Much like the high school they now strolled by, full of kids who - according to pop culture at least - struggled to find their place, Ria wrestled with her new role. If she was completely honest with herself, she would admit that while the others intimidated her, Marco terrified her. Between the whispers of his past and glimpses of the extreme augmentations, she was not sure what exactly to make of him. Her brain had seemed to instantly assign fear as the appropriate response, a response she tried to ignore.  

It had nearly been sensory overload when her own implants had been completed. As her eyes flicked to catch the incoming messages, she felt with the other neural implants. She could feel them, the vampires, in a way, pulsing in such a way as to provide a spatial recognition of their location. Their main target, Mullen, was inside the school. Saria felt it before the message had crossed her vision. She kept her sense of him her main focus but felt out for any other hot spots. Tonight, there would be no ambush except their own. 

She had not cared for the plan. [i]Bait.[/i] The word had been tossed out like it was nothing. Some teen girl, thrown to an apex predator. She knew her own past clouded her judgement, but at least Nima had known what they were up against. It had clearly not been her place to disagree, and hopefully the look of disapproval had been wiped off her face before anyone had noticed. She didn't need anyone thinking she was weak. 

Marco's request sent a dose of adrenaline through her body. "Yea." She slid her arm out from Marco's, uncertain exactly what she was going to do. Giorgio and Anna weren't confirmed yet, but she could feel them being farther away than Mullen. 

Boots against payment, she headed in their target's direction, along the school. Quickly, she formulated a plan, a shit plan, but something that the oh so [i]dreamy[/i] Eternal would need to act on. Saria caught a glimpse of the duo ahead of her and broke into a full out run. Then nearly gagged as they came into full view, it looked like he was halfway down her throat, pressed up against the building. 

"Hey! Excuse me!" She raised her voice just enough to carry to the preoccupied duo. A false panic welled within her, and she urged it on until tears formed in her eyes. "Please...I need your help. S-some asshole just hit my dog and I don't have my phone, and she's so heavy I just can't move her. Please, do you have a phone?" She rubbed at her face, her voice coming out strained and scratchy. 

"Oh no!" The girl seemed genuinely concerned as she broke away from Mullen. Without further prompting, she fished a slim cell from the top of her dress. Saria watched it turn on and the girl's face scrunch. "I don't have any reception." The girl looked up, her admiration for the monster was repulsive. 

"I didn't bring my phone." He spoke softly, but Saria was certain of the edge to his voice. Frustration. 

"Maybe it'll work closer to the street," she offered, looking back towards her phone, "or Rick can help...right? At least get him out of the street?" 

Saria eagerly agreed before Mullen could counter, "Thank you so much, thank you. I just didn't know what I was going to do. Thank you." She hiccuped. 

[color=lightcoral][sup]*Heading towards Marco, target and girl with me.[/sup][/color]

"What's his name?" The girl asked, walking next to Saria. In her peripheral, she could still see the girl's fingers intertwined behind her in Mullen's hand. 

"Her, hah, Marcie." She sniffled. 

[color=lightcoral][sup]*You ready?.[/sup][/color]

Saria was ready, with the girl on her right, she could get her out of the way. She had to. 



[@heyseuss]