Lather the blood on your hands. [Damien]

[dante]

there's a place in the dark where the animals go...

Dante pulled him in closer to her making sure that her lips connected firmly with his neck. He moaned from the touch not in pleasure but in pain. His bruised and battered body flinched from even the slightest bit of pressure. There was no piece of him left undamaged in the three days she held him prisoner in the woods. The people of this town were wise not to trust outsiders mostly because outsiders were usually people like her. It was this man's foolish trust that had placed him in the current situation.

She had so very easily scampered into town looking posh and lost. Most who recognized her for what she was ignored her. This man however, had enticed her. Almost trying to seduce her probably thinking that she would turn him. She knew her kind held a certain attraction for humans. After all they were immortal and it was man's dream of immortality that kept him going. He came to her smiling, arrogant in his abilities to seduce her. She was a woman and there was no doubt that he considered himself superior to her, vampire or not. This had angered her, but she played along. The anger had only helped her plan her torture, his death would never have been painless. The assumption had only further instigated the already sadistic vampire. This man would suffer for his insolent behavior.

And so he had, it was not the fourth day that she had kept him in the forest. Each day bringing him to the brink of death before letting him regain some life. She had drank from him numerous times but never enough to satisfy her hunger. She knew if she drank what she wanted his body would be limp and lifeless and her fun would be over. Instead she had drank enough to keep her healthy and ready to fight should the situation call for it. She returned her attention to him, noting that his breathing was no longer as ragged as it had been moments before.

She smiled her lips moving to reveal her small delicate fangs. Everything about Dante was nonthreatening. She seemed a delicate angel incapable of hurting a fly. The truth however, was much different. Dante was the truest definition of a sadist and the pain and screams of her victims brought her a deep thrill that couldn't be duplicated in any other manner. With this thought she sank her fangs into his neck roughly not trying to ease the pain he would feel in any way. His scream echoed throughout the forest scaring the few animals that remained. She relished it knowing that he could scream as loud as he wanted. They were to far from civilization to be interrupted. Pulling on his skin one last time she withdrew her attack smiling.

Her lips were painted with his blood and though she had been rough in her feeding no excess blood dribbled past her lips. Licking them clean she kicked the body slightly hoping that the man would soon regain consciousness. She was still hungry but there was no allure in feeding from someone who didn't respond. It was while she waited for his shallow breathing to regain some strength that she heard the distinct crunch of footsteps. Hissing in annoyance she looked remorsefully toward her meal. Quickly moving over to him she ran a capped finger over his throat watching the thin line of red that appeared almost instantly as the wound began to expand. Upset she watched as the life left his body almost in a wave of relief. Death was after all what he had been hoping for.

Her attention was now not toward the corpse but to the ever approaching footsteps. Placing her hand behind her back resting on the handle of a small dagger she carried with her. Though there were numerous weapons around the majority of them had been dulled to provide a more painful wound. Only the weapons on her were kept sharp. Looking carefully toward the sound of the footsteps she tried to look nonchalant.

[AKREE]

My eyes narrowed as I concentrated on nothing but the target in front of me. It was dark, perfect on my vision; the forest was such a nice place for target practice. I sniper rifle was my companion at the time, I was hidden between the branches of a tall tree, but right now that didn’t matter, what mattered was my little friend below. Its fur rippled as it caught the scent of something that wasn’t right and I could bet nothing was right, I had the weapon pointed at its head, right between the eyes, my finger kept threatening to squeeze the trigger but I warned myself to be careful. It was a pack of three werewolves, I was waiting for the exact time so that I could kill them all off, but it took more concentration to get it right, I wanted to only waste three single bullets that would pierce their skulls and cause immediate death. I smile savagely exposing my fangs; my smile was something that only pure blood lust could make me obtain. I wanted to rip them to pieces myself, but that wasn’t my job, my job right now was to dispose of them as cleanly as possible. You never knew what other creature lurked the night. The biggest of the wolves turned its head to look behind it, they could feel my eyes on them, waiting for the slightest of mistakes, its fur bristled uncomfortably and it let out a sharp yelp to warn its companion. Instantly they looked around to the spot where they thought I was. Though, I was behind the mongrel, this showed how idiotic they were. I had simply slit my wrist and left some of my blood in the opposite direction of my position before stealthily climbing the tree, of course werewolves had sensitive hearing so this was done before they came here. It was tiring work to wait for your prey, but when they showed up I couldn’t help the savage grin. It was such a glorious thing to finally get a taste of the action.

It was common knowledge that this particular pack of weres liked this spot, there was an abandoned and badly damaged cabin here, but still usable. Recently, all the stuff inside had been moved and our spies discovered a little detail to indicate its inhabitants, werewolf tracks. Upon further investigation it was clear that the wolves came here almost everyday and that they were no other than one of those pesky vampire haters, the ones that struck down any vampire happening to walk along the street the same night as them, how I despised them. It wasn’t necessary to take them out, but it was something I figured that since I didn’t have anything better to do I should do, I took permission from the head and I was allowed freedom to kill as I pleased, but I had to clean up after me, that was the catch. But it wasn’t much of a handicap; I would just drag their bodies to the cabin and up in flames it would go. But first I needed to kill them that were obviously my first move. The wolves were calmer know which was just perfect; I needed them to relax, this way I could pick them up easier. The muzzle of the rifle was pointed right there between the eyes, never once did it fail not to follow the wolf’s movements, my finger was now begging to squeeze that trigger, but I forced myself to relax. I was to tense, just relax, that’s it, relax.

I let one bullet fly.

It hit exactly where I wanted to, right between the eyes; the mongrel had no time to react. It happened so fast that as it fell its paws kicked air as if it were still walking. I grinned savagely; I quickly moved the muzzle to point at the other wolf, a bit angered that I had no time to watch as the mutt’s brain splattered its companion, the silencer made sure to muffle the noises from the weapon. Recharge. As the rifle flashed to point the general area of my next victim’s head I let the bullet fly. A yelp and the thing fell to the ground, still not sure on what was happening, the bullet hit just below that pathetic dog ear of its. The other wolf looked around confused, not sure what would happen but its fur bristling dangerously, it should have moved, maybe it would have a chance, but it didn’t and I took that to my advantage. I nudged the rifle into position and let loose a single round that split the wolf’s muzzle in two, a gurgle came from deep within its throat and I let loose another bullet before it would alert someone. The bullet hit on the base of its spine, it twitched and convulsed, its body heaving in one final effort before it collapsed on the ground.

My eyes searched the scene of any other signs of life, but the only signs of life were the lack of it. The first wolf’s brain lay strewn on the ground; its jaws were agape and its eyes wide as if it couldn’t believe what was happening. I grinned at the sight, it looked exactly as it should, a dead mongrel that couldn’t even have any brains. The second wolf was in much the same manner, its brains stained the ground crimson, it lay in a similar expression as its companion, it couldn’t believe how such a thing could happen, and last but not least the other one was a complete work of art. Its muzzle had been blown off at the tip, only half of it lay attached to the head, the other bit would have flown a few feet before smacking hard on the ground. The shot to its spine was perfect, just at the base, where the neck connected with the shoulders I had made sure it was perfect, it probably snapped the spine clean off in two. I grinned at the sight, now it was time to make better work and clean my lovely mess. Being an assassin could be such a giving job.

I was careful not to make any sound at all when lowering myself from the tree, in case there was another wolf nearby, though I doubted but caution had its advantages. I looked around, thanks to my eyes as a vampire I could see as bright as if it was day, moonlight was enough for me. I approached the bodies, the sniper rifle on my back, a handgun held between my finger and walking cautiously and silently. I inspected the victims closely, brains could make such a mess, this would take some time to properly clean through. But it was simply part of the job. I nudged the first body with my foot, inspecting the damage and I could tell this would take some time, the damned things bled too much on top of it all their blood reeked, I had to get rid of the smell as well, but like I mentioned before I had everything planned I just had to be careful. I put the handgun back to its holster at my waist and neared the first of the dead wolves. But something stopped me from going any farther, a scream, a human scream. I looked around cautiously, instinctually drawing my handgun, the rifle wouldn’t do if whatever it was were close, no it wouldn’t do. My waist had another handgun attached to the belt, a series of knives and blades, a lighter and other similar things. However it was all hidden by a coat, it wouldn’t do to walk around any place this armed, but it was easy to simply reach for my gun and so I took the other one, two guns in hand just in case. I was a good shot either way. My eyes scanned the trees, looking around carefully. Who would be here around this hour? Certainly not human, it could be a werewolf, or a vampire. But, whatever it was I couldn’t risk it being hostile. Silently I made my way to a darker part of the clearing, still looking around carefully for whoever it was.

(( o: i think this is the single most brilliant post i have ever done with killing ppl))

[dante]

you can take off your skin in the cannibal glow...

[/size][/center]

I stood my ground moments longer, my hand lingering on the handle of my beloved dagger. The other resting gently on the handle of my pistol. I was one of the quickest draws in town but I was still hoping not to use it. Playing with the intruder sounder much more pleasant now that my time with the man had been cut short. That and I was still somewhat hungry, I hadn't had my fill of the man. Had I realized that the footsteps were so far away I would have most definitely drained him. I realized now, much to late that I had been hasty in my actions. Mentally I chided myself determined to be more thorough next time in my practices.

I played close attention to the footsteps trying to distinguish anything that might help me identify them as a threat. I could only hear one set so I imagined whoever it was acted alone. A more careful listen and I thought it was a man from the distinct tread that they carried. Nothing was concrete and nothing was information that I would place money on. See I dealt in information and if it wasn't a hundred percent it might as well be false. It was because of this that I didn't let my guard down. Even if it was a single man, there was no guarantee he was human. The uncertainty made me uneasy and I hate being uneasy. I left my victim or should I say corpse of my victim where he was. Tied to a tree arms spread. If it was human let this be a warning to them about trusting strangers, especially pretty women.

Not that they would have any evidence that it was me. My work may have been messy but it was precise and I never left anything that might give me away. My boss was too big to be caught up in these scandals and I wasn't one to cause trouble. The stray thought carried my attention for a few brief moments. I was looking for a promotion, getting caught up in something like this or getting hurt was definitely not going to help. Unwillingly I released my hand from my dagger and pulled out my pistol. I was a good aim, not the best but definitely worthy of mention. As I placed it to my side all I could hope for was that whoever it was wasn't a better one.

The footsteps stopped momentarily making me pause as well. I wondered if I should hide. However, the instant the thought crossed my mind I knew that I wouldn't. Hiding wasn't my style, I was no punk and I had my fair share of wounds. Besides I had recently fed, albeit now as much as I wanted but still I was healthy and vital. I cocked my head trying to listen carefully for any new sounds, there were none. I wondered briefly if I should make my presence known and seconds later decided against it. Though the odds that this person wasn't coming for me were slim, I knew better than to instigate a situation.

It was obvious that they had heard me or rather they had heard the last screams of my present. The idea that this mere mortal might cost me more than I bargained for made me want to growl in frustration. I was a goddess among peasants and it was still beyond me that humans didn't treat me as such. Should they treat me as such I wouldn't have been feeding here. I would have been at my home listening to his delicious screams from the comfort of my living room.

Still the intruder was not upon me and my clearing. I was unsure if I should feel relieved rather than upset. Maybe their slow pace signaled that they were injured, it was highly unlikely however since I had heard nothing unusual in their gait. A theory that made more sense was that they two were thinking of how to approach. If my second theory was correct then I was dealing with someone whose thoughts ran like mine. Someone who would certainly view me as a threat, perhaps thinking shoot first and ask later. I tightened the grip on my pistol, glad for once to have it with me. At this I decided that perhaps I should speak instead of waiting. A voice was the only thing that would stop me from shooting should I happen upon this scene.

"Who's there?" I questioned, my voice firm but not to harsh. This wasn't the only time that I had been pleased to have such a sweet voice. It came in handy to gain a bit of trust before doing what it was that I needed to do. Placing the gun behind my back I waited for whoever was there to answer.

[[ooc: lol That was bloody brilliant. *bang bang* *dead* X| ]]

[AKREE]

Nothing but silence bounced back from the trees. It even felt as if my eyes, moving from side to side, searching for whomever it was could be found in the forest at this time, made more sound than the forest itself. Only the gentle swaying of the branches made a sound and even then it wasn’t anything that would cause any immediate alarm. Still, I remained alert and tense, ready to pounce at any sign of movement, it would be –after all- stupid and idiotic of me to immediately relax, for all I knew that someone had heard me, not matter how innocent and I would be forced to terminate them. My work was to be unseen by any kind of eyes, be it human, vampire or werewolf. I couldn’t risk tattle-tales, they would be some big trouble for Izan, most of all they would be trouble for me as the head of Izan. My eyes narrowed as they scanned the darkness, immediately I reacted to any movement by pointing my gun at whatever could be hidden in the darkness. But still the only thing that stirred were the trees and grass. I gritted my teeth in frustration, eager to get rid of the corpses that if anything would incriminate me more, but that mattered little. Anyone unlucky enough to even as so much as whiff werewolf blood would find a bullet through their heads, one more corpse to dispose of was little work –after all.

I began to step into the shadows, my eyes still scanning for any kind of movement, if a leaf should move, I would notice it. I kept my steps and silent as possible, it was only if you were looking or listening for that specific sound is that you would notice them. Else, anyone inexperienced will just dismiss it as the shuffling of some kind of forest animal –if they heard it at all. But I couldn’t get over-confident. My eyes still searched cautiously every visible nook and cranny of the clearing and I still immediately pointed my gun where I spotted movement. I kept retracing my steps, mostly keeping my attention in the direction where the sound came from, but not forgetting to keep my attention well-spread. Finally on what seemed like forever I reached the cabin, relieved that I had a wall on my back I relaxed to look around more carefully. The forest was positively green, weeds and vines clung from every tree, moss covering the trunks like fine moss. Even if it was a deciduous forest, it ran over ruins and whatnot and the vegetation was quick to take over most of the place, in fact the woods only stopped spreading because of the river nearby, else I could see a vast area covered in woods to whom not a tree was to be touched due to none other than the vampires and werewolves that hunted in the area.

But I was letting my thoughts wander and I couldn’t allow that in the precise moment, with that new thought cursing through my mind I snapped back into attention, as wary as I as before. Not much of a thought ran through my mind as almost everything was done by instinct; nearly eighty years of training in this kind of combat refined my senses to be enough to guide my actions. But still, logical thought was needed everywhere and now was no exception. After a while of nothing I found myself getting more agitated, but soon silent footsteps came to my ears and my whole body tensed up, but rather, it was the good type of tensing, because I now knew from where this little screaming nobody came from, I quickly turned the muzzle from my gun in that direction, preparing to send a bullet at whoever it was at any given moment, I’m not about o get discovered or kill because of curiosity, I’m the type that points and shoots then asks questions later. If you’re in a shootout your are not going to ask ‘why are they shooting at us?’ or maybe even ‘why are we shooting at them?’ no, I don’t think so, you just point and shoot. Well, at least that’s my logic and it has worked rather well for me, so that’s that.

"Who's there?" came a female’s voice. She seemed to be expecting an answer; well I would give her an answer. I raised my gun, pointed it in the direction from where the voice came from and fired a shot to where I believed would be ‘in front’ of her feet. The shot was meant to be a warning, but I quickly raised my gun to where I though the general chest area of the shadowy figure would be, since I couldn’t point to the head mainly because I wasn’t sure where the head area would be. ”It’s good manners to introduce yourself before asking someone their name.”

[/color] I said, my voice was the type that demanded an answer. I wasn't joking, it was the opposite of that, my voice rang with authority.[/blockquote]

[dante]

I hissed unexpectedly as sound of a bullet piercing the trees rang in my ears. Brush and leaves went up around my feet as the bullet penetrated the earth directly in front of me. My eyes narrowed knowing that the shot hadn't been fired as a mistake. It was a warning of who was there and what they were capable of. My eyes narrowed on their own training their sight on the direction that the bullet had come from. I wasn't scared, though I knew I should be. Adrenaline coursed through my veins through the blood of my latest victim.

A new sound came across my clearing, a voice demanding answers. Manners, they declared I lacked the thought would have been amusing if not for the barrel pointed at my chest. Yes, I knew it was there, anyone who fired a warning shot so clearly and cleanly no doubt still had a gun pointed at me. "It's generally known as good manners as well not to shoot at someone, no matter how good your aim is." I replied the fear that coursed through me not evident in my voice. "Still, you're right. Though, I asked only to determine whether or not someone else was present in my little corner of the woods. " I added a bit later. Playing nice now sounded like an excellent idea.

I wondered if i should identify myself to this intruder. I didn't want to but the shot at my feet left me little to no choice. With my dearest victim so neatly drained of sustenance now a shot like that would kill me. Painful sure but more drastic would be the vital life flood that would no doubt leak from the gaping hole in my chest. To much blood for me to replace on my own and though initially not fatal with the distance we were from the village I knew I would die. "The name is Dante." I said after a bit of consideration. Many knew my name, they knew the sadistic little bitch that I was.

"Now that I've told you that, may I see who was it that shot at me, or perhaps learn their name?" I asked. I didn't know what this guy would allow but if anything I had to play it close. I twiddled with the gun behind my back. I should really come clean about this too. After all should he see it I would be dead before explaining its presence. Suddenly I wasn't so sure about my draw time or my aim as I doubted that I could shoot as well without a visual. "Before you shoot again, which you will should you see me with the gun I'm going to put it back in my holster. " I called out into the woods. Quickly I grabbed my gun and replaced it on it's holster at my thigh.

Now there was no evident reason to shoot me and if I kept my big mouth shut. Played nice a little more I might keep my life and work toward that promotion I'd been looking for. A little less part time a little more action. The thought of more bodies and sessions like this but with pay made me smile. An expression I wasn't sure my shooter could appreciate. The thought of my appearance reminded me that whoever it was that shot at me was ruthless. I looked innocent and without a clear view of the corpse I was innocent as far as this shooter was concerned.

Maybe he wasn't as innocent as all that, with my luck this person was having little sessions of his own. Something I knew they thought I intruded on. Gags I decided, next time I'm anywhere but my warehouse I'm using gags. That way if they screamed I needn't worry about people with bloody good aim shooting at my feet.

[AKREE]

My gun didn’t move, it was frozen to the spot, it seemed as if you could let go of it and it would keep floating there in mid-air. Of course that wasn’t physically possible. Since I had no pulse the gun kept still, exactly where I was pointing, for a human it could get tiresome to keep the same position for extended periods of time, but for a vampire, which was physically stronger and wasn’t limited with things like breathing I could keep this gun pointed at the figure’s chest for as long as I pleased. My eyes narrowed as I tried to make details of the figure, I made out feminine curves and a delicate pose, female. That changed little except maybe the way she tried to deal with this. I smiled wickedly at the thought of killing such a nosey little creature, no one would certainly miss her, but I was letting my thoughts go too far. What would anyone be doing in this forest at night? It could be a friendly; it could even just be some crazy old person who wasn’t worth the effort of cleaning that wretched corpse. Of course, I was patient so I waited every so patiently for my answer, whether the reaction would be vocal or physical it would depend on who this person was. Leaves and dirt flew when the gunshot impacted the ground, my eyes narrowed, it startled her, she wasn’t expecting it. Good, I had the upper hand now, she knew I was armed and if she didn’t expect it she was ignorant of the events that went on here. Of course, she could always be pretending, the scent of wolf blood was to strong, it masked her scent thus I couldn’t identify her species, but when she had spoken before, her voice seemed familiar, so very familiar. I just had to put it together; I had good memory, but I it was a task to remember someone you hadn’t seen more than once, so I had to search my memory…

A hiss echoed from the woods and I figured she would be a vampire, humans couldn’t get that sound quite right to fool a vampire’s haring and werewolves were as weak as human in that shape. A vampire, some part of me relaxed while the other bristled like a porcupine, if she was a vampire she was equal in strength and sight, but I still had the upper hand I was armed and trained. She obviously knew I wasn’t to mess with, if not I wouldn’t have fired that shot in the first place. It would have been arrogant and stupid, but when I had the training it was another matter entirely, I had the upper hand now and I would take full advantage of this. I would be stupid not to, after all. My finger wanted to squeeze that trigger, but I remained as passive as ever. "It's generally known as good manners as well not to shoot at someone, no matter how good your aim is." she called back. I grinned at the naïve though, she was using my words against me, but she should know better than messing around. There was silence before she got to replying and eventually she added "Still, you're right. Though, I asked only to determine whether or not someone else was present in my little corner of the woods.” she added. I pointed the gun and this time made my shot as near her foot as possible. Let’s see if that gets her to answer, “Well, me thinks I rather put the rules here and make the demands, your name?”I said, this time gritting my teeth in frustration towards myself, I knew her from somewhere, I was sure, I was very sure, but it must be one of those persons I have only seen once, but it was a bit… above non-important, but not quite important, anyone important I would have remembered immediately.

"The name is Dante." she said. I paused, the wheels slowly turning in my head, of course I knew her from somewhere, I should have guessed as much. “Dante Valari?”

[/b] I heard my voice echo around the nearby woods, of course, my voice was still as snappy and demanding, but it didn’t hold such a bitter undertone, more of an inquiry. I waited for her answer, my gun still pointed at her chest, eventually she said: "Now that I've told you that, may I see who was it that shot at me, or perhaps learn their name?" she said back. I didn’t want to, but I lowered my gun, I was sure of whom she was now, so there was no need with pointing that around, or else, at least showing some friendliness around those terms or lines or whatever.

“Get nearer of that’s what you want.”[/b] I said with a shrug, though it wouldn’t be visible the tone in my voice made it seem like I was shrugging. Of course, I didn’t trust this person to let go of my gun, simply lower it, my eyes followed every movement and I would kill her if she even swayed the way I didn’t like. It was simple, after all, she was of Izan, so she could see my lovely mess, but if she did I would make her have to help me clean up here, after all nothing came free in life.

There was silence for a moment, in which I turned to inspect my handiwork and began thinking how I would deal with it with this kind of company. It didn’t really make a difference, it still had to take care of and I could just as easily use the same methods I was originally planning to use, which was burning the bodies along with the cabin, in such a way it would look like any old fire accident in which they couldn’t escape in time and they died a horrible death, roasted alive. At least that’s the conclusion they would come towards to if they ever found the bodies in the first place, which of course they might find if they ever cut down the whole forest and even so there’s a large chance our little forest friends will deal with the corpses first. The silence was abruptly broken in such a way that I immediately pointed my gun at the fea "Before you shoot again, which you will should you see me with the gun I'm going to put it back in my holster.” a flash of movement and the distinctive glint of a gun. My eyes narrowed, gun still pointed towards her chest warning her to be careful.[/blockquote]

[dante]

There was only a brief period of silence before another shot echoed through the air. This time however, I had been expecting it and so when the leaves and debris flew up mere centimeters from my feet I didn’t flinch away. I should have been terrified but the game of cat an mouse was one I had played enough times to realize when the cat was starving and when I could afford to play a little. Besides the fact that I wasn’t dead yet meant that my intruder didn’t want me dead just yet because I had no doubt I would be if the case were otherwise. They demanded my name setting their rules down already knowing that they had an upper hand seeing as I couldn’t quite make out where they were and my shot was no where near as good. I briefly considered back talking, something I did often, with this person that didn’t seem like such a good idea. Instead I only replied with my name only my first name. There was no need to give more information than what was required and he had only asked for my name. Even giving out my name felt rather uncomfortable seeing as how I wasn’t sure who was questioning me. As a spy the only thing worse than not knowing is knowing that I didn’t know. Whoever this person was the fact was that they were dangerous to me and my little dead friend. I didn’t know how they would react should they find the body. Though I was sure I was dealing with another of my kind there was no other that could have the senses required to shoot the way he did. Meaning that if that was the case they had already smelled the corpse. At the thought of senses something tugged at my mind about one that was out of place. I pushed the thought aside hastily there was more important things than a smell. The recognition of what sense was off made me freeze and back track there was a bitter pungent aroma to the air. A scent that I recognized quite well.

Now there was something else to be worried about here because I wasn’t the one who had committed the only crime. Crimes always meant one thing anyone who was involved or stood in the way of discovery was eliminated. That one little factor had to be sealed shut if they knew to much. Normally I understood the process though I didn’t much care for it. While murder is a necessity torture and lessons are much, much better. My internal contemplation was interrupted with a response to my name. One that I was definitely not expecting, my full name. My eyes narrowed darkly I was sure changing from a light blue to a much darker shade. “Yes, that would be me.” I responded not failing to notice that the tone had changed ever so slightly. I should have relaxed I knew that any person, any normal person would. However, I gained a number of enemies during my life before London and recognition of who I was wasn’t always a good thing. Still there wasn’t hatred pouring through the words like venom which gave me some hope that I hadn’t killed a member of their family.

There was a response toward my second question and I nodded still very hesitant. However, the closer I was should they be an enemy the better shot I had at winning should it come down to a fight. “Alright, I would ask you not to shoot but that seems like a ridiculous request.” I said softly. I knew he would hear me, the forest was silent due to our presence. I wondered briefly if the benefits of gaining the upper hand were worth the rewards. After all moving forward might get me sucked into something I didn’t want any part of. Postponing my death for a while however topped any hesitance I had and so I knew I would move forward.

With my gun back in it’s holster I moved forward with slow and deliberate steps. I wasn’t a fan of sudden movements and if I had to guess neither was this man. Who became more and more familiar as I approached him. Of course another member of the elusive group I belonged to, though we had met briefly I should have recognized his voice. The fact that I hadn’t angered me I couldn’t believe I had missed something so obvious. I was glad that I hadn’t relaxed, though extremely polite in our meetings he had never really exuded warmness or any sort of kindness. Had he not recognized me when he did I had no doubt I would be dead. “Well then interesting meeting again though I’m sorry they were under these conditions.” I stated eyeing the gun he had pointed at me wearily. Now that I was only a bit more at ease with the situation I studied him silently speaking up when I felt I could. “I would ask if that it necessary but seeing as to who you are it seems like a silly question.” I said trying to break the tension that I was feeling. Waiting for him to respond or ask as to why I was in such a remote place.

[AKREE]

Being allergic to werewolf blood wasn’t any kind of advantage, even if you didn’t swallow it. The point was when you breathed, it seemed to claw its way down your throat, the pungent smell was really enough to have a vampire ‘loose’ his sense of smell momentarily, not exactly loose it, but anything around them would be drowned away by the stink of wolf blood, to humans, they just saw red crimson blood that smelled of rust and salt, vampires would have a completely different reaction to werewolf blood and vice-versa. I bet that inhaling that stench for too long might even have those with a weak stomach dizzy in almost no time flat. Which is why I was thankful that I didn’t need to breathe nor had a weak stomach. But in my opinion the blood was equally troublesome, sense of smell wasn’t a vampire’s best of the five senses but it could be useful at times, either way, guess I had no choice but to endure it. Too bad it was so much trouble around a damned werewolf. My eyes occasionally drifted from where my little visitor was, to the corpses, inspecting and planning how I would move them from place, I had it all planned out of course, but still one could never know the future and I couldn’t predict where the corpses would land, what I wanted is to make sure the blood was completely wiped out, so it had to be the less… bloody way of moving them inside the damned cabin. Upon further inspection I just realized that making ones brain explode was quiet messing, but at least I killed them… I just wished those corpses would stop pouring blood, would be nicer for me, why couldn’t werewolves seal their own wounds when they were dead? That would be incredibly convenient if they could, of course, as long at they stayed dead. No use in wishing for such a thing if they would rise once I exploded their brains, though it would be quite amusing since they didn’t have brains… so maybe… they would be all zombie like, and idiot… and brainless.

Ah, I amuse myself.

There was silence after I mentioned her full name, Dante Valari, in which I appreciated the time to check ammo and everything, just in case I was in trouble which I doubted, but like they say you can never be too cautious. I ran my fingers lightly to the belt were the ammo clung to, actually the magazines containing the ammo not the bullets alone, but you get the idea, it was much more faster just shoving the magazine than messing around with the bullets, but bah, really didn’t matter much unless you were in a dire situation which I obviously wasn’t. I knew where the little fae was, any sign of suspicious movement and she would be joining the weres in dreamland. Just because I was somewhat distracted didn’t mean I ever took my eye off her, not at all. In fact the only thing I did was move my hands, my eyes were always fixed on her, but of course it would be a common mistake to simply just fix my eyes on her and concentrate solely on the feminine figure, I let my gaze wander around the clearing every now and then watchful in case she had company, you could never tell. She could just be distracting me from something or someone else. Let’s just say I was avoiding any casualties here, but of course there was no sign of anyone at all that may or may not be with her, so it was alright. The only thing that stirred where the branches of the trees as the wind whistled through them.

“Yes, that would be me.” she replied after the short silence. I was wary; there was something cautious about her voice that made me point the muzzle of my gun where her head should be. If she tried anything stupid I would shoot, my eyes narrowed as I contemplated whether to just kill her now and save me the trouble, but I guess then I would have another body to clean up and that would be such a pain. Eventually after I was sure she had relaxed somewhat or gotten more nervous I replied with a shrug, even if she wouldn’t be able to see it. I could care less if her temper spiked I had a visual and I had a gone and there was absolutely no reason why I should keep her alive here, so basically it really didn’t matter. “Alright, I would ask you not to shoot but that seems like a ridiculous request.” she said softly to my answer, the one that pointed out how she could move forward, Almost immediately I lowered the gun slightly, still firm in my hands and my finger still in the trigger, but it was as much as a peace offering as she was going to get, so she better enjoy it. I eyed her warily as she walked forward, she was slow and I figured she liked her skull whole, the way it was, so as a compromise I made myself lower the gun a slightly bit more, this time having it point at the ground. A flash of recognition crossed her expression and I knew she remembered me. She was stupid not to have realized first, but oh well, some people were just hopeless like that. She would know me in any case as Vito the Assassin, now don’t ask where I got the silly nickname, courtesy of my cousin Ark, but it sort of stuck so I began introducing myself as Vito instead of Damien, I would raise less suspicion that way. At least, to anyone that might be looking for Damien DiMarco, but that mattered little at the moment and I concentrated on the figure before me rather than distract myself with my thoughts, however briefly it might have been a distraction like that could prove to be a fatal mistake.

“Well then interesting meeting again though I’m sorry they were under these conditions.” was what she said upon studying me. I simply stared back, hopefully she would get the message that I was in a hurry and in no mood for a pleasant chat of sorts, I couldn’t risk anyone including her watching my little scene with these mutts. The less witnesses the better for me and she should know that well enough. “I would ask if that it necessary but seeing as to who you are it seems like a silly question.” she said again. Talkative this one, I simply grunted in agreement and kept a close eye on her, not moving from where I was. I wanted to make sure she got the idea that I wasn’t going to tolerate frilly messing around, I was on a job and I didn’t need distraction. “You might want to drop the gun on the ground and take some steps back.” I replied patiently, careful to keep my voice firm and demanding but not threatening. In other words, what I wanted was for her to know that as long as there wasn’t any funny stuff I wouldn’t shoot her. I took a careful step forward, also showing her that although patient I wanted her to do as I said as fast as possible, I just wished she wouldn’t make a scene out of it and start more of her useless babble.