[IC] Into the Harsh Light of Day

[VarionusNW]

December 1st, 2015, Washington D.C. 19:15

Octavius watched as the series of highly respected figures filed into the conference room in silence. They took their seats in the rows, and scattered among them were the other 7 members of Octus. It was an awkward system, to have almost a hundred purebreds sit in on a meeting, but none of them know who the actual members of Octus were, well, except for Octavius.

The conference room was much more of an auditorium, being a large enough hall to house the many vampires present at the meeting. Octavius sighed as he leaned on his cane, waiting for everyone to take their seats. Upon this, Octavius made his way through the rows of seats in near-silence, the only sound being the tapping of his cane against the floor. He took his place in front of a podium, which held a small stack of papers and a microphone before him.

"Good afternoon, my compatriots. This will be the final meeting of the year! How wonderful." He said this last comment with a spit of sarcasm, inciting no reaction from the crowd of pures, who simply wanted to know the situation, and get any problems dealt with. "Alright..." He said, recovering from the silence. "We have a few things to cover tonight, but first of all, I would like to ask that we finally get something done about the seventh law." As he said this, the rows filled with groaning and laughter.

"What do you expect us to do about it? We've voted on it for 7 meetings now, and 5 members voted against each time. We don't need to waste more time getting nothing done." Someone from the front row spoke up in anger.

"Actually it was 6 against, last time." Said another vampire from farther back.

"Alright, then, let us get to the more important things, then." Said Octavius, as he balled up a few of the papers in his hand, throwing them to the ground at his feet. "You all know that there has been increased feral activity within the last 2 months. It has apparently caused enough concern that I had about 4,000 requests to bring it up at this meeting." Octavius took a step back from the mic, pulling his phone slightly out of his coat pocket to press the send button. "Given the large number of reported murders, our only case of action is to stomp out these ferals. We don't have enough manpower to take them down, though. I know that none of you want to throw your entire brood at what could be only a few psychopaths, so I have devised a solution.

A man walked through the door at the back of the room. Just by looking at him, they could tell that he was human. This sent a shock that reverberated around the room.

"What the hell is he doing here, and who is he, Octavius!" Yelled the man from the from row.

"Calm down, all of you. This is Mr. Locke, a hunter. His weapons have been confiscated, and he is constantly being monitored, so don't worry. Over the past few weeks, I have been conversing with a few hunters who would be willing to work with the Society to stop these feral vampires." As the hunter walked past the rows of seats, he got nothing but dirty looks from the vampires around him who were barely restraining themselves from killing him.

The hunter took a few deep breaths as he was walked. He could feel their hate in the air, and each row he passed felt like an eternity. The worst part was that they'd taken his weapons at the door; chum in the water. Attempting to protect his identity, the man always wore a mask while hunting, and in this particular case, a mixture of several disgusting colognes, in an attempt to hide his scent even a little bit. A measure he wouldn't normally take, but this was a frankly horrifying situation.

"Alright, calm down, buddy. They can smell fear. You agreed to put yourself in this situation, so deal," he thought to himself as he stepped up next to the podium. As Locke came to the podium, Octavius placed his gloved hand on his shoulder, adding more awkwardness to the silent atmosphere of contempt and hatred.

"Mr. Locke, I do thank you for risking yourself by coming here. Now, is there anything you want to say to my compatriots before I talk about tonight's voting?" Octavius' face contained a mix of calmness and sadism as he patted the hunter on the back.

Locke cleared his throat as he approached the mic.
"Uh, yes. First of all, thank you for having me, I feel this meeting could be very beneficial, to both of our parties. I risk my own life coming here tonight because I believe that it's in the best interest of both our... Species. Because frankly, it doesn't look good for either of us if we don't come to some common ground here." Octavius clapped a small amount, stopping only when he realized that no one else had joined in.

"I agree completely. You see, folks, if we don't work with these hunters, well, we are all doomed, vampires and humans both. Ferals are a damn scourge, and only by working together can we wipe them out." Octavius' face had started to contort with anger, though his composure had stuck to such an extent that even with this anger, you couldn't really tell his mood. He had begun to lean on the podium while speaking, so he stood straight again, and fidgeted with his tie for a second. "Alright, what I have determined that we do is make 2 addendums to the tenth law, allowing us to create temporary allies with hunters, under the condition that they only hunt ferals. As well as those, we will be enlisting hunters and monitoring their activity. Action against ferals will be heavily encouraged, maybe even rewarded. All of this is listed within the document I sent to each of you last night, under the title 'Inquisitional Alliance Treaty'. All those willing to sign the document will sign the copy on the table to my right." Octavius pointed to a table to his right with a pile of papers and a long sheet of parchment layed out on its surface. "Oh, Mr. Locke, it would be best for you to leave now."

---

3 hours later.

Octavius made his way into a limousine parked the side of the street. The meeting had gone better than he expected, and he couldn't believe he convinced those stubborn fucks to something as insane as working with hunters.

"Jeeves, airport. I don't want to be here for much longer, this city reeks of human. I think this is the one city I hate more than Chicago." Of course, Octavious really hated Chicago.

December 20th, 2015, Chicago, Illinois 21:36

The rain had only just stopped pouring as Octavius found himself in a construction site, standing over the mutilated corpse of a former member of his brood, next to the hunter who had agreed to help him only a few weeks prior, and the hunter who had let them on the site.

"These bastards never stop feeding, do they?" Octavius said blankly, the only discernible emotion being the slight faltering in his voice. His left hand grasped his cane with enough force to kill a man.
"Apparently not," Locke replied as he knelt next to the corpse, examining it.

"Well, whoever this feral was, he or she had to have known this vampire was up here. They lock this place up at eight o' clock sharp. Our perp probably invited them here. I heard the disturbance, saw the body, called you guys. Was just about to leave too. Happened just after closing." Elijah pointed towards the chest cavity. "I thought it was a normal murder until I saw the blood drain and her heart crushed. Looks like someone pretty much ripped her heart out with their bare hands."

"She was a hard worker, too. It's such a shame to see her torn apart by someone who was too hungry to wait for a human to pass by. Whoever did this can't be that far away, right?" Octavius pressed a few buttons on his phone, sending out some of his brood to search for the perpetrator.

Locke stood up.
"Y'never know... You vamps are a slippery bunch..."

"Well, I guess we need to notify everyone, then. I would implore both of you to contact other allied hunters in the area, and I will get the other pures notified as well. We might need as many hands as we can get to hunt this bastard down." Octavius walked off, without even waiting for a response, and made his way back to his vehicle, sending a number of messages from his phone in the process.

Locke had pulled out a phone already, but stopped to look up as he noticed Octavius walk off without saying anything. The hunter sighed.
"Vampires..."

"Suppose I can burn this vamp body we got here anyway boss. Seems like our vampire friend doesn't value their comrade's remains. You'd better call the other hunter in the area, get him over here to debrief him."

"I plan to, Elijah, don't worry."

The masked hunter stooped over the corpse once more, looking for anything that might have left DNA traces.

"... Nothing. Alright, torch it," he said, while he pulled out his flip-phone again, sending texts to the local hunters: "Got an F, huge construction site, North side. Get here now."

[Collaboration by VarionusNW, NyteM4re, and Exodus]

[Wraithblade6]

The music was loud and the lights were low, save for the occasional bright flashes of color that struck one's eye from the random movement of the mood-setting, colored laser lights. What was a rave without laser lights? Vampires filled the floor. Vampires, and a few dozen humans, girls, guys, and young adults of every persuasion. The humans of course had no idea what creatures were among them, nay, surrounding them, delighting in the show they were putting on. All the world was a stage.

The dancing crowd seemed to part instinctively as a tall man with long, dark red hair walked across the room in a shimmery black suit. He smiled as he felt the vibrations of the base numb his lungs. Such power soundwaves had. It was delightful and entrancing. At the back, he ascended a small stage and as the song ended, he raised his hands for attention. The crowd seemed to know him, a few of them raising their hands in return, and a few cheers went out.

"Aldaric!" Some heavyset teenager belted out randomly in salute.

A few claps followed as Aldaric motioned for silence. Oh what it took him to suppress his fangy grin. "Friends, ladies, gents, ravers! Welcome to my... little night club. We have much to celebrate! I want to thank you all for electing to join us for this wonderful occasion. I've promised you dinner and a show tonight, but before we begin, I want to reveal our very special guest..." Two large vampire "bouncers" walk up carrying a guy in a chair with a sheet covering him. "...a high member of the 'society,' our dear Reginald Pinkis!" Aldaric pulls the sheet off to reveal an older gentleman in a gray suit who looks a bit confused. He appears to be strapped into the chair with metal shackles, which most of the humans seem to think is part of the act.

"You'll never get away with this, Weirven." Pinkis mutters.

Aldaric chuckles. "Come now Reggie." His voice is dripping with sadistic anticipation. "Be a good sport hm?" He looks back at the audience of humans intermixed with feral vampires and says to them, as if revealing a dread secret, "Reggie here, is a vampire!"

The crowd laughs.

Aldaric laughs.

Pinkis gasps initially, then glares at Aldaric's flagrant rule breaking.

"I break all the rules, Reggie. Because rules... are for slaves, Reggie, and nobody here in this room wants to be a slave, except you." Aldaric lifts his hand in a theatrical motion to the crowd again and smiles. "But here I've promised you a show! Is everybody hungry?!"

"Yeah!"

"Is everybody... FREE?!!"

"YEAH!"

Aldaric hesitates, indulging in the moment and committing that tingly feeling to memory before he follows, "Then! Feast!" Aldaric brings his hand down sharply and all the vampires in the room bite into their pre-chosen humans, draining them, killing them all simultaneously.

Aldaric laughs and puts his hand on Pinkis' shuolder. He had forced his prisoner to watch and he enjoyed it. "Ahh glorious massacre. What rule was that one Reggie, hm?" With that, Aldaric kicked Pinkis' chair forward, splatting the vampire's face into the slick human blood that now covered the dancefloor. Reginald topples to the side ingloriously, his chair still strapped to him.

The vampires in the club were all Aldaric's, all members of his feral freedom fighters. They stepped aside, hissing and mocking the bound vampire on the floor.

"Now, bring her in." Aldaric motioned and the double doors opened. Another vampire, a female with bright blond hair came forward. Somebody helped Reginald Pinkis back to sitting upright in his chair. Aldaric opened his arms. "Katarina... Welcome to true freedom. Welcome to the family of truth and pride, where you will always be accepted and recognized for the goddess you are. If you want to join us, if you truly believe in your own worth and rights, then prove it. Partake in the sacrifice brought here for you." He pointed. "This vampire has killed others of us in cold blood, all for the sake of power and improper subjugation of our kind. He seeks to OWN you, Katarina... We do not. Show us where you stand. Feed from him, and let all see your strength. Do this, and we will know where your heart truly lies and that you are worthy. Otherwise, depart from this place and never return. Go back to being another of Octavius' slaves and bow to his dog enforcers. Pray we find you and deliver a quick release from such a pathetic and meaningless life."

Aldaric switched back to his more soothing and pleasant tone. "Well child? Do you serve yourself or another?"

Reginald growled and struggled briefly, but he wasn't getting out of that chair.

[Squad 404]

Alexander was doing what he usually did when he wasn't hunting: Sitting at his computer scanning through several dozen news websites for those articles that just seemed that little bit off. A text caused his phone to buzz against the table and prompted Alexander to pick it up. Flipping it open with his thumb Alexander scanned the text and promptly closed out his web browsers. Snapping the phone closed Alexander grabbed his gear and suited up. After taking a moment to make sure that everything was in place Alexander grabbed the keys to his car and left his apartment.

Taking the stairs down to the underground parking garage Alexander walked silently to his DMC-12 and tapped the unlock button on his keys which caused a small clicking sound to come from the car. Lifting the gull-wing door up Alexander sat down within his DMC-12 and closed the door behind him. Clicking his seat belt into place Alexander did a quick check over everything and started his car. Pulling out of the garage Alexander made a left turn and started to drive towards the indicated area.

It took him a few minutes to get there, but even then it appeared as if he was the first to arrive. Parking his car discretely nearby Alexander shut it off and sent a quick text back to the initial sender stating that he was present. Exiting his car Alexander closed it up and locked it before pocketing his keys and setting out. It took Alexander a few more minutes to find the first hunter. Greeting him with a silent nod Alexander looked to the corpse nearby and gave a frown. Drawing a Beretta from his webbing Alexander chambered a round encase their victim decided to randomly reanimate on them before he holstered his Beretta again. Giving another glance to the corpse to check for movement Alexander flatly said. "So what's the plan? Or are we waiting on more people to figure out what the plan is?"

Alexander hated the waiting. It wasn't efficient to wait for everyone to show up and then decide what the plan was. Alexander understood having a meeting, but it would have been much nicer to establish a precedent for these types of situations. The less time they spent standing around waiting for others to show up so that they could figure out the obvious course of action - Take whatever evidence they could and then torch the corpse - The better.

But Alexander knew better than to simply jump to the most obvious conclusion when it presented itself, since even the most obvious answer wasn't always the right answer. Perhaps time would tell if someone else was able to divine a better option, but for now Alexander waited to see what would happen.

He hated the waiting.

[EthTenshi]

Waking up was simple and required no effort, rolling out of bed and putting on fresh clothes was more of a task for the shorter than average height cane weilding vampire. Although he did just so with no actual problems, browsing through his lacking wardrobe Azreil found a close fitting pair of jeans faded blue in color with a green tint that did not hinder his movement more than his agitated extremity already had. He sat back on his bed sighing and looking out the window into the city skyline. It was quite impressive, as humans seemed to do with everything, as well as ugly in a certain sense. He took his left leg and placed it on his right knee carefully and whiped the dust off his foot with one black sock carefully before slipping it on. Repeating with his right foot he turned to his bedside table and picked up the ruby ring "May you rest happily." He spoke his one true morning ritual before kissing it and slipping the ring on his left middle finger.

Azreil only took care about such trivial things as his knee in case he invited a human visitor, not that he was particular about inviting anyone over, he simply prefered to be prepared and on his toes. Adding a few quirks and fake habits was not in any way dificult, it was the daily maintenance of such actions that bored him. He did like getting in touch with his human side every now and again, it was simply unacceptable for him to forget what he was as well as what his purpose was. At times he feared loosing his mind and occasionally took refuge in the thought of developing a pattern. He never took up the same set of habits twice when he moved from place to place. He had owned this house before and took a liking to it, he never did understand why anyone wanted several stories added to their home, it simply took too long to get to the kitchen or bathroom.

Sighing in a audible tone Azreil stood using the momentum to make it to the glass case that housed his bastard sword. Taking it out carefully he sat it on the dresser, opened a drawer and pulled out a iron box with an old lock set into the lid, and pulled the key from a different drawer. He opened the box leaving the key in the hole, taking out a rustic glass jar and cotton swabs he set them next onto a table. Turning around he lifted the blade and sat down on the high stool next to the table, tuning out the rest of the world his hands moved mechanically oiling his sword and checking it for dullness or rust. After sometime he eyed the blade with scrutiny making sure that his work was satisfactory. Deeming that it was just that he replaced it and the items he had taken from their home.

Azreil threw on a black dress shirt that was cut straight on the bottom and slightly longer in the back, in his mind he double checked for the roll of 1964 quarters and dimes not knowing if they would be handy or not on this day. Physically he checked for his wallet, phone, and keys pleased with each thing in place he went for a hunt. As he had fed more recently he more or less was going for the thrill, as such he began waiting outside of a local boxing gym.

He picked a lean and speedy looking type that was mid twenties to early thirties. I'm his mind he played out the fighting patern from the lanky males gait, also setting his own physical restrictions to appease his sense of sportsmanship. He began to trail the martail artist wondering just when the human would pick up on being trailed. Soon enough the boxers head picked up slightly and turned into an alleyway "Good, good." Azreil said pleased with the hints of bloodlust being picked up.

Cutting into the same alley limping more intentionally Azreil came to a halt and scanned the area "Please do come out, I'd like to declair fisticuffs. Well I suppose this cane would be my fist..." He trailed pondering on how this human would receive his words. Slowly the man came from behind a dumpster, he was shielded by shadows most humans would not be so Azreil noticed him try to peek out a few times unnoticed moments before. Most likely looking for a deadlier weapon than the cane, not finding one he must have complied.

Boxerman must have been dumbfounded as he scratched his head "Kid... what are you doing? Are you put of your mind? What if I had pulled a gun on ya?" He asked a few things with open ridicule.

Azreil shrugged "A bullet is a bullet." He shrugged tapping his bum knee, he was lying of course. That knee had silver rubbed into it to keep it crippled, honestly even if the human knee anything about anything it would still not matter "Now, en gaurd!" He exclaimed rushing with a thrust from his cane. It was batted away easily and counterd with a straight right, Azreil took the hit but rotated his wrist to smack the boxer in the jaw with his cane. "Not every counter is effective." He warned rolling his shoulders.

He dodged two lefts and a right leaning away as apposed to moving his whole body taking the defensive for a moment "Too shallow, too shallow!" He chided. Then he struck the collar bone with a downward swing hearing a painful sound he retreated "Now that sounded rough..." He trailed, suddenly he grew bored and turned around.

"Never turn your back on a live enemy!" The boxer shouted rushed him in anger to which Azreil swing his cane up to his armpit striking the solarplexus.

"I'm sorry, another time I hope." He said with his mind else where, he walked back to the main street and shrugged as he mingeled with the crowd.

[Kidd]

Chicago. Not the best place in the world, but it held...some fond memories nonetheless. Though what brought Klaus here this time around was the fact the city was being plagued by Feral vampires. Nasty creatures. Vampires, sure, but at least most vampires weren't cannibals. And while he disliked his own kind in general, he didn't think any one of them should become a blood bag for another. And so here he was, actually choosing to ally himself with The Society in order to take out the leeches. And the potential brownie points with the Octus was appealing, as well: Klaus wasn't exactly a poster boy for The Society's laws, after all.

He stepped out of the taxi, dark eyes narrowed as he looked around. Definitely Chicago, he thought with a wrinkle of his nose. The air was cold--even though he was dressed for the weather, the wind could always bite through your clothes. It didn't seem to bother Klaus, though, and he started walking. There was a lot that needed to be done, but first, Klaus was thinking a drink was a good way to start.

---

Natalie sat up on the bar, her thin legs crossed as she watched the scene before her. The man named Aldaric was attempting to initiate a new vampire into their group. And while Natalie appreciated belonging to a group such as this, she couldn't admit to be very loyal to their ideas. She had barely had any run ins with The Society. She didn't particularly care about their rules, and so long as she stayed under the radar, she would be fine on her own. Still, there was the appeal of friends and safety by sticking to a group such as this, so she remained where she sat, quietly, her amber eyes widened in curiosity. What would this new vampire choose?

[AtomicNut]

Chicago. Home of Pizzas, Mobsters, and becoming a freaking human-shaped popsicle while doing so. Not that she could feel the cold as much as a vampire anymore, but hey, it was for the punchline. And she couldn't show her luxurious fur coat otherwise. Caroline smirked slightly. There was a reason why she was out in the cold, and It wasn't just because they were reforming some room at the clinic. She had heard things out of the rumour mill. Things about certain kinds of vampires prowling about the night.

Vampires she loved to target for retribution. The old french noblewoman was standing tall atop a building, peering on the streets below. Her mark was there, unaware. Poor fool. He had played with the rules of the Society for so long... But now it was time for a swift retribution. Rummaging in her pockets, she brought her cellphone to life. Pressing the key for quick dial up, she uttered a single sentence.

"Do it, mes cheres"

She had given the signal, and soon the street was filled with an assorted gathering of young women. All of them humans, but humans who were hers to command. They would do anything, even charge a vampire headfirst if she commanded to do so. Which she did. And thus, the assorted humans raised their voices high, in a horrible battle chant.

"EEEEH! It's Klaus!!!" Their shrill voices and groupie getups resounded in the street, as they pounced upon the fellow vampire with colourfull sentences such as "sign my bra!" or "Let me bear your kids!". Caroline couldn't help but let a haughty noblewoman's laugh.

Ahh, I was itching to pull the Rockstar prank on Klaus for quite a while! She thought.

[BreakingMe]

“Hey baby, how about another round?” Max’s eyes lifted from the glass she was nonchalantly wiping with a towel behind the bar. They met a pair that were the blue of worn denim; denim blue eyes that gave evidence to the high that the owner was no doubt experiencing. Ashland Werner. He was somewhat of a celebrity in the area. He had become famous on some reality show on MTV that basically amounted to a bunch of co-eds taking turns sleeping with each other. But this one was on a beach. Or something…

Max shook herself out of her thoughts before she replied. She smiled slightly, leaning down on the bar, her chest no doubt becoming a prominent image in the mind of the man across from her. The two blondes attached to his arm hardly seemed to notice. They were as lit as he was. “Sorry Ash, you’ve had enough,” she replied. Any normal night, cutting a customer off was a 50/50 shot at getting yelled at…or getting tears. Ash, however, had been through this routine many times. He was harmless.

“Alrighty Max. I’ll call a cab. Thanks for tonight.” He winked and threw a hundred dollar bill on the bar in front of where she was. “You have a good night sweetie.” He got up from his stool, the two women following close behind him without a word.

Max went back to wiping the bar down, knowing that closing time was going to be soon. The customers had already started to dwindle. This was going to be an easy night…as long as the group in the corner left without issue.

The table on the far end of the room had four men sitting together. They had come in relatively quietly but had gotten louder through the night. It wasn’t completely uncommon but one of the men specifically had become belligerent with a couple of the waitresses. He had wandering hands that he didn’t keep to himself. He rode the line of becoming inappropriate but, unfortunately, Max’s boss waited until a customer had fallen way, way over the line before having security step in. It was fine though. Max lived for nights with men like this. In fact, it had been a while since she had eaten. She was going to have to take it easy so she didn’t cross her own line.

“Hey, uh, whatever your name is. We need more shots!” the Problem Man shouted from his table. Max chuckled to herself. If only he knew the consequences of his actions, he probably would have kept his mouth shut.

The eyes of the petite redheaded waitress that had taken care of the table all night widened. She didn’t move an inch. Max turned to her, setting her towel in the basket for the wash. “Don’t worry Heather, I’ll grab them. Can you close the bar up for me?” Heather nodded in a rush and went into the back room. Max unbuttoned the bottom button of her black polo. The top of the pink, lace bra she wore was slightly visible. Good enough, she thought. She sauntered over to wear the group was sitting. She ran her hand along the shoulders of the Problem Man. She fluttered her eyelashes slightly and grinned enough for her dimple to show. “Hey guys. It’s closing time so you’re gonna have to clear out.” She met each of their eyes and eventually landed on the Problem Man. “I um, have a question to ask you though.” She paused as he looked up at her. Well, at her bust line. “My car won’t start and I wanted to know if you, you know, know anything about cars?” She pushed her dark brown hair slightly off her shoulder while she awaited his reply. His chest puffed out slightly and he returned her smile.

“Uh, yeah. I can, uh, come check it out.” He stood up. Max immediately grabbed his hand. He swayed slightly but corrected himself right away. “Where is it?”

“This way,” she gestured toward the back exit. He turned back to the guys he was with.

“I’ll be a bit,” he stammered, “You guys can just go back to the dorm. Don’t wait up.” His confidence and slimy grin would usually make Max’s stomach churn but there was something else making her stomach ache even more. She quickly led him behind the bar. All the employees that drove parked back there. Max always took the subway so she didn’t actually have a car but she knew which car was Heathers. Please be unlocked. She gripped the handle of the red Mustang and the door popped open. “Thank God,” she whispered.

“What was that?” Problem Man asked. He had a baby blue button up with a pair of those jeans that people paid money to look like they were worn. His bright blonde hair was spiked in the front and had enough gel in it to withstand Gale Force winds. Max could practically smell the fraternity on him. She smelled something else too. Something that made her hunger increase exponentially. Instead of replying, she grabbed him by the arms and pulled her on top of him inside Heather’s car. The space was small and Frat Boy was easily over 6ft tall. Max pulled the lever to drop the seat all the way back. "Wow. You're pretty strong. You work out a lot?" His gawky smile made Max return one of her own. She leaned forward and kissed him.

Frat Boy grabbed her easily by the waist, flipping her so she straddled him and he lay across the back of the seat. He yanked on her hips, pulling her in tighter so the core of her body met with his. She retaliated by gripping the tops of his arms and pinning him down. “Listen, baby, I don’t really like when women…” She took her left hand off his bicep and covered his mouth. “Shhhh,” she whispered in his ear. She licked along his jaw line. “No talking.” She continued licking, making small kisses. She could feel his body shudder under her. Her own body was giving off strong predatory vibes and he was reacting as the perfect prey. His eyes were dilated; all the small hairs on his arms raised and his pulse beat faster and faster. Max couldn’t wait any longer. She gripped him tighter as she sank her teeth into the sweet spot in his neck. He squirmed slightly which only excited her further.

She drank until she was sure she was close to going over the limit, to draining him completely. Then she released him. He was heavily lethargic and made no move to get up. Max leaned close to his face. His eye lids were drooping. “Thanks. Don’t call me. I’ll call you.” she smirked, patting the side of his face. She opened the door, ignoring the heavily fogged up windows. She straightened her black skirt, buttoned up her polo and headed back toward the street. She stopped immediately when she thought she saw an outline of a person watching her under the street lamp across the road. She had heightened vision but still couldn’t make out whether it was a real person or just the way the shadow was cast. She took a few steps forward. The outline disappeared farther into the shadows. I need to get some sleep, she thought. It’s not him. It’s never him. But she always wanted it to be him.

[Mythos]

A rave. Who the hell enjoys these types of things? Crowded sweaty bodies dancing together, most of them drunk off their asses. Perfect place to feed considering many of them wouldn't remember what happened in the morning, but did he really need to stoop this low? He knew this was a place for ferals, a place where he could find allies, but what kind if ferals would they be?

Deep crimson irises scanned the room, locking on one particular female staring at him. He narrowed his eyes the slightest bit and then gave half a smirk as if he were daring her to come over. Women liked dangerous men - either looking for a new adventure, or a poor soul to save. Ehren didn't exactly fit in with this scene with his long hair and suit, but he didn't mind. His focus was now on the pretty blonde he offered his hand to. Leading her to a booth, he sat down and slid back into the corner, pulling her along with. He whispered empty promises against her earlobe, nuzzling against her neck as he lead her to his lap, ready to sink his fangs in until there was some kind of commotion.

Slipping his arm around her waist so she wouldn't get away from him, they brought their attention to the dance floor, his brows furrowing when they brought in a man. A man from The Society no less. A man that he knew. What was going on? With more words meant to rile up the crowd, Ehren sat forward, eyes quickly scanning around, only to find that another moment later, they were all dead. Every one of them but the girl in his lap.

Now he needed to figure out a way to cover his ass, so his excuse would have been that he wasn't finished with her. What's a dinner date without the sex, right?

Instead, he wrapped his large hands around her cheeks, lacing his fingers in her hair to lock her gaze to his.

"Don't look around," he whispered. "When I get their attention, you're going to sneak out the back. Do not make a sound, do not stop for anything. You're going to go home, and when you lay down in bed you'll remember what a wild time you had tonight dancing with your friends." He broke their gaze and lead her slowly to the seat beside him so that he could slip out. Standing in a room full of ferals, his tongue pushed eagerly at his fangs.

"Is this really what you want?!" A deep voice called out towards the woman the fellow vampire challenged.

"Do you really want to take his life and succumb to this?" There was a hint if disgust in his voice as he spat towards the crowd.

"Let the arse go, and he'll go back and tell the others you're not to messed with. Kill him, and the only thing you'll get is war." With another step forward, he pressed his tongue harder to the inside of his fang, longing to take one of these bastards out.

"You've been messy. You're going to let your people massacre just so you can run somewhere else to do it over again? And when the population starts dying, then what? They're getting smarter, so we need to as well and this is not the way to do it."

To threaten The Society is one thing, but the numbers are growing and the more mad they become, the easier they are to take out with the more mistakes they would make. He didn't want to see another blindly accept what was going on.

[Temperance]

Katarina Sorenson
‘We’re only just beginning & it’s over…’

Nervously a lithe figure waited behind double doors dressed in a simple yet elegant onyx dress. A backless design with a plunging neckline accentuated her heavenly frame. Katarina had never been able to grow accustom to some of modern day wear. She preferred a classic approach such as vintage styled dresses or draped blouses with form fitting pants as everyday clothing. Tonight was special and she made sure to dress the part of an honored guest. There was still a bit of doubt in her mind if she would be viewed as beautiful to the crowd, however.

Without much time to wonder both doors parted suddenly illuminating her silhouette with light, which also flooded her crystal blue eyes. Tousled locks swayed gracefully over visibly alluring shoulder blades while stepping forward to greet an old friend. They had met at one of her sire’s prohibition parties and he had made quite the impression. Vampires gave into his words without him having the ability to control them, and he had coerced her to join in his cause. The thought of belonging again gave the pessimistic vampiress hope, although his speech did feel a bit threatening in some respect.

Unfortunately, someone out among the crowd disproved. The notion shocking to believe because this specific vampire was also one of addicted. Well, she could only assume he was because this rave was directed toward ferals. Her head tilted at one of his statements. ‘Let the arse go, and he’ll go back and tell the others you’re not to be messed with.’ Odd. Was he implying he had the power to do this? Could he be a pureblood? No, of course not.

Katarina’s shoulders adjusted while straightening her exposed back toward the vampire’s challenging words. Was he actually…raising his voice at her? Internally she sighed at his words ‘succumb to this.’ How morbidly kind but it was already done. Life was already done and she could not stop this hunger; a hunger for vampire blood and to become stronger. She was weak. The weak always perish and so they should. This world Katarina was intertwined with could not afford a weakling. What other choice did she have?

A long drawn out pause commenced. Enough so that one would swear the whole crowd were holding their breath in anxiousness. Black heels peeked through from underneath the bottom of her lengthy dress as Katarina took a step forward. It would seem that the platinum blond had changed her mind about taking Mr. Pinkis’ life. Lightly glossed lips slightly parted as if she were about to speak but stopped midway revealing pearly fangs as pale blue eyes began swirling into a crimson hue completely altering their previous delicate state. The vampire did not look especially innocent anymore.

Words were not a strength the young vampire possessed. Usually they failed her during the most inconvenient moments and due to a heavy Swedish accent that usually made matters worse. She wanted to explain her reasons, God, did she ever. Wanted to divulge into her past and explain how she had no choice in the matter to become feral in the first place. With one raised on vampire blood it would be difficult to persuade her otherwise. Just recently she started drinking human blood in an attempt to wean herself. Grueling as it is. A perpetual nightmare addiction was and she could not stop. Not with this offering freely displayed in front of her, dripping with blood. It was too much.

Without warning Katarina’s glistening teeth sank into flesh which gave way with little resistance. 'Forgive me for my weakness' she thought painfully. A faint pop sounded and both canines were plunged deep into a giving vein. This whole experience lackluster as vampire blood did not even seem to sate her thirst these days. With every trace of Mr. Pinkis’ ruby liquid swallowed her mind fantasized about purebred blood instead. There was nothing on earth more divine than that. The pure essence ruined her perspective long ago and nothing compared to it.

Somehow the traitorous vampire’s color drained further from a faint blanched shade to ghostly white. His struggling limbs ceased clearly from exhaustion of blood loss but the deed was not done. In the blink of an eye Katarina had managed to retrieve the silver dagger tucked into a garter belt holster and truly end Mr. Pinkis’ existence. Dress slits were always convenient for such things. Licking the corners of her mouth free of remaining blood a presently steady hand wiped the mess off of the blade with the perished vampire’s expensive gold tinted tie. It felt good to stop shaking but she still felt so…empty. Would the preachy long haired vampire hate her now? Why did she even care?

“There is no other way…is there?” Accented words were spoken in a near whisper as she glanced at the stranger and then turned to Aldaric.

Still feeling completely lost and hollow she hoped someone had a plan and that she did not squander it. Considering that it was also too late to take back her impulsive actions a rift between fellow ferals could be caused because of her. She did not wish for anymore controversy than already present especially among their kind. Had she made the right choice?

[FateWeaver]

Bernard sat with his back to a dark corner, leaning over the strong-smelling glass in front of him. He had ordered whiskey and taken not a sip, preferring to take in only observations at this point. The bar that employed Maxine would soon close, and so must his idling. For weeks now, he had considered simply appearing at this very bar, considered allowing her to pick him out of the crowd. Something yet unknown stayed his hand this evening, as it had every day for the last week. He felt it her right to know who had introduced her to this dark world, but now just did not seem the time.

Raven hair obscured Bernards eyes as he tracked Max to the table in the opposite corner of the room. From the way she moved, he recognized the stalk before the kill. This unlucky man, who had been causing problems for the waitstaff all night, had become prey to one of Man's few predators. A smirk curled the corner of his mouth as he watched his progeny at work. As she started to lead him out the back exit, Bernard made his own unobtrusive exodus through the front door. Outside, he straighted the stiff collar of his duster until itnearly reached the bottom of his ears. When a quick glance around revealed no obvious onlooker, he made his way around the side of the building.

At the edge of the shadows, he watched Max lead the man to her coworkers car, manipulating him with ease. Once the car door closed the windows began to fog, but Bernard stil knew exactly what was going on. He could smell the man's blood, and it made him lick his lips. While he waited, he entertained the picture of sharing a feast with Maxine. The thought made him ache with hunger, but he resolved to hunt later. There was plenty of prey on the dark streets, but he did not want to risk Max catching up to him unawares.

The sound of the car door opening and closing caught Bernard's attention, pulling him from his thoughts. He admired the young vampire's form as she straightened her clothes, and once again the idea of simply stepping forward hear and now tempted him. In his moment of hesitation, he noticed her stop and peer in his direction. As she started forward again, so he moved back into the shadows without thinking. A profoundly empty feeling washed over him as he saw that she had lost sight of him. Bernard's stillness rivaled that of the night air as he stood in the darkness and waited to see if Max would attempt to follow.

[Nytem4re]

Elijah Harding

Elijah laughed as he saw the new hunter tense up, readying his pistol. "Get a load of this guy Locke..." It was just hilarious seeing a hunter getting antsy over a corpse. From his actions, this new hunter was a rookie, and didn't know squat in Elijah's opinion. "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure a vampire isn't going to get up after getting it's heart crushed, I can tell you that. If you ever see a vamp regenerate a heart you may as well blow your own brains out, as you wouldn't be able to kill it. No point in tensing up for no reason. Besides, if she was still alive, you would think me and especially the boss man over there woulda made sure she didn't stay that way." Elijah kicked the dead vampire's head to emphasize his point, causing the corpse to flip over. "Though, perhaps you're so new you don't know how to properly ensure a vamp is dead?"

Elijah began pouring gasoline all over the corpse, before lighting a torch and igniting the fire with it. The corpse quickly was engulfed in flames, and the putrid smell of burning flesh quickly spread throughout the area. It was a common smell for Elijah, seeing how he was using incendiary bullets, but it was always nasty to smell. Quickly brought about a gag reflex, though over the years he'd been able to prevent himself from puking all over the place.

"Anyway, beside me and Locke, and you of course, there aren't any other hunters in the area. It'll just be us three for now. We did try and call for more hunters to help, but no luck. Seems we'll have to hold down the fort. Not to say we'll be inadequate for the job, as we both have years of experience. Locke over there has decades of it, so I suggest you stay close to him, seeing how you're scared of a fucking corpse. I'll be damned if I have to take care of you in the middle of combat either." Elijah silently hoped Locke wouldn't be too angry he dumped the responsibility of the newbie on him. Locke was the eldest anyway, it should fall upon him to watch over the rookie.

"As for what we're doing, Locke will debrief you on that. I honestly have no idea what we're going to do, seeing as our only lead is dead. Unless our vampire buds over in The Society have intel we don't." For now, it seemed the Hunters could only wait. Either for intel on where these ferals were, or for another murder to occur...

[Wraithblade6]

Aldaric unknowingly held his breath as Katarina walked over to the bound society vampire. He smiled with admiration at how she so delicately tortured him with his own vicarious desires, feigning not to bite the vampire with a long, drawn out pause as a single brazen voice called out to challenge her in the background. Secretly, or rather not so secretly, Aldaric would have liked to have sank his teeth into Reginald himself, but he knew he could not. He was losing himself little by little with every feral feeding, and he knew it. He knew he only had so much time to exact his vengeance. Still, watching someone else who was so beautiful partake was... stimulating.

Dropping down off the platform, Aldaric for the moment ignored Ehren and approached Katarina. "No my dear sister, there is no other way. None, except death, for to live by the permission of another is not to live at all. I know now that I can trust you." He refrained from touching her, being respectful of her space. Suddenly he spoke loudly and more jovially to the gathering of feral vampires. "Hey! If we're not living, we're dying! Right? Hahaha."

Aldaric then walked away from the scene in the center of the room and toward Ehren, the vampire who had spoken out during the indoctrination. The rest of the ferals seemed to return to what they were doing, clearing the bodies off the floor and returning to mingling or dancing to some quieter music. He found Ehren standing where he had been near his table. Some human girl slinking off in the background did not escape Aldaric's notice, but he let her go in order to deal with Ehren.

"Now, what is this sycophantic society speech I'm hearing?" He spoke mockingly out loud to himself as he looked directly at the disapproving vampire before him. He seemed to hesitate for a moment and blink at Ehren, noticing for the first time those red eyes, the familiar broad back, and that faintly recognizable scent. Aldaric tilted his head curiously, yet brazenly moved forward into Ehren's reach.

It was difficult to guess at how powerful Aldaric was. He was older, had fed on vampire blood numerous times, and was undoubtedly fearless to approach so close to Ehren. It was damn-near unnerving as he used his mere physical presence as a challenge to goad Ehren into doing anything about it. He smiled, seeing Ehren maintain his ground and composure, then he backed off to a better speaking distance. "A pureblood who follows his own rules? I respect that." Aldaric's personality shifted again, going from mocking brat to a more controlled and intelligent as he dropped into his more serious, adult self. He spoke more slowly, as if recounting his own words to a historian for permanent record. "I heard what you said, but I am afraid that like it or not, we are already at war. The war began when vampires decided to kill each other over the pleasure of humans. When my family was attacked..." He clenched a fist, biting down his flaring anger. He exhaled, calming himself and smiled sweetly. "Ah, but we all know it was a farce for the purebloods to grab power, using those 'rules' as an excuse to kill who they liked. They don't want to be surpassed. A smart plan really. They goad even the human dogs into directing their hatred of vampires to us, sitting back and laughing while their two enemies fight amongst themselves. Will we die? Heh heh. Maybe, but not until I have seen every one of those pureblood Society fucks burned to ash." The vampire was obviously a little off his rocker, but clearly motivated. His ramblings told of a completely different tale than Ehren had ever heard, that Aldaric was the victim from his point of view, and that the Society was merely a collection of peons all vying for power. "I'll tell you a secret, pureblood. I don't care about humans, and I don't care about vampires. All I care about is avenging my betrayal. Blood like yours gets me what I want, but not... yours... not your blood." He seemed to get confused for only a brief moment. Aldaric then snatched a glass of wine off the table beside himself and held it up to Ehren. "I'm going after Octus. Cheers." He drank the wine in one gulp and set the glass down.

[Squad 404]

Alexander restrained his urge to deliver a firm kick to Elijah's groin at his tasteless jeering. Alexander knew that shooting a comment back would only make the situation worse and as such held his tongue firm, but it was very irritating to have someone make fun of something as simple as preparing for the unexpected. Putting the trivial matter behind him Alexander removed his pistol from it's holster and ejected the magazine. Racking the slide Alexander cleared the chamber and caught the bullet in midair. Placing the bullet back into it's magazine Alexander placed the now full magazine back into the magazine port and ensured the safety was in place before he holstered the handgun back into the webbing he wore beneath his jacket.

Unlike most people, Alexander made these motions seem fluid, even natural. He was well acquainted with these pistols and their operation came pretty close to second nature for him. As Elijah began to gas the area Alexander took a step or two back to avoid the flames, since fire had a habit of getting out of control when you least expected and least wanted it to, even with the rain giving everything a protective coat of water. As the corpse burned Alexander steeled his stomach against the smell and was thankful that he hadn't recently eaten. There always seemed to be a ledge where, even against the most iron-willed protests, a body decided that it was going to vomit anyway.

Thankfully that didn't seem to be the case today, and Alexander was more than thankful for it. As Elijah made the comments about sticking with Locke Alexander made a sarcastic mental note that Elijah considered himself to be 'Too cool to be helpful." and left the issue alone. His judgements aside, Alexander waited for Locke to give directions since Alexander didn't consider it a brilliant plan to simply act on whims when you wanted anything to succeed.

He briefly considered offering to head back to his apartment and scour the internet for any breaking news that looked suspicious, but Alexander set that idea on the backburner after he figured that Elijah would make another snarky comment about Alexander being a coward, despite the overwhelming amount of military proof that good intel was the key to victory in the long term.

Regardless, Alexander was back to waiting. Who knew that being a vampire hunter entailed so much of the boring pastime?

[Kidd]

Klaus suddenly noticed the eerie silence that hung over the block; it was too quiet. There were so few people, and his intuition--built over 900 years--alerted him to the tension in the air and shiver ran up his spine. He slowed in his walk and dropped his hands from his pockets, eyes narrowed against the darkness as he looked around. "Mm," he mumbled, forcing himself to relax. While nothing he happened, his guard remained up as he started to walk again.

Suddenly, a woman. She was running right at him. Then another. And another--

Klaus was swarmed by unknown humans, shrieking and begging for his attention. When he realized they weren't trying to kill him, he admittedly felt a swell of pride for a moment. But just for a moment: attention was nice, but not when it was from dozens of people all at once in a public place. So he cursed and snapped at them, "Get off me!" He pulled his arms away and twisted and pushed his way out of the crowd of adoring fans. Then he ran--not fast enough to warrant attention as a supernatural creature, but fast enough to hopefully outrun his personal mob.

"Fuck you!" he snapped at the dark sky, slowing down only to check his back. He knew she was out there somewhere.

[AtomicNut]

Caroline was beaming. Her laughter had likewise devolved in a rather unelegant, and almost childlike giggling. "My sides..." She muttered as she saw the scene unfold from a priviledged seat. The great Klaus, rogue and handsome vampire, running away from a bunch of women. It was normally the opposite.

"Fuck you!" A curse pierced the night. So he knew, huh? Caroline stopped her laughter altogether, wiping a small tear in the corner of her eyes, and decided it was the moment to stop. She pulled her cellphone out, and texted a message. A cellphone beeped somewhere in the crowd, who then proceed to read it, and they scattered as soon as they had formed. Hopefully the bystanders would just see this as the thing it was: an elaborate flashmob prank. The elder french vampire then eyed down the street. A backalley, with nobody else looking at her. She smiled to herself.

"Hup". She said, as she leapt into the unconspicious alley, from a height a normal human would no doubt get mauled and killed easily. But she wasn't one of them any longer. She was one of the Night Dwellers, she thought as she executed a graceful, catlike landing, and adjusted her hair and clothes. Time for a grand entrance...

"Oh, I thought you liked it when women threw themselves at you, Klaus." Caroline announced her presence with catwalk-like steps, swaying her hips smugly towards Klaus. "Don't look so crestfallen, chére. It was just a joke." She tilted her head.

"Amusing choice of words,though." Caroline smiled smugly."One could take that it as a some sort of bold invitation." She added, embracing herself to accentuate her figure. "Many wouldn't mind accepting. Chicago is a cold place, after all... and warming eachother is a good way to pass time, isn't it, Klaus, chére".

She walked closer to Klaus, dangerously close, a lingering stare towards the other vampire. "But I was a naughty girl, Klaus. Let me make up for it and invite you for a little drink." She added, withdrawing not one second too fast nor too late. "And maybe you can tell me why you're so sunken in yourself these days." She started walking the other direction, with graceful steps... "Or fuck me. Both options would be nice."

[BreakingMe]

Max raised the collar on her black reefer coat as she walked down the sidewalk, only a few blocks down from her apartment. She pulled out the white headphones attached to her phone and mumbled to herself as she untangled them. "God, I don't know why boys drown themselves in Axe. Their skin tastes like..." Her sentence was cut off by a commotion across the street. By the sounds, some sort of party was being broken up -- or just starting to get good. You could never tell around here. This area of town was known for constantly having festivities interrupted when it got out of control. It's like teenagers these days had no sense of decorum. She caught a few of the faces of those mingling about and while they didn't appear to be teenagers, another observation stopped Max in her tracks. These people were terrified. She started to cross the street, hoping she could help in some way. That's when she caught site of another person. This man had dark hair and an aura of deep authority. She couldn't see his face but the color of his skin gave him away. Vampire.

Max returned to her side of the road, praying he hadn't noticed her. It could be him. It's not him. Maybe he knows him? The idea was silly. It's not like all vampires knew each other. Besides, Max had heard rumors lately of a rising of feral vampires. While she may have had the strength and heightened senses that would deter most humans, she'd never be able to fight off a feral alone. She was only a year old and ferals were rumored to be even stronger than an aged vampire. She put her headphones in her ears, turned the volume up to drown out her fear and picked up the pace. Hopefully she would make it home before anyone noticed her.

[Mythos]

Ehren's shoulders slumped the slightest bit when he saw her not only feed, but murder the man. Maybe her soul was too far gone to saved and she would soon end up like the rest of them. Her words would have told him otherwise, and the answer she received from the other male made him frown.

"The funny part is, that vampires are the ideal source to feed..." To emphasize the point, he stepped to the side, gripped another feral by the bicep and swiftly pulled him into his fangs. Ehren sunk them deep into the fellow vampire, drank for only a moment and then shoved him away. There was a moment of silence as he licked his fangs clean, not to have any food in his teeth before he spoke again.

"See. I get what I need, and the bastard walks away, unharmed." Ehren gave a slight shrug as he said unharmed, but he made his point.

"I lived in a village that knew exactly who I was. That offered to sustain me while I offered my protection..." His jaw clenched and he moved on, refusing to say more than he had about his past.

"Sycophantic Society speech?" He mocked lightly, his shoulders straightening as the male got closer. A fire lit in Ehren's eyes as he saw realization in the eyes of the other and a smirk grew on his lips. It had to be quite obvious now that he was not apart of that any longer, but what intrigued Ehren was the fact that he blamed the Society for all the wrongs done to his family.

"They never used to hunt our kind. They only hunted us when we threatened humanity." Ehren held out his hand to the bloodied dance floor. "Don't get me wrong, I love a blood bath as much as the next one, but an outright massacre is just looking for trouble. I hope you're prepared for the attention you've brought to yourself." He paused and his deep red eyes fell on the blond woman in the front of the room.

"And I hope you're ready to fight for your life..." He watched for a moment and then continued, "...and your soul."

[Temperance]

Katarina Sorenson
‘We’re only just beginning & it’s over…’

It was just like Aldaric to never back down from a challenge. He was completely indifferent and seemed to enjoy a good argument. Before long sharp words between both vampires were being thrown and Katarina made sure not a droplet of blood had split upon her flesh before joining them. Not every vampire created choas while devouring their prey. The fun messy stuff was kept behind closed doors never in public. She wasn't a complete animal after all.

The young vampiress remained silent as the dissatisfied vampire retorted at Aldaric's reasoning. However, he did not deny being referred to as a Pureblood. Katrina's intrigue had spiked. Feral Purebloods were rare and she wondered where he had been hiding. Her sire would surely have invited him to one of the prohibition parties but she couldn't recall ever meeting him.

'Pureblood. He's a Pureblood. Pure, pure, blood, blood.' She thought quietly while trying to compose herself. Katarina closed azure hues and cracked her neck with a slight lift of her chin, and rotated her head to the left a bit in a sharp circular motion. Repetitious thoughts were all thanks to her addiction as well as her obsessive tendencies. She soon shook away the madness but another sensation took hold.

Paranoia. It was indeed a blood bath in here and they were standing near the edge of it. Katarina motioned for her belongings from the vampire who attended to storing coats and placed purses in the VIP safes. Within a flash the male attendant began sliding an ankle length vintage flare coat over her pale arms, and handed her the purse she had arrived with concealing a walther gun.

"Enough." Katarina said in agitation. Her personality tended to change during moments of anxiety or hunger. She was much more aggressive and demanding.

"Aldaric, we should leave. Continue this conversation another time. We have overstayed our welcome." Then turning her attention to the Pureblood she began to speak.

"You. I do intend to fight this war. I must prove my worth and become stronger but as far as my soul, I sold it a long time ago when I accepted to become…this." Clearly, only a fool would not notice the regrets she tightly held onto.

"We are finished here but I am sure Aldaric would not mind your contribution to this cause. You would be a formidable ally, should you agree." A bit of hope could be heard in her speech.

Had Katarina let this heated debate continue Aldaric would stand here indomitably, and discuss his plans and deep seeted hatred for The Society till the end of days. Like the Pureblood had mentioned prior, they would need to keep moving on at least until everything was situated. To be caught before preparations were complete was simply not an option. Losing her new family and Aldaric would destroy what sanity remained. Though, the possibility of their true deaths were highly likely at least they would seek justice together.

A slender arm wrapped around Aldaric's toned one to gently begin nudging him toward the back of the raves exit. Katarina wondered if the passionate Pureblood would follow but after listening to his views the hope of a strong vampire such as himself would refuse. Holding no ill will toward him because she would understand his refusal. Aldaric did seem like a fanatic but was his cause not just? To a few the very thought was blasphemous but their opinions did not matter. His mind was made up and as for hers…well, she would blindly follow her dearest companion either way.

[VarionusNW]

Octavius sighed as the limousine drove through the nearly empty streets. Racking through his head were only ideas of what to do. They had no idea who the culprit was, or what they looked like. Everyone in Octavius' searching party had yet to find anything, and he doubted that they ever would. At this point, he questioned why he even sent them out to look. It just seemed so pointless. Octavius resigned his thoughts to his hunger, which had begun to bite on him.

"Jeeves, step on it, I need to feed as soon as we get back to the building." He said to his driver, who's name he didn't actually know. Jeeves was a member of Octavius' brood who's tongue was cut out years ago, before Octavius ever learned his actual name. Luckily, speech isn't necessary for driving. Octavius bid his time on this drive by looking out the tinted windows of the vehicle, at all of the boring scenery as it passed. Though, in all of that boring scenery, Octavius found something he wouldn't care about unless he was being controlled by his hunger. A young women seemed to be leaving some building while looking a bit flustered and confused. "Actually, Jeeves, I think I will be getting takeout tonight. Stop the car."

The limousine came to a stop against the sidewalk, right next to where the woman was. She paused to look at the vehicle which had just stopped next to her. The window slowly rolled down, revealing the calm and caring face of a hungry vampire.

"Excuse me, miss, but you seem to be a little bit flustered? Is everything alright?" The woman simply placed her hand against the car and breathed for a few seconds before responding.

"I think... I think I need to call the police, do you have a phone a can borrow?" Octavius was expecting a quick meal, but realized that this could end up being a bit more interesting.

"I don't, actually, but I can take you to your home, or to the police station, if you like?" The girl nodded in silence, and entered the limousine as the door opened.

"Police station, thank you." She said, in the voice of a person haunted by what they had just seen. As the vehicle began to move, Octavius started to question the girl.

"By the way, my name is Octavius, do you mind if I ask your name?" Octavius was currently sitting across from the girl, putting on his best sympathetic act.

"Carrie." Her words still shook with fear and confusion. She leaned forward in her seat, with her elbows on her knees, eyes gazing at the ground. Octavius sat back, looking at the young woman, desiring to figure out either what she had seen, or what she tasted like.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Carrie. Do you mind if I ask what exactly happened? If you don't want to tell me, I completely understand." Octavius lent forward while saying this, his voice and face filled with sympathy, though, underneath it all was his voracious hunger, which only got greater by the second.

"No, no, it's fine. I would have to tell it to the police, anyway." She picked her head and started to speak about what happened. "I.. I had gone to what I thought was a rave.For the first while it was pretty cool, but.. well.." She seemed to start choking up at this point.

"It's fine, take your time. We are still about 10 minutes from the police station."

"I went with this good looking guy to a booth, and this crazy guy came out onto the floor. He had some guy dragged in behind him. He was yelling about something, and then people started biting people's necks. Anyone who was bit is probably dead. The guy who was with me told me to leave and forget what I had just seen. How the FUCK was I supposed to forget watching a bunch of people die!" By the end of her explanation, she had started to flail and cry. She placed her face in her hands to hide the tears. Octavius knew exactly what was going on, and he was rather willing to kill everyone remaining at that rave. The limousine came to a stop just as Octavius moved closer to Carrie.

"Look, I think I know exactly what happened to you, the problem is, the police won't be able to do anything."

"What the fuck do you mean the police won't be able to help? People were murdered!" Octavius moved directly in front of her, kneeling down, with his hands on her shoulders.

"The police wont be able to find a culprit or a victim by the time those criminals leave that building. The thing is, I can't really tell you what is going on, or how I can help you unless you completely trust me." He poured a bit of his power into his words as he said this, staring directly into her eyes, attempting to convince her to trust me.

"Alright, fine. I'll.. I'll trust you. I just want to know what the fuck is going on." She took a deep breath and sighed, sitting back against the leather seat. Octavius moved back to his seat, and quickly snapped. This alerted Jeeves to start grabbing something out of what seemed to be a cooler. As this occured, Carrie started to notice where they were. "Wait, this isn't the police station. Why are we still here? We were driving for 15 minutes!" Octavius let loose an awkward grin as Jeeves handed him two wine glasses, one with an obvious wine, and the other with a deep red liquid.

"I had a hunch that you might mention something similar to what you did, so I made sure we circled the block a few times, and if it had nothing to do with me, I would take you to the station, but this definently concerns me, and not the police."

"Why does this concern you?"

"Drink this, and I will tell you." He handed her the glass with the red liquid, keeping the wine for himself.

"What is this?" As she said this, Octavius stared deep into her eyes.

"Just drink it." He poured his compulsion into his voice once more, imploring her to drink at least a sip of his blood.

"Ok. Cheers.."

"Cheers." Octavius sipped the wine as the girl downed the glass of vampire blood. Octavius assumed that to humans, vampire blood was a delicious concoction that tasted irresistable, as human blood generally does to vampires.

"That was fucking delicious. What.. was.." She started to become sleepy and numb as the blood took effect quickly on her human body.

"I'm sorry in advance." Octavius said, as he leaned over the now sleeping girl, taking his fill of her blood, which would kill any human, normally. Octavius didn't feel to bad, though, as she would be reborn as a member of his brood in mere minutes.

"Fucking delicious. Jeeves, you need to try draining one dry some time. Those last few drops are the best." Octavius returned himself to his seat, wiping his face with a handkerchief. He pulled out his phone, while he waited for the girl to wake up. He began to text Locke.

I just got word of a little Vampire party. They drained a number of people dry, apparently. I have reason to suspect that some ferals might be there. If you and your friends could get here fast, it would be pretty nice for you to go in and see if there are any vampire corpses. If there are, everyone in there is either a feral, or an accomplice. They will all be worthy of execution at that point. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Octavius followed the text with directions to his location. All he had to do now was wait.

[Exodus]

Locke almost smiled underneath his mask as Alexander pulled a gun on the corpse, the humor of it only fading once he realized how Alexander was taking Elijah's teasing. Most hunters were a little jumpy and paranoid for a couple years after they start. He could remember the days when he was like that himself.

"Alright, you two. Ease up on him, would ya'? We're just waiting on information before we can do anything. Just try to be patient..."

The masked hunter stuck his hands in his jacket pockets as he gazed at the burning corpse. To say the stench wasn't pleasant would be an understatement, though it didn't bother him quite so much. After so many years, his reaction to the very distinct smell had transitioned into an unfazed familiarity. He couldn't help but wonder exactly when it was that the lines had blurred. There are many firsts in the business that haunt most hunters for the rest of their lives, and he was no different; his first decapitation was particularly gruesome, for example, but he didn't carry too much baggage from the last ten years or so. He cleared his throat as the same thought that he'd thought so many times before: nobody should have to do these things, let alone become desensitized to them. But it was better him than all of the families who were slept soundly and relatively worry-free that night, including his own.

Locke would have gone on with the line of thought for quite some time, had his phone not beeped. He pulled it out of his pocket, and scanned the text. It was from Octavius.
"I just got word of a little Vampire party. They drained a number of people dry, apparently. I have reason to suspect that some ferals might be there. If you and your friends could get here fast, it would be pretty nice for you to go in and see if there are any vampire corpses. If there are, everyone in there is either a feral, or an accomplice. They will all be worthy of execution at that point. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)"

He took a few steps closer towards the two other hunters as he started to speak
"Alright, here's what we've got..." He read the message and location aloud. "I couldn't get ahold of anyone else, so it looks like it'll just be us for the time being. Sooo... Let's go crash a party."