paris ♔ tried to save myself but myself keeps slipping away

[necessaryevil]

♬ Facade (reprise) - Jekyll & Hyde

WHO || Faith Lehane, Max Rast, Lissa Dragomir, Helen Magnus
WHAT || The Knights investigate a string of vampire attacks in France
WHERE ||Paris, France
WHEN || April 11th, 2015 [backdated].
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.

One vampire attack is cause for worry enough, but when bodies are found with telltale puncture wounds and heavy loss of blood become a recurring nightmare across any city, alarm bells are raised.  Such is the case recently in Paris, where Wynn suspects that either a careless clan has moved in, or some lone vamps are stirring up trouble.  With the locations of the bodies marked out in the eight block radius where the deaths have been occurring, the team arrives in the late evening, staring at the rows of apartment blocks, small businesses, and pubs that comprise this section of town.

Comments

[behindcloseddoors]

[ she does so, and the vampire squirms in her grip - indeed, the same familiar guy she had followed out of the bar, all flirtation drained from his feral expression now as he gnashes his fangs towards her neck, but she holds him at bay. ]

[msattentionspan]

I told you that you should get that looked at.

[Not that she has time for smalltalk.]

So, did you bring me out here thinking I'd be a vampire snack or a vampire bride? Because, if you were going for the bride route, you might want to start living in a nicer place. [She studies his fangy face.] Have you been luring a lot of girls out here? Offering them a drink and a good time? [(intimidate 23)]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ the fangs retract finally, as he glares daggers at her, but stops struggling in her grip. ] And why shouldn't we? [ he laughs sharply ] This is what we are. Why should we bend to the rules of those ancient fools who think they know better than we? We should be free to do as we like. To kill who we like.

[msattentionspan]

Right and so the same applies for me, right? [She gives him a look that says she could probably push hard enough and his neck would just snap his head right off.]

See the killing, I get it. You can blame that on nature, on that whole predatory thing. It's a good excuse. Food chain, all of that. What I don't get is the frame-jobs. That to me, that's a cry for attention. That's asking for someone like me to come to your house and kick down a door - though I did just pick that lock - and kill the lot of you.

Because, that's what I am. I'm a murderer.

[behindcloseddoors]

[ he certainly looks uneasy in her grip, especially with that pronouncement. ] It's called covering our tracks. Make the humans look like the murderers.

The Elder vampires think we're fools to kill as openly as we do, but we've taken steps to make us difficult to trace. [ a beat, before he begrudgingly admits through gritted teeth ] To most, at least.

[msattentionspan]

You say cover your tracks - I saw cowardly move. But hey, I did weigh a body and sink it in a lake. We all have our flaws.

[Faith looks at him, though. Elder vampires?] So how many of you are out there doing this kill as you please gig?

[behindcloseddoors]

[ he hesitates again, before admitting: ] Six of us. There were seven, but Henri got scared off.

[msattentionspan]

Is he not allowed in your super secret lair now or did someone scare him off?

[She's curious about the Elders too...] Are the five others in this basement?

[behindcloseddoors]

He left the city. Told us not to come looking for him. [ he glances down the steps ] It's just me.

[msattentionspan]

[She glares at him.]

Where would I find the rest of your rag-tag crew?

[behindcloseddoors]

I'm not their keeper. We meet at the bar every night. You saw some of them in there.

[msattentionspan]

When you find a victim do you do the killing on your own or do you round everyone up?

[behindcloseddoors]

It... depends. [ he squirms further in her grip ] Sometimes we do it together, so we can make sure there are no witnesses. Cover for each other. Sometimes--

Well, sometimes we get hungry when the others aren't around.

[msattentionspan]

[As he squirms, she tightens her grip (strength 23).]

If you called them - said you had something fun for the night - would they come?

[behindcloseddoors]

[ he scowls, looking like FUCK I DID NOT SEE THAT ONE COMING but ow that hurts ] Some of them, probably.

[msattentionspan]

[She thinks about it for a moment.]

The two in the alley, behind that bar we were at. Do you know who did that? Who killed them?

[behindcloseddoors]

I wasn't there, alright? I don't know anything about that.

[msattentionspan]

They just left them there and the other woman I was with is missing. I need to know where she is. [She's going to just lift her knee to press against his groin. No pressure, just the presence of a threat.]

I know you remember how bad this hurts.

So, I'm going to keep this comfortable hold and you're going to make some calls to find out who did it and who might have something interesting tonight -- and if they don't have anything, then you're going to tell them that you got something and for them to come here.

[behindcloseddoors]

And then what? You kill me too? Why should I sell them out?

[msattentionspan]

See... I'm thinking that the odds are, I can probably go find them myself without your help. But if you help me find them, maybe I'll just give you a slap on the wrist. Let you off with a warning, since I'm being so considerate today.

I mean, you still have your teeth and your eyes. [(intimidate 26)]

The more of your friends show up here, the better your odds are at survival. I need at least one of you to hold accountable for the actions of any other idiots out there thinking they can do the same thing.

I mean, I could also turn you over to those Elders you seem to really dislike, too.

[behindcloseddoors]

[ that threat seems far too much for him, and it's clear that he doesn't expect anything resembling mercy from the older vampires of which he speaks, so he nods, avoiding her eyes. ] Fine. I'll do it. Let me go, and I'll make the call.

[msattentionspan]

Good. [She eases up, but doesn't move too far from him. Clearly, the intent is to make sure he knows she can easily put him back into that position if he oversteps.]

Is your name really Tristan?

[behindcloseddoors]

[ he hesitates again, before glancing back at her, digging in his pocket for a phone. ] ... No. Does it matter?

[msattentionspan]

[Faith shrugs.] I guess not. I just figured, you might want to give me a bit of honesty. I mean, I think I earned it.

[behindcloseddoors]

If you want the truth so badly, it's that who I was in my old life no longer matters. That's what this is: freedom. [ he scowls darkly before stepping aside to make the call where she can still hear him. His voice betrays nothing, and he calmly relays that he has something to share with them before hanging up. ]