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Sitting in one of the many pews of the church, Caspar VanSlyke was tapping his feet against the ground, his eyes staring into space. The tapping echoed loudly throughout the now empty church, bouncing off every single wall, window, and door. He could almost feel the vibration of the bouncing sound. Even after a short time, he found himself getting lost in the thumps, getting deep into thought. It was almost hypnotic in such a large room.

When he finally snapped out of it, his thought was immediately directed to the task at hand. He was a Hunter, he had a job to do. He was here to hunt down the threat of vampires and werewolves in the area. He'd been informed that the town was supposed to be full of them, to the brim with the beasts. When he'd arrived, he'd gotten to meet a few of the residents, most of which not seeming like a threat. He had a few ideas about who may be harmful, but there was no way for him to tell quite yet. He'd been plotting, though, since they had all arrived.

"How the hell a comminity of these things have managed to actually maintain this town is far beyond my comprehension..." he muttered to himself, sitting himself up straight in the pew. He'd never been to a church before, now realizing that he was very right in making that decision, the seats were downright painful to sit in.

After only a few seconds more of sitting in the pew, he decided to scoot all the way to the far right end and lie down. Sure, it may not be as comfortable as a couch or a bed, but it was better than the hard wood digging into his back. He thrashed around a bit, attempting to make it more comfortable, but he eventually just gave up. He layed there for a good while, staring into the ceiling. The church really was rather beautiful, having some small stained glass windows in the ceiling. It was near impossible to see outside of them, but they were very pretty to look at. So many colors in one space.

Eventually, he sat himself up and winced as his back unstiffened. "Hey, so what're we plannin' on doing today?" he called out to nobody in particular. Once again, he found himself following his echoing voice.

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Séb Charbonneau awoke to the sound of his mobile phone ringing and rain pattering against the inside windowsill in the bedroom of his one-bed appartment. It took him a few moments to come around, and pull himself out of that limbo between wakefulness and dreaming, where you don't know whether what you just dreamed has really happened or not. With some relief, Séb realised that it had not, and checked the caller I.D. on his mobile. He recognised the number, but ignored the call anyway, letting it ring as he got up to make himself a coffee.

Yawning, he made himself his usual breakfast: black coffee and a cigarette. Thankfully he wasn't really hungry anyway; he'd woken up in the day for once, having only had a few hours' sleep, and wouldn't be able to feed until dusk. Séb returned to the bedroom and opened the window fully, taking a long draw on his cigarette as he looked down on the street below. For such a dull day, there was a surprising amount of activity outside. Something brightly coloured caught his eye through the throng of umbrellas and raincoats; the window of the empty shop directly across the street from Séb's apartment had been plastered top to bottom with copies of a flyer reading, "CARNIVAL - TODAY!" followed by some text to small for even Séb to read from this distance. He considered this as he slowly exhaled, then took another draw from his cigarette and slammed the window shut.

Séb stepped into the shower after letting it run a moment to get warm, washed his hair and body, stepped out, briefly considered shaving but thought better of it, and went to get dressed instead. He picked out his usual unremarkable ensemble of dark jeans and an even darker T-shirt. Donning a black leather jacket, he slipped his phone and a pair of sunglasses into his pocket and grabbed his wallet from the bedside table. He was on his way out of the door when he stopped short, realising he'd forgotten his ring, which he needed to go outside, and which he'd also left in the bathroom when he went to shower. He picked up the small dark silver band, engraved with ancient runes on the inner face, and considered it for a moment, turning it over in his hand. Then he slipped it onto the little finger of his left hand, checked himself quickly in the mirror, and headed out of the flat.

When he got to his car he once again noticed the garish poster on the other side of the street, its dogged corners hanging limply in the rain. Carnivals, people, daytime...not really his deal. But he decided it wouldn't be too much effort to drive by and see what was going on, since it wasn't far out of his way anyway. Starting up his Caprice, he pulled out of the community parking lot and started in the direction of the town centre.

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Luca had awoken early that morning to sound of rain pattering on the roof. His dark brown eyes squinted in the darkness as he reached for his bedside lamp. Luca, like many other people now, lived at the church. He, however, had lived here much longer than those who took up his offer to home those in need. His bedroom sat in a small upstairs area, once part of an attic. It was a little small, but his lack of belongings made it easier to live there. The walls were old, unpainted wood, and the furniture was mix matched. It was clear that everything here had been donated.

He slipped out of bed and went to open his window blinds. The grey, gloomy sky didn't let very much light in. Luca began to change, slipping out of his sleep clothes and into proper wear. Since he wasn't planning on doing any gardening today, due to the weather, Luca found a pair of black slacks and a plain, white dress shirt appropriate. He pulled a grey button up sweater on over his shirt, covering every hint of skin save for his hands and face. Some people thought it was a bit strange for a young man to dress in such a way, but Luca always felt the most comfortable in layers. He despised the hot, summer days when wearing such clothing was absolutely impossible.

It was six o'clock on the dot when Luca went to the large, oak front doors of the church to let the morning volunteers in. There was a group of four people, three women and one man, who brought home cooked dishes to feed those who lived in the Home Ministry section of the church. It was a newly built building attached to the back of the old brick one. It stuck out like a sore thumb, obviously not part of the original design, but it had been built with donated money and volunteers around the town, so who could complain? The new ministry was aimed towards those who had no place to stay and no one to go to. Many were old war vets, and some were mentally ill. Some had just been cast out into the streets. Whatever their story was, the church was happy to take them and try to get them back on their feet. The classes held for the ministry included basic life skills, how to pay taxes, go to job interviews, how to cook, ect. The religious teachings were mostly focused on the idea of hope through faith.

Luca hadn't informed his church members, however, that he was somewhat misusing one of the section's rooms. It was one of the ones that was built for families: it was large with several bunks and enough space to house half a dozen people comfortably. He was allowing the local hunters, a group that he had been informed of through Father Walter's old journal, to stay there. Though, technically, they did need a place to stay, so the purpose of the room wasn't quite lost.

The whole 'supernatural' thing had hit Luca pretty hard. Suddenly, the world was strange and frightening again. He didn't know quite what to expect next. One minute he was building beds and dressers, the next he was being asked to banish vampires. Hiding it was the hardest part. He'd almost had to lie several times to his church, and act he couldn't stand. Telling half truths was almost as bad. Luca found himself slowly becoming more and more like his old mentor: secretive and cryptic. He too was beginning to sneak around, leaving the church when he had hardly ever had the need before. His clergy seemed to notice, but just as with Father Walter, they never questioned. Luca suspected they probably knew better.

Once the volunteers were off to the back, making sure the breakfast portions were being dished out evenly, Luca busied himself with some work. He slunk into his office to work on his next sermon for the coming mass. He remained unheard from for a couple hours until he reemerged to find something to eat in the kitchen. The kitchen set up was pretty industrial. Meant to feed unwards of 200 people at a time, it was armed with a cafeteria style food line, a walk in freezer, shelves and shelves of dry goods, and a refrigerator that was occasionally restocked. Luca opened it up to find a plastic tub of expired cream cheese, and that started a half hour cleaning spree of the entire thing. Once the fridge was clean and neatly arranged, the priest remembered why he'd come down there in the first place. He found a bag of grapes that he had set into the drawer labeled "fruits" and poured some into a cup. He turned, closing the stainless steel door behind him and headed back towards his upstairs nook to do some reading. He took a shortcut through the worship hall, where he was startled by a voice calling out.

Luca jumped a little, his shoulders hunched. He relaxed a bit as he craned his neck to see one of the hunters, Caspar, slung across a pew. Luca approached, his footsteps soft. "Please don't speak so loudly," He corrected the man in his typical soft, accented voice. "I don't want anyone overhearing...'hunting' plans here." Luca had been sure to look around before barely whispering the word 'hunting'. He was a bit of a ridiculous man.

Although Dan had worked a late shift at the bar the night before, he had gotten up bright and early to hit the gym. He trained daily, he had to vampires and werewolves had a supernatural advantage and staying alive meant relying on your strength, skill, and knowledge. Staying in top condition, studying these monsters and ensuring he was well trained with his weapons was the difference between life and death. It was like his father always told him, “A gallon of sweat saves a pint of blood.” His fathers favorite quote from General Patton and something he would tell Dan anytime he complained about all the training he went through as a child. He was grateful that his dad had worked him hard though, it made him who he was and kept him alive. Bellingstone had a descent gym for a small town but nothing like he'd seen in larger cities.

After a long work out he showered at the gym and jogged back to the church where he and the other hunters were staying. It was raining steadily outside and he was pretty much soaked by the time he got back to the church. He headed to the room at the building to the back of the church where they hunters were staying. It was kind of weird to be staying at a church, he hadn't know they did that sort of thing. It had been a long while since he'd been in a church, he'd gone when his wife was alive and as kid with his mother before that, but since he'd lost his wife he hadn't had a lot of faith in anything. He headed into the room to change into some dry clothes and threw his gym clothes and wet clothes into a laundry basket noting that he should find a laundry mat at sometime soon. He had a knife in one boot and a stake in the other, sliver knuckledusters in one pocket and some vials of holy water in the other pocket, he figured if it looked like they'd be doing some serious hunting he could come back for more.

Dan wondered around the rest of the church trying to stay out of the way of volunteers. He ended up in the main part of the church where Father Luca and Slyke were. “Father Luca.” He said greeting the man with a light slap on the back. “I'm sure if anyone heard us talking about hunting they'd assume we meant deer.” He said with a bit of light teasing. He liked the Father, it was kind of him to give them a place to stay but he got the feeling that hunting made the man uncomfortable. He couldn't figure out why, hunting evil seems like the sort of thing a man of god would approve of. “Thanks for the digs, if you ever need any help around here feel free to let me know.” He offered politely, figuring it was only right to repay the man's kindness. He gave a nod to Slyke who was sitting in one of the pew benches. “Having a moment of quiet reflection?” He asked with sarcasm. He hadn't pegged Slyke as the religious type and there was no way these benches were a comfortable place to hang out. "What are you to today?"

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From the amount of light filtering through her shitty curtains, Hecate guessed it to be morning. Of course, it didn't make much of a difference to her. There would still be that dull ache burning the back of her throat, and sleep would still refuse to grip her. Upon hearing the sounds of the rest of Bellingstone rising from their pitiful slumber, she forced herself to get up out of the white leather chair she had been sitting upright on for the past four hours without even blinking. It helped preserve her energy, sitting so still; especially seeing as she hadn't fed in a while. As if the burning was not enough to remind her of this fact, she winced as something sharp pierced her bottom lip. Glancing in the mirror, she watched intently as a single bead of blood trickled down her chin from the now-healed slice on her lip. With some effort she managed to retract her needle-sharp teeth and drag herself into her bedroom with her usual grace.

At average human speed it would have taken Hecate half the day to get ready the way she was now; what with curling her blonde locks, applying a thin layer of lip gloss on her lips and, of course, squeezing herself into a dress. Yet she managed to complete the tasks in just under fifteen minutes, including her standing in front of the mirror to ensure nothing was out of place. The dress she was wearing was one of her less revealing ones, and quite a simple one, really. It consisted of a layered lacy material of white and navy blue, buttoned down the torso. The skirt fit her shape nicely, yet still managed to reach her knees in a loose manner. It was pretty summery for this dreiche weather, but Hecate took pride in standing out. The necklace she wore didn't necessarily go with her outfit, but it was a must. If she didn't wear it, she'd most likely be very uncomfortable.

She had heard word of this carnival, mainly from other coven members planning to stir up trouble amongst the humans. She didn't plan of being a part of their shenanigans as she expected there to be a fair number of those hunters going, but Hecate had made up her mind a while ago to show up anyway. Besides, it wasn't as if she had anything better to do.

The slamming of a car door caused her to sneak a peak out of her window which was misty with condensation. Huffing impatiently, she wiped the glass with the hem of her dress to get a better view of outside. Hecate's brow quirked as she recognised the figure getting into the Caprice. It looked like he had the same idea as her- to scope the festivities out. Reaching for her phone, she punched a quick message out, her eyes skimming it over before pressing send.

To: Sébastien Charbonneau
You going to the carnival? Posters are everywhere so don't pretend you don't know about it. See you there, maybe, it could be très excitant ;)

Without waiting for the regret to set in because she dared to use a smiley face, Hecate shoved her phone in her handbag and slammed the door to her flat behind her. The loud noise rang in her ears, causing her to wince. Being hungry had many similar symptoms to the typical hangover, she thought, but far more intense. The vampire girl left the block of flats in a blur of blonde hair which, to any passer by, would merely be a sharp gust of wind. Her necklace bounced against her throat, and she could almost feel the enchantment pulsing through it as she slowed to a brisk walk, now a good distance away from her home and on the borders of the French Quarter of Bellingstone.

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Caspar shrugged off Father Luca's remark about being quiet. He figured that if any vampire or werewolf were that close to a church, they were too stupid to go running their mouth. How there really was a church in the town perplexed him, but he assumed that it could be for camouflage. While he hated the beasts, he acknowledged their smarts, sometimes even admiring it. In all of his encounters, they always seemed to know exactly how to make things go their way. He'd fallen exactly where they'd wanted him to multiple times, but he knew what he was doing. In fact, sometimes he went along with their traps. Typically, though, he would attempt to take his time, avoiding confrontation. Until he found a weakness, of course. He'd be a failed hunter if he could never fight one. That was his job, and he was good at it. He knew that much.

"Don't worry, Father, you have nothing to worry about.. I'd be an idiot if I would put you in danger after you've done us the kindness of letting us stay here." Caspar spoke with gratitude, nodding to him in thanks.

When the church doors opened, the tapping sound of rain lingered even after the door was shut again. Caspar would've thought that he'd be able to hear it on the roof, but oddly enough, he couldn't. Dan walked across the wooden floors, old boards creaking under his weight, and he spoke with Father quite quickly, teasing him. Caspar chuckled as he mention hunting deer. Yeah, that's exactly what we're doing. Hunting "deer". He sat himself straight when Dan's attention turned to him, speaking about taking a moment of reflection.

"Yeah, why the hell not. I'm anxious as all get out, I just want to," he quieted his voice and smirked at Father, "hunt." He said exactly the truth. He wanted to get out of the big, empty church and go see some action. Something to do besides just sit around and do nothing. He'd much rather be hunting, rather than thinking of ways they could work on gaining information about who they needed to worry about.

"I'd love it if Raini would hurry up, thou-" he was interupted by the old doors opening once again. As if on cue, Raini walked in. "Speak of the devil!"

Caspar took the leaflet into his hand, scanned it, and stood up. It told information about a carnival that would be happening that day, and right in town, too. Hosting a big event like this would be like waving a bone in front of a dog, just taunting the beasts who resided in Bellinstone. Tourists, travelers, and even some residents who were unaware of the current issues would be going. A buffet layed out in the middle of a busy town. Raini was very right, they needed eyes on the inside to get some identities. As long as the hunters' prensence was unknown, nobody would be afraid to go to an innocent carnival. Little would they know, they would be right on their tails.

"Yeah, I agree, eyes in there would be a huge advantage," he spoke confidently. "I think we might be able to get some information on both who we need to be careful with, and people who we might be able to manipulate. Get somebody who we can get information from, make our job a little easier." He was quiet for a second, thinking.

Nobody knew exactly how big the carnival would be. For all they knew, it could be acres and acres of rides, games, and food. As much as he'd love to go and get himself mounds of corndogs, hot dogs, and ice cream, it'd be a great chance for them all to scope out the threats. If, obviously, some of them decided to show up. Even seeing just one would be helpful, but the town's stories made it seem like they should expect many more. If the stories were true, and the carnival wound up being that big, they'd definately need more eyes. And not just eyes, they'd need ears, too. Anything and everything would be helpful for their cause.

"If that's alright, I'd like to throw in my two cents real quick. We're not toally clear on information about this place, it could wind up being huge. My thinking is that if it's real big, we're gonna need more people. There's no way a single person can take on an entire carnival grounds. I think it might be a good idea to either bring everybody along, or send somebody to scope out the area, see how big this thing will actually be. Catch my drift?"

He hadn't known Raini long enough to tell whether or not she was comfortable with him voicing his opiinion on their tasks, but he did it anyway. Actually, he hadn't really thought about it before hand, speaking before he could even think about it. That sort of thing happened to him quite often, but usually never anything too bad ever came of it. He has, however, worked with hunters who were strictly the one who made the plan, nobody else was even allowed to say anything about it. Caspar hated them, though he would probably wind up being one of those people if he ever rose to that sort of position. He was comfortable being second in charge, though, not wanting to be the one who constantly makes decisions and orders people around. He had his times to do that, but they were usually fairly minor instructions. He appreciated the fact that they weren't very important, knowing that if it were bigger, all mistake would be blamed directly on him.

Dan laughed as Slyke expressed the desire to hunt. “Couldn't have said it better. Every day we're here not bagging...deer feels like a failure.” He said anxious to make a difference in the town, to help take to back from monsters and leave it in the care of good people. That was what gave life meaning and everyday that didn't put them closer to that goal was a failure. Everyday that lacked a fight for his life made his muscles ache with anticipation for combat, for the surge of fear and adrenalin that made him feel truly alive. This long with a good fight made it hard to relax and difficult to focus on anything else. For a small town that was both run by and over run with monsters to be hunted he had thought it would be non stop action but so far it had dull. He guessed all the these things had lived in the community long enough to be skilled at blending in, but they'd all slip eventually, these monsters always did. All he and his fellow hunters had to do was be ready and make sure they were around when these monsters did slip.

His head turned to look as another entered the church and his posture straightened as a sign of respect as Raini entered. She was nearly as strict as other leaders he'd worked for, but he was already conditioned that way by others and he truly believed a good leader should be respect whether they demanded it or not. She handed Slyke a flyer about a carnival that was to be in town today, a prefect feeding ground for supernaturals, vampires especially. Dark, crowded, noisy, and filled with strangers and carnie folk making it easy to shift the blame should any possible missing people even be tied to the carnival. “Ma'am I would be glad to assist in paroling the carnival.” He offered as Slyke suggested that more than one set of eyes would be the best way to got, maybe even finding an inside source. Not knowing the size or layout of the carnival was a clear disadvantage. Not having a real idea who was an enemy and who was not was another. Rumor had it that this town was a haven for unnatural creatures, and some of them were likely old and powerful, the more hunters around the better the odds. “If you want information all you have to is snag one young vamp, they usually get talkative after a bit of holy water boarding. Wolves can be a bit trickier in my experience.” He replied in a hushed tone as the Father had asked them to keep hunting talk quiet. He'd done interrogations before, it was usually a reliable way to find a lair or nest if you could find someplace quiet to keep the creature.

Dan knew he would have no problem staying focused at a carnival, he could care less about rides and fried food on a stick. Funnel cakes were probably one of most disgusting things ever created, who would want to eat fried batter covered in sugar? Dan did not put the amount of effort in maintaining his build to clog up his arteries with garbage. The last thing he needed was to escape being murdered by vampires and werewolves only to have a heart attack get him in the end. He doubted a carnival in a small town had a true roller coaster that could provide an actually thrill and tunnels of love and Ferris wheels where for people on dates. He did enjoy gambling games of skill, strength or chance. While many carnie games were rigged Dan had a natural talent for some of them and the right skill set for even more. He used to love impressing dates with his skill for such games when he was younger as well as winning prizes for the occasional child who looked disappointed by their own losses to such games. Since he was an adult with self-control he was fully capable of ignoring his desire to take part in carnie games and focus on his job.

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Séb pulled into the parking lot adjacent to the huge park where the carnival was being held. Through the border of trees, he could make out dozens of stalls, rides, and other attractions all in garish colours similar to those on the flyers that had increased in number the closer he'd gotten to the carnival. They made an interesting juxtaposition against the grey sky and constant drizzle, and to his surprise it looked like the park was already busy in spite of the weather, with more people filtering in through the park gates.
Checking his phone before getting out of the car, he noticed a text from Hecate. Très excitant, he wondered, considering her wording. I guess she knows something I don't know. Noticing the smiley face at the end of her text, he felt a familiar but unwelcome flash of mixed excitement and...Non. He screwed up his face and recollected himself before replying to the message.

To: 'Hec'
Déjà là. And I'm guessing you are too. If you're thinking of dragging me in there...I know you know that's a bad idea ;)

Séb read through the text a couple of times before hitting the 'send' button. A paralysing blend of fear and excitement held him in his seat for a moment, but it wasn't because of the smiley face he'd returned to Hecate. Unlike her, he hadn't spent his whole life learning to tame his bloodlust. A silent battle was beginning to stir in his mind; he knew Hec would want to go in, and he knew he wanted to go in, but he also knew he'd be like a kid at a pick 'n' mix. That was, the primal part of his mind reminded him, a great reason to go in there too, but feeding so close to home was not something Séb allowed himself. He knew that if he let himself do it even once it would set a precedent for his own behaviour, and regardless, there was no way he would get away without facing retribution, be it from the coven or elsewhere. I won't stay there long. I'll be out before nightfall. If I get hungry I'll just leave, he told himself. If the temptation got too strong he would take himself somewhere out of town to sate his bloodlust. So, resolute, he stepped out of the car, slammed the door shut and walked to the park gate, awaiting Hecate's appearance.

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Luca rubbed the back of his neck as the hunters spoke about their plans, sighing quietly. They were a bit of a rowdy group, but that wasn't the part that bothered him. He appreciated their respect towards him and his church: refraining from toying with the religious objects, speaking respectfully to his members whenever they met, and even helping to keep the place cleaned up. But their talk of hunting bothered him a little.

Father Walter spoke in his journal about a group of hunters who had come to the town before these. They fought, killed, and hunted vampires and werewolves like it was nothing. Even his elder, who Luca had seen as nothing but a gentle hearted man, spoke of stabbing stakes through the hearts of these 'vile' creatures. This made Luca feel like a bit of a failure. How come he couldn't do the same? Why did it feel so...wrong? Perhaps it was the pacifist in him. Luca couldn't look a fly in the eye and kill it. But the whole 'hunting' thing seemed wrong on a deeper level.

Luca had lived in this town since he was a teenager, and never once had he had trouble with vampires or werewolves. He knew many of the townsfolk. Any one of them could easily be one of those creatures. What if sweet Miss Julie at the grocery store was a vampire? What if Mr. Coleman, the mailman, was a vampire? What if that nice girl at that restaurant, Rebecca, was a werewolf? Luca was afraid that his friends, his community, would slowly start to disappear, whether they were the 'bad' creatures or not.

Being a man of God, it was hard for Luca to accept that any person could be 100% evil. There had to be a little good in everybody. After all, God didn't make evil humans. And the idea that that all changed after being turned into a creature still didn't sound right. Something had to be left, right? They couldn't possibly all be bad. If they were, wouldn't they have tried to take over by now?

But despite his internal conflict, Luca didn't say anything to his new companions. He simply never went hunting with them and left it at that. Out of sight, out of mind. The priest slowly headed back upstairs to his little bedroom to grab his wallet. The empty refrigerator in the kitchen had slowly worked its way back into his mind. He needed to go grocery shopping so that he would have food to serve.

"I'm going to make a run to the grocery store," He said to the hunters as he came back down the stairs. He felt as though they should at least know where he was headed should they need him. He really hoped they didn't need him.

Luca fished out the key to the church van from its usual hiding place on the podium. He didn't personally own a car, as he preferred to walk most places, but for things like this, he could justify using the church's vehicle. He headed out the oak double doors, the rain tapping his head gently. The large, white, 12 passenger van read "St. Benedict Cathedral" on the side in blue letters. Luca climbed into the driver's seat and started the old thing up. It roared and coughed some smoke out of the tailpipe, but it was willing enough as Luca drove it out of the parking lot.

The grocery store wasn't far; he pulled into the parking lot after a short drive. Luca sat in the van for a little while, writing down a list of what he needed to get. With that clutched tightly in his hand, Luca hopped out of the van and took a grocery cart from the lot as he headed inside. By the time he made it, his hair was already soaked, and his shirt stuck to his skin in a very uncomfortable way. He hoped he would at least dry off while he was here.

He'd barely gotten two items on his list before someone recognized him and came over to chat. Luca was always happy to chit chat. The lady was balancing a small child on her hip and holding the hand of another one who stood beside her. She smiled as she told him all about their progress in school and how she wanted to sign the youngest one up for vacation bible school as soon as he was old enough. Luca nodded along and made his own inputs. When it came to small talk, he was pretty great at it. It wasn't long before half an hour had gone by just talking to this one person. It felt nice to interact with someone that wasn't a hunter, and to talk about the church and normal people things. Luca had gotten so caught up in this whole 'supernatural' thing lately that he didn't get this very often anymore.

Finally, the woman said she needed to check out and get the little one home for a nap. Luca said his fairwell and waved at the kids. The older one waved back in the sloppy manner that kids do. With a smile on his face, Luca continued the task of marking item off his list.