of mice and hunters [pru]

[Mordechai]

Mordechai stalked silently trough the tunnels beneath the city. The humans that hunted his ilk were getting smarter it seemed. They were spread out across the system of sewers and tunnels, seldom grouping in pods as they used to. It took a lot more energy to hunt them down if he did not accept the help of Melanie in tracking and scouting for them. This night he had slid into the sewers in Honeymead, hunted north into Cherrydale. He had found a few, but now, headed south again along the city-limits, he found no sign of his prey anywhere. It was just the same stone walls in an endless maze, the occasional detritus of human existence laying on the floor. With all the used rubbers laying around, it was hard to believe any humans were being born in this city. The scent of the mold and algae that grew in these damp environs sometimes mad it hard to scent his prey, and often he was forced to hope that the trickling drops of water falling from the ceiling would not hide their passage, nor the darkness of the shadow veil them from his eyes.

As he moved block after block with no sign, his mind began to wander. As always when he was alone his mind drift to the wondrous gift that he had been given, his kennedy. So often when he rested alone, he dreamed he could catch her scent wafting on the breeze, and if he closed his eyes, he could feel the silken waterfall of her lustrous tresses drifting through his fingers. It would probably merit a published article in Psychiatry Today, but the feeling of her long curls slipping though the seams of his finger at an extreme calming affect on the rage that lurked beneath his surface. The killer's mind was far away, remembering the last time they went out, as he turned the corner into the tributary that meandered into the wilderness under the sewer treatment plant. This section was more remote, darker than most the other areas, and not a place to wander when your attention was already wandering. Mordechai realized his mistake as he heard the slight, metallic *snik* of a safety being released, just as his eyes caught sight of the hunter with an old Dorf carbine... pointed right between his eyes.

The killer blurred with celerity as he went on the attack, but he was too close, and too late. The hunter pulled the trigger reflexively, and Mordechai was to close to dodge. The shot burst stitched a pattern of star-bursts across his forehead as his hands closed on the mans head and instinctively twisted then yanked, first breaking the spine, then severing the head from the now slumped body. The arterial spray pouring from the severed carotids soaked the male killer in blood as he stared wide eyed at the head in his hands. A shiver of revulsion rolled through his body as he let out a small cry and threw the head as far as he could down the tunnel behind him. Scurrying down the tunnel to the end, the wide-eyed male quickly scaled the ladder, small mewling noises escaping him as he fought the man hole cover above him trying to escape.

The cover wouldn't budge, until with a fear and adrenaline fueled wrenching surge the killer tore it from its moorings and threw it like a pog, as he burst from the tunnel into the wilderness. Mordechai shook as his head whipped this way and that looking about him. Where was he? Why was he here? What had happened? More importantly, who was he? The shaking and shuddering slowly ceased, as he could find no threat anywhere about him. There was nothing...anywhere near him. As the massive killer started to take a step a quivering near his feet caught his eye. A rabbit. A rabbit apparently paralyzed at the sight of a seven foot, three hundred pound vampire suddenly appearing over him. Slowly Mordechai reached down, and gently scooped up the rabbit in one massive hand.

It was soft, so soft. What did it remind him of? The thought was just out of reach, but somehow the male knew, just KNEW that soft meant something to him. He had almost risen when the rabbit came to life and with a pedaling of paws and claws, tore runnels through the vampires hand as it launched itself into the air, into freedom. That quickly ended when the males other hand shot out in a blur faster than the eye could follow, or the rabbit evade. Long, strong fingers wrapped around the rabbits throat ending its flight, and bringing it back to the killer's chest. Gently stroking it with his other hand, a gravely rumble slid from the giant's lips. It sounded like the purr of a tiger, if tigers purred. "Soft" he whispered as blood from his scratches matted the rabbits fur. "Soft". The giant paused, looking curiously at the rabbit as one finger continued to gently stroke its fur. The rabbit wasn't trying to get away anymore. The rabbit wasn't moving at all, anymore. "Why wont you move?" He questioned. Poking it with a finger he ordered "Move". The rabbit lay supine in his hand. Slowly a single tear rolled down his cheek, reminiscent of the old 70's littering commercials. The tear landed on the rabbit but there was still no movement. The killers mind raced, trying to process, trying to find something, anything in his memories to help the rabbit. There was nothing, nothing he could remember. The only thing in his memories was 'soft'. Another tear slowly ran down his cheek and landed on the rabbit. RED. Another memory was coming back... when ever he need help.... red. Help... red. What was red? Slowly he began to pet the rabbit again, hoping it would calm him. Soft, calm. Red, help. Red.... Pru. The image of a tall titian haired warrior princess formed in the back of his mind, slowly coming to the front. Harder and harder he concentrated on it. Red, help. Help, Pru. Tipping his head back he let all his anguish out as he screamed to the heavens "PRUUUUUUUUUUUUU..................." Somewhere deep in his mind something happened, synapse fired instinctively, and all of a sudden the red haired woman's location popped into his mind. A map of the city with a route clearly marked by his mind appeared, and his body reacted. Ina blurring run he crossed the city in seconds, skidding to a stop in front of the titian haired warrior woman.

Tears rolling from his eyes, he offered the rabbit out to her. "Pru... tell me about the rabbit Pru..."

[Prudence]

"So what do you think?" Prudence had toned out what most of the woman had said a few minutes ago, but when the blah, blah, blah ended, she noticed the silence. The lack of chit chat that almost never seemed to end. Jane was irritating like that. Prudence didn't mind talking, but there was talking and then there was just gibber jabber of nothing important. And that was Jane. A walking, talking box of gibber jabber.

"I don't know." Prudence said with a shake of her head and a shrug. "This was all sort of Cliff's idea and I just went along with it. Sounded cool at the time, but I think I've sort of just, well, I sort of just don't care." Prudence said bluntly as she looked up from the ideas she had been presented with from Jane about a possible remodeling to the saloon. "I'll think about it." Pru said as she stood up from the circular table and headed to the back room to start lugging out some inventory for the night.

Jane, of course took this as a cue to follow. "It's kinda nice, innit?" There was a pop of a bubble heard after the question was tossed her way. Followed by another one. One that clarified the last question asked by the thrall. "Without Cliff around?"

Prudence looked up at the woman, bewildered. Out of all the people she knew Jane was the first and only one to ask her that. The first to make Prudence think about what life meant without Cliff. Of all the dumb luck, the dumbest ***** she knew, might not be all that much of a waste of space after all. Prudence put a crate of bottled beer down and opened her lips to answer the question.

Only to be interrupted by someone screaming her name in her head.
"God damnit!" The redhead spat out as the crate of beer was released from her hands. "We'll talk about this later. Maybe." Prudence wasn't all that fussed one way or another, but she had other, important things to take care of first. Like reaming Mordie a new asshole. ASAP.

Prudence moved from the back of the bar, to the counter of it to snatch her phone up. The bar wasn't quite open yet, so leaving her personal possessions out wasn't something she was worried about. Not when it was just her and Jane.

"Yeeee-haw. There's a crowd of riff raff coming 'round yonder." Make that her, Annie and Jane. "Crowd of what?" Prudence just rose a brow at the woman who obviously wasn't Annie Oakley, but well and truly believed she was.

The question wasn't ever answered because suddenly the man she wanted to see immediately was right in front of her. "Mordie-what the fu-." She was cut off by the whiff of blood coming from the guy and a question about a very dead rabbit.

"Uhhh-" Prudence looked him over, top to bottom. "It's uh, sleeping." She moved in over by him to take the thing from him. "Jaaaaaane." Prudence shouted over her shoulders for her thrall. The woman came, some blonde in a short skirt, tight top that had most her boobs hanging out, large clunky hoop earrings and some cheap heels from some store Prudence wouldn't ever go in. Actually, she wouldn't shop anywhere Jane did. Ever.

"What do yo-Holy **** is that thing dead?" She shrieked as she saw the bunny. Yeah, that was the Jane Prudence knew all too well and thought about snapping her neck over and over again. "Shut the **** up, get a towel and take it from him. Make that two towels." Prudence growled at the woman before she shook her head. "Mordie, what in the mother **** happened?" She pushed at his large shoulders, trying to inch the man that towered over her towards a chair as Jane started doing what Prudence asked her to do.

[Mordechai]

Unsure of what was going on around him and his body's autonomous reactions, Mordechai found himself suddenly inside an empty saloon. Well almost empty. There she was. The woman that had appeared in his thoughts. Pru. That was her name, Pru. The killers face scrunched up in concentration as he tried to remember more, but all that came to him was she helped him when he needed it. His massive hand still stroked the rabbit in his arms, a soothing hypnotic pattern. Trails of crimson blood ran slowly down the males face, pooling in pockets on the creases of his visage before slowly dripping from his bowed chin to land on the bunny. A quizzical look slipped in to place as the woman before him spoke. Sleeping. He had not considered that. Sleeping he pondered, then gently poked it with a finger. Nothing. Another poke brought the same negative results. A frown creased his brow as he gave the carcass in his arm a more vigorous poke. Eyes narrowed in concentration as he spoke "Wakey, wakey" and one more stabbed a finger at it. This time the hide proved unsuitable for the job as the corded muscles of the vampire's forearm drove his index finger though the side of the still warm body. As he drew the finger out, viscous fluids and membranes clinging to it, a cherubic smile crossed his face.
Mordechai looked up to the titian-haired beauty before him. "Tired, bunny is tired, he wont wake. I am tired." The screeching of another woman startled him. This one had pale hair, and a lot of flesh on display. She was pointing at his bunny and yelling. The killers face tightened up as he growled "MINE, MY BUNNY" and reset his grip on it. Pru spoke something to the woman and she left, while his savior guided him towards a chair. "Tired" he whispered, as he tried to blink a stream of blood from his obsidian eye. Already the flow had slowed as the holes in his forehead had already started to close. The killer healed fast. Far faster than any human, and faster than most vampires. Drip. Drip. Mordechai again started the soothing petting, smearing his blood with that of the rabbit. Mordechai looked up to Pru as they neared the chair, "Soooft, it is so soooft Pru. I like soooft." The killer cradled the rabbit in his arms, crooning to it as he held it like a mother, with her new born child. Mordechai raised his head to ask another question, but it died on his lips, forgotten.

The blonde had returned, carrying towels. Reaching for his rabbit. One massive arm shot out, the motion a blur. Long fingers wrapped around the thieving *****'s throat, crushing the pale flesh with bruising strength. As he thrust up and out, the woman's cheap clothes proved no match for inertia and brute strength. Twin zeppelins popped free, as plastic shoes flew from feet now suspended a yard in the air. The killers face darkened like a storm cloud as he screamed, "MINE. MINE. BUNNY MINE." Each scream was accompanied by a massive shake. The first one mercifully snapped the woman's neck. The next two sent limbs and flesh jiggling and flopping, almost tearing her head from its mount, as with one last heave, Mordechai tossed the barmaid formerly known as Jane, to land in a broken, bloodied pile of her own refuse.

Sitting in the chair his smile once more shown forth as he gently rocked the rabbit "Pru? Why wont bunny wake?"

[Prudence]

All she could do was stare as he spoke in broken words and thoughts. Stare at Mordie in awe. Not a good awe either. This **** was crazy in so many ways!

Prudence only reacted when her thrall, Jane was lying on the floor, dead and in pieces. She didn't react because Pru particularly cared about Jane. Not like her mini's, or like Mordie and a few others she was close with. She reacted only because there was a mess that had to be cleaned up on a few fronts.

"What the ****?!" Prudence was in front of Mordie without a second thought. It just came natural to her. She thought it, and she did it. In harmony. Thoughts and reactions in sync with the other. Everything with the red headed woman was real. Instinctual.

"Ya can't just go around killing people. Well, not in my bar!" Prudence's arms reached out and grabbed the male's shoulders that towered over her by about seven of so inches. And she gave them a good, hard shake. When he started on about his bunny, Prudence decided to forgo the gentle, tough love approach and just go with tough. A hand went out and smacked him across the face. Or, punched was probably more apt.

"Snap the **** outta it. It's dead. Such is life." Prudence didn't have time to baby sit everyone and their grandma. She was having to do that with Lori and Prudence was madder than hell with CC for that ****. "Heal yourself. I know ya can do it. Staining my hardwood with your blood." Prudence moved backwards, turned and went to collect a towel from the bar. She moved around the bar, wet it and brought it back to her friend. "What the **** happened to ya?" She held out the light brown bar towel to him with one hand, put her other behind her so it rested on the hard surface of a table as she propped her weight against it, waiting for his answer.

[Mordechai]

Synapses healed, the bone re-knitted, brain cells were multiplying at tremendous speed, but it had only been an hour since Mordechai had taken three medium velocity 7.62x39 rounds to his cranium. The edges of other memories were starting to come. Suddenly his head snapped to the right as the titian-haired killer landed a punch to Mordechai's jaw. Her mouth was jabbering but the child-like giant couldn't make sense of what she was saying, except for two words. 'It's dead.' 'It's dead', the words echoed thru his mind like a Riccola cough drop ad. Echoing till it faded away, then starting again. Over and over. Tears ran silently from his eyes, washing the blood from his face. Through the blur of tears, he saw her approaching again. Three hundred pounds of muscle cringed away from the one he had thought would help him. His eyes blinked, clearing slightly, and he saw she carried a small burial shroud towards him. Slowly he gave the small rabbit one last caress, the softness tingling his fingers as another memory suddenly snapped into his mind.

With a gentleness that belied his bulk, Mordechai reached out and carefully gave bunny to Pru. "He won't wake" he whispered as massive hands gently folded the corners around the still rabbit. More of the memory snapped into place. He saw his hands sliding through mountains of long silky brown curls. His eyes unfocused as he muttered to himself, "Soooft." Another piece dropped into place as he looked up to the redhead before him. "Kennedy? Kennedy? Kennedy sooft?" A puzzled look accompanied the query as a range of emotions crossed his face. "Can pet kennedy? Can hold kennedy? Where is kennedy?" the massive killer started looking wildly about the empty bar. The rabbit forgotten. The half naked blonde pile of rag-doll forgotten. His head snapped back as his eyes locked on to Pru's face with intensity.

"Tell me bout ,kennedy, Pru" A child's wonder shown from his face as he sat down in a chair, leaning forward expectantly.

[Prudence]

"That's not for the bu-awww, forget it." Prudence shook her head. Talking to Mordie with a couple bullets lodged in his brain wasn't going to get either of them any sort of satisfying results. She sighed, watched him wrap the dead animal up and then looked down at jane. A very dead, Jane. Prudence got out her cellphone, sent a text to J.J. and let him know that he had some trash to get rid of later. For a little extra bonus that greased his palms.

"Uhh. I guess she is?" Prudence shrugged her shoulders, not sure. She's never been that close to Kennedy, or touched her much to know how soft she was or wasn't. "Whatever ya two freaks do during your private time is your business. If she's up for ya petting on her and whatever else, that's her business. YUCK." Prudence let her nose squish tight together as she made a disqusted looking face at her friend. He couldn't stop the **** coming out of his mouth, but that didn't mean she had to like what she was hearing!

"What about Kennedy? Ya two are together. Probably banging each other's brains out. She's sired by CC, but ya know how that went and turned out." Prudence wasn't sure what the **** she was supposed to tell him. "She's probably working right now. Actually, I'm gonna find out." This was just getting too weird for her and she wasn't about to talk about Kennedy's and Mordie's personal relationship. Not like that. "I guess she's soft." The red head shrugged as she sent a text to Kennedy.

Yo, got your boy toy here. He needs some TLC. Pru. Prudence hit send and waited for Kennedy to say she would come and relieve her of her Mordie duties. She didn't mind helping Mordie, but if it came at the expense of hearing about their bedroom escapades, no thanks!

[Kennedy]

Kennedy was actually working at the flower shop for once. She didn't want to seem like she was taking Mortll or her money for granted by getting paid but off doing her own thing every night. It wasn't fair to Mortll or the other staff members. It didn't take long for her to get through the paper work that she had gotten back-logged on which was a relief but as her phone gave off the specific text tone that was assigned to Pru, she perked her brow. Pru hardly texted her and if she did...someone was in trouble or something was terribly wrong. Grabbing for her phone, she swiped her thumb across to look at the message. Rereading the message a couple of times as she tried to weigh 'He needs some TLC." What she might mean by it because Mordie knew how to find her and if he had issues, he had no problems with summoning her to his side.

Typing out a reply into her phone, she was going to meet up with Pru and see what was really going on. If something was wrong with Mordie, the person or thing that did it to him would pay. "Where are you because I am on my way." She slipped on her jacket after she sent the message and left a note for Mortll that Pru called her away for an emergency but all the work was caught up, adding in that she would see her tomorrow. Slipping out the door, she didn't know where they were but wanted to start looking for them while she waited for the text back. She used her celerity power to hit up the saloon first because that location made the most sense other than the gauntlet and both were by a transit.

Stepping into the saloon as she arrived, she looked around, hoping that she chose the right location first as she called out. "PRU! MORDIE!" Walking a into the bar and towards the back, she soon laid eyes on them both. Seeing Mordie covered in blood made her panic. Rushing over to him, she looked him over to see how bad he was. "What happened? Who did this? I'll kill them!"

[Mordechai]

The killer sat silently in his chair, leaning forward slightly as he listened to the titian haired Pru talk to him about kennedy. His eyes roamed the empty room soaking up details, more and more little memories were popping back in to his mind. He remembered riding the bull in the corner. His face scrunched up as he tried to remember details, but none came yet. The pile of bloody rags against the wall. Jane. He remembered her name now. Her head was cocked at an unnatural angle to her exposed torso, neck definitely broken. He felt no remorse. She had tried to take his bunny, but more so because as the memories slowly reformed, the picture that formed of her was an annoying, air headed bimbo. No loss to society.

His hands twisted together, fingers rolling in between and over each other, as though he needed something to do with them, and didn't know what. Bunny was gone. Pru finally said something that caught his attention and his massive head snapped back as his eyes bored into hers. Petting kennedy... did he do that? Memories were coming back slowly, but scattered. Somewhere he saw his hand ensnarled deep with in dark silken tresses, the smell of lavender rising from them. Next a flash of gunfire, and flashing knives, right over there. He had fought gangsters here. He knew it. Fought them side by side with the red headed killer before him. More and more he saw her in his past. With those memories also came more memories of the brunette. Memories of her flying and twirling around a golden pole, dancing like the fae of stories. There was something special about her, but he could not quite touch it with his mind. There was more to it he knew. The harder he pushed, the more it floated just beyond reach.

"Soooft" he whispered. The massive killer realized that the lavender scented, silken hair had belonged to the brunette kennedy. He had pet her, it seemed like he had done it on more than one occasion. The blood had stopped running, and now was slowly drying. The holes in the bone almost totally re-knitted, as the flesh closed over it. The copper clad lead slugs had been forced from the flesh earlier, and even now, the physical holes had been closed deep within his pulsing mind. All that remained was for the holes in his memory to heal. The child like way expression of emotion still flitted across his face showed empirically that all the synapses were not yet firing in proper order. The titian haired woman was playing with a small plastic box. Intrigued the male vampire leaned forward as Pru poked and prodded the small box with her thumbs before she shrugged and slipped it into her pocket. His face fell as it disappeared.

Lowering his head, his eyes followed the twisting fingers in his lap. A sole tear tracked its way down his cheek from the corner of a cerulean orb. Evidently the impacts of the bullets to his skull had dislodged the onyx colored cosmetic contact he wore to cover his flawed heterochromic eye. The sound of a door slamming open drew his attention and slowly the killer raised his head. Turning to the sound he absent mindedly wiped at his cheek with the back of his hand. A female voice called out, he heard 'Pru' and some other work, a name he supposed but it meant nothing to him. The killer had just started to lower his head, when a flash of color and motion caught his eye, and he paused to watch as a lithe, brunette female entered the main room, then suddenly charged at him. The female he saw, matched the one in his memories, and his eyes now flicked back and forth between her and the the titian haired female vampire. "Pru?" he whispered as he looked at the newcomer, "Is kennedy?"

The faint scent of lavender reach his nostrils, and another wave of synapses fired, or misfired... and the hulking giant launched from his chair with blinding speed capturing the brunette in his arms and twisting her around. Her petite feet dangled in the air as he slipped one hand around her slender throat. The massive hand almost totally encircled it, before the killer pushed it up, long fingers separating the dark silken locks like a flotilla of cruisers crossing a lake. Along simple sigh slipped from his lips as the child like smile returned. "Soooft. IS kennedy. kennedy soooft" The words slipped quietly from his lips, almost as if he spoke to himself. "Soooft."

[Prudence]

The Saloon.

Prudence's reply came after her phone buzzed, letting her know that Kennedy got her message and had replied. The tall vampire watched where Mordie's eyes traveled; to her dead thrall and to her phone. When it was put away for a second, and what was hopefully the final time tonight, she saw the look of disappointment in her friend's eyes.

"She's on her way." Prudence hoped that Kennedy would be here soon. Very soon. Entertaining wasn't really her strong point. "So, uhhhh-ya know what else is soft?" Prudence started talking, only because there was odd, dead air between them. "I got this real nice blanket. It's red. Softest ******* thing in the world. Cuddle up with that ***** every night." It was an awkward confession, but Mordie seemed focused on all things soft and apparently liked them. "I'll try and find ya one for Christmas." She added in, just as Kennedy came in.

Prudence moved out of the way, taking a side step so that Kennedy could go to Mordie without her interference and so she could assess the situation immediately. Mordie started off fine, but when he started manhandling Kennedy, a wicked side of Prudence came out. Immediately. Without thought. Only raw, powerful emotion. He was hurting Kennedy. Kennedy was hers. No one got to do that to one of hers. No one. Not even her best ******* friend.

"**** right off." Prudence was in his face, to the side, in a second flat, her small glock to the side of his cheek. "Better think before ya do anything stupid. Don't care if ya have one or ten holes if yer head. Not a good excuse. Ya tussle a strand of hair off my Kennedy's hair the wrong way and I'll put a few more in ya."

[Kennedy]

There was so much blood and the need to clean him up was overwhelming. Reaching behind the bar, she took hold of a towel and then got herself a large class of water. Dipping part of the towel into the water, she moved to stand in front of him and began to clean the blood off of his face. There wasn't much that she could do about his clothes until they were able to get home but they would instantly hit the wash and a double dose of Oxiclean would be given.

Kennedy was about to reply to his inquiry toward her but before a word could slip passed her perfectly painted lips, he had rushed out of his seat and taken a hold of her. The towel dropped to the ground as her feet were lifted off of it. She had always trusted Mordechai and never feared him but this was a reaction that was typically far beyond his desire. He had never shown her this amount of force before and his hand was never around her throat. Grateful that she didn't need to breathe, she didn't worry about suffocation but her eyes now seeing the crumpled body in the corner, a thought much worse came to her mind. Kicking her feet at him but never reaching his body on the other side of his long arm. A strangled "Pru" slipped passed her lips as she looked for help. Both of her hands tapped at his one that was wrapped around her throat as those honey orbs looked down at him in pleading. "Mordie.....please...."

Pru had jumped in to help or so she thought until she heard her words and saw the gun in threat to his actions. Wiggling a bit more in his grasp, she tried to break free so that he wouldn't get hurt more than he already was but her mind couldn't let go as to why he was acting this way towards her. Violent and childlike at the same time, it confused her and his actions to follow were unpredictable which scared her as she would either be safe or she would find herself in the Shadow Realm for a few days. Closing her eyes as she tried to go as limp as she could, hoping that her dead weight would counter his strength so that she could be released from his stronghold.