The Top Dog Always Gets the Bone [AGAINST SIRENS]

[Prudence]

[against_sirens][/against_sirens]

Prudence was the first on set (so she believed), which didn't surprise or bother her. She knew Mordie would be here when he got here with all the bells and whistles. Grant would come since he had reached out to her and said he would be there. And Az would come. Everyone would come when they had what they needed and were prepared to the best of their ability. Could anyone really prepare for opening a can of war on a specific type of supernatural group? Who knew what sort of tricks they had in the supernatural bag of theirs.

"Mordie!" Prudence blurted out as soon as she saw the familiar figure that loomed over...well, everything! His growing had slowed down over the last year or so, which made her wonder sometimes, why. Or why she was only so tall, compared to him. Was it because she had been shorter than him as a human? Body structure? It could have been a couple of things, but for now....the sirens. The redhead moved in his direction and gave him a playful fist bump to his lower arm, before she hugged him from the side. How long had it been since they rolled together in something like this? Too long.

"Got Az coming....and you and me and then Grant. I don't know if you know him..." She shrugged, not bothered by the small detail. Everyone, she believed had the same purpose for being here, so they would figure out how to work together for the benefit of the whole. "About a year or so ago, Levi, Grant and I kinda ran into these clowns working for some company. They were doing some digging, I'll catch everyone up on what he and I know when everyone gets here. Until then, what did ya bring?" Her eyes glanced to her own black bag of goodies that she set down right before Mordie arrived on the scene.

[Flynn]

[against_sirens][/against_sirens]

As if seeing the room for the first time, Flynn paused on his way to the closet to stare down at the rotten flesh strewn about the room in various states of decomposition. There was literally what could have been hundreds of zombie ears, everywhere. He had collected an ear or two from the shambling creatures while working his way through the quarantine zone, but that had been months ago. In that moment, he suddenly remembered why he had been more than happy to move on to other forms of the undead. They, at least, dispersed into ash or simply collapsed into piles of bone that he could pick through. The paladin knew, in some sense, that the ears had a purpose. Azraeth was a ritualist, and Flynn could only venture a guess as to what uses they had. Otherwise, why the hell would there be a need for so many? Except, he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to that question.

"Uhm...anyway..." he stumbled, doing his best to avoid stepping on any of it. Seeing as he wasn't wearing shoes, that would just make for the worst possible scenario, and would likely end with vomit decorating the floor, as well. "You can throw a tantrum all you like, but it won't change the fact that for a good ten minutes or so, you will have to be wrapped up in a thermal blank before bed." And really, was that such a terrible request? It was like the equivalent of sleeping next to someone, only for their cold feet to shock their partner awake. No one liked that. And with Az, it was that way every night, except with his whole body, rather than just his feet. Shooting a glance over his shoulder as he rifled through his boyfriend's clothes, Flynn's expression twisted into a subtle pout, pulling out such an Az-like move that he surprised even himself with it. "You would be doing it for my sake."

The Paladin finally decided on something relatively simple, with a white t shirt and jeans, and one of the several leather jackets that existed between the two of them (and it was possibly the one Az had been wearing their first bloodbath expedition). He even took a quick count of how many were there in the closest, his nose scrunching at the realization that all but maybe only one or two of his jackets was missing. It was no secret that Az was gradually stealing and hoarding all of his clothing, but Flynn hadn't realized just how successful he was in that endeavor until that very moment. Silver lining, at least that was one less thing that would need to be packed up at his apartment when they moved. No, that could be Future Az's problem, since he wanted to steal them all, he could pack them all.

A pair of arms circled around him and the human paused in his efforts toward getting dressed, the t-shirt stationed at his elbows at the point where he would have to lift it up to pull over his head. As a kiss was placed behind his ear, that said head turned a fraction, as if to follow the lips as they pulled away, but his narrowed gaze never strayed from the interior of the closet. "It's not that this is dangerous or our motivations that I'm worried about. We face dangerous **** all the time..." was the only answer he offered up in reply to the other man, quickly pulling the shirt into place as the vampire backed away to continue piling the duffel full of weapons and ammunition. Rather than strap himself down with too much before they even got to the Labyrinth, he settled for his sheathed blade at his hip and tucked his reliable pistol against his back in the waistline of the jeans. "I just...hope you're right about this," he finally admitted, throwing on the jacket, and straightening out the collar and back, ensuring that all evidence of the two weapons on his person was concealed. Quickly pulling on his shoes, he was set to go. "I'm ready when you are."

While Az finished, he leaned back against the wall of the bedroom, arms crossed over his chest. Teeth worried the flesh of his lip, an obvious sign of the less than comfortable anxiety settling in the pit of the human's stomach. It had nothing to do with the Sirens and the battle ahead. Flynn had never put so much trust and faith into one person to make the right decision, to know the best course of action. But, truth be told, even if he had completely disagreed with fighting the Sirens, he would still be here. Watching his partner prepare for battle. Because, this was the stance the vampire had taken, and Flynn wasn't about to let him walk into it alone (relatively speaking). However, that didn't stop him mind from creating all the scenarios in which things could go terribly, terribly wrong.

[Azraeth]

[against_sirens][/against_sirens]

Tagged: Flynn + Pru + Mordie

What. The. ****. The words struck him because they sounded exactly like something he would say. And then the vampire’s gaze narrowed on that slightly jutting lower lip. He very nearly growled (or the Az equivalent, which was more like a hollow chest rattle similar to a certain type of serpent). It was easily one of the cutest things Flynn had ever done. Normally the human didn’t do cute. The only time he ever seemed to allow for that sort of thing was when the pair of them were alone and in private. And Az was almost certain the Paladin knew it was one of the Mystic’s weaknesses. Especially from the mortal. His features deadpanned then. Because the battle was basically over before it even began. For real?! UGH. This is CHEATING. I should kick his very attractive ***. But of course he didn’t. In fact, the only thing he did was open his mouth. “How about…” He began. Classic opening of negotiations. As it turned out, betting, playing games, and negotiating were all part of their relationship, which certainly kept things lively, but also offered a certain type of balance. “...I agree to wrap up in one of those thermal blankets WITH you, and we can add one to the bed like a big warm heating pad?” He asked.

“Oh, and also during warm up time, we make out and you have to do hand stuff.”

There.

Totally and completely balanced.

“Naked.”

Even more balanced.

Of course, it wasn’t more than a few minutes later that Flynn was fully dressed, had some weapons on him, and was ready to go. Az decided he was fond of his partner in that outfit. Of course. Chances were the white shirt was going to need to be trashed or repurposed as a red shirt in the near future, but that was entirely beside the point. The vampire pulled the bag over one shoulder, and shoved himself against the other man’s side, his arm sliding around a middle to drag him closer. His head turned as he leaned just a little nearer to drag his lips across the line of a jawbone to feel the prickly little hairs there. “And away we goooo!” He said.

Blink

The apartment was gone and they were standing at the mouth of the ruins which led down into the earth. He slipped forward, his arm sliding from around a middle, so it could hook about one of Flynn’s appendages as he pulled the man towards the darkness with him. Which was when he caught sight of a pair of killers. Mordechai was easy to pick out of a crowd when the brobdingnagian vampire chose to let himself be seen. He was like a giant, and certainly the sort of person one wanted to have on their side during a fight. Az knew that one first hand, his memory returning him back to a time when he, Prudence, and Mordechai had all been forced to fight side-by-side together to defend against an assault on The Handle Bar. In fact, it seemed like every time the three of them were in the same general area, there was some sort of **** about to go down.

Which probably wrecked Az’s bookworm scholar vibe. But hey. If Stranger Things had taught him one thing, it was that every party needed a Mage.

“Hey Mordie! Pru!" He greeted them as he dropped his bag full of weapons onto the ground, only to offer up a wave. "I don’t know if either of you have met him, but this is Flynn. He’s my human, and he’s going to be helping us out. So no eating him while we’re down there, please.” He said even as he gestured with the hand which had just been waving, to the man standing next to him.

And then a moment later. “How’ve you guys been? Who we waiting on now?”

[Stonehouse]

[against_sirens][/against_sirens]

“Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag, and smile, smile, smile.”

Grant Stonehouse was, at best, competent with his singing skills, but was never going to win any talent competitions. The solo karaoke king’s venue of choice was usually beneath cascades of hot water in his shower, or behind the wheel of a car, rather than a giant arena holding thousands of adoring fans. However, the occasional outburst of song while partaking in a household chore was not unheard of. Today was one of those days.

As Stonehouse let fly with a chorus of the morale-boosting WWI marching song, he began to pack a small arsenal of weaponry into a rucksack. Although Stonehouse was primarily a businessman, it didn’t mean that he hadn’t taken the time to develop his combat skills. Harper Rock was a menacing, unforgiving city; a crazy town full of crazy people, many of whom wouldn’t think twice about popping a bullet or five in some hapless soul’s skull. Failing to plan for all eventualities was effectively planning to fail. Everybody needed to be a boy scout in Harper Rock, to be prepared for anything at anytime. Expect the unexpected was a great motto for the manic city.

Stonehouse had learnt the hard way that potential danger lurked around each and every corner, that the shadows were littered with thugs and demons, aching to take whatever they could get their grubby little claws upon. The naïve traveller been attacked virtually as soon as he had arrived in this godforsaken city by an angry sour-faced joker. Welcome to Harper Rock! Then there had been the incident with the city’s version of the Keystone Cops: a bunch of ten or so low-life hoodlums who had attempted, rather pathetically, to kill him. God help everyone if that bunch of yobbish clowns had to defend the city from the threat of a Siren takeover; the whole of the vampire community would be wiped out overnight.

Perhaps the most concerning aspect of Stonehouse’s personal experiences was that they had involved fellow vampires. How was the vampire community supposed to band together to fight for a common cause when that very same society was at odds with itself? The threats from other supernatural species were, in some ways, quite a refreshing change. At least it was clear who the “enemy” actually was. It truly was a dog eat dog world in the shady underbelly of Harper Rock. It often seemed as though everyone wanted to be chomping on the almighty bone.

Placing a pair of submachine guns into his rucksack, along with enough ammunition to start a coup in a small Central African county, the thoughtful vampire began to wonder how many of his bloodsucking brethren would side with the Sirens. Stonehouse’s methodical and logical mind had already come to the firm, unwavering conclusion that attempting to damage or close the Rift was tantamount to suicide for the vampire society, but that didn’t mean that some people wouldn’t be persuaded into doing it. In fairness, The Administrator may turn out to be just as deadly to vampires as the threat of the Sirens, only time would reveal his exact intentions, but his sentiments still rang true. Closing the Rift could spell impending disaster for vampires. But there would always be people who distrusted The Administrator to a point that they would actively work against him, and join forces with the Sirens.

Societies had an uncanny knack of shooting themselves in the foot, all in the name of “sticking it to The Man”. It was clear that many vampires saw The Administrator as someone who deserved a monumental sticking. Back home in the UK, a band of unicorn-riding, sabre-rattling lunatics had convinced half the population to give “The Man” a damn good sticking right up his administrative arse. The leading tub-thumpers: a backstabbing serial liar with the diplomatic skills of a herd of blind elephants trampling through a field of fresh, unpicked strawberries; a knuckle-scraping Neanderthal who wanted to disregard experts, and send the country back to the Dark Ages; and a Nazi-sympathising hatemonger, whose vomit-inducing hypocrisy was redefining the word ********, had effectively set the county on a voyage into cultural and financial oblivion, economic and social suicide. Yet some people believed their empty promises, and were sucked in by their pantomime patriotism.

Despite the fact that Stonehouse had essentially placed his bet on “Team Admin”, the shrewd businessman still approached the mysterious figure with caution. Although closing the Rift would be a potentially devastating act, yanking it wide open, and releasing goodness knows what into the city, would also be a monumental mistake, with possible repercussions of equal gravity. Stonehouse wanted to be sure that The Administrator didn’t have a hidden agenda, and that preventing the Rift from being closed wasn’t a secret code for bursting it apart.

Weapons safely packed, along with other essential items such as his phone and a spare phone (be prepared, right? Phone charging power sockets weren’t readily available in ancient ruins), Stonehouse was almost ready to depart. His tailored suit, colourful silk tie, and fancy leather shoes had been exchanged for a pair of sturdy work-boots and a black boilersuit that fit perfectly over the top of a stab-vest. He resembled a car mechanic, or the least flamboyant member of Slipknot. Gunfights were rarely won by the participants who sported the most fashionable of outfits, and a freshly ironed cotton shirt offered little protection against a sharpened blade.

Just as the Star Trek fan was about to use his powers of teleportation, and beam his tingling body across to the abandoned mansion that sat close to the Labyrinth, his phone buzzed, signalling the receipt of an email. Shuffling through his bag, Stonehouse withdrew his iPhone, clicking on the new message.

“Oh, now this is interesting,” he said aloud, a soft smile drifting across his face. “A reply from someone in the Hebigumo Foundation.”

Eyes as keen as mustard scanned through the response, excited eyes that widened as Stonehouse digested the words. Smiling, the businessman quickly typed a text message, firing it off to Pru with a swift click on his phone screen.

I’ll be with you in 5 mins. Something just popped up. Grant.

[Mordechai]

It had been a very long time, since a smile had appeared on the killer’s countenance that actually reached to his eyes, one that actually lit the inner fires of his multi colored orbs. That smile appeared now as the titian haired beauty before him gave him a light punch and hug. “Pru” It was only one word, but it said volumes between them. He listened to her rapidfire explanations as the modified FN-FAL was brought out on display. He left the Fairbairne- Sykes in their sheaths, the gen4 model G40 MOS’s in their holsters. A pair of pairs, but Prudence knew he never went anywhere without his pair of pairs, her curiosity would be on what he had brought that had any uniqueness, that bore upon the mission. “I have spent a few months hunting in these caves, they are making abominations within its walls.” Lifting the FAL before him, ‘’300wsm. Should work.” Nodding to the side as he inhaled the air drifting around them. “Az is here…. With a thrall it seems” Turning to face the newcomers, the massive killer let the weapon drop on the ching sling wrapped over his shoulder. “Azraeth” A dip of his head acknowledged the greeting from the approaching Dragomir. Mordechai’s heterochromatic eyes roved over the male at Azraeth’s side before he let his mind reach inside, drawing abilities and power from within. “Paladin.” One word, spat out softly, but so much meaning within it. Stepping closer the killer inhaled again. The scent of Azraeth pervaded the human’s scent. Perhaps the human was a thrall after all. Either way, he would bear watching.

Continuing his earlier commentary, the killer subtly shifted position to face the unknown paladin. “As i was saying, within the caverns below I have found mutated monsters. They are similar to those in the outer world, skeletons, ancients, mooncalves… and those abominations of the fae, wendigos, but they are mutated, modified, stronger and deadlier than their natural counterparts.” Shifting his pack he kept one hand on the modified FAL. “There ia also a new one, I call them ‘greenmen’, but even they are mutated into various strains. I am unsure of their endgame, but whatever it is, it will not bode well for us.” Backing away, Mordechai ended up in the near vicinity of his closest friend. Setting one hand on her shoulder he let the smile drift back. “I have your back, against any threat.” His gaze never wandered far from the human… He knew better than to trust a human.

[Prudence]

[against_sirens][/against_sirens]
Abominations was an understatement, but Mordie didn't know how right he was! Sorta. She hadn't spent much time in this area, her hunting preferences taking Prudence somewhere else, but what Mordie shared with her was something Grant should hear too. When he arrived.

Her phone went off and she blinked then shrugged. Mister Punctual. Not. She was sure he was doing something-hopefully something towards the mission tonight and not something that could wait, since her party of her plus two...well, three now showed up. No one liked standing around, twiddling their thumbs.

To: Grant
From: Prudence

Message: That's cool. Everyone's here and ready to go, but we'll wait for you. Don't worry!

Yeah, she supposed it was 'cool.' So long as these five minutes didn't cost them **** later on. She stuffed her phone back in her pocket, then looked at the human. Interesting. A thralled Paladin? Well, points for Az, because Paladin's were forces to reckon with she heard...but an enthralled one? A force to reckon with on their side.

"Heya Az, and Thrall Flynn." Prudence waved to the guy, then looked at all three of them. "We're waiting for...Grant." She said with a shrug of her shoulders. She needed to work on a nickname for him, because somehow 'Grant' didn't seem like someone who was capable of opening a can of whoop ***-even if he could. She watched their reactions on their faces, before adding in, "I call him G." There, he will be 'G' from now on. 'G' was way better than Grant. 'G' could stand for anything.

"While we wait for 'G'" Prudence tried it on for size again, before going on, "Mordie said they're making something in down there. Like, way down there. I've never seen what they are, but I trust what he's saying." There was no doubt in her mind that Mordie was telling the truth about what he saw and experienced. "And, well...a while back...my friend 'G,' I and someone else ran into these guys. This isn't the first place that they've dug up, but something tells me what they're doing...they're probably close to achieving. The tunnel system..." She turned and looked around, before pointing, "That was back that way about a year and a half ago, didn't go nearly as far down as this one is." Eventually a lot of **** would be shared with the group, but it wasn't just her place to tell the story, but she could give them some stuff to think on. "Which isn't good news for us, if that's the case."

[Flynn]

[against_sirens][/against_sirens]

God, he hated teleporting.

For as often as it happened, it never seemed to get any easier on his body. Each time his feet hit the ground of the new location, the contents of his stomach threatened to join them. Azreath had said it would get better, and Flynn had half a mind to punch him for lying about it. It had been close to two months, now, and there was still the nauseating rush of vertigo. Every. Time. If it hadn't been for the tug on his arm toward the mouth of the darkened caves, he might have doubled over for a chance to catch his breath. Just a second to fill his lungs with fresh air to combat the bile seeking a swift exit. Naturally, the impatient vampire had over ideas, hauling them toward a duo waiting just outside without preamble. Or, rather...a literal giant and a fiery redhead. Both very much vampires, and definitely packing some serious fire power.

Flynn assumed the redhead to be Pru, and that only left the giant to be 'Mordie' from the names that left Az's mouth. The Paladin had to fight the urge to roll his eyes at the introduction, since it was oddly reminiscent of the night in Longslade, where there had been another request that fangs be kept away from his neck. Not that that stopped the giant of a man from stepping in close, sniffing the air around him like a bloodhound. The word spat into the air like an accusation brought his eyebrows together, but otherwise received little response. It was natural for the vampires to be wary of what he was, especially before they knew who he was. He couldn't fault for that, even if he wanted to. Turning his head to Azraeth, he gave him a questioning look. "Why do people keep smelling me?" He had never had this problem before he got involved with the vampire. That made it, somehow, his fault. Then Mordie stepped back and he simply listened to the explanation that was offered as to the creatures that they would meet down below in the Labyrinth, none of which sounded like a good time. Especially if the vampires of the group said they would pose a problem. Great.

The human didn't miss the jab made by the giant as he placed that hand on the woman's shoulder, leaving him to release an annoyed breath of air through his nose. Still, he kept quiet and merely watched as Pru typed out a message on her phone and then finally greeted the two of them. As soon as the word 'thrall' came attached to his name, his green eyes widened, lips parting in disbelief. The redhead pushed onward and all Flynn could do was stare, still lost on the fact that the two vampires in front of him assumed he was only there as a mindless slave. That Azraeth had forced his will on the Paladin, leaving him only to follow commands like a lost puppy. He did his best to keep up, but truth was, he had very little experience with the Sirens and the creatures that they would be dealing with below. He had crossed paths with several in the Caverns, but this was entirely different. A whole new wave of nausea set in, bringing with it the belief that he was in way over his head.

"If they are closer to achieving their goal, that just means they will fight back that much harder to keep us away from it. Looks like we're in for a fun night," he commented, lowly, eyeing the entrance to the tunnel system with a deep set frown. He was quiet for a moment before slowly shifting his attention back onto the vampires of the group. "In an effort to clear up any misconceptions, let it be known that being a thrall and my presence here are not mutually exclusive. I am, indeed, a Paladin, and I am here of my own free will. I'm here, because he's here." Wth that, he gestured his head toward Azraeth and then paused to stare at his boyfriend. Lips pursed together as a thought struck him, his gaze narrowing. "Actually, I blame you for their assumption. My human. No wonder they think I'm a thrall. Do me a favor, and find a better way to introduce me as boyfriend next time around."

Flynn kept his gaze locked on Az for a moment longer, then finally sighed and looked between the two new faces only to settle on Pru's. He couldn't fight off the feeling that she knew a little more than she was letting on, but he could only hope that what she did know would come to light sooner rather than later. Maybe when this mysterious 'G' - Grant - showed up. "I assume it's in the realm of possibility that these new mutations...are there to keep others - us - out. Especially if they are as close as you think they may be."

[Azraeth]

Things progressed pretty much the way Az expected them too. It didn’t even occur to him that his human partner would be unused to the ways of some vampires. In a way, it was a little bit like culture shock. Vampires, despite the fact that they had very much once been human, were not human. To become what they were, one had to be fundamentally changed. They were more animal and more human all at once. They were dangerous, and many of them were extremely closed off to the rest of the world. Some of those were purely solitary hunters who saw no need to form any connections at all. Others made bonds where necessary to seek the completion of their own goals. Some vampires tried to grow massive bloodlines to feed an ache, an emptiness, or a compulsion inside of them. Rarely did they act out of pure altruism. Even Az, at the end of the day, was making the moves he was against the Sirens because he had a life he wanted to maintain and protect. There was no greater humanity at work in his actions. No desire to save the world. He had a vested interest in finding a way to ensure that what was his remained safe.

And maybe that was just a reflection of humans. Maybe it was like having the pretty mask stripped off and revealing the stronger motivations beneath.

But it was no less surprising, he supposed, to see the way vampires acted behind closed doors.

“I’m pretty sure he’s making sure you smell like me, and memorizing your scent in case he needs to track you down and kill you later.” He whispered to Flynn. Which. He didn’t say because he wanted to alarm the man, but because Az was the sort of man who dealt in facts. And he believed that it was better to hand someone the truth to be used as a tool than to lie to them for the sake of comfort.

Not that Az intended to let any harm come to his partner. But that was beside the point.

And then both Mordie and Pru were talking and Az could feel himself being put in the proverbial dog house. This was confirmed when Flynn asked him to find a new way to introduce the Paladin. The mystic managed to look somewhat abashed, and he gave a sheepish smile in return before essentially turning and plastering himself against the human’s side, his arms curled around a body. His fingers wove together underneath the Paladin’s arm on the far side and he shoved his cheek against the nearest shoulder. "Yeah, sorry about that. He’s my boyfriend. As you can imagine, I have bewitched him, and he me, with magics far older and stronger than those an Allurist might bring to bear.” And then his voice lowered to a whisper. “And that’s not even a euphemism for something sexual.”

Which was about the time he decided that it was time to get serious. It was, after all, not the Flynn and Az Variety Hour. They had all met because they had something they were trying to accomplish. Or trying to protect. He owed it to each of them to give the threat of the Sirens every bit of his focus and attention.

So he listened to Mordie describe the undead down in the Labyrinth. He listened to Pru describe how she and this ‘G’ guy had some experience with the Hebigumo Foundation and what they were attempting to accomplish. His first instinct was to ask questions, to find out more. To gather as much information as he could. “Yeah, I agree. Whatever is going on here, I don’t think it’s good for any of us. Even if you do buy that the Sirens want to ‘save humanity’ on a global scale by taking a sledgehammer to the undead ‘menace’, you can’t convince me they give a **** about us. Or about specific humans. And while I love the idea of saving the day, my connection is to very specific people.” He realized he was rambling, as he was apt to do in these situations. So his lips formed a thin line as if to indicate that he was zipping it up.

“Can you substantiate any of what the Admin said?” He finally asked of Pru, glancing towards her. “This Grant, we can trust him?” He asked. He assumed the man was driven by much the same motivations as the rest of them, and Az was happy to work with almost anyone. But the situation was delicate. He knew Mordie. He knew Pru. He knew Flynn. He trusted them all to differing degrees - but it didn’t hurt to do a little homework on someone he was potentially handing his, and his partner’s life to.

[Stonehouse]

[against_sirens][/against_sirens]

Stonehouse repeatedly clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth as he reread the email that had just landed in his inbox. He’d taken a shot in the dark by firing off several messages to various members of the Hebigumo Foundation in the hope that someone may grant him an audience to discuss various aspects of their business ventures. It appeared that his punt had paid off; someone was willing to meet for a quick chat. This could be a backdoor in to the clandestine corporation.

With a large grin etched across his face, Stonehouse put his phone away, returning to the bigger task at hand. Slinging his loaded rucksack over his shoulders, the entrepreneur used his powers of teleportation to whisk his vampiric body across the city to the rendezvous point that he’d earlier arranged with Pru. The grand plan would undoubtedly involve the wholesale slaughter of dozens of sneaky Sirens plus whatever minions they threw at the gang, but the possibility of a more subtle approach to the problem, the chance for a face-to-face meeting with somebody within the corporation, would be an interesting additional option to bring to the table.

Stonehouse shuddered, the cool fresh air brushing his skin as he materialised near the abandoned mansion as planned, albeit a few minutes later than expected. He yawned, stretching his face and blinking his eyelids as if he’d just woken from a giant slumber. The scientifically minded vampire had absolutely no idea how the amazing ability to transport his body miles in a split second actually worked. Perhaps one day he’d discover the secret, bottle it and sell it to the highest bidder, make an instant fortune. Maybe that was not dissimilar to the schemes initiated by the shady Hebigumo Foundation? Were they simply trying to harness mystical powers? There was so much still hidden away, shrouded in secrecy like an unholy experiment, about the strange organisation run by the Sirens.

Scanning the immediate vicinity, Stonehouse quickly caught sight of a bunch of folk engaged in discussion just a hundred or so feet away. Pru’s red hair was instantly recognisable, and the imposing figure standing next to her also quickly registered in the businessman’s memory banks: Mordie, a true giant of a man who had been introduced to Stonehouse by Pru during the pair’s encounter with the Wendigos who inhabited the nearby forest. These pesky demi-fae had a habit of showing up on a regular basis, always causing trouble. Surely, that was no coincidence? The other two people, a couple of men who were presumably also concerned vampires, were unfamiliar to Stonehouse’s keen eye. A stranger was just an acquaintance that one hadn’t yet met, and the entrepreneur was eager to see who these two were, and what they could bring to the party.

Raising an arm to attract the attention of the group, Stonehouse made his way towards the gathering.

“Hello everyone,” he said, “my apologies that I’m a little later than planned. Something interesting popped up at the last minute.”

Starting with Pru, Stonehouse greeted each member of the posse with a kiss on the cheek or a handshake, depending upon the level at which their relationship had previously reached.

“Great to see you again, Pru,” said Stonehouse, “and you too, Mordie. It’s always good to get you on board.”

The greeting afforded to the two strangers was accompanied by the obligatory “Hello, I’m Grant. It’s a pleasure to meet you”: a polite introduction that also allowed Stonehouse to detect that only one of them was actually a vampire. The other was most definitely a human, either that or a vampire with very warm hands. How interesting.

“So what have I missed?” asked Stonehouse, keen to not miss out on any vital snippets of information. “Oh, and the reason that I’m slightly behind schedule is that I received an email from someone with the Hebigumo Foundation. We have an opportunity to have a… business meeting with a member of their public relations team.”

Normally, Stonehouse may have been more reluctant to share his information so quickly, but on this occasion he was happy to lay his cards on the table straight away. There were enough secrets within the walls of the Hebigumo Foundation offices, and the corridors and pathways of the Labyrinth. Stonehouse had made a unilateral decision to share all knowledge. This wasn’t the time for playing power games. The Siren threat was real.

[Arauchia]

[against_sirens][/against_sirens]

Once Chia was reacquainted with being among the living, she dug into Crownet to assess the current state of Harper's Rock. Most things were the usual dribble of squabbles, adverts, and other miscellany. She also learned from her studies over the course of a few weeks that the masquerade had fallen while she was asleep in the Realm. This troubled Arauchia immensely. Why would humans want to share a world with creatures that used them as a food source? It would only endanger vampiric society by inviting attacks and rules from the humans in addition to the usual conflict with the paladins, sorcerers, fae, and undead. Had no one learned from her efforts while she was in charge of bounty enforcement. Dangerous behaviors would only serve to get them all killed. And if the humans knew they were there? It would be far easier for them to spot the supernatural world churning around them.

Sure enough, recent events suggested that the humans were actively trying to eliminate the "vampire menace." A few months before Chia returned to this plane, there was a governmental laboratory that was discovered. Inside, scientists had been working on a cure that seemed to be effective at restoring humanity to vampires. Public opinion had agreed with the blonde's take on the situation. That the humans could not be trusted to not imposed forced inoculation on the vampires if they did not cooperate. She had seen some hacking work on the family CrownNet as well, where many coordinated to break into government and health agencies to remove electronic mention of the cure. Between the computer nerds and people on the ground, the cure had likely been destroyed.

More recently, there was news of a Hebigumo Foundation that was attempting to seal the Rift off. Based on the administrators postings, it sounded like they already knew what they needed to be doing. Not good for the future of the vampire race. Clearly the Sirens wanted the rift closed so they could eliminate their supernatural competition. This did not sit well with the Spaniard as she would have been stuck in the realm forever if the doorway shut between worlds. This would simply not do. Despite her recent rebirth of sorts, Chia was determined to help put a stop to this Rift-closing business. Using the various info trails she had found on CrowNet, Chia identified the Labyrinth as the likely place she would find other like-minded individuals that were interested in nipping this disaster in waiting in the bud.

Once she had purchased a backpack and a few holsters, the Spaniard armed herself with a pair of daggers at her hips, a hunting shotgun over her shoulder, a sword on her back, a handgun on her calf, and a backpack full of ammo for the guns. Anything else she would need she would just steal on her way across town to her desired location. Just to be on the safer side, she stuck to the shadowed alley ways and side streets rather than the trains so her large stash of weapons wouldn't alarm anyone.

As Chia was nearing where she had determined the Labyrinth to be, she spied a group of extremely well armed individuals. And a few of them were giants, likely killers. If her senses were still as good as she remembered, most of this group were vampires. One of them had an usual aura to him, but it definitely wasn't exclusively human. Hopefully they were the people on Crownet who had discussed trying to eliminate the Siren threat. Slowly she inched closer to eavesdrop on the conversation from a distance. Luckily for her, they were indeed discussing killing the sirens, and the latecomer mentioned the foundation by name. With her assessment confirmed, the blonde took more purposeful strides towards the small group. As approached, Chia took care to make sure she kept her hands in plain sight as to signal she was not a threat. She stopped about 10 feet away before cocking a lopsided grin before speaking.

"Buenos noches, amigos. Have room for one more in this skull-bashing expedition?"