Sour Blood [Open to those taking part]

[Jinx (DELETED 3327)]

It took Agent Davis most of her self control to keep from laughing or walking away outright. "...nervous-looking female? Who talks like that anyway? "Chick," 'girl," maybe even "lady," but "female?" This town just keeps getting weirder.

She had to keep up the facade, though, so she kept her reaction in character. Get a couple of people to trust her, see if they know someone who knows someone who knows what happened to the Broussard and which gangs are going to make a power play so that she and the task force can stop them before they get the chance. But to do that, she had to play along with the ghost hunters, at least for a little while.

Davis agreed with that one guy's assessment, though, even if she wasn't in a position to say anything. While the redhead and the blonde seemed relatively normal, and three of the dudes ranged from nondescript through nerdy, the caped crusader seemed a bit "fucked up." Anything that one says would have to be corroborated with someone else's testimony; there was no way a man dressed as Batman would make a credible witness.

She blinked a couple of times, running her hand through her hair, attempting to appear as a vapid college student as she joined the group around the one she now knew to be Red.

As she studied the others in the group, she considered which identity she should use for this little adventure. Her usual aliases had been chosen because the names were so common, but if an emergency did come up, the last thing she needed was to have everyone confused about which Jenn needed to duck out of the way. It would probably just be easiest to use her old nickname, and considering "Red" was obviously not Red's real name, she probably wouldn't be questioned.

"So, yeah, anyway, I guess we're all here for the same thing," she said as she arrived at Red's table, making sure she tripped over the leg of one of the chairs. She smiled shyly. "Name's Jinx."

That should be enough. They'll put two and two together and figure Jinx is a klutz, completely harmless.

[Alexandrea]

"I've been doing well, Mike! We should catch up sometime. Just leave that robot at home maybe? Maybe get a bite to eat sometime, my treat." Alex smiled up at the young man. He was taller than her but who wasn't? She had taken a liking to him and decided he might be a good guy to try and fix Meagan up with. They looked about the same age and now that Alex's thrall had started to calm down, surrounding her with other good influences couldn't hurt.

"I have a friend I think is close to your age, maybe you would like to meet her? Her name is Meagan. If you ever go to the bank in Wickbridge, you might have even seen her. She spends a lot of time there... doing business for me."

“We have an interest in the same woman, just not the same interest..” Anemoi told Mike, in answer to young boy's asking about Alex and him knowing each other.

"That's one way to put it, Windbag. My interest is in protecting my best friend and your interest is in killing her. Kinda puts a damper on us getting along."

All three of them turned to stare at the wacko who called himself Batman arrived and Alex shot him a dark look. The nosy jerk had cost her 3 bags of loot she had worked on stealing for days.

"Hey Bat Breath!" Alex called out to him and winked.

Her attention went over to a stunning red haired human when another face she thought she knew called her "Red". Alex wasn't sure who he was but she knew she had seem him before somewhere... fighting at the bank maybe?

Mike noticed as well, and suggested getting more information. More information on what? What was going on? It was only then that Alexandrea put two and two together and came up with 42. She looked around and got the strong impression that several of the humans here had all come to the library to find "Red". But why?

She was determined to find out. Smiling brightly at Mike, she nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking. Let's go learn more from "Red", shall we?"

Lexster can just go away now. Windy said and Alex shot him a very dirty look. "Why don't YOU go away?" Even if the sun had already set and Alex could just leave, she wasn't going anywhere until she found out what all these humans were up to.

The sound of someone tripping on a chair made Alex turn and see another human woman approach Red's table and with a wink to both Mike and Anemoi, Alex went over by herself.

She nodded to everyone already at the table giving each a friendly smile. Then looked directly at the redhead with her eyes twinkling. "Hi, I couldn't help but overhear that you are the mysterious "Red" everyone wants to meet. I'm Alexandrea Quartermaine. But please, just call me Alex. May I join you?"

[Dr Chris Johnstone (DELETED 1631)]

Whatever this Red, had in store, Batman was quite sure there would be no danger involved. Even if there were, he decided those present would be able to handle things. His city needed him more than he needed to play The Goonies.

He waited until all eyes were focused on Red, before slipping out of the library through the same window he had entered. "They will be fine." He thought to himself, when suddenly in the distance the wail of a siren caught his attention. It was time for work.

[Mike Barone (DELETED 2047)]

Mike gave an uneasy smile, "I'm all for catching up, though not much to say. I...don't have a home to leave it at." he said, he didn't think the places he happened to go for a shower would like him leaving a perverted cussing robot ball in their homes.

He raised an eyebrow, was she trying to set him up with someone or was it just finding a friend for her friend. He looked from her to Anemoi. He stared at Anemoi, "T-That's why you are stalking that blonde?" he said. Of all the reasons why, trying to kill her wasn't one he had thought of.

He looked off towards Batman, seemingly Alexandrea knew him too, not friendly either. Her and Anemoi wanted each other to go away. "I wanted Anemoi in case of danger. I'm not much of a fighter.." he said. He sighed, this was going to be a long night if these two kept fighting like this.

Mike followed Alexandrea over to the table, were the others have gathered around Red. "I'm Mike. Would like to know more about what's going on." he said. His curiosity was still wondering what kind of treasure it was, real or if it was only a game of sorts. Looking around the group now, he noticed the person who stood out the most was gone, the Batman guy. He would have been a good distraction if there was going to be trouble, he wondered if the man ever got laughed at.

[Anemoi (DELETED 2809)]

Anemoi glared at the woman. “I was here first and Mike asked me to come. No one needs you tagging along.” He said calmly. He looked at Mike when he wanted to confirm that the reason he stalked the blonde woman was to kill her. He shrugged, “You know very well as I do that not everyone here stays dead.” He said softly. He knew the boy had known that fact way before he did. He didn’t say anything else on the matter of Kira, he didn’t need her friend stabbing him or sending those awful bugs at him. He followed after Mike, crossing his arms. “I’m Anemoi..” he said, which was about the only thing he had to say to these people. Mike already asked what they were doing here, which is what he wanted to know if he was wasting his time being here or not.

[Jinx (DELETED 3327)]

Alex. Now she had the name to match the face. She had seen Alexandrea fight another, weaker woman in that same bank in Wickbridge a few weeks ago. She might not look like much, but the chick could fight. She didn't seem like former gang, but didn't seem the martial arts type. Curious.

As for Batman? Delusions of grandeur. Possible psych case. If he thinks he's Batman, he's a lone wolf. Criminal? Possibly. Gang? No-persuing him would be a distraction from the goal.

Jinx looked back and forth between the two young men. Around her age, possibly younger. She was thinking that she would have to keep an eye on the angry one, when he said:

“You know very well as I do that not everyone here stays dead.” He said softly.

Her ears perked up. They never found Broussard's body. Was he one of the ones that didn't "stay dead?" He knows something; she would have to find out what.

"Red" and Mr. Overconfidence would need to start speaking up. She didn't quite have them figured out yet. Definitely would need to figure out if they would be useful allies or informants, or if they, too, were on the wrong side of the law. Still, as long as the plans for tonight would be no more than trespassing, there would be no point in stopping the Nancy Drew wannabes. Not when there was still a lot to learn.

Davis realized she had pursed her lips. She always did it when she concentrated, her countenance hardening, giving a glimpse into what she really was, until she caught herself. She was getting better at catching herself quickly, at least.

She blinked a few times, letting her face fall back into the innocent facade she had perfected over the past few years.

"You can never have too many friends, though, right?" she asked, her eyes glancing between the two young men and Alex. "You never know when an extra pair of hands would come in handy."

She shrugged, cocking her head to one side, a perfect mimic of a vapid valley girl. Gotta love being blonde.

[Amalea]

Scooping her bag from the floor, Lea moved to deposit it on the nearby table so she could go greet the more normal of the two blonds. Shaking her head at sight and sounds of the trio having a bit of an argument, she set her bag to the right of head chair. She couldn't decide if she hoped they were there for the adventure or if it was a coincidence that they just happened to be here today. On one hand, they could be some wonderful comic relief, but on the other, if they couldn't be serious, they'd be rather dangerous to bring along. All it would take for this to go sour, she suspected was a single person not being attentive.

The sound of a nearby feminine voice, one she recognized as the one asking about Red, caught her attention, pulling her back to the situation at hand. A single eyebrow raised as the woman, Jinx, tripped over one of the chairs. Hopefully the woman wasn't a complete klutz. Accident prone people and danger didn't tend to mix. "Hi, Name's Red," she supplied.

A quiet nod and smile was given to the new arrival, the blond that had come in with the two guys. Her eyebrow rose slightly as the woman introduced herself as a Quartermaine and Amalea couldn't help but wonder if the menfolk knew that their companion was a vampire. She knew the name, of course, having worked at the Necro for so long. Her familiarity with the name, however, came before the job, on her first visit to the club. "Hello, Alex. Any relation to Reyna Quartermaine, by chance?" It would be interesting to see how the woman reacted to the question, which would tell her if the mission should move forward or be aborted. Adding a vampire to the mix to find a tome that would aid humans against vampires could be rather tricky or just make the situation that much more dangerous.

"Hello, Mike, Anemoi. If everyone would take a seat, we can get started," she indicated the table, moving to take her seat. Pulling her notebook out of her pocket, placing it unopened on the table, her arms resting on it as she leaned forward slightly. "As for what we're doing here... How many of you heard about the Broussard Mob takeout?" Starting simple was her plan, given the group of unknowns, and especially with at least the one vampire in the mix, though she was fairly certain the rest were human.

[Alexandrea]

"You... don't have a home, Mike?" Alex's face fell and she put a gentle hard on his arm. "If you ever need a place to stay, you would be welcome to come to one of my places. And I promise you would be safe. No strings attached. You could come and go as you wished and stay as long as you need to or want to."

She took her hand from the young man's arm and took out a business card, handing it to him. "Here's my number, call me if you want to crash at one of my vacant properties for free... or if you are interested in a job. I get a lot of orders and could use someone to make deliveries."

Her smile was warm and kind but shifted when Windbag's interest in Kira came up. "Yup, you got it Mike. Your buddy Anemoi here wants to murder my best friend. So you can understand if I don't think much of him. But he won't succeed. Even if he got passed me, Kira would kick his arse."

Windy's softly spoken words stopped Alexandrea short. She turned to address Mike, ignoring Anemoi for the moment. "You know?" She questioned the lad gently and gave a soft smile. "Then you can understand how I was able to help try to protect you in the quarantined part of the city. And why I didn't want you to be in there alone. Yes, I am what you suspect but I won't hurt you. Or anyone unless I have to." Alex gave Windbag an evil look before going on. "If anything I want to help to protect humans, like you. Mike... there are bad people in Harper Rock, you know that. But I'm not one of them."

Alex wasn't sorry at all that she had told Mike the truth, she had actually thought he would have guessed already after the brief adventure that they had shared. And she spoken honestly, Alex was very fond of humans and tried to protect them whenever she could. Deep down, she truly believed that humans and vampires could form an alliance that could strengthen both.

Without waiting to hear what Mike thought about her confession, Alex continued on her path to approach the other group. The two human males following closely behind her.

The blonde woman who had tripped caught her eye and Alex sized her up as someone who was trying to appear less dangerous than she was. A cop perhaps? Alex didn't know but she smiled quickly at the other woman as she spoke up, nodding as she agreed with the idea of never having too many friends. Alex liked strong women and approved of the idea of having others underestimate you. She took an instant liking to the other blonde and gave her a wink.

"I like how you think, Blondie." She commented back and chuckled with a wide grin, so the woman would catch on that Alex was just being friendly and meant no insult. After all, Alex was about as blonde as a blonde could get. It did prove advantages at times...

"Hello, "Red"." Alex politely replied and held out a slender hand to the redhead, hoping to shake hands. Alex always liked to form opinions of others based on how the responded to the shaking of hands. Her head leaned slightly to one side at the name, "Reyna".

"No, I don't believe I ever met her but then again, I haven't actually met all of the Quartermaines. Very few in fact. I tend to make my own way, preferring the company of friends to family for the most part."

Alexandrea took a good long look at the woman, certain that she knew what Alex was but not worried. She simply gave her a bright and genuine smile, trusting that the human woman had enough of an open mind to give Alex a chance to prove herself despite the fact that her kind, vampires, fed on her kind. Not all humans feared vampires, some freely gave their blood for friendship or other reasons. Like profit.

The Redhead greeted Mike and Anemoi, and everyone took a seat as "Red" took out her notes and began to speak. The name of Broussard came as a surprise and Alex's eye grew wide.

"I know about that.. I had friends on both sides. I wanted there to be peace but then I always vote for peace."

She frowned. "Sadly, not enough others want peace anymore these days."

[Mike Barone (DELETED 2047)]

"Oh, thanks." Mike said to Alexandrea, he did have places he crashed at sometimes, took a shower but other than that there was no where to call home. He took the card, a job would be nice though. He looked between her and Anemoi, now he knew the conflict between them. He didn't want any part of it. He wasn't sure why Anemoi was set on killing that blonde woman, he just thought he was some love sick stalker. He stared at Alex when she said you know. "Well yeah, its not like its that hard to figure out when so many of them don't try to hide...what they are.." he said softly. Then came her confession, he hadn't really thought about it before, she never tried to hurt him or the people he hanged out with, minus Anemoi he guessed but he seemed to have brought that on his own, that's all that mattered. Alexander Freeman had plenty of run ins with vampires, those were the ones he was wary of.

Mike simply nodded when Anemoi said something about not everyone stays dead. Then the person that the man was trying to kill was a vampire but why bother trying if he knew the woman would just come back. At least he heard they just came back after awhile. He wasn't completely sure. He would have asked Anemoi about it but now wasn't the time to get off track of why they were here.

He finally took a seat however when 'Red' brought it up. He looked at Jinx when she said one couldn't have too many friends. True, he was alone a lot at the moment. He thought about going to college but the money was an issue.

He pulled away from those thoughts when the Broussard were brought up. "I heard about it yeah." he replied. He didn't know all that much about it but knew enough. Those guys offering to make them into something more had been rather creepy. It was like some shady drug deal. Did this mean this meeting was related to those guys? He hoped that stuff was all over with.

[Anemoi (DELETED 2809)]

Anemoi stared at Mike and Lexster. It didn’t matter to him if they were buddy-buddy. It wasn’t like he was good friends with Mike and the Snow gang. They were just people to hang out with while he waited for a good time to strike again. Of course he got involved in hitting when some vampires and a certain cowardly human went after Alex Freeman.

He didn’t reply to them, no need to talk about this **** here when that’s not why they were here, not that Lexster should be here. He wanted to say that Kira didn’t really seem to be fighting back that hard but didn’t. He sat down next to Mike, listening to this Red person.

The topic of the Broussard was brought up. He didn’t know much about it other than the vampires didn’t like them and they had those freaky blood thieves. If it wasn’t for becoming a target he might have been interested in being one, maybe he’d stand a chance against a select few vampires. Though he wasn’t really sure how useful that new breed of human was against the vampires. Suppose he would never find out. “Yeah, heard about it..” was all he said about it.