Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 9, 2012 12:33:43 GMT -5
“That’s great.” Rae said. He could already tell it wasn't. What now? he wondered. As if in answer, she said, “You’ll have to live in that one room for the next three days, and of course you’re assuming that he will go to the lab straight away, he may go after your family, friends…anyone else first…if he can’t get to you.”
Craig finished his beer as she spoke and took a last drag from the cigarette before putting it out beside her own. "Not going to be a problem. I practically live at the lab anyways. I've only been home once all week. And," his voice stopped a moment and all one could hear was the soft breathing of Eli. His face was solemn, but his eyes were dry and clear. "Besides, all my family is dead and you're the closest thing to a friend I have with Eli coming in at a close second." He chuckled softly and scratched behind the dog's ear. "There's no one it can come after besides me."
Craig watched her walk to the kitchen and pick a binder from the counter's top. She returned and handed it to him. His apprehension was high and his fingers tense as he opened it up. It was filled with murder. Carnage scattered the page like so much dark confetti. Outside of bars, clubs and pubs, throats ripped, blood presumably consumed.
“We’ve got nothing to say he’ll even come into the building.” Rae noted as he reviewed the book. "More overly," she continued, "He’s here in New York." Craig peered sideways at her from the book, eyebrow cocked in question. Rae explained, "The video I sent you was his last kill, a woman here; Beverly Grey… a geneticist working on a mutated strand of dragons blood.” He remained quiet as she donned a pendant about his neck that appeared to be silver. “It will do for now until I can find you something better.” She stated simply and bent to pet her dog.
Craig watched her pet the dog soberly in thought for several quiet moments. "Well," he said finally, voice low in an intense seriousness. "I think we do have something to say he'll come inside of the lab." He offered her a grim, determined smile. "Me." He continued, attempting to answer what he presumed she was wondering. "All of these murders occurred outdoors except for two, which occurred in one of the scientists' homes and the other in their laboratory." He traced his finger below the words "and DRAINED OF BLOOD!!" in one of the news articles' headlines and continued, "However, not one time did he leave their victim's blood in their corpse." Craig licked his lips. "This seems to point that he prefers to kill outside, but isn't opposed to going into a building to get the job done if he needs to. Especially since it only happened with two of them. I think if we dig into these names..." He paused, reading. "Doctors James Nethal and Samantha Blush." His head raised back to face Rae. "I think we'll find they were more fanatical about their work than the others, never leaving their home-based workstation and laboratory, respectively."
Craig closed the book, tired of the illustrations already and placed it to the side for the moment being. "The Vampire could've blown up their houses or made the deaths look like accidents in any of these deaths, but he didn't. He chose instead to let everyone know it was the same person. That's his calling card. His touch of pride." Craig's eyes narrowed, trying to see if she'd come to the same conclusion. "He won't quit until he's drained my blood." He said for her. "It's a matter of pride and if he doesn't get to drain the body, he'll consider his mission, self-appointed or otherwise, a failure." Craig concluded. He was absent-mindedly stroking the dog as he spoke and finally his hand accidentally brushed over Rae's and he froze for a moment, more unsure of the present situation than any Vampire attack. Invisible pricks of sweat began tingling at his forehead and his eyes fell briefly to her lips before his brown eyes returned to her own warm, chocolate gaze.
Post by Rae-Star Berii on Dec 9, 2012 13:18:41 GMT -5
“I won’t let that happen to you.” She said as he placed the book aside. Rae didn’t look like much, she didn’t look strong or bold, or like anything at all, but she had; over the last eight months of her life, picked up a strong instinct about these things, she knew how to defend herself, how to select her battles and how to win them. She had become a clever and powerful fighter; fast, and cunning she did not need to be strong. She had killed vampires before; killed them for invading her dreams, killed them for trying to kill her. Vampires…they were becoming easy prey, prey she could read and understand. Plus, having Alistair’s insight was somewhat helpful by all accounts. “You’re not going to turn into another victim.” She promised him, with the same determination.
Their fingers connect and Rae froze, as her eyes came up to his they were anxious; it seemed odd here. Like this; previously they had held hands, she had not hesitated to wrapped her fingers in his; mostly because they were both terrified for their lives, mostly because it was the only really way they could feel connected to the fight they had ahead of them. But this was different, she saw the flicker in his gaze, could feel the tension suddenly as it jabbed up her spine and into her brain. Rae looked down at his fingers then back to his face. He was older than her…She wet her lips slowly, blushing a little and then Rae recoiled, not dramatically you understand, but she drew her hand away and rose from where she’d been crouching. In fact, she turned away completely, going back to the little kitchenette area.
“It’s late.” She said, not turning to face him under the guise of locking up the kitchen window now they had both finished their smoking. The clock on the wall said it was a little after two in the morning, she could attribute the anxious twist in her stomach to a lack of sleep and reading too many files containing morbid details. “We can’t do anymore tonight.” He would be safer here, knowing the danger than he would have been on his own in his lab…she’d made the right call, Rae persuaded herself of that.
Rae did not seek out company; she did not look for; as many eighteen year olds would, a drunken night and a midnight kiss, these things did not make her feel alive. She had that part of her brain damaged by her uncle, who had taught her valuable lessons about men and sex; but his lessons were not kind and it made any sort of contact, however platonic; a threat to the young girl. Her fingers went to her locket absently, or at least, to the place where her locket would have usually been. Sliding back to her side empty, her hand made a small balled fist. “You can have my room-“ She offered, calmer now she had had a moment to escape from his close proximity. “-It’s warmer in there, and I’m sure Eli will keep you company…“ She smiled, softly, teasing him.
She paused for a moment, then slid passed him to push open one of the doors on the far wall. It opened onto a small bedroom, a bed and chest-of-draws the only furniture. Rae’s glasses lay in a case on the floor, beside a lamp and a book. It was not a supernatural book; in fact it had nothing to do with the supernatural in away. The novel was a classic, the story of ‘Jayne Eyre’ and something she had been reading to help her sleep. In each corner of the room was a chalk marking, a small circle like shape with a Hebrew symbol inside. Rae kept a protection spell on her room; it was an old wives tale of Pagan and religious law, but it helped her sleep easier. The final thing that lay in a strap above the head board was a long barrelled shot gun. It was loaded with two silver bullets, and was close at hand should she need it in the middle of the night.
This was the dangerous world that Rae lived in.
She avoided his gaze, unsure of the blush on her cheeks as she let him through into the small room. “Try and get some sleep…” She offered, clicking her fingers to call Eli to herself, the dog came of course, wagging his tail merrily and jumping up onto the bed with a look of glee in his eyes. At that moment, all she could think about was escaping his company…returning to what she was used to; being alone.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 9, 2012 18:57:17 GMT -5
The moment evaporated back into that place where almost-moments die in anonymity. Craig watched her and waited for the end to her hospitality. "Thanks, but I'm fine here," he said, plopping himself to lay on the couch. He grabbed the book and lifted it up to read it. "Just leave your computer logged in when you decide to sleep so I can review the footage again if I need to," he requested. Craig raised his head to look at her one last time for the night and smiled at her. "Thanks, Rae." He kept his eyes on her until she left his sight. He turned to the book and flipped it back open yet again. He read article after article and reviewed the pictures and sketches carefully. After another couple of hours, he put the book down and went outside for a cigarette, returned and watched the video of the woman (Jane Grey, Rae had called her) getting mauled. Finally, at about five o'clock in the morning, Craig fell to sleep.
Craig woke three hours later feeling a bit groggy, but mostly refreshed. Standing, he stretched and reached to unzip his duffel bag. He pulled out a prescription bottle and dumped two pills into his hand before standing up and walking to the kitchen area. After rummaging about, he finally discovered some cups and grabbed the one closest to him, filled it with water and took his Adderall. He walked to the bathroom across the hall and relieved himself, washed his hands, and went back to the sofa where he sent an e-mail to his assistant to order 30 high-power UV lights and have them at the lab before the day was over. He began looking over photos again and received a buzz from his phone; his assistant confirmed she would do so. He nodded approvingly and continued reviewing, searching, looking, studying like an addict while he waited (secretly) for Rae.
Post by Rae-Star Berii on Dec 10, 2012 14:11:26 GMT -5
He did the gentlemanly thing of course and insisted he was fine; Rae did not argue with that. She nodded, still anxious and when he turned away she watched him for what felt like the longest of moments before turning to her room. Hesitating for a moment longer, Rae pushed the door. It did not shut fully, but left a small sliver of light from the living room illuminating the bedroom. Rae turned her back to it and clambered onto the bed. She did not undress, but curled a pillow into her stomach, lay her forearm under her head and lay there listening to the sounds of him moving around the apartment; the movement of his footsteps intermittent with the noises of the world around them; of car alarms and trains, of people in the street in drunken arguments. It felt like ages until she finally fell asleep, and she finally did it was not for long.
Craig was passed-out on the sofa when Rae woke. There was an early morning brightness about the day, and she tip-toed passed him to the bathroom. Turning on the hot water, she ran a bath. Undressing she paused for a moment in front of the chipped and cracked mirror. There were several new marks on her slender frame; terrible bruising at her ribs and over her arms where she’d been caught in fights; caught with fists must stronger than her own. And then, of course her small silver self-harm scars lay dormant on the under- skin of her forearms. She ran her finger tip over the freshest and exhaled shakily; remembering the relief of the cut skin. For months she had not bled herself, then a few weeks ago she had slipped up; needed an escape and her skin had provided one.
She bathed; and wrapping a towelled robe around herself realised she could hear him moving around again. Rae paused in the bathroom, feeling a little trapped- should she stroll through casually as if she was used to having people stay on her sofa? Should she run through quickly and hope he would not notice- and if he did should she screech like an embarrassed- teenager and hope he did not comment further? She was not sure of the protocol for such a situation.
Running her fingers through her skittle-coloured hair, she brushed her teeth and pulled the knot tight on her robe and padded out into the living room. “Did you sleep well?” the tiny five-foot nothing teenager asked him, as she journeyed to the bedroom once more. She did not stop, but made conversation through the door as she dressed behind its wooden barrier. “There’s food in the cupboards if you wanted to find something to eat?” She questioned as she slid off her robe, tossed it onto the bed and dressed quickly in her black skinny jeans and black camisole top. Relaxed momentarily she came back to the doorframe, leaning there as she pulled a comb through her long hair. “Are you okay?” She asked; Eli barging passed her to bid Craig a good morning.
Grabbing a blue hoody from the back of the sofa she came into the room further and pulled the big jumper over her bruised, tiny-boyish, frame.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 11, 2012 12:50:10 GMT -5
Craig looked up at Rae from darkly-circled eyes. She was dressed only in a robe that, while appropriate, didn't keep one's mind from straying a little. "Yeah, slept great. Thanks." He paused awkwardly as she shut her bedroom door before asking, "How'd you sleep?" loudly enough for her to hear through the door. His eyes flicked to the kitchen at the mention of food, but he wasn't going to eat her food without her being there... something about it just seemed rude. Beside which, she was bound to be done soon. "Thanks, I'll wa--" Craig began just as Rae opened her bedroom door with a small creak. She was dressed in black, a good color for her (especially with hair like that), and Craig sputtered about for a split moment before composing himself. "Are you okay?" she asked him, probably teasing him a bit. The dark-haired man chuckled and looked down sheepishly for a moment before lifting his head in a smirk. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." Suddenly, Eli was bounding quickly around the couch. Craig had no sooner taken a mental note of this when Eli was barraging him with a wet tongue, clambering desperately on his arm and shoulder to get better access to Craig's face. "Easy, easy. Down, boy. Good dog." He said authoritatively to the dog, rewarding him with a few strokes down his back and a scratch behind the ear. Eli panted favorably and wagged his tail in approval before licking Craig's hand a couple of times. Craig couldn't help but let a faint smile through as he patted the dog twice and then turned his attention to Rae, who had pulled a blue hoodie over her head.
"I stayed up studying this stuff for a little while after you went to sleep. It's interesting, really... and not just because my life may very well depend on it." He bit his lip as he opened the binder up. "Just so we don't miss anything, I'm going to go over this as if it were a fresh crime. Let's start with the most obvious things. All of these people, from Doctor Blush to Doctor Grey were scientists, so we know he's targetting them for some reason. Also, gender is irrelevant as is age, since those demographics for this murder are so scattered that those factors cannot be the deciding ones." He looked from the book to Rae. "Like I said, we know this very clearly, I'm just starting at the beginning. I also researched where these doctors went to school and while a couple of them had the same alma mater, there was no real correlation and we can therefore cancel that out. I also took the time to make a bit of a mental graph of where the murders took place in chronological order. The first one was out in New Mexico; Doctor Johannes Zuidema. The next, Maryland. Then Michigan, Tennessee, Florida, Washington, Texas, California, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and so on until this recent one in New York City. There's no sort of pattern there, so he doesn't let distance inhibit his work. However, he clearly has some motive. So we venture further."
Craig rifled through his pocket and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. "Let's let the dog go to the bathroom," he suggested as he stood. He pulled a cigarette from the pack and replaced them in his pocket. His hand came back out with a full book of matches and he waited for her to stand to continue outside. He continued talking with her. "I went ahead and ran demographics on other variables: race, marital status, religion, sexual orientation, even their types of car and grades in college." Craig's tongue flicked, wetting his lips before he finished, "The only thing I found was that they were all geneticists and bioengineers. But, of course, if it was merely about killing geneticists and bioengineers, then why not kill all of the geneticists in one area before moving to the next? Or at least more than one? Why kill one of a flock and leave the rest unharmed?" Craig pulled a match from the book and placed his cigarette between his lips while he struck it. He lit the cigarette, quickly extinguished the match, and took a drag. Exhaling smoke as he spoke, Craig resumed, "No reason. If it was just about that, he wouldn't be quite so sporadic as he is. Which points to the work of the particular geneticists that were slain. So I did the logical thing and researched the recent publishings of the victims, identifying the subject, method of substantiating claims, and conclusions from their works." He paused to take another drag from the cigarette, still staying only a couple feet from Rae, speaking softly. "All of the scientists that were slain had recently published something about Supernatural elements to the world." He looked at her solemnly. "More specifically, non-Humans. Sure, a couple of them two charged it as the next evolutionary breakthrough, but they still all made strong cases for the existence of an alternative group of sentient beings; Doctor Grey's case being the strongest to date what with her having possession of a Dragon's egg and all."
Craig skin prickled in the morning air, though it wasn't fully from the temperature or the breeze that was pushing past him. He knew what was in that report he'd written and the strong evidence it presented. Frankly, it was stronger than any of the publishings before him. He'd included reports outlining the composition of Dragon, Daemon, and Draconian DNA and though he hadn't labelled them thusly, any scientist who knew their stuff and reviewed it would quickly realize it was definitely not a normal species. They would recognize the complexity and realize they were intelligent beings capable of rivalling Human dominance even though some of the DNA would prove indecipherable to them. Personally, Craig believed these segments were the explanations of their powers over certain things, especially considering that the different species' blood samples had different codexes in the referred-to strings. "I've revealed more, though, than any of the other reports so far." Craig summarized. Oh yes, this Vampire would be all over him and it was going to happen in two days. "We need to prepare something. I still suggest the lab. I can turn that place into a tanning bed prison and no one would ask. Unless he can punch through a brick wall fast enough, the UV would kill him." He looked over at Rae and took another drag. "Which he may be able to do. That's why you'll be waiting outside with a shotgun filled with silver pellets. He'll be weak enough from the UV and the fall that you'd be able to shoot him without much danger, I think." Craig said, sounding almost like he was trying to convince her. It was true, though. Besides which, Craig didn't particularly like the thought of being the only one there when the homicidal Vampire came after his blood.
Post by Rae-Star Berii on Dec 11, 2012 15:51:15 GMT -5
Eli went bounding quickly around the couch and barraged into Craig, giving Rae chance to work out what his look had meant. Things felt strange, she felt somewhat awkward. She had not meant for that to happen and Rae had no understanding of how she should react to him, or his reactions to her. She paused for a moment, coming along to the sofa side and went to the kitchen cupboard. From it she grabbed to foil wrapped cereal bars, covered in yoghurt and laced with berries they were a mixture of healthy heaven and sassy sin. Glancing back in time to see Eli follow his commands she smiled to herself and watched the god sit. She could see the tension in the animal, could hear the hard beat of his tail on the floor as he just about managed to maintain sitting. She tugged at the sleeves of her hoody, pulling them down and over the butt of her hands and laughing as they frolicked.
She unpeeled her breakfast bar and bit into it as she spoke.
"I stayed up studying this stuff for a little while after you went to sleep. It's interesting, really... and not just because my life may very well depend on it. Just so we don't miss anything, I'm going to go over this as if it were a fresh crime. Let's start with the most obvious things. All of these people, from Doctor Blush to Doctor Grey were scientists, so we know he's targeting them for some reason. Also, gender is irrelevant as is age, since those demographics for this murder are so scattered that those factors cannot be the deciding ones."
He was looking at her, and she smiled encouragingly, letting him go on. If he found this stuff interesting she had plenty more of material that he could look over. He was finding patterns in this stuff that she had not found, and hearing them they seemed ridiculously obvious. She scolded privately that she had not seen things this way; but then supposed it was like that illusion- the one of the duck/rabbit, depending on which way you looked at it there was a beak or long furry ears in view. Still, she dealt the things in order as he spoke them. Next he spoke about the place names and schools and a lot of information that Rae already knew came his way, she smiled and nodded, listening carefully as he spoke. Her memory perfect for a job like this; it was photographic and she remembered most things in some level of detail.
"Let's let the dog go to the bathroom,"
She nodded; “Okay”
Rae rose from where she was leaning, handed him the breakfast bar before leading him back down the yellow tinged hall way, down broken stairways that stank of bowels and into the street. It was early, life in New York (while it never seemed to cease) had not yet started in its full vigour and they were able to wander down the street unchallenged. Rae whistled and Eli kept close to them, padding along at their side in the cold morning air. Unlike previously Rae did not light a smoke, she was trying to cut out the habit, smokes cost money and she was saving every penny. Despite the stress relief, she was trying to cut it out.
Rae rubbed at her arms, privately wishing she had grabbed a jacket to wrap around her slender frame; to place over her royal blue hoody. At least she had managed to remember to grab some sort of weapon. She kept herself armed at most times, even if it was just a set of silver tainted knuckles that she wore for hand to hand combat.
"…more specifically, non-Humans. Sure, a couple of them two charged it as the next evolutionary breakthrough, but they still all made strong cases for the existence of an alternative group of sentient beings; Doctor Grey's case being the strongest to date what with her having possession of a Dragon's egg and all."
Rae ran her fingers through her skittle-coloured hair and nodded, still quiet and thoughtful, but this time she found place to comment. “The Egg’s important.” Was all she said, just drawing his attention to it, because actually this was something unique here? The theft, as far as she could tell would be centred only on the last murder; she could not see – or remember- anything in the notes that suggested things were missing from other crime scenes.
He continued, of course, and spoke of his work. For the first time she had an understanding of what it was he did. She knew he worked in science, and from the internet she learnt he worked with genes and genetics. She learnt quickly that his research came from much, much more than that. Rae, of course, was not content with her limited knowledge and wanted to know much more. His work was interesting, and she found herself wondering if he knew anything that would help her in her quest to rid the world of some lousy daemons. Not all daemons, just three in particular. The three that had destroyed her family were the ones on her hit list.
"We need to prepare something. I still suggest the lab. I can turn that place into a tanning bed prison and no one would ask. Unless he can punch through a brick wall fast enough, the UV would kill him. Which he may be able to do? That's why you'll be waiting outside with a shotgun filled with silver pellets. He'll be weak enough from the UV and the fall that you'd be able to shoot him without much danger, I think.”
Rae looked over at him for a long moment, and then let her eyes go back to Eli. The dog had run off ahead and gone sniffing around some bins. Giving him a little privacy to do his business, Rae addressed Craig; “You don’t have to persuade me to do this.” She told him gently; “I asked you to help me, remember?” Rae smiled though, running her fingers through her hair again before stuffing her hands in her pockets. Did she want to travel to Nevada? Not really? Would she rather do this in New York; a place that she considered her hunting ground- well yes, actually she would; but it was Craig’s life, so it was up to him. “Just to clarify-“ She teased, a light and jovial tone in her voice; “You want me wait outside while the vampire is inside the building with you- hang on a minute, what did you say you’re IQ was?”
Chuckling softly, she added; “I can put a vampire to eternal rest, Craig; but I’d rather be in the lab with you, just in case.”
Eli came bounding back, a dead rat in his mouth and a grin on his face. “Ew.” She rolled her eyes, taking the rodent by the tail. “No, Eli- seriously…that’s gross.” She scolded the dog, half-heartedly. “Come on, let’s get back in doors, all the cold weathers going to your little doggie brain.” She teased the animal.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 11, 2012 19:59:05 GMT -5
Craig's stomach forced him to finally turn his attention to the breakfast bar she'd handed him as they left her loft apartment. He pulled the foil from itself and took a bite from it as she told him she wanted to be in the lab, too. Craig swallowed and said, "I thought you might say something like that. Which is why I have a back-up plan. You'd have to wait in my office. It's the quickest way out of the building and he'd probably try to escape through there." That being said, Craig took another chomp out of the bar, chewing it thoughtfully.
"There were no signs of forced entry at the other indoor murders," Craig noted. "That means he either researches to know the outlay of the buildings he enters well before doing so or he can change his appearances to get you to let him in. Once this starts, we'll need to identify each other somehow to make sure we're both who we say we are." Craig held the door for Rae and walked in behind her, making sure to close and lock the door. It was, after all, New York City. "How about after the fighting's stopped, I'll say, 'Hello, Maria, love. Are you okay?'; to which you reply, 'Yes, Tony, I'm fine'." His lips turned upwards as he tried to contain a laugh and a gleam flitted across his eyes. "Sound good?" he asked.
Post by Rae-Star Berii on Dec 12, 2012 14:33:24 GMT -5
As they wandered back to the apartment she listened to his planning. Rae felt good about this, she felt like she was doing something pro-active to save a life and that was a major part of what had driven her down this path. Had she been able to save her family’s life she would not be dealing with the overwhelming sense of guilt and loss that currently made up two-thirds of her heart.
Rae rarely talked about such things, of course, but it was always there. It was always in the background, in her thoughts and in her dreams. Knowing the loss of Caleb had taught her to treat the world differently, she saw people differently, questioned the darkness in the air and the tense clearing of a throat. She did not rush forwards to help others but she also did not scorn them or look down her nose at them. She had come a long way in realising who she was since those dark days, she had become a better person.
Rae thanked him as he held the door open and she ducked under his arm into the pokey apartment again. As the door shut them in she laughed; enjoying his suggestion. “Where did Maria come from in the first place?” She asked him, laughing and going into the kitchenette. Once there she got two mugs down from a cupboard and began boiling the kettle. She didn’t travel anywhere without tea, she took it with her whenever she travelled because, frankly, nowhere else in the world did tea that was up to scratch with British. “Did you want one?” She added, pouring her own out, adding a little sugar and milk from the fridge.
“I mean, Tony was a direct reference to Maria- West Side Story, you know?” She added, leaning on the counter smiling at him, a playful glint in her russet eyes.
Momentarily she spoke more seriously, adding; “We’ll have a look at plane times.” She told him, nodding towards the laptop. If he insisted on going back tot he lab she wasn’t going to argue with him. She did feel bad for dragging him out to New York though, only to go back and face the beast in Nevada. Still; she could keep an eye on the vampire while she was here- the bat-cameras were always uploading wireless footage to the laptop. If the Vampyre was spotted they’d get a message through.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 12, 2012 22:56:17 GMT -5
"Well, when that fellow pulled up and started eating my food, I instantly sensed danger, of course. You were my only hope at getting out of that sticky mess, but I didn't want to call you by some common name that they would guess to be false. Instead, I decided it better to use a name that one wouldn't expect somebody like you to have so it would seem like I really did know you." Craig shrugged and continued. "I haven't seen West Side Story before, so I didn't really get the reference. I suppose I should go watch it since we're in it and all," he joked.
Craig nodded in agreement. "Yes, we should. There'll probably be a couple flights we could take today and get there by some time this afternoon or evening." Craig stopped to take the last of the breakfast bar into his mouth and began chewing. Against all that his mother had tried to teach him during her time on Earth, he spoke as he chewed. "If you'll look up the earliest few sets of flights, we can pick one." Craig made his way to the garbage can and disposed of his wrapper accordingly. He finished chewing and went to the cupboards. "You were planning on paying for my fare both ways, right?" he asked as he retrieved a mug and filled it with water. He drank mightily, quenching his thirst and emptying out the mug without a pause for breath. He placed the mug in the sink and turned around with a grin lighting his face. "Or do I have to pay for myself?" He sounded exasperated, but his expression betrayed his playful jabbing as he walked back to the sofa.
Post by Rae-Star Berii on Dec 13, 2012 14:31:17 GMT -5
”It was a modern attempt at Romeo and Juliet-“ She told him; “So I’m not sure you’d consider us stars in it.” Though, perhaps like Juliet and Maria she was risking her life for him. She had pulled him out of a dangerous situation and brought him to her pokey little home; if the vampire came here her life was at stake, and when she made the decision to go to Nevada with him she was agreeing that her life was worth the same as his. “-It’s actually set in New York though, between the Sharks and the Jets- two gangs. Maria is a shark, Tony is a Jet, they meet and fall in love and try to live in a world where hatred is more powerful than their love.” She paused, flushing a little bit; “I have no idea why I told you that.” She added, not sure he was bothered with the plot line and not sure now was a time to talk about 1961 films.
“There is Cola in fridge.” She told him after he finished his water, coming around the side of the counter she slipped passed him and went back to the living room section of the room. “And honestly, you’re welcome to any food you want. I have to throw it all out when I go back to London anyway or I’ll come back and there will be rats here.”
"You were planning on paying for my fare both ways, right?"
Sitting on the sofa she scratched Eli behind the ears and began typing on her laptop and of course he sat down next to her. “I’m sure I can manage that.” She told him with a nod, but seeing that he was being playful. “You’re buying dinner though- for like, ever.” She teased him with equal playfulness.
Her screen displayed the flights from JFK; the next was at lunch and then not again until later that evening. She supposed they could manage either. Rae was distracted when there was a knock at the door. Eli, who was usually calm and relaxed, went ballistic, barking and growling and snarling.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 13, 2012 15:07:30 GMT -5
”It was a modern attempt at Romeo and Juliet, so I’m not sure you’d consider us stars in it.” Rae explained. Craig chuckled softly. He'd once heard that all things in life are either comedy or tragedy. From what he remembered of Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet was not a comedy. "Oh, so are we about to die for each other?" he offered with a smirk.
“It’s actually set in New York though, between the Sharks and the Jets- two gangs. Maria is a shark, Tony is a Jet, they meet and fall in love and try to live in a world where hatred is more powerful than their love.” Craig looked at Rae and nodded slowly. She must really like the film... bit of a hopeless romantic are we? he mused briefly as she seemed to stumble and blush slightly. “I have no idea why I told you that.” She then added, making the situation more awkward than before. Craig spoke up to try to put her at ease. "Sounds like a good film," he said with a listening smile. "And thanks for the offer, but I actually prefer water and rarely touch soda."
Craig threw a counteroffer at him. She would buy the ticket if he paid for dinner forever. "For-like-ever, hm? At least that means I don't have to pay after we die. I can live with for-like-ever." He beamed back at her. "It's a deal." He looked over her shoulder to see what she'd pulled up and saw a long list of flights regarding innumerable planes. "Eh, I'm leaving that to you," he delegated as he began scratching Eli's neck. Suddenly, though, Eli tensed. All of his muscles were stretched like rubber bands and his head snapped to the door. Craig looked up at the door and then back at Rae. He opened his mouth to ask, "What's wrong, boy?" but was stopped by a rapping on the entrance. He shut his jaw and shot a concerned look at Rae. "Please tell me your relatives are visiting."
Last Edit: Dec 13, 2012 15:07:54 GMT -5 by Craig Jamerson
Post by Rae-Star Berii on Dec 13, 2012 15:23:55 GMT -5
"Please tell me your relatives are visiting."
Rae rose and went for the door; on her way passed her backpack she slipped a grey-coloured hand gun from the side pocket of it. Rae checked the ammo and removed the safety, putting it in the back of her pants she went to the door. She unbolted it and pulled it open just an inch.
“Hi Rachel-“came a man’s voice from behind the door.
Rae slammed the door shut again.
Again the voice sounded, speaking through the wood in a sweet Chicago accent. “Rachael, love, open the door.”
This wasn’t happening. She’d been free for nearly eight months; he was supposed to be dead. Rae locked the door, turning the bolts into place and stepped back from it. Her usually porcelain skin was now pale, ghost like and there was a lamb-like terror in her eyes. “Get your stuff.” She told Craig, backing up, but still staring at the door to the apartment. “Get your stuff, we’re out of here.”
Her eyes came around to Eli; wondering how he knew, the dog and her Uncle had never met. But she was grateful, his warning growls had given her cause to leave the chain in place, to inch the door open rather than swing it open. She didn’t wait for Craig, she wasn’t letting Him back into her life. Rae grabbed her backpack, and shut her laptop inside it. She grabbed the keys for the light blue Chevrolet, and looked at the scientist darkly; she headed to the fridge and threw in a few things for the journey.
“Rachael…for fucks sake, let me in!” came another yell through the door.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 13, 2012 15:54:17 GMT -5
Rachel? Craig thought curiously. Bug it, Rae fits her better anyways. A fraction of a second later, the door slammed hard into the frame and the bolts were done up again. Craig raised an eyebrow at her as she backed up until he saw her expression; his face became infinitely more serious. "Who is it, Rae?" he asked, standing up. Instead of telling him, Rae told him to gather his belongings. "Okay, this is not normal, who is this guy?" Craig asked as he shoved a few things back into his duffel bag and put his laptop up in a hurry. He watched her as best he could and it was self-evident that something was very wrong right now.
Craig finished putting all of his things together, placed the laptop bag over his shoulder and held the duffel bag in his left hand. With his right, he reached into his laptop's front pocket and extracted a single syringe. Against a Vampire, he was defenseless. Without a pulse, no poison could be effective, no toxin injected would prove useful in the slightest. Against a mere man, or even some of the other species, it was something.
Craig held the syringe flat in his hand and looked at it briefly. It was filled. "Damn, wrong one," he mumbled to himself. He replaced it in the bag and pulled out a different syringe. This one was shaped differently, looking a bit like a caulking gun or pistol and lacking any sort of needle. He'd bought it recently, after the encounter at the Diner had showed him just how useful a syringe might be in a true emergency. The syringe had a 30 mL capacity and administered it's contents quickly and efficently with air pressure, increasing dramatically the odds of it's contents being delivered to a sufficiently large vein. Craig prepared the syringe but seemed to forget to load a liquid into it, cocking the mechanism with nothing inside. He didn't seem to notice. The man yelled at the door, cursing at Rachael viciously. He glanced sideways at her before looking back at the door. "Rae, I don't know what's going on," he began, face set grimly, "But I'm getting your back like you got mine." Craig held the syringe at the ready and moved to stand beside the door for the best shot at administering the (non-existent) elixir to the man. "Go away." He suggested simply, neither looking for a fight nor hiding in a closet.
Post by Rae-Star Berii on Dec 13, 2012 16:11:01 GMT -5
Of course Rae didn’t answer him straight away, of course she just finished packing up her stuff. She didn’t have much, and whatever she left behind she would come back for, but now was not the time for emptying the bins and turning off the electric. She could come back here after Nevada, it wouldn’t be too much hassle to pit-stop here for a few days before returning to London. She wasn’t sure what all the flying would do to Eli, who hated the little box he was put in in the trunk of the aeroplane but if he wanted to hang around her like a bad smell it was something the pooch was going to have to learn to live with.
A look of surprise passed her brow when he withdrew his own weapon. Not as effective perhaps as her handgun, particularly know she had gotten to become a damn good shot (pigeons were great practice and seemed to be in never-ending supply regardless of whatever city one chose to visit in the world) but the syringe looked pretty deadly to her.
He went to the door and she watched him dumbly for a moment; shivering as a growled reply came through the door. “Look, pal- I don’t know who you are, or what you’re doing in there, but this isn’t any of your business.” His curt reply came. Rae wet her lips, came up gently beside Craig, touched her fingers to the curve of his shoulder and murmured; in a whisper; “I’m going down the fire-escape, leave it- lets go.” She was his ticket back to Nevada, if he wanted to get home today he would go with her now.
She clicked her fingers, calling Eli too her and lifting the dog out of the large window onto the metal stairway. They were a few floors up, but the dog seemed to know the drill; it suggested Rae had done this before. Granted, not for the same reason, or out of her apartment before, but in principle it remained the same.
The metal was cold on her fingers, and she used the rail to go down the icy stair way. Landing on the snow, she jumped the last second, before reaching up and collecting Eli. Placing him on the ground the dog shook himself off. Momentarily, Rae allowed herself to look back, her eyes going vertically up the stairway for Craig. She wet her lips, found her car keys out of her pocket and once again turned away for the car.
Post by Craig Jamerson on Dec 15, 2012 12:17:26 GMT -5
Craig glanced from Rae to the door, then back again. He nodded his agreement and watched her crawl out to the fire escape before turning his attention back to the man on the other side of the door. "Alright, so I'm caught in the middle of something I don't want to be caught in. Let me leave then." Craig didn't wait for a reply before racing across the room and pulling himself through the window onto the old fire escape. Craig took the stairs two at a time and made it to the bottom of the fire escape just as Rae turned with keys in hand. "Right behind you," said Craig, tossing his duffle bag towards the ground. He clambered down to hang from the escape and dropped with a thud. He fell on his back with his body serving as cushioning for the laptop bag. He was clearly not used to this. "Remind me to get in shape when this is all over with," he complained as he struggled to get back to his feet. Craig ran to scoop up his duffel bag and chased after Rae.
((Sorry it took so long. I couldn't get to a computer yesterday))
