your niece, don't worry," he said, trying to offer a smile, but it fell a bit flat. He was very tired, and this case had taken a toll on him. He turned his eyes to Eric, who was still standing by the door. "Since he's here even though I told him to stay home, Summers can see you out."

It was a little jab, but Eric did at least look a bit guilty as he held the door open for Meredith with a shy little smile.

--

Isaac seemed very encouraged that his theories of 'monster stuff' weren't laughed at. He perked up immediately and nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Right, right! Just because there's no proof that something is real doesn't mean it isn't, right? With a case this weird, it has to be something not human." He was clearly very set on this, though he paused and cleared his throat when he realized just how excited he was getting. It wouldn't do to give a bad impression to the detectives; even if they weren't officers, they had clearly been doing this longer than he had, so he should show at least some kind of respect.

"Anything else, uh... Well, as I said, the victim type changed about three months in," he replied, then wilted a little bit under Vlad's torrent of questions. "Uhm, well, it was only men until about three months ago, as I said. Usually the kind of guy who had it coming to 'em, you know? Wife beaters, cheaters, real drunks. Then the victim type changed, and suddenly all kinds of people were going missing. No real connection between 'em, anyone and everyone, you know? As for how many haven't been found... We've had 12 missing persons cases since this started. Six women, one man and five kids."

Just as he was about to ask more about the mystery woman and how she might have played into the case, the door to the chief's office opened and Eric stepped out, his brow furrowing.

"What, you're actually talking to them?" He asked upon seeing that Bram and Vlad were still there. Isaac wilted a bit under his disapproving stare, busying himself with getting cups from the cupboard so he could get the coffee ready. Eric was giving him a judging look as he headed back into the main office, and he was very pointedly trying to ignore it as he handed Vlad his coffee and then held one out for his partner as a peace offering. Eric squinted at him for a moment, then took the cup and nearly downed it in one gulp.

"All that caffeine is bad for you, you know," Isaac warned, but the look Eric gave him quickly shut him up.

 

[Canth]

Meredith stepped out the door to find the other two were still there, speaking with the officer. She caught the tail end, something about the twelve missing and the breakdown between women, men, and children. He seemed to be giving them a decent amount of information, though Meredith was not worried. The Department had given a couple press conferences with updates on the case, not to mention to nosy reporters who suddenly had something substantial to put their time and talent into. Not their usual fluff piece about a rescued kitten or some ‘mom and pop’ startup that making its first $1000 in profit. She shifted to the side as Eric moved to accept coffee from Isaac, glancing over at Bram and Vlad, curious as to what the duo intended to do next. The little one probably intended to keep an eye on Eric, given the interest in the officer’s personal life. Maybe she could tag along.

“You boys get everything you need?” She asked, watching them carefully. “I’m sure your client will be eager to learn what you’ve found, given the stakes.”

 

[Reynarda]

“Definitely,” Bram agreed, smiling and nodding to encourage Isaac. Law enforcement that was willing to consider the supernatural was rare, and he might have information other officers discarded because it didn’t fit with their reality.

Vlad nodded as Isaac spoke, murmuring to himself every now and then to organize his thoughts as he took notes. He frowned, tapping his chin with his pen as he stared at his notes. “Children, though, why children?”

Bram had no answer to that, and since Vlad had muttered it at a typical vampire level, he doubted Isaac could have heard, let alone answered.

Vlad opened his mouth to ask another question, but quickly shut it when the door opened to the chief’s office and Eric stepped out. He accepted the coffee and took a sip absentmindedly. Instantly, he remembered it was instant coffee, and only vampire civility kept him from spitting it out all over Isaac. He did, however, turn to give Bram an absolutely disgusted look—which Bram ignored now that there was a woman in the room again.

“Yeah, definitely,” Bram agreed cheerfully.

Vlad closed his journal with a snap on the off-chance Meredith could read the old vampire language and gave her a condescending look. “If talking to officers was all the job required, our client could have come himself.”

Bram smiled. “But it’s a good start!”

Vlad rolled his eyes. “That is what you said when we literally had only a piece of floss.”

“And we solved it.”

“I solved it. You—”

“Rescued you from being turned into a Christmas decoration.”

“I told you to stop bringing that up.”

“You brought it up, tree-angel.”

Vlad considered dumping the instant coffee down Bram’s shirt, but the slayer was once again distracted by Meredith.

“And you?” Bram asked her. “Get anything you can tell your sister?”

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Eric raised his eyebrows as he watched the two detectives banter, while Isaac just looked impressed and enamoured.

"A piece of floss? That's so cool," he said, while Eric lightly smacked him on the shoulder to shake him out of hero worship mode. God, that was the last thing he needed was his partner cooing for days about how awesome the two private detectives were.

"You better not have said anything unnecessary," Eric warned, and Isaac quickly shook his head, pouring his partner another cup of coffee to keep him placated. He watched as the door to the chief's office opened once more, and Eddie stepped out, giving the group a careful look before shaking his head and pulling on his coat.

"All of you, go home," he said gruffly as he left the building, and Isaac once again wilted a little bit.

"Uh, chief's right, we should probably... uh, I did give you guys enough information, right? Did you need anything else?" he asked, and Eric rolled his eyes.

 

[Canth]

Meredith ignored the vampire’s look and tone, instead turning her eyes on Bram, the more sensible of the two. It seemed they had been through a lot together, and Meredith spent a second considering what their story was before she decided she did not really care. She found their banter curious, but it had no bearing on her current hunt, and she dismissed it as not worth remembering.

Meredith looked back as the Chief stepped out of his office. Her eyes followed him as he left, though she was careful not to stare, only watching him out of the corner of her eye. When he was gone, she returned her attention to Bram.

”Hm? Oh...” she shrugged. “He said about as much as I’d suspected. But all I really needed was some hope to bring back to her,” she added with a nod. Her disappointment was obvious, though it was masked by her stoic need to remain strong in support of her sister. Something caught in her throat, though she pushed past it, wiping at an invisible tear beneath her left eye, casually swiping a finger and turning her eyes up as if to pretend it was a mere itch. She drew in a breath, then nodded again.

“Anyway, that’s all that can be done tonight. I suppose your Chief was right,” she looked over at Eric, who had by now consumed at least two carafes worth of coffee. She wondered at what point his heart would explode from such excessive caffeine intake. “I should get going.”

 

[Reynarda]

“I was not as cool as it sounds,” Vlad sighed.

“Especially not the Christmas decoration part.”

Vlad shot his companion a glare, but Bram was oblivious as he was nodding and listening to Meredith. Bram was now nodding sagely, as if his unusually long life had taught him the secrets of the universe.

Vlad rolled his eyes and answered Isaac. “Yes, thank you, Officer Northman. You have been very helpful.”

Vlad was not sure if he believed his own words, but it was always a good idea to compliment people who had tried to be helpful.

To Meredith, Bram said, “Right, like Vlad always says, ‘as long as there’s hope, you can do anything’.”

Vlad’s actual mantra was “as long as I am not dead, I can get out of this mess Bram has gotten me into,” and he gave Bram a pointed look to show his displeasure at being misquoted.

Bram didn’t notice, instead cheerfully holding the door open for the lady present. “What’s next on the agenda, then?”

Vlad strode through the open door somewhat absentmindedly. Glancing back at Eric, he frowned, forcing himself not to start demanding answers to questions like if Eric lived alone or if he kept a pet. Instead, he passed Bram his phone.

“Log onto your people book account.”

“Facebook, Vlad.”

The vampire waved away the social media platform dismissively.

“I’m surprised you don’t have my password memorized.”

Vlad did, he just liked maintaining the illusion that he didn’t understand how technology worked. Bram knew it was a façade, because he was always logging in to their join Amazon account and ordering books.

As the vampire attempted to find the unfortunate police officer on “people book”, Bram turned back to Meredith.

“And you said you’re staying with family? You’ll be safe?”

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Eric hesitated for a second when Meredith wiped away a tear, his hand hovering in midair before he awkwardly placed it on her shoulder and squeezed, hoping the action was reassuring.

"Hey, we're going to try our best to find her, ok? Listen, I know I got your number, but..." He paused, then grabbed a piece of paper from a nearby desk and quickly scribbled his cell onto it as well, passing it over to her. "Here's mine. If you need anything, at any time, just give me a call. I can't promise anything that the chief of police can't help with, but I can at least, uh... You know. Talk, or something," he said, and Isaac stared at him for a moment before shaking his head.

The younger officer did perk right up when Vlad offered his thanks though, looking not unlike a happy golden retriever who had just been praised.

"Right! You're very welcome! If you need anything else just let me know!" he exclaimed as he grabbed his coat and put away the paperwork he had been working on. The chief /had/ told them all to get out of there, so...

Eric looked like he had half a mind to tell him not to abandon his work, but he was reasonably certain that somebody else had dumped the paperwork on Isaac anyways, so he ended up keeping quiet. Instead he watched Bram hold the door open for Meredith, and for a second he wondered if this was becoming some sort of competition, or if the other man was simply being nice. Either way, he quickly followed after them, ignoring the conversation about 'peoplebook' or whatever they were talking about now.

"I can walk you back, if you'd like," He offered to Meredith, and Isaac looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, but was pointedly being polite about things instead.

"Isn't Ally going to worry if you're home too late?" He asked innocently instead, and Eric shot him a very disapproving glare, which he simply shrugged off as though it were nothing.

"Ally is, uh. I live with my sister," he clarified, because the last thing he wanted was for the pretty lady to think he had a wife or something, even though living with his sister was decidedly uncool.

 

[Canth]

Meredith drew in a breath at Bram’s words, nodding in response to his optimism. And when she felt a hand squeeze her shoulder, she looked back to find Eric attempting to comfort her. She placed a gentle hand upon his and offered him a grateful smile. And when he offered her his phone number just as she had expected, she accepted it with a smile.

“Thank you,” she replied, her cheeks flushing with the attention. They were all being so kind to her. Maybe not Vlad, but she could manage without him. “That is very kind of you, really…” she glanced down at the paper before tucking it away in her clutch for safe-keeping. She turned emerald eyes back on Eric. “I think I might take you up on that.”

Meredith then turned as everyone seemed to be leaving finally, smiling at Bram as he held the door open for her. She passed through.

“Yes, we’re staying at a Bed and Breakfast not too far from here. The woman who owns it, she’s been very kind through all this. Even offered to extend our stay at no extra charge. Everyone in this town has been more than helpful.” She sighed, her smile softening as if reminiscing about how grateful she was for how considerate everyone was being. It was times like these when people really proved themselves.

“Oh, you really don’t have to,” Meredith glanced between Isaac and Eric, but ignored the remarks on ‘Ally’. “I’ve already taken so much of your time…”

 

[Reynarda]

Vlad did not need to use the infernal device that was his phone as Isaac straight-up told him who he lived with. A sister? And doubtlessly those nieces he had mentioned. Children.

Vlad chewed on his lip worriedly. If he was wrong, things could be very awkward, but Vlad doubted it—and he was not sure he could afford to wait for undeniable proof. There was just no good way to act on his suspicions with this many witnesses. He had no doubt that Meredith as neither as clueless or innocuous as she seemed, but he did not want to freak out the other officer. And he did not really want Meredith around, plain and simple.

He perked up at the mention of a bed and breakfast. “Bram, do you think that is the bed and breakfast close to our motel?”

Bram shrugged. He had been marking out the bars, not the bed and breakfasts.

“Remember I mentioned that I thought it looked nice?”

Bram did remember that, so he nodded.

“Perhaps,” Vlad said, giving Meredith a smile that was far too broad, “we should stop in to let your sister know there are several entities working on the case.”

It was not unheard of for the vampire to offer reassurances to those grieving, but Bram knew that tone of voice.

“It’s late—she’s probably in bed.”

“A mother with a missing daughter? I doubt it.”

“Maybe she doesn’t want to see you,” Bram said, his tone suggesting Vlad drop it.

“We should at least try to offer some comfort, Abraham,” Vlad responded, his eyes too wide and his tone too sweet.

Bram eyed the vampire, wondering what he could gain from exposing the woman’s cover. He was probably doing it out of spite. He wasn’t the sort to like people at first sight, but hate at first sight was a reality for Vlad. And Bram suspected it might have to do with the fact that he thought she was attractive. Vlad must have decided her to be undatable and was now trying to drive her away before Bram asked her out for a drink. Which also reinforced his guess that she was a hunter of some sort because Vlad hated all lady hunters without prejudice. Sure, many had tried to kill the vampire, but Vlad was paranoid.

Trying to change the subject, Bram said, “This sister is the mom of your nieces, I’m guessing?”

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Eric’s face took on a decidedly pinched look as he was rejected, and he considered whether it would be worth it to needle or not. He was considering just letting her go, but then the two detectives were starting up again, and he really did not trust that little guy one bit.

“It really isn’t a bother, you know,” he said, because he didn’t want to leave her alone with two people whom he had marked down in his mind as decidedly suspicious. “We look out for each other around here. Small town hospitality.”

He was fairly certain he knew the bed and breakfast she was referring to, as there were only a few in town, and most of them were closed for the tourist off season.

“You must be staying at Mrs. Johnson’s then, right? My place isn’t actually too far from there, so it’s no trouble to walk you back. And maybe I can offer some reassurances to your sister too,” he tacked on at the end, because he didn’t like that Vlad had thought of and suggested it before he could.

Isaac wrinkled his nose in distaste, then sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Well, that’s it for me for tonight, then,” he announced, because staying back to watch Eric flirt was not his idea of a good time. “Get some sleep, Eric, and quit drinking so much caffeine. Tell Ally and the girls I hope they’re doing well. Let me know if you guys need anymore information for that case.”

With that he clapped Eric on the shoulder and then broke away from the group, offering a little wave as he headed to the parking lot where his car was. Eric sighed but nodded and even offered him a little wave, before glancing up at Bram and smiling.

“Yep. All six of ‘em,” he said proudly, and he was already reaching for his phone for pictures before he remembered that technically he was not very fond of these people, and he dropped it back into his pocket with a little scowl.

 

[Canth]

Meredith eyed Vlad, knowing what he was playing at. He just was not going to let it go. It was not like she had any intention of getting in their way. She had a job to do. And once that job was finished, she would be out of their hair. But, if he wanted to be that way, then she was just going to have to return the favor.

“She was asleep when I left her,” Maria corrected, eyes narrowing at Vlad, mildly offended. “She’s been up the last few days...and crying takes a lot out of someone.” She turned her eyes on Bram, expression softening. “I may‘ve fed her some Baileys before taking off.” She did not quite like the idea of Vlad and Bram following her to the Bed and Breakfast. She actually had a room there, and now that everyone knew, she was going to have to move to a hotel. Too bad. She had actually enjoyed Mrs. Johnson’s company.

“That is very kind of you,” she turned to Eric. “If you really insist, I suppose I can’t say no.” She would just have to shake them at the door. “But, I really think my sister would rather be left alone right now. She’s been taking this pretty hard and...well, she’s never handled grief well. I’ll let her know you’re thinking of her, though.”

 

[Reynarda]

“Of course she is,” Vlad said as if he had expected nothing less. “Perhaps we can call in the morning then.”

He was leaning around Bram and giving Meredith a look, so Bram pushed him back.

“Yeah, I’ve done that before,” Bram said with a chuckle. He pointed at Vlad. “This one gets on these jobs and won’t eat or sleep unless I drug him.”

Of course it was with heavy amounts of human blood and sleeping pills, but Bram wasn’t about to tell anyone that. Vlad was giving him a dark look again. Vlad knew that Bram often added things to his coffee, but he liked to pretend he didn’t.

“Well, please let her know that people are on it,” Bram said, wishing he could just shove Vlad into a bush and leave him there. He didn’t care if there was no sister and no niece. The police officer probably thought Vlad was an unfeeling monster, and Bram was starting to agree.

“Totally understand if she wants to be alone. But you let her know she’s welcome to contact us anytime.”

Bram produced an actual business card that had both his cell and Vlad’s under the Guild’s logo. The vampire had objected to having his number written out for people to use and bother him, but the Guild hadn’t asked his opinion when they had the card made. And how did those trigger-happy yahoos get his number, anyway?

“Don’t call the second one. Vlad doesn’t answer even when I call. Call or text the first if your sister needs anything or has information she thinks might be helpful.”

Vlad made a displeased sound in the back of his throat. Great, now the lying-probably-huntress knew which number was his.

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Eric easily accepted Meredith's answer, though he didn't really agree with the whole 'drugging your friends and family' thing.

"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that," he teased lightly, because he was a police officer and was supposed to be the voice of reason and morality in situations like this. But he also didn't disapprove enough to actually give a lecture and ruin his relationship with the nice young lady. He did not care so much about Vlad, who was seriously starting to get on his nerves.

"Listen, buddy, the lady lost her kid, and she's got no obligation to talk to every rando wandering around with a detective's license. You've been ticking me off for a while now, and if you've got a problem, say it outright instead of being a passive aggressive shithead," he snapped, before realizing that wasn't actually very gentlemanly and clearing his throat awkwardly. Still, he'd already said it, so there was no point in going back now. "We don't need detectives around here poking their heads into things anyways. City folks like you don't have any compassion for the people who actually live here, and..."

He trailed off, his throat feeling rather sore from talking. He cleared it again, rubbed his neck, but the itchiness wasn't going away. So much for his tirade. He was still feeling aggressive and antsy, though, moreso than he usually would, and he balled up his fists and took a deep breath to try and calm down before he actually jumped the guy or something. He doubted Eddie would appreciate one of his officers being brought up on assault charges.

"Anyways, like I said, I'll see you back to your b&b," he muttered gruffly, though he wasn't really feeling the flirting now that he was all keyed up.

 

[Canth]

“Thank you,” Meredith took the card, looking down at the symbol. She thought she recognized it. “I’ll be sure not to bother with the second one, then...” she glanced over at Vlad, deciding she would look into the symbol on the card once she got to her room to confirm what she was already pretty certain of.

Meredith added the card to the other two phone numbers she had collected, quite proud of her take. It was all too easy.

When Eric spoke, Meredith found herself caught off guard for the first time that night. His temperament was definitely wearing thin. It was late however, and he could not be blamed for being angered by the vampire. Vlad had, after all, been rather nosey and insufferable. Not to mention the officer was clearly suffering from some sort of cold. Still, the former witch felt it was a tad much and wondered just what sort of cold he happened to have.

“Yes, of course,” she nodded when he addressed her, shoulders drawn in slightly as she shot the vampire a look. She doubted Eric’s lecture would keep Vlad quiet, but maybe it might encourage Bram to help control his partner a bit better.

“It’s just this way,” she stepped forward. “But, you said you already know it, so...” Meredith added a slight discomfort to her tone as she looked over at Eric, though she offered him a soft smile as she fell directly beside him. “Thanks, by the way. That was very kind of you to do. He’s...something else, isn’t he?”

 

[Reynarda]

Bram had duct tape in his pocket and was seriously considering pulling it out and putting it across Vlad mouth. Bram would concede that his actions got them into trouble, but Vlad’s mouth got them into trouble just as much. The vampire had identified both the officer and the woman threats—for whatever reason—and was addressing them like he addressed both minor and major threats: by being a “passive aggressive shithead”.

Vlad did not seem the least bit surprised that Eric had snapped at him, and merely added “short-tempered” and “aggressive” to his mental list of warning signs. “Compassion for the local populace is precisely why I am being—”

“A ‘passive aggressive shithead’?”

“—thorough,” Vlad finished, giving Bram a glare.

Bram shrugged. He knew the vampire was lying about his motive. Vlad did not actually feel compassion for a mass of humans he didn’t know, but he did have a very strong moral code. That’s why he stopped vampires like whoever was (were?) killing these people. While Bram was doing it for the humans, Vlad was doing it because it was right. But Bram was not about to clarify that.

Vlad opened his mouth to say something snarky back to Meredith, so Bram rushed to intervene.

“How old are your nieces?” Bram asked cheerfully, trying to change the subject.

Vlad’s expression twisted, as if suddenly his stomach had dropped to his toes. To Bram’s surprise, Vlad asked, “Are you not worried you will get those little girls sick, officer?”

Bram frowned. Vlad knew as well as anyone else that a sickness was generally no longer contagious once a person started exhibiting symptoms. Bram glanced sideways at Vlad. To most, the vampire’s expression would have been the same neutral it had always been, but Bram noticed the slight pulling in of his eyebrows and the tiniest pulling at the corners of his mouth. Vlad was… apprehensive? Bram realized Vlad was worried about the little girls—six of them. Vlad had always had a soft spot for little girls after Amya. Bram glanced at the officer again, wondering what his sickness could be that had Vlad worried enough to ditch his general civility in favor of treating Eric like a threat. Was it something bloodborne that Vlad could smell?

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Eric was still wound up a bit tight when Meredith followed after him, though the tension started to ebb away bit by bit as they walked.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," he said, trying to offer a smile, but it was a bit tired. "Something else is a nice way to put it." He sneered a little, but didn't give Vlad another look. He could already feel his anger brewing again, but at least Bram and Meredith seemed to be on his side in regards to the little guy's attitude. He doubted that another outburst would help that, though.

Bram asking about his nieces at least seemed to bring his mood up a little bit.

"The youngest two are six months, those are twins. Then there's the triplets, they're six, and then Emily is nine," he said, his tone lightening up a bit. "They're all pretty great, to be honest. No kids of my own, so them moving in was... a nice adjustment."

It had certainly been an adjustment, going from a bachelor living in his parents' old house alone to living with seven other people, but Eric had always been fond of children, and he loved his nieces a lot. Vlad's apparent worry over their well-being was enough, as such, to finally gie him pause, and he stopped walking to turn a curious eye to the other man.

"It's just a cold," he reiterated. "Kids get colds all the time. Unless you seem to know something that I don't, which it seems like you do, and I'd really prefer you enlighten me over continuing with this cryptic bullshit."

 

[Canth]

Meredith was about to lose her shit. All she wanted was to get back to the Bed and Breakfast, say good night to everyone, and then follow Eric home to watch him all night. If she had not suspected him earlier, Vlad’s persistent questioning had done enough. These two were clearly hunters, and something had stuck out to them, otherwise they would have ditched this bone a long time ago instead of wasting their time with a false lead. They were really starting to cramp her style.

When Eric turned to Vlad, this time not to lash out as before but with sincere curiosity, Meredith did the same. She kept a few feet of distance to give the man his space, but made sure she was still closer to him than Vlad or Bram. Eric was hers, she wanted to make that clear. Of course nothing had been confirmed for her yet, but the man was bound to jump someone eventually, rip out another neck or two. Or not, and then they could all go on their way happy to know he was not the culprit.

Meredith crossed her arms and eyed the vampire closely, curious as to just how honest he was prepared to be for the sake of this man’s six nieces.