Danika Petrova's Story

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How long had she been in the tub? One hour? Two hours? Time seemed to run past Danika without her ever knowing it. The now practically cool water wrapped her skin in a tantalizing cocoon of jasmine; the bubbles from earlier had all disappeared, leaving behind barely sudsy water. Sighing, she brought a hand up to her face and swiped at her eyes tirelessly. She hadn't even realized she fell asleep.

Once back in her room, she let the towel drop to the floor, no longer caring for modesty in her own quarters. While anyone could swing open the door and witness her nudity, Danika could not bring herself to want to at least wear a robe at the moment. She felt sluggish and possibly irritable, which nothing but a good cup of coffee could cure. It still surprised her that something as simple as that could caffeine - which honestly shouldn't benefit her at all with her immortality and being kinda dead - could cure the worst of her moods, but who was she to question it? Besides, the others were probably already out and about and she may have been one of the last to leave the manor.

Dressed and ready to do something with her life, Danny left her room at leisurely pace, not in any kind of rush. She would probably just get at least two cups of coffee, call Cesar to see if she had any obligations or duties, and then most likely, wander about Detroit. It wasn't her favorite city and there wasn't anything that special, but Danny had found a few pubs and poetry spots to hang out at. Besides, she had seen a few blood slave potentials for the coven, so she'd technically be still doing her job. Just as she made her way to the kitchen, she noticed both Caius and Annelise and semi-froze.

"Good morning...err...evening," Danny said quickly, eyes continuously straying to the ground as not to appear to brazen in the Doyen's presence. Danny was still very much new to the coven and while she didn't think it was necessary to bow or curtsy to Caius, she couldn't help but feel a tad bit...unsettled or overwhelmed by his presence. He was the oldest in the coven and could kill her without a second's notice. Cautiously, she made her way around the pair, noting the added paleness to Annelise's skin.

She's not eating.

Cesar drifted into waking slowly; the sort of waking where one wouldn't be able to place the time. Rather, he drowsily gained consciousness before laying in bed for an undetermined amount of time, enjoying the cool air and the soft touch of the sheets. Eventually though, he gathered himself and stood up. Approaching the tall mirror on his dresser, he ran a comb through his hair to make sure it was straightened out. Satisfied, Cesar donned a dark black suit for the night. He stared at himself in the mirror for a few moments, as he was always a little vain, and decided to throw on a deep crimson tie to complete the ensemble. After tightening it up nicely, he headed out of his room.

Stepping outside, he made a round through manor, checking on this or that, and observing everyone go about, making sure things were going smoothly. This wasn't necessarily his job, but Cesar liked to keep things in check, and he wanted others to feel as though he was very...present. Every now and again, he would stop and chat with anyone who wasn't busy, wishing them a good night and discussing recent events. As he made his way through the house, he bumped into Danika.

The girl was hardly his protege, or anything of the like, but he did like to work in tandem, even if they were off doing separate things. She was good at her job, no doubt, as she had a certain way of connecting with people. Cesar himself also had a knack for this sort of thing, although, at least from his perspective, her's seemed more genuine. When he formed a connection, it was a means to an end, a fallacy that would benefit him. However, he was also good at keeping this hidden, as he certainly seemed to care.

"Ah, Danika," he greeted her and offered a smile. "I was meaning to check up on you, and see what your plans for the night were?" A slight Central-American accent was ever present in his voice. After all, when you speak Spanish for a few hundred years before bothering to learn english, it's something that's hard to shake.




The hustle and bustle of the airport noisily filled the air around Rick as he stood, luggage in hand. The Bureau had offered to send a car for him, but he declined. He'd just returned to Detroit from working a few cases around the Midwest, so he wanted some room to breath. Instead, he wrangled his middle son to pick him up instead.

After a few minutes of waiting, the car finally pulled up. Rick threw his things in the back and climbed in the passenger seat. He and his son, Rod, exchanged greetings and made small talk as they headed into town. Eventually, they pulled up to an old brick house with a chain link fence, and Rick set him off with a wave.

The gate creaked as he opened it, and in only a matter of minutes, he was inside and changing into one of his work suits. A day off was considered, but he passed it up in favor of getting a head start on his new assignment; namely, overseeing the recent human trafficking. It was only a short drive to the Detroit headquarters. Once inside, he said a few hellos, then went straight to the person he was told could brief him.

"Agent Dombrovski," He said, entering the room, in an attempt to grab the attention of the young man.

---

Once there was a slight distance between herself, the Doyen, and his blood slave plus there being the additional presence of another coven member, Danny set to work in the kitchen making a small pot of coffee for herself. She was just reaching for a mug when she heard Cesar call her name from behind. And despite being a vampire for years now, she actually flinched at the sound, turning around with a slight smile and a swipe at her hair to keep it from falling in her face.

"Cesar, hey," Danny greeted him easily, arms folding over her chest slightly as she leaned against the cool ceramic counter. While it never failed to take comfort in the presence of one who did the same job she did and who could be easy to talk with, Danika also knew that she was nowhere near on his level. Whereas Cesar could manipulate even the stoniest of hearts with a slickness that would make her head spin, Danny genuinely got to know people. She made friends. Perhaps that was a weakness of hers and it wasn't like she didn't have the capability of manipulating others to do what she wanted. In fact, all it would take was a little dip into her inner, darkest places and -

No!

Her smile widened slightly at the rest of his words and she nodded slightly. "Right. I was meaning to call you myself. Just saved me some time." She cleared her throat before finishing with "I'm actually quite free tonight. No catering. Do you need anything?"

Clutter is what greeted Rick as he stepped into Dombrovski's office. The piles of papers he formerly had his face stuck in became scattered quickly in an attempt to get things put together, but Rick simply watched, trying to let Scott get things in order. In fairness, he wasn't supposed to be back at work for another day, but something he had learned early on was to always to be put together; or to at least to appear to be. Even if you were unprepared and cluttered, if you could act like you had things in order, you could impress.

"Yes," he tried to answer the questions so the young man wouldn't have to stumble along much more. "The trip was fine. We sorted out things in Nebraska...but I won't bore you with the details. And I understand I'm here early, but give me what you've got right now."

With that, he listened intently, dividing his attention with Scott's briefing and the files he was handed. He stood straight and still, and only glanced up occasionally from the papers.

"Hm...Yes, based on this, it does seem like they have a localized operation." He walked up to a map of the city and grabbed the marker sitting just under it, and circled an area. "Well I'd guess they're sitting somewhere in this area, obviously, as that's where all the business is going down. Tricky part of town, though. Lots of nightclubs, bars, stuff like that. I figure we might as well head down there and see what we can gather." He phrased it as if it was optional, but without so much as another word, he headed out the door.



Cesar smiled back as Danika spoke. "I do not have anything specific planned today, either. Perhaps I will see you around. And please, Danika, let's try to close a deal tonight, or at least start forming one. The coven is only growing." The slick vampire was not referring to any inability that Danika might have, he simply was trying to encourage her. "I will likely be lurking outside of the place on 5th tonight. Catch up to me if you so desire. Otherwise, I will see you later." The night's cold air hit Cesar as he left the house, although he had no goosebumps. Keeping an eye out, he made his way to his destination, intent on closing a deal that night, even if it was unlikely.

---

Danika smiled just as the coffee was finished brewing, even gracing Cesar with a quick flash of teeth - a symbol of a genuinely happy Danny. It wasn't that she was never happy; there were several occurences during the month that would warrant such a reaction. However, at this particular moment - with the absence of nightmares and guilt - she felt free to do anything. Not burdened by her past.

"Sure, no problem. I will do my best," she assured her mentor-of-sorts and nodded as he spoke again, signalling his exist. "Alright now, be safe." Once Cesar was out of her sight, Danny turned back to the fresh bash of deliciously dark and rich coffee. She poured her first mug followed by some milk and sugar. While not many vampires needed food anymore - or wanted it, for that matter - Danny always tried to keep a good amount of it around, at least for her own pleasure. She was a cook at heart after all.

Satisfied, she leaned against the counter again, allowing the first sinful sip of silky liquid to slide down her throat.

It was almost better than blood.

Almost.