Path of the Vampire forum

* Adley Reed was glad that the criminals got up to trouble at night time. There were some crimes that happened during the day; some fires, some car crashes, some spontaneous stabbings and shootings... but no, the most interesting crimes happened at night time. Generally they involved alcohol. Crimes of passion; when emotions were high and inhibitions low. The gas station was no different; nothing out of the ordinary, really. A clerk pulled over the counter with his throat torn clean and the register emptied of money. Nothing else was missing, but the cash. The poor guy was dead, obviously, blood pooling on the dirty tiles beneath. The police hadn't arrived yet; as soon as Adley got a whiff of the sirens he'd flee, but for now? Photos. Staying clear of the blood, he crouched low, taking photos at the right angles. The perfect angles. Those that capture the most amount of blood... the cold dead look in the clerk's eyes. Just right.

* Kaylee was exploring her new city, her new home. The lights of the gas station seemed a little ominous as she approached - she couldn't help but grip her constant electronic companion a little tighter as she slipped past the pumps, trying, struggling really, to keep her thoughts quiet. She hadn't exactly perfected control over her mindspeak abilities. But as she got closer, close enough to see that there was no clerk standing at the counter, and someone else had a camera and was photographing, she couldn't help but speak aloud, "What the **** happened here?" She couldn't help it, really. For tonight, she'd dug in her suitcase for a real gem. Her Hufflepuff letterman sweater. The goldenrod and black washed her out even more, but she didn't care as she stepped into the convenience store, seeing the scene. "Oh, damn..."

* Adley Reed himself didn't look at all well beneath the bright lights of the gas station; tanned skin helped, at times, to offset the natural palour of the Necromancer, but he could still look pale, his blue eyes gleaming unnaturally. A dead man walking. A zombie, without the rotted flesh. Someone had called it in; someone who'd left some money on the counter for the gas they'd bought but they'd fled. Adley had heard the call over his police scanner, and had been just around the corner. "Robbery, I'd say. Gone bad. They don't like to hand over the money," he said, cold eyes grazing the girl from head to foot and back again. His gaze snagged on the camera she held, before he snapped yet another picture. He was nearly done, here.

* Kaylee was entranced by the blood, to the point that she didn't notice the other photographer's pallor. "Probably," she said softly. She raised her camera, kneeling slowly to get a better angle, and snapped three photos of the pooled blood, from three slightly different angles. "How do you do it?" she asked. She wasn't unobservant, just...entranced. "Not...not want to lick it up, I mean..." In her inquiry, she showed her newness.

* Adley Reed narrowed his eyes at the girl as she started to take her own photos. "What are you doing? Encroaching on my territory?" he asked. Was she another freelancer, trying to sell her shots to the media? Adley had his strings, however. His contacts, the ones that he could pull within minutes. Did she? He turned back to the blood, took a deep breath - then shook his head. "I go and have a feast, later. Why would I want to lick up old, stale blood? From the floor? It doesn't look like it's been mopped in months...."

* Kaylee stood suddenly, hugging her camera. "I wasn't - I didn't - I'm sorry!" she squeaked. "I take photos for myself, no one else. I got ******* stranded by the storm, then I got turned, literally not long enough ago to have to build an alternate identity. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tell you my life story."

* Adley Reed laughed at her reaction. The smile broke across his face. A kind of smile that took over half his features, split it in half. It wasn't hard for Adley to smile. He never seemed to have a single worry. "An... how long ago were you turned? I don't have an alternate identity," he shrugged. He was turned and was able to live life much the same as he had before. When it was obvious he had stopped aging, then he would have to do something about it. For now? Didn't matter to him, one way or another. "You want photos of a dead man for yourself?"

* Kaylee would have been a bright shade of pink, had she still the ability to blush, as she hugged her camera just that much tighter. "Less than a month," she admitted. "December 29th. I'm only nineteen..." She sounded slightly sad at the thought. After a moment, she finally said, "It's not the body...it's the blood. I...I used to take pictures of snow, animals, sometimes people if I was inspired. I saw the blood and just..." She shuddered softly. "Couldn't help it."

* Adley Reed glanced down at the blood, nostrils flaring just slightly, pupils dilating. "It a nice colour," he said. It was then that he heard the sirens, and hastily put the cap back onto the camera. "We should go," he said. He'd been careful not to touch anything; to not disturb the evidence. To implicate himself in no way in the crime. "Unless you want to be questioned for hours. It's really not fun. It's a waste of time," he said, striding out of the room. He could ask her more questions later.

* Kaylee followed quickly at the sound of sirens, capping her camera and hugging the device just a touch too close. She didn't want to be implicated, either, but couldn't resist one backward glance as the first vehicle arrived. Even as she tried to appear entirely nonchalant, there was a slight skip to her step now. She hadn't taken photos of anything other than zombies and similar creatures since her turning. "If you don't mind my asking, how long ago for you?"

* Adley Reed checked his watch, as if that might help him to figure it out. But it was not so. He thought about it, back to the docks, back to Abelle... he hadn't seen her in so long. Where the **** had she gone? Didn't matter. "Two months. As of about two days ago, I think. Two months," he said with a gleaming grin. "Are you sad, that you were only nineteen?"

* Kaylee shrugged slightly. "I don't know yet. I mean...sure, I was immortalized at a young age, if that's the term, but...what can I do with it? Can I make a difference? Can I be somebody outside of being a vampire? Outside of being a telepath?"

* Adley Reed laughed again. "Those are some heavy questions. I don't know? Have fun with it, I say," he said with a shrug. He hadn't really thought about it - mortality, or goodness. Badness. Some things in his life had changed but others had stayed exactly the same. "You can do whatever you want to do... "

* Kaylee nodded slightly. "I suppose you're right," she said neatly, tugging on her jacket, then pulling golden hair to cover her left ear. "I'll just live by the Hufflepuff core values. Loyalty, hard-working, and perseverance." She said that in such a way that it was like she was trying to make herself believe it.

* Adley Reed looked at her, slightly bemused. His camera, now safe and strung on the strap around his neck, was now sitting against the small of his back. His hands were free to be shoved into the pockets of his jeans, as if he were cold. But really he wasn't. He was immune to the ravages of the Canadian winter. "Hufflepuff? What the **** is Hufflepuff?"

* Kaylee laughed openly, before clapping a hand to her mouth and trying to stop. "Are you telling me you've never heard of Harry Potter?" she asked, looking over at him with wide green eyes. Literally everyone knew Harry Potter that she'd met in her entire life. So she turned, showing him the House crest on her back, the badger embroidered to the back of her sweater. "You cannot tell me you don't recognize this..."

* Adley Reed arched a brow. "I'd have been living under a rock if I hadn't heard of Harry Potter. Heard of it. Not seen it. Or read it, for that matter," he said. He'd been preoccupied in his youth, doing other things. Hockey, sports. Photographing weird things. As he got older? Women took up his time. And then, of course, becoming a blood thief. Seeking vampires. Everything else kind of got lost in the mire. "I don't recognise that, no..."

* Kaylee turned back with a frown. "Damn. I seriously thought no one had escaped. Thanks for proving me wrong." Her frown morphed into a smile. "Suppose there's no chance I can convince you to at least sit through the first one? Not - not that I'd force you, but - ugh. I hate this." She scratched gently at her left ear, through her hair. "Maybe...nah. I don't even know."

* Adley Reed laughed, again. The sound was boisterous, genuine. "You have no idea who I am. You don't know my name. You just know that I like taking photos of dead people and getting slightly irritated about other photographers on his territory. For all you know, I could have been angry that just anyone was on my territory. And you want me to watch a movie with you?" he asked slightly incredulous, eyes not once leaving the girl's face even though he still walked forward.

* Kaylee groaned. "That's not what I meant!" She closed her eyes, stopped, and turned to face him. "I meant if I could convince you to watch it on your own. I'm just nervous. I get like this sometimes. Always have. So would you? Watch it yourself?"

* Adley Reed laughed again. "Now you're backpedalling. I know how it is. Fear of rejection, so you make it sound like something else," he said, stopping, too. He'd turned to face her. If anyone could literally ooze confidence, that was Adley. "No, probably not. I have better things to do than to watch Harry Potter," he said. Challenging. Wondering how she would react.

* Kaylee attempted puppy-face - eyes widening even further, mouth slightly open and downturned. "But...it's one of the greatest works of fiction in our generation. At least give it half a try? If you don't like it, that's fine, but give it a try at least." She took a delicate step to the side, and took a shuddering breath - like she was going to cry

* Adley Reed could hardly believe what he was seeing. She looked as if she'd been wounded by someone she loved. Or, like someone she loved had died. "Maybe if I happen to catch it on TV and I'm literally doing nothing else. Maybe if I one day break both my legs and can't move, and have no choice. Greatest works of fiction?" he scoffed, shook his head. Glanced over his shoulder, at the glimmering lights down the street. "I can guarantee that I nice feast would be far more entertaining..."

* Kaylee stopped at the mention of a feast. There was only one thing he could be talking about. "I'm....well, I'm pretty sure it'd be rude for me to ask you if I could tag along. I'll just..." She started digging in her backpack, pulling out an object and holding it in one hand as she watched him. "I'm Kaylee, by the way."

* Adley Reed shook his head, regarding the girl as if she could become some kind of protege. "That's no way to get through life. You want someone's company, you demand it. If you're charming enough, you can get away with it," he said with another show of gleaming teeth. He removed one of his hands from his pockets, offered it to the girl. "Adley. Thought you'd never ask."

* Kaylee accepted his hand with a smile. "Thanks for the advice, but I think I'll take a rain check. I really should get back to my routine...killing zombies and trying to go after ferals. And sometimes ancients. Both are hard for me to kill right now." She slipped the object into her pocket, and tapped her camera. "I've photographed a few mooncalfs, too."

* Adley Reed smirked, some. He was obviously the kind of man who didn't take no for an answer. "You were just thinking about licking blood from the floor of a dirty old gas station. You don't want to come with me and get something fresh?" he said. Zombies and ancients he knew well. Ancients were what he focused on most, these days, if only for the weapon parts. His swords weren't great, and he wanted them to be better. "Maybe, if I trust you, I'll let you photograph me with food in my mouth...."

* Kaylee had a gun back at the crypt she was staying in, her sire's crypt. And a ******* Warhammer of all things. Little five-foot-one blonde 19-year-old, wielding a massive, heavy warhammer. It didn't fully make sense. "You're right. I probably should." She sighed, pulling out her phone - in its Hogwarts crest case - and typing out a short text.

* Adley Reed had once been addicted to the blood of vampires. He'd waited for his fix; he'd found those willing to sell, and he'd consumed their power. Now he was one of them. The power never abated, it only grew. Sometimes, the blood of humans didn't feel like enough; it didn't have that particular spice, the heft that a vampire's blood did. But it was good enough. "Yeah? Have you got a preference?" he asked. "Do you feel like anything in particular?" they could have been talking about food, for all anyone else knew. What kind of restaurant. Though it was much more ominous than that.

* Kaylee shook her head, slipping her phone back into her pocket and taking a slight step towards him. "No; to me, right now, blood is blood. I don't care whose it is, particularly. I just know I need it and it actually tastes ******* good." She gave a slight inclination of her head, and smiled. "Lead the way, Adley."

* Adley Reed practically glowed as he beamed. If a person's face could break with a smile, that was Adley's. Ever since the gas station, his thirst had amplified. Even now, without his noticing, his canines had lengthened, sharp points evident in the street light. He took a sharp left, leading them through a small park between buildings. "There's a tavern through here. I think we can find some young spritely things..." he said. Yes, he liked them young and robust. Healthy. Full of life. They always tasted better when they were healthy.

* Kaylee scratched the back of her head, following at a brisk pace, watching him idly as she followed. "Do you think I look old enough to get in?" she commented, glancing down at herself.

* Adley Reed glanced back and shook his head. "Doesn't matter. We don't have to go in. It's just... a watering hole. We're gonna find more people around the place, and it's... well, it's a quieter neighbourhood, kind of," he said with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Less chance of being seen..."

* Kaylee nodded slightly, taking a few steps forward until she was beside him, eyes skimming for the tavern he mentioned. Almost curiously. "How often do you do this?" she asked. "I usually have bagged blood available - blame my sire. She has a shop in her home..." Kaylee shook her head slightly. "It's...the flavor isn't the best."

* Adley Reed shrugged. "I have the ability to kind of.... feed without ever having to feed. I could go nights in the catacombs without ever coming out, but that can get quite dull," he said. He didn't do this too often because he often made a mess. He didn't want his own scenes of destruction to become part of the media cycle. He liked his name, and he didn't want to have to change it. "Once a week maybe? I haven't been vampire long enough to form a habit.... " he said. As he spoke, he pointed to a couple. A man and a woman, slowly meandering away from the pub. They'd had their fill, and were heading home for the night. Adley didn't go into the Tavern, instead opting to follow the couple, his steps slowing to match theirs. "If I'm going to be honest," he said, voice lowered. "Even human blood doesn't taste quite right. It doesn't... hit the spot like it should," he said with a frown.

* Kaylee followed Adley step for step, falling into step behind the couple at his left, watching him out of the corner of her eye. "What do you mean by that?" she inquired simply, eyebrows furrowing. "If you prefer something else, you can be honest." She kind of expected him to say he preferred animals, or a specific kind of animal.

* Adley Reed had no problem being honest. "It's probably just my imagination. I'll get used to it," he said, his voice a mere sigh. They were just two friends heading in the same direction as the poor couple, now. Talking among themselves. "I used to be a blood thief. I never liked the term 'thief', though, but that's what we were coined. Ever hear about them?" he asked. She was new. She might not yet know all there was to know about their kind.

* Kaylee shook her head. "No. Is it like True Blood? V addicts? Not - not that you're...oh, I'm digging a hole again." She sighed. "Sorry. I do that a lot." She looked a bit dejected now, looking down at her feet.

* Adley Reed shook his head too. "I have no idea what you're talking about. No. I don't know? I drank the blood of vampires. Paid them for it. I had their power for a few days - or part of it. It's kind of how I ended up sired. By accident. Bit too much," he said with a snort and a laugh. He always liked thinking about how he was sired. He pointed to the couple; they veered between two houses - a pathway, that led to another pathway, that led through the darkened homes to more homes on the other side. A shortcut, and privacy. Perfect.

* Kaylee couldn't help but grin, even through the faint ache of her new fangs extending from her gums, as she picked up her pace just a touch to try and catch up, pulling her camera from her neck and slipping it delicately into her bag. She didn't want to mess it up.

* Adley Reed noticed that Kaylee said nothing about his previous habits; maybe she didn't care. Maybe she already knew, without realising it. Maybe it didn't interest her in the slightest. Or maybe she was as keen for the fresh, hot blood as Adley was. "Do you want the girl or the guy?" he asked hastily, his question but a breath of air. The shadows of the shortcut soon swallowed them; here they were predators, in their element. They didn't have much time, before they'd be back out in the open again.

* Kaylee didn't give a damn, so she said, "You pick firtht," her fangs causing a lisp as she jerked her tongue forward, shrinking against the wall slightly and watching the couple ahead of them.

* Adley Reed nodded. He surged forward. There should have been a better plan; he usually went after singles, and he didn't have to worry about screaming. As it was, he shocked the woman as her man was snatched away from her. A guy who looked like he worked in business, somewhere, but who might work out once in a while. He was young, and healthy. Just as Adley liked. Why did he like the men? He wasn't attracted to them. Maybe it was a boost to his testosterone. It didn't matter. Within seconds, he had his fangs in the guy's neck, sucking the hot blood from him regardless of struggle. The blood spilled from Adley's lips, stained his chin. This probably wasn't going to be pretty...

* Kaylee was on the female within moments, one hand in her hair, her own left ear towards the woman's face as she buried fangs in her throat and drank, making a conscious effort to keep herself from getting soiled with blood. It wouldn't do for her Hufflepuff jacket to be ruined with dried blood, after all.

* Adley Reed could see, out of the corner of his eye; he watched as Kaylee fed, his own feeding slowed. The poison from his teeth paralyzed the man beneath him, who soon slumped and slid to the ground. The tear at his throat would heal. He would forget everything. Adley, with blood still on his lips, fueled only by his ravenous frenzy, had an idea. He found himself beside Kaylee. He find himself instead twining the hair away from her neck. As she took her fill from the woman, Adley leaned down toward the white skin of the vampire's neck. Teeth bared. He wanted, he knew, to taste the blood of a vampire. Could he? Would it work? Would it taste the same now, as it had then?

* Kaylee forced herself to break away from the woman after she had taken her fill, wiping at her mouth with two fingers of her right hand. She was staring at the woman, whose throat was still a mess, whose front was slightly stained with blood. She didn't even realize he was behind her yet.

* Adley Reed was the predator in the dark. He didn't ask for permission. He didn't even broach the topic. Kaylee was a stranger before tonight and she might be a stranger again, after this. This... breach of personal space, without permission. But Adley closed the distance, his arm snaking around her youthful waist as his teeth found their mark. A little more respect was given to Kaylee than had been given to the human. There was no tearing of flesh. Just a sinking of fangs.

* Kaylee wanted to cry out. Scream. Yell. Hell, even kick him. But she didn't. She did nothing but tense momentarily, before relaxing, panting needlessly. She would escape, would run, but he was taller, stronger, than her. So she didn't even bother trying. She just...let it happen.

* Adley Reed could have warned her, really, but how could he warn her of something he didn't know he would do? He had kind of warned her, hadn't he? She wanted to hang out with someone she didn't know. But she didn't, did she? He made her, wouldn't take no for an answer. As soon as the first mouthful slid so smoothly down his throat, he groaned. Yes, yes! This was what was missing. This was what he needed. This was what he craved. He didn't drain her. He only took what he needed; what would satisfy his thirst. And then he let her go. He stepped back. A sigh, and then a laugh. "****, yes. Did anyone ever tell you that you taste good?"

* Kaylee pressed a hand to her throat, turning to stare at him, up and down. And then she raised her other hand, and slapped him right across the face. "It doesn't matter how good I taste, that was ******* rude!"

* Adley Reed should have expected the slap, but it came out of nowhere. A breath of air passed his lips, the sting lingering upon his cheek. But he couldn't help but keep laughing. "You're right, I'm sorry. I should have asked. But you were busy! I didn't want to interrupt..." he said, as if it were entirely normal. "Look, here..." he reached out, swiftly, placing a hand on Kaylee's shoulder. He focused his energies; healed her, of the blood that he had taken. She wouldn't have to feed again, if she didn't want to. "Blood for blood. Better?"

* Kaylee rubbed her neck again. "Some. Still rude. You could've waited!" She was frustrated more than anything, that no one had told her about this.

* Adley Reed felt fantastic. He felt as if he had discovered something new and astounding. He even looked as if he were bouncing on his feet, new energy and enthusiasm surging through him. He didn't feel sick; he felt fantastic. "C'mon. Look, it's already healing!" he said, gesturing to her neck. "Next time I'll ask. Next time it might even feel good..." he said, a mischievous gleam to his blue eyes.


* Kaylee dug in her pocket. "I'm going home." She handed him a slip of paper from the pocket with her phone, containing her phone number. "I don't care if you keep it or not. Just...you intrigue me. And I want to get to know people, okay?"

* Adley Reed wouldn't have been surprised if she left without a word. But at the same time, it didn't surprise him at all when she gave him her number. To Adley, his offer was what was intriguing, not him. She wanted to know whether it would feel good, and he had all the confidence in the world that he could pull it off. "Okay. Thanks for dinner. See you soon, Kaylee," he said with a wink and his same old grin.

* Kaylee rolled her eyes, pulling that same object from her pocket and walking away. A moment later - she was just gone.

* Adley Reed didn't hesitate to shove the piece of paper in his pocket as he got the **** out of dodge. Two unconscious bodies in an alleyway - they'd wake up, not knowing what had hit them, with killer headaches. They would not be making the news tonight. A dead gas station clerk would, though - Adley had photos to sell. Back to business.