First Reply What Goes Bump In The Night

[Alina Tremiru]

Rumors of just how unstable Denon was spread far and wide. The Underworld was a corrupt place. How many people died on a daily basis? Didn't matter to Alina. The Sangnir watched the streets below in the cover of darkness, her faintly glowing eyes scanning through the crowd. Recently bodies had started to show up. Drained of all blood, necks broken. Gruesome. Word on the street had been there were even two pinpricks on their neck, as if they'd been attacked by a Vampire.

Most chalked that up to it either being some freak or just rumors.

Alina knew better. She dropped from her perch, landing in an empty alley to walk out on the street. Blend into the crowd with her hoodie pulled up. Sith who constantly wore black robes never made sense in her mind, at least in this day and age. Anything that screamed Sith was already looked at suspiciously. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her jeans, letting her gaze travel over those around her. She'd find a meal soon enough.

 

[Samnai Rouber]

“Did you hear? Another body turned up.”

“My goodness. The rumoured…”

“Yes, their entire body was drained. They found those marks on them too. Who could do this?”

“It’s just a rumour, nothing’s…”

Her eyebrow raised as she listened to the couple behind her. Who indeed. Samnai waited as the cashier scanned her groceries and paid the bill before leaving the store. It was almost midnight, and the daytime inhabitants of Denon were locked safe in their houses. The night for others, though, was just beginning.

Emergency shopping done, she made her way home. Something made the hair on her neck stand, and she stopped. While she didn’t have the force, years of being an assassin had made her a semi-expert in sensing out hidden presences. She looked around, finding nothing but people minding their own businesses.

Maybe it was a false alarm—wait.

Coming out of an alley (wasn’t it a dead end?) was a woman, skin pale under the hoodie. Her eyes roamed the unsuspecting, civilian crowd.

And then they landed on Samnai.

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Another met her gaze.

Alina raised a brow, hidden under the near white blond hair that helped to obscure her face. Someone watched her? The Sangnir's faintly glowing eyes narrowed. Curious stares were nothing new, but she'd taken care not to be looked at. Her gaze shifted, back to the alley behind her. Ah. Dead end, too. A heavy sigh escaped her as she moved. Slipped into the crowd to try and break eye sight from the stranger.

Only to step out of seemingly nowhere beside Samnai.

"Hey. Caught you staring." A thin line of a frown was the only expression she dared to make. A smile was an idea, but with the rumors of people being bled dry, well. Her fangs would probably make her seem even more suspicious than seeming to appear out of an empty alley with no other exit. "You need somethin'?"

Samnai Rouber

 

[Samnai Rouber]

For some moments, neither moved their gaze. The woman’s eyes seemed to have a faint glow to them…? She seemed to sigh and then disappear within the crowd. Seeing this, Samnai also went to move—

"Hey. Caught you staring."

What the—her eyes widened and it was only her years of training that prevented her from jumping. She looked at the now-close woman, now even more pale upon closer inspection with a frown etched on. "You need somethin'?"

Samnai asked back, “Do you? Pretty rude to just shove yourself in my way. I don’t think we have met before.” You are not of this place, is what she implied.

She also moved back a miniscule, casually shoving one hand into her pocket to feel the silver knife within.

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Just a visitor. Tourist, almost." Alina sported a surprisingly friendly smile after a moment, no longer bothering to hide her fangs. But it never reached her eyes. The coldness behind the glowing orange was more akin to a predator sizing up it's prey. Not that she was thinking about making this girl into a meal. Not if she wasn't too suspicious. "Why don't you show me around town, mm?"

Samnai Rouber

 

[Samnai Rouber]

“Tourist, huh.”

The woman smiled, sharp fangs showing. Glowing eyes,too. A niggling doubt entered Samnai’s mind—could it be? She was not one to knowingly put herself in danger, but there was only one way to find out.

(Secretly, she didn’t want the lady to harm someone else, but she will never say that outloud.)

She tilted her head. “Fine. I will show you around.” She spun around and went back. “Come with me.”

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Perfect." The smile only widened as Alina fell in line behind the stranger. Purposefully keeping out of sight as she let the girl lead on. Anything and everything to make Samnai as stressed as she could get. The more stressed a living person was, the easier it was for Alina to read their heartbeat. Their intentions. She calmly tucked her hands into the pockets of her hoodie.

"You live here long? Seems kinda rundown."

Samnai Rouber

 

[Samnai Rouber]

She hummed. “Somewhat. Most of the place is like this.”

Since it was close to midnight, many places had already closed down, other than the 24/7 ones. Instead, they went to the lower, rundown part of Denon, one where the nightlife thrived with criminals. Lights here were still on at the shops, the brightest being the bars, one of which they went to.

Samnai was a semi-frequent visitor here, so the bartender already knew her order and went to make it, but she stopped him, “Just a black coffee, please.” She wanted to remain sober for tonight.

The bartender raised an eyebrow, but nodded and turned to the other woman, “And what will you have, miss?”

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Coffee? Alina hummed for a moment, mulling over her options. Ultimately, she just gave a friendly smile to the bartender and nodded her head. "Coffee sounds fantastic. Don't mind if I do." Then her eyes seemed to flash. A brief light, and the bartender stiffened. Smiled and nodded before going about to make their coffee. Glamour, at least so Alina wouldn't have to deal with another stranger.

"Sounds like a bore, I suppose. Do you like living here? Or do you not have a way to leave?"

Samnai Rouber

 

[Samnai Rouber]

She eyed the bartender as he slowly walked away, different from his usual energetic gait. The niggling doubt grew stronger.

There weren’t many people in the bar right now, since it was just near midnight. She sat and waited for the bartender while secretly studying the woman. She didn’t quite look human or like any species she knows. Those eyes and fangs were a giveaway, but other than that there was just…something off about her. It felt a bit like she was sitting near a hungry tiger.

“It is quite slow here.” Samnai agreed. “But it’s enough. Not like there’s a war going on here,”—at least on the surface—“Anyone who can afford to leaves, others wait for their turn.”

She then turned to the woman. “And you? How are you liking this place so far—found anything to interest you?”

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"That does seem to make life here much easier. No rush to stay or go." Alina hummed and nodded in agreement. Sometimes it was nice to have a place to rest and sleep. Though perhaps the transient nature is why it was so easy to hunt here. The woman sighed, closed her eyes. Rubbed at her brow as she took another sip of her caf. Drifting off in her thoughts, if only for the moment.

"The rumors of people being killed by a vampire." Her golden gaze fell back on Samnai, the smile returning. "That's all I'm here for."

Samnai Rouber

 

[Samnai Rouber]

For a moment, the woman looked tired, lost in her own world. It seemed to be the first genuine expression this night. That soon disappears, and she turns back to Samnai with a smile. Samnai files that away for later.

"The rumors of people being killed by a vampire." Her golden gaze fell back on Samnai, the smile returning. "That's all I'm here for."

Ah-ha. There it was. Samnai gives a small smile back, taking up her coffee. “Investigation? People have been talking about it lately, nothing proven though.”

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"It won't be, if they're smart or at least have some understanding of what they are. All these rumors will just stay rumors." No, she wasn't going to elaborate further. Peeking into the world where monsters could be lurking close by was one thing. But the door only went one way. Alina turned in her seat, staring out at the street. Watching people walk by in the off chance she might see whatever it was she was looking forward to.

"They're certainly rampaging, though."

Samnai Rouber

 

[Samnai Rouber]

Samnai tilted her head. “Huh. I would like to disagree.”

She drank her coffee in one gulp, then continued, “People who like to commit murders—go on rampages, yyou might say—won’t be able to resist killing. Maybe at first their work is pristine, leaving no clues. But overtime, they get sloppy—they get arrogant. Eventually their hubris leads to their downfall. Or someone catches them in the act. Unless they have some special abilities, that is.”

Samnai would know. After all, she did it for a living.

She paused. People were slowly trickling in. It must be midnight now. She said, “But some are smart enough to not be caught, of course.”

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Ah, right.

Alina raised a hand. Motioned for the Bar Tender to step over. Like a robot he did, standing at attention, waiting. "Bark." He did, without hesitation. He seemed confused that he did, but the confusion didn't linger for long. Another wave of her hand and he walked off, going back to tending the bar as if nothing had happened. "They have special abilities. And they'll attract the wrong sort of attention. Now you know."

She paused to sip her caf, turning her gaze back to the street.

"Now you're going to help me find them."

Samnai Rouber

 

[Samnai Rouber]

Samnai made a mental note to pay the poor bartender extra. At least no one saw that.

She directed a questioning gaze at the lady. She had heard of the ability to mind-control through the Force, but this was her first time seeing it. She was on alert now, and thanked the Gods that she didn’t forget to bring her gun too.

"Now you're going to help me find them."

Samnai raised an eyebrow. “Why would you need my help? You clearly don’t need it.” She gestured to the still-confused bartender.

“And what if I don’t help you? I have better things to do.” This was a very provocative question, to see if the woman would rise to the bait and threaten her—perhaps showing more of her abilities?

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Then I control your mind, have you forget about this, maybe wake up with a couple marks on your neck but otherwise free to go about your daily life." Alina shrugged nonchalantly, sipping at her caf once more. It wasn't as good as blood, but things rarely were. "Or you can learn more about what happens in the shadows of these alleys and help protect your friends and family. I'm sure you have that here, yes?"

Samnai Rouber

 

[Samnai Rouber]

“...Aren’t you subtle.”

The threat didn’t really bother her, she has received much worse. Samnai was confident in her abilities to, at the very least, run away from the first sigh of life-threatening, but she was sure this woman was more than capable in carrying out her threats. She shrugged. “Okay. You convinced me.”

"Or you can learn more about what happens in the shadows of these alleys and help protect your friends and family. I'm sure you have that here, yes?"

“Nope.” Well…there was that group she recently joined. She hesitated to call them ‘friends,’ but she could call them—acquaintances. Associates. They are definitely being warned about this, though.

Alina Tremiru