A Darker Shade of Night: Dragondancer+BlisteredBlood

When he was finally alone, Heishiro had finally settled back into the seat, his eyes closed in what was considered to be contemplative thought as he sat there. Sorry to get your hopes up there madam, but I'm not hanging around here for very long. After that, I'm heading elsewhere so I can finally decide on who this Laela person is I'm looking for. He thought as he finally began to take in even and steady breaths in through his nostrils and out slowly through his mouth. Honestly, it felt as though he needed a cigarette after all of that energy he expended from that tug of war moment between himself and that vampire from earlier. Provided if he did smoke, anyway.

Soon enough though, Heishiro would then return his focus back to the entrance of the building as he sat there in proverbial silence for a while, seemingly tuning out the racket the patrons, staff and other things that made any racket in this place. But to be honest, a chill ran up his spine. His danger sense was kicking on him, once again making his heart rate accelerate slightly. Someone was here, out of sight but not out of mind. At that moment, his eyes were slowly veering around, looking from one side of the bar to the next, pondering who was it that was giving him that odd feeling. It couldn't have been from one of the patrons, as that would be way too obvious and not a lot of them were that bright.

But where was it coming from, was the question invading Heishiro's mind at the moment. It was almost certain that he felt someone's eyes from somewhere out of sight. Very slowly, Heishiro would then move from his booth and stood up onto his feet as he began to look around to virtually nothing in particular as he began to walk away with even steps. If whoever was there was talking him like they were, he had to give the impression that he wasn't the slightest bit initiated by it, despite he could feel his heart in his throat right about now.

It was clearly obvious that the stress was visible on his face as he continued to walk, particularly when a few beads of sweat were forming on his face and his eyes were narrowed slightly as he kept on walking, inching ever closer to the exit.

Laela paused in mid-step, as Heishiro slowly stood up from the booth and looked around the bar. He moved in slow, easy steps, outwardly appearing as if he had simply decided to take his leave. But Laela knew. She felt the vibrations of his hammering heart, smelled the sweat on his skin, saw the quickened rise and fall of his chest. He felt her! She smiled cruelly. Good. He should fear her. She was death incarnate, and could rip out his throat in a heartbeat and feast on his dying body while he sputtered his last breaths. But because she could, didn’t mean she would. She had mastered control over her physical impulses long ago. So she cooly stepped aside as he passed by her, her breathing unconsciously speeding up to match his as she coiled tighter inside, a predator ready to pounce. She licked her lips in eager anticipation.

Deciding at the last moment that his abduction would be easier outside, without witnesses, she let him get out the door and followed him as closely as his shadow.

As Heishiro continued to move along at the same pace, he couldn't help but still feel as though there was eyes on him somewhere within the area. In truth, the slight amount of distress that had been seen on his face was now steadily increasing as his steps were now beginning to quicken as he continued to make his way towards the entryway once more, his eyes narrowing a bit more. Even the few patrons that had begun to take notice of this were looking at the strangely dressed man as he walked past, some of them were still looking at him oddly when they saw him grit his teeth together tightly.

Eventually, Heishiro's steps eventually began to slow down as he came to a stop before leaning forward and put his hands to his knees, his eyes tightly shut as his breath became labored, the stress beginning to eat at him progressively. There was definitely someone here that has their eyes on him here, but the pain of it is that he still didn't know who was watching him or even where he was being watched from.

A tightening in his chest would soon begin to build in Heishiro as he then put a hand up on it for a moment as he felt his heart race. In all honesty, it felt as thought he was having a goddamned heart attack! At his age, one would exclaim with dismay. But the answer wouldn't be so simple, he would've answered those people. For if they were to look at Heishiro more closely and even conversed with him about it, then perhaps they would understand why he was behaving the way he was.

Slowly, Heishiro eventually stood back up normally now as he remained to stand there now, looking at the door with the same distressed look on his face. Even when someone came up behind him to ask him if he was feeling alright, let alone when one of the patrons came up and patted him on the shoulder to make him snap out of it, their words would fall upon deaf ears as he stood there with a seemingly blank look on his face.

Laela thought she was letting Heishiro get out of the place before she attacked, to avoid witnesses and collateral damage. But suddenly the man began to falter, his face pale and drawn, breathing labored, heart pounding. Her senses took in his obvious distress, and she wondered - was it a ruse? A trap he was setting to get her to let her guard down again? Or...had Vardon poisoned him? Planned on using him as a more direct weapon against her, somehow knowing of her interest in him? Her eyes narrowed as she contemplated her options, frowning as he practically took a knee on the short walk from the booth to the door. Concerned patrons hovered around him, wondering if they should call 911. Great.

As Heishiro stood staring at the door blankly, as if a man taking his final walk on death row, Laela felt her woman’s empathy begin to rise in her heart, and her resolve slip a little bit. Maybe it was possible to just have a rational conversation with the man and get the crucial information that way. But then the hunter in her ruthlessly snuffed those feelings and thoughts way down where they were usually kept suppressed, and instead gloated over her good fortune in finding her prey seemingly already weakened. She MUST get the information they needed to vanquish their enemy - before he did the same to her and her family. She would do whatever it took to protect those she loved. Whatever it took.

Cool air blew over her as the door opened when a new patron entered the bar, and Laela watched with satisfaction while at last Heishiro exited to the outside. Outside, the street was devoid of life, and she followed silently as Heishiro turned and began walking slowly down the sidewalk. As he walked warily past a darkened passageway between buildings, Laela coiled in readiness to spring, letting go of the cloaking she had been holding up, to have her full force and power at her disposal. Still suspicious about his behavior of the last few minutes, she had no choice but to act. No mercy.

Without warning, she leapt gracefully into the air and landed heavily on Heishiro’s back, forcing him to stagger deeper into the darkness, her legs immediately wrapping tightly around his waist in a breath-stealing crush, one arm snaking across his chest to secure him to her, fingers digging into his shoulder. With her other hand she tightly grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head savagely back. He did not fall under her weight and violent attack, and she knew he was reaching for his weapons as he struggled mightily to throw her off him. No hesitation or reluctance this time about what she was about to do, as she knew she could not afford to play with Heishiro, but must succeed in acquiring all the information he may have with regards to Vardon and his plans. She squeezed him hard with her arms and legs to keep him as still as possible, so as to inflict the least amount of damage, and sunk her sharp fangs deep into the side of his neck.

Instantly, a burst of white-hot electricity sizzled through her body, her pupils dilating and her nostrils flaring as the hot rush of Heishiro’s blood over her tongue and down her throat filled her with dark ecstasy. She continued to hold Heishiro immobile as she drank his lifeforce into her body, his struggles gradually slowing down and getting weaker until he fell to his knees, and so she eased up on the hold she had on him. On her knees behind him with her butt resting on her heels, Heishiro lay limply across her lap as she held him gently against her lips like some unholy emulation of the Pieta. Holy FUCK she had NEVER tasted anything this good - pure rapture! This man’s blood was ambrosia to her, and she found she had a hard time stopping, having to exert supreme willpower to disengage from the man lying at her mercy.

Carefully releasing her fangs from his flesh, she threw her head back and closed her eyes, savoring the amazing sensations coursing through her. She had known this man had attracted her for some reason, and apparently her body had somehow known the chemistry between them would be liquid pleasure. Sighing deeply, she opened her eyes and looked down at Heishiro’s limp form. Her saliva had automatically released a coagulating agent as she disengaged from his vein, and so the pinpricks on his neck were already in the process of starting to heal. His breathing and heart rate were slower than normal, but he would be fine. He would remain unconscious for awhile though, which would make transporting him to and securing him in their safe house much easier - and less harmful - to the human.

Laela reached into the back pocket of her pants and pulled out her cell phone, pressing the button to dial Ander. When he answered she spoke curtly, “I’ve got him. I’m over by the Moonshine Still.” She ended the call and readjusted her body so she was sitting comfortably on the ground, her back leaning against the alley wall, Heishiro’s head cradled in her lap as she waited for Ander to come pick them up.

In the time it took for him to finally be guided outside, it still felt as though Heishiro was still completely blank for the time being as he continued to walk without a clue as to who or what was behind him, let alone even to react towards anything for that matter. Something had clearly shaken him to the core, and the fact that he literally blacked out from the whole affair didn't seem to make things any easier on him even as he tried to get away from the throng of the other patrons. Maybe with some air, Heishiro figured, then maybe it would be better.

Boy, was he ever wrong. The tightening feeling in Heishiro's chest still hadn't subsided yet and as a matter of fact, it felt as though it was beginning to worsen progressively as his expression took on a more pain wrenched feeling. Someone was definitely watching him, just waiting for him to snap or fall faint. Whichever came first, anyway. Looking down the alleyway when he finally came to it between two relatively taller buildings, he hadn't gone more than several steps within the darkened area when from out of the blue, he was tackled hard into the back again, making Heishiro snap out of his blanked state of mind for all of about several moments as he thrashed around furiously in an attempt to get whatever it was off of him. However, the only thing he could get a handful of was someone's thigh, obviously female. But the instant that he touched the flesh, it was as cold as death itself.

"FUCK!!!" Heishiro sounded out, his holler echoing off of the walls of the alleyway. It was the vampire he had tried to get away from earlier! Only now, she now had an anaconda like grasp on his waist, trying to crush the oxygen from him and a strong arm pulling his head to the side angrily, nearly ripping his head off from the amount of force used. He tried to reach his hand up to keep her from getting at his throat again, but the force she applied on him was far too great for him to hold back now as she then bit into his neck, sending a white hot blaze of pain through his neck as she began to drink from the punctures she had placed on him followed by a stifled screech of pain.

In that instant, Heishiro's eyes were tightened shut as he continued to struggle for all of about several moments, his lungs burning both from the decreasing amount of oxygen. Still, he fought as hard as he could before he slowly dropped onto one knee forcing his eyes open to only see that his vision was beginning to darken and fade from him as he felt the vampire continue to rob him of his strength little at a time. During this time, a hallucination formed within his mind, seeing the images of his family, consisting of his mother, father, older brother and sister right before him, smiling at Heishiro pleasantly as their ghostly images remained there. Slowly, Heishiro extended a hand out to them as if they were really there, just waiting for him to come back to them as his breath became increasingly labored and ragged.

"M-Mother...! Father...! Eiji...! T-Taki...!" He struggled to call out to them as his strength continued to falter and the hallucinations began to fade from him progressively as the darkness began to take a hold of him. "I... I'm... S-sorr...y..." He spoke once more before becoming silent in her grasp, falling completely limp as he passed out.

As Laela reclined in the darkness of the alley waiting for Ander’s arrival, with Heishiro laying unconscious on her lap, she reflected back to what he had shouted as he was succumbing to unconsciousness. Calling out to his mother and father, and others who she could only guess were his siblings. She frowned; she knew Vardon had spoken to Heishiro about his family, Heishiro throwing at her with barely controlled fury that Vardon “told me the very things I needed to know about what happened to my family....”, and then the chilling admission, ...”he told me that someone named Laela was the one who for 12 years made my life miserable.” She knew for a fact she had never seen this man before tonight - and he seemed to be acting alone, not counting Vardon of course. Was Heishiro so skilled that Vardon stupidly thought he would be able to challenge her by himself? Or was he well connected somehow, or had some hidden lethal skill beyond the usual assassination talents? What the hell was Vardon playing at here?

Just then a midnight black Porsche squealed a tire kiss to the curb, and the tall black-haired driver hopped out. Moving quickly, Ander leaned over Heishiro’s prone form, pulling him up by his arm and hefting him in one easy motion over his shoulder. Laela stood up smoothly, and opened the passenger door so Ander could lay out Heishiro in the back seat. They then both jumped in the Porsche and the car peeled away.

Looking over at Laela, Ander asked, “Give you any trouble?” Laela kept her eyes closed, her head pressing back into her headrest, “Nope.” Ander took the hint, and didn’t press her for details, knowing she would spill it when she was good and ready. Speeding through the mostly empty streets, it wasn’t long before they were approaching Linden Street. Pulling up to the imposing entrance, they waited as the large wrought iron gates opened, then drove up the long driveway to the front of the house. As they exited the car, the front door of the house opened and a tall blonde man and petite blonde young woman strode out to meet them.

Ander opened the passenger door and reached in and grabbed Heishiro’s legs, pulling him mostly out of the car. Looking pointedly at the blonde man, he asked, “Everything ready, Beniamin?” At the tall blonde man’s affirmative nod, he continued to drag Heishiro’s torso out of the car, and again flung him over his shoulder, and the two men walked up the few stairs and into the house. The petite blonde raised one thin eyebrow questioningly at Laela, who simply scowled and followed the men into the house. Rolling her large blue eyes and shrugging her dainty shoulders, the blonde looked around briefly and then she too walked into the house, closing the door solidly behind her.

The back of the house was adjacent to densely wooded property, but the room the men were bringing Heishiro into had no windows to be able to appreciate the natural view beyond. The room was of a good size, much longer than it was wide, but it was completely empty, save for an elegant and comfortable-looking pallet on the floor. The walls were insulated with what looked like very thick, hard rubber, including the high ceiling. There was a small but nice bathroom toward the back of the room; however, the door had been removed and so the entire interior of the bathroom was visible from the larger room. The floor of the room was decoratively painted concrete, with a shiny resin finish. Oh, and there was the thick metal chain attached securely to a metal plate in the floor, an open metal cuff on the other end.

Ander stepped into the room with the still-unconscious Heishiro slung over his shoulder, with Beniamin and Laela following, and unceremoniously dropped him onto the pallet. Beniamin knelt down next to Heishiro, and proceeded to efficiently remove his sword, cloak, small black bag, boots and socks, so that only his shirt and pants remained on his person. “Rosalie!” Ander yelled, and the petite blonde girl-woman appeared in the doorway. Jerking his thumb toward the stack of Heishiro’s personal items, he growled, “Get rid of those.” She reached down and gathered the items in her arms, and took them out of the room. Ander bent down on one knee, and placed Heishiro’s left ankle into the large, thick metal cuff and locked him securely to the extra-thick, long heavy chain. The chain was long enough to allow the prisoner to roam fully within the room, and the solid metal plate cemented into the ground was placed in such a way that full access to the bathroom was reachable. But the shape and dimensions of the room would not allow the prisoner’s fingertips to come within three feet of the entry door when it was opened. The lighting in the room was utilitarian, provided by inset cams mounted into the high ceiling, with the light switch next to the door.

Ander looked over at Laela where she leaned against the far wall, watching, and tossed her the leg iron key. Her graceful hand reached up and she caught the key effortlessly. Nodding at her grimly, he turned and left the room, with Beniamin following. Laela pushed away from the wall, and looked down at Heishiro laying on the pallet, pale and vulnerable, and mercilessly quashed down a sharp pang of conscience. Her jaw clenched determinedly as she walked out of the room and locked it behind her, leaving Heishiro alone in his prison.

In the time that Heishiro had completely blacked in, his mind still took him through the various delusions, mostly from the major blood loss he had suffered at the hands of the vampire from earlier. In truth, it was almost as if he had died right on the spot with what was circulating through his mind at the time, the fact that he hadn't gotten the revenge he was so desperately seeking by driving his blade right through the wicked heart of the same person he had been chasing for for more than a decade of his life. It felt as though he had failed them all.

His body registered that he was moving around, but it wasn't determined as to where or how he was moving around or even how he had gotten to where he was, let alone who had brought him here when he had finally awakened from his delusions to what he felt like was hours or even days later within his frazzled mind. When he did awaken, all he had don was simply lay there on the floor, stripped of his weapons and any materials he had on him at the time. He had begun to look around in the room he had now come to in, his vision blurred but slowly reforming.

So this is hell... Heishiro thought as he remained there on the floor, fully convinced that perhaps he did die and this was where his soul was to be condemned for seeking vengeance. Slowly, he would then begin to move, the blank expression still there on his face as he finally sat up on the floor a short time later and moved his left foot, hearing a chain begin to rattle.

Looking down to it, Heishiro saw that there was a a metallic cuff there, looking at it listlessly. A slow nod was his reaction before he closed his eyes in morbid thought before he laid back down on the palette, his arms out to the sides as he looked up at what he thought was nothing, save for the only light in the room hanging above him. The only thing he could think of as he saw that there was as if Heaven itself was mocking him from above the stars, but he was resigned to the fact that this was where he was meant to be after all of this time.

The door to the room opened, and two dark forms appeared in the doorway. Laela and Ander strode in, Laela dragging a black, narrow-backed chair into the room behind her. Placing the chair against the wall next to the door, she kicked the door closed with her boot. Ander took up position on the other side of the door, arms crossed and his shoulder pressed into the wall, scowling sideways down at the human. Laela gracefully sat down on the chair, stretching her long legs out in front of her, and looked over at Heishiro laying in silent sacrifice on the pallet.

Ander popped a few knuckles in impatience, and Laela frowned in his direction. Sitting up straight in the chair and bringing her legs in, feet flat on the floor, Laela leaned forward with her forearms resting on her knees. “Heishiro,” she began softly, “I’m going to get right to the point. We need you to tell us everything you know about Vardon, and what he said to you.” As she finished speaking, the door opened again, and the young blonde woman walked in with a plastic cup filled with water and an orange cut into slices on a paper plate. She looked questioningly over at Laela, and at her nod, walked slowly over to Heishiro. “Rosalie - that’s close enough!” Ander barked, concern edging his voice. Ignoring Ander completely, Rosalie smiled shyly at Heishiro, kneeling down to place the water and orange slices next to the pallet. Her smile faltered a little as she let her eyes drift down to the shackle on his ankle. Strands of her blonde hair fell across her face as she brought her wide blue eyes back up to Heishiro’s face and smiled kindly, before she turned and left the room, sending a concerned look at Laela before closing the door after her.

As the door opened, Heishiro didn't even bother looking in the direction a number of people coming into the room from at first, but when he did look over, he noticed that it was both the male and female vampires he had left back at the bar. A quiet scoff and a shake of his head was all he offered when he saw them coming into the room before he glanced right back up to the ceiling with a look on his face that didn't seem to care about anything at this point. If this really was Hell, Heishiro figured at that point, then where was the flames? Where was the demons carrying pitchforks shoving him into a boiling lake of lava and all that crap? Or perhaps he was in purgatory at this point? Whichever the case was, Heishiro didn't seem the least bit concerned about it now.

Glancing over once more, he heard the first woman's voice in his ears, and unmistakably, he knew who it was almost right away. "I already told you what I know about Vardon. He simply offered me some information on who it was that murdered my family and then burned down the very house that I had lived in 12 years ago. Who did it was someone by the name of Laela. He was kinda vague on the description of who it was I supposed to be going for, but he said whoever it was held the visage of a beautiful woman when in reality, she was the one who basically tore my life asunder. But, I suppose that has little to no bearing now." Heishiro began as he then glanced over to a young female as she set down a sliced up orange beside him along with a cup of water before hearing the male in the room bark at her to stop what she was doing. Again, Heishiro made no move towards it and instead looked off to the side with a curt look on his face.

"That's all I know." Heishiro spoke once more before looking back to the female vampire as she sat there on the chair to his right. "You don't have to believe me or whatever, but at this point, I really couldn't care any less." He added in a bland tone of voice as he looked back up to the ceiling.

Laela sighed as she listened to Heishiro’s belligerent reciting of what he claimed was his only knowledge of Vardon. “I’m sorry to hear about your family,” she said sincerely. “But we have....known...Vardon for some time, and he is not a man to offer information without demanding payment in some form. What have you agreed to do for him in return for this information? And what do you know of him that makes you trust his word so completely?” Laela stood up, running her fingers through her hair at her scalp trying to massage away the headache that had formed, and began to restlessly pace around the room.

Heishiro blinked before he looked over to the female and arched a brow at her curiously as he laid there with a bit of a perplexed look on his face. "That's the problem. He didn't offer me anything in return. He just said to find this person and get her out of my face." He answered her, basically summarizing what he had been told by Vardon.

"I suppose why I trusted him so much was that I've been so hellbent on finding out the answers I sought for such a long time that I guess I just wanted to believe anything." Heishiro spoke once more with a lackluster chuckle of sorts before he shook his head from side to side with a sarcastic smile on his face. "One of my many character faults, I suppose." He muttered this to himself with his eyes closing for a moment before looking back up to the ceiling once more.

“That’s a load of bullshit!” Ander growled angrily, stepping away from the wall, his hands squeezed into tight fists. Questioning someone was usually more of a hands-on deal with him, and simply asking questions and expecting to get the honest answers they needed was making him chafe at Laela’s restraint. “There’s no fucking way Vardon would solicit help from a goddamn human - especially with no strings attached, for fucks sake!

Laela rolled her eyes at Ander’s outburst, wishing she had first tried to question Heishiro alone. “I agree, something isn’t adding up here. I’m not sure exactly what machinations Vardon is up to, but I know damn well he isn’t one to hire....a solo man, to basically fight his battle. Unless....” She took another step toward Heishiro, peering at him intently. “What skills and training and weaponry do you possess that would present you as so valuable to someone such as Vardon?” Pausing as another thought came to her, she asked with curiosity, “What did you even know of Vardon before you met with him tonight?”

Heishiro wasn't exactly surprised that the other vampire in the room would react this way, but at the very least, it was starting to piece together, albeit rather oddly for them. However, it made perfect sense for him - or at least he thought he did, anyway - in all actuality. It was possibly because of the fact that his affiliation with the Knights Of the Dragon's Skull was still rather noticeable in areas such as this. After all, it had been around for centuries as a secret organization, but apparently, there was elements that had known about it for some time now. How much, was the question.

"That's the other thing, shit-for-brains. Vardon was wanting me to gather as many people as I could find within the area, but the only people I know I've long since severed any and all ties to because their form of justice went way too goddamn slow for me. So, I basically struck out on my own." Heishiro answered Ander roughly before turning his head to the side for a moment and let out a ragged sounding cough as he then decided to continue onward. "And to answer your question, the people I severed ties with is the Knights Of the Dragon's Skull. Quite possibly the largest but most secretive society in this part of the world. As for skills and weaponry, what you've basically taken off of me and possibly trashed by now was the only thing that I had left. Flash bombs for quick getaways when outnumbered and/or overpowered, a broadsword that I spent years to make and then perfect my own style, sacred runes that I personally etched onto it then blessed by the paladins there, a set of armor that was given to me by my mentor before he died at the hands of a warrior in battle..." He went on before he paused and then shook his head slowly.

"But what do you care? None of you know what it's like, having very little to no identity left. Besides, how old are you all? At least 700 years old? I'm betting you've changed your names so many times that you don't even remember your own birth names." Heishiro spoke once more in a biting tone of voice before looking away.

Ander narrowed his eyes at Heishiro’s tone and insult, stepping forward with a gleam of anger sparking in his eyes. Laela threw a withering glower at him, stopping him reluctantly in his tracks. Her eyes widened imperceptibly when Heishiro mentioned the Knights of the Dragon’s Skull. Ah, very interesting...what other secrets have we in this man here? And perhaps his blessed broadsword had a part to play in Vardon’s interest as well. Heishiro’s story was starting to have the ring of truth to it for her....perhaps there was an opportunity here for them to be something other than enemies. But unfortunately, he had nothing but hate and animosity for them right now - not exactly conducive to forming a truce, much less an alliance.

The door opened slightly and Rosalie peeked her head around, catching Laela’s eye and speaking quietly, “you guys are gonna want to take this call.” Laela and Ander exchanged glances, and walked briskly out the door, with Laela looking pointedly at Rosalie as she departed. Rosalie moved fully into the room and stood in front of the door, backing up with little steps until the door closed at her back. She looked almost fragile in her blue jeans and ballet flats, and long fitted tunic that hit the tops of her thighs, a pretty color blue that was far outshined by the color of her eyes.

She walked daintily but without fear toward Heishiro, and sat down crossed-legged next to where he lay. She propped her chin on her hands, looking at him curiously with her wide blue eyes. “You really should drink and eat, you know - it’ll help your body replenish what it has lost.” She tilted her head appealingly to the side as she continued to study him.

By this time, Heishiro had nothing more to say to them, much less to the female he had the unfortunate pleasure to run into at the present moment. As a matter of fact, Heishiro's face seemed to tell everything that he was feeling at the present. Resentment. Anger. Hatred. Disgust. Bitterness. As a matter of fact, he was almost glad that he ended up here, so that he had honestly hoped they would release him from his mortal coil so that he would one day return to haunt their everlasting days until the end of all eternity. But apparently not, from the way they were wanting to keep him alive. But for what? What could possibly be gained if they were to keep him chained up and locked up in the middle of nowhere and asked these sorts of questions? Were they wanting to use him to fight back against their enemy? A shake of Heishiro's head and a scoff was given to seemingly no one and nothing here as he was left there with his thoughts. The very idea. That bitch should've just killed me when she had the chance and just left me there in the alley. He thought as a frown was etched on his face.

But then, one voice caught his attention, making him turn his attention over to a younger female that was now sitting there beside him. Another shake of his head soon followed before he looked away from her now. "I thank you for your concern," Heishiro began. "But it's not going to make any difference. Soon as they get what they want from me, they'll end up tossing me out like a piece of trash." He added as his eyes narrowed slowly before a scoff came out of him.

Rosalie looked searchingly into his Heishiro’s eyes for the brief moment of time he looked at her. She listened to the abject acceptance in his voice when he spoke of how he believed he would be treated like garbage once Laela and Ander no longer needed him. She took in his defeated body language and heard his angry scoff. The young woman felt keen frustration that this man was being treated in such a brutish manner. But she fully trusted in Laela, and knew there must be a very good reason for her rough actions.

She straightened out her arms and put her hands on the ground behind her, leaning back comfortably. “Your sword is very beautiful,” the petite blonde said shyly, not looking at Heishiro directly, but rather glancing off to the side of him, her lashes lowered. Seeming to study the decorative pattern of the floor, she continued, “Don’t worry, I put your belongings in a secure location. They are undamaged, and will remain safe until you are able to retrieve them.”

Rosalie sat up and then leaned all the way forward, resting her elbows on the floor in front of her, once again her chin settling into her hands. This brought her face very close to Heishiro, and she spoke in almost a whisper, “I get the feeling you don’t like us very much,” a hint of sadness suffusing her words.

A glance towards the petite female was all Heishiro answered with before he spoke. "Thanks." He spoke before he took his eyes away from her and aimed them back up to the ceiling with a contemplative look despite he heard her mention to him that his equipment and things were stashed away in a more secure location and that it would be there for him when he recovered enough. In all honesty though, while he was indeed grateful for this, he knew that he wouldn't be allowed to leave with it all intact. It would probably be better if he was buried with it all with the blade jutting out, typical of how all warriors were meant to be buried.

When she spoke of him not liking them all very much, Heishiro simply looked over to the female with an arched eyebrow and a frown on his face. "What makes you think that? What, are you a telepath or something?" He asked.

Rosalie laughed softly at Heishiro, sitting up straight, wrapping her hands around her crossed ankles. “Yes. Absolutely. And I am a demon who transforms into a bat, hates crucifixions and garlic - oh, and I sparkle in the sunshine!” She wrapped her arms around her waist and giggled, amusement shining in her blue eyes. “Or perhaps your expressions are easier to read than you realized - plus,” her smile faded a bit, “I know I wouldn’t be too pleased to be kidnapped and locked up like this.”

Rosalie moved to tuck her legs underneath her, sitting in a kneeling position. She spoke a bit wistfully, “It’s amazing how many stories are created over the years that just become assumed facts. People fear what they don’t understand, and people want to destroy that which they fear.” She looked into his eyes with guileless sincerity, “You and I - we’re not as different as you believe, Heishiro.”

Reaching down to one of the orange slices with the peel still intact, she shyly lifted the fruit and offered it at Heishiro’s lips, her face a mixture of hopefulness and encouragement, as if she was approaching a skittish animal.

A bit of an aggravated look was on his face before he looked over to Rosalie was Heishiro's reply initially as he looked at her with a look on his face that seemed as though he wasn't the slightest bit amused by the slight twist she threw into it before rolling his eyes at her once more with a shake of his head a frown etching itself onto his face. "Whatever the case may be, I don't care about any of you. Not you, not your friends and even less about myself now that I have basically failed in doing what I was meant to do in the first place." He answered as he then turned onto his side with his back facing her. once again refusing the offered orange slice.

"Just get away from me... Pretend like I don't even exist." Heishiro answered again, his anger bubbling hot in his mind and in his body. "Better yet, lock the door behind you on your way out. Maybe then I can finally sleep peacefully." He added as he forced his eyes closed.

Laela, Ander and Beniamin sat around the thick wooden table, each of their faces a tableau of displeasure. At last Laela spoke, “Well, the good news is our contacts confirmed most of what Heishiro told us. So at least he can be believed, and is not already a servant of Vardon. The other news, well....”

“What fucking good is that, Laela?” Ander ground out. “The human bastard wants all of us dead as it is - before he’s even discovered you are the person he thinks he seeks to slake his lust for vengeance! Maybe he isn’t our enemy at the moment, but the second we release him, he will only turn around and seek to destroy us. The only logical answer here is to kill him now, while we have a perfect opportunity!” He softened his proclamation a little, promising, “I’ll make sure to make it painless and quick, I promise.”

Laela jumped out of her chair and leaned over Ander, her angry face inches from his own. “We are not cold-blooded murderers,” she growled, her voice soft but filled with warning. “If we seek out and eliminate anyone and everyone we feel is a potential threat, becoming some kind of preemptive assassin crew - we will be no better than Vardon.”

Beniamin coughed quietly, dragging their attention to him. “Laela....I hate to admit it, but Ander does have a point. Why risk it? Who is this man to you? Are you willing to put us all in jeopardy out of some misplaced sense of honor? How can you guarantee he will not try and kill us if we let him go?”

Laela stood up and hugged her arms to her waist. It was her duty to protect those who looked to her for leadership and protection. But she also knew she had to be true to who she was, or else face a demise of a different nature, a slow twisted death from the inside out...a worse fate than dying in battle, in her opinion. Her mind made up, she stood straight and tall, commanding, “He is not to be harmed. If the time comes where he seeks us out to harm us, so be it - we will meet him and defeat him in battle.” She glanced out of the window at the darkness beyond, and sighed. Dawn would be upon them before long, time for them to secure themselves for the coming day. She turned her back on the men still sitting at the table and walked toward the back room to retrieve Rosalie, knowing the sensitive girl would still be there, futilely trying to befriend the human.

Rosalie’s shoulders slumped at Heishiro’s contempt-filled words and tone, discouraged that she was unable to make him feel any better, as had been her hope. She sat quietly nibbling her lower lip for a few moments, contemplating the man whose words and body language left no doubt as to his wish for her to leave him alone. Instead, the idealistic young girl reached out her small hand and placed it gently on his shoulder. “What is it that you feel you have failed to do, Heishiro?”

Heishiro grimaced when he felt Rosalie touch his shoulder and then narrowed his eyes in an aggravated manner to the wall. Honestly, just what was that this little runt didn't catch when he said that he wanted to be left alone in this place? And even if he did tell her what it was that he failed at, would it make things any better than they were at the present moment? Would it be finally be enough to get her to shut up and leave him here to his thoughts or whatever else these people had in mind for him?

His aggravation would only slowly build the more that he continued to feel his shoulder being touched and finally, his reply would come out like this right after he looked at her with a scornful look on his face. "Why should I tell you when you can figure out the answer for yourself? Besides, you're one of them, so why not go ahead and read me unless of those skills of yours haven't developed yet?" Heishiro answered inquisitively. "Besides, I've said it so many times tonight that I'm honestly getting sick and tired of talking about it."

With that, Heishiro then sharply turned back from her, his face wrenched in aggravation. "Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out." He spoke quietly, each word laced in bitterness.

Laela stepped through the door just as Heishiro was angrily telling Rosalie to “Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out,” and she frowned in displeasure. Seeing the hurt and disappointment in Rosalie’s eyes as the girl stood up and slid past her to quickly leave the room didn’t put her in any better frame of mind.

“You don’t deserve her company anyway, asshole.” she bit out. Squatting down right next to him, one knee actually on the pallet beside him, she looked down at him angrily. “We’ve all got a fucking sad story to tell - you think you’re the only one who’s ever suffered? The only one to lose loved ones? Are you so far gone that the only thing you can feel any more is hate and anger and resentment?” She shook her head in disgust and stood up to leave.

Pausing with her hand on the doorknob, she looked back over her shoulder and said with much less venom, “a man who sees only enemies and evil in those he meets, will find he only ever encounters enemies and evil. To receive any good in life, one has to peel back the film of hate and despair from his eyes, and be able to see those before him as they truly are, not what he projects them to be.” Assuming her words fell on deaf ears, Laela didn’t wait for a response, and just shut the door after her a she headed to their sleeping room to settle in for the coming daylight hours.

Despite the fact that her words did in fact reach him, the more that Heishiro thought about her words now only made things for him feel no better nor any worse. So maybe they did feel a sense of loss, but to what degree is what he wanted to know. That's all, really. Just one thing he wanted to know and maybe then, his thoughts would be different. To some degree, anyway.

As he heard her leave, Heishiro simply laid there on his side, pondering about it. However, he knew he was in the right in some points, but that woman also had a few valid points. He was so blinded by the travesties he had endured all of his life, that he saw nothing else but those things she had mentioned. At one point, Heishiro would then slowly sit up and glance over to the door that closed behind the woman, leaving him there to himself. A bit of a scoff was given before he looked back down to the palette he was on before he shook his head with a sigh, his eyes closed in thought for the time being. After a little while, Heishiro would then glance over to the orange slices that were still there on the paper plate along with the plastic cup of water beside him then slowly laid back and scooted himself back just he could reach it, picking up one of he slices then brought it back to himself, peeling back the rind and casted it back over onto the plate before placing the slice into his mouth, munching on it quietly for a moment before swallowing it. Once he got that down, he then looked over to the cup of water and leaned back once more, picked it up bringing it back over to his mouth and took a sip of it then set it down beside the palette before laying back down on the palette once more with a sigh.

Honestly, just how could this get any worse now that he was here, Heishiro began to wonder as his eyes began to close from exhaustion.

Complete and unbroken darkness enveloped her, eyes closed and sightless. Laela slowly opened her eyes, but the utter darkness remained. Laying on her back in a soft bed, she raised her arms above her head, twisting her hips to one side to stretch out the kinks from laying completely still in one position during her dreamless sleep. Sitting up and throwing her legs over the side of the bed, Laela stood up in a fluid motion and walked unerringly to the bolted door to her small sleeping room. Unlocking the numerous safeguards, she shoved the heavy, thick door open, entering a softly lit room. Running her fingers through her hair, she prowled over to the bathroom, her nude body a study in alabaster perfection.

Reaching into the shower, she turned on the water and stepped in under the luke-warm spray. Her body temperature was so low, that the semi-warm water felt almost hot to her, giving her pale skin a slight pinkish glow as she luxuriated in the sensual sensations of the water flowing over her head and body. Pouring some aromatic bath gel into her palm, she proceeded to run her hands all over her body and through her hair. After rinsing off, she wrung out her long hair and rubbed her skin and hair dry with a soft towel.

Pulling on her standard nightly wear of all-black skin-tight leather pants, knee-high leather boots and a form-fitting long-sleeved shirt, she sighed heavily as she left the peacefulness of her room, not relishing another confrontation with the aggravating man imprisoned in the back room. Maybe a good day’s sleep will have improved his disposition, she thought briefly before dismissing that flight of fancy before it could take a hopeful hold in her mind. No doubt he’ll be even surlier tonight than last night, stewing in his own sour juices all day, she grumbled to herself.

Walking into the main open kitchen/dining/sitting area, her nose was assaulted by the unfamiliar smell of something cooking. Rosalie turned away from the stove, a big grin on her face as she proudly pointed to what she was cooking. Laela raised her eyebrows, but gave Rosalie an encouraging smile. “I’ll take it in to him, Hun,” she said as she gave the girl a warm squeeze. Rosalie bustled around, pouring some water into another plastic cup, and placing her masterpiece - a grilled cheese sandwich and chips - on a paper plate. Laela smiled at the girl’s endless enthusiasm and thoughtfulness as she took the plate and cup with her to the back of the house. Holding the food and water in one hand, she opened the door to where Heishiro was being kept and walked in.

During the morning hours, Heishiro didn't exactly sleep all that well, And quite a few times, he was awakened by quite a few coughs before he finally managed to get some rest. At some point though, Heishiro would eventually awaken during the afternoon hours and remained that way, his mood not really changing much as he sat there in silence with a contemplative look on his face before he took the rest of the orange slices and began to polish those off one at a time and then tossing the orange rinds back onto the plate and then drinking down the water as well before placing that to his side with a sigh before laying back down on the palette once more, his eyes closed not in rest, but rather he was laying there with the same thoughtful look on his face.

His respite, it would seem, was short lived the moment he heard the door open and the same woman he had seen from nights before came into the room, bringing him another meal. Judging from what he could smell, there was grilled cheese there, plus he could hear the rattling of potato chips there as well. Truth be told though, Heishiro's face didn't seem as though he was pleased to see her there, but at least he was being cared for. More importantly, it also looked as though he seemed a tad bit feverish from last night's affair, but it didn't look as though it would bother him much.

For the most part, he remained where he was, looking up to her with the same look on his face, despite some of the initial venom in his eyes had faded from his face.