INTERACTIONS
Noah

"She wasn't shit. I could tell she placed too much confidence in herself. I think she was old, but powers? She can smell the scent of a mankind. And, she's charming. But wait a minute. You want to bone her, don't you? Admit it, if you do."

They approached the bar where Adrian spotted the two hunters. He vigilantly looked for them, but he couldn't find them. They were there twenty minutes ago, but it appeared they departed. This angered Adrian. He put the truck in park and hurried Noah to come with him.

They entered the bar and searched. Adrian described what they were wearing. The hunters looked inconspicuous in jeans and T shirts. Adrian thought he spotted them a few times, but he was wrong. He wanted to take a patron's head and smash it into the bar. Then, he collected himself and made one last scan. Nothing. Noah and him left the booze joint.

"I wanted to fuck somebody up. Twenty minutes and they're not there. Let's just go."

They went back to the truck and climbed in. They were sitting there in a public parking spot when Adrian pulled out a marijuana cigar from the hole in the side door panel. He smoked some of it and asked Noah if he wanted some. Noah wondered, and said he would like some later on. He put it out and stuck it in his pocket, and started the truck.

"Let's go. Maybe we could go back to the old vampire with powers," he laughingly said.

Once they were on the road the two of them exchanged some conversation. Adrian turned on the satellite radio. It was on country, which he liked. At once, they realized that neither the fugitive witch or the hunters were nowhere around. Adrian yawned.

"I need a cup of coffee," nodding to Noah. They headed to McDonald's.

---

Helene anxiously awaited a reply from the man, unaware that her actions were not going unnoticed by someone who had already claimed the prey before her. Despite being just over a century old, this was Helene's first hunt and the effects of her hunger were enough for her to forget such basic decorum. She was nervous, frightened even, but there was also a certain degree of excitement at the thought of how she would proceed. Those thoughts would remain fantasy as a stranger came between her and her target, which she first thought of as rude since they were having a conversation. It had taken enough courage to approach the wounded man, but now she had to somehow ask the mysterious woman to leave. "E-excus-" Her quiet voice was drowned out by the music before cutting off, startled by the sudden command the lady gave to the three men with aggressive confidence.

A growing feeling of dread filled her chest as they left leaving her alone with this foreboding woman. Helene began to panic thinking this woman was out to get her. She just wanted a little bit of blood! Her mother was going to be so upset! As the woman turned to speak to her, Helene felt as she might die right there and then from the scary gaze she was giving her. "M-my deepest apologies!" She uttered out in strong french accent, clasping her hands in front of her and performing a long bow as her whole body tensed. More of her? That meant she knew that Helene was a vampire! "C-corpses?" Her voice stuttered, believing the mystery woman was going to make her a corpse right here instead but the look on her face meant she might just be spared. Despite how intensely terrifying she was, Helene closed her eyes tightly she so would be less afraid and introduced herself "MyNameIsHeleneSinclaire, MayIKnowYours?" The words were said so fast they seemed to blend into one, made worse by her accent.

Helene's body tensed waiting for a reply, unaware of the weight that her last name carried in the Vampire world. If Alexander Drake was the Night King, then Catherine would be the Night Queen. A sizable detachment of the Sinclaire Clan resided in Ember Grove, overseeing their North American operations under the leadership of Augustus Saul.

Ava expected the hungry girl to snap aggressively in return for dismissing her meal in front of her, but showed instead a surprising degree of courtesy. It was a breath of fresh air in comparison to Ava’s encounter with vampires just moments ago, who appeared much more concerned with the power dynamics between them. What was most surprising however, was the girl’s thick French accent and the indifferent way she disclosed her own name. If she was truly related to the Sinclaires of the vampire world, she must know the weight it carries.

“What a surprise.” Ava found a genuine smile tugging at her lips in reaction to Helene’s demeanour and the nostalgia of her French accent. “You’re rather polite for a little monster.” Ava hadn’t put much thought into her choice of words - they came naturally - though she wondered how the snow-haired girl would react. She seemed so human and pure, but Ava’s prejudice towards vampires rejected the notion that her behaviour was nothing more than a facade. After all, how could a vampire be virtuous?

Ava leaned in closer to Helene, so she could speak at a lower volume. “If you're curious about the corpses, a few others decided to have a feast in the alley and left the remains in the dumpster there. It seemed like you wanted to contribute. Well, you would have, if you went ahead and took what remained of my leftovers.” She followed her teasing remarks with a light chuckle.“Au fait, je suis Ava. Ça fait longtemps que je n'ai pas parlé avec quelqu'un en français.” (Anyways, I’m Ava. It's been a long time since I spoke with someone in French.)

Despite the delight of speaking French with someone again, Ava’s words carried a hint of sorrow. She hadn’t visited her hometown since the 18th century. As much as she missed the sparkling ports of Marseille and grandeur of the palace, the past was something Ava sought to leave behind. Either way, she was sure France looked much different now than the images in her memory.

A pause lingered for a moment as Ava reminisced on the scenery of her birthplace. It was short-lived, since the curious matter of Helene’s name quickly became more important to Ava than daydreaming about the past. “You seem brave to be sharing the name of Sinclaire so openly. Are you related to Catherine?"

Millie stared at him in confusion when he called her entertaining. She wondered for a moment if he thought of her entertaining in the same way someone considered a clown entertaining. However, then his next words convinced her she was overthinking and she beamed at him. There was doubt still somewhere in the back of her mind but she wanted so bad to believe his words that she ignored it. Things had not blown up in her face for once. He knew what she did and he did not care. Things could just continue as they were without any guilt! She suddenly threw her arms around him and hugged him with excitement. "I'm so sorry. I really love you! I won't cast a spell on you ever again." She did not let go and hugged him for a long time before getting up and beginning to finish off his dinner as she answered his final question, "I believe a few weeks now... But... I've made you your favorite soup!"

She used a ladle to spoon it into a bowl and handed him the bowl, her body shaking with anxiety. Things were okay now right?

Time: Sunset
Location: Art Exhibit --> University Parking Lot
Interactions: @helo - Elias, @princess - Angel
Mentions: @funnyGuy - Sean; @Tae - Sorrel; @Ithradine- - Volfango

Shay watched as the fedora man came over to her and yelled at the red haired warrior to ease up. When the woman released her wrist, Shay pulled her arms back and covered her legs with them and glowered. She stared at the woman begging her to inform her of where Alexander’s clan was and managed to snicker. This girl, was she really thinking she could take them on alone? She was clearly part of operation humanity, but why was she indicating to go alone? Shay shook her head at her as she struggled to stand up. Black dots danced across her vision and she swore she saw her mother before her, scolding her for using dark magic. It only caused her heart to shatter more.

The warrior’s voice echoed in her mind; meet you up front, black Toyota… Shay had played this game before. Meeting someone, or going with a stranger, had been the end of her. And who was to say after she gave the information, they wouldn’t just kill her? No. She wasn’t going to die after giving it up. She didn’t know anymore. The exhaustion and strain of her light and dark magic was beginning to take its toll. Her patience was waning thin as she flinched at the sudden howling. Shay glared at the wolves, but also couldn’t help but marvel at them. What an interesting way to live; half human, half werewolf. She didn’t know where else to go but this girl’s fucking car and hell was breaking loose.

”Corium,” she whispered and disappeared from sight. She retrieved her painting then quickly made her way out of the school. The noise was causing her flashbacks to her 21st birthday; yells, screams and cries; gunshots echoing. Shay felt tears streaming down her face as she made it outside. Her breathing was quick and rapid, and she felt an aching pain in her body as she moved. Unfortunately, fighting vampires usually resulted in pain, and due to the heat of it, she hadn’t noticed. Her mind raced as she watched small drops of blood hit the ground around her. She had injuries and blood was dripping from her head. Shay muttered a healing spell as she moved and continued forward.

Once she found this girls’ car, she hurried toward it and pressed her hand to her head. Shay watched as operation humanity pilled in and moved into the back of the car quickly. Once inside, she curled up into a ball with fear. She held onto her painting with her legs, refusing to let go of it. Then, she pressed her hands over her ears to help drown out the noise. At the moment, the past was mixing with reality and she couldn’t tell which was real. Shay trembled and began waiting for it to end. She whispered a silencing spell to help dispel the noise, unable to listen to it anymore. It cost her more energy, but she was willing to bear it if it meant she wouldn’t listen to the chaotic misery.

Time: Sunset
Location: Headed home
Interaction: @FunnyGuy Alexander
Mention:
Vibes: ”Cause it gets my blood boiling and I’m coming unglued.”

---

Maeve could feel the chill in the air as Alexander expressed his displeasure of her medelings. She felt the smallest twinge of fear as she knew the monster Alexander could be, but as he seemed to threaten her that fear strangely washed away. He could be a monster, but so could she. She, too, had a dark history full of bloodshed and realized she could be just as dangerous. Where Alexander seemed to have a cold demeanor to him now, Maeve was the opposite. There was pure fire running through her now as she approached the gates of his little community. She wouldn’t let him go without a word of warning of her own. ”And you would do well to remember who is the one who turns a blind eye when a witch goes missing. Who maintains the peace in the covens here and keeps a war of witches from descending on you and your community.” There was something dangerous hidden behind her eyes as she looked at him, but then she flashed a wicked grin of her own as he got out. ”You have a lovely evening as well Mr. Drake.” And with that she sped off.

She had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself as she drove away, realizing she’d come rather close to letting her temper get the best of her. If she’d been her younger self she may have taken his words as a challenge and done something incredibly stupid. She’d grown wiser in her age, however, and words often would be enough. While she’d always liked Alexander, she didn’t entirely agree with what he did. She wished she could do more to help those who were victims to him, but fear held her back. It wasn’t entirely fear for herself as she’d lived a long time and she knew one day something would do her in, but it was more fear of losing the things she loved. She feared what would come of a war against Alexander as she knew the losses would be heavy. Could she win a war against him? There was potential there, but was it worth the risk? That was a question Maeve had often asked herself and found herself questioning once more as she made her way home to her quiet and hidden house in the woods.

---

Time: Sunset
Location: Art Exhibit at Ember Grove University
Interactions: @Ithradine Volfango @Milkman Finn
Mentions: @masterducky Remy @PotterShay @HeloElias @FunnyGuy Sean @princess Angel

---

One of the vampires had been pulled off of Sorrel which helped relieve her a bit. There was still one she was struggling with, but she had enough control over the situation to glance at the wolf who was helping her. She heard his voice in her mind and couldn’t help but chuckle a little at him. ”Nor did I. Wasn’t what I had planned for the night, but I also couldn’t stand by and watch innocents get harmed.” She said back to him, her German accent still apparent even in the telepathic link.

Suddenly there was a sharp noise that caused Sorrel to flinch and let out a snarl. Thankfully it also threw the vampire still on her off as well and Sorrel was able to recover fast enough to take advantage of it. She whipped around and grabbed hold of the vampire and began tearing his arms off. As she was doing this, another werewolf burst into the art exhibit and she could tell by his scent that it was Volfango. Something seemed a little off with him, however, and so she quickly dealt with the monster in front of her and bit into the vampire’s neck and shoulder area. It was a deep bite and while it didn’t immediately kill him, he would die eventually. He wouldn’t survive his bite and he was so out of it at this point she threw him aside. She then turned herself to face where Volfango was and she could see the feral look in his eyes as he let out a howl. It alarmed her and something about it made her wonder if he was much younger than she’d initially anticipated. ”I need to get him out of here. In fact we should all get out of here as I fear there’s another hunter on his way and I don’t want to take my chances with too many of them tonight. If you follow me I’ll do what I can to help you get out of here and back to your pack if you have one.” She told Finn as she glanced at him.

She took a moment to glance at the others in the room and it wasn’t hard to recognize them all as human. One of the girls seemed to disappear as she looked in that direction and Sorrel knew the action well enough to know the girl was a witch. She would be long gone from there which Sorrel considered smart as the other three seemed to be hunters. She then moved quickly and shoved her way through to get to Volfango. She glanced up at him as he was a bit bigger than her and tried to assess his potential threat level. ”Volfango I need you to take a breath and get a hold of yourself. We need to get ourselves out of here. Now.” There was an authoritative tone to her voice as she spoke to him in his mind. She hoped that her presence as an alpha would be enough to help calm him a bit, but she also kept her stance at a ready in case she needed to do more than talk and put him in his place. She kept focused on the large wolf that was her date, but did spare a second to see if the other hunter was close by.

Time: Night
Location: McDonalds
Interaction with: Adrian @role model

Noah tilted his head and laughed at Adrian’s words, ‘bone her,’ as if he would be interested in such a mortal desire. He knew Adrian to be old, much older than he, and wondered how, and why, the other vampire seemed to remain so stuck on base human desires. Drinking coffee, looking for cheap hook ups, and even the strange obsession and pride the vampire had with his truck; all of these things were far too human to hold any interest with Noah. Noah had once known the absolute rapture of pain and torment so complete it became pleasure. Sex, when compared to such a thing, was just as meaningless as any other boring human pleasure. There was only one vampire that he held any interest in beyond what they could do for him, and that was his sire. A deeply ingrained obsession that fueled all of his goals, his need to be powerful, to earn approval from older vampires, to fully rid himself of humanity, he did it all for Celeste. Noah would prove himself worthy of her gift, she had freed him from mortal life, from his imprisonment as a bloodbag, and he would earn his place by her side. All he needed to do was push himself beyond all sense of humanity, become a perfect monster, a flawless vampire. The old one he met at the pit was not vampiric perfection, and she would not be of any help to him in his goals.

They trip to find the hunters proved fruitless; they were long gone by the time they arrived. Noah was angry and hungry and now there were no hunters for him to play with. Once they were back in Adrian’s truck the vampire offered him a blunt. Noah could hear his parent’s lectures on ‘just say no’ in the back of his head, and it almost made him want to try it, just to spite their memory. But he simply shook his head no, he didn’t want anything that would calm him, Noah did not want to be mellow, he wanted to kill something. “I have no interest in the old one, she is a dull and fading cinder when compared to the raging inferno that is my sire.” Noah said as Adrian once again brought up the vampire they had met earlier. “But I’m beginning to think she interests you, Adrian. Getting lonely in your age? Looking for someone to reminisce about the time before lightbulbs and telephones?” Noah asked, playfully taunting the other vampire. He kept a watchful gaze out the window, looking for any sign of the hunters but the few people he saw all looked just as boring as the rest of the prey that spent their nights at The Pit.

For some reason Adrian brought him to a McDonalds, a place where the prey smelled like fryer grease. Noah didn’t care for the way grease soaked into his prey’s skin and made their blood tasted like old French fries. He didn’t understand the reasoning for a vampire to desire things like coffee or food, these were just remnants of things mortals required to stay alive. Vampires were evolved beyond such thing. “Coffee? Why? Noah said as he watched the building, there were very few cars there, maybe only a handful of people inside. If the hunters were gone, then maybe a small fast food place would be a close second for where to unleash his bloodlust. “Hey have you ever dunked a bloodbag in a deep fryer? Cause I haven’t. I wonder if they’d taste burnt.” Noah laughed as he thought about it.

Time: Evening
Location: Ember Grove University-Art Exhibit
Interaction with: Angel@princess, Remy@masterducky

Eli held back from the witch and redheaded hunter once he saw the other hunter let up some. Whatever they were discussing fell under the category of not his business now as long as the conversation didn’t escalate. He wasn’t here to piss off other hunters, and didn’t want to allow himself to be distracted the way he had earlier. With two more werewolves entering the exhibit, he certainly couldn’t afford to place his attention anywhere else. He hoped they were with the wolf who’d helped inside because where vampires who actively killed innocent people were a pretty obvious call, putting down a werewolf was a much more difficult matter, both physically and mentally. In his limited experience, werewolves didn’t really kill for fun, they were mostly people who occasionally had trouble with control. The wolf whose red eyes that indicated she was an alpha was clearly in control, but the other one let out a frightening howl.

The red head passed by him with a quick ‘your right,’ before attacking another vampire, and he noted that she killed like she was built for it. She had the same distant and cold presence that the majority of other hunters he’d come across carried. Holy Saviors, of course, were a bit of a different story, but the inviting friendliness they had was nothing more than a convincing lie. Coldness was not exactly conducive to cult recruitment. He understood the chilly aura of other hunters for what it was, a means of self-preservation. He took a quick glance back to check on the witch but she was long gone. A shame as he had meant to thank her for whatever spell she’d cast earlier that had prevented him from being killed.

He watched carefully as the alpha wolf moved towards the large wolf who had let out the howl that shook the ceiling. He moved slowly towards the redhead and the child, not wanting to make any sudden movements that could startle a werewolf. ”So is the wolf pack with you or should I be worried that it might be past their dinner time?” He asked the other hunter, keeping his voice low so as not to worry the hat stealing child that was with her. He had a clip with silver bullets in his pocket but did not want to grab the gun from its holster to switch the ammo out, he didn’t want to do anything that might provoke the wolves. ”Hey tiny hat thief, you know I have it on good authority that Santa’s always watching and he doesn’t like to see stealing.” Eli said, addressing the kid with a half hearted attempt at a serious tone. It wasn’t like he could actually be all that mad with a vampire killing, werewolf riding, child. Even if she was a thief, that would just be silly.

Time: Evening
Location: Home
Interactions: @princess Millie
Mentions: N/A

---

Marius chuckled as Millie hugged him and he hugged her back, holding her for as long as she wished. ”I love you too Millie.” He told her, but in the back of his mind he wondered if he really knew what love was. Did either of them actually know what love was? Was he even capable of showing love? These were all questions he pushed out of his mind as Millie let go of him and began ladling out his favorite soup. He did still enjoy regular food of course, but he had to go out every night to find a different type of meal to satiate the constant thirst he always had now. If he didn’t then the chances of him feeding off of Millie were quite high and he didn’t want to scare her away.

”Thank you, my dear.” He said as he took the bowl from her and began eating the soup. After a few moments of silence he opened his mouth to speak again. ”I just had a brilliant idea of how you can make things up to me. Since you’d been casting a spell on me for so long I think it’s only fair that if I need a spell cast at some point you’d do it for me with no questions asked. Not saying I need something like that right now or anything, but if I ever do. What do you say? Does that sound fair to you?” He asked her with a grin, curious on what her answer would be.

Location: Ember Grove University - Art Exposition
Time: Night
Interacting with: @teaSorrel @IthradineVolvango
Mention:

Finn watched as the female wolf tore apart the other vampire. Her words echoed through his mind. ‘Also I could not stand by and watch innocents get hammered’. Did she fight to protect the humans? The creatures that tend to see them as monsters that need to be put down? How innocent could you be if your kind created organisations like operation humanity and the holy saviors. An odd sense of morality for a werewolf but at the same time her words made the young wolf wonder about why he fought.

To protect the innocent? He himself could not really be described as being innocent. Finn had beaten up people in the street. People he didn’t know, people who had not wronged him. People he had never seen before that just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. There was no real reason to do it. Maybe he was bored or frustrated, maybe it made him feel more alive. Some sort of adrenaline addiction that fueled his desire for violence. As if he could only value life when he was staring death right in the eyes.

Just as the last vampire bited the dust another wolf barged through the door. Big, wild and totally not in control of his instincts. From the remarks of the alpha it was clear she saw the threat that he was to the other people in the school. Finn just saw a challenge. He knew all too well how changelings are in their first month after receiving what his father would call ‘the gift of ascending your human state’. Just for that, his father had a reinforced concrete room with a heavy steel door in the basement. Solitary confinement until they would have gained control over their state.

The young wolf looked at the other male wolf in the room. He was way bigger and bulkier than him. He was the kind of werewolf that made Finn look like a small fry. Unlike the young wolf, he was the kind of werewolf that would have made Finn’s father proud. Finn braced himself, if that big guy would make one wrong move he would show the world that his size doesn’t hold him back. That he could overcome physically stronger and bigger wolves. He would prove to himself that his father was wrong for calling him weak.

” He’s feral. There is no telling who he’s going to attack next. If he doesn’t snap out of it, I'll knock him out. Then we can carry him out of here. More hunters would become a drag real quick. Silver bullets are annoying.” Spoke Finn in a far more serious, even a bit agitated tone. It was clear that the sudden appearance of the 3th wolf threw Finn off. He felt angered, agitated by his appearance and the young wolf didn’t know why or whom he’s angry with. “Anyway, I left my pack and have no plans to ever go back. Not that I’m allowed to return anyway. Something with old traditions and stuff. Anyplace to go is fine with me. As long as it is close to Ember grove.”

Time: Night
Location:Alexander's Private Chambers, New Paeonia
Interaction with: @Helo Noah and @role model Adrian
Mentions: @Pink Khione Vivian and @Potter Shay

Olivia Amarante sat quietly on one of the couches within what appeared to be a large transitional style lounge room. Her blue eyes scanned the room, noting a significant change in furniture style. Alexander had favored a more Victorian style look to his quarters for over a century. The man was walking proof that in three millennia, life still had new experiences to dive into.

She had not yet discussed her news to him as he preferred a more private setting. Even when she had informed him of how pressing the news was, he forbade her from sharing it until he was ready. So there she sat, quietly thinking of how to tell Alexander that the witch known as Shay Knight not only escaped but had knowledge of very sensitive information that could be leaked to the enemy.

Alexander entered the lounge room with a smile on his face and his jacket removed. A glass filled with deep red held in his right hand and a wooden pool cue held in the left. Olivia knew the drill well. She mirrored her master's good mood, smiling at his arrival. Her concern failed to leave her expression.

"The cues came in! The billiards room... which used to be the gallery, is finished. And just on time might I add. All I need is a worthy teacher to learn from." Alexander sipped his drink and took a seat on the identical couch across from Olivia.

"Yes, and I hear you are attempting to outsource. I am sure there are a few in our community that can teach-" Alexander cut Olvia off

"Absolutely not. I will learn from a master, and I have found one thanks to a tip from one of our more recent acquisitions." He sipped some of his drink again. "Humans are vile, but some can be made into beautiful creatures." Alexander flashed a smile to his subordinate. She forced another smile, but he was not convinced by it. "Out with it then. I am now ready for my terrible news." Alexander's warm expression grew cold.

"Shay Knight…"

"Who?"

"The witch who recently escaped. She has information on why we need the witches. The fool involved in her escape informed her of this knowledge. Knowledge he became privy to after overhearing one of our conversations. I will ensure he dies as slowly. I can have him killed over the course of a year… a decade if you require!" Alexander sat as still and silent as a statue. "Alexander. We will recapture her. I will make sure of it."

Both glass and wood let loose a sudden crackling sound as both were crushed in Alexander's grip. Olivia flinched as she felt she was part of the blame. In his right hand, trickling blood and shattered glass, and in his left, a splintering pool cue. Both hands tightened into fists.

"Shay Knight…" Alexander stood from his seat, letting the pool cue and shards of glass land on the carpet. He paced around the furniture within the large room as if each step could accomplish easing his frustration as he allowed the name to stew in his mind. After several seconds, he stopped and faced Olivia with cold piercing eyes.

"We will halt all collection operations. No new cattle until her head is at my feet! No new recruits! None! If I hear that someone has changed a human before this witch is dead, I will personally kill the newly changed, the one that changed them, and have the one that changed the insubordinate starved for five days at a time until we find and kill that witch! Everything stops until we find and kill Shay Knight!"

After being loudly dismissed from his quarters, Olivia moved hastily and made sure all members of the Sanguine Moon clan were aware of Alexander's number one priority. She had been a simple Be On the Lookout target, but now she would be actively hunted by all members of the clan. Her face, her name, her known spells were all rapidly being shared with each and every member. Let the witch hunt begin.

Time: Night
Location: Ember Grove University Parking Lot
Interaction with:

---

Multiple Operation Humanity SUVs and Sedans began arriving at the library wing of the university campus to cordon the area. Agents that arrived at the front noticed Sean crouched behind a parked car and aiming down his sights at the entrance of the wing.

"Stone?" The highest-ranked agent in the group recognized Sean.

"Designate a team to grab the bodies! Dead bloodsuckers and dead or incapacitated humans out here! At least one big fucking wolf inside. I got the dog whistle on so he will probably try to remain inside where he can't hear it as much. Have guns trained on that broken window." Sean informed without moving from his position. His rifle was loaded with silver nitrate rounds, and ready to put down werewolves the same way he did the vampires.

The highest-ranked agent approached Sean and nodded. The scene was fubar at best, but it was good to see Sean was trying to handle it the best he could. The agent turned to his men equipped with assault rifles and issued them commands based on the known information.

Angel… Remy… please tell me you're safe. Just walk out of those fucking doors and show me you're safe.

There were agents that positioned themselves around the wing, ready to engage any creatures of the night, while small teams mobilized to bag and tag all of the bodies on the scene. Once the bodies were cleared outside, the agents would proceed to clear the building.

---

Helene's muscles relaxed a bit at the smile on Ava's lips taking it as a sign that perhaps the mysterious woman was not out to get her. The naive vampire's pinkish-red eyes blinked twice at the strange compliment "Um, thank you." It was the first time anyone had referred to her as a monster, but Ava didn't seem to have any ill will attached to it which caught her off-guard. Her thoughts turned to her first night in Ember Grove with Boris. He had been a werewolf but they had managed to form a connection she'd never forget even if she never saw him again. Perhaps this person was not an adversary but a friend as well? Helene really wanted one right now.

"Oh. Well its good you stopped me when I did!" She said lightly with a small smile following Ava's laugh, but the look in her eyes suggested she was saddened by the information. It lasted only for a moment as the language of Helene's homeland came to her ears and excitement filled her instead of remorse for the dead. Her previous fears were washed away in light of this new information "Ravi de vous rencontrer, Ava! Je suis tellement content de savoir que tu parles français! She spoke a little quick but her words did not blend together like before, she was just glad. Besides a few annual events, Helene had spent most of her life in the Sinclaire's main estate and hearing her native tongue was comforting.

Unlike the forced smile earlier, Helene's smile now was full and bright forgetting her original reason for being here in favor of talking more with Ava. She titled her head to the side as Ava seemed to spaced out thinking about something, when she asked a question that caused Helene to flinch in shock wondering how she could have figured it out. After realizing she might have just given herself away, she quickly tried to think of a way to get out of the question "She is my Mo-" Her hand shot to her mouth to cover it up after nearly letting it slip. Helene coughed before continuing, letting her hand return to its position in front of her "She is my, um, my mother's close friend." Her own voice didn't sound completely sure of her own answer. Mother would be so ashamed of her right now.

Any informed vampire would be aware of the mysterious daughter of Catherine Sincalire, referred to as the Phantom Princess because very few outside of the Sinclaire knew her name let alone have ever saw her in person. A number of rumors have circulated over the decades as to her name, appearance, and personality. Every year a number of requests come in from different vampire clans across the globe asking for the Phantom Princess's hand in marriage in the vain hope one is accepted but every one is always declined. Vampires invited to the Sinclaire Estate would often report back that the voice of an angel and heavenly music resonated throughout its halls.

---

Voflango pounced on the vampire that Sorrel had tossed aside and began tearing into it like a starving dog given a scrap of meat, although this was not to satisfy his hunger. It was a sharp contrast to his charming and confident human side that could easily put on at ease, while this form did nothing but instill fear and anxiety. All the young werewolf saw was red and the only thing that was stopping him from recklessly going after the human hunters was Sorrel and the presence she exuded as an alpha along with her familiar scent. Fangs were bared as Volfango backed off from the wounded vampire who laid motionless with a contorted look of pain. Volfango turned back towards the group of human hunters, staring them down as thick muscle began to tense up. He was ready to spring into action waiting for one wrong move not caring if he could actually take them all on.

His attention diverted from the human hunters and the other werewolf as Sorrel approached him. Volfango was positioned in a way that made it seem he could lunge forward at any moment. For the first time he stood up on his legs, his form appearing even larger, as he looked into her eyes directly. He let out a single, low growl and lowered himself back onto all fours once again but this time he was no longer baring his teeth submitting himself to the control of the alpha. Volfango looked back over at the three hunters and dug his claws into floor, before turning around to face the exit.

This had been only the second time Volfango had even been in his werewolf form and felt like a trance in which he had no control. The first time was simply a blacked-out memory but he couldn't shake the feeling he had done something horrible. After tonight, there would be no more running from the reality he now faced. Any hope of living a normal life rested in learning to control his new strength and understanding the strange new world that he had been forced into.

Ava tended to the glass of rum and coke as Helene spoke, taking sips in between her words. The sweetness of the soda was quickly cut by the slight burn and spiced aroma of the alcohol passing through her throat. Though food became less enjoyable over time, Ava was grateful alcohol still had the same effect as it did when she was human. In addition to all the wine she had consumed from the art exhibit, she began feeling a quiet numbness settling into her extremities and mind.

As Helene spoke, Ava was intrigued by the way she smiled in several nuanced tones, from a small, saddened smile to an excited and bright grin - it all seemed too lively. It was so different from the grisly looks of many vampires, who had become desensitized to the act of murder. Ava didn’t doubt that her features carried the same grim characteristic - but for a moment, in the midst of her conversation with the chipper girl, she almost forgot that the girl was nevertheless, a vampire. It sent a shiver down her spine to realize that Helene was nearly successful in taking Ava’s guard down. Though it seemed silly to fear such an innocent looking girl, a part of Ava began to worry that Helene’s amicable demeanour would be capable of softening the hate Ava had for vampire-kind. As she continued to observe the strange girl’s expressions, Ava decided that a fitting description for the human-like vampire was summed up in the word, uncanny.

Putting aside Ava's discomfort towards her, she also got the impression of how guileless Helene was from her reply to the question about her surname. Though she stopped herself from saying ‘mother’ the first time, it seemed that her solution was to append ‘close friend’ to the statement. Despite the effort Helene made to avoid admitting this, it seemed likely that she was Catherine's elusive 'Phantom Princess', and Ava had the good fortune of being one of the first to meet her. When dealing in business with the Sinclaire Foundation, it was hard not to come across rumours about the sheltered girl, and Ava had heard her fair share. It quickly dawned on her that this could’ve been the origin of Helene’s naive disposition - a pureblood princess hidden from the world, with riches and comfort all provided for her. Nevertheless, Ava decided to play along with her ruse for the time being, though she was rather curious about why she was out of hiding in the first place.

“Well, I happen to have worked for your mother’s close friend, just a handful of times.” Ava felt her lips tug into a smirk. “She has a problem with rogue employees every now and then. I happen to have a hobby for dispatching vampires. Supply and demand, really.”

Ava finished off the rest of her drink, and promptly ordered a Manhattan right after.

TIME
Late Night

LOCATION
The road

INTERACTIONS
Helo

The big black truck pulled into the drive thru circle. There was only two cars in front of him, so it would be a quick trip. It'd be quick anyway, but the woman with some kids ordered two large bags of food. It took five minutes, but she went away. Adrian pushed the truck forward.

He handed the woman at the first window five dollars and got his change. He pulled up and requested extra creamer with his medium coffee. He sat the cup of java down in a placeholder, then put his reimbrusement in his pant pocket. He could not help but thinking about the vein in her neck jumping a little bit. He asked the McDonalds employee if she wanted a date, but she declined stating she was in a relationship. Oh well.

He turned into the exit lane and hit the road while his coffee cooled. He thought about a few things before he resumed the conversation with Noah. First, he told him that the old woman lived on ego and wasn't entirely attractive to everyone, especially Adrian. Then, he complimented his coffee saying, "I like coffee with creamer because the aroma alerts me and the packets of creaner add some light taste to the whole burning hot coffee."

They rode down the highway talking a little, and then Adrian asked Noah what it was the witch woman named Shay guilty of?

Time: Night
Location: The KILL Truck
Interaction with: Adrian @role model

Time kept ticking by, time he was wasting at a McDonalds drive thru, all while thirst burned in his throat. To keep himself occupied Noah fiddled with everything in the car the way a child would. He messed with the air conditioning until it was blasting out freezing air onto his undead skin. He alternated between unlocking and locking the door as the button made a satisfying and repeated popping noise and switching the radio stations until he found mariachi music. He fully reclined his seat and alternated next with rolling the window up and down repeatedly, and slowly increasing the radio volume to see how loud it got before Adrian found it irritating. It was something he did almost instinctively and it took a several minutes before he remembered why; this was how he used to annoy his mother.

“Noah William Beaumont, I swear to god if you don’t knock it off, I am buying you a strait jacket.” A voice was heard only in his own head, his mother’s voice. Not angry but with it’s comforting mix of exasperation and amusement, followed by a slight chuckle. A cold chill ran threw him that had nothing to do with the blasting AC in the car and he immediately sat up straight in the reclined seat. For a single second he saw his mother’s face in the review mirror, looking as she did the day he had found her dead; pale, emaciated, and hauntingly peaceful. His head snapped behind him to check but there was nothing there; no ghouls just his mind playing its tricks again. He slowly reached down and returned his seat to its upright position just as a human handed coffee over to Adrian.

Noah wanted to grab the human through the car window; why shouldn’t he, Adrian had his silly human drink, why shouldn’t Noah have blood now? But he didn’t, solely for the fact that Adrian was between him and the prey. Even more appalling than the smell of grease and oil was Adrian flirting with prey like it was worth anything. He hoped they would follow the car in front of him, the car that held them up for so long, and feed on its passengers before they consumed the greasy food and made their blood taste like the grease smelled. Before he could make his suggestion to Adrian though, his cell phone chimed with its new message for him. A text from Olivia, Warden of his clan, and her words were laws. It seemed such a strange way for creatures of such immense power to communicate, so pedestrian, to use cell phones. Vampires in movies never gave orders in such an anti-climactic way, and Noah liked the dramatic flair he saw in cinematic vampires.

Any means necessary? He texted back focusing now on his fortunate distraction.

Yes. The single word Noah had wanted, for it meant his dark imagination would have no limits.

“Guilty of?” He responded to Adrian’s question with a shrug. What other reason was needed beside her return was his master’s will? “She is Lord Drake’s pet and she has run away. He wants her found and we should find her first.” Noah told him, and that was really all he knew about the witch. Why his Lord wanted her didn’t really matter to him, only the potential for praise when he found the witch mattered to him. The text meant that now more vampires would be looking. Bodies left to be found in the woods would longer do, he needed the witch’s attention drawn out faster. A message the witch would find quickly, the McDonalds would have been a good place, but it was gone now. He didn’t want to go back and he didn’t want to share. He’d let Adrian worry about coffee and flirting with the prey, and Noah would concern himself with only finding Drake’s pet. Then we he found the witch his clan would be proud of him, they’d see how loyal he was, he would earn respect.

“Are we going home now? We should think of plan to catch the witch for tomorrow night.” Noah added, starring out the window as the truck rolled down the highway. He tried to clear his mind from the dwelling on things he did not want to remember, focusing on his gnawing thirst and letting it ground him back to what he now was; a vampire and not a human child, and he had a job to do. He had no intention of spending any time resting until his hunt was finished. He already had a new plan, and Noah thought it was a good one.

---

Helene could only hope that Ava wouldn't catch her slip-up as she really didn't want to give her mother another reason to come looking for her. Tomorrow she would be doing her first performance in front of a real, live audience and she was so excited. The restaurant already had a sign out front advertising her addition to the quartet and was embarrassingly flattering. Perhaps Ava would like to cone? It would give her an excuse to talk again and it would make her happy to play for her! Helen would be lying if she said she didn't want to know what Ava thought of her music.

A bit of panic settled in her chest as she heard Ava worked for the Foundation a few times and struggled not to show it. A hobby for dispatching vampires? Helene knew her mother would take down some violent vampires but she always took it as a something that had to be done. It was unsettling that someone did it for a hobby, but Helene rationalized that if Ava and the Foundation were going after the same vampires it must be fine! "She really doesn't like rogue vampires..." she let out a light chuckle.

Right after she said that. she started to feel the effects of her hunger once more. Helene didn't want to be like this for her performance tomorrow and certainly didn't want to add another corpse tonight! Helene lowered her and began tapping her pointer-fingers together "I know we just met but...could you help me? I-Its my first time and I'm not sure how to do it without hurting someone." She said nervously, worried that Ava might laugh at her. Her new friend seemed to have way more experience with this kind of thing than she did "That man was still alive so.." Her eyes tightened up and replaced her nervous disposition with determination "..show me how!" Pinkish-red eyes showed the sincerity in her words.

Was she hearing this right? It was her first time hunting? Ava found the statement so unbelievable at first that she brushed it off as a joke. A chuckle rang through her cold glass as she lifted it to her lips, taking another sip of the Manhattan in her hands. Ava could tell Helene was a century old or so - sheltered or not, having not hunted in a hundred years was implausible. Even if she entertained the notion, the image of the vindictive Catherine Sinclaire as an overprotective helicopter parent made Ava laugh again. It soon became clear, however, that Helene was serious, when Ava noticed determination and sincerity in her gaze. Still, Ava found it hard to trust her apparent candor.

Ava put down her glass slowly, pondering on what to say. Awkwardness momentarily took hold of the atmosphere, now that silence replaced her mistaken laughter. She never had to explain to a vampire how to hunt before - most do it instinctively out of hunger. Admittedly, Ava respected the amount of self-control Helene possessed, and that she seemed to care about leaving her victims alive. Even so, giving someone instructions on how to hurt someone less felt like she was arming Helene with a gun, so that she may pull the trigger.

“Excuse my laughter earlier… I had thought you meant it as a jest. My bad.” Ava spoke naturally, but the realization that she had just apologized to a vampire aroused a jarring feeling in her chest. “Anyway, it seems like you have a fair degree of self control. It won’t be too difficult for you.”

Ava paused for a second, carefully considering her words so they sounded less… aggressive. Despite this, it felt like she was admitting her own lack of humanity by enabling Helene to hunt. “Humans have… four or five litres of blood in their bodies I believe. They can lose a litre or so and still walk around.” She intentionally refrained from giving a direct order or instruction, but felt that her statement implied enough. Nevertheless, it provoked a slight feeling of disgust, leaving Ava uncomfortable in her own body.

“Well, I don’t intend to interrupt your meal much longer. If I ever do see you again, let me know how it goes.” She swiftly made her way through the crowds again, and escaped into the darkness of the night air.

Time: Sunset
Location: Art Exhibit at Ember Grove University
Interactions: @Ithradine Volfango @Milkman Finn
Mentions: @masterducky Remy @PotterShay @HeloElias @FunnyGuy Sean @princess Angel

---

Sorrel kept her focus on everything around her, but her main focus was Volfango. She stared him down, emitting a low growl of warning as she awaited him to submit. When he finally did there was a small feeling of relief, but she kept her guard up just in case. She glanced over to Finn as he spoke and could sense the small bit of agitation within him. She needed to get these two out of there now. "I'm quite aware he's feral. Unfortunately I was not aware how young he was when I left him to come help in here. If I need your help taking him down I will let you know, but for now I also need you to calm yourself. I will not have any displays of male dominance in this library and if that happens I will show you both exactly why I'm an alpha." Her tone was kind, but still very firm.

Outside she heard more vehicles approaching and she knew the front exit was no longer safe. They needed another way out. She glanced around until she spotted the back door. In theory if they went out that way they could head out towards the woods. From there they could make their way back to her place where they would be safe for the night. "Let's go out the back and into the woods. From there I can lead us to my place where you both are welcome to stay for the night and be safe. In the morning we can figure some other things out." She instructed, more for Finn than Volfango as she wasn't sure he would comprehend what she was saying. She then turned her attention back to Volfango.

"I need you to try hard to focus, to find that man that was taking me on a lovely date tonight. It's going to be hard, I know it is and I know most of this isn't going to make it through to you, but you need to try. I'm here, I'm not going to leave you. I will protect you and I will teach you how to control this, but for now you need to trust me and follow me." She told him before nudging him towards the back door away from the humans and the danger. Whoever changed him and left him on his own like this was one of the worst kinds of people in her book. If she ever met the person there would be issues for sure. For now, however, she could only do what she knew to be right and try to take him in. To help him in any way she could.

She gave one last glance over to the human hunters in the room and tried her best to communicate that they wouldn't be any threat to them. That they were leaving and wouldn't cause any harm to anyone before nudging Volfango again and moving toward the back exit. Tonight had turned out VERY differently than she'd expected.

Time: Morning, Saturday
Location: Ember Grove
Interaction with: N/A

Last night had been a bit of a shitshow… Could have been worse, though some wish it had gone better. Operation Humanity tried their damnedest to create a coverup. The campus suspended the fall semester as "local authorities" investigated the terrorist attack involving drugging those at the art exhibition with hallucinogens. Those that survived the attack were brought in for questioning. The questioning was used as a way to find out what the witnesses had been exposed to and to feed them the story Operation Humanity was trying to push. The deceased were taken to a facility under the guise of a morgue that sorted out the people from the monsters.

Agents were debriefed thoroughly once they returned to base and were at the mercy of the piecing-eyed Trotter.

Saturday morning was just the product of the night before. People mourned those who had gone missing or perished at the university campus and reluctantly digested the media's spin on the details. There were many questions that were not answered and some would never be answered at all. Just another weekend in Ember Grove. The sky was overcast today, threatening pedestrians with the possibility of rain.