Path of the Vampire forum

‹Pi dArtois› Pi stood outside the doors to the Sanctuary, not completely in the doorway, because that would be blocking the entrance to what was now an apartment building. Already the first five floors were full of tenants and already she had other contracts on her desk from the agent indicating no slump in sales at this point. Pushing off the balls of her feet she made her way slowly down the street. The lights had just turned on bathing the street in muted light and the foot traffic was thinning as people made their way to their homes.

* Xuhixe found herself favouring the night and the quiet it tends to bring. The day is, more often than not, a nuisance of din and distraction these days. Normally she would not mind, but these days are the most stressful for her. Having already moved a long ways from home, the cold and unfamiliarity of Harper Rock frequently put the woman on edge--even if her features do not show it. It took a bit of effort to get through the station with her dog. It would seem that not everyone understands that one is not supposed to touch a Service Dog while he or she is working. Perro, as he is come to be called, found himself stopped repetitively by small children, troublesome teenagers, and the occasionally oblivious adult. Because of that, even he is a bit on edge. He is pretty good at hiding that too. Now, he leads Xuhixe out of the station. Both seem to physically relax. It is not at crowded on the streets, to their relief. Gripping the handle of his harness tight, the petite woman walks close by the German Shepherd, checking her surroundings with the rhythmic sway-tapping of her white cane. Occasionally, a series of clicks could be heard from the woman, still trying rather hard to get an idea of where she and Perro ended up.

‹Pi dArtois› She had intended to walk from Wickbridge over to where Lancaster’s was. She could have used the portal, and avoided being outside but she’d been spending too much time inside these days and she needed to breathe fresh air (even though the act of breathing itself was redundant). And she needed to crow bar herself away from the crafting bench, because she’d spent so much time there lately her *** felt welded to the stool. She also wanted to show Elliot the new gun she’d made. Not as good as Aldur, the one she carried, but still a unique example of her loved craft.

Pi sidestepped, waiting as the blind woman passed, looking over the woman and dog with a cursory glance, registering the fact the dog was service, the stick meant blind and that the near dark would mean absolutely nothing to the woman. And the nod Pi almost gave the woman would be lost completely to someone who couldn’t see at all. “Evening.” She said instead, deciding that being polite was better than standing there a silent human road cone the woman and her dog needed to navigate around.

* Xuhixe tugs back against Perro's harness, bringing him to an obedient halt in hearing that single word of greeting. She turns an ear to the sound of Pi's voice, the other in a close enough proximity for Xuhixe to assume she is being spoken to. Unless someone she missed just appeared from around the corner. The handle of her guide dog's harness is released so the blind young woman could sign a 'Good evening,' in return pairing an slight but amiable smile.

‹Pi dArtois› It was merely a greeting, easily given and just as easily forgotten. Pi had Bal tucked into the waistband of her loose jeans, her light cardigan hiding the bulge along the small of her back. Not that she had to worry about it being noticed by the woman passing her by. Turning away Pi continued to walk in the direction she was heading, moving away from the woman and her stopped dog.

* Xuhixe hears the sound of footsteps gradually growing faint and perceives that the other has chosen to leave. Turning back, Xuhixe searches for the harness handle once more for a moment or two before finally finding it and proceeding forward with Perro at her side, tapping and clicking. It would take a while before she fully ventures through the district, but Xuhixe is the more restless sort and Perro is quite used to it.

‹Pi dArtois› They shoulder tapped Pi as they pushed past her. Two men, young and dressed rough. Their jeans had seen better days, muddy stains creeping up from the frayed ends dragging across the ground. They took up the path and didn’t care who got in their way. Pi would have growled but hardly thought picking a fight with two thugs was a good idea. Instead she turned, glared at their backs, watching them for a second before turning in place and continuing passing the doors to the transit station.

* Xuhixe hears them approach, but thought little of it for the briefest of moments until a very thickly Latin/Hispanic accented and feminine voice rings a word of warning. //Behyn' joo.// Naturally, Xuhixe tilts an ear in that direction but still walks forward. (What's wrong?) The woman thinks in reply. //Two meatheads loog'n a joo lyg'a dollar sign. Get ofe de side hwalk.// "So easy," Xuhixe hears one gruff voice utter quietly behind her back following a huffed chuckle. She immediately tenses and pushes against the harness, causing Perro to speed up. Her cane is tucked close to her side, allowing the woman a less cumbersome effort. More laughter, then rapid footsteps. They are chasing her! (Not good.) //Joo gonna haff to run faster thayn that.// Something, Xuhixe assumes one of the pursuing men, yanks down roughly on her little ponytail, causing the woman to choke out a cry of pain and surprise. Perro pivots around and begins snarling and barking like mad and immediately launches himself at the brute that has Xuhixe by the hair.

‹Pi dArtois› Pi wasn’t a knight in shining armour. If anything, her armour was dented and tarnished by years of decisions made in the best interests of interests that had no interest in being fair. When she turned she had an idea what she would see. It wasn’t so dark she couldn’t pick out that the two men had found a target. Before she could stop herself she took a step back the way she had come, her hands clenching into fists. But she wasn’t that knight and every night an innocent was taken advantage of without interference. Sometimes they lived, and sometimes they didn’t and it wasn’t her place to decide either way. Except. She had to stop herself from moving forward again as the dog set himself in a position to protect his master. “Merde!” She swore under her breath. She knew she shouldn’t get involved, in fact, she hung back talking herself out of going anywhere near the incident. But she couldn’t, despite her inner voice efforts, turn around and walk away.

* Xuhixe tumbles backwards onto the floor getting the breath knocked out of her lungs as Perro makes it his personal ambition to rip the first thug's throat out. The whole dog dove into the man, jaws locked onto his forearms because Xuhixe's attacker decided to cover his face and neck. The thug falls backwards as well, but his buddy decided to aid him by giving poor Perro a power boot to the rips. A whimper pours forth from the guardian muzzle but he does not unlatch. Xuhixe feels her stomach twist at the sound of the thud from boot to ribcage but she knows Perro knows what he is getting himself into. He is the 'distraction'. The woman scrambles to her feet having finally caught her breath. Her back is sore and her neck stings, but she is not the one being beaten by a thug anymore. She could not see the men, but the chaotic chorus of snarling, screams, and whimpers are pretty hard to miss. Xuhixe grips her cane in both hands, staring sightlessly at the mass of noise

* Xuhixe :: . "Get the f****ing s**** off!" The man hollered at Perro and his partner who had not relented upon the dog yet, kicking at the hound now in a desperate attempt to dispatch him. Thug two, after a minute, growls and reaches into his coat, then pulls out a gun to aim at the German Shepherd's head. ..click... (Found you.) THWACK! With all the strength she could muster, Xuhixe swings her cane in a horizontal arch for the standing thug's head, with the pivot of her hip. It was enough to send stun thug two, but the surprise of it caused him to pull the trigger--the bullet zips right through the skin of Perro's ears. The explosion of noise caused the hound to release his victim with a jolt and a startled bark, leaping away but still lingering close enough. His chest and muzzle are covered in blood, and the man of his targeting suffered some deep stripping of his forearms.

‹Pi dArtois› She felt guilty for watching (and not doing anything) but stood impressed at how well the woman fended for herself. No one could say that the blind were not without their own resources. It was true the woman had a disability she had to overcome in order to function in daily life, but that didn’t have to translate into complete weakness, and in this case, it didn’t. Pi slowly made her way back again. She watched as the two thugs floundered for a moment and then rolled away from both dog and woman. She felt a burst of pride as the men swore, motioning their weak threats at the blind woman who stood bravely by her bloodied service dog, her white stick in her hand. Then they took off, one holding his arm and swearing more blue streaks as she followed the other. Tonight they’d picked a target they thought would be an easy mark and it made Pi feel pretty damn good that they were so horribly wrong. Closing the distance Pi held up her hands, she knew the woman couldn’t see and spoke softly. “Sorry I didn’t help…” She knew the smile she wore would show in her next words. “But you obviously didn’t need my help.” She finished.


* Xuhixe took a moment to listen and confirm that they are not coming back as she carefully edged closer to Perro and knelt down beside him to give him a scratch on the head. His panting is not obstructed, which is a great relief to the sightless woman, but his occasional whimpers told her he has taken a bad beating. She could feel the warmth of blood on her fingers, but she could not tell who is belonged to: her dog or one of the thugs? Since Xuhixe chose to sit beside him, the canine decided to lower his rear to the ground and rest as well. His chest is far too sore to support his own weight comfortably, and every pant hurt the poor thing. Both catching their breath, master and guardian are easy pickings for whoever decided to follow up with another act of violence. Xuhixe hoped that would not happen, but another drum of slow footsteps told her she might not get that wish. Both she and Perro visibly tense, the latter not letting his injuries deter him from giving a warning growl and staring down the vampire with eyes that said 'I will can easily do it again.' His stance remains this way, even as Pi speaks with words soft and seemingly genuine.

* Xuhixe :: To the blind youth, Pi's words bring a wash of relief. Both bloody hand and hand with the white cane's band around its wrist are held before her to sign to Pi once again, "It is okay. I am just happy you are not another thug." A few huffs puff from a smile in a manner that resembles a laugh. "Is there a vet nearby. My dog will need to see one soon."

‹Pi dArtois› “I’m not sure.” Pi said, and she wasn’t. She had little experience with pets, because she didn’t have any to speak of and she racked her brain for something. Crouching so she was eye level with the woman and her dog Pi looked over the animal without touching it, knowing at least that service animals weren’t meant to be handled by anyone except the person they’re working for. “He looks like he’s having trouble …. By I’m not sure all of that blood he’s covered in is his.” She spoke, explaining what she was seeing, which she knew the woman couldn’t. “I…” Pi wasn’t sure what to do next. She wasn’t a good Samaritan, not really, certainly not for random humans (and she was pretty sure the slow moving woman wasn’t what she herself was. “I can find a vet and help you get there but maybe I can help you too.. I… I have something that may help you with this for the future too.” She offered, reaching for her phone and googling vets as she spoke, her attention fluctuating between her phone and the woman’s features.

* Xuhixe smiles gratefully, "Thank you," and continues to stroke and scratch Perro affectionately, careful not to hit a sore spot. He still stares knives into Pi, but he seems to calm down and relax a little more. "I hope the blood is not his, like you said." She continues again, after finding Perro is not as tightly wound. "Perro is a strong dog, though." After a beat or two, the woman finally queries for clarification. "You want to give me something?" Xuhixe thought the stranger odd for speaking those words, but help is not a foreign idea to her. Being blind and unable to speak in ways most people can understand tends to attract all sorts of empathy and pity. Considering her recently escaped predicament, however, she does not object.

‹Pi dArtois› Pi punched in the request into her phone, the taxi service confirming her booking with an immediate alert with the notification that the driver would arrive at their location in seven minutes. Putting the phone away Pi looked at the woman, and then her empty hands considering where her impulse was taking her and whether it was a good idea to put one of her high powered handguns into the hands of a woman who couldn’t see. But wasn’t this too one of the reasons she made them. She worried that she was arming a human who could use the weapon against one of her own, but that too seemed a small thing when compared to the potential hurt a lone blind woman could face in life. It wasn’t just vampires, but others, like those thugs who would threaten her too. Clenching her hand she reached behind her, palming the gun and bringing it forward. “Here…” She said quietly, “I’m going to take your hand, and give you something.” She warned, reaching out to take the woman’s hand in hers and placed the handgun in her palm, wrapping the other woman’s slim fingers around it. “I think you’ll need this. It can be registered to you.. as I’m licensed.” Letting go, Pi stayed there and finished speaking. “I’ve booked a taxi, and they will be here soon… I’ll pay them to take you across to the city, up in Bullwood, to the vet, to look over your dog. Put that somewhere safe and keep it on you.”

* Xuhixe nods at Pi's warning and holds out her less blood-stained hand to take. The cold digits she feels take hold of her fingers catch her bit off guard, but she refrains from pulling back. (Isn't it the summertime?) Xuhixe thinks to herself. //Mhm.// Comes that voice again, sounding slightly distracted. The weight of the item Pi places in her hand brings forth the arch of a brow. Her curled fingers careful explore the object since there is not certainty of what it could be. A knife perhaps? No.. too thick. A sword? Too light... The skin of her digits sweep over the barrel, then gradually descend to the trigger. Both brows loft now. Her red stained hand raises and lifts back its thumb, index and middle are brought together pointing toward Pi, while the last two finger curl in against her palm. The sign for the weapon she now holds. "A gun?" Xuhixe very carefully lowers the handgun into her lap to continue. "Thank you very much." She signs with a more bashful smile, but her nervousness over the matter still shows. "Are you certain about giving me a gun?" Even Xuhixe understands the extreme danger of possessing a firearm when one could not see. "I do not know how to use one."

‹Pi dArtois› Pi pulled out a card then, tucking that into the woman’s hand as well. “I know you can’t read it, but it has my number on it. Later, if you want… I can teach you how to use what I just gave you.” She offered, “It can help too, just to dissuade people from thinking you’re … an easy mark until then.” Pi knew the gun as a gift was way outside the realm of norm. No normal person would think this a rational thing to do for a stranger, nor the giving of a gun to a blind woman anything reasonable. None of them were Pi and in her own way she understood that strength could sometimes be given in an object of power, even if that object wasn’t practical. The gun was a sense of safety, a back up plan and maybe that is all Pi was offering to the woman. “I think this is your ride.” Pi finished, standing as the taxi sidled close and waved it over to where they stood, opening the back door for the woman. “Do you need help getting in?”


* Xuhixe tucks the card away into her pocket, then the gun, even more carefully into her bag, "I will contact you soon." She admits to the other. The thought of carrying the gun around unnerves her, but she knew Pi has a point. Perhaps, if her attackers saw her with a gun, they might have second guessed their actions. "Thank you, again." Xuhixe smiles, signing her appreciation of the gift and thought as her taxi pulls up. She has no problem standing or walking thanks to Perro's sacrifice, but even as he stood to help her into the vehicle, the sightless woman knows he is hurting pretty badly. "I think I can manage," she answers to Pi, hearing the slow and steady scritching of Perro's paws as he stops in front of her, offering the handle of his harness. Gripping it, the woman is steered toward the open door, stopping just before it to duck into the inside. Effort a few moments, Xuhixe is in the seat, buckled, and the Shepherd mix is resting with some clear discomfort upon the carpeting.

‹Pi dArtois› Opening the passenger door Pi leaned into the space, "Bullwood, corner of 45th and Elm, there is a 24 Vet clinic." She said softly, pushing money towards the money, more than twice what would be needed to get the woman where she needed to go. Before closing the door, Pi spoke to the woman in the back seat, "I'll wait for your call... my name is Pi d'Artois... call the number, and they'll get me a message, or some see me at Lancaster's ... I own it with my husband." She finished, not waiting for the woman to respond, but standing, and closing the door with a finality that cut off any additional conversation. Patting the top of the car with the flat of her hand Pi stepped back off the curb. She wasn't sure what would come of this night, if anything. But she suspected, that this wouldn't be the last time she saw this woman.. or her service dog.