Bloody Revenge [Open]

[Eureka]

Of course Eureka knew about the shops. She knew about the contraband blood bags. She knew that she could go buy them, and feed easily from them. That way, she would not be seen. She would not be riddled with bullets. Blood would not be oozing from a ragged gash on her throat. Tonight had not been a good night. Not only was she attacked when she wasn’t paying attention due to her notoriety (secretly, she was proud) but at least five of the humans she tried to feast on turned out to be packing.

Had there been some kind of hunter convention she wasn’t aware of? Was that the streets all of a sudden seemed to be flooded with them? Agents, too, with weird super blood that she collected in vials for no other reason except that she was curious. She’d probably lose them, eventually. Or sell them. Sell them for money she wouldn’t bank, and which would be stolen right out of her pockets by vampires wilier and sneakier than she was.

Not that Eureka was all that sneaky. She was a wild animal, especially when she fed. She liked it sometimes when the humans got away; when they tried to run, but she’d chase them down. She’d knock them to the ground and tear into their skin like it was the best kind of chocolate cake, and she was a rabid two-year-old tasting chocolate for the first time. They never survived her attacks. It really was surprising that she hadn’t been put down, yet.

Though the hunters were trying. Oh, they were trying so ******* hard.

Eureka counted at least four bullets; three lodged into her legs in different places – two in her left thigh and one in her right calf. There was one in her shoulder. And, of course, the ragged wound on her neck. She got a few looks as she hobbled down the street but she just cast a gleaming, bloodied grin. No one stopped to help her, then. No one tried to show any kind of concern. They just walked a little faster. Clearly, she was insane.

Especially given the fact that she was barefoot and bare-legged in the middle of winter. Her orange her was tossed into a messy bun on top of her head, no doubt full of unruly knots. Over her torso she wore a long-sleeved hoodie, far too large for her. But it wasn’t hers. It was Aaron’s. She was in the habit of stealing his clothing from his closet. The poor guy tried to tame her but he hadn’t yet succeeded.

Passing by the open end of an alleyway, Eureka was distracted by the sound of something dragging along the ground; she turned to see a Paladin – one of those assholes covered in tattoos – dragging a body toward an open door. That body was probably most definitely a vampire, and Eureka was filled with all kinds of rage. Who the **** did they think they were? Why the **** were they here? Some other poor soul hadn’t only been shot by them, or slashed – they were going to be taken away. Tortured. Experimented on. No. **** that.

It wasn’t that Eureka was a kind soul who wanted to save anyone. Really, she just wanted to slaughter a Paladin for shits and giggles.

From her garter holster she plucked a long-bladed knife – a short sword, really. The Paladin was far too distracted with its quarry to see the wild woman approaching; her bare feet made no sound on the cement. In one wide swing she buried the knife in the Paladin’s neck. He dropped the body he was dragging and stumbled backward, surprised. Eureka retrieved the blade from his neck as her body twisted, as she lifted one foot and spun, sending a side kick into the middle of the Paladin’s chest, sending him reeling backward until he stumbled and fell on his back.

Eureka wasted no time. She straddled the Paladin. With her knife, she stabbed him again. And again and again. She thrust that knife into his chest so many times that it became tenderised. Red, raw. The blood spattered all over her face, her arms, her legs, and Aaron’s hoodie. Ah, it felt so ******* good.

[Verin Truska (DELETED 7956)]

The paladin was making his way home after a quiet night at a bar when he noticed that people were making hurried steps away from some direction. The man paused for a moment and jingled the keys to his room in thought. He could go seeking and discern as to why they were running, or, he could just go back to his room, sharpen a couple of weapons and go to sleep. However, if people were running away because of a crazy person, then chances were it was a vampire creating havoc. The man lifted a hand to run through his dirty blonde hair in thought. Did he really want to mess with a vampire tonight, or did he want to avoid it all together? ”**** it,” He mumbled under his breath as he tucked the keys along with his phone into the pocket of his black leather jacket and turned around to walk in the direction that the humans were walking extremely fast from.

Verin gently lifted his hand to touch the hilt of a small throwing dagger that was concealed underneath the left arm of his jacket and was satisfied that the small concealed weapon was still there. The man then tugged open the zipper of his jacket, so then he could access the twin glocks that the jacket cover, they were tucked into their shoulder holsters. He rounded a corner just in time to see a fellow paladin fall as a wild looking woman buried a knife into his neck. It was then that he came to a stop and leaned a shoulder against an alley wall, his blue eyes watched the woman fell the Paladin and he didn’t bother lifting a finger to help. The other man was stupid enough to not be aware of his surroundings, especially when a wounded woman jumped him. Even if he had been doing something else, a paladin in a vampire filled town should always be aware of their surroundings.

His blue eyes watched the woman fell the man and straddle him, stabbing him in the chest over and over again. Huh, so the humans really had been walking away really fast from a crazy woman, he noted to himself. However, from the way that she took down the paladin, he guessed that it was a vampire. Paladins were strong and fast, so for that woman to have taken down that paladin, she had to of been a vampire of some kind. All of that was guess work though, guess work made from a distance. The stranger seemed to enjoy the blood that sprayed up over her and it seemed as if she enjoyed the slaughter. Verin had to admit, it was kinda hot in its own strange way. It was something that he never thought that he would think towards a vampire slaughtering a paladin. Hell, if it had been a female paladin he would have said the same thing and flirted with her until she gave in. Paladins and vampires were natural enemies, but he tried not to pick fights unless he had to.

”So, what has your panties in a twist? I mean, tonight is a weird night, but I’m fairly certain with all of that stabbing that that man is dead. Or, perhaps I should say, paladin.” A chuckle rose to his lips and he shifted only slightly to pull a silver flask from the inside of his leather jacket. The man unscrewed the top of the flask and lifted it to his lips to take a swig before he held it out towards the woman. ”It’s scotch, you can have some if you want some, but you have to not kill me if you do.” A smirk caressed his lips then as he shrugged and screwed the top back onto the flask, ”For you see, while he was out doing whatever it was that he was doing, I was enjoying my night, having a couple of drinks.”

Verin paused for a moment to let that sink in for the woman and he perked a brow at her as he nodded his head at the dead man. ”I’m sure that he is well and truly dead now. The streets still have people on them and probably cops if one of the humans haven’t already alerted them, I suggest you keep moving.” He rolled his shoulders then intent on keeping his gaze upon the woman in case she tried something. ”I could keep them off of you, but only if you avoid ******* with me, I’m not really interested in tangling with vampires tonight. Rather, I’m more interested in helping a few vampires. You see, I’m not your typical paladin, I’m here for myself, not to cause trouble for you folk.” The smirk returned back to his lips then as he cocked his head to the right, indeed he had his own agenda alright.

[Eureka]

Whoever witnessed Eureka and assumed that she enjoyed the blood as it sprayed Aaron’s hoodie, as the hotness of it bathed her skin and touched her lips, they would be right. Every time Eureka tasted blood, every time she felt it bubble over her skin, she was reminded of the night she was turned. She was reminded of the life she used to live; how dull it was, how boring, how utterly mindless and caged. And then she had snapped, and a wealthy man with attitude had died by broken bottle of olive oil. He’d chosen the wrong night to give the redhead lip. It was the first time Eureka had ever stabbed anyone with anything; it was the first time she’d seen so much blood. Well, aside from when she stood staring down at her feet in the shower once a month, but that didn’t count.

That moment marked for Eureka a turning point. From then on, she was no longer innocent, nor would she be caged. She realised, as soon as she knew a real cage was a very possible prospect, that she would never be caged again. Ever. Chad had only given her a means to an end; he was a guiding light, and angel sent by fate. It didn’t really matter that he was gone, now. Eureka didn’t want him, nor did she need him. She did not miss him.

So lost in the trance given by the blood, Eureka did not realise that she had been joined by another person. Within seconds she was standing, the knife still in hand, blood dripping from her like she was a veritable Carrie just coming home from the prom. Except it wasn’t pig’s blood. It was human blood. And it fuelled her.

Her had canted to the side, more animal than human.

Oh, it became immediately obvious that he was a paladin, and Eureka’s grip tightened on her weapon, a snarl ready on her lips. She ignored the offer of Scotch, her eyes bright and calculating. She rolled her head on her shoulders, the bone cracking as she took a step closer to the stranger. Not like other Paladins, he said. Then what was the ******* point?

”A paladin is a ******* paladin,” she said, seething. She wasn’t interested in explaining herself to him or to anyone else, but she did find herself laughing. Cackling, really. He thought that she was concerned about being seen?

”So you’ll tell me which way to run, so I can run straight into a gang of your cronies, eh? Do you think I’m ******* stupid?” she asked. She didn’t lunge, yet, though she had every intention of doing so. She wouldn’t be catching this one off guard; and she didn’t want to leave him alone with the body of the unconscious vampire at her back. Nor did she know what his strengths were, his weaknesses. Like a proper predator, she observed, first. She observed, to better understand the optimal attack.

[Verin Truska (DELETED 7956)]

Verin perked his brow once more, comfortable with the fact that he had his back to the open street. Comfortable in his position in the open mouth of the alley. The man reached into the pocket of his leather coat and pulled out a small, metal wallet sized cigarette case. He popped it open and pulled out a cigarette before he placed it between his lips, all the while keeping his blue eyes upon the seemingly mad woman. It was then that he snapped it closed before pocketing the case and pulled out a lighter, lighting the end. After he pocketed the lighter as well, he pulled the cigarette from his lips and exhaled. He was quiet for a moment as he tried to ponder just as to why the woman went rabid in a matter of speaking. Perhaps it was because she might be wounded, but other than that, why else would she be limping around with anger issues?

Slowly, he rose the cigarette to his lips and inhaled, feeling the familiar ashy smoke make its way down to his lungs. That was until he removed the cigarette from his lips and exhaled. ”If I wanted to do that, then why would I bother to make sure that you knew that I was even here? I should have just killed you myself and walked away. After all, you did have your back to me and it would have been easy for me to do so.” A nod of his head was given then as his gaze flickered over the body posture of the vampire. The roll of her shoulder, the snarl that was upon her lips. He even noted the way she seemed to stalk the man, waiting for an opening to attack him just like a predator. Except, this predator seemed to keep her own form in the way of something else and he angled his head to the right. His fingers gently tapped his cigarette, dislodging the ash at the end which gently floated down to the dirty street underneath their feet.

”The point you ask? Well, simply because while I may be a paladin, my ulterior motives are somewhat different. I became a paladin to be able to protect myself against faster and stronger beings. I have lived long enough in Harper Rock to know that it is better to be able to protect myself than be a helpless little sheep. Wouldn’t you agree?” Verin smirked once more as he lifted his head to listen to the foot traffic behind him for a moment. Nothing, the street was empty which wouldn’t be unusual given the time of night it was, but there had been people, humans that had scurried out of this particular street like a bat out of hell. ”Besides, I’m a lone wolf.” The smirk returned as he pondered just as to how long it would take for the cops to get there. How much more time would she have to scurry like a bat out of hell?

That was, if she was inclined to run. At this precise moment in time, Verin doubted that she had any inclination to run at all. A predator rarely ran unless outnumbered. However, her body language didn't suggest that she would turn and run. This woman, was unlikely to run at all, even if surrounded by multiple cops. Maybe she would try and fight them to the very death. It was strange really, that if that was the case, that she would choose to fight and die rather than flee and live if outnumbered. ”Strange though, that you lump all paladins of different personalities and morals, together. I doubt that all vampires are murderous and careless. So it would be rude of me to lump you all together and label all of you as murderous and careless. Wouldn't it?”

He perked a brow at that statement before he lifted the cigarette to his lip once more, drawing upon it as he inhaled. Then he pulled the cigarette away from his lips and dropped it to the ground, that was only so then his toe could stamp out the burning end. A shrug of his shoulders was given then before he lifted his arms to cross over his chest, with one hand tucked underneath the flap of his jacket. This was so he could caress the butt of the gun that rested in its shoulder holster, just in case she did decide to try something. ”I could very well leave if that’s what you want, or I can help you with whatever you need help with so then it all stays quiet and in the dark. However, like I said, I can very well leave if that is what you want.”

[Eureka]

Eureka snorted.

He was a paladin with an ego, apparently. How many hunters had she killed in her time? How many had tried to come after her, only to end up dead, flayed, or dismembered, beheaded, neck torn out in a rabid rage? There was no point arguing; Eureka didn’t bow down to **** fights. She didn’t have a ****, so she wasn’t about to go toe to toe with this man’s ego. It was a waste of time. He didn’t attack her from behind, and thus would not know how she would have fared. What mattered was that Eureka herself was aware of her own ability to succeed.

The following diatribe piqued Eureka’s curiosity, however; he had become a Paladin in order to defend himself against the monsters in this city, but it seemed like a flimsy excuse. She still did not trust him, still did not loosen her hold on her weapon even if her head canted inquisitively to the side. Her tongue ran loosely over her teeth, feeling the pin-prick of the canines that never went away. A sly smile twitched at the corners of her lips.

”You can learn how to defend yourself without identifying as a hunter. Why not become the thing you’re trying to defend yourself against? Death would become a mere plaything…” she said. She still found it so utterly amusing that he thought she wanted or needed his help. As if she were in some feminine flap because she’d made a mess. As if she hadn’t intended to, like she’d lost control and now was in a state of concern because of what might be discovered. Again, she snorted.

”Vampires do not choose to become vampires, most of the time. It is a curve ball life throws their way. I didn’t ask for this. You, however, chose to become a paladin. Most paladins choose to become what they are because they wish to slaughter vampires, as if vampires are vermin without feelings or thoughts of their own,” she said, though she sounded as if she were repeating an argument she’d heard elsewhere. The words were lacklustre and were deprived of any kind of convicted passion. Her lips curled back in a sinister snarl even as she took another small step forward.

”I am murderous, though. I am careless. I am exactly what paladins hunt. Therefore, pretty boy, I do not want your help. I don’t give a flying **** if this is kept quiet or in the dark. I didn’t intend to stick around and clean up my mess. I’d suggest you leave, too, unless you want to become a suspect,” she said. She did not run in the direction that she thought he had indicated; she did not run at all. She made to move around him, though never showing him her back; she started to back toward the exit of the alleyway.

[Verin Truska (DELETED 7956)]

Verin’ s blue gaze watched her predatory movements, from the way she smiled to her small steps. The man listened, oh he listened alright, he was just focused on how fiery the woman was. She suited her red hair and mass of freckles splattered across her face. She reminded him of a spit fiery cat, one that would be all too happy to pounce and rip a throat out. ”Of course I chose to become a paladin darling. This lifestyle is a choice more than anything.” The man paused as he fished out his flask once more, tapping it against his left hand in thought. ”Yes, it is true that most vampires don’t choose their lifestyle, however they do choose what to do with their immortality… Wouldn’t you say?” He angled his head and smirked again before he unscrewed his flask and took a swig. However, he only wished to slaughter those that seemed too far gone from their rational minds. This one had some semblance of rationality, otherwise, she would have already tried to attack him instead of trying to rationalize with him.

”Of course, if I was out slaughtering vampires, then why didn’t I slaughter you? Aim a gun and simply pull a trigger?” He perked a brow then as his gaze followed her movements and was constantly adjusting so then his back was never turned to her. Not even for a fraction. Trust with vampires, especially an unknown one, wasn’t smart. ”Although, I am curious as to why you ask why I didn’t go out of my way to become one of you. I didn’t want to become a vampire myself, because immortality doesn’t interest me.” He had lost his wife to a vampire, watched as her head was ripped from her shoulders. The man was entitled to slaughter every vampire that he saw, however if it hadn’t been for a vampire then he too wouldn’t be here. That night he saw two type of vampires. The murderous and the rational ones. It was the only reason why he stood there talking instead of being trigger happy.

After the events, he had become something of a drunk. Drinking had been his Achilles heel and he got agitated whenever he didn’t have it close by. ”It’s rather all funny, that we can shove a whole kind into a box and label each individual the same. And yet, here we are warning each other against the impending danger that will proceed these events. The funny thing is, is that while I may end up being a suspect, I have an alibi for the evening. Not to mention that my prints are not even near that dead body. Besides, what motive would I have to kill a fellow paladin with my hands?” Another smirk rose to his lips then as his eyes followed the woman, although he would be a little annoyed if he had to spend the night in jail without his alcoholic fix.

”I am curious though, being vampire and all, were you bitten before you were turned? Or were you just simply turned? You see, for I find it… Interesting how some were turned.” He didn’t ask if she had been willing, because the woman had already specified that she hadn’t. Well, she had specified that she didn’t asked for the life she had, so he figured that she hadn’t been willing. From what he had gathered from their little meeting so far however, was that she was indeed what she said, murderous and careless. However, she also appeared to care quite a fair bit about something, because she did mention that paladins generally thought vampires were vermin without thoughts and feelings. ”Clear something up for me though. If all paladins think that vampires have no thoughts and feelings, then why would I bother talking with you?”

[Eureka]

Eureka had to wonder whether this man was lonely. He sure did like to talk a lot. Did he become a paladin just so that he could go out on the streets to philosophize with the creatures he had trained to kill? Eureka sneered. He had called her darling like she was some kind of pet. Like she was just a woman to be thought weak, to be derided. To be thought less of because of her sex. She hated nothing more than being called by some pathetic pet name. Especially by some smarmy stranger. She bet that he thought he was top ****. That he was good looking. That he had the whole world at his feet. The ****** didn’t even hold a candle to her Aaron – or so she mused.

Aaron. The man who had, in some way shape or form, taken some of her independence from her. He hadn’t forced it from her. He hadn’t dug it out of her core to keep her under his thumb. Over time, it was something she had chosen to give, of her own accord. She was out here slaughtering those who wished to slaughter her, and where was he? She suddenly just wanted to go home and curl up with him, to paw at his chest, to let him help her to lick her wounds.

”You talk too much,” she said, her tone flat. He had asked numerous questions, but she had already forgotten most of what they were. Her lips curled into a snarl even as she laughed.

”I’m not going to stand here and tell you my life story!” she said. She even snorted, she found the notion so ******* ludicrously hilarious. No matter how much he talked, no matter the kind of questions he put to her, she wasn’t going to forgive the fact that he was a paladin. He hadn’t yet explained the ‘lifestyle’ that was so damned alluring. And she had encountered far too many hunters and paladins who shot her on sight, who gave no shits about who she was or what she might feel. They planned to kill her just for what she was. How many of them had she encountered? Dozens? Hundreds? And here was the first one who’d ever stopped to try to help her. To talk to her. No, she didn’t trust him. And she felt no remorse for lumping him in with the rest of his kind.

Her wounds were also catching up with her, however. Like any other wild animal, she knew when it was too much. The blood was pooling at her feet every time she stopped moving. It was the blood loss that was doing her in. There was a lack of stamina because of it. There were moments where the fight and flight instincts warred with each other.

”There are… so many reasons why you might stop and talk to me,” she said. And even as she said it, her bright eyes were lifting upward, searching windows and rooftops, scouring the doorways and entrances and exits. He was waiting for backup. Of course. The Paladins she had encountered could rarely take her on by themselves. He had called for backup, and now he was stalling for time.

”And I’m not playing your game anymore. I’m not waiting around for your buddies to get here. Toodles!” he said, before swiftly turning and bolting, her bare toes digging into the pavement for purchase. Soon, she’d activate her celerity and get home within seconds; first, she wanted to see if this paladin had the gall to try and follow, or shoot. What was another bullet wound to the many she already owned?

[Verin Truska (DELETED 7956)]

Verin smiled at the woman that accused him of talking too much and he couldn’t blame her for being suspicious. Oh he felt like talking, but he was certain that once she left, she would find out just as to why the vampire had lashed out at the other paladin. She wasn’t crazed like the normal vampires that he hunted, so he didn’t feel the to attack the girl as some vampires were actual thinking ones. Vampires that followed a set of rules to an extent. His blue gaze watched the red head decided that he was biding time for his ”buddies,” and had decided to run off. To dash off to wherever she decided was a safe zone, a place that he had no desire to follow her to. Vampires had a tendency to be drawn to each other and some of those vampires didn’t exactly take to paladins.

His gaze followed her movements for a moment before he began to make his slow way down the alleyway as a hand rose and slipped into his jacket to lightly grip one of his glocks. Just in case that he got a surprise that he wasn’t at all prepared for. His steps slowly moved down the alleyway until he came across the unconscious vampire and the really, really, dead paladin. To be certain, he leaned forwards to press his fingers to the paladin’s throat, even though blood smeared over his fingers and felt no pulse. Slowly he stepped over the dead body, making sure to glance over his shoulder to make sure that no vampire was creeping up behind him. His gaze fell upon the vampire and wondered if that was the reason why the other vampire had stayed for so long. The vampire couldn’t stay here, otherwise it would be discovered by the cops.

Taking another moment to make sure that no one was going to pounce upon him, he knelt down only to gather the vampire up into his arms and he moved to stand. Casting another quick glance around the area, he began to carry the vampire away from the scene before the policemen arrived. The last thing that he needed, were policemen getting caught up in vampire and paladin business. His steps carried the vampire along streets and whomever dared to look upon them, it just seemed like a man was being chivalrous and carrying a woman home after a long night. A sleeping woman, none the less and he sighed. This was not what he had planned on doing, but the man had no beef with the unconscious vampire, especially considering that one couldn’t tell just as to what a vampire’s personality was from just simply looking at them.

Finally, he shoved his way through a door in a building that he had come to know as, Sanctuary and his steps crossed over to the elevator. His grip shifted upon the woman for a second so he could hit the down button and waited patiently for the elevator doors to open. Finally, they opened and pressed another button to go downwards. After a short elevator ride, he found himself silently watching the woman sleep upon a random couch in the basement of the building. Whatever that paladin had been intending to do, he should have watched his six so then he didn’t get jumped. Now this vampire was allowed to go free and Verin had no qualms about doing so. He could have killed it, but it was not the type of vampire that he hunted, at least, he didn’t think so. Silently, he moved away to complete his journey back to his room.