Fangs and Scales [PRIVATE]

[Maria]

Maria laughed slightly at his response to her clothes comment. At the very least he knew who was involved. Maybe that'd make things a bit easier. Seemed that this wasn't exactly the most surprising scenario, though it wasn't planned. She was certainly glad it wasn't her in that position.

He suggested he'd go change and meet her at Nightmode. She was fairly sure it'd take longer than ten minutes, but maybe he lived close enough by. She nodded her head, "Sounds good to me! Gonna be fun!" she agreed happily. She'd have to go back down the river to her clothes, dry off, and get changed before heading over. Shouldn't take too long though.

He definitely still wasn't super comfortable in the water, or at least, in the muck. Which was fair. He wasn't used to it and in all truth it was rather gross. She heard him speak under his breath before thanking her, she gave a wave, "Thank you too! It's been great!"

And then he just straight up vanished. She stared at empty space for a second frozen before shutting her mouth. "I...should have seen that coming right?" she shook her head spraying water through the air before ducking back and swimming to her clothes. Swiftly darting down the river and flopping onto land where she transformed fully into a human body. Drying off quickly with the towel she left behind and putting on her clothes after checking them for any potential insects. They were pretty cold still, even somewhat stiff, from the air, but they'd be fine.

And then she went off at a jog headed for Nightmode. What she really needed was a waterproof case, stick her clothes in it and she could swim up and down the river with them. Or heck maybe she could even hide a set underwater, that'd be a great idea. Dig a whole in the river wall, stuff in a waterproof case with a set of clothes, and voila. Definitely have to remember that.

[Marty James]

The moment Marty entered the Pandemonium Underground, he stood frozen a moment. His eyes scanned the area. At first, he could see none. That was until he caught sight of Nishaa. She looked to be sleeping by the computer, at least he hoped she was sleeping. Please be sleeping. He silently thought. This was not something he wished to explain, and he didn't have much time to do so. Maria would be waiting for him, and he didn't want to keep her waiting long. It would be interesting to see the woman walking around on legs. Marty still wondered how it all worked, but was not about to bring up such questions.

Silently he moved then, step by step as he walked past his sire, to where he had stashed some clothes and shoes. Passing by, he thought himself in the clear, until his wet foot lost contact with the floor. Nearly losing his stance, Marty grabbed for a nearby chair and managed not to hit the ground. Glancing over his shoulder, Nishaa didn't seem to have moved. He wasted no more time then, as he dashed to change. He was sure to dress in layers. The colder air didn't bother him, but it was best to blend in with the humans. There was no time to shower but he would later, once he headed home for the day. He wished he could now, the river was not exactly the cleanest; he now knew this first hand.

Dressed and ready to go, all it took was a portal and station away before he was walking down the street to meet Maria at Nightmode. Marty did his best not to draw attention to himself. You never knew when a vampire hater would see you for what you were. He was never a big fan of confrontation, and did his best to avoid it at all costs. Quick steps found his way to Nightmode in no time. He decided to wait outside for Maria.

[Maria]

Maria hugged her coat around her. She was used to the cold, though she found cold air and cold water a good bit different. But there was only so much she'd tolerate. Also there was the issue of fitting in. Not that she had to over-coat herself, plenty of people just had a high tolerance. But she didn't feel like anyone thinking she was a vampire and making her go through whatever tests they had.

She looked along the river as she walked. It really was rather mucky. Made her even more interested in seeing the Sea. Going for a real swim there. Though, she wondered if it would be just a bit frightening. All that open space, all the creatures much bigger than her that could be lurking. She could hold her breath a long time, but she couldn't quite breath underwater, what if she got trapped?

She shook her head, best to just go on for now, think about that when it came to it. It took her a bit to get to Nightmode, but she arrived regardless, she'd managed to wring her hair out mostly, though it was definitely still a little wet. She waved as she could manage to see Marty when she got closer. All human now. And with legs a good deal shorter than her previous tail. "Bonjour and hello!" She said happily, hands in her pockets. When close enough, or with the right sense of smell, it might be more easily noticed the scent of sea-spray.

[Marty James]

As pedestrians passed by, Marty was polite. He smiled, sometimes offered a wave in greeting. Not wanting to look like he was up to no good, the vampire held himself in high spirits. Not much time would pass, before he was tempted to head in to grab a drink before she got there. Marty talked himself out of this, insisting it would not be wise to have too much to drink. Especially around someone he just met. When the temptation of a drink hung within thought, the desire would be broken by the sight of Maria in the distance. He stood amazed, seeing her walking with what looked to be normal legs. Seeing her this way, he never would have thought her any different than any human.

He walked along then, to meet up with her. Offering a wave to her, while in the distance. As he got closer, Marty would catch a slight scent of the ocean. He wondered if she was wearing some sort of perfume, but Marty could think of no artificial scent that smelled in such a way. "Why hello! Glad you made it here alright. I had no trouble getting clothing, so the nights looking up. Hope you are ready to get your gaming on! I brought lots of quarters, or whatever the Canadians call them." He still considered himself an American, but didn't know what that could mean. None was going to let him leave HR anytime soon; not that he wanted to leave. He cared about a few people here, and all that was left back in the States were bad memories and painful reminders.

" Shall we head in? I do hope it's not too crowded. Likely not, most people don't seem to be getting out much as of late. Understandable, they don't want to get sick or be attacked by one of the creatures lurking in the night. " He said this in a light tone, as if it were certainly not something he worried about. Though Marty would have sworn he had caught the flu last year. It felt like the flu, but Cato assured him it was likely some nasty hangover. Alcohol still held a strong effect on him, even after having been turned. One thing he had learned over the years, was how different vampires could be.

[Maria]

She nodded smiling as he commented on her making it alright, and that it was easy enough for him. Then quietly chuckled smiling and rubbing her hands together expectantly as he mentioned on getting the 'gaming on,' "Heh, yeah they're still quarters. I mean I guess you could call them...like...shineies or something?" she said trying to think of any other word someone could come up with, not that they actually were shiny enough to merit such a nickname.

"Yes let's head in!" She agreed enthusiastically, "There's also less people in general if you didn't notice. More and more, normal people didn't want to stick around. I have an excuse, I call myself a Journalist. Not that I've...gotten much out yet. But what better place than a land where literally anything could be believed. Not that it's easy to keep track of things in all the chaos of it."

She waved her hand to the side making a sound with her mouth, "Veering off track right there. But yeah, you know, you'd really think a lot more people wouldn't come out at night at all given at this point what's flat out public knowledge. So the ones out either aren't afraid, are but feel prepared enough, or are out for another specific reason." she shrugged. Technically she fit two of those. Or was somewhere in between the first and second. She was out at night often because she was just another 'night owl' like oh so many people. And because it was the time that was best for swimming, except, apparently, today...or maybe especially today.

[Marty James]

" They do have a nice shine to them, I must have gotten a roll of newer coins." He spoke with a smile, as they headed towards the entrance of Nightmode. " Always wished I had gotten into a more serious aspect of journalism. What sort of stories are you working on at the moment? My last assignment was Harper Rock, but I never finished my story. " The last of his words almost had him laugh. His experience was nothing that would encourage travelers to visit this city. Discovering zombies were real, being bitten by a vampire, only then to be turned by a completely different vampire; not a vacation to brag about.

As they neared the entrance, while passing an alleyway, Marty was startled by a zombie. Almost instinctively Marty reacted, summoning a swarm of insects to attack the zombie. The insects swarmed the zombie, giving Marty a free moment to take out a blade he kept hidden. Striking out, he easily took out the zombie. He acted as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, because sadly those situations were common around the city now. They were lucky it had only been a zombie. Marty had seen far worse around the city streets before. He was quick to tuck the weapon away, and continued to the entrance of Nightmode.

Marty stood aside, holding the door open for Maria. Looking inside, he could see none. Then he remembered how close they were to the QZ. Things had changed so much over the years. He had not even considered the effect on local businesses around the QZ. " We could go somewhere else if you wanted? Though I feel inside, things should be ok." He said this, but could promise nothing. One thing Marty knew was how any situation could get ugly fast. He found the emptiness inside a little creepy but not a bad place to get to know someone a little better. Not to mention they would have the pick of games they wanted to play.

[Maria]

Must have been new, made sense. New coins always had a good look to them, whether or not you liked the design they felt fresh. She raised her head as she heard him say he'd been in journalism and asked about hers, she grimaced but smiled, "Not an easy route. Was doing a sort of blog originally. Working on making a more legitimate business out of things. I've mostly been looking for vampire related stories to be honest. Not to out anyone. It's just that the public has seen almost exclusively bad stories about them, or things they brushed off as fake. There are interviews with vampires already, publicly available actually. Not even hard to find if you look."

"That, or something about Bancroft. I don't think he's doing any good." She groaned folding her arms, "Regardless, none of it's easy that's for sure."

As they got closer a zombie came up suddenly, she quickly retracted from the creature jumping slightly and ready to hightail it. She could fight a zombie, she just really didn't want to. They were relatively easy to rekill. But they were also utterly disgusting and not the sort of thing she wanted to be around most of the time.

However Marty took care of it very quickly, and naturally. Guess everyone gets used to things eventually. Especially as a vampire. She chuckled a bit as he held open the door for her, indeed it looked pretty empty inside. But hey, that was alright. Made things easier really. Then she heard him ask about if she wanted to go somewhere else, she shrugged, still smiling, "Oh it's alright, I have been to the quarantine zone before. Though, I do tend to avoid it. Not exactly the most wonderful place to be. But it's not too dangerous. Mostly just...gross."

[Marty James]

As Maria mentioned her blog and vampire related stories, Marty made a mental note to ask her more about it; once they were inside. He truly hoped the start of this vampire experience did not become a story; for others to read about. Throwing a severed head at someone, was hardly an event likely to gain favor for vampires. He felt a little embarrassed at first, then again when he had his clothing taken. Everything looked to have worked out. Maria had been understanding and did not seem to hold it against him. Even if he did feel badly about it. Bad things always had a way of bringing new good things to his life.

It was still interesting to hear her views of Bancroft, and how she was against his policies. It puzzled Marty on what could be done about him. Even if vampires got him out of office, how could they be sure someone worse would not simply take his place. The best scenario had to be a vampire in office. One both the vampire and human community alike respected. Would this even be possible? Marty did not know, but it would take a lot of work. Vampires were capable of great things. It would be interesting to see what sort of campaigning a vampire would do.

As Maria made mention of the QZ, Marty could not help but smile. Of course she had been to such a place, she came off as a curious type of person. It was likely there were few in the city who had not been to the QZ at some point. " Crazy how people actually live in the quarantine zone. Zombies get inside the buildings there. I guess zombies can't use an elevator, so maybe the upper floors are safe? I swing by the area from time to time. One of the buildings even has a bar. Zombies are gross though. I wonder who cleans them all up? Also, have you ever met the guy buying zombie ears at the entrance? Why do they want so many ears? Feel the government is up to something with that. I have read about rituals, though have only attempted a very simple one myself. Many of the ones I have read about, included zombie ears as an ingredient." Marty would rattle on, walking in only after Maria would step inside. Glancing around, he spotted a couple other people. The place was so large, the small handful of people didn't look like much.

[Maria]

She had no intention of bringing up her experience with him specifically. Even if it weren't for that she wouldn't do something like that without permission, she also would have to potentially out herself in the process. And that was not remotely something that she was prepared for.

Maria really didn't know what to do to replace Bancroft. She wasn't a politician. She didn't know how to fix everything, and she outright admitted to things like that. She only could do a piece of a larger part of what she believed to be right. She just didn't have the knowledge or skills in the right areas to play the bigger parts. So she acted like just another person.

She chuckled, nodding in agreement at the fact some people actually lived there. It was indeed crazy. She saw a surprising amount of people in one of the buildings, course it was also filled with...well nearly everything you could need. Apartments, a shop, a bar, a computer. And zombies weren't hard to kill so as long as you were ok with dirty work you could kill them and sell the ears to the man at the gate.

She nodded as Marty asked if she'd met just the mans he was thinking about, though she hadn't really thought about any conspiracy involving it too much. And now she was off on all sorts of lines about it...right up until he mentioned rituals. She was somewhat visibly uncomfortable for a few moments, "Yeah....I don't really...do that bit...much."

While siren's may not inherently have much connection to one another, they were still demi-fae. The same type of being bound in obedience in the rituals. It was not exactly a pleasant thought. She wasn't sure how much she wanted to say about it, she wasn't sure how much she even knew about it. She had certainly never heard of an Encantado being used in a ritual. But she knew it was demi-fae, and she knew that that was what she was. That was quite enough to disturb her.

There was a bit of a pause as she tried to figure out where to go from there.

[Marty James]

He noticed the brief moment of change, in Marias demeanor. Marty was not exactly sure what he had said to upset her, but he had not intended to. " I would not recommend it. I imagine it to be very dangerous…" His words trailing off, as he wished to change the subject. Marty would make no mention of conspiracy theories, or anything more on rituals. Still, it was something he had been wondering for a while now. Just what was the government up to? Likely something to help do away with not only the monsters of the city, but all vampires as well. Likely a plan to lock us all away in the SR. He shivered at the thought. What a horrible end that would be, to forever wonder the darkness.

As he walked further into the cyberpunk themed nightclub, Marty would take in the atmosphere. It was typical of a place he would hang around. Marty enjoyed dark loud crowded places. Nightmode was far from being crowded this evening, but Marty didn't seem to mind at first. Passing near a pair of humans sitting together, Marty would catch a few words of a conversation the two were having. They were discussing a rumour, of vampires being responsible for the outbreak. Even going on to discuss the new law prohibiting vampires from traveling. Both agreed with the law, one even going so far as to suggest all vampires should just be locked up. Marty did his best not to let this get to him, but found himself wishing the place was a little more crowded. He had no sea of people to get lost within, and hoped the two humans did not realize what he was.

Looking to Maria, he smiled and would gesture to the arcade games to the right. The area looked to be empty, so they would have a little privacy. "Over there looks all right…" Heading over, Marty would head to a couple empty chairs near one of the arcade games. Taking off his jacket, along with his scarf, he placed them over the back of one of the chairs. " I could get us some drinks, while you pick out a game to play? What would you like? My treat of course." As he spoke, Marty would hold out a roll of quarters to her. He hoped she was not regretting having come, especially after the conversation he overheard.