[NSFW] Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines (Personal Adaptation) [Ravnos & RoseThorn]

[RoseThorn]

Sabrina's eyes widened a bit at how happy the man sounded when she told him that it was her on the other side then she heard the statement that he'd had a little accident. What was she about to walk into? She sighed as she collected herself and then walked into the unlocked front door of the building. As she walked in, she looked around to see that this place definitely was for the rich and she definitely did not belong. She bit her lip as she caught the scent of blood, looking down at the floor to see the trail. She felt her mouth water at the sight and scent and almost wanted to puke at that exact moment. She couldn't believe that she was getting excited over... blood.

She found herself in Mercurio's apartment quickly, looking inside to find the man that seemed to go by the name on the sofa bleeding badly. She swallowed hard as she slowly walked into the apartment, looking around as if she was worried she was going to get jumped by vampires again. She could still feel the stake in her heart. She looked him over as she shook her head.

"Is this some sort of test or something? Like I walk into someone's apartment covered in blood to test my self-control or something?" she asked, looking him over. "God, are you okay?" she asked, shaking herself out of her paranoia.

 

[Ravnos]

The man groaned as he shifted to look at her, "Shit, those cowardly fucks. They got me with a bat from behind and shot me. I just managed to get away, but they took everything." His speech was weak and broken as he struggled with ragged breaths. "I'm bleeding real bad. I need your help. You're a vamp. Your blood, it heals. Its okay, I'm a ghoul. I know you are new, but don't worry. I'm the boss's man, so I know what I'm talking about. I just need a little bit, to stop the bleeding. If you don't, I'm probably toast in a couple hours. Can you manage that?"

He had grabbed a throw from the couch pressed up against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

 

[RoseThorn]

Sabrina walked in slowly, not rushing whatsoever in her attempt to get closer to Mercurio. She looked him over as he told her what happened to her, her eyes widening a bit as she heard what he'd been through. Then he was going on about being a ghoul and everything was just so confusing. He needed her blood? Did vampires even have blood anymore? Wait, right, she cried tears of blood. She frowned as she looked down at her body and then to Mercurio. He was pleading for her, and the Prince had sent her a message saying that Mercurio knew a lot about them. If she just left him like this it probably wouldn't be the best look. She let out a small sigh as she walked forward.

"I... can try," she said as she looked around for something. "Got anything to... cut myself with...?" she asked, obviously hesitant but willing to do what she needed to do. She at least was wearing a short sleeve shirt so her clothes wouldn't get bloody... hopefully.

 

[Ravnos]

"You got teeth don't ya?" He said seemingly imaptient, "Ha... sorry. I know you are new to this. But you gotta see I'm a bit desperate here." He coughed into his hand, a bit of blood spewed out. "What was that? Oh, I just felt something burst." He gripped his side, "Was that my spleen? God, I'm sure I needed that for somethin'"

 

[RoseThorn]

As Mercurio suggested that she use her own teeth to cut herself, her eyes widened. She pressed her tongue to her fangs immediately, remembering how sharp they were. She opened her mouth a bit as she thought about it. "I-I've never... used them..." she mumbled a bit but as he went on and on about how he was about to die, she found that she would need to do it just to shut him up. She was shaking a bit but it couldn't be that bad right? Using fangs? She raised one arm to her mouth and dug one of her fangs in the the underside of it, flinching at the pain but dragging down anyway and creating a sizable wound in her arm before she moved it towards Mercurio.

"I-Is this good?" she asked.

 

[Ravnos]

Mercurio looked on eagerly as she prepared herself to give him blood. Sabrina noticed that the initial puncture into her wrist was completely painless. It was the dragging across her arm that was quite painful. Mercurio weakly interjected, "Ah... you are greener than I imagined. Normally, that initial puncture is enough to feed upon. At least in my experience. I don't need too much. Just a sip is all."

He grabbed her arm, his hand was shaking profusely, but as soon as his mouth touched her wrist he kind of latched on as he suckled from her wound. Surprisingly, it was an incredibly pleasurable experience. It was as if her wound suddenly transformed into her most sensitive erogenous zone. She almost felt light-headed from the unexpected feeling.

Mecurio drank for a little under a minute and then pulled himself away. "Yeah, that's the stuff," he said with blood on his face and groaned a bit. He didn't seem to get any better on the outside, but the bleeding did seem to stop for now. "Thanks a lot, kid. You're a life saver. I really owe you one okay. If you need anything, just let me know. Oh, and lick the wound and it'll be good as new. But, that only works for bites you make yourself." He took a moment then heard the phone buzz again. He reached over and hit the red button. "Yeah?" He asked.

An unfamiliar voice chimed in, "It's me, boss man."

"Alright, come in. I've got a new task for you, and this time with some help." Mercurio replied and buzzed the new guy in.

Before he came in Mecurio mentioned, "Spike's a good guy, by the way. A lot of vamps don't like him cause of the whole apocalypse thing. But, they've been saying it's been coming for ages. A legend of a myth, who knows what or who you should believe these days." Mecurio finished what he was talking about before the two heard Spike running in.

"What the fuck?!" He said rushing up to check on Mercurio, half pushing Sabrina out of the way. Compared to the corpses she'd seen so far, Spike looked alive. He breathed, blushed and smelled alive. He looked about the same age as Sabrina, maybe a little older. He was a head taller than her, thin with wiry muscle, raven black hair cut in a punk style which was a strong contrast against his fair, immaculate skin. He wore thick black-rimmed glasses, and the lenses created a slight magnification of his eyes that had black make-up underneath which accentuated his emerald green irises. He had a hoop piercing his bottom lip on the left side.

He wore a black leather jacket which had the band name "Ghouls" on the back over a cartoon image of a some kind of half vampire, half ghost under the name. The jacket was open, and he wore no shirt underneath and had a pair of leather pants that were just tight enough to show what little curves he had. He was also wearing a pair of black tanker boots that had leather straps instead of laces.

Mercurio sputtered as he was jostled, "It's alright, kid. Chill okay?" He coughed again and caught his breath, "I'm okay, this nice girl here just saved my life. Sabrina, this is Spike, or so he calls himself."

"Sabrina?" He said a bit confused at first glance, but then it came together in his head after he got a good look at her, "Oh, your from the Asylum..." He paused for a moment, "Yeah I saw you come in with Jeanette. She's a life changer, ain't she." He said with a crooked smile as if he was sharing an inside joke with her.

Mercurio raised an eyebrow, even in his state he noticed the awkwardness, "Well, small world. Anyways, we have more pressing matters. You two have got to head down to the pier and get the Astrolite. Those bastards I made a deal with stabbed me in the back and took the stuff and the money. You guys gotta get it back, everything. The Astrolite and the money. I know you guys probably aren't up for killing anyone, but they need to be taught a lesson. If not tonight, soon. Once I get in touch with some tougher pals, they're done."

"What the hell happened, Mack? I was just supposed to get it from you, those guys did this to you? Crap..." Anger built up in him for a moment before he took a few breaths trying to calm himself down, "Okay, I guess we don't have a choice." He looked at Sabrina expectedly.

 

[RoseThorn]

Sabrina couldn't imagine a small puncture being enough for someone to actually suck her blood, so she put herself through the pain of creating a line down her arm in order to feed Mercurio. As he pointed out her freshness and how little she seemed to know, she nodded a bit as she held back her whimpering from the pain. As he grabbed her arm and pulled it down to suck on it, she expected it to feel weird and slimy. She was preparing herself for the worst until she felt immense pleasure from it. Her legs almost gave out as her eyes closed and she let out a small gasp as he sucked on her wrist, biting her lip as she tried to get a grasp of what was going on.

By the time Mercurio was done, she hadn't gotten any more of an answer as to why exactly someone sucking her blood was suddenly the most pleasure experience she'd felt in a long time. She also had no idea that drinking a vampire's blood had some sort of... healing potency to it. Like she was some sort of walking health potion. If it were this easy why didn't they use their power to heal wounds? Why weren't there more vampire doctors? ... Well the massive amount of blood probably wouldn't be too easy to avoid.

As Mercurio instructed her to lick her wound to make it good as new, she frowned but nodded as she slowly reached up with her arm and licked the wound slowly. She watched in absolute surprise and awe as her wound healed just by her own saliva. She seriously needed to do some research on what she was because she didn't remember this from Dracula. She looked at Mercurio as he answered the phone for someone else, tilting her head as he started to explain something about Spike and an apocalypse.

"Apocalypse?" she asked just as she turned to see another boy running in behind her, stumbling a bit to the side as he pushed her. It wasn't a heavy push or anything she'd see as aggressive but she definitely wasn't expecting his urgency. She was starting to wonder if this guy even was a vampire at all to begin with. He didn't look like one whatsoever and that made her wonder just what exactly what defined a vampire. God, she really knew nothing at all.

Sabrina looked to 'Spike' as they were introduced, nodding a bit as the boy spoke his name before her eyes widened at his comment about the Asylum. This guy had seen her... dancing? That's so embarrassing. She just laughed awkwardly as he called her a life changer, looking away. "I guess you could say that. Or a life taker," she shrugged, making a dark joke about her being murdered.

Then she was suddenly being given some sort of task to get Astrolite and money back from a bunch of thugs. Who exactly did they think she was? She wasn't some sort of... something that deals with thugs! She was just a regular girl before all of this. She'd never even gotten into a fight before.

"Don't have a choice? What would happen if I said no?" she asked looking at Spike before looking back to Mercurio. He was the Prince's buddy or employee or something, so saying no to something he asked of her would probably reflect badly on her in the Prince's eyes but... she hadn't even had a moment to breathe since being bitten. "Someone is going to explain to me what exactly I am now... right?"

 

[Ravnos]

A few moments after Mecurio was done suckling on her wrist she did start to feel a little more empty, as if she could sense her own blood reserves. It did not make her feel woozy or anemic, but just a little empty and some minor hunger pangs. The blood that was now dried up on the floor was no help either. It became a little more fragrant and although the smell of blood was the same as when she was alive, her reaction to it was one of desire for sustenance.

Mecurio shrugged at her question, "You can do what you want, but just remember that the boss has taken you under his wing. I wouldn't get on his bad side. There aren't many around here who could or would even want to get in his way. Still, he's not a bad boss. He's a bit tight on the law and order bit, but he's just trying to protect his own. He also has his reputation to protect. You don't get to be Prince of the City of Angels by being loose with your control. But if your afraid, remember, you're immortal... well, mostly. There are some things that can kill you; sunlight, decapitation and fire mainly." He counted out with his fingers as he explained. "Anyways, Spike will show you the ropes, he's been a vamp for like, what?" He looked at Spike, "Three days now?"

"Going on two months," Spike said slightly annoyed, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, like I said. He'll break you in. No worries. We cool now?" Mecurio said, his accent getting more and more thick and he seemed a bit more healthy now, though still pale and a bit of a wreck. "Besides, you saved my life. I wouldn't steer you toward your own demise now would I?" He said trying his best to look sincere.

 

[RoseThorn]

Sabrina frowned as she listened to Mercurio. She wasn't a dumb girl. She knew that actually saying no to him and going against the Prince was just... not a good idea. She saw what the Prince could do, and she couldn't imagine she'd get very far if she ran away. Not only that but she had no idea what the hell she was doing or what she was. Right now, these two were the only things she had to show her the way to go and what to do. As he assured her that she was immortal and that she would be fine as long as she didn't walk into sunlight and get decapitated, she let out a small sigh. That was good to know. She was wondering if sunlight really hurt vampires or not.

She looked over to Spike as Mercurio assured her that he would show her the ropes and that he wouldn't steer her towards her demise after saving him. It wasn't like she could just easily trust someone that she didn't know, especially someone that was part of all of this stuff but... she had no other options. She sighed as she finally nodded.

"Alright," she said. "I'm in. I'll follow your lead the best I can," she told Spike.

 

[Ravnos]

"Cool." Mecurio said and let out a bit of a sigh of relief. "Now get the hell out of my apartment so I can pass out in peace." He said as he let himself flop down on the couch and shut his eyes.

Spike gestured with his head toward the door and the two headed into the hallway and out the front lobby into the night, "Hey, I know this is all freaky shit, but don't worry. It gets better the more you know. You get to start a new life with the knowledge that..." He paused and corrected himself, "Well, at least the illusion that you have a little more control over your life than you did when you were actually alive."

He looked around ensuring there wasn't anyone to listen in on their conversation. "Besides, now you have an actual excuse to be walking around in all black." He said with a smile and popping up the collar of his leather jacket. "Unfortunately, if you thought pondering the point of everything was confusing when you were alive. Being undead only begs way more questions. Especially since now most of the people who could answer you are those who largely benefit from keeping their secrets. But, you're lucky, you get to take advantage of the fact that I'm young, naive and too much of a braggart to not tell you all the cool things I know about vampires." He said with a growing smirk.

He pointed toward the direction of the pier, "We're headed that way, I think."

 

[RoseThorn]

Sabrina nodded as she followed Spike out of the apartment, letting out a sigh once she was out. Getting out of that room full of blood was enough to at least clear her mind a bit more. She just couldn't get a break. One moment she's getting raped, then bitten, then murdered, then put on trial, and now she's on some sort of mission to steal... astrolite(?) away from thugs that had almost killed the man she was getting it from. Now she was paired up with some other vampire that looked about her age and she had no idea what kind of guy he was going to be. She just wanted to sleep forever.

As Spike started to give her a bit more insight to her new life, she looked over to him and really did listen. She frowned a bit but nodded as she listened to him, sighing softly. It was true that maybe she could get some more control over her life.

"I'm going to live forever now... right?" she asked Spike, frowning to herself. She'd always wanted to live forever, but now that she really... was going to go it was an incredibly daunting idea. To live forever. Wow.

She did actually laugh a bit when he told her that they had an excuse to wear all black now, shaking her head. That was true at least. "I need to buy new clothes," she muttered mostly to herself as she looked down at her body. She hated how boring she looked. Like a soccer mom. She looked back up to Spike as he told her that being undead just made her question things more, sighing softly. That wasn't exciting. She smiled a bit again as he told her that he was young and willing to tell her everything he knew. "Just the kind of guy I needed to meet. I feel like everything's just hidden in shadows and I'm just told to do things I don't understand," she said.

As he pointed towards the pier, she nodded and followed after him towards it.

 

[Ravnos]

"If you believe the elders, it's only a matter of time before our fore-bearers awaken to swallow us all. And, on top of that, it's my fault. At least, my kind." He said seriously pointing at his chest, but not looking too convinced, "However, if all that about the apocalypse is all just superstition, just like the next coming of Christ, then you won't age. That doesn't mean that you can't die. Someone could dust you at any minute. But, if your smart and careful like our beloved Prince." He said sarcastically, "You can live for quite a long time. Though, as far as I've seen, the older you get, the more of an asshole you are." He looks up pondering for the moment, "Though I suppose that's the case with everyone."

As the two found their way down the street a few blocks later the chill dampness of the sea air was much more apparent. It wasn't something that Sabrina wasn't used to, but now although she still felt the cold of it, it didn't feel like exposure to it would cause her anything more than minor discomfort, in fact at the moment her body was likely just as cold as the air that whipped around her. The two approached a large parking structure that was mostly empty at the moment considering few people visit the pier at this time at night. Especially when it was this cold outside.

Spike stopped her for the moment just outside the parking garage, lightly grabbing her arm just for a second before releasing again. "Hold up. We should probably have a small chat before we head down." His hand was actually somewhat warm to the touch. Not quite as warm as Mercurio, who was actually alive, but still a good 10 degrees warmer than her.

"I think we should probably start with the basics." He looked around again before continuing, "What clan are you?"

 

[RoseThorn]

Sabrina furrowed her brow as that whole apocalypse thing was brought up again. She had no idea what any of that meant. She could assume it was something that had to do with... well, the apocalypse. Something about the world ending. She felt that she wanted to ask but at the same time it seemed like it was a bit of a touchy subject for Spike. She might have to find out from Mecurio or something. She understood at least that someone could kill her... or dust her or whatever if she wasn't smart, but that's something she'd always been good at. Being smart. Staying out of harms way. Well, except for when she was murdered at least.

It was weird... being this cold but not being as cold as she really was. For her body to be as cold as it was. It was a crazy feeling, one that she couldn't really understand, but she was slowly getting used to all the weird feelings of being dead. She looked over as he grabbed her arm, flinching a bit at the contact. The last time she was touched, she was being raped. Or had a stake put through her heart.

Then he was asking about her clan. She frowned as she tilted her head. She had no idea what that even meant. "What's a.... clan?" she asked.

 

[Ravnos]

Spike squinted behind his thick glasses as she answered his question with more questions, "Huh," He rubbed his smooth chin with his thumb and index finger, "Weren't you sired by Jeanette? She didn't tell you?" He asked looking fairly puzzled. "I can't imagine she would just send you into the streets with no understanding of what you are."

"A clan is basically the bloodline of your sire. It's passed down through the generations from the forebearers." He place his finger on his bare chest, "My sire was a thin-blood and that means my blood is too thin for clan affiliation. My kind is supposedly one of the harbingers of the Apocalyspe, which is why in most cities, I'd be a goner. But thankfully the Camarilla only has a loose grasp on LA. If it wasn't for Nine's, I'd have surely been dust by now."

He leaned up against the wall, settling in for a lecture, "The Prince... he's a Ventrue, the blue-blooded who basically want to control everyone. Nine's is Brujah, they're the rebels, and love to stir up trouble. If I knew what clan you were, I could probably guess some of your powers. But otherwise, I have no clue."

He thought for a moment, "There is one more way I could tell, but I can't do it here. I would need some supplies. But..." He paused and pointed toward the beach, "We've gotten more pressing things to deal with. Maybe we'll just have to use our brains. The only thing I can tell you is what all vampires can do. You can Call on the Blood, which is a fancy way of saying your blood can empower you. It can make you stronger, make you more resilient and make you more agile. However, calling on the blood uses it up, but, thankfully, we can usually get more."

 

[RoseThorn]

Sabrina frowned as Spike asked if Jeanette had been the one to 'sire' her, which she assumed was a fancy way of saying turned. She didn't respond as he went on to explain what clans were and how they affected the vampires. So it was some sort of cult thing, but more-so depending on what 'clan' you were. The word thin-blood stuck out to her. She remembered just slightly that someone had said it in the meeting, right before she passed out. Something about... dealing with a thin-blood. Well, that didn't have to mean that it was Spike. She had no idea how many thin-bloods there were in the world.

Then he was talking about powers and fancy ways of bringing your blood forth to empower you. She looked down at her hands and placed her tongue on her fangs for a moment as she looked at him. "I feel like I'm in some sort of comic book. Powers...? Really?" she asked with disbelief, shaking her head. It was an insane way to think that she had powers like she was some superhero. Either way, she didn't really have much time to think about it. She'd just have to go with her gut and believe this guy for what he had to say. There was no reason not to, right? What did she have to lose? Her life. Hah.

She looked back to the beach and let out a small sigh before she started walking towards it, continuing their journey. As she walked by him she spoke quietly, "Jeanette wasn't the one who turned me," she said. "The one who turned me is dead now."

And with that, she kept walking.

 

[Ravnos]

Spike followed behind her, just as she passed him, "Bummer. Hope you didn't know 'em too well. It can hurt to lose someone close to you." He said with a hint of sympathy. "I only knew my sire the night she turned me, she was gone by the morning. Two months later and I still barely know anything. I get a hint here and there. The knowledge is out there, but it's like pulling teeth trying to get it. If we had a clan, I assume that our kin would give the information more willingly. But the clanless are often seen as fodder to be used and thrown away. At least that's what it's like here in LA."

The car park was abandoned for now, however as they reached the main exit onto the pier, Sabrina noticed the area was cordoned off with police tape. A squad car was parked on the pier with its lights flashing and a pair of officers were standing around it looking bored. A man in a trench coat was standing a bit further down talking into a police radio. It was hard to make out his conversation at this distance, but it seemed fairly casual. "This way," Spike said as they took a flight of stairs down that led them right onto the beach instead.

The salty breeze, sound of the waves and a soft crackle and smell of a controlled fire filled their senses. Though a bit of a back entrance to the pier, this little beach didn't seem to get much traffic. It was either a hidden gem, or more likely, saw some fairly unsavory customers. It was interesting; however, after all the places she's been living, she had never once wandered down this flight of stairs. It was normally just easier to walk right onto the pier.

They weren't completely alone on the beach. There were four others, they stood around a barrel with a low fire burning inside and sitting near by. There was some gentle slow trance music playing from somewhere she couldn't quite see, but the quality spelled out some downmarket walk-man speakers hidden from view.

​

Before they could get a good look at the group, a woman with dark hair turned to look at them, her eyes wide with concern. She was dressed in a small tan top and a loose brown skirt that looked more appropriate for the beach during a bright sunny day. At first she looked surprised, but then more curious. She approached them swiftly and pointed at a stairway that led up a cliffside where an old decrepit looking beach house stood. "Up there!" she spoke in a thick yet proper sounding Mexican accent, like the one from an actress in a dramatic telenovela. "Through the chain-link fence and up those stairs. Those men you are looking for, they are up there." The woman said nothing else, she looked around a bit nervously, wringing her hands.

 

[RoseThorn]

Sabrina tried not to look too upset or angry when he brought up being close to whoever sired her. It was just a touchy subject for her. The closure she'd never get, the way she would never know what Bradley was or if he really was a nice guy or if he was just a monster hiding behind a facade. She'd never really know, and that was terrifying for her. Maybe Jeanette or Therese would have those kind of answers for her, but she didn't know how comfortable with going to the Asylum she was yet. She just decided to walk through the parking lot silently from then on. As they reached the police tape heading towards the pier, Sabrina frowned and looked it over before Spike told her to go a different way

As they walked out into this sort of back entrance to the pier, her eyes widened a bit. What... was this place? How had she never walked down here? Well, she really hadn't had a reason to but she had always been so sure that she was learning Santa Monica like the back of her hand but for some reason, she just hadn't ever found this place. She noticed the others there immediately as well, frowning as she looked them over. Were they more homeless? Maybe this was where people were starting to hide out to get away from the killings that had been happening recently in the homeless community.

As one of the women ran up to them, Sabrina frowned and moved back a bit before she started to tell them that up the stairs was where they were heading. She frowned, looking to Spike before back at her. "How does she know we're looking for anyone? Did you see what happened?" she asked her.

 

[Ravnos]

"No!" The woman cried out desperately grabbing at Sabrina's wrist before Spike could respond. She looked terrified for the moment and her eyes looked distant.

Spike moved closer to the woman with a curious look, "Are you okay?" He said with a gentle tone as if talking to a mental patient.

The woman snapped out of her trance and looked at Spike then to Sabrina and retracted her hand with a confused look. She regained her composure, a casual look as if what she did wasn't in anyway unusual. "Nevermind, you wouldn't understand. Forget what I say," she said before looking at the two with a hint of disdain and walking back toward the men she was hanging around the barrel with. The two men both looked at her with pity as she joined them again. She looked into the fire losing herself in the flames.

There was something about the fire that awoke an unnatural instinct in Sabrina. A deep fear that gripped at her very essence, a hint of paranoia that told her to keep a strong distance. She knew it was a controlled fire that was unlikely to harm her, but every pop and crackle was like a warning that danger was nearby.

Spike did not pursue the woman, but was inspecting the group with a discerning look and was clearly now lost in thought.

 

[RoseThorn]

Sabrina gasped and flinched when the woman grabbed her wrist, looking at her with a bit of fear in her own eyes. Who was this girl and what did she want with her? She looked to Spike as he moved closer to the woman, hoping that he knew something about her that Sabrina couldn't figure out. Then the woman snapped out of whatever was going on. Sabrina brought her hand back to herself quickly and frowned as she stared at her, rubbing her wrist where the woman grabbed it. She had no idea what was going on with her. Maybe she was a mental case, or had some sort of drug problem.

Sabrina's eyes found the flame and soon, the fear that gripped her made her breath a bit harder. She didn't need to breathe, yet her anxiety caused her to breath like she was going to have a panic attack. There was something about that fire that she didn't like. Something that made her fight or flight instinct trigger. She wanted to run back to her apartment and hide. But instead, she reached out and grabbed Spike's arm to ground herself, still unable to look away.

"W-We should go," she said anxiously, her eyes still stuck on that flame.

 

[Ravnos]

Spike was pulled back to reality as Sabrina grabbed him. He looked at her and toward the flame and an expression of realization formed on his face. He walked toward the chain-link gate with her and spoke softly to her. "Don't worry. You'll get used to that. Fire is really bad for us. We tend to burn up like dried husks. It's a good instinct to be afraid, but try to keep it under control. Luckily, fire isn't something you see that much in the city. Besides the occasional bum burning trash in a barrel, you'll basically never see it." He opened the gate and led the way up the wooden steps.

Making it to the top, it came clear that this place could be nothing more than a hideout for crooks or at best a squatter haven. The house was quite run down. However, it was cleverly hidden from the rest of the city. On one side a rickety wooden privacy fence and the other a concrete wall separating the beach from the city. There was a driveway with a VW van sitting in it, meaning there must have been road access in the back. The house was only one story, fairly small. It was stucco sided, just like many of the suburban houses in SoCal. Many of the windows were boarded up, but there were some dim lights coming out of the front window. There was definitely people here and awake. They could even hear people inside arguing, but it was too muffled to make it out from here. There was a small white picket fence blocking the way in and right at the gate was a shirtless guy smoking something he rolled himself and looking fairly bored.

The two were just peaking their heads over the top of the stairway, unseen for now, but once they were up, they would be in fairly plain sight. Spike looked to Sabrina and whispered, "Well, looks like we won't get much further from here for now. We'd need to be quiet cause one wrong move could draw them out guns blazing. Also, don't forget we have a time limit. We'll need to get back somewhere safe for sunrise. So, any ideas?"

 

[RoseThorn]

As she followed with Spike, she kept her eyes on the flame as if it was going to follow her or jump at her until the gate was opened. She looked to Spike again finally as they walked into the wooden gate, her eyes finally leaving the flame now that it was far enough away. She was relieved to hear that it was a natural instinct to fear fire now with them, a frown on her face as she sighed. "That's good to know," she said softly. "It felt like something was going to jump out of the fire and attack me..." she mumbled.

As they got up the stairs and her eyes found the house and the man in front of them. The place definitely looked sketchy from the way the windows were boarded up. It just looked like the exact kind of place that was going to hold drugs and gangsters in it. She looked back to Spike as he whispered to her about sneaking in and the time limit that they had. She frowned a bit as she thought about it.

"I've had to sneak out of my house a few times but I don't know about sneaking into a place full of guns," she whispered back. She sighed softly as she looked back at the man standing in front of the gate then back to Spike. "If I distract him do you think you can get in easier? I'll just go... ask him questions or something. Act like I got lost. That way you can get by him? He's obviously some sort of look out."

 

[Ravnos]

"Distracting him is a pretty good idea and I know you've got the moves to turn a crowd, so this guy could be like putty in your fingers." He said giving her a look of confidence, and possibly a hint of flirting in his voice. "One thing I want to tell you that might change your perspective on things. Hopefully, especially in this kind of situation." He sat down on one of the steps to drop his head below the view of the house and urged her to sit next to him.

"So, one thing you want to think about is the fact that as vampires, we are the predators of the human world. You..." he put a finger on her chest, just below her collarbone. "are the cat. That guy," he thumbed in the direction of the house, "he's just a mouse. Or, maybe to put it in another way. You are the venus flytrap, and he's a hornet. If you lure him in with your charms, he could be your next meal. However, if he discovers your ruse, he's could sting you pretty bad. And though that won't kill you, it's still gonna hurt like a bitch."

He stood up to get a view of the guard again, he didn't move and it seemed like everything was still peaceful. "Either way, I got your back. If things go south, I won't make you take him on one on one. Though you may remember that you can Call on the Blood, if you need to run or fight. Ready?"

 

[RoseThorn]

Sabrina smiled a little at Spike as he assured her that distracting the guy was actually a good idea and then he went on to tell her that he knew she could turn a crowd, looking away a bit shyly at that as her cheeks grew a small pink blush. That whole Asylum thing had been a totally new thing for her and she kept her eyes closed most of the time. She could tell he was trying to make her feel better though and she appreciated it. She'd always been good at talking, so she wasn't too worried about just manipulating this guy in some small way. As he informed her that he had something that might change her perspective, she nodded slowly and sat down.

She listened as he went on to explain to her that she was a predator in this new world, even if the human across form her might seem scary. She looked down at herself as he explained their positions in the world and the whole idea of this guy being her next meal. She had no idea how to... do that. To drink from someone? Was she just supposed to bite them or like... look for a specific artery? Did she have to kill everyone she drank from like Bradley did to her?

She nodded slowly as he at least went on to explain that he would have her back if things went south, following him as he stood up. "I think so..." she said. "If I keep his attention just... try to sneak in alright? I can take care of myself."

Sabrina took a few steps up and then started walking towards the man in front. "I always have," she mumbled softly.

 

[Ravnos]

The guy standing guard was quite surprised at first when noticing Sabrina's sudden appearance. He looked like he hadn't expected anyone at all tonight. He scrambled a bit and grabbed a baseball bat sitting next to him before realizing that was going on. When he got a good look at her, he seemed to chill out and smirk. The man was chestnut haired, with an athletic build and wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. He was okay looking, a fairly symmetrical face with few blemishes. He looked a little high at the moment and the smell of weed wafted from the joint he had just dropped on the ground. Something he resolved fairly quickly.

He regained his composure, but the look he gave her was less than cool. With a sinister grin he gave her a wink and a lecherous chuckle, "You looking for a place to shack up, baby," His tone and accent were fairly crude. Clearly lacking a proper education and had no tact or etiquette. "I can certainly find you a nice cozy place to lay," He was clearly only interested in propositioning her and by no means beneficent. "What's a sweet number like yourself doing up here?" She certainly had his attention at this point and his eyes were mainly focused on measuring her up.

Sabrina noticed as she was closer the side door to the van was open and there was a lot of soft cushions and blankets strewn about. It also had a strong smell of weed and alcohol lingered out of it. He tilted his head, gesturing toward the van, "Why not make yourself comfortable? I got more weed if you want to chill out."

 

[RoseThorn]

Sabrina got herself into character as she walked, shaking off her fears and anxieties or all of her confusions in being a vampire. She was here to do a job, and she was good at what she did. She walked up to the lookout, tilting her head as he grabbed the bat to his side. He really was hiding something with how defensive he immediately was. She could tell the guy was a creep the moment he started talking to her and doing all this winking shit. Even though she wanted to grimace and roll her eyes, she kept herself straight forward and walked right up to him. As he went on to proposition her, she laughed like she was flattered and brought a finger up to play with her hair almost shyly.

"Oh I-I don't know how to smoke weed," she lied. "I'm just a little lost... I was trying to go to the pier but there was some sort of tape there? So I was trying to find a way around it and now I'm here... what is this place?" she asked, looking around like she was confused. "I saw some people on the beach but they were a little weird..." she giggled.

As she looked behind the man towards the van and then the house behind him, she thought of more to say to keep his attention right on her. She needed to make sure his eyes didn't wander if Spike was moving in.

"The pier isn't closed is it..." she whined. "I was so looking forward to going out tonight... I only get to have fun sometimes and when I do everything's closed! It's so not fair..."