I Can't Hear You (Kamikaze)

[Apollo- (DELETED 6905)]

The night he declined a ride it rained. The downpour drenched his jacket, pants and shirt until everything sagged or stuck to his skin. He hadn't brought an umbrella, hadn't even considered the possibility of it raining. They didn't have a television back at the seminary, and newspapers were rare in stock. He didn't have time to keep up with the weather. Mornings were full of prayer, followed by Mass, further prayer, meals, meetings, parish assignments and, of course, homework. His book bag dragged behind him, heavy from his weekly readings.

Apollo ran.

The city was large, and the Seminary a decent distance from the church. He couldn't tell if the sun had gone down yet or not. It was too dark from the rain. It at least was around sunset, or soon after, he realized. He took shelter under the roof overhang of an empty building. His hair, though tightly bound in a bun, has started to unravel with the rain.

Apollo waited. Minutes passed, but the storm hadn't. Or shower. Whichever it was, his situation only worsened by the minute. The more time gone by, the darker it became, panic setting it.

It's only the dark, he thought. It's only rain. We'll find our way back. We'll get a cab.

But there wasn't much traffic on this street, he noticed. No, there wasn't many people at all either, really. He had likely taken a wrong turn during his shortcut walk. The city still was new to him. '

He had tossed out his map, too proud for directions.

Pride would be his downfall.

[Kamikaze]

Rain was nothing that Shizuka ever had an issue with. In Harper Rock, it was a relaxing change, over the dripping sewer. Now that she had a childe, she was taking the girl out, to show her how she did things, such as feed, as well as keep things hidden, and following the masquerade. Tonight's lesson was how to feed, without people catching on to what they were doing. With the rain, it would be a bit easier, with lower visibility, and less people prowling the streets. Leading Dallas along, she waited for the perfect target. A small group in the distance would have been decent, yet there were too many eyes. Moments later, the man that was running.. he seemed the perfect type. Solo, busy, and nobody was around.

Keep it quiet, and calm. You do not want to get overzealous, while feeding. Make note of your surroundings, and go when you are one hundred percent certain that it is clear.

With a few coordinated hand signals, Shizuka would have Dallas stay back a bit, but close enough to observe, though she made sure to calculate any misjudgements. Encroaching on the taller man, Shizuka kept her steps silent, staying within the shadows as much as possible. Closer and closer, she counted down the steps, before she tapped gently on the man's shoulder. Attempting to gain the male's attention, Shizuka smiled, before tilting her head.

Excuse me, sir. Could you tell me where the nearest transit is located?

[Dallas (DELETED 6755)]

Tonight was the night that Shizuka had promised her. She was going to teach her how to fend for herself. How to feed. It was something that Dallas was not sure that she could do. The feeling of unease creeped up her spine as she left the home that she shared with Shizuka. As of right now, Dallas was feeding using a bag. The blood was already stored, already drained from the person. To drink from another person, it seemed intimate, almost too intimate to the woman. Bad enough people were always bombarding her and brushing up against her. It was like she attracted them to her or something. But if learning this skill was going to make the woman happy, then Dallas was more than willing to learn.

So this is how the two women ended up ended up on the street, stalking random people. Waiting for the perfect person to wander on by the two of them. Dallas thanked whoever was listening for the rain. This was the first time in weeks that she was able to walk down the street without other people staring, gawking, or whatever else they were trying to do with her. As Shizuka explained to her how to remain cool under pressure, Dallas' eyes caught sight of a lone man, wandering around. He seemed as though he was in a hurry. Running off by himself, which seemed awfully silly to Dallas. Didn't he know that called the attention of others? Dallas followed the hand signals, staying far enough back that she wouldn't disturb the two when Shizuka went in for the feeding.

When the other woman casually strolled up to the man, Dallas furrowed her brows, perplexed. All this planning, just to go up to the man? Was that all it took? If that was, then why did Dallas have to learn it? She was more than capable of having another person approach her. Hell, hadn't three men and two women just approached her the other day? Casually, Dallas leaned up against the nearest building, watching the two interact. It was then she took notice of the man. Something seemed off about him. But what was it?

[Apollo- (DELETED 6905)]

He jumped.

She startled him. It was the touch, not the voice. He couldn't hear her voice. He couldn't hear at all.

It began in childhood years, a gradual loss of hearing until it had gone completely. In foster care, they taught him speech, both oral and ASL. He had attended a school for the deaf, then later a public junior and high school with private tutoring. His foster parents had been devoted Catholics, and he spent more time at church than at home. To him, it only had made sense to pursue a life in the religious order, where he felt safe.

And this woman didn't feel safe.

She spoke. He didn't catch it. It was a question, he realized. But what she wanted, he didn't know. Maybe she asked for a cigarette, Apollo thought. Or maybe she asked for a ride. He couldn't provide either.

"Yes?" He asked.

There was a slight slur to the single word, despite having gone through years of speech therapy. He prayed to someday preach at Mass, or lead the parish in prayer. It was unlikely, but his prayers continued.

"Do you need help?"

[Kamikaze]

This was not one of the parts that Shizuka had told Dallas to watch, as she felt this would use more tact than skill. Studying his speech pattern, of the few words spoken, she took a gamble, and began to speak to him, making sure to speak directly to his face, in case her guess was correct. He was a bit taller than she had expected, though distance sort of muddled things, and her company had been a bit distracting as well. Now came the part of how she was going to do this. With most, she disoriented and went for the throat. This time around, she wanted a bit of a challenge, hence the unorthodox greeting instead of straight to the bite. Kamikaze disapproved of this, thinking that they should have fed from him by now and been on their way. Three was oddly silent for this, simply observing.

I apologize. I am not from this area, and was hoping you could tell me where the closest transit is, to get me to the West Hotel?

Hating herself a little for this innocent act, she tried to look the part, of a lost tourist. Shizuka thought to herself, that she'd tell Dallas that she should have just went in for the bite, but thought it would do well for both of them to watch when a feeding does not always go according to plan.

I tried to pull up a map of the city, on my phone, but it does not seem the phone is currently working. Do you know the way?

Hopefully this was salvageable, in that she could get closer, and then feed, maybe even letting Dallas do it as well.

[Dallas (DELETED 6755)]

Dallas watched out of the corner of her eye as the woman communicated with the man. It seemed as though it was not going to the original plan. What in the world was Shizuka doing? Why would she want to talk to someone if she were merely going in for the strike? Wasn't this just prolonging the inevitable? An unnecessary thing, it seemed. And to anyone standing around them, it was quite clear that Shizuka was not, nor had ever been, a tourist in this city.

Dallas was trying to decide whether or not she should move up to the two of them to help. But would that make it worse? She really didn't know. Taking a chance, Dallas decided to approach the two individuals, running through the scenario through her head. What would be a natural way to impose herself into the situation? Not pretending to be a tourist, that was for sure.

Reaching the woman and the man, Dallas smiled brightly. The charisma that Dallas possessed was evident within the smile. "There you are!" Dallas exclaimed, loud enough to be heard, but not loud enough to be insulting to the man. She placed a hand delicately on Shizuka's arm. "I was worried that I was going to lose you." She turned her attention to the man in front of her. Something about him seemed oddly familiar. But what was it!? Instead of dwelling on the question, she extended a hand to the man in front of her. "I'm Dallas. You seem lost. Is there anything I can do to help you?"