A Darker Shade of Night: Dragondancer+BlisteredBlood

[Dragondancer]

The light misting of rain shimmered in its descent from the somber night sky as it passed through pools of jaundiced light cast from streetlights lining the bleak walkway. Darkened and shuttered storefronts hosted a collection of wastrel - both human and vermin taking what shelter could be found from the cold and damp as reluctant companions. Discarded newspapers were transformed into makeshift blankets and umbrellas, and the garbage of the better-off became the meals of the forsaken. A lone car sped by, the tires hissing on the wet road, the sound accompanied by a deep thudding bass audible even with the windows rolled all the way up.

At the end of the block, adjacent to a pitch-black maw that was an alley, thumping music was bleeding out from behind a thick wooden door lit by an overhead red bulb. A hulking bruiser stood guard, his bare and tattooed muscular arms crossed in front of his chest menacingly, displaying full sleeves of various inked nymphs, breasts, claws, and tribal art. A man and a woman approached the entrance to the club, an obvious couple by the way they hung on each other - whether together for the night or something more permanent, who knew. The woman was scantily clad in a skin tight black dress, her cleavage spilling over the low cut neckline, and most of her bare legs on display below the high cut hemline. The man wore dark jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt decorated with the generic rose and thorns “pseudo bad boy” artwork that was found everywhere these days. He had the woman tucked under his jacket, pressed close against his side for warmth - and his enjoyment. As the pair negotiated their entry, the door behind the bouncer banged open with a thud, and a sandy-haired young man walked out a bit unsteadily. He reached up to brush his shaggy hair out of his eyes, and stumbled sideways, catching himself on the doorway with a sheepish chuckle. The bouncer glanced over his shoulder at the man with a disgusted look, then turned back to usher the couple into the club. The young man rolled his eyes in mock disgust, mimicking the bouncer’s condescending expression. He swayed slightly as he raised his arms, intending to throw the gatekeeper a couple of birds as a mute parting shot - when his body was suddenly and violently jerked into the blackness of the alley, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye. The bouncer shut the door after the couple, and returned to his sentinel position, completely forgetting about the tipsy man of just a few moments ago.

Standing hidden in the alleyway, the woman wore all black. Her lithe body was poured into soft leather pants that lovingly cradled her enticing curves in all the right ways, finished off with knee-high leather boots buckled snugly over her shapely calves. Her long dark hair flowed around her shoulders and down her back. Her black lace blouse covered her skin from neck to wrist, but her appearance was anything but demure. Blending almost completely into the darkness, her glowing amber eyes were the only part of her that was visible, had anyone been looking. The woman wiped her mouth slowly and sensuously with the back of her hand, leaving a faint red stain on her pale skin. She closed her eyes and leaned back into the wall as she ran her tongue sinuously over her top teeth, and then darted her tongue out to lick along her full bottom lip, as if savoring a flavor in her mouth.

Ah, the heady taste of human blood never loses its allure, the woman who was called Laela mused. She enjoyed a wide range of blood types, reveling in variety. Yes, she had her favorites - and a witless young drunkard was not among them, just convenient. But she actually didn’t mind the taste of alcohol in the blood, it gave her a kind of fond remembrance of her life long since gone. Literally gone, she chuckled humorlessly to herself. Looking down at the crumpled form at her feet, she propped the unmoving man against the wall. He let out a soft groan as she moved him, his hand shakily reaching up to feel his neck with his hands as he regained consciousness. His neck felt a little sore, and his fingers found a warm dampness as they felt the side of his neck. His brow furrowed as he tried to recall where he was and how he had gotten there. He looked up and around, but he was completely alone.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

The rain...

Oh how Heishiro hated the rain. For him, it felt as though it was more of an insult than anything else. Then again, the whole night for him as he stood in the line for the bar he was outside of hardly seemed to matter much, even as he heard the loud thumping music from outside. Though the truth of the matter was, he had been following a rumor that led him here that someone had some information about his family's arsonist/murderer from 12 years ago. If this was indeed true, then perhaps he could get some answers here, or possibly even find out if the killer was even in the same area as he was in, wherever this town was called. Come to think of it, Heishiro had been in so many places over this course, that each and every town he had passed by seemed to blend together at some point or another.

Step by step, inch by inch Heishiro would walk as the line was eventually allowed to walk inside of the club, welcoming its participants inside with eardrum-breaking loud bass and assaulted their vision with strobe lights glancing off of a disco ball that was suspended in the middle of its dance floor, filed with bodies writhing and gyrating along to the beat of the music. For Heishiro - once he was eventually inside then broke away - was to find this person who had more information for him. His attire seemed to suggest that he probably wasn't going to be here for very long, despite its simplistic nature. His chosen articles of clothing for tonight was a sleeveless white shirt, black pants and black leather boots. Short brown hair juts out mostly in front, sometimes aggravating him whenever it got in his face and brown eyes as he sat there at the counter, his eyes closed in thought for a little while before he was interrupted by the barkeep that had asked him if he had wanted anything. His answer from Heishiro would be in the form of a shake of his head and a wave of his hand, not really wanting anything as of right now.

 

[Dragondancer]

Laela’s hunger was slaked, but not quite satisfied. Just the way she liked it. Being “fat and happy” just didn’t fit with her real world...keeping her edge was a key component to her daily life. She looked up from her internal musings and was surprised to find herself no longer downtown, but instead walking along a deserted park pathway next to the Mississippi, the Memphis skyline jutting behind her. “Fuck me!” she growled in annoyance to herself. She sometimes got so caught up with her thoughts, that she would tune out her surroundings - to the irritation of whomever was trying to have a conversation with her at the time. Her razor sharp senses and instincts never let her become completely tuned out, but it annoyed her to have any moments of anything less than full and utter awareness. Her amber eyes quickly surveyed the area, but all was quiet. Most folks didn’t know this little fact: Memphis was number twelve in the Dirty Dozen most dangerous cities in America - ranking higher in violent crime than Los Angeles, Atlanta, New Orleans, Las Vegas...a fact that conveniently allowed her to pursue her nightly forays with almost complete freedom. She ran her fingers through her long hair and rubbed her scalp briskly, teasing some of the dampness from it now that the rain had stopped. Turning back the way she had come, Laela headed back toward downtown.

Back at the club Excision, the bewildered shaggy-haired carouser having long since scuttled into a cab ride home, a line of patrons waiting to gain entry had formed. Inside, sitting at the bar, a short and scrawny middle-aged man sat nursing what was obviously not his first drink of the night. His bloodshot eyes and rat-like face was pinched into an unpleasant scowl as he kept glancing up at the doorway, as if waiting for someone. His age and appearance set him apart from the mass of people enjoying a night out, as did his unpleasant demeanor. Suddenly his reddened eyes fixed on an approaching figure, the drink in his scraggy arm paused halfway to his mouth. This had to be the guy that was described to him! As rat face watched, the tall, athletic man in his early twenties took a seat at the bar, waving off the bartender. Yep, definitely the guy. Rat face sidled up to the young man, taking the empty seat next to him. “You Heishiro Kenseth?” he wheezed, expelling a sour breath as he spoke.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

For the most part, Heishiro had remained where he was, sitting there at the bar with his arms folded across his chest as a look of aggravation began to stitch itself onto his face. Just where was this guy, he wondered. If he didn't show up within the next five minutes, then he had other leads to track down, for he didn't have time to waste doing stupid shit like this. His family'd murderer was out there somewhere and if it meant he had to tear through each and every part of this town or anywhere across this god forsaken planet, then so be it.

Soon enough though, a wheezy sounding voice spoke to him, obviously this guy had heard of him. Looking over to his left, he spotted a rat-faced middle aged man sitting there next to him, his breath smelling like that of raw shit, to say the least. An irked expression became known on his face for a moment before he turned his head away from the man and let out a cough into his right hand before looking back at him.

"Yeah, I'm Heishiro Kenseth. Are you the guy that has a certain something for me?" He answered with a slightly disgusted look. Honestly, had anyone heard of mouthwash?

 

[Dragondancer]

Rat Face cackled greasily, enjoying Heishiro’s distaste. A couple of cute girls - a blonde and a redhead - both a little flushed and sweaty from dancing, sauntered up to the bar on the other side of Heishiro. The blonde one looked over at him and gave him an interested and inviting look. When he didn’t respond, she shrugged her shoulders and turned to the bartender to order her drink. Rat Face snickered, “I ain’t as purty as you, but I’m good at what I do. And what I do is deliver messages - so no, I ain’t got nuthin for you. But I know somebody who do.” He swigged from his glass and continued, “I don’t be knowin nuthin ‘bout nuthin, so don’t think to ask me anythin. I’m just the guy who knows how to deliver messages right good, for folks who pays me right good.” He shifted his unkempt frame closer to Heishiro to better be heard over the loud music, and darted his eyes around somewhat nervously. “A man by the name of Vardon’s got some information he thinks you might be interested to hear. He says if you want the answer to your question, to meet him tomorrow at midnight at the bottom level of the parking garage at Peabody and Third.” Having delivered his message, Rat Face tossed back the last of his drink and stood up, heading for the door. He stopped after a couple of steps and turned back to Heishiro, “Hey, you ever need someone like me, just give a ring over at Gus’s - you know the place? Leave a message and I’ll get the word.” He then turned to negotiate his way through the crowd and out of the club.

Sitting in the shadows at the back of the room lounging casually on a bar stool, Laela watched with mild interest the interaction between Rat Face and the brown-haired man. She had wandered back downtown to her earlier haunt, and decided “What the hell!” and strolled into the dance bar. Sometimes when she was bored she would mingle among the night crowd - and besides, a place like this was prime pickings for an easy late night snack, she smiled to herself. A handsome man walking nearby caught the small smile playing along her lips, and straightened up his posture, making a beeline for the beautiful woman. Laela flicked her amber eyes ominously at him and he froze in his tracks, then immediately detoured away. She fixed her stare on the young man across the room again; he didn’t look like the usual consort Rat Face skulked around with. Plus, there was something about his demeanor that held her interest - besides the way he was obviously repelled by Rat Face, she chuckled softly - maybe something about the way he carried himself, or maybe something about the shadows in his eyes. Their discussion complete, Rat Face got up and walked out, but his companion remained seated. Laela unconsciously played with her full lower lip between her teeth, watching to see if the intriguing man was going to stay or go.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

Once more, Heishiro had to turn his head back from the rat-faced man, mostly with the same disgusted look on his face. Honestly, this guy must've brushed his teeth with motor oil if his mouth had to smell that bad. But at least he was starting to get to the point after a little bit of bush beating. So all he had to do was to just meet this Vardon guy out on Peabody and Third and hope he has something better to offer him instead of this washed up geezer of a man as he watched him walk away, somehow relieved that he didn't have to listen to that drunk or even smell his foul smell breath near him ever again. Temporarily, of course when Heishiro noticed that the same man had come over to him again and informed him that he could be found over at Gus's. Irritably, Heishiro nodded at him before he spoke. "Yeah, yeah. I know where it is." He said to him roughly, wishing he'd just fuck off already.

With their discussion complete, Heishiro first remained where he was for now as he pushed himself back into the seat with a small frown on his face and his eyes closed for the time being. He had obviously a lot of things on his mind at the given moment, and getting the information he so needed badly was possibly going to drive him over the brink of sanity and plunge into the murky depths below. He honestly hadn't even acknowledged sets of eyes on him from all angles at first, but then he could feel another set of of eyes on him that seemed to give him a bit of a shiver up his spine. Heishiro knew what that meant. There was someone here that had a "vested interest" in him. And what that meant wasn't good, at least that was what he could initially think of at first. Soon enough though, he turned his attention back over to a woman that he hadn't seen in this place before. But then again, those eyes of hers seemed as though they could pierce right through his soul if they wanted to. Then again, everything about her seemed otherworldly, but at this point, he knew he could be here for very long. Not with the fact that the man he was supposed to meet had more information for him was waiting for him at the bottom level of the parking garage. Still, if it meant that he could slake this woman's curiosity for whatever it was she was looking for, then perhaps he could just meet her, greet her then be on his way.

With that in mind, Heishiro soon got out of his seat afterward and turned his frame towards the table this woman was sitting at and then moved over to her with a calm look in his deep brown eyes before speaking with her only once. "This seat taken?" He asked as he gestured at the spot across from her.

 

[Dragondancer]

Laela’s eyes narrowed as the man she was watching reclined back in his seat and closed his eyes. Her vision and other senses immediately honed in on the exposed column of his neck; his vulnerability and availability enticing the predator within her to the forefront. Her tongue darted out over her lush lips and she leaned forward slightly in her seat as she played with the idea of luring him to her so she could partake in enjoying a taste of him. And she could tell she would indeed enjoy tasting this man, from what she had observed thus far. He wasn’t drinking, he was handsome and well-built, obviously taking good care of himself. And the shadows in his heart and eyes...nothing drew her like a depth of emotion, particularly dark emotions. Many of her compatriots got off on luring and debasing their opposites - the light-hearted and light-headed - usually beautiful, young, vivacious and vacuous. But not Laela. She much preferred a challenge, and except for when she lazily went for a quick and easy meal, she sought out strength and passion and darkness. All of which she hoped was embodied by the attractive man currently in her sights.

Even without her using any of her coercive powers, the man felt her eyes upon him and responded to her. A very good sign, she smiled inwardly, pleased with his awareness of and attraction to her - even if he himself did not realize it. Unlike the previous man to approach her, this one had no fear or unease in his eyes as she met his deep brown eyes straight on with her golden amber orbs. Forcing herself to remain appearing docile, even as the animal within her was coiled and aching to spring, she smiled invitingly as he initiated first contact with the ever-useful first question, “This seat taken?”

Before she could reply, or he could react, a tall, well-built black-haired man stood behind him, pressing his large hand uncomfortably into his shoulder. “You need to find another seat, guy” the imposing man growled in a threatening tone. He was dressed similarly to Laela, all in black leather including a long leather trench coat. His skin was unusually pale as was hers, and his eyes had a similar glow about them although more of a brown than amber. Continuing to press his hand on the brown-haired man’s shoulder, he spun him around with little effort, so he was now facing him. Laela quickly stood up in a graceful, cat-like movement, and reached out a delicate hand to the man being confronted, grasping his arm gently but firmly. A feminine purr of appreciation curled inside her as she felt the hard, well-formed muscle beneath her palm. Laela’s voice was velvet steel as she commanded, “Ander, I was just about to make this intriguing man’s acquaintance - calm yourself.”

 

[BlisteredBlood]

Heishiro hadn't done more than reach onto the backrest of the chair he was about to pull out for himself when he felt a rather uncomfortable hand reach for his shoulder and grab at it, making Heishiro narrow his eyes sharply before turning his eyes back at the man who now had him by the shoulder, informing him that he had better find another seat. Oh, how he wanted to just turn around and grab his hand and rip it off at the wrist, if he wanted to. The again, he wanted to do more than that. He also wanted to gouge his eyes out. He wanted to rip his lips off and then glue them to his own butt so that he could show everyone that he - indeed - sucked ass. Or better yet, he could just wheel around and just drop him to the floor with a vicious backhand right into the mug of his then look down at him and give a long lofty but somewhat sadistic laugh.

When he was spun around by the same man, Heishiro didn't show him anything that hinted towards being intimidated by him or even showcased any signs of backing down from him either. If looks could kill, then this guy would've been dead when Heishiro looked up at the man's face as he narrowed his irises of dark brown at him while his fists balled up tightly, quivering slightly before he spoke. "I think someone said it best when they said, 'I'm not yer guy, buddah'." Heishiro quipped at him as he was literally just seconds away from just tearing off and then grabbing a handful of this big dope of a man and then just drop him into the pavement with one good smash to that face of his.

But before he did so however, Heishiro glanced over when he felt a delicate but strangely cold as death hand reach for his arm, making him snap his head in that direction, seeing the woman that had a gentle but firm grasp on his arm. Already, he could tell this night was just going from bad to worse in his eyes and this place was starting to become a snake pit.

"Actually, I change my mind." Heishiro answered as he pulled his arm away from her, his tone highly caustic. "I was just leaving." He added before he moved towards the exit, his face etched in a heinously bitter scowl as he began to walk away, his steps giving off an even but aggravated cadence.

 

[Dragondancer]

Laela felt the promise of violence seething internally in the man’s body, and it provoked a rise in her own suppressed savage nature. She knew the man had no idea what he had gotten himself into; still, it took courage and balls to stand up to someone as intimidating as Ander - even had he been just a man. She felt an unfamiliar disappointment when the man angrily pulled his arm from her and contemptuously stalked off. She sighed imperceptibly as she watched him walk toward the exit, feeling like she would have liked to spend a bit of time with the man, get to know him a little - his name at the very least - before imbibing in the dark delight of his blood.

Ander’s aggressive nature almost got the best of him as he saw the look in the man’s eyes that spoke of violence wishing to be done - as he wished for the very same. “The audacity of the young pup!” he fumed to himself, his long, cold fingers curling into deadly claws itching to teach the man before him a lesson in humility. But he was sworn to do Laela’s bidding, so he must accede to her wishes - no matter how it may chafe at his own. Seeing Laela actually put her hand on the human - actually touch him, and not in the act of feeding! - had Ander seeing a haze of red. Then watching her interested eyes follow the man as he rudely pulled his arm from her grasp and walked away caused him even more fury and concern. “Laela - what the hell are you thinking? Involvement - of any kind - with a human, is always a bad idea. A very bad idea!” Laela gave Ander the briefest of glowers as she turned away. No longer finding anything holding her interest in the club, she began to saunter toward the exit.

The sounds from the street didn’t carry down to the lowest level of the parking garage in the least. The oppressive silence was broken only every so often, by the squeak and skittering of a foraging rat. The inky darkness was held at bay only minutely by the insipid luminesce of a few wall sconces around the perimeter of the basement. Vast swathes of impenetrable shadows lurked between the cement columns, casting eerie light on the very few cars that were actually parked on this level. The silence and stillness were so complete, one would think the area completely devoid of life, save for the vermin. “And,” thought the figure cloaked down there in the darkness, “one would be correct.”

 

[BlisteredBlood]

Not long after leaving the bar, Heishiro began to make his way back towards his temporary place of residence for the time being, this being a hotel in one of the more seedy places of the city, home to some of the more scum infested residents that seemed to belong here. Prostitutes that were desperate not only for money but also for their next john that came in looking for a good time, drug peddlers that were either looking to hawk their wares in a more private place or even people like him, someone that had no place to go and only one way of getting there; however they had to do it, of course. During the time he was there, Heishiro had since peeled off his clothes as he came into the door of his hotel room and showered off the stink of the bar, his blood pressure visibly seen through the amount of anger and stress he had been under for most of this time. All he wanted at this point in time was just information and if he had to gut someone to get it, then so it shall be. He was there for at least a good 20 minutes or so before he came back out of the bathroom after having scrubbed himself off of everything that he might have either came into contact with or not, however one wanted to look at it before putting on his usual attire, consisting of his mercenary outfit he had ever since he had left the Knights Of The Dragon's Skull to go after the the person responsible for his family's brutal murder. It was gifted to him by his mentor, the very same man who had died in his arms one fateful night, one that he had chosen to never squander for anything. The sword he carried, though imbued with sacred runes that seemed to only enhance his battling prowess to that of supernatural levels was one that he had wielded and even handcrafted himself some time ago. The weapon in question, was that of a broadsword to which he had dubbed, "Silent Moon".

Once he had the whole ensemble on his body and the broadsword adorning his hip, Heishiro decided to accent the whole thing with a long hooded traveler's cloak which he had thrown on over his frame then pulled the hood up over his head as he soldiered out of the place, knowing full well that he probably wasn't going to be coming back here anytime soon and began to head out into the night.

The travel over to the parking garage where he was supposed to meet this man named Vardon would be eventually quiet, save for the sounds of skittering rats that crossed Heishiro's path every once in a whille when he arrived there a half hour later, soon spotting the man as he came inside moments later, his boots scuffing the ground as he stopped about 20 feet away from the man.

"You there." Heishiro called to him, deciding to stop wasting time and just get to the point. "Are you Vardon? I've come here as requested, for I require some information." He said.

 

[Dragondancer]

The cloaked man’s preternatural senses were tuned to the sounds of the night, and easily detected Heishiro’s entrance into the parking garage. His thin, bloodless lips peeled back from his teeth in a dreadful semblance of a grin. he wasn’t tempted to overpower Heishiro and make a meal out of him, although with his ancient powers he knew the human wouldn’t be much of a challenge. No, he had plans for this one, a key player in his master plan that he had schemed to perfection over the years. He had an old score to settle, with a powerful foe. And Heishiro would be his unknowing instrument of his enemy’s demise.

Softening his countenance to present a less threatening persona to Heishiro, and allowing his presence to be seen, Vardon watched as Heishiro approached. Cautiously stopping about 20 feet from him, Heishiro called out demanding the information he longed for, his eagerness evident to Vardon’s penetrating gaze, although hidden carefully behind his constructed facade of cool indifference. Marvelous! Vardon was certain he had selected the perfect...partner...for his scheme. There would be no reason for Heishiro to doubt his word, even if he wasn’t privy to his motivations. A meal could often be made from just a morsel of truth, Vardon had found, if properly prepared.

“Ah, Heishiro, very glad to make your acquaintance.” he drawled as pleasantly as was possible for him. “I apologize for the ‘cloak and dagger’ meeting scenario, but there are those who would use the information I am about to give you for nefarious purposes, and I wish to avoid that.” Vardon walked slowly toward Heishiro to speak at a more civilized distance, but despite his best efforts his gait came across more like stalking. Nonetheless, he forced an empathetic tone into his voice as he continued, “My condolences for the terrible losses of your loved ones. I can only imagine the pain you must feel - and the strong desire for vengeance you must also feel.” His eyes flicked briefly to the sword Heishiro carried, and pushed his cloak off his shoulders to reveal he was unarmed. He needed this human to trust him. “For reasons of my own, I wish to share with you information I have come across about those who were involved in the murders of your family.” He reached the concrete pillar next to where Heishiro stood, and stopeed, leaning against it casually. “I’ll cut to the chase. I know who killed your family.” He paused for effect, and to gauge Heishiro’s reaction. “Her name is Laela.” He saw the anticipated rejection of the idea of a woman being the merciless killer, and quickly continued. “Don’t be fooled. Yes, her visage is of a beautiful woman, but that is only an illusion. She is a heartless, vicious, and deadly monster - as proven by the tragic murders of your family!” Vardon licked his lips in a repulsive manner, and continued “I have heard of your endless search for your family’s killer - and your determination to exact deadly retribution. And that your skill and experience might actually give you a chance to make that desire a reality. And, since there is no love lost between me and Laela and her...family...I thought to put into your hand the key of knowledge, giving you the name of the target you have been searching for.”

Vardon straightened up from leaning against the pillar, and looked directly into Heishiro’s eyes. He pushed a small compulsion into his brain - not enough to be detected by the alert man, but enough to worm its way into his subconscious. “Prepare yourself well, my friend. Gather trustworthy reinforcements, study your foe, and make sure you are completely ready before you strike. Because you will only get one chance.” With that last admonishment, Vardon turned and was gone in a blink of an eye, and Heishiro stood alone in the abandoned parking deck.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

For the most part, Heishiro stood there in silence as he waited for whoever this man was to turn around to face him and at least make himself known to him. But then again, this was a very discreet meeting between the two, someplace where they could be out of the way and out of mind for however long this little meeting would take place for, anyway.

Heishiro narrowed his eyes at the beginning of his words, nodding once in reply for now as he brought his arms across his chest and arched a brow at him with a seemingly questionable look. Nefarious purposes? Maybe this guy did seem a bit legit after all. He would have to thank that rat-faced man later on for being such a good help. But the first thing he needed that guy to do first was to go rinse his mouth out with bleach - not to mention he rest of his body too, for that matter - before he came anywhere near him again.

When he saw Vardon approach him like he did, it honestly put Heishiro on defense mainly because the way this guy was approaching him seemed like he was like some kind of predator waiting in the wings to pounce on its prey from a distance. Cold, calculating and always perceptive of everything and everyone around him. But then his next string of words eventually put him at ease - if only for now, anyway - as he listened to him talk to him about his family and how much he had suffered at the time of their loss. To be bluntly honest, if only this man knew how long he had waited for this moment to finally receive the information he had wanted to get all of his life, especially after having waited 12 years for this moment. 12 long and unforgiving years of being so hellbent for getting the son of a bitch that had stolen everything from him in an instant and then burned everything down to the ground to add further insult to his heart, mind and soul's injury. As much as he wanted to crack Vardon in the face for even having the audacity to telling him that he was sorry for his loss when he didn't even know him from anywhere was an even bigger detriment to this man's credibility, whoever he was in accordance to him.

"Get to the point then, Sir." Heishiro then cut in, listening to Vardon speak to him again.

At the pause, Heishiro only kept his eyes locked on Vardon, narrowing them in nearly horizontal slits, despite there was a part of him that was screaming at him to tell him who it was, or possibly what the person looked like so he could get a better description of who to look for. Besides, people changed their names more times than Heishiro changed underwear, so what was a name good for anyway?

"Laela?" Heishiro then questioned, not knowing what he was getting at and before he could even ask him to explain this to him, he listened to Vardon continue to speak.

At first, nothing about this man's words were making much sense to him at all. Whoever this Laela person was, didn't seem at all like the descriptions he had been given for most of his travels, for most of them pinpointed towards a man. Maybe he was given faulty information or possibly even been lied to for the past 12 years, he began to wonder as he lowered his head down to the ground for a moment in thought before he turned his head back up to Vardon again, seeing him lick at his lips in an rather repulsive manner. To be honest, it squicked him out a bit at the sight. Honestly, what was this guy? Some humongous gaylord that just couldn't keep himself away from others like him? If so, then he was speaking with the wrong person about such detailed information like this. However, something that he mentioned seemed to get his attention once again, this being praised for being as skillful and as determined as anyone could be. True, Heishiro was one of the best Knights anyone could ever hope to aspire before he left the group before his family was brutally murdered. He had spent his entire lifetime devoted to training his mind and body through many hours of fencing, proper handling and even played some mah-jhong in his spare time. Besides, you could really surprise yourself in so many different levels once you've mastered both of these aspects. As a matter of fact, Heishiro once again nodded at Vardon to accept his praise, but he honestly didn't see where he could possibly be going with this, if all he was here for was to only patronize Heishiro.

At the feeling of Vardon's compulsion being sent through his brain, it was actually enough to make him stagger back a bit almost as if someone had brushed past him without even an excuse me. Odd thing of it was, however was that he saw nothing there before turning his attention back onto Vardon who had now informed him to gather a reliable force, study his foe and then be prepared to strike for when the time came. But before he could even give an answer to the man's proclamation, all he saw was him vanishing in front of Heishiro's eyes and then vanish into the night air. Gone. Gone like a fart in the wind. At first, Heishiro simply stood there and shrugged to himself in a way that seemed to say that this wasn't anything new to him, but who was he to even remotely care at this point.

"Heh. This night keeps on getting better and better." He mused to himself. But at least now Heishiro had something to go on, even if the description he had given him was a tad bit vague. Not like it had happened before and it was probably more than likely it would happen again. With that, Heishiro repulled his hood back on over his head and left this place. There was nothing here for him now.

 

[Dragondancer]

Laela and Ander exited the club together, stepping out into the cold night air. Laela crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her slender arms with her hands in an unconscious pantomime of a human warming herself against a chill. “Listen, I’ll join you at the house a little later, okay? I need to walk awhile....plus, I didn’t eat fully tonight, so I’m still hungry.” Ander gave her a noncommittal shrug, and smiled devilishly. “Okay, fine by me. I’m still hungry myself, so I planned on catching a bite or two later anyway.” With that, he kissed her on each cheek, and went back into the club.

Laela closed her eyes and concentrated. She didn’t know why she was so intrigued by this one human - she hadn’t experienced this feeling ever before in all her years. But, she was one to trust her instincts, as they hardly ever failed her. Since the man had passed this way only minutes earlier, she could still pick up his heat and scent signature easily with her extraordinary senses. She hummed softly to herself as she leisurely began to follow the path he had taken, taking her time. His signature led her to one of the seedier hotels in the area. She frowned at his choice of lodging, as it just didn’t jive with the impression she had formed of him that he would be into drugs - and if he just wanted an easy fuck, she knew he could do much better than the sorry whores who worked this area. She quickly detected he was no longer at the hotel, and so continued tracking him, not wanting to question her motives for pursuing this one man too closely.

As she approached the parking garage, Laela sensed a familiar and hated evil mingled with the man’s scent. “Vardon!” she choked out between clenched teeth. Although she always kept a low-level cloak on the signatures she put out, she quickly cloaked her presence entirely so that the powerful being would not be able to detect her. He almost never traveled alone, and always was up to something nefarious, so she proceeded with the utmost caution. She knew how truly dangerous he was, and took no chances. Knowing there was only one exit/entrance in this structure, she plastered her back against the outside wall of the building, completely invisible to the naked eye, and waited.

Suddenly, a gust of foul air belched from inside the garage as Vardon flew out and away, oblivious to her standing there. It was all she could do to keep herself from retching, the strong scent signature of her nemesis bringing up all the hate and disgust she had for the creature. Her senses pricked as she wondered if Vardon had lured the man she pursued to his death. But no, she sensed his heartbeat and scent signature, so somehow he had survived the encounter. Cohorts, then? Her blood began to boil and fury beat in her chest as she felt self-loathing for being intrigued by a man who would choose to associate with someone as vile as Vardon.

Just then, that very man appeared at the entrance, and Laela pounced without thought, violently throwing her lithe body at the man with enough strength and momentum to knock him over, and they both crashed to the ground with her on top. She quickly and gracefully straddled his upper chest, her knees pinning down his upper arms on either side of his head, and her forearms pressing his forearms down into the ground as she grabbed the back of his hair in her fists to hold him immobile. “Who the fuck ARE you, and what business do you have with Vardon?” she growled with a deceptively soft voice into his face, her glowing amber eyes mere inches from his, her long dark hair encircling them both.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

Heishiro hadn't gone more than several steps out of the empty parking garage when from out of nowhere came a body that tackled him straight into the ground and then held him down by the arms, torso and the back of his hair, too. Needless to say, it disoriented him for maybe a few moments before his eyes slowly readjusted, now seeing a brightly shining hue of amber orbs staring back down at him with a great deal of malice bhind them. To be honest though, it actually angered him a great deal that he was caught off guard in such a manner, but he refused to just lay here and take it on the chin. He had thought about trying to swing his legs and try to scissor them around an area of her body that she left open to him, but her grip on his upper body was rather secure, not to mention the fact that she was laying flat down on him.

He would only keep his eyes trained on this woman's eyes of amber, scowling up at her in return as a well of anger could be seen rising up within his body, threatening to burst out at any given moment. Fuck that taller mook at the bar, if this bitch was looking for a fight, she got it in spades! "That's none of your fucking business, you crazy-ass cunt!" He seethed up to her in reply. "Now get your glowing eyed face out of mine before I have to force myself get out of this hold and rip your goddamn neck out!" He warned her in return.

 

[Dragondancer]

Laela’s red haze of fury subsided just enough to acknowledge the spark of recognition in the man’s eyes beneath her. He remembered her from the bar, but apparently his rage at her unexpected attack supplanted any curiosity he may have harbored about how she had ended up here in his face. He refused to answer her questions, did he?

Snarling at his insolent ravings, she tightened her grip in his hair and leaned her body forward, grinding her knees into the muscle of his arms. As he threatened to rip her neck out, she growled low in her throat as she pulled down harder on his hair, forcing his head back and his neck to curve into a deeper arch, better exposing his neck to her. She laughed malevolently at the irony of his threat. Her eyes narrowed with excitement, taking in his pulse throbbing strongly and enticingly along the column of his neck. She could rip out his throat effortlessly in the blink of an eye, should she wish it. But even in her extreme of fury, she realized she did not want to kill this man. Hurt him - perhaps a little. But not kill him. However, maybe he would be more willing to answer her questions when weakened from loss of blood. She didn’t pause to question why she wanted to conquer him on his own terms, choosing not to use any of her formidable mental powers on him, but sticking to her physical preternatural strength and power to kick his ass.

She smiled wickedly into his eyes, ignoring the electric spark that ran up her body at the thought of enjoying the taste of this particular stranger - as she begrudgingly acknowledged had been her dark desire since she first laid eyes on him. Laela’s thick, dark eyelashes fringed seductively over her half-closed eyes as she lowered her full red lips to the inviting rapid pulse at his neck. She pressed her soft but cold lips to his heated neck in a surprisingly gently sucking kiss, allowing her tongue to flick over his skin to taste his saltiness. Yum. She then squeezed his torso tightly with her thighs to hold him securely and bared her sharp, lethal teeth against his skin as she moved to puncture his flesh.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

At first, Heishiro didn't exactly remember where he had seen this woman before, but those eyes seemed to have reminded him of something as he continued to struggle under her. Where was it that he had seen those eyes last, anyway? But then again, he wasn't going to answer any of her questions, not even after she had tackled him into the ground and then held him against his will. It was clearly none of her business to be even asking him any questions in the first place!

A pained grunt was given to this woman as he felt her knees grinding into his arms to ensure that he stayed pinned down under her. Seeing that his threat got him nowhere, he would instead give another pained retort as he felt her hands grasp at his hair tightly and jerked his head back into a deeper curve, his eyes tightly shut for a moment before he forced them to open up enough to look at her with a great deal of resentment. Just who was this woman and what was she even doing, he wondered to himself as he kept on glaring at her with nothing but pure unadulterated hatred for her. Oh, when he got out of this hold, he was going to ensure that she paid for this with her life. Already he began to move his hips around, trying to get them to a point where he could get his legs up.

That smile of hers made Heihsiro's anger peak to a boiling point. Just what in the world did she find so funny about this in the first place and what was it that she had found so interesting about him?! But soon enough though, a tinge of panic swept through his body as he felt those lips of hers - deathly cold at that - touch his skin in a way that made a shiver run through his spine. No, whoever this woman was, it most certain did not resemble a human. Maybe something otherworldly, but not a human.

And then... He saw it. A pair of lethal looking fangs jutting out from under those red lips of hers, making his eyes widen suddenly.

A vampire. Son of a bitch, Heishiro thought. And here he was pinned under one, about to become either this woman's lunch or a potential underling. There was no way he was going to let that happen, and not when he had finally gotten an answer - to some degree, anyway - about who was responsible for the murder of his family. Not here, not now, not ever.

Adrenaline was pushing through his body now at full bore as he saw her move close to him to place those dreaded things into his neck, possibly to finish him off. Without another warning, Heishiro closed his eyes up tightly as he forced his hips up enough to kick out his legs up high and pull back to then try to scissor them around this vampire woman's torso, straining hard with the effort. It might take every ounce of athleticism he had available to him at the moment, but he was going to show her that he wasn't going down without a fight.

As he held the female vampire just inches away from his throat, he used everything he had to exert enough force to pull her back from it, straining harder and harder still until he finally forced her back to the point where he could now use his arms to push up against her knees, groaning even harder to the point where a vein could be seen throbbing outward from his forehead.

"NO... YOU... DON'T!!!" He growled out to her as he kept on pushing against her still.

 

[Dragondancer]

Laela felt the man struggle beneath her, and his movements and grunts egged on her predator’s bloodlust. She sensed his tingle of fear as she caressed him with the briefest kiss in advance of her bite. When he caught the glint of her fangs out of the corner of his eye, his eyes widened with awareness, and her nostrils flared in answering response to the adrenaline pulsing through his vein at her lips. The man then fiercely bucked his hips up from the ground and kicked his legs up and around her torso and arms, squeezing her in a tight scissor hold, attempting to prevent her bite.

Laela was surprised at the man’s lack of fear and his strength and agility. He was obviously well trained and in top condition. His athletic legs squeezed her arms tightly to her sides, which pressed them against her breasts, causing them to swell closer to his face. At casual glance, their position might be mistaken for a rambunctious lover’s hold, save for the deadly glare of the two sets of eyes locked on each other.

The element of surprise is always a beneficial battle tactic, and Laela found herself admiring his human strength and fortitude as he strained mightily against her dominating physical power. The combination of her body being interlaced with his and her wish to not kill the man, allowed him to force her back from his face and neck by his leg hold. Her arms started to straighten out as he pulled her back, as she was still holding onto the hair on the back of his head. He began to simultaneously shove hard against her knees with his arms, using all his strength. Leverage and her mercy reinforced his physical power, and his vein pulsing enticingly on his forehead aided him further with her being momentary distracted by its tempting throbbing.

Laela angrily released his hair from her grip, and quickly grabbed his ankles, pulling hard to break them apart from their lock. At the same time, and in a sudden move, she pressed down into the ground with the bottom of her feet, uncoiling her compressed muscles with a powerful back flip, springing her body up and out of his leg hold. She hissed out her breath as she landed in a crouched attack position facing him, her eyes blazing with animosity at the man before her - her enemy’s consort - and yet also from the thrill of hand-to-hand combat well played.

With her beautiful face ever so slightly less pale with her exertions, her dark hair flowing wildly around her, and her agile body poised coiled to spring, the woman appeared a bewitching banshee. Beautiful and untamed - and deadly. And not exactly human. “What now, pet of Vardon?” she taunted. “Your move.”

 

[BlisteredBlood]

Heishiro knew it was only a matter of time for him to finally get this vampiric bitch off of him, but the truth of it was, he could only hold her back for so long like this. He didn't exactly know just how powerful she was, but holy cow, was she hard to pull off of him. In all honesty, it felt as though he was trying to keep a ferocious lioness held back from him with how much muscle exertion she was putting down on him.

During the time he tried to keep her held back, his right eye was shut tightly as his began to see her breasts swelling closer to his face as he kept trying to keep her held back. Honestly, if anybody from the Knights saw this, he would've been laughed entirely out of the place because of this as well as ostracized. But that wasn't important at this moment. Trying to keep himself alive long enough was.

At the feeling of her breaking her hold on his hair, Heishiro was about to launch this vampire woman off of him when he sudden felt her grab a hold of his ankles and pulled them apart enough to launch herself over him with a powerful backflip, landing a few feet away from him then began to stand up quickly with a hand down to his broadsword's handle, readying to draw it out at a moment's notice after he loosened the ties that held it in place. Granted, he might have been an exceptional hand to hand combat specialist, but when it came to swordfighting, Heishiro was one of the best and possibly the most ruthless when he was given the chance. But here and now, he had to deal with something that was clearly otherworldly to him, and he wasn't even sure if the amplification he would receive from the sacred runes that he himself etched onto the blade and had it blessed by one of the paladins back at the Knighthood was going to be enough for him to land a killing blow and leave her there to rot with all of the refuse here.

As he stood ready at the draw, Heishiro kept his hand there at the hilt of the blade, still debating on whether or not this was a good time to engage her as of this very moment as he began to slowly step back from her. Her words, however, made him pause as he stood there, his eyes narrowed at her. "Pet of Vardon? After he told me the very things I needed to know about what happened to my family, you wretched vampiric skank?" He answered her with a degree of venom in his voice. "You have the audacity to make such a claim when he told me that someone named Laela was the one who for 12 years made my life miserable? You have got a lot of nerve saying that to me when you don't even have a soul yourself." He answered her as his voice took on a more hate filled growl now.

As much as he wanted to just lunge forward and take her head off in one swing, he knew he was at a disadvantage here. No, he had to retreat for now. With that still fresh in his head, he then quickly turned around after reaching into his small bag located at his opposite hip, taking a small and black ball bearing sized item in his hand and then threw it to the ground as he held a hand over his face as he threw a flash bomb down on the ground in front of him. With the impending flash hoping that it would be enough to stun her, Heishiro quickly turned around and then began to run as fast as he could possibly go.

 

[Dragondancer]

Laela released her hold on her opponent and forcefully executed an effortless backflip out of his leg lock, landing ready to mount a second attack. As she paused for only a heartbeat, she watched with enthusiastic interest the man’s speed and grace as he propelled himself off of his back and into fighting position, his hand immediately loosening the bindings of his broadsword and curling adeptly around the handle of the formidable weapon in one smooth motion. Laela perceived his expert, confident stance and ruthless gleam in his eye, and relished the thought of engaging this man in what she recognized would be excellent swordplay of the highest level. If she only had a sword.

What she needed was to find out how the man was connected to Vardon, and what that detestable son of a bitch was up to. What she wanted was to extend this arousing combative encounter just for a little longer - it had been a very long time since she had faced an opponent she knew nothing about, but who resisted her with fearlessness, strength and skill - a long time since anyone had gotten under her skin like this.

As he began to slowly back away from her, she knew she should pounce and attack, bend him to her will as she broke him and drank away his strength, so she could force the information from him that she needed. After all, Vardon had been after her and her family with assassination in mind for decades. Instead, she offered the man one last chance to explain himself, to come clean as to why he was aligned with Vardon. Of course, she couldn’t just ask sweetly at this point...and yet, his response to her taunt was as if a quiver full of ice-cold arrows had been propelled directly into her heart. That conniving bastard! Vardon had somehow discovered a tragedy in this man’s past, manipulating him and setting him against her as the one who had committed the offenses. And he believed Vardon, that much was obvious. Even more obvious was the fact that he entirely loathed her without even knowing that she was the one he sought - to wreak terrible vengeance upon, she had no doubt. And she had not made a very good first impression otherwise, she groaned.

Laela was unaccustomed to feeling uncertainty - she was one who always knew what she wanted and went after it aggressively - and almost always successfully. But her brief moment of atypical hesitation cost her dearly. Before she could settle on her next move with this man, now that she was possessed of this new information, the brown-eyed warrior reached swiftly into the small bag on his hip, and withdrew a small object which he proceeded to hurl at the ground in front of her.

As the object impacted against the ground with a dull metallic clang, immediately a blinding white flash of light burst forth, violently illuminating the darkness within its proximity. Laela shrieked in pain as her hyper-sensitive eyes and skin burned with the chemical brilliance emanating from the explosive device. She flung her arms up over her eyes a split-second too late, falling to the hard cement in agony, her skin and eyes on fire as if seared by an actual flame, her vampiric body being extremely vulnerable to light. Not having seen or heard her tormenter’s tactical retreat, she assumed he was rushing in for the killing blow while she was temporarily blinded and in anguish, and roared in defiance as she thrashed around to avoid his death blow. But no blow came.

Laela slowly picked herself up from the cold concrete, and stumbled blindly into the yawning dark entrance of the parking garage, feeling her way along the rough outside wall, and continuing around the corner, keeping her hand against the inside wall as a reference point - and as support. Inside the welcoming darkness, she continued to the far corner, and slid shakily down the wall until she was sitting with her back propped against it. She leaned her head back against the hardness, keeping her painful eyes closed and controlling her breathing. Slowly the soothing cool air began to leach away the sting of the flash bomb’s light from her flesh. More slowly, the pain in her abused eyes began to ease, her eyesight gradually returning. Having accelerated healing properties in her blood and body, Laela’s cells had immediately gone to work at the first moment of damage, repairing themselves efficiently and speedily, and before too long she was fully healed. And sobered.

Laela stood up in one graceful but rapid move, and headed back out into the night with purpose. Yes, she could track her new foe and continue their battle to its conclusion this night. No more holding back. But her goal was to annihilate the treacherous beast at the heart of her affliction, not pursue the various minions he may send to attack her. Perhaps she could strike indirectly through this new contact...but first she needed to learn more about this man. Which meant an unpleasant encounter of another kind, as she walked purposefully back toward downtown, intent on spending as little time as possible in the company of the distasteful rat-faced man.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

Not long after his departure, Heishiro could hear the vampiress howling in anger and in pain over the effects of the flash bomb that he had thrown down to the ground. Apparently, those things had a better effect on vampires than he had thought originally. But at least now that he had gotten away from the woman, he could at least now begin to start to gather some reliable help as Vardon himself had mentioned to him when he said for him to go after this Laela - whoever she was, anyway - and ultimately bring her down.

There was just one little oversight that Vardon forgot to look into. Granted, Heishiro was a former Knight of the Dragon's Skull, but when Heishiro left it, he had severed all known ties to them with the exception of his armor and weapons when he tried to be granted permission to assemble a team then and go after the bastard that had killed his family. Multiple times and through multiple sanctioned he had held with the commander there, he was curtly reminded to not go after his family's murder in blind vengeance. The truth of the matter, it felt as though justice had been moving far too slow for Heishiro's liking, thusly making him leave the service without warning or even prior notice. Combine that with the fact that he couldn't trust anyone with this valuable information, and you have someone who was nearly paranoid in every sense of the word. For far too long now, he had seen the evils of the world, and he had wanted to do more to help the downtrodden and the broken, but when he was among them, he found out that he was quickly snubbed. Perhaps that was why he had decided to strike out on his own.

Once he had sensed that the initial danger had been begun to settle down, Heishiro's running speed had begun to settle down into a more calmer trot and eventually even further down to a steady walk, considering that his adrenaline was still running hot in his body, his heart beating like a war drum in his chest. It was clearly obvious that he heeded to lay low and stay out of sight for now, given what he had seen out here tonight. With a little bit of rest to calm his nerves, then perhaps he would feel better enough to head back out here. If she was tracking him, however, then that meant that he couldn't go to any of his old haunts anymore. He would have to vacate the area he currently resided in and then go somewhere else to hide out.

But the questions that remained in his mind at the moment was where could he go and what lengths would he have to go in order to make for certain that he wouldn't have another run in with that female vampire again? Undeterred by these thoughts, Heishiro simply pulled his hood back over his head once more as he began to walk, this time not even caring about what part of town he ended up in now.

 

[Dragondancer]

Ander suddenly bolted up out of his relaxed position in the booth at the back of the bar, shoving the woman unceremoniously off his lap. “Sorry, babe” he brusquely apologized to the pretty redhead, “Gotta go”. She straightened her clothes as she pouted up at him, disappointment that their make-out session was over shining in her eyes. “Call me?” she beseeched him, letting her hand fall over her breast and circling her fingers enticingly as encouragement. Ander glanced back at the woman as he strode quickly to the door, throwing a devilish smile her way before he turned his back and left the bar.

“Fuck!” he growled viciously as his feet hit the pavement. Their senses attuned to each other, he had felt Laela’s wave of agony, and knew she had been hurt. He jogged down the street in the direction he felt her presence, playing images in his mind of the excruciating pain and severe damage he was going to inflict on whatever bastard had put his hands on her. Laela was one of the strongest and most skilled fighters he had ever met, but he had never been able to suppress his natural tendency to protect those he cared for - whether they needed his protection or not.

As he rounded a corner at a fast clip, he almost collided into the very person of his concern. “Laela!” he breathed in relief, enfolding her into his arms. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away from him, looking her over quickly from head to toe, “What the hell happened?”

Laela had been in deep thought as she walked, pondering her experiences of tonight, and didn’t hear or feel Ander’s approach until the last moment, dodging his running form as he came around the corner at her fast and hard. She rolled her eyes at his frantic concern, but inside she smiled that he was worried about her. “Leave go, Ander!” she said as she grabbed his wrists and flung them away from her. She moved her arms into a thinking pose as she reached a conclusion about what action to take - her left arm folded across her waist and her right elbow tucked into her left hand, her right hand up at her mouth, fingers toying with her lips as she concentrated. Ander was well familiar with this pensive pose, and frowned wondering what no doubt outlandish demand she was about to make, if past experience was any indication.

“Vardon is on the attack again,” she growled. His current weapon he is launching upon us is that man we saw in the bar tonight.” Ander’s frown deepened as he recalled the belligerent young man he had confronted briefly earlier, his eyes questioning. “I’ll explain what happened later. But for now I have an idea...we need to find out everything this man knows about Vardon’s plans. And we need him alive - and able to speak - in order to obtain this information,” she continued pointedly. “I want to find him and bring him to one of our safehouses - obviously not one of our key ones, but I need some time with him - he won’t give up what he knows easily.” Ander was shaking his head as she spoke, “You’re kidding, right? Are you crazy? Let ME at him - I’ll be sure to get what we need from him before I rip him to pieces!” She glared at him, continuing as if he hadn’t interrupted, “I want to find him tonight,” she glanced at the sky to gauge how many hours were left before dawn, “before he has a chance to flee too far away.”

Laela started walking again, looking down the street ahead of her as she spoke, Ander following. “I need you to prepare the safehouse...let’s use the house on Linden Street - and get Beniamin and Rosalie to help you set everything up. I’ll need the back room soundproofed, and a means of securing him.” She glanced over at Ander and her lips lifted in an imperceptible smirk as she saw his angry posture and expression. Ander didn’t like being told what to do, any more than she did. Luckily for her, she was the one in charge.

As they reached a street corner, Laela stopped and turned to Ander, “I have one stop to make and then I’ll bring him to the safehouse.” Angrily, Ander bit out, “I’ll come with you and help you grab him, then I’ll help with the preparations!”

“No. Don’t worry - I now know how careful I need to be with this one. I will take every precaution. Expect me in a few hours.” With that, she headed off across the street toward Gus’s to see what Rat Face could tell her about the man she sought. Ander sulkily watched her departing form, and then reluctantly started walking down the sidewalk in the direction of Linden Street, pulling his cell phone out of his jacket pocket and dialing Beniamin with a dark scowl on his face.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

It had been not more than ten minutes when Heishiro finally arrived in the Downtown area of Memphis, seeing the usual suspects out. Elvis impersonators cruising by in classic 1950's vehicles that were reupholstered, refurbished or re-whatever, wanna-be country stars sitting out on the sidewalk here and there begging for money from some upstanding and well-mannered folks who actually gave a damn and even a few call girls that were out walking the street that night. Unfortunately, Heishiro had no prior business with any of them nor was he was one of those souls who had anything to give except perhaps a pound of flesh aimed squarely into their faces if he was so inclined. But if only these people knew what was out there waiting for them in the wings, they'd probably feel the same way if they were all in the same shoes as he was, but he wouldn't wish anything he had felt for more than a decade on them, either.

Heishiro hadn't bothered with checking into one of the hotels out in this area, for he felt there was way too much flash and pinache here. On top of all that it felt as thought he was getting the wrong kinds of looks from all of these people that he had walked by, only to return a look to them that said that he wasn't interested in hearing what they had to say, offer or even beg him for. As a matter of fact, he just simply stormed past as many people as he remotely could without acknowledging them at all. He just wanted to find a place that would be about as inconspicuous and as far out of the way as it could possibly be. It could be a run-down dive, for all he could care, or it could even be someplace where it would be the most unlikely of places.

Soon enough, his answer would come in the form of an old bar that seemed to have been there for generations but looked as though it was built just last week. Possibly a refurbish job, Heishiro figured. Looking around from side to side, he went inside of it, greeted by the sounds of old country western song being played on a jukebox nearby. Alright. Heishiro thought as he pulled his hood back from his head then looked around for someplace to sit at. Perhaps now he could hang here for a bit and let his nerves relax from all of the exertion.

Looking around once more, he spotted a booth off to the far corner of the bar and walked over to it with calm and even steps, despite he was getting a few looks from a few curious people that wanted to know who this newcomer was in this place. Heishiro paid them no mind, of course as he sauntered over to the booth and sat in it, easing himself into the seat with a sigh.

 

[Dragondancer]

Laela grimaced to herself as she took a shortcut through an alley, her boot heels playing an andante staccato rhythm as she walked, the percussive sound echoing loudly off the close-in walls. Shit, how she hated dealing with that repulsive man! But of course, those who had connections in all the right - low - places were usually not the pride of society. But did he have to have such shit-for-breath? I mean, come on! Besides, he had almost no information on her person of interest...except his name - Heishiro Kenseth, and that Vardon had wanted to meet with him alone. Not a whole hell of a lot to go on, but at least more than she had before. She’d already called a couple of her contacts to do a little research and get the 411 on the man.

In the meantime...Heishiro was about to be paid a visit. As she reached the end of the alleyway, she paused, closing her eyes and breathing deeply through her nose to pick up her sense of him. The tiniest of residue of acrid smoke from the flashbomb floated through her nose as she breathed in, reminding her of her recent humiliating encounter with Heishiro, and she growled in anger, disgusted with herself that she had let a human get the better of her. Not this time, she promised herself. Trying again, she picked up a faint signature of the energy and scent she now recognized as his. Smiling wickedly, she turned in his direction and picked up her pace.

Millie saw the good-looking young man enter the bar, and pushed her bountiful boobs up higher in her bra to ready herself to greet him. She was in her early 30’s and a little worn from wear, but hell, she weren’t dead yet! With her bleached blonde hair curled and piled high on top of her head, her false eyelashes and pink rouged lips, she fancied that she could be a relation to Dolly Parton herself. Okay, granted maybe a very distant relation, let’s be real. Her large rump and plump legs stuffed into black hose and a too-short black skirt may not be what was selling out on the stage, but right here it did right well for her, she sniffed haughtily. Sauntering up to where the cute guy sat in the back booth, she bent one leg to jut her hip out to the side and leaned farther forward than necessary to speak to him, her ample bosom practically spilling out of her uniform blouse. “What’ll ya have, hun?” she smiled at the man flirtingly.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

At first, Heishiro had honestly hoped that he wouldn't be bothered as he tried to calm his nerves from the altercation he was in recently with that bitch of a vampire not more than 20 minutes ago, and hopefuly during that time he had managed to put some distance between himself and what was almost certain doom, if not death itself. In all honesty, Heishiro had just wanted to just relax for a few minutes before he had enough gumption to saunter out in the night once again.

That moment of solace, however, came to an abrupt halt the minute he heard a haughty sounding sniff. At that instant Heishiro suddenly tensed as his right hand quickly because a fist as he brought his head back up with a wild look in his eyes for just a moment as he looked up to the female that was now standing before him, heaving a slight sigh of relief afterward as he smeared a hand over his face. Honestly, he could be so jumpy at times. But then again, with the possibility of having someone tracking your move, the threat was at a constant high for him.

Looking over to Millie after a moment from the corner of his eye, he took little notice of her appearance and would then look back up to her directly in the eyes before gesturing her away. "Nothing for me, thanks. I just came here to sit for a while." He answered as he then once again attempted to settle himself down.

 

[Dragondancer]

Laela slowed her stride as she felt Heishiro’s presence nearby. She didn’t feel any other otherworldly creatures energy signatures nearby, but having sworn to be DEFCON 1, she proceeded with utmost caution and fully cloaked her presence. Very few beings had Laela’s level of skill at cloaking. Invisible to all but the most powerful and talented otherworldly creatures, Laela approached the entrance of the bar knowing Heishiro was within.

She slowly opened the door, slipping her body soundlessly inside the dimly lit establishment. She moved to the side of the doorway, and pressed her back against the wall, her eyes immediately spotting the man she was looking for. At the moment a rather large blonde woman was blocking her view, but he was sitting facing the entrance - she would have expected nothing less. One of the waitresses walked over to the door to shut it grouchily, assuming a breeze had blown it open, completely oblivious to the dark hunter only inches from her.

Laela tuned out all the other bar patrons, the staff, the twangy music that was coming from the jukebox - focusing entirely on her intended mark. The voluptuous blonde waitress who had been talking with Heishiro turned and walked away from the booth he was sitting at, a mildly let-down expression on her face. Laela now had full view of her target, but tried not to focus on him too intensely, in case he had any sort of a warriors “sixth sense”. Slowly and stealthily, she moved away from the wall and stalked with a feline grace cautiously toward Heishiro, not taking her golden amber eyes off him as she silently advanced upon him.