OTA

[miss_ives]

Vanessa had always had sharp instincts, and had long since learned to follow them. That night, as she walked home after dark, there was that odd pinprick on the back of her neck. Someone was watching. And as it lingered, she trusted that she wasn't simply being watched, but actually followed.

Her heart beat a little faster as she picked up the pace, cursing the fact that she was far from any busier street.

London, her home, the city she knew and loved, suddenly felt like a strange, dark, dangerous place. The lampposts felt less efficient than normal, and her steps on the pavement sounded louder than they ought to. She glanced back and saw three men a few yards behind her, hardly more than dark figures, doing nothing to hide themselves.

When she turned into the next street over and they were still following, her mind was made up. She stopped walking and turned around, a forbidding look on her pale features.

The three men slowed their steps but eventually came into clearer view, stopping a few feet from her. They were even paler than her, with sunken, abnormally clear eyes, and they felt wrong to her. Not, she reflected, unlike Mina had.

"What do you want with me?" she demanded.

They shared a look, and the one in the middle replied, "We don't want anything with you. We're not allowed. Our Master, however..."

Their Master. Mina had used that word as well. "Where is he?"

"Do you want to meet him?" the same one offered, stepping slowly nearer Vanessa.


((Feel free to stumble across Vanessa having a chat in a dark street with some vampires, Penny Dreadful style! They'll probably attack you if you try to jump in and get her away from them. Good times!))

Comments

[yves]

Yves hadn't been following Vanessa, not really. He'd sort of felt her near though, and he'd found himself headed her way, only to find her speaking with what appeared to be a group of Vampires.

"I don't think she does," he said, loud enough to be heard as he stepped closer. "It's not my place to speak for her, of course, but... I don't think she does," he said again, looking over at Vanessa.

[miss_ives]

Vanessa's gaze cut away to Yves, before she looked back at the three... not men, clearly. Creatures, whatever they might be. Their own attention had shifted, and one of them had hissed at Yves' appearance.

"I do not," Vanessa confirmed. Not now, not like this. Two of the creatures were moving silently now, around Yves, while the one who had spoken stayed in place. Her gaze sharpened on him. "But I do want to know where he is."

But it seemed that the creatures were not interested in engaging with her as long as Yves was around, as the one who had spoken addressed him, instead of answering her. "This is none of your business, Fae." He licked his lips, clenched and unclenched his hands, and Vanessa frowned slightly, and looked at the other two.

Their eyes shone brighter, and they too were showing signs of what she could only identify as hunger.

[yves]

Yves didn't react at first, glancing around a little at the creatures and raising a brow.

"You don't want to fight me," he assured them. "And if you so much as lay a finger on Miss Ives, I'll end you- So best not, hmm?"

[miss_ives]

Vanessa wondered whether they would lay so much as a finger on her, regardless of Yves's words. They weren't allowed to, that one had said. But before she might answer anything, one of the creatures moved, attempting to jump on Yves's back, and the second one came at him from the side a second later.

[yves]

Yves didn't like fighting- He could, and was, honestly, quite frightening in a fight, but that didn't mean he liked it. It was so beneath him, much more suited to his war obsessed brethren, but when attacked and provoked, the fae didn't hold back.

He wasn't as strong as a vampire, but he was swift, elbowing his first attacker in the face before striking the other hard with his steel tipped umbrella. Yves could fence, brawl, even fire several different projectile weapons, but his best defense was the most simple and elegant- Magic.

Pushing his right sleeve up revealed several alchemy symbols carved into his skin, each once scarred so deeply it could never possibly fade. Usually he kept them well hidden with a glamour, but here and now they were impossible not to notice as he ran two fingers over a few of them in a graceful pattern, before turning his palm skyward to reveal a small orb of pure sunlight. It burned his fingers, but Yves didn't flinch before directing it towards one of his attackers.

[miss_ives]

Vanessa watched in awe as the ball of sunshine sailed straight towards one of the creatures. Vampires, then? She heard a growl behind her, and turned around just in time to step in the path of the third vampire, staring him down as he stopped in his tracks, mere inches from her. "No," she commanded him with all the steel she could muster.

Behind her, one vampire had been decked by the ball of sunlight, and was howling in pain as he tried to push the ball away, smoke rising from his flesh. But while other kinds of bloodsuckers would already have caught on fire, this seemed to be a slow, painful torture more than anything else. His companion had recovered, in the meantime, and leaped on Yves again.

[yves]

It was as if a switch had been flipped, and Yves' hair went shock white as the fae snarled and turned on his attacker, striking him hard and then slamming him against the ground. The blunt metal tip of his umbrella was hard against the vampire's throat, and the fae bared his teeth.

"I know it wont kill you, beast, but I imagine it would produce quite a scream- At least until I managed to penetrate your vocal cords. Shall we see just how accurate my aim is?"

At this point he wasn't even thinking of Vanessa. It was as if the whole world had vanished, and it was simply the fae and this creature. A being the doctor would gladly take apart, bit by bit.

[miss_ives]

The face of the vampire before Vanessa twisted into a snarl at Yves's words to his companion, but Vanessa sidestepped when he did, bringing him to a halt again. "Go, all three of you, now," she told him, her gaze dark as she stared him down.

After a beat longer, he whistled.

The vampire under Yves still glared up at the Fae, but he held his hands up in a sign that he would not attack him again. The third one was still whimpering under the magical ball of sunlight that would not leave him alone.

[yves]

The fae didn't look like he had any interest in letting the vampire up, and his fingers flexed around his umbrella before he finally looked back at Vanessa.

Some of his hair returned to it's usual colour, and he seemed to calm before lifting up his umbrella.

[miss_ives]

Vanessa had turned sideways to watch him, and had been about to say his name when he chose to let the vampire up.

"Disappear that bloody light and we'll go," the one who seemed to be their leader snarled at the Fae, even as his companion scrambled away from Yves and back to his feet.

[yves]

Yves still looked annoyed, but he vanished the ball of light with a snap of his fingers.

"Then go," he snarled, fixing his suit and taking a calming breath.

[vampcharmante]

Janette had spent the early part of her evening expanding her wardrobe, but now the shops were closed, she was heading back to the Lenore, bags in hand. She could've flown, but she was in no hurry, so had chosen to walk. She noticed the three vampires stalking the young woman - they were doing nothing to hide their intent - and while it was none of her business, their lack of discretion could be a threat to the community, and their words made her curious.

"I think that would be unwise, hm?" she said as she stopped to the side but facing the vampires and where she could interpose if necessary.

[miss_ives]

Vanessa looked over at the woman who had spoken. She was beautiful, and dangerous. As pale as Vanessa, but there was something else, there.

"I agree," Vanessa confirmed, frowning at the other woman, then turning back to the creatures. "Where is your Master?"

But the creatures were now focused on the interloper. "This is nothing to do with you," the one who had spoken to her told the new arrival, even as the other two moved closer to her. "And you don't want to make an enemy of our Master."

[vampcharmante]

"Three of you, stalking a woman alone, in full view on a public street certainly has something to do with me," Janette countered, unfazed by their attention shifting to her. The scene would be cause for concern if all involved were human, the sort of trouble to draw attention. Let alone with vampires, when things could quickly become... messy.

"Surely there are better ways for your master to issue an invitation, if that it what you're supposed to be doing?"

[miss_ives]

"Mind your business or we'll make you ours," the creature replied, even as the other two stopped a few feet from the woman.

"Your business is with me," Vanessa cut in, her voice full of as much authority as she could pull off.

[kersenjr]

Bonnie was walking in the other direction, and she hadn't been expecting to run into a bunch of vampires harassing someone. She was just trying to take a nighttime walk. The best and safest thing to do would definitely be to mind her own business and leave them alone. Unfortunately, her mouth was working faster than her brain, and she was blurting out words before she had a chance to think about them.

"Um, dudes? What the fuck?"

Didn't they know bothering humans was very much not allowed? What the hell were they thinking?

[miss_ives]

Vanessa's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the teenager who had addressed the creatures. She was so young, still a child.

"Go, I'm fine," she told her immediately, urgently.

"Listen to the lady," the one who seemed to be their leader - or at least their spokesperson - advised her.

[kersenjr]

"Uh, okay," Bonnie said. Her nervousness about the situation was keeping her rooted to the spot instead of making her flee. "But like, what the actual fuck are you guys doing?"

[miss_ives]

"We're having a chat," the main creature told her. "Be on your own way, before we begin to think you might get in our way."

"Go," Vanessa insisted, desperately wanting the young girl to listen to her.

[kersenjr]

"Pretty fuckin' weirdass chat," Bonnie said. Her nervousness was showing in her voice but she still wasn't leaving.

[miss_ives]

The creatures shared a look, and then the two who had remained silent converged on the girl. Vanessa stepped towards the third one. "Don't harm her. I'll come with you."

[kersenjr]

When the vampires starting moving towards her Bonnie's nervousness turned to panic. She managed to take half a step back before she froze, completely useless in the face of danger.

[miss_ives]

The creatures had stopped when Vanessa spoke up, and their leader turned back to her. "The Master will be so glad," he told her, with a small smile.

[kersenjr]

Bonnie stayed frozen for a second before she found her voice.

"Don't go with them," she said. "Don't." She knew exactly how badly things could end for humans who got involved with vampires.

[miss_ives]

"Ignore her," Vanessa told the creatures. "Let's go. Now."

"She needs to be taught a lesson."

"Touch her and our deal is off," Vanessa replied shortly.