[IC] MONSTORY

[Dead Cruiser]

"Hmm?" Riley cocked his head, a bemused expression on his face as Izzy stopped herself from revealing her name. "You know, it's considered impolite to ask somebody's name without giving your own." He grinned, finding his own light-hearted scolding amusing. "But I'll let it slide."

In response to her second question, Riley continued to beam at her with the same cocky grin. As though he something she didn't. This was fairly obviously the case in many respects, but it did have a certain unnerving quality to it. As though he still had the upper hand on her from such a distance.

"No need for gratitude. You only saved yourself." His answer was supremely cryptic, bordering on the nonsensical. "But boy, those guys were something else, huh? No time to think between the three of 'em." He leaned in Izzy's direction, placing a hand beside his mouth as though he were telling a secret over such a great distance. "Most folks would put down a barrier before getting down to it in a place like this. They must really have some place to be."

[Riven Wight]

Izzy’s head cocked slightly to the side at Riley’s playful scolding. She shifted her weight uneasily at the way he kept staring at her. As friendly and kind as he seemed, the way he looked at her made her want to squirm. Though it was no surprise she knew nothing about this new world she had been thrust into, everyone else, it would seem, knew just about everything. Cerasus had essentially thrown her to the wolves to figure everything out for herself. Her hands balled into fists at the thought. She had a bone, or twenty, to pick with him. And now, yet another mystery stood before her, a mystery she had yet to decide whether it was as harmless to her as it appeared, or a well-hidden threat.
She looked at Riley, her head jerking back slightly and brows furrowed at his statement of saving herself. “You’re kidding, right? Those three would have killed me, or worse, if you hadn’t stepped in.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “So yeah, a thanks is in order. So thank you, Riley.”
She gave a humorless laugh when he continued. “That’s putting it lightly,” she muttered. She took a half step back when he leaned forward and whispered, his words easily reaching his ears despite their softness. “A barrier?”

[Dead Cruiser]

Riley returned the cigarette to his mouth, his smile dying down just a bit, he still looked at Izzy with eyes like a jackal's. "No need to be so guarded, young miss. You're glaring, you know. So energetic. Did something good happen to you?" Izzy asked about the barrier he mentioned, to which he gave a nominal, lazy reply. "Oh, just something to keep passers-by, like myself, from interfering, like I did." He stretched his arms above his head, yawning and cracking his neck. "Well, this is all well and good, but I think we should go home for now. Pick up the conversation in private company."

[Riven Wight]

Izzy could think of quite a few reasons to be guarded, but she voiced none of them to Riley.
She snorted at the phrase she had heard him ask the hunters. "Not in the least."
“Oh,” was all she said when he explained what he had meant by ‘barrier.’ Thankfully for her, then, they had not used one.
Go home? she thought, looking at him with new interest as she tried to recall whether or not she had seen him around town before. She was pretty sure she would have easily remembered someone who dressed like him. That kind of attire was not one quickly forgotten. She then shifted her gaze around them at the thought that they were not as alone as it looked. Just as she had assumed Cutter had been the only one waiting for her. Without fully meaning to, she took a step closer to Riley. “You live around here?"

[Dead Cruiser]

Riley quirked an eyebrow at Izzy's question, having apparently expected her to understand what he meant. An odd expectation from someone that barely seemed to make any sense as it was. "No, no. I mean, that abandoned school. We'll return there."

[Riven Wight]

Izzy blinked at Riley. She opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it again. She thought about playing dumb, since he could have been guessing, but even the hunters had not figured out where Cerasus had been hiding.
Who is this guy? She shifted her weight.
“What school?” she asked softly, cautiously.

[Dead Cruiser]

"The abandoned school about thataways," He pointed in the approximate direction that Izzy had traveled to this place from. "You know the one, where you and that boy have been hiding out." He smiled his sly smile again, obviously aware that Izzy was trying to play dumb with him. "You just woke up there today, I'm assuming. You should remember it. Not feeling well? I suppose that's understandable."

[Riven Wight]

Izzy turned to look the way he pointed, then shifted quickly back to him. “Okay?” Her voice rose slightly at the end and turned the word into an unintentional question. “But how do you even know that?” She turned slightly to head in the direction he had correctly gestured to. Not particularly caring how rude it sounded or if it was bad etiquette to ask, she blurted out another question that had been mulling around in her head since he had first come to her rescue. "What are you?"

[Dead Cruiser]

"Hm? Why wouldn't I know? I'm the one that told that boy, Damocles, about the place." He said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I figured it was the right thing to do. He seemed like he was in trouble, dragging your body around and all, so I told him about a good spot."

When asked what he was (rather than who), Riley laughed a bit, scratching the back of his head as though this were a mildly embarrassing question to answer. "Oh, me? Sometimes I'm a mysterious traveler, at times a mysterious vagabond, at other times a mysterious troubadour, and on occassion a mysterious nomad. The classy kind." Apparently the common thread was that he was always mysterious. "Even sometimes the lowest vocal range in a women's chorus, but, uh..." He noticed the look that Izzy was giving him, and shrugged in a distinctly irresponsible gesture. "I'm just a dude that was passing by." Yeah, he was sleazy.

[Riven Wight]

Izzy had not thought about how Cerasus had gotten her to the school until that moment. “How would I know that, then?” she grumbled, growing annoyed at Riley’s persistent know-it-all tone.
She gave an irritated sigh at his long-winded answer for what he was. “In short, you’re a mystery. And someone I probably wouldn’t want to run into in a dark alley. Or choir.”
Izzy glanced to the shadows again, then to the still dark sky. She had not expected to return to the school without what she had come for. The sooner she could get out of this whole mess, the better. She looked at Riley in contemplation. He had already helped her out, twice, as it so seemed. Had he bore any ill will, he could have done both her and Cerasus in when he first saw them.
“I don’t suppose you would be willing to help me one more time?” She watched his face closely as she spoke. “Those hunters, they stole something. Something important. I need to get it back.”

[Dead Cruiser]

"Just as I said before. I don't help anyone; people help themselves." Riley gave a similar, cryptic answer to before. It seemed that he was fond of repeating himself when it came to certain phrases. "I'm generally aware of the situation, but I still think this is something that we should discuss with the Aberration Slayer." Seeing Izzy's blank expression in response to that epithet, he elaborated, "Damocles."

Unwilling to discuss the matter any further out in the open, Riley began meandering in the direction of the abandoned school, hands folded behind his neck in a relaxed posture. It would take about an hour to walk back at his casual pace, and Riley had a penchant for smalltalk. Mostly about inconsequential things; old TV shows, the weather, the state of the Peruvian economy, and so on.

[Riven Wight]

“Well, aren’t you the most forthright person I’ve ever met.” Izzy muttered under her breath. When he finished, she opened her mouth to ask, “Who?” doubting she would want to meet anyone with that title, when he answered her unspoken question. Her gaze darkened.
Figures. She ran a hand through the lose portion of her hair, her fingers catching on a knot. She hesitated for a moment when Riley headed toward Damocles’--and her--hideout, but then hurried after him, not wanting to be left alone with Cutter, Episode, and especially Thurdge lurking about.

* * *

With Riley’s pace infuriatingly slow, the hour walk to the abandoned school felt more like an eternity, especially with Riley’s small talk and the rather pointless ramblings he went on. Izzy had said little the entire trip, the slow pace giving her plenty of time to stew over the danger Cerasus had put her in, all but blindfolded.
She gave a relieved sigh when, at long last, the decaying school came into sight. Her hair hung freely, her hair tie around her wrist from her attempts at untangling with her fingers. A look of determination settled across her features as they went down the road.
With her shoulders back, she broke the pace she had considered overall pleasant just a few days ago, rushed ahead of Riley, and pushed one of the doors completely open a little harder than she had intended to, making it slam into the wall and the hinges squeal in protest.
“Cerasus!” she called, her voice echoing furiously off the decrepit walls. She was sure he would hear her no matter where he was in the school.

[Dead Cruiser]

Cerasus was only just around the corner as Izzy entered the school, crashing and yelling her way in. He poked his head out, and soon emerged completely into sight. He seemed to be in an amiable mood, not smiling, but not in his usual agitated state, either. Either he had not noticed that Izzy was bereft of his limbs, or he was not reacting to the sight.

In either case, as Izzy arrived, all he said to greet her was, "Hm? Yes, I'm here, no need to shout." He peeked behind Izzy, at Riley who was following close behind her. "Who is that with you? He seems familiar."

"I'm hurt," Riley responded, chuckling, "Is that all the thanks I get? I told you about this secret base, little Aberration Slayer."

"Ah, right... You. From then." Cerasus nodded, either having remembered or pretending that he had. Apparently Riley had been telling the truth earlier, at least to some extent. "And?" Cerasus immediately dropped his conversation with Riley to look back at Izzy, as though he had no interest in all at what the man had to say. There was a glimmer of something in his golden eyes. Was that... hope?

[Riven Wight]

The movement of Cerasus looking around the corner attracted Izzy’s attention, the action making him look that much more like the child whose form he had been exacted to take. Yet, how fitting that form was for his surroundings was uncanny, the ethereal aura about him making him seem more like a spirit trapped within the walls of the school he had once attended rather than a vampire.
When he glanced behind her and inquired about the man accompanying her, he showed no recognition. “You mean you don’t recognize him?” she asked sharply, turning to face Riley. But then, Cerasus seemed to finally remember him with a little push.
When he looked back to Izzy, she turned to return his stare, and the other matters at hand once more took precedence.
“And?” Izzy echoed bitterly, the hope--or what closely resembled it--in his eyes telling her he was asking about the mission he had sent her on. “And? Does it look like I’m carrying a bunch of severed limbs to you?” She moved her hands slightly to the side, gesturing to herself. “And if it wasn’t for him,” she waved a hand at Riley, “I’d be nothing but bloody smear in the road right now! You sent me out there with nothing! So, what,” she took a small step toward him, glaring savagely down at him, “it didn’t even occur to you to tell me that the hunters aren’t human? Slip your mind, did it, that one of them is the freaking Hulk’s brother?” she finished through her teeth.

[Dead Cruiser]

In response to Izzy's agitated tirade, Cerasus made a pensive sort of face at her, squinting and scratching his head. He didn't seem angry or upset, perhaps a bit disappointed, but mostly just confused. "You may not believe me, but I do actually have the utmost confidence in you. I have the sincerest belief that you should be able to defeat each of the hunters without undue effort. Hunting them down individually is well within your abilities, I can promise you. We really will not progress like this if you continue to doubt yourself, as well as doubt me."

All the while, Riley moved past Izzy and progressed up the steps, deeper into the school. The sound of metal groaning and scraping could be heard upstairs. Was he moving furniture around? Cerasus' brow furrowed as he glanced up the steps, to Izzy, and then back up the steps. He briefly hesitated, but then followed Riley upstairs to see what he was getting up to.

[Riven Wight]

Though Izzy had had no idea how she had expected Cerasus to react to her outburst, she had certainly not prepared for such an amicable response. She opened her mouth to say something, but could think of nothing to rebuttal with. Her thoughts were interrupted by what sounded like someone rearranging the school on the level above them. She glanced around, and realized that Riley was no longer on the main floor.
“What in the world?” she mused quietly.
She shared Cerasus’ glance to her, then ascended the stairs just a step behind him. She had pegged Riley as an odd one, to say the least, but rearranging the school furniture--as it sounded like he was doing as something let out a nerve-racking squeal as whatever-it-was scraped across the floor, the sound making an uncomfortable shudder run down Izzy’s spine--took it to a new level.

[Dead Cruiser]

The two vampires ascended the stairs to find Riley fast at work rearranging several desks within one of the dilapidated classrooms. He seemed to be forming out of them what could most readily be described as a bed. Perhaps there was no limit to how sleazy a single man could be. He continued fussing with his little project, until eventually taking notice of Izzy and Cerasus. He waved at them dismissively.

"Oh, don't mind me. Please, carry on with your chat."

Cerasus, still carrying a somewhat troubled expression, returned his attention to Izzy. "Yes, well, in any case... The night is still young. I imagine that if you were able to find them once, you can find them again. This can still be resolved tonight."

"Ah, about that," Riley interrupted, despite his previous insistence on being ignored, "There may be a hiccup in that plan. Perhaps the young miss should explain that to you."

[Riven Wight]

Izzy watched Riley curiously as he formed his make-shift bed. When he finally noticed them, Izzy raised her eyebrows questioningly at him. “Plan on sleeping over or something?”
Izzy reluctantly took her attention from Riley’s project when Cerasus spoke, then inhaled at the thought of finding the three again. Before she could reply, Riley spoke up.
She snorted. “Understatement of the century.” She ran a hand through her hair, took a couple deep breaths to make sure she could recount the night’s happenings calmly, or at least close to it, then looked to Cerasus. She quickly told him about the hunters, from the ambush to Riley stepping in, leaving no small detail out. “Something tells me that getting them apart is going to be next to impossible. At least without a better plan, but, you know, since I know so much about hunters and their weaknesses...” At this, she could not help but cast a glare at Cerasus. She took another slow breath. "I thought Hulk Jr. would at least be slow, but..." She shuddered at the memory of his impossible speed.

[Dead Cruiser]

Riley did not seem to have much of a reply. Instead, he laid atop his makeshift bed, and returned his cigarette to his mouth. He just laid there, silently, as Izzy explained the situation, displaying an enviable level of contentment. Meanwhile, Cerasus was far from relaxed. He paced anxiously as Izzy regaled him with the details of her encounter with the hunters. He displayed a variety of nervous tics as she continued; twirling his hair, pulling on his suspenders, even biting on his thumbnail. One would almost expect him to throw a tantrum, looking at him, but the fact that he was still an adult, and handled the situation quite well, all things considered.

As Izzy finished, he seemed quite stressed by what he had heard. "Arghh... This is a predicament. They're still acting as a unit, when I was certain that they would separate to engage in free competition." He threw his hands up in a gesture of exasperation. "You would think they'd be satisfied with the harm they've caused me, but no! They seem utterly determined to exterminate me." He groaned again, his shoulders sagging.

[Riven Wight]

The way Cerasus reacted to her tale made it clear that something was wrong, something more than what Izzy could guess. Her gaze followed him as he paced.
“And being that determined isn’t normal?" she began once he finished speaking. "I’d think that there being a bounty would be enough of an incentive in and of itself, if the reward was large enough and they knew they couldn’t take you on individually. But at least, if they want you that bad, we know they won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.” Izzy looked to the stained, moldy wall at the other side of the room for a moment. “Cerasus,” she looked to him, “why would they keep your limbs, not destroy them, if they hold a lot of your power?” And that’s officially the strangest question I’ve ever asked. She shifted slightly in her seat at the bizarreness of it. “Just as bait to draw you out again, or can they use it for themselves or something?" Then, her brows furrowed as another thought occurred to her. "And why didn't they just finish you off in the first place?"