Mithias nodded and Alister was the first to leave. The long, lingering look to Beatrix was a giveaway. Mithias made mental note of the emotional connections. Perhaps he'd have some of his own one day. Beatrix finally focused back on him, informing him where she would be headed. The two were going in different directions, which was completely what he had advised against. Mithias nodded again and left through the front door. Lingering a moment outside, his senses informed him that Trixie had gone upstairs... water was running. She'd be delayed, but no matter. Since, his motorcycle was too public to use for tonight's purpose, he would go out on foot. As he disappeared into the darkness, a sidelong glance toward Alister's destination gave him pause. He should stalk one of these two, just in case they got themselves in trouble alone. Initially, his instinct was to shadow the female, but there was no logic in it. She was probably more capable of defending herself than Alister. She was also going to be delayed making preparations, and not only that, she was planning on patrolling a populated area. Mithias sighed. He hated "blending in" with humans. ...all that damn rave music. So, Alister it was. Rather than heading to the docks, Mithias moved quickly in the Blackmoore patriarch's direction and kept an eye on him.

Theo sat back into his seat and sighed. This work, though fun, was quite trying. He remembered the easier families that he destroyed and the simpler times of swords and sheilded instead of bombs and codes. His mind drifted off to the easier days, Kings and queens roaming the castle and slaves tending to the lands. His mind went wild with memories of bloodshed and plague, but it came to a stop when he heard her. The song, though faint due to distance, was clear in his mind. He would have none of that. He growled in agitation and got up from his seat, throwing open the door and stomping down the hallway. He couldn't get one moment of peace without some bitch getting in the way? Theo threw open the prison door as if it were the lightest thing to grace his hand. He stomped over to her and slapped her. Hard. Shoving the gag back into her mouth, he growled "I gave you food and this is how you repay me?! You ungrateful little bitch!"

Lucian had shook his head at Alistair's question, "I flew..." Lucian had opted to give no further explanation of what had happened between him and Praetor. Lucian sat down at the table and didn't speak any further, listening to everyone's conversations, When everyone started leaving Lucian shot up out of his chair, "I want to help..."

Adrian had simply been smoking his woes away, He nodded to each Blackmoore as the left, after all he knew his role to play, he had a job like anyone else but orders never really needed to be spoken to him anymore, Much like how Beatrix was Alistair's sword Adrian was also another weapon in Alistair's armory, but unlike Beatrix he was something more similar to a lockpick, Adrian was content to smoke though, that was until Lucian stood up and looked as if he might attempt to go after one of them in a maddened attempt to help, Adrian decided to speak precisely at that moment, "And you will...After you shower and put on fresh clothes...You're gonna be with me Loverboy."

Lucian eyed Adrian coldly, "And what good will come of sneaking through shadows with you?" Lucian stared him down, "Yes I know a little about you...The Infamous Master Of Whispers..." Lucian clenched his fist, "Maria is in danger!!! What good will sneaking about in the dark do!!!"

Adrian simply sat there barely paying the Vampire any heed, Instead he took a nice long drag of his cigar before answering with an almost fatherly tone, "Are you an idiot boy?" Before Lucian could answer Adrian followed up with, "Then you should know better than anyone...That rushing in headstrong is the most surefire way to get Maria slaughtered...And then her death is on your hands." Adrian looked up at him finally with eyes as cold and dark as the deepest pits of hell, "Now...Go upstairs to the right and get a fucking shower...You'll have clean clothes waiting for you...And after that you and I are gonna go meet someone who can really help our current situation."

Lucian wanted to scream and argue about how he needed to fight his way to Maria, but in his heart he knew the man was right, If they fought to her it would take to long and they would kill her out of desperation, Lucian nodded softly as he started making his way upstairs to the showers, along the way he could here the voice screaming in his head, telling him that he would fail...that she would die, "No...I will save her." The voice simply laughed, "Perhaps...but what lengths will you go to in the process I dare wonder...When the time comes...I'll be waiting Lucian Loralen."

Béatrix and Jareth, from her perspective:

“Follow me?” the silver-maned vampire asked, the very tone of his voice was seductive. She had a mission to do, but she needed this.

An escape.

She had lied earlier when she said a weapon never tired, she was a person, and she did tire. She was tired of feeling so wrapped up in feelings that she couldn’t begin to fathom, and this man offered freedom.

A release.

A physical and emotional release from this bloody world that she had let Madame Vengeance create. It helped that he was also extremely attractive, and as young as he was, for once she couldn’t hear what he was thinking. How nice, to be completely mystified as to what another was thinking. Warning bells sounded in the very back recesses of her mind.

Danger.

Was he dangerous to her? Just the very thought brought a chuckle to her lips. No, she was dangerous to him, and he was completely clueless.

“Is that a yes?” he asked, responding to her audible laughter at her own internal monologue. The look in her eyes was enough of an answer for him, because he simply turned around and started walking. She followed him.

They came upon a rundown apartment that sat above a bar. “I know, it’s almost as charming as me, right?” he quipped with a sharp-toothed smile. “But the bed's nice and the downstairs neighbors don’t really mind the noise.” He said as he winked.

His confidence and boldness wasn’t surprising for a young vampire, he acted like he could take over the world. Trixy saw a little bit of her younger self in him, she wondered when the world would break him in. Perhaps she could be the catalyst.

Once inside, she took a look around. There were mirrors around the bed, handcuffs, floggers, and the scent of blood hung around the room. The situation and sight should have sent any sane woman running, lucky for Jareth that Trixy was far from sane. Perhaps lucky wasn’t quite the right word, as she took a riding crop off the wall and ran her finger along the leather and gave him a pointed look. “Undress.”

After that first command, the rest fell into place. Their physical union was a power struggle, each in it for their own reason, each out to conquer the other. Although lacking love, the tryst did not want for passion. It was dangerous and pleasing, and his skin was like milk and honey for her broken soul. She was more like herself when she abandoned her humanity, when her body was doing the all the feeling, and her mind stayed silent. But such blissful ignorance could never last…

Béatrix opened her eyes and stared up at the mirror as he straddled her. Amidst the all the black ink that covered his body, an intricate blood red “B” adorned the space between his shoulder blades. The sight of it jarred her back into the present, what was she doing? But she kept her cool, she’d use this moment to get information out of him. She might not be able to use mind control, but she could still decipher a lie.

“What’s the B stand for?” she asked him. His response was quick, as if he didn’t even need to think about it. “My name.” he said.

The truth.

“Well, I’ve already allowed you to sleep with me, I deserve to know your name.” she said in a playful purr, putting on the mask of a perfect actress. He smiled at her.

“Of course, it’s Blake.”

A lie.

“I see, well I’d give you mine, but you already know it.” She smiled and her face turned thoughtful. “So, what’s a vampire young like yourself doing in the city?” she asked.

“For business.” His answer was short, but truthful.

“Are you a rogue?” she pressed again, he was starting to look a little uncomfortable with her game of twenty questions.

“I’m a man out for himself in the world.” It wasn’t a lie, but it was vague enough to draw suspicion.

Béatrix once again thought about the B on his back, he said it was for his name… but his name wasn’t Blake. “So, you don’t belong to a family, then?”

“Nope.” He said it too quickly, it was a blatant lie. Her knowing smile was the last thing that he saw.

Instantly, Trixy had her hands on either side of his face before quickly snapping his head to the right, and breaking his neck. Of course, this wouldn’t kill a vampire, but it would render them unconscious for a while. His dead weight fell down on her naked body, but she effortlessly pushed him to the side. A smart person would kill him after realizing who and what he was, but a clever person would find a way to use him for their own benefit. Béatrix was the latter type of person, as she parted his lips and let a few drops of her blood fall from her self-inflicted wrist wound, and into his mouth. Blood calls to blood, and now she would know where to find him. She quickly dressed herself, “I think I’ll see myself out.” She joked and set off down the city streets. Trixy was back on track for her mission, and that’s when the unbidden feeling gripped her heart.

Shame.

Adelisa dispised the silence as they entered the enterance to the alleyway. It meant her thoughts came to her and her thoughts were dangerous. Her eyes scanned the scene in front of her for a clue, any clue, before noticing a shiny object in the corner of her eye. She entered the alleyway without a care or without hesitation, knowing the chances of her getting hurt were slim to none as it was daylight and there was a second person here. Albeit, the girl was small, she must have been mighty. She walked over to the shiny object, that was "conveniently" behind the trash. She picked it up and her heart dropped to her stomache.

It was a knife with dry blood on it, a peice of paper attached to the hilt.

It wasn't Maria's blood because the blood was very, very old. To the point the knife looked rusty instead of bloody. Yet, she knew the difference. How? Because it was the exact knife he used on her multiple times. He named his knife Deli because it cut her up like a butcher and Deli was part of her name, Adelisa. She wiped the tears that came to her cheeks, as if this experience wasn't painful enough, she read the note:

Adelisa,
Do you miss Deli? Well, no worries dear! Deli will be your only companion when you come home! Well, here is your final destination: me. Why help the people you are helping? They do not love you, no one can. You are unlovable and disgusting, no one wants such an overdramatic, ugly bitch. Remember how grateful you are to have me. I may not love you, nor will I ever, but you atleast know that you've got a "family" to go too! Speaking of which, where would you find my family? It's an easy question, Adelisa, but you're an idiot so we'll see if you even remember it. Anywho, good luck!

Theo

Adelisa rolled her glossy eyes. Only Theo would put such a long hint on such a small paper. She exited the alleyway with anewed anger and determination. She showed Morven the knife and said "meet Deli, our next clue. Are there any abandoned storage unit areas here?" She looked at the knife as she spoke and an idea popped in her head: Deli would be Theo's destruction. She smirked slightly as her eyes skimmed over the dirtied knife before looking up at Morven with a sadistic grin. "I have a bastard to kill."



Theo glowered at Maria. "Why?! Why would you sing it?! How do you know it?!" he screamed at her before yanking out the gag and screamed "answer me!" He was angry at the old song. He remembered too much of it as a child. He remembered his mother singing it to him at night, the mournful lull of the song gave him peace but his mother sang it to spite him. He dispised the song ever since his mother threw him out and sang the song as he left. It was too much for him.

His expression showed anger and rage, but his eyes might have shown the weakness he had to the neglect his mother showed him. He only had that peace with her as a child, but that was also taken away from him. He glared at Maria, expecting an answer.

God damned daylight. Mithias narrowed his eyes disapprovingly underneath his wide-brimmed hat. That, and an uncharismatic trench coat kept his arsenal hidden while he tried to avoid eye contact with the humans he passed on the sidewalks. It wasn't that the sun wasn't beautiful. It was magnificent. The light of day brought birds and beautiful skies and life. Mithias much enjoyed watching a dawn rather than a sunset, but as far as getting a mission done, light made it extremely difficult to travel among humans. A mere peek at his skin color, or god forbid a glance at his eyes, inspired questions, and he didn't want to be remembered.

And goddamnit Alistair was moving fast. Fortunately, Mithias knew where he would be headed, and he could also faintly sense the presence of a kindred.

The brazen clan leader ducked into a dark ally on the right, finally freeing himself of the herd. The scent of blood did not escape Mithias either, and it clearly wasn't coming from a butcher's shop. He considered trying to reach Alistair, to tell him he had followed him and that he was there, but decided against it. Instead, Mithias quickly scanned the field. Cameras, hidden corners, suspicious thugs that were hanging around nearby... Mithias himself took a position at a bus stop, keeping his head down. He considered how much C4 he had.

Maria's song faded as the door was flung open. She braced herself before the slap. At least he was predictable. He was also predictable in how he threw a tantrum, gagging her while yelling questions at her. Just how was she supposed to respond?

She waited for him to wind down, like the child he was. He did, sort of, in that he removed the gag. "If you are finished with the name-calling," she said, regretting her tone but not apologizing. She would just pay for it later with more pain. That was another way he was predictable. "I am a singer. Music is my life-blood. They are what make up my inner self, my entire being. I sing what comes to me from my emotions. I heard that song many years ago, while I was in Tortuga. I remember it being haunting and beautiful, so I asked the girl to teach it to me."

She paused a moment, really looking at him. There was something in his eyes... something more then anger. Not weakness exactly... more like... resentment maybe? The song must have something to do with his past. Why else would he react so strongly to it?
Her first thought was to sing it again and louder, but her own nature wouldn't let her. "I did not sing to spite you," she said in a low voice. "I always sing it when I am sad."
Thoughts of Lucian and Alistair filled her mind and she wanted to cry, but forced the feeling away. Now was not the time. Not in front of him.

The little female looked down at the corpse on the floor. Although it made her sick to do it, she knew what the right thing to do was. "Thank you for the meal," she said, forcing the words out. "I do not relish how I got it or how... animalistic I became while feeding, but I do know how to show appreciation."

She winced, hissing a bit as some of her deeper wounds were healing. It hurt like a bitch. If she ever got her hands on that Goblin....
Once the worst of the pain was over she slumped back down against the hard surface she was tied to. Her limbs felt stiff from being in the same position for so long, her bare body streaked with blood and sweat, her hair messy and tangled.

When she looked at her captor again, her eyes held no anger or bite. They just looked tired and weary.
"I suppose a shower would be too much to ask?" she said, her voice tired but with a trace of hope. She hated feeling dirty and sticky, hated not being able to brush her hair.

Theo starred at her for a moment, his stony gaze showing no emotion. He felt his heart thaw a bit at her words, though he did not believe it. She was being kind? Why? She should've spit in his face the second the gag was off. He then noticed the fight in her grow weary and he nodded slightly when she asked about a shower. "Of course you can. I'm not an animal; but as soon as your little clan leader arrives, I will not be so kind." He was silent for a moment as he reached over to her arms and lifted her up to her feet. He stared at her hair for a moment and smirked slightly. "You remind me of my mother" he said with an unreadable emotion in his eyes.

Theo started dragging her out of the room, though she was not clothed. His stature was stiff and soldier-like, and his grip on her arm was tight enough to leave a bruise.

Mira nodded politely when Jenna declined the offer for a bath and clothing. She was exhausted after all, and definitely needed the rest. "Well, if you need anything, you're free to ask anyone in this house," she reminded the new vampire. She watched for a moment as she disappeared into the room to collapse on the large bed; Mira much wanted to do the same, but she instead returned downstairs to clean up the kitchen. After putting the fallen chair back in its place, she went on to break out the cleaning supplies to deal with the blood.

"Go get some sleep," Klaus said from behind her, arms crossed over his bare chest.

Her eyes widened momentarily. Then her lips parted to argue; however, she supposed he had a point since he was able to sneak up on her. Still, she replied, "I need to clean up."

"I'll do it."

She scowled at him, but remained silent for a moment. Then she said, "You heard what she said?" When he nodded, she continued, "Okay. Then you know you were right, and I'll offer help to the Blackmoores this evening." The words tasted bad in her mouth, so she moved on. "Anyway, I'm almost done cleaning up and I don't trust you to do it." She nodded and turned back to her work with a yawn.

Klaus watched her and didn't object. Instead, he shrugged and turned to return upstairs. He'd like to leave, but he didn't trust two strangers alone with Mira and Praetor--especially when the former seemed to be injured.

With that came a groan as Praetor stumbled down the stairs, he hadn't button the white collared shirt he'd thrown on and his black dress pants were wrinkled to hell as he walked to the counter. "Klaus if I hear one damn word I will hit you." He grumbled retrieving a blood pack, then two more biting in to them and sucking them dry quickly. "Mira go to bed, I'll stay up and keep an eye on the place. He spoke softly as licked up blood that trickled from his lip. His wounds had but hundreds of scars were along his chest. "So miss anything interesting." He asked as he stood up he fixed his hair then buttoned his shirt smiling. "Because I could have sworn my better half just turned up."

As Klaus walked by to return upstairs, he stuck his tongue out at Praetor; due to the shape the other man was in, he left his teasing at that.

When Praetor arrived, she was just finishing up. She turned her blue eyes on him, filled with worry, and stepped away from her work to talk to him. "What happened? Where's Lucian?" she asked, struggling to keep her tone even. She wanted to wrap her arms around her bodyguard and hug him tightly, but she restrained herself so she wouldn't agitate his new wounds. "And yes, she's upstairs resting for the day. We have another guest, as well, who's quite the bloody mess so be kind when you see her. Jenna is her name."

"Lucian fled, I was attacked by the feral rogue's the fight attracted." he sighed and got up, he could see the distress and worry Mira had in her eyes, deciding he should be a bit less cold-hearted than usual he walked over to her and gave her gentle tight hug. "It's a real surprise to see her here, and another girl you say? Well I'll speak with her later." He released Mira and lead her towards her room. "Now please Mira rest, your not as well attuned to being awake during the day as I am." In truth he felt weak and tired, he could have kept right on sleeping but he needed to be awake, this would not be going away anytime soon.

Mira pursed her lips, contemplating his reply. Where would Lucian have fled to? Damn that Blackmoore woman--though the thought was followed up by guilt as it wasn't her fault she had been kidnapped. At Praetor's order, though, she nodded. "Okay, okay. I'll rest," she agreed. "Please take care of yourself--call off work if you have to. She patted at his arm, gratitude in her gaze, and hesitantly turned to retreat upstairs. "And please talk to Klaus by the evening. We have some new information thanks to Jenna and he was listening in," she added, turning to glance at him. Then she returned to her room where she finally fell into the fluff of her bed.

Praetor nodded, to her carefully, looking as strong and determined as he could, then he collapsed in to a chair. Sighing he looked around, he really wanted to go upstairs and see Auria. He had missed quiet a lot over the years, Mira was the closet he had found to someone like her. He sighed wishing he had his violin, it always helped him think when he was nervous. Sighing he looked out the window, thinking about tracking Lucian in broad daylight, no it would be suicide if he didn't have someone with him... He could always ask Klaus then again Klaus would never help with something that was family business.

Béatrix:

As if on cue, the wind picked up and whipped her clothing about as she walked. She deserved more punishment than that… surely the skies would open up and lightening would strike her down. Clearly the goodness in her died alongside Francis, she was nothing more than the French whore Praetor claimed she was.

Shivering.

Was she shivering? Vampires didn’t feel cold... No, no it was just her phone. Her body was reacting just as spastically as her mind, and she fumbled for the phone. The name flashing on the screen caused her stomach to drop. Guilt gripped her throat like a vice, and she was thankful she didn’t have to physically speak to reply. Electronic words were easy, devoid of emotion and tone.

On my way, guns blazing. she replied and then immediately silenced her phone. And her thoughts.

No more distractions.

Trixy closed her eyes and let out a deep breath before taking off down the streets as fast as she could go without causing a major scene for humans to take notice of.

Jareth, after some time has passed:

Light danced its way into the darkness as Jareth’s eyelids fluttered open. His body ached and throbbed all over, but most of all his neck. Normally his first thought in this situation would have been: “That bitch!”, but it wasn’t. He actually smiled and gave a breathy laugh. He went to sit up and found himself being violently jerked back onto the pillow. Apparently he was still a bit groggy, as he didn’t even notice that she had handcuffed him to the headboard before leaving.

“Hot…” he mused with a bit of a growl to his voice before yanking his hands forward with enough force to crack the head board. Once freed, he was able to get the cuffs off. He still had a stupid smile on his face, the whole thing was more fun than he expected.

Unbidden, Theo’s words came to his mind: “Do not fall for a whore, Jar! They gather your heart and then leave you!”

Adelisa walked silently behind Morven, drowning in memories and thought. She looked down at the peice of paper attached to the knife and gritted her teeth, tears threatening to come. He was right. No one could ever care about her. Not only was she a broken girl, but an ugly one. The scars on her physical being went deep into her soul and she could still feel Deli making those marks, hear the tone in his voice as he called her wretched names, smell the blood pouring out of her. It was all coming back. She flinched back as if she'd been slapped and looked up at the skies ahead of her, crowded by buildings and skyscrapers. She remembered a time when they were all trees and the ground was soft grass instead of hard concrete. She wished every day to go back, but that was like praying to a sock and expecting it to become money.

Her mind was filled with the feeling of being alone forever. She never wanted that, but she hadn't had anyone since her mother died and that will never change. She soon started thinking about death and that hopefully one day she would encounter it. Adelisa would open her arms widely to the thought of leaving this world and never returning. She wanted to be with her mother, but alas she couldn't even get the sweet mercy of death. She looked back at Morven and smiled tightly. "As long as we get there... I have a horrible feeling that he's not going to die and I'll be back where I was" she said softly. Her honesty kind of astonished her but she soon realized it was because she was in the presence of an ancient that she was so blurty.

Maria was surprised when he actually agreed to let her have a shower. He was more confusing then any being she had ever met before. She had expected him to slap her and torture her again for asking for anything. Maybe he was not as predictable as she had thought...

Being dragged out of the torture room had her anxious. After all she was naked still and she had no idea just how many underlings he had working for him. He was obviously not interested in her as a woman, in fact she was starting to wonder if his male parts even worked properly. Not that she wanted to find out. That thought was enough to make her want to throw up the meal she'd just had.
She would just have to trust that he was not going to let each of his underlings take a turn at her. Although he had done just about everything else to torture her so far.
She distracted herself by thinking about his comment. She reminded him of his mother?
"Is that good or bad?" she asked, genuinely curious.

When they reached the shower she didn't even care if he left the room or not. The water felt heavenly. She nearly moaned in relief when the clean water hit her skin. She hisses at the pain of some of her still open wounds but she wasn't moving away from the water. She cupped it in her hands, splashing her face and rubbing her neck and arms, gently scrubbing away the blood and sweat. Maria nearly cried when she saw the soap and shampoo. They were not her brand but she didn't give a shit. As far as she was concerned it was gold.

She enjoyed herself for as long as he let her, but eventually she did finish. She stepped out and looked for something to dry off.
"Thank you," she said, being polite to her torturer yet again.
Maria understood why that was. It was a typical psychological reaction to someone you feared : you tried to befriend them to lessen the fear. She hated that she was doing it. Next would come Stolkholm syndrome.

Please Alistair... Lucian... come for me soon... she begged in her mind.

He nodded stiffly as she exitted the shower, a smirk appearing on his lips. "My mother dispised me the moment I was born. She had me banished from the village because I was a product of rape." He hadn't cared if she took it positively or not, it was true. He grinned at the girl maliciously. "You remind me of her voice and hair. Both are quite strikingly similar" he said as he walked her back into the torture room, binding her once again. He shoved her to the floor and slammed the door shut behind him before crouching down in front of her.

He looked her in the eyes, trying to find something unreadable.