Setting
Default Location for Thicker Than Water
Minimap
northwest |
north |
northeast |
west |
You are here. |
east |
southwest |
south |
southeast |
United States of America is a part of 
Thicker Than Water.
11 Characters Here
Annelise Nielsen [15] "I'll never leave you."
Caius Dubois [15] "I no longer feel any allegiance to these monsters called human beings, despite being one myself."
Danika Petrova [12] storage for Alexa Demie gifs I wanna use
Alastair Devlin [8] "You don't understand how important humans are."
Rory Faith Beckman [7] "Red. The color of passion."
Ethan Hawke [6] Fantasy abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters.
Cesar Iglesias [5]
Richard Bauer [4] Special Agent in Charge
Scotty Dombrovski [3] "If you're an underdog, you can still be a hero."
Shizuka Kaji [2] "Sushi, why do you hate me so much?
Start Character Here »
Caius refused to admit it, but he knew that the nightmares had begun to increase in severity and frequency since her death. He woke suddenly that night, much later than the other vampires of his coven. Though the nightmare had begun to fade into his subconscious memory, he remembered the images of Lydia writhing in agony vividly. Those images seemed to always linger longer than the others. Perhaps it was because those images were the ones that had etched themselves into the mind of the old vampire. He was a nostalgic character, but he had always been, even before her death.
Blinking his vermilion eyes at the ceiling, Caius frowned subtly and let out a sigh. Above him, the aged ceiling fan creaked as it whirred around in lazy circles. The lack of an air conditioning system in the old Victorian he called home made the fan a necessity. Besides, he'd always enjoyed the cold over heat. Slowly, he curled himself into a ball and tried to reclaim a few more moments of sleep, though he knew that to sleep would bring about more thoughts he didn't wish to deal with. As a car sped by, Caius forced his eyes open again and looked around at the clutter about the room. Papers here, instruments there, books thrown about. Lydia had always been far more organized than him. What a fit she'd have to see this mess now.
Laggardly, he stood and moved toward the bedroom window. Below, he could see a few denizens of Detroit wander by on their way to some social outing. The sky was dark, starless, but the moon hung over the gray city. A glance at his clock confirmed the time as 10:10 at night. The others would likely be awake already. The old Victorian manor in which Caius resided was a facility open to the others of the coven. For many, it was the headquarters and living quarters of the coven.
A maroon sweater lay on the edge of his bed, and he pulled it over his head as he walked by, covering his chest. Caius ran his tongue over his lips slowly as his fangs extended. He was quite parched, but he had no idea when or if Annelise was awake. Sure, he could drink from the blood bags they had stored in the house's fridge, but Caius felt nothing could really be trusted. How could he be sure that anything from an outside source was truly pure? It was paranoia, and he knew it, but Caius also knew he'd rather go to any length to preserve his life than go out as Lydia had. He moved down the stairs slowly but fluidly, almost gliding down them. Caius was too awake now to sit, so he moved idly around the room, hand brushing against walls and surfaces as he looked around. He'd only been awake for a few minutes, and he already wished to return to his room. Sure, the images had been painful, but they were the only memories of Lydia that still seemed real.
If Caius were to slow down and be silent for a few moments the sound of faint clicking could be heard from the kitchen, followed by silence and the sound of a mouse scrolling. Annelise stared blankly at the screen ahead of her, her eyes already in pain from looking so long at the unnatural brightness in the pitch black room. She reminded herself every other minute to turn the light on to make it easier on herself, but she always got too wrapped up in whatever site she was on, usually engaging in debates.
"Stupid.."
She hissed to herself, leaning against the wall for support as she slowly regained her vision, her eyes wide as she stared at the floor with labored breath. Panting softly, she held her head and lifted her chin, coming face to face with her master and donning a look of horror. He wasn't going to be happy that she was neglecting herself again..
The sounds of movement on either side of him was what woke up Shizuka. He may not have been a vampire, but he had the same sleeping pattern as one. Came from feeding them, he kind of had to be awake when they were. The sounds around him were of the other blood slaves getting up and starting their day, night, whatever you wanted to call it. In order to avoid getting in trouble, Shizuka also got up. He slipped on some clothes, nobody cared what they wore, as long as it was easy to get to their necks. So he just grabbed some jeans, a dark colored v-neck tee shirt, and a hoodie. It was kept warm in the blood bank as they called it, but ouside it was cold. So if he was going outside to look for customers he needed something warm.
Shizuka yawned, he wasn't awake quite yet, but after a meal of his own he would be fine. He made his way downstairs where the dining room was. It was the most important room in the blood bank, because it kept the humans fed. And posted on a board were their rosters for the day. Who they were feeding when, at least the vampires who made appointments were on there. Walk ins were also welcome. But they did make sure that nobody had too many appointments in a day, because they didn't want everyone anemic. People got days off to, which most spent sleeping to recover lost blood.
After his breakfast, Shizuka checked the board to see what he would be doing today. He had a couple of appointments, but most of it was left open. The owner must had done that on purpose because usually his roster was fuller than that. He was a popular blood slave. Maybe the owner was expecting a bunch of walk ins today, or maybe he was just giving Shizuka a break. But whatever it was, Shizuka's first appointment was in about half an hour.
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?"
The brunette male startled awake, another interesting dream. He hadn't slept any at all the day and even night before. He looked aorund his room and fumbled for his phone. Scrolling through it he sighed. As he got up, he decided to get dressed. Getting dressed in his typical garb. An old band tee-shirt with a set of black jeans. He laced up his boots, and walked outside. He looked up at the crisp dark sky and gave a grin "Time for dinner." he spoke with a tired voice, and started to head towards the forest. Castiel, had taken up drinking animal blood, to survive. He sat in the woods, before his eyes darted towards a deer. He sped towards it and drained it if blood.
There were papers. A lot of papers and books piled on top of each other on his desk. Scotty held one in his left hand, using the other to hold the pages open. Though he certainly would have preferred reading a novel of his own choosing, Scott couldn't exactly complain about the case study he read on an incident of human trafficking overseas. It had been in France, specifically, and as the investigation continued, he could see how it became more and more convoluted. What had seemed like a small operation was far bigger than any French agents had expected. In fact, they found ties to almost every country, but said ties were erased almost as quickly as they surfaced. The entire case went cold almost as soon as it grew warm.
Scotty frowned, lips pursed, and put the book down. He'd make sure such a thing wouldn't happen. No, he'd read up, and he'd been on the case for a while now, enough to understand that what he was dealing with certainly wasn't as risky as the business in France. Granted, it was still serious, but he knew that it wouldn't take too much to deal with the problem. It seemed to him like a bunch of amateurs, for they weren't moving many humans in and out of their headquarters. In fact, most of them seemed to be held as captives. What were they doing with them then? If the trafficking wasn't their source of income, what was?
"Agent Dombrovski."
Scotty looked upward suddenly, glasses nearly sliding off of his nose. Before him stood Special Agent Bauer, a man who outranked the younger agent multiple times. He looked at the man with a far off expression at first, as if he weren't truly there. In a matter of seconds, a look of realization appeared and he stared with an open mouth at the man. What was he doing here?! He wasn't supposed to be there until the next day!
Standing up suddenly, Scott pushed the chair back a few inches with his momentum and stood, wide-eyed, behind his cluttered desk. He always seemed to work better until such messy conditions. "S-Special Agent Bauer, sir," he said quickly. "Hi-er-hello. I wasn't expecting you...I mean, I was ready in case you came, but I hadn't..." He cleared his thought quickly. "It's good to see you, sir. Was your trip back...alright?" He hurriedly gathered up papers after speaking and held them in front of himself as he walked out from behind his desk. He knew exactly what the older agent was there to ask about.
"I've pulled together some of the best information I have on this." Looking down now, he seemed much calmer as he handed Richard the papers. "I'm sure you'll want to read them eventually, but I'll give you the run down for starters." Stepping back, he fidgeted with his burgundy tie and then shoved his hands into the deep pockets of his dress pants. "This issue's been around for a while. However, that could mean, you know, a few years or so. It's within the city...but we're not sure where in the city the 'headquarters' is. They have one, though, I mean...it would seem that way. They don't seem to do much business outside of the city." He could have kicked himself. Just minutes earlier, he was radiating confidence on the subject. Now, he worried about the extent to which his knowledge actually reached. He looked up and met Richard's gaze. "How...um...how should we go about finding their HQ?"
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.
His hand was gliding over the back of a couch, fingers tapping rhythmically on the leather, when he first sensed her. It wasn't so much sensing, really, as it was smelling. But there was something that made her stand out and seem...different. He couldn't manage to put a finger on it. He would have turned then to address his blood slave, but Danika entered and addressed him first.
"Ave." The Latin greeting still came more easily to him than "hello". His voice, still raspy from speechlessness overnight, rang with a subtle English accent. The elderly vampire looked toward the much younger female. He wasn't exactly expecting eye contact from her, but he was surprised to see her focusing on Annelise. Initially, he worried she was looking longingly at her, wishing she could drink from the girl. However, judging by the subtly concerned expression on her face, he realized she was concerned by the girl.
As Danika left the room, Caius turned and faced Annelise. He made no attempt to hide the frown on his lips as he walked over. He'd already noticed the paleness of her complexion from further away, thanks to his heightened senses. However, as he came to a stop inches before her, Caius noticed how much paler than usual she looked. He frowned and slowly grabbed her wrist, looking analytically at the light blue veins that traveled beneath her flesh. "You have not eaten," he stated it as a fact, leaving no room for lies or rebuttal. His eyes were a light vermillion, and he narrowed them at her. "Have you any sense? Did you wish to perish, girl? I can not feed from you in this state..."
His annoyance was far from subtle as he moved toward the kitchen and beckoned for Annelise to follow him. "You risk not only your safety, but the safety of me and the entire coven." It was a lot of weight to place on her shoulders, but he felt it was the most effective way to go about convincing her to break her fast. He moved toward the blinds and pushed them aside with two fingers to peer outside again. Perhaps he would head out to spend the night at a live music club. If not, he knew he'd confine himself to his room the entire night. While Annelise hopefully ate, Caius heard a voice to his side.
"Caius. There aren't as many humans strolling the streets, and this might have an impact on us. It's very insignificant, but I wanted to inform you just in case." Caius gave a nod, brow furrowing subtly.
"I do hope they are not purposefully straying from the streets around here." He gave a subtle sigh and turned to the Head Sentry as he rose from his bow. "Has it just recently become a trend? Perhaps it is merely the lack of entertainment here." He'd readily admit that there was little to do around the old Victorian. He had hoped the surrounding area might be bought and made into a club or a bar, but that had yet to happen. Perhaps he would do so himself and take the initiative. They always needed more blood slaves. "I shall look into it tonight...thank you, Ethan." He inclined his head briefly and politely at the young man. He looked back to Annelise and took a step toward her, fangs subconsciously extending. "Have you eaten, then?"
Annelise tensed instantly as Caius strode toward her, straightening herself frantically as her wrist was lifted. "I-" She began, cut off by her master's observation. Immediately at his tone she realized the mistake she had made, fighting back tears as she began to tremble. She was such a fool.. Wincing lightly at his words, she shakily followed close behind him. "I'm sorry I wa-wasn't thi-" Cut off again. She could only reply in a pitiful squeak of submission. Although he wasn't looking, she gave a hasty nod and scrambled to the pantry, grabbing a bagel and smearing it with peanut butter as she quickly ate.
The brunette had been here for quite some time now, but she felt she would never relax around the other coven members, no matter how kind some of them were to her. She didn't have any reason to trust them though, as far as she knew (and was probably right) many were only hospitable because she was the Doyen's personal property. It also wasn't helpful that the first vampire she met after Caius was Alastair, who despised every fiber of her being. She lifted her head hesitantly, her eyes darting over the room quickly, hoping to not be noticed. Oh, what if the others had seen her get scolded.. She would look like a fool, and not only that, she would look like she was intending to harm the coven. Annelise glanced at Danika, accidentally making eye contact and widening her eyes fearfully before ducking her head back down. Hearing Caius' voice stop, she lifted her head as she took the last bite of her "meal".
"Have you eaten, then?"
She nodded, staring up at him relatively blankly, still trying to recover from the shame of her previous actions.
"Have you eaten, then?"
She nodded, staring up at him relatively blankly, still trying to recover from the shame of her previous actions.
Shizuka finished his appointment in a very short period of time. It had been one of his boring, peaceful, customers that just drank from the wrist and then left. It was barely enough to get his blood pumping, let alone allow him to feel the rush. He had several hours before his next appointment, so he decided to go wander the streets, looking for more rowdy customers. Because he was bored and wanted the rush that came with a vampire's bite.
He signed himself out of the blood bank, so that if he was gone for a certain time they would go looking for him. It wasn't uncommon that blood slaves went missing, either because they were kidnapped, by a vampire or a human, or somebody drank them dry and left them for dead. There was no such thing as a peaceful death for a blood slave like him. Maybe for one that worked exclusively for a single vampire or coven. But for one that fed the entire city, it was much more dangerous.
Shizuka left the blood bank and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. Is was pretty cold out tonight, but that just made vampires want warm blood even more. As he walked his thoughts turned how long he had been a blood slave. And he couldn't believe it had been over three years since he started giving himself to vampires. And over a year since he had been opened to the thrill that one could get from it. But he was starting to get bored, most of his more thrilling customers had switched to other slaves, because apparently other people's blood tasted different. And they wanted something different.
Well Shizuka wanted a hot male vampire who wasn't afraid to rough him up a little bit, but he wasn't getting that. So why did all the good customers abandon him for more mellow, and less popular, slaves? He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. It was really cold out, he better find someone soon or he'd have to go back and do nothing until his next appointment.
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.
Caius's fangs grew longer, to their current length of two inches. They would have been longer, more intimidating, but at the length they would have been naturally, feeding would have been too difficult. No, the shorter length was much more beneficial. Still, they made closing his mouth quite awkward. The craving for blood was strong within him, evoking animal-like instincts that usually hid well beneath his usually stoical exterior.
He crossed the remaining few steps keeping him from Annelise and placed a hand softly against her cheek. It would seem endearing, but it was a habit he could not break. Caius merely felt it allowed him to better hold a victim in place as he drank to prevent injury. Briefly, for only a moment, the vampire looked her in the eye. The intensity of the moment, mixed with his blood lust, proved too much however. Caius eagerly leaned down and sunk his fangs into her soft flesh. He'd always found the area right around the clavicle to be the best place to feed.
The fangs of a vampire never went too deep. They went just a centimeter or so below the surface, further if there were no blood vessels around. As vessels broke and blood leaked from the pale flesh, Caius found himself drinking it in avidly.
Caius pulled back reluctantly, lips scarlet from the plasma. He still held a hand against her cheek and another on her shoulder now as he licked the remaining blood from his lips. The taste of blood to a human was rusty, as many stated. To a vampire, it was better than, perhaps, anything. Pleasure washed over him, pupils dilated, and adrenaline pumped through his body as the fluid ran down his throat. It was nearly orgasmic in taste, if anything could taste as good as that felt. As he tilted his head back slowly, he continued to hold her, for he knew the scent of blood would bring about a few hungry vampires. Until Annelise stopped the bleeding, he wouldn't feel safe leaving her alone.
When the pleasure began to ebb and fade, he looked back at her. Careful not to stray too far from her side, he reached for a burgundy cloth napkin, which he offered to her for her to press on her wound. "Here," he said softly. His voice was less groggy, but it sounded garbed from the mixture of blood and fangs in his mouth. Warily, he looked around nervously. For a moment, his gaze stayed on Danika, who stood in the kitchen with her coffee, as if he dared her to try and attack his blood slave. She wouldn't though, and he knew that. Vampires were naturally possessive of their belongings.
Instantly, Annelise relaxed in his arms and gave a small smile as their eyes met. A quiet gasp escaped her lips as she pressed closer to him on instinct, giving a small whimper as blood started flowing from her rapidly and gripping his shoulders a bit tighter.
The slave waited silently, only smiling as she clutched her neck, a trace of pain barely lacing her features. She was content as long as she could do something good for her master. She flashed a weak grin when their eyes met again, taking the cloth gratefully and murmuring a thank you as she applied pressure to the new wound. With a small sigh she wrapped her arms around his neck limply, leaning into his chest now as she let her breathing slow.
Footsteps slammed across the pavement, quickening when another person was near. Alastair kept his head down and his hood up, desperately trying to hide the blood that soaked his shirt and covered his face. He wasn't normally a messy eater, but that girl would stop fighting him so he couldn't help the blood going all over and had to wipe her memory before knocking her out and patching her up. He rolled his eyes at the memory of her screaming frantically and writhing against his every action. The Irishman sighed with relief at the sight of the house, hurrying in and slamming the door shut, hearing a scream of fear at the noise from Annelise. Great, all he needed was Caius and his lapdog awake right now.
Hesitantly he walked into the kitchen, groaning at the amount of coven members present. "I'm not in the mood to hear it." He started, knowing he would be reprimanded for his actions as he walked past Caius, narrowing his eyes at Annelise while she stared at him in horror.
Hesitantly he walked into the kitchen, groaning at the amount of coven members present. "I'm not in the mood to hear it." He started, knowing he would be reprimanded for his actions as he walked past Caius, narrowing his eyes at Annelise while she stared at him in horror.
The young detective watched the older agent as he finished reading the papers following Scotty's debriefing. His chest rose and fell slowly but heavily as if a burden had been lifted from his narrow shoulders. He ran a hand through his dark, curly hair and tried to smile. Subconsciously, he chewed at his right index finger's nail, which had hardly grown back since he last demolished it anxiously.
For a moment, he seemed to zone out. As Richard spoke, however, Scotty thrust his hand back into the pocket of his dress pants and turned to watch Rick draw on the map. The circle he drew seemed relatively small to the size of other search areas they'd dealt with, but both men were well aware of the amount of searching they would have to do within the circle. They could literally be underground, and neither man would know unless they managed to find an entrance of some sort. Scott nodded back to Rick hastily, showing he understood.
"Right," he replied, removing his hands from their respective pockets to cross his arms. Nightclubs and bars. The idea of scouting within them would have been intriguing to most, even entertaining. Scott frowned subtly. He'd never really agreed with dancing or partying or really anything that required physical coordination. Even his words seemed to lack some sort of mental coordination. Still brooding on the idea, he almost didn't notice Rick turn and leave. Taken by surprise, Scotty hurriedly grabbed for his suit jacket and pulled it on over his dress shirt. As he walked with a purpose after Richard, Scott fumbled with the buttons.
Out on the streets now, Scotty placed his hands in his pockets again to avoid looking like an idiot with nothing for his hands to do. "Where to first?" Scott pulled out an iPhone and loaded a map of Detroit for their usage. He clearly his throat softly and moved to stand beside Rick. "I think it'd be best to look into family-owned places first. C-company owned bars or clubs wouldn't be easy to hide a...well, a human trafficking ring in." There were still many locally owned businesses around, but it hopefully narrowed down their search. "How...er, how do you plan to go about finding out whether it's located in a business we enter? I mean, we can't exactly force them to let us search. We would need warrants and whatnot."
Caius slowly wiped the remaining blood from his lips with a stroke or two of his thumbs, pinching his lips together as his fangs slowly retracted. His other hand was the one that rested upon her shoulder, but he slowly let that fall, too. His eyes slowly darkened in color, becoming a more saturated, burgundy color. He watched her afterwards as she pressed the cloth to her neck. Two thousand years gave one enough time to be able to assess emotions of another. He could see the pain that laced her features subtly, yet there was a blissful look on her countenance, too. He'd never known what it was like to be fed upon continuously, for the only time a vampire had fed from him was when he also joined the ranks of the undead. He couldn't imagine the feeling of fangs digging into flesh felt good.
Her neck was exposed briefly as she applied the cloth. Small, circular marks peppered the same area, more or less, indicating where he continuously fed. Similar marks could be found on her wrists, most likely, for he had fed there when he was less familiar with the girl. Her arms wrapped around his neck slowly as she pressed against him. Under normal circumstances, he would not have welcomed the touch from a human. However, he allowed her to cling to him, for he knew he couldn't let Annelise wander with an open wound. It was far too risky, and he knew it would be difficult to find another human healthy enough to feed from.
"Are you feeling alright?" The question was part of a subconscious routine now. It was a bit pointless, really, for who could be "alright" when they'd just had blood sucked from their neck? Still, it was the thought that counted, no? As he waited for a response, the front door opened.
"I'm not in the mood to hear it." Had he not been sated at that point, perhaps Caius would have turned on the younger vampire in a blood-fueled rage. He managed to keep his wits about him, however, as the strong stench of blood overwhelmed his heightened senses, bathing him in the comforting scent. The scene before him was far from comforting: covered in blood, Alastair moved through the kitchen, past the Doyen. Caius's paternal love for the younger man began roughly a century ago. What both lacked, the other could give. Just as parents a children fought, however, Caius and Alastair suffered from their fair share of arguments and disagreements. It didn't help that they were both nearly equals in the coven, for the two constantly contradicted each other.
His grip on Annelise loosened as he looked at the younger vampire, more or less his son, in shock. "What...what did you do?!" His voice began soft, still slightly garbled from the blood. As the outrage built up, however, he found his voice and projected. As Alastair continued to walk, he reluctantly moved away from Annelise and trailed after the Regent. "Are you mad, Alastair?" Suddenly, assuming the young vampire continued to walk away, he grabbed him by the shoulder and turned Alastair to face him. Caius's pale fingers gripped the other vampire's shoulders as he leaned in closer, burgundy eyes flashing with anger. "Do tell me you at least disposed of the body! I did not form this coven for you to murder humans and parade with their blood smearing on your clothing!" His brow furrowed, lips curling back in anger as his fangs began to appear again. "You not only risk exposing us, you risk exposing yourself to the diseases mankind has brought upon themselves!" He almost mentioned Lydia and her gruesome end, but he knew he would be unable to find the courage within to do so. He had yet to come to terms with her death himself.
Annelise sighed softly, smiling in content as Caius allowed her to cling to him. She hardly ever got to do this.. But she knew it was because he was afraid of her getting too close and something going wrong, but he would never admit it. She lifted her head weakly at the sound of his voice, "Mm, I'm fine.." She cooed, wiping the last blood leaking away as she pulled the cloth away. Sighing, she put her head back down when the door open, only the give a scream of surprise when it quickly slammed shut, signalling Alastair's arrival. The girl gasped, her breathing shaky as she recovered and gazed up at the young vampire when he strode past, getting a harsh glance in return.
Still clinging to Caius the best she could, she listened to the two start to argue. This wasn't gonna be fun.. Her breath hitched as she felt the comfort of her master's arms begin to leave her. "I.." She began, stumbling when he pulled away and gripping the wall for support. Slowly, she hobbled her way out of the kitchen and into the living room, easing herself down on the couch and clutching her neck. As fine as she acted, she still got exhausted from being fed on, she couldn't help it though. A creak was heard on the stairs, causing her to give a small gasp and look up in surprise.
Nag nag nag. That's ALL he ever heard. "I said I don't want to hear it!!" Alastair snarled, whipping around to face his "father" and sending a hateful stare before walking onward again, wiping blood from his face. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he would have probably shoved him off but if he complied to his whiny demands and explained this wouldn't take very long. At the look on Caius' face he could only roll his eyes. "You're overreacting!" He groaned, "You really think I killed her?" He scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief as Caius went on. "You not only risk exposing us, you risk exposing yourself to the diseases mankind has brought upon themselves!" The cocky vampire would have continued, but the reminder of Lydia hit him like a brick without it even needing to be said. "Whatever.." He choked, tears threatening to well up in his eyes as he shoved past and walked upstairs.
Even though he was still concerned for Annelise's welfare, Caius hardly noticed it when she hurried from the kitchen. His pale hand tightened around a handful of the material that made up the shoulder part of Alastair's shirt. "Do I look as if I give a bloody damn whether or not you want to hear it?!" he snapped. He cared not if he spat blood into the Regent's face. The younger vampire was covered enough in blood that it would make little difference. Truly, it did not seem like Alastair to kill a human in such a bloody manner, but it was not like Caius to admit he was wrong.
"That is beside the point! Had a human seen you feeding in such a sloppy manner, what would you have done? Had they run, would you have run them down, too?!" Caius tightened his fist. "Why not just feed from the slaves? It is healthier, it is safer. Your defiance will be the end of you, boy." He spat the last word in Alastair's face tauntingly almost. He hoped for a response out of Alastair, but the young vampire only grew unresponsive and pushed Caius roughly aside to leave. Speaking of Lydia upset Caius enough for him to loosen his grip so that Alastair pulled away with ease.
"Come back here, damn you! You coward, you ungrateful bastard." He wheeled into the living room, long hair flying into his face. Angrily and ungracefully, he brushed it away from his face. Caius's hair had the look of over-straightened hair. It still came in relatively thickly, but the only thing giving it any semblance of volume was the breeze. It had reflected the period for thousands of years, but the vampire found it hard to shear the hair he'd grown out during the sixties. Another sign of his unwillingness to move on.
Caius entered just in time to catch Rory's remark. As Alastair disappeared from sight, he slowed down, scowl still distorting his features. Without even looking to Rory, he nodded. "Cassius was never a fan of men with too much power...he was a seditious man who was killed in battle after defying his leader!." The last statement was, quite obviously aimed at the vampire who had fled up the stairs. But the Roman senator had certainly known how to turn friend on friend...Caius would have never dreamed of assisting in the assassination had it not been for Caius Cassius.
He spared a glance for Annelise, checking to make sure she was alright still and not too shaken by the yelling. Knowing his yelling was futile now, Caius slowly breathed inward and outward, calming himself before he turned to Rory. His eyes, saturated enough that they looked black, blinked once, twice, at her before his lips curled into a smile. Blood still colored his lips redder than usual, making them stand out against his milky flesh. Fangs retracted quite quickly into his gums until only sharp, normal-sized canines remained. "Good evening, mee carissime," he said softly, disrupting the cycle of Annelise and Rory staring at each other. "Sleep well? I hope Alastair did not wake you."
"H-Huh?" Annelise choked, trembling slightly as she sat paralyzed on the couch. How was she supposed to reply to such a statement? She opened her mouth hoping some words that made sense might come out but she was so exhausted from feeding that she couldn't think straight. In some way it came as a blessing as Caius screams echoed through the house after Alastair, it got Annelise out of the uncomfortable situation but.. She hated yelling. It terrified her and brought back memories she liked to keep locked away until needed. Tears welled up in her eyes as she shrunk in on herself, frantically wiping away any trace of sadness as Caius entered the room still yelling.
- 24 posts here • Page 1 of 1