Playing the Odds [Invite]

[Azraeth]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

Open to Meara, Flynn and Lea (if she wants to join. SURPRISE). Cameos from other characters welcome in the form of texts, phone calls, or walk through appearances. Just be sure to poke me, Meara, and Flynn via PM to make sure things are copacetic from a storytelling point of view!

The whole thing began outside of one of those black market shops. For a long time, Az had purchased bloodpacks from them - despite the expense, not having to deal with potential hunters in disguise, or getting caught feeding (even from a willing donor) in public, made the pints of human vitality well worth every cent spent on them. Of course, for nearly a month and a half, the undead monster hadn’t needed to pay. Nor did he need to hunt. It was a sort of unspoken thing between he and his human companion. Flynn being a Paladin meant that he healed abnormally quickly by the standards of living things. Vampires, for example, regenerated rapidly because their bodies weren’t entirely bound by the laws of physics. They were like ghosts made flesh, and because of that, the flesh just didn’t have to work by the same rules everyone else’s operated by. Paladins, on the other hand, were infused with life energy from the runes on their skin. Which meant the vampire could feed from his mate every single night without having to worry he was going to leave the other man weakened or anemic. The very first time had been...well. Not an accident. Things had been passionate between them and the Mystic had acted purely on instinct. Somehow the combination of everything had...worked. It had just worked. Which had turned it into something of a nightly ritual.

That being said, Az was in the process of selling off some of the things he’d picked up to a vendor at the market when he noticed an absolutely shady character outside, hitting up a man who had just left. He didn’t really take too much note of it at that point, because it wasn’t his business. Ten minutes later, he was outside, and being approached by the very same figure from before. Now. Azraeth was pretty used to petty criminals trying to get acquainted with him. With the crime rate what it was in Harper Rock, who hadn’t been offered drugs, or to sell their blood a time or twenty? So he intended to give the guy a brush off, and then go on about his night. Except this man brought a compact mirror out of his jacket. By the time Az realized the man was confirming that he was a vampire, the Mystic was less than pleased. His teeth were bared and fists clenched when he heard the offer (which he didn’t really listen to, because he was annoyed). Something about having high quality stock at a lower cost than the black market. Cheap blood in high quantities. What happened after that, the vampire probably couldn’t have described later if he’d wanted. One moment the guy was talking to him and the next said guy had a black eye and was out cold on the ground.

It wasn’t until a few hours later when Az was tucked against Flynn’s chest, relating what he’d been doing with his night before the two ended up (as was their habit) together. The night’s agenda was fairly fluid. Azraeth had invited Meara over because he hadn’t gotten much of a chance to catch up with her, and he figured an intimate get together (see; Movie Night: Pixar themed) was a great way to do that. “Okay, so now that I’m saying it out loud, that seems SUPER weird. Maybe we should investigate? Should I cancel with Meara? Nah.” He answered his own question. “Having another set of hands might be a good idea. Hope she doesn’t mind a little gumshoe work instead of Wall-E.” He commented. She was actually set to arrive any minute anyway, and canceling on her right then would have been a dick move. Besides. There was a very good chance that the lead was absolutely nothing. Right?

“Going to text Lea. She has some connections to blood distribution so there’s an off chance she heard something.” He murmured as he moved to stand, reaching for his phone.

To The Sis’ (Custom contact detail): So hey, weird question. Have you noticed any shady looking people skulking around? Maybe trying to steal blood? Human blood? Or sell it around any of your places of business? Following up on a lead. Might be nothing.

And then he hit send.

“Oh yeah. I should put on pants.” He went to do that.

[Flynn]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

For what was likely the first night in several weeks, Flynn hadn't bothered to venture out into the darkened streets and down into the abandoned series of sewers that were inhabited by the cultist vampires of the Disciples of Crow. Between the chaotic business at the law firm and the long nights with Azraeth, the exhaustion had finally caught up with him. Where he usually had what seemed like boundless energy as he left the office, the setting sun had him feeling worn down and just...tired. It was possibly just the mental strain from a long day, with far too many demands on the part of his coworkers, and a little relaxation would do him wonders. So, rather than plan out a night of bloodshed and violence, his plan had just been to settle in at his partner's apartment to avoid the possibilities of being summoned there, as he so often was. Due to the approaching winter, the days were shorter with the sun setting earlier, meaning his vampire counterpart was already gone when he'd arrived. He send a quick text off to the man in question that he was there, and then settled down on the bed with a book in hand to pass the time.

It hadn't been too long before Azraeth appeared, with more annoyance in his expression than the human had ever really seen. Without a word, Flynn had set the book aside and waved his boyfriend over; an invitation that didn't need to be offered twice, as the vampire took up the usual place pressed against his chest. The Paladin listened quietly as the story was relayed to him, fingers working themselves through the vampire's dark hair, nails lazily dragging over his scalp. As the story came to a close with news of the poor soul being knocked out cold, Flynn smirked even as his silence continued. It was one of those situations where Azraeth seemed to speak his thoughts out loud, rather than actually expect someone to reply to him, as he even went so far as to answer his own question in regards to Meara. Having forgotten that Az had even made plans with the fellow Dragon, the human briefly considered leaving them to their devices for the night, then just as quickly brushed that thought away. For one, the vampire was talking about walking into potentially dangerous territory. While Flynn was clearly the more vulnerable one of the duo should **** go south, the pair had operated as a team since Longslade. If Az was going, then so was he. Tired or not. And two. The human highly doubted that the vampire would have let him leave, regardless of what the plan for the night had been.

As his partner left him to send a text off to Lea, Flynn sat up and leaned forward so that his elbow could rest against a knee while reaching up to take off his glasses. His eyes tracked every move that the vampire made, watching him as if to assess how likely a possibility he found the theory to be. Only when his boyfriend mentioned his lack of pants did the Paladin snort, his gaze immediately dropping below the waist as he wandered off. "Let's assume for a second that you are on to something..." the human finally said, his voice relatively soft considering that Azraeth was no longer in the room, but he knew the vampire would be able to hear him just fine. "There is no saying how deep this could go. We could literally be jumping into a rabbit hole, and not even know it. And the fact that it was a human that approached you..." So, he wasn't always the one to err on the side of caution, but his companion did have a point. Something about the story was off. And that was half the Paladin's problem with it. A human approaching a vampire these days took some balls of steel, and this one hadn't seemed to think twice about it.

There was no need for an answer on his boyfriend's part, because the human fell back against the bed with a groan, his eyes locked on the ceiling. So much for his night to relax. Dammit. "Assuming that Lea doesn't have any information, do you remember anything about the guy or what he might have said that would give us a starting point? There are dozens of black market shops in this city, and I don't think it would be time efficient to go skulking around them, hoping to come across a human with a surplus of blood at low prices..." Maybe Flynn was starting to spend too much time with Az. He was beginning to work through his thoughts out loud.

With a soft sigh, the Paladin pushed himself up from the bed. If he was going to be going into some lion's den, the least he was going to was have a damn pick-me-up, first. The only question remaining was coffee or tea?

WEARING

[Meara]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

WEARING

After Humanity Week and Halloween, Meara had been texting with Flynn and Az about different adventures that were going to be had outside of business activities. There was the Apiary, which she was sure would be amazing with its immersive arts experience. She had hoped they would go before she was contracted to play there; that way she could get a feel for the place and look for its best acoustic spots. She too was going to be starting lessons with Az again so she could learn how to do rituals. Meara was still fascinated with what appeared to be the intersection of the mystical and spiritual elements in the simple practice of communing with the fae spirits, or whatever they were.

But first; movie night with Az.

Maybe it was Meara's playfulness and refusal to grow up, but she loved children's animated movies. She had even dressed as Merida from Brave once, thanks to her trade mark fire red hair. To mark the occasion, Meara had stopped at the grocery and got a bag of popcorn, some glass-bottled sodas, peach rings, and some raisinettes. All the goodies had been packed in a canvas bag so they wouldn't tip when she traveled on the train ride from her place in the Beta Towers over to the Dragon Towers where Az and presumably Flynn lived. She put out some food for Willow, and skipped off on what would be about a twenty minute jaunt across town.

The redhead was relieved to have some people to tag along with. Her apartment seemed so cold an empty anymore, and as an extrovert that could be draining at times to the young allurist. She hadn't seen Rowan in weeks now and was starting to grow worried about her. Maybe she had gone looking for Enzo, who also had been missing of late. Sure she had Willow, whom had the energy stores of a toddler and kept her on the run. But the Corgi couldn't talk to Meara about her concerns about the state of the city after the fight at the research facility. Maybe it's because she never figured out where it was. Maybe its because she heard of the really intense fighting and that really wasn't her scene. But something about all of it caused her to want to stay away, and it seems it was for the best she did. It was almost like it had all been one huge trap to damage vampire-human relations. But what to do now? Maybe Az would have some words of guidance for Mea.

Meara's thoughts would return to the present as she exited the train and headed into the building, and hurrying into the elevator. The lift dinged, causing her to rush off down the hall and came to a stop in front of the apartment door. She straightened up a moment then pounded on the door with her right hand. "Az!" The redhead bellowed cheerily to announce her presence. "I brought snacks!" If Flynn was there hopefully this offering would get her into the paladin's graces.

[Azraeth]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

WEARING

As it turned out, Az needed to put on a complete wardrobe, because his penchant for wearing almost nothing at home didn't mesh with the cooling weather of autumn. And if they were going somewhere, it was probably for the best if he wasn't just wearing a Nirvana t-shirt. So while Flynn spoke, Azraeth went through the motions of pulling a proper button down denim shirt on, and then a sweater over his head - which had this gorgeous navy to blue gradient. Jeans nearly completed the outfit - and would have if the vampire hadn't felt the need to carry his ritual dagger everywhere he went. Even when he was otherwise totally unarmed, he always wore the sheath it was held in strapped against his lower back. Of course, assuming things did go south, it was probably for the best if he had a gun and a few spare magazines of ammunition. Just in case. Which was what led him to pad back past the bed where he had left Flynn. Which was when he noticed the lack of glasses. "Awww. I was enjoying sexy professor Connors." He complained, his lips pressing together, forming a thin line. His cheeks briefly puffed and then he let a breath out.

"But yeah, you're right. We could be walking into some kind of fucked up situation. Then again...I'm not the one who makes a hobby out of going all Terminator on crazy vampire cultists. I mean I AM, but you started it. Unless we're walking into some kind of massive hive of baddies, I'm not too worried...though. Since you bring it up, I totally intend to try and keep this as much of a stealth recon mission as possible." His hand came up, and three fingers pressed together, his arm itself forming a right angle. "Scouts honor!" Which was right about the time he went back to pulling open the chest at the base of his bed, which happened to be filled with firearms, ammunition, and knives. He grabbed an extra blade, and holstered a pair of guns underneath his sweatshirt (Which totally entailed taking it back off, but he hadn't been thinking of that when he put it on in the first place). Ammo went into his pockets. "How do I look?" He asked, straightening up. He had no mirror, so he couldn't really tell for himself, and having a boyfriend there to tell him really helped. Having perpetual bed head for half a decade was a real pain in the ***.

Before he could answer the other man about if he'd noticed anything else, he heard the pounding on his door and exited into the living area, only to throw the door wide open. "Meara!" He said with a grin. He greeted her by tossing his arms around her, and lifting her up off her feet into a tight squeeze. Only to then realize that she had mentioned something about snacks. Whoops. Hopefully he hadn't smooshed anything. He ended up swinging her around and into his abode. "Welcome to my apartment! My home is your home." He said as he rested her on her feet. "I keep a supply of blood in the fridge for any guests who happen in." Though he didn't drink from blood bags anymore himself. "There's also some tea, and day old cookies. No worries, I totally put them in an air tight cookie jar so they're as good as fresh." He rambled. Okay. So there was totally a more pressing issue to discuss, but Azraeth was not about to be accused of being a bad host.

"I was just telling Mr. Ryder about a run in I had with a human earlier today who was trying to sell me blood at a discount price outside of a black market shop." He mentioned. "Can you believe that?"

[Amalea]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

The apartment was starting to look like a tornado had hit it with the epicenter being the dining room and kitchen. One would hardly recognize that there was a dining table buried beneath the layers of books and paperwork laid out upon it if not for the six chairs around it. The kitchen fared a bit better though the counters seemed to be covered in a fine brown powder. How the owner of the kitchen managed to remain clean and white was a mystery even to her as she began to wipe the counters clean now that her latest creation was in the oven. Amalea hadn’t started her day with any intentions of baking anything, but as she had begun to go through everything scattered on the dining table, she had become overwhelmed; the need to clear her head had led her to the kitchen and one of her favorite pastimes.

With the timer set, the red-head returned to her disaster in the living room. With a sigh, she surveyed the mess wondering how she ever managed to work in these conditions. Granted, this was her latest pet project that she’d been working on for months now, though most had no idea it was in the works. Legal, of course, had been brought in early on given the sheer amount of paperwork and red tape that was expected. She hadn’t been disappointed in that regard. The only other person who even had an inkling what she was considering was Azraeth. Aside from being her brother, he was also her new assistant at Aubrerouge, at least for now. She hadn’t told him yet, but she was planning on making him her second-in-command once he had gotten settled in and comfortable with all the businesses within the Aubrerouge family.

Her nose twitching, she set about trying to organize the chaos into piles that would cover each division of the new venture. It would be a lot easier to go through each of the six piles than to find the paperwork she needed in that sea of paperwork the table had been moments earlier. The hotel and restaurant division piles were set aside for the time being as they were pretty straightforward; once they were properly set up, they would run themselves. While they weren’t the focus of the venture, they were key elements so she intended to ensure they were well thought out.

The research division was one she had thought the government would have given her the second-most trouble one and she had been correct, but it really hadn’t been much of a hassle. They had given her more issues over Sanguine and Crimson than they had this division which had been a shock. Perhaps they had decided she knew how to run such a facility; she wasn’t about to tempt her good fortune by asking. Outside of the main division, which she had known would be the longest to get approval for; the main concern seemed to be that all laws and codes were followed with a very strong emphasis on adherence to PIPEDA. She had found that a bit odd given it was well known she owned and operated a blood services center. The best she had come up with to explain it was that with children involved they were being extra cautious; something for which she couldn’t fault them.

Her phone vibrated a second before the text tone she had for Azraeth sounded. Before she could reach for the device to see what was up, the kitchen timer went off demanding her attention. Once her brownies were out of the oven and set to cool, she returned to the phone wondering it if was going to be a personal or business message. Reading and rereading it, she frowned as she contemplated its meaning. It wasn’t quite business but it would certainly affect hers if it was more than a rumor. None of her employees had mentioned anyone trying to sell bagged blood thus far, but she couldn’t rule out the possibility that one might try.

Given she already had her phone in her hand, she rapidly sent off messages to her staff wondering if they had heard anything of the sort. Perhaps they had been accosted by one of these persons on the streets; she certainly didn’t expect them to report details of their personal life, but it could be a start. Rather than reply directly to Azreath, particularly since the man lived next door, Amalea headed to her bedroom to gear up for an adventure. If she knew her brother, he’d want to head out and investigate. Research was typically her deal, but in this case, pounding pavement was going to be the best way to do that.

Having pulled on a clean pair of jeans, she unlocked her special cabinet surveying her options for a moment. A wicked looking dagger found its way into a holster around her ankle while a cousin of it was secured on her upper arm. Another of the blades disappeared down the side of her jeans. A couple of properly holstered firearms came next with the extra clips of ammo being slipped into concealed pockets. Pulling on a maroon sweater, she checked the mirror to ensure everything was covered. Satisfied with her weapon and clothing choices, the red-head removed a pair of throwing daggers from the cabinet before locking it up and heading for the closest mirror. Her hair was swiftly twisted up and secured with a concealed clip before each of the throwing daggers was added as a decorative, but deadly, touch.

Her phone had gone off several times as she had gotten ready, though in checking the messages she hadn’t been surprised to see it was her staff getting back to her. As she had expected, there had been many negative replies with a couple saying they had been approached. One message stood out to her and she suspected it was important. Shoes were pulled on with haste as she collected her keys. She did stop in the kitchen to collect a plate of brownies and some blood-jello bites before heading out of the apartment. Once everything was locked up, she walked over to the appropriate door and pounded on it.

[Flynn]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

Azreath's counterargument to Flynn's assessment of the situation had its merits, and the smile that took over his relatively serious expression couldn't be helped. "I wouldn't call it a hobby, so much..." he replied, sliding to the edge of the bed so that he could stand. While the vampire had made it a point to join the Paladin on the majority of those hunting trips, it certainly had been a regular routine for Flynn long before their relationship began. It had served as a means to an end, really, allowing the pent up enmity toward the vampire population to be released on more than deserving targets, rather than those that he was attempting to work with. Now...now, things were a little different, in the sense that being near Az seemed to quiet that hostility and it made those trips less of a necessity, the need for release appearing more infrequently. Which was completely counterintuitive, with Az being a vampire, himself. In fact, his boyfriend being so close nearly all hours of the night should have driven him insane, but it was the opposite, and Flynn didn't question why. "And I was never a Boy Scout, so your pledge means nothing to me." Because, how likely was it that they wouldn't find trouble, somehow? Seriously, it was the two of them, and they seemed to find trouble more often than not.

The human came to a stop at the end of bed, peering down into the chest as Az went through the motions of grabbing out various weapons and ammunition to strap himself with. It suddenly occurred to Flynn that he had never taken notice of the chest before, despite the fact that he had passed it more times than he could count. He let out a soft hum as the chest was closed, making a mental note to go poking around in there to see what interesting things he could potentially borrow in the future as the other man called for his attention. Gaze lifting to take in his partner's appearance, a hand raised so that a single finger could tap against his jaw, as if needing to contemplate the answer he would give. After a brief pause, he stepped in close to the vampire for the sake of leaving a chaste kiss to his lower lip, only to back away before he could respond, "Sexy as ever, babe. Sexy as ever." With a wink, he brushed past Az on his way for the kitchen to make some ridiculously strong coffee, calling back over his shoulder, "And not at all like someone who is about to do a stealth recon mission." Not that Flynn did, either.

About halfway there, the pounding at the door started with a certain redhead vampire's voice coming muffled through the door and the Paladin heard, rather than saw, Az greet Meara in his usual enthusiastic way. Because he had every intention of downing at least two cups of coffee before they left, Flynn went through the motions of preparing the pot and setting it to brew before heading back for the living area, only to lean against the doorway as Az played host to the newest arrival, rambling in his excitement to get to the point of their slight (or, drastic) change of plans. There was never a chance for the human to greet the female vampire before his partner launched into his tale, and the fact that a certain nickname came out in the process had a scowl forming before he could stop it. Wasn't there an unspoken rule somewhere that said nicknames like that didn't come out in certain company? Meaning...any company? "Give the woman a chance to breathe, Az." he chided, though the seriousness of the statement was lost from the amusement that laced it. Pushing his hands into his pockets, Flynn sent a small grin in Meara's direction, but he stayed put for the time being. "Meara. It's good to see you, again."

A beeping sounded from the kitchen and the human leaned back so he could crane his head and get a view of the coffee pot, checking to see where it was in the process of providing the very necessary caffeine boost. The great thing about having a genuinely decent coffee maker was that the process tended to go fairly quickly, and the scent of it soon filled Flynn's nose. "To avoid the backstory, Az is looking to ask you if you are okay with the plans into more of a...stealth recon mission..." he explained with a growing smirk at the notion, "Rather than a movie night." Backpedaling from the doorway, he grabbed a mug from a cupboard and bounced impatiently on the balls for his feet for another minute before he was granted with the second set of beeping to signal the end of the brewing cycle. Immediately, he reached for the pot and poured the dark liquid, leaving it as black as shadows the vampires manipulated with such ease. With the mug in hand and situated basically against his lower lip without actually sipping from it, he moved back into the other room.

Which almost exactly when another pounding began on the door and Flynn's nose actually wrinkled. Az's apartment had never been a particularly private place, but that didn't mean that the Paladin had to enjoy the constant influx of those coming and going. "I got it..." he practically grumbled, circling past the vampire duo to get the door. The sight of Lea standing there, and looking almost harried, put the Paladin ill at ease. "Hey, Lea. I'm going to take it as a less than welcome sign that your response to his question was deserving of a visit, rather than a text..." he sighed, stepping aside to let the woman pass by to enter to the apartment. Well, **** really was going to hit the fan tonight, wasn't it?

Peachy.

[Meara]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

Meara gave a delighted giggle as she was swung around, landing gracefully as she was set down. She turned on the ball of her foot and headed inside the apartment, seeming to glance around for any sign of the other man's presence she was sure would be here. As she didn't see the other brunette, she placed her bag on the coffee table and started unloading the contents that seemed no worse for wear so that they might be shared. "I fed before I got here. But I appreciate the offer though. I'll stick to my peach rings." Her slender fingers undid the twist tie on the pound bag of gummy candy and dug her hand in to grab a handful.

She would pop one into her mouth and chew as she listened to what Az had to say. "Mr. Ryder? Is that Flynn?" Meara inquired with a smile as she gestured to the man before she continued on to think of the human blood peddler Az described. "Is this an unusual occurrence? The blood sales outside the black market stores." She asked inquisitively as she put another gummy in her mouth. "I mean forgive me for being naive, but I don't really understand the normal behavior of these dealings in town. I have been approached by Blood Thieves that want to buy blood off me. Not that I know what they would do with it. I can't claim I've see it happen in reverse, so maybe it is weird." Fingers ran back through her hair as Meara slumped down to sit on the couch. "Should we look into why this is happening?"

Soon enough, Flynn did appear and explained that they were indeed going to figure out what was going on instead of movie night. Sure she was a little disappointed, but Meara would get over it pretty quickly as this sounded fun too. Meara was always up for a good adventure. "I'm poorly equipped for escapades like that presently, as I don't have a single weapon on my person right now. But if I stop back home..." She was going to continue but was instead startled by a knock on the door, which must've mostly closed behind her after she made her way inside. "You didn't tell me you were inviting more people to our shindig, Azzy. Someone nice I hope." She teased playfully as she waited for Az to go answer the door and explain why the woman was here. She thought that might be Amalea, but she wasn't a hundred percent sure. They had never been formally introduced despite Meara running into her several times at Voodoo stuff and other events around town.

[Azraeth]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

His apartment was not very big. Really the kitchen was only separated from the living room by an island, and then there was a small space for dining, though it only seated a max of four people. The couch was set at about the same capacity, but it was deep, warm and soft. Flynn’s apartment had furniture that looked as if it had been purchased at top dollar, and then never used. Which was to say that it just plain looked nice. Az’s apartment wasn’t quite the same. His things were worn in, and though painfully monochromatic in their design, they had been selected for comfort. Because home, to Az, was a sanctuary. It made sense, to an extent, that the Mystic’s apartment reflected not only the Shadow Realm, where he found peace and solitude, but also was filled with the phantom presence of those he cared about. “Aww man, peach rings.” He muttered, a hand lifting so he could scrub his knuckles against the back of his neck with a chuckle. Okay. So little known fact. In life, Azraeth had secretly been a bit of a stoner. Becoming a vampire had cleared that up, but he totally missed binging on sweets while he and Tiaz handed a blunt back and forth.

Of course, that had been years and years before. When the vampire had been a young man really. But now he really wanted candy.

Thankfully, he was provided a pretty good alternative to thinking about his inability to taste sweet things in the form of a question. “Yeah it’s...different. The black market shops themselves sell blood. The guy who approached me, it seemed almost like he was there because he wanted to compete with them. He was charging way less though. I probably should have been smart enough to at least get a sample of the wares, but something happened and…” His gaze narrowed a moment as he struggled to remember the exact details. He was spared from having to answer the next question about looking into the matter by Flynn, who succinctly put what he had in mind. With any luck, they weren’t going to run into any trouble. But really. What were the chances of that happening? When **** hit the fan in Harper Rock, it didn’t do it in any kind of small way. “What he said.” He replied with a grin, nodding to his lover before deciding to grab a chair from the nearby dining nook so he could drag it a few feet - closer to the living space - and flop to sit down on it. His legs stretched out in front of him, arms folding loosely over his lap so he could glance between the seated Meara and Flynn, who had put the coffee on. And coffee smelled absolutely delicious right about then.

“If you want to borrow some weapons, there’s a chest in the bedroom down the hall, at the base of the bed. I know the flamethrower is going to look tempting, but it’s bone dry and I haven’t had a chance to get the canister refilled or replaced.” And then a pause of consideration. “You know...that actually reminds me of this time I set a fadebeast on fire and sent it screaming at some guys. Remind me to tell you guys that story later.” He commented. Which was about the time the door was pounded. He was about to get up and get it, though it seemed his boyfriend had that covered. And then Flynn was kind enough to announce who it was (not that Az couldn’t have literally just looked over his shoulder). Which caused the vampire to jump to his feet so he could go to help her with the things she was carrying. “Sis!” He said as he pressed a kiss to Flynn’s jaw in passing, and then pressed another kiss against Amalea’s cheek before ‘helping’ by taking what appeared to be cherry colored jello bites. Of course. Az could tell immediately that they were blood.

And again, he was struck by the moment. The smell of coffee. The abundance of goodies. There was more than one way to have a family, which Az had been thinking a lot about in recent weeks. Especially after meeting Liam. In a way, the Voodoo Dragons were a family as well. Or at least. The ones he was close to. It was just a moment where the vampire felt very blessed for the things he had in his life.

“We were just updating Meara here on that matter I texted you about.” He explained to Amalea as he placed the treats down on the coffee table - so that the Allurist could get to them if she wanted. “We were discussing going out to investigate.” Though his boyfriend was totally right. If she’d shown up at the front door, chances were that there was something she needed to say to them in person. “But first, you should have a seat, take a load off. Actually, have you properly met Meara yet?” He glanced between the two women. Though he’d offered Lea a seat, the vampire himself decided to remain standing if only so he could steal a few moments to press against his partner’s side and leech a little warmth from him.

[Meara]

(dont mind me posting out of turn >> just picking it up after i was gone for a bit)

[for_peace][/for_peace]

Meara listened intently to Az's description of events, causing the petite woman to furrow her brow in thought. Why would a human try to drastically undersell the main black market blood? They couldn't make a profit that way. Unless they were more concerned about moving the merchandise. Hmm now that was an idea."Makes me wonder if he was selling blood leftover from the scientists that might have the cure in it, or some other nasty kind of poison. Why else would he take a loss on his product?" As she mused, Meara rose from her seat on the couch and picked up her handbag.

"Its nice to properly meet you, Amalea. You can call me Mea." The redhead said with a curtsy before starting to go through her purse. She took out her ID, the debit card and her phone, before stuffing them in her jeans pockets. "As much as a flamethrower sounds fun, its not my style anyways. I'll be right back." She stated before hustling off down the hall to the bedroom indicated. Slender fingers pried open the box and liberated a small handgun, a holster, and several magazines of ammo. She would make Flynn or Az carry the rest of the ammo she couldn't fit in a pocket. A small knife was retried as well. As she walked back to the group in the other room, Meara worked on attaching the holster's to her thighs. When she would put her coat back on it would mostly cover the weapons. Besides, most of the town carried weapons because of the "supernatural threat." It wouldn't look out of place at all.

"So where do we start this ops mission?" She asked of the paladin, mystic, and blood thief. She was sort of the junior agent in this quartet, so she was eager to learn more about the underbelly of the town they all called home.

[Flynn]

[for_peace][/for_peace]

Only as Flynn had stepped away from the door to allow Amalea inside did Azreath's comment register in his mind. Though he didn't voice the thought aloud, he couldn't help but to wonder what twisted reason existed for sending a flaming abomination at anyone. There was, no doubt, a story that involved the victims being deserving of it, somehow and some way. It seemed a little extreme, but then, in a city like Harper Rock where violence and death were the norm, maybe not so much. But, then his thoughts were shifting to fadebeasts, in general, and he actually had to suppress a shudder. Strange as it was, the concern over their creation had never struck him, even when he was had been with Dhara...when that could have been a very real possibility. Or catastrophe, depending. With that terrifying image in mind, he had never been so grateful for the uniform anatomy of his relationship. Small miracles.

Closing the apartment door, the Paladin stationed himself against the wall, still cradling his coffee in hand. He had played his part and was more than content to let Az play host in the meantime. For being a member of the Dragons for a shorter period of time than the other three present, it was a wonder to him that he knew them all before they knew each other. So, he was quiet for the sake of greetings, letting Meara make her introduction and just as quickly disappear into the bedroom. Flynn glanced to the man pressed against his side, head tipping to press lips, which were rather warm due to the mug he had held against them, to his cheek. Turning back to the newest addition, he offered the redhead a small smile, "There's coffee in the kitchen if you want any. After the day I've had, it's necessary before I take part in...whatever this turns into." Which was to say, he had more than enough reason to believe that the 'stealth' mission was going to quickly dissolve into a little more violent.

Meara returned to the living room moments later, strapping a holster to her thigh. That was when she posed the question as to their next move, and at that point, he still wasn't sure of that himself. Sighing, the Paladin addressed her earlier comment, first, "I have my doubts that the blood is related to Longslade, if only because the research facility wouldn't have held that heavy a supply to just be handing out on the streets. Their samples would be test tubes worth, not whole blood packs..." His musings came to a stop for a moment, his eyes seeming to glaze over as he considered what little Azraeth had managed to tell them about the incident, trying to connect dots where he wasn't sure there were any. "If anything, it would make more sense for him to sell that kind of product at cheaper prices because there is more of it to sell, to make up for the losses." Blinking rapidly to re-focus his attention on the female vampire, he shrugged. "In which case, we may have a bigger problem on our hands. Because, there is really only one way someone could get their hands on that kind of supply."

With that said, he looked to the resident blood thief and nodded in her direction, "Which is where Lea comes in.". While he didn't know Amalea particularly well, he was fairly certain it was safe to say she had connections around the city that lead her to a lot of the blood suppliers. And the fact that Az had almost immediately reached out to her in regards to information had all but confirmed that for the Paladin. When it came to their next move, she was possibly the one with the answers. Or, at the very least, an idea on where they might start, which was more than he had to offer. The underground blood business wasn't his territory to navigate, as it usually involved more of the living than it did the undead, and it wasn't as if he had made a habit of seeking it out for the sake of his vampire partner, who was more likely to take right from source; him.

So, for now, he was content to continue sipping at his coffee, fully relying on the caffeine boost to wake him up. At the moment, it was failing him in more ways than one. He was about to demand a pit stop at a corner store for the sake getting a 5-Hour Energy. And those things tasted like ***. That's how desperate he was.