Path of the Vampire forum

Tiamat sat her large metal desk, gun and bomb parts scattered across the surface. The scent of lavender candles burning covered the stench of gun oil. The raven haired beauty pushed the remote for her stereo and changed songs as she worked. She finished polishing the metal of the submachine gun she just created. She turned the item in her hand. She smiled at it. It wasn’t her best, but it was certainly good enough to warrant a name. “Well my dear, from now on you’ll be known as ‘Noragami’” she laid the firearm down and began to engrave the title across the cold blue barrel. A thought began to nag at the back of her mind.

An assistant. Her last one had vanished off the face of the earth. But who could she ‘convince’ to join her. She had her thrall, but there was only so much he could collect. Mortll had begun to pass items to her, but she was always busy and Tia didn’t want to rely too heavily on the woman. Zodiac? No, that was one route she wasn’t going to take their relationship. She certainly didn’t want her feeling like she was Tia’s ‘Sugar Mama.’ She needed someone new, someone she could mold as she saw fit.

“Joseph, I’m going out,” she told the large man observing her from the kitchen. She tossed her lab coat across the back of her chair as rose to her feet. She removed her gloves and tossed them into the trash can next to the desk. After a brief stretch she readjusted the traps of her black laced bra. “I’m going to get dressed, please bring the car around,” she ordered Joe.

“Of course Miss Tiamat, as you wish. Do you want the Lamborghini or the corvette?”

“I’ll take the Lamborghini tonight Joseph, thank you.” She turned on her heel and went into her bedroom to get dressed. She tossed her gold dress over her body and smoothed out the folds before heading downstairs. Joe climbed out of the wine colored car and stepped aside to allow his boss entry into it. She moved away from the building and headed deeper into the city. She pulled into a spot at the Honeymead library and went into the building. She would begin her search here, and then expand outwards.

Despite himself, Seiji laughed aloud. Quickly, he slapped a hand over his mouth, mindful of the fact he was currently in a corner of the library, curled comfortably in one of the corner-seated armchairs, and cradling a copy of 'The Bane Chronicles.' Work had been the same as always, with a pleasant exception. Today had yet to garner any sort of awkward wandering, leaving him in a good mood and with more energy than he'd had in some time. Though he had no library card under his name (he feared he'd lose any poor unfortunate book he'd bring home, afterall) he still enjoyed curling up with something simple and funny, and the book he crawled through now was both of those. While some of the humor was more cultured and sometimes even scandalous, it didn't change the fact that he was having a great time in reading it.


Squeezing his lips tight together, Seiji struggled with muffled laughter as he tried to picture a character as magnificent Magnus scuttling around the floor on all floor. The resulting mental image had him curled up over the arm of the chair, hugging the book to his chest and shaking with restrained chuckles. It was a good reprieve from what had become his usual days, and the thoughts that had haunted him. Regular doctors appointments that led to no definite answers. Sleepless nights full of haunted dreams, being chased, always being chased. Wondering, questioning, where his family was, and why they hadn't come looking. He hadn't done a lot of looking himself. It had come to a point where looking and finding nothing hurt too much to try. Sometimes, he was beginning to believe, it was better to just forget. If only for a little while.

So that was why he was here. To forget for a while all the things that had changed, and focus on something that never did. Words on a page were like that. They never changed face, only faded with time.

She past the main desk of the library and looked around. First, for a suitable vantage point to watch the patrons. Second, for a suitable individual that she could begin toying with. She found a quiet spot near the back. A random empty armchair called out to her. She stretched across the arms of the chair and plucked a magazine off the nearby table. She idly flipped through the leaves, not really paying attention to the contents. She used it more cover as she observed the other patrons.

She noticed Seiji rolling about in another chair nearby and raised an eyebrow at the boy. Whatever he was reading, it struck him as being hilarious. She pulled out her phone and flipped through her contacts until she found her thrall. She shot a quick text to him explaining her plan. She took a quick photo of Seiji and hit send.

~Him. We will train him. He will join our little group. He will become my apprentice. ~

~This guy? Miss Tiamat, he’s a beanpole. Also, he doesn’t look very coordinated. Let’s go slowly this time. I don’t want you to be disappointed again. ~

~Joseph, I have made my decision. ~

Tiamat set the phone down and continued to observe the young man as he read his book. The past couple of times she had seen the man he’d had nearly fallen on her, dropped her merchandise, and had caught sight of a personal photo of her. Her mind drifted slightly as she thought of that photo. She pulled up a number on her phone and sent the photo to the recipient. She returned to observe Seiji. How was she to go about with this one? Torture would completely destroy him, most likely rendering him useless to her. She briefly thought of waiting for him to leave, then possibly fake a mugging, shoot him, then act like she came to help. No, that wouldn’t work. She wasn’t all great at shooting.

This one would need greater subtly and finesse. This was going to be a different game. Fun, but different. She needed to fully plan it out. Every step, every thought, and every action. So for now, the woman watched. And waited.

As much as Seiji was enjoying his book, it was ruined by a sensation he was finding far too common as of late. The sense of being watched. It dug into him, making it impossible to sit still, but a quick peek around gave him nothing obvious to work with. Sighing under his breath, he gave up on Magnus Bane for the time being. Returning the book to it’s shelf, he idly thumbed a few covers and decided what to do next. It was just about time for supper, and he had a craving for stir fry. With that thought in mind he left the books where they were and headed for the computers. Despite his time here, he still had a bad habit of getting lost, and figured printing off a map would help in some small way.

He folded the print off carefully, after giving it a thorough once over, and slipped it into one of his inner pockets. Idly he wiggled a finger through a hole in his sleeve and sighed. Mary wouldn’t have been too pleased with how worn his coat was getting, but maybe she would have been touched he’d worn it at all this long. The thought made him smile in a forlorn sort of way. Thoughts shoved aside by a grumbling belly, he slipped out the library. Several checks of his map later, and he was terribly, irrevocably lost. So much for the paper-trail.

He sighed and lowered the paper, looking around. A cut on his palm itched from where he’d tripped over a fire hydrant while trying to find the right turn, and he found himself scratching at it idly while he tried to decide where to go. All the streets looked thin and foreboding, and he couldn’t suppress a small shudder. Maybe he could backtrack, find his way back to the library. The thought wasn’t altogether bright, and he stood for a moment with his face in his hands, focusing on keeping his breathing slow and calm.

Tiamat carefully watched the little butterfly as he fluttered around the library. When he had wandered to the computers, she drifted to the book he had been reading. She plucked it from the shelf and headed to the front desk with it. she watched Seiji as he left the building to go into the cold night of the city. Now was the time to get the game started. She gave it a couple of moments before exiting herself. She wanted to ensure that Seiji was alone. She would continue to lie in wait, much like her king cobra Irra would have done in the wild.

Her wine colored Lamborghini moved through the streets as she searched for the lost butterfly, the book sitting on the seat next to her. Music from a local rock station drifted from the machine’s speakers. She had somehow managed to lose track of him. She frowned she stared down the long expanses of road. Good lord, how does one get so thoroughly lost, the woman thought as she turned down another street. She stopped the car when she discovered him standing on the sidewalk with his head in his hands. She shook her head and grinned. Now was the time for the little butterfly to morph into a little mouse.

She put the car in park, turned down the music, and opened her door to step out into the cold. She tapped on the roof to get Seiji’s attention. She took careful note of his clothing. He would certainly need new outfits. She’d have Joseph take him to gather a wardrobe. She also made a mental note to contact Mortll to discuss renovating her apartment. She would certainly need some place to put the boy. She decided that he and Joseph can share a room. Her thrall would more than likely prefer an actual bed to the couch he had been sleeping on when he was there.

“Seiji, dear,” she called out to him, “what are you doing out here in the cold by yourself? Don’t you know it’s dangerous to wander about in this temperature?” She smile softly as she waited on the boy.

The light drum of fingers on metal jolted Seiji’s from dismal thoughts, literally. He visibly jerked in surprise, looking this way and that until his eyes settled on Tiamat. For a moment he was sure he was seeing things, especially when she called him ‘dear’. The whole scene was somewhat surreal, but he wasn’t all for questioning his luck and couldn’t help a flood of relief at a familiar and relatively friendly face. True, the woman was.. Intense, but at least they had a handful of things in common. A love of snakes, for one. Seiji puffed a breathy laugh at her comment. He realized with a shock that it was cold. He’d been so caught up trying to find his way, he hadn’t realized his fingers and toes had already gone numb, and he found himself standing one foot on the toes of the other to try to ease the pain. “Getting lost, I g-guess..” he replied sheepishly, trying to fish out his crinkled map. His fingers shook and he ended up dropping it, followed by a slightly comical effort to chase it down as a light breeze stole it away.

Picking up the now soggy sheet from where it had fallen in a puddle, he sighed. “There goes my map...” He shook it off a few times, trying to wipe off the water with little success. “I.. I was trying to find a place to eat,” he explained, making his way over to Tia. “I... Well I got lost,” he added lamely, his shoulders sagging as he stopped just out of arms reach. He avoided commenting about the ‘dangerous’ part of her musing. Aside from his own clumsiness and the cold weather, thoughts of the dangers he already knew of in Harper Rock were the kind of thoughts he made an active effort to avoid. Indeed, even passing over that particular part of her comment passed a look of barely covered fear over his face, and subconsciously he glanced around, rubbing the side of his neck with a haunted look he forced himself to cover with a smile. After a moment he refocused his attention on the girl with the car and probably a bucket load more navigational sense than Seiji himself. “I don’t suppose you know where Honeymead is from here? I.. Should probably just go back and start over..” He made an awkward, embarrassed sort of laugh, eyes on his feet as he scuffed his toe, trying to regain feeling in it.

She stood there watching the young man run one foot on top of the other as he spoke. Then he went running down the road after a solitary sheet of paper. The woman face palmed as she watched him chase the thing into a puddle. How someone could get lost with a map confused her as it was. But how a lost person could then drop their map in a puddle, despite herself, the thought made Tia giggle slightly. Something about this “Beanstalk”, as her thrall called him, made her want him. At least, as her “childe” as some referred them too.

Kusarikku, that’s who he was like. Tiamat smiled as memories of a life long removed drifted in. The same kind of shyness, clumsiness, the sounds of the servants chasing young Kusarikku through the castle. That boy always had knack of getting into troublesome situations. She shook her head slightly as her thoughts returned to the present.

“Well, I do know how to get back to Honeymead, I also know some pretty nice places to eat Seiji,” her words were soft and gentle. they were designed to disarm suspicion, to hide her true intentions. She reached over to the door and pressed the unlock button. The soft click of the passenger door unlocking could be heard. “Come, let’s go someplace warmer and have some of decent food. How do you feel about Italian? There’s a really good one nearby.”

Seiji paused in his act of toe warming to consider her offer. The consideration hardly lasted a minute, as the luring tone of voice was overkill on the easily won trust of the boy. Throwing in an offer of one of his favorite types of food places was just the signature on the deed. A warm sort of smile lit up his face as he nearly stumbled forward. "That sounds great! Italian's one of my favorites," he replied, already halfway to the offered door. Suddenly he froze, a frown on his face as he stared down at himself. For the briefest moment he was sure something had shoved against his lower gut, but for the life of him couldn't spy the culprit. Shaking his head, he tried to shrug off the feeling of unease. Forcing another smile to his lips, he slid into the offered seat, murmuring a quiet note of thanks to Tia.

Tiamat smiled as Seiji quickly agreed to climb into her car. This was beginning to work almost too well for her. She climbed back into the car and lowered the door. She took a moment to make minor adjustments to the the way the heat in car was dispersed. Part of the hot air now blew down to their feet, the other part from the front vents. Tia flipped through her music list until she found a song she liked; “Innocence” by Halestorm.

She set the machine in motion, and glanced over at the man sitting next to her. She was still contemplating the method she would use to prepare him for her “gift”. She had any number of venoms she could utilize. Perhaps the box jellies. It had been several years since she had used it last. Perhaps, a long and arduous torture session. She certainly had plenty of implements for that. Invite him over for post dinner “date” then...kill him. She grinned slightly as the various ideas drifted into her thoughts.

“So tell me Seiji, how long have you been living in Harper Rock,” she asked, making simple small talk. She had to make him feel at ease in her presence, comfortable. She had ensure he had no inclining of what was to become his future. She drummed her delicate fingers on the steering wheel as she maneuvered her car through the streets. The pair approached a small parking lot near the Italian restaurant. She put the vehicle in park and shut it off.

“Well Seiji, here we are.”

Getting a free, friendly ride to a favored place of dining in a car that probably cost more than a years wages for him helped calm what remained of Seiji’s uneasiness. Though the woman driving was a little on the ‘intense’ side of life, something as simple as sharing a liking of serpents was enough to put a large deal of confidence in her. While he couldn’t claim to feel completely at ease, he certainly wasn’t entertaining thoughts of being kidnapped or murdered anytime soon. Lightly he tapped the side of his knee, enjoying the warmth, company, comfort, and music. It seemed for a small portion of the drive that Tiamat was also consumed by her own thoughts, though a small glance from the corner of his eye showed a smile that Seiji mistook for warm or joyful.

Her question made him jump, and he felt a light flush of embarressment. Had he been staring? Worse, had she <b>seen</b> him stare? Did she thing he was being weird? He certainly hoped not! Wait.. What was the question again? He blinked slowly, taking his time to remember exactly what she’d asked. More time than was probably necessary, and probably wearing a stupified look with a touch of embarressment. “What- I... Oh! Uh..” he stumbled over his words, then fell silent. Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked forward again. “A.. Awhile I guess. Not too long. I came here with my family about a year and a half.. Two years ago? We were... Seperrated...” He faltered and with it his smile slipped. Looking out at the passing streets, he let a small breath slide free. “I’ve been staying and working at the Station Net Cafe since recently though.” He idly tapped the side of the door, his smile half-hearted, but certainly more open and honest.

The silence of the car and announcement of arrival came as a relief. He nodded with little to say, sliding out of the car. “I’ve never been here... Erm.. Where exactly is here?” He felt more than a little awkward to be asking. Even if he’d paid attention to the streets, his lack of sense when it came to directions left him completely lost in the city. If he didn’t live over his own workplace he probably would have gotten lost getting there. Even as the situation stood he did an astounding job at it.