hunter's sense

[Atratus]

Anna-Maria Redo & Tarja Lexington

Anna was weak. It had been a few days since her run-in with the other vampire and truth be told she was sort of nervous about running into him again. The hallucinations had started to set in, inspiring quite a few paintings and a sculpture which might be her best work. They were already on the internet and had quite a few bidders, the prices were getting outbid every hour and were already in the thousands. Her skin-tight designer jeans and loose-fitting red cashmere sweater were covered by a smock, which in turn was covered by dried clay and paint. She wiped her hands on the smock before collapsing on the fine leather couch, rubbing her temples. 

She would have to go out for blood soon. She knew that, she hated the idea of it but she still knew it. She had a headache, her eyes hurt, standing alone was enough to make her dizzy. Yet she was so scared. Her knew her name, her knew her face, he even knew where she lived. Little did Anna know, Elijah was the least of her problems tonight. 

Another hunter, a hunter of a different sort, had received an anonymous tip about Anna. Tarja Lexingon, reputably one of the best vampire hunters in town, was on her way down in the elevator. She turned the fire-hardened stake around in her hands in anticipation of killing another bloodsucker. There was fear too, of course. If the vampire managed to get a nip in Tarja was done for. None had, to this day, but this was not to say it was impossible. 

Ding. The doors opened. Tarja stepped out with her stake hidden under her black cloak. She reached Anna's door and knocked thrice. 

What the fuck? Anna had no clients scheduled for today. Her breath caught in fear. It was Elijah. It had to be. Who else? She had no friends and all of her clients knew they had to schedule a visit if they needed a return or trade. She walked quietly over to the peephole. Well, that's not Elijah. She chastised herself for being so paranoid. It was probably just someone who was at the wrong apartment door. The guy in G3 was having a party tonight, she thought. 

She opened the door only a foot or so just in case. "Can I help yo-" she was cut off by a right hook to the face. She staggered back, stunned for a moment but quickly recovering as her defense instincts kicked in. "Who the fuck are you?" she hissed, crouching low and baring her fangs.

Tarja slipped the stake out from her jacket. "I'm the woman who's going to kill you, bloodsucker." She rushed at Anna. Though Anna was weak from blood loss, she was still naturally much stronger than this woman so their strength was about equal. Anna leaped to the side and struck a blow at the back of Tarja's head. The huntress shook off the blow easily. Drake skin had its advantages.

Tarja crouched low suddenly and swept her leg out blindly behind her, taking out Anna's feet. She was on top of her in a second, stake pointed at her heart, with nothing but Anna pushing back on her's keeping it from plunging into her heart. Oh god, I'm going to die.

[Hunter]

It took him a good while to mull it over and let his temper cool, but eventually, Elijah did decide to head back to the artist's place again and negotiate the offer.  He didn't like her bitchiness, but she was right about one thing -- he could do with more cash, and if she'd let him crash at her pad now and then after a rough night, all the better.  What she wanted in return had been a little vague, as he remembered it, but if all she wanted was for him to drag in some hapless nymph to drink from now and then, that wasn't too much to ask, as long as she knew how to share.

Those were his thoughts as he strode back to her apartment early that night, just after dark, lamenting the fact that he'd spilled blood on yet another shirt of his.  He couldn't help it; he was a messy eater.  Bloodstains were so goddamn hard to get out once you let 'em dry, too.

Elijah was surprised to find the door to her apartment already open.  He should have taken that as a warning sign.  Instead, he waltzed right in to discover two women struggling on the floor, one of them attempting to slay his intended partner with a stake to her heart.  He had no idea who this other woman was.

"Nobody told me you were having a party," was how he announced his arrival.  The vampire chuckled to himself, already headed toward them, and it was only a second later that he arrived at their sides and reached out to Anna's would-be killer to yank her back by the collar, grunting, "Why don't you kindly get yourself out of here before you piss me off?"

He wasn't afraid of hunters, due to lack of experience, something Marissa had always warned him was foolishness -- but who gave a fuck?  No non-vampire could ever be as strong as a vampire anyway, and even if you knew the ways, they weren't easy to kill.  Living creatures, on the other hand, could be slaughtered in comparatively more numerous ways.  He'd already had to swallow his pride by coming here -- he wasn't in the mood for dealing with some self-righteous asshole getting in the way of his business deal, and if this little Van Helsing bitch thought she could take on two vampires alone, she had another thing coming.