This kitten has claws

Quinn had been fascinated with sailing when he was but a small boy, a young man on the cusp of life’s great and despairing adventures. The way the blue water of his home town of Boston had sped this beautifully crafted piece of machinery had always been a thrill for him to watch - this hunter had blue eyes akin to the bluest of waters and it was quickly becoming a problem that he couldn’t seem to shake. Turning his gaze down to the dirty street bed, confused at the ashamed feeling in his chest, his own dark eyes followed as leaves tumbled on the ground in the autumn breeze; anything to get away from that perplexing azure gaze. “But you are beautiful, Hunter, and I too wonder who would win in a fight to the death.” He had a very vague sense of foreshadowing then; he wouldn’t be able to kill death - not a death that looked the way she did. He couldn’t go out without a fight, however, and perhaps she couldn’t kill him without the honor even he deserved. Shying away from the scrutiny, Quinn turned his back on the girl, crossing his arms and staring at the restaurant across the street from them. She wouldn’t be able to sneak up on him but in his childlike action he would be hidden from those eyes. “I shall not look at you. I shall stay here with no dignity to muster, of course. You decide how this night shall end.” He was soft, he realized then, and he would show mercy to this girl he barely knew; this was akin to something from long ago - a beautiful Dove who hadn’t had the time that she deserved - and his shoulders slumped in confusion at his reaction. This was not the time for vague senses of softness and mercy; this was the time to kill. 

His confusion set off alarms in his head and he turned, once again, in search of the blue eyes he’d disowned only a moment ago. “What are you, hunter? Why do you make me feel this way? I should be ripping out your throat by now! Or, at the very least, chasing you down alleyways in an attempt to give you a way out! This, dear hunter, is not honorable. I do not like this..” He huffed out a long breath that he didn’t need, his hands coming up to wind in his hair as he paced back and forth; studying the perplexing girl. 

The huntress, unlike what some hunters might have claimed, remembered every single kill that she made. It wasn’t for sentimental or emotional reasons—it was because each and every kill was an opportunity. A lesson to be learned. The techniques used in one could easily translate over and the errors that occurred that caused injuries might easily have caused death against a more able foe. When she was the Cat, there was an air of cockiness about her because she knew that she was damn good at what she did. Long hours had been spent learning everything she needed to know all on her own, using only her father’s journals as the point of reference. There was nothing more she could do, no one she could turn to. It was a lonely woman in a world that was ignorant to the danger they were against. Fighting against each other, humans didn’t even know that they were being attacked by a far greater threat than each other. And someone she had single handedly taken on the mission to protect them because between the desire for revenge was a wish that no one else had to become like her. A band of solidarity joined all the hunters she came across because their stories were all the same—there was inevitably a loss that forced them into this life. No one chose it. It was thrust upon them because to go down this path, one had to have absolutely nothing left to lose. Each and every night she put her entire life of the line, knowing that it might be her last. There might be no tomorrow, no next kill. Some got lucky and made it to the next and others didn’t. In situations like that, it was important to remember each and every second of the kill because it was all too easy to get caught up in the moment and lose track of her own behavior. That was the danger of violence—though there was a thrill that came with the hunt that was addictive, she needed to keep it at bay because otherwise, she would make a mistake and it would cost her a lot.

Rashel didn’t know what was going through his mind as he looked away. The man’s name was one she didn’t know but the huntress was antsy to begin. To follow him into the alleyway and have the fight that somehow she suspected would be a good one. Though the words were ones that she had heard before, coming from him they seemed different. Perhaps there was a lace of disappointment that he would have to kill her despite her ‘beauty’ and that just fired her up that much more. It seemed however, that there was something more going on because his back was turned to her, and he told her to kill him. Confusion should have been what she felt, but instead Rashel simply stayed with her guard high. With vampires there was no saying and she wasn’t about to get caught up in whatever mind game he was playing. Perhaps he wanted her to make the first move and this was a trap to lure her into that mistake. In a hunt it was always wrong to the make the first move in haste. And just as he turned, he was back around facing her. Her expression was blank before a smirk fell upon her features. “If you’ve controlled your raging teenage hormones, let me know. I’m just itching to kill you and I can’t do that without at least some engagement from your side. Come on, make it exciting for me.” She tempted.

“Doesn’t that make the hiding process more difficult? Wouldn’t it be too risky? Being caught while trading places?” She asked, not sure of how they had really ended in this subject, but it was an interesting one. “We’ll find him, dogs are really smart” She assured her. “Someone has to, there’s no point in just being depressed and moody, things can be good or bad, but I like to think great things will come… eventually”

“Not necessarily—you just have to be good at picking the right time to switch. Otherwise definitely. Any good seeker will catch on if you aren’t careful.” The topic was one that could easily be extrapolated to include a lot more than a simple game of hide and seek. But the other seemed not to pick up on the hints, as Rashel was almost certain the other vampire she had run into would have. He would easily have detected that she was a huntress but this girl couldn’t—whether it was because she was ignorant or truly a human was left to discover. “Well good thing they are because I’m not.” She joked, laughing while nodding. “That’s a really amazing view you have in this world—certainly a rare one.”

{{        

               Happily, Iliana threw her jacket over the back of the seat and  sat down, setting

                her purse on the floor in front of her feet. She looked around again, nodding to

               the woman’s words. The line was long, she wouldn’t be able to eat for another 

               half hour, plus, and just the thought of that gave her a pain in her stomach from

               hunger. Reluctantly, she nodded again, deciding to just eat the other woman’s food. 

               She wasn’t making a big deal out of it anyway. So Iliana moved the plate closer

               to her, said okay and thank you, and started taking a bite. 

                               ❛ Thanks again. This is s o good. ❜

Rashel would never have eaten the food someone else offered her just off principle. Though one thing was certain—the woman before her wasn’t a vampire. That was one species off the check list and for the huntress, it was the most important one. Unless she was a lamia of course. But even then it seemed unlikely that she would indulge in something as simple as cheesy fries when there were so many humans around. Her blue hues were fixated on the other, studying her movements and features, committing them to memory for future reference. When the other looked up, speaking highly of the food once again, Rashel quickly adjusted her features to reflect a smile. “I know right. I mean I’ve had cheesy fries before, but never this good.”

She followed her daughter after hesitating for a moment. Part of her was proud of the person her daughter had become. She seemed so strong and confident, like she didn’t need anyone to take care of her. However the other part of Ruby could only ever be saddened by that. Rashel shouldn’t need to take care of herself, she never should have. Her daughter had become who she was out of necessity, and that was something Ruby would never forgive herself for. She wasn’t quite sure if she’d be able make peace with it either. “Once we find him, maybe we could go to the mall together? We could get him a little bed for your apartment and a collar.” She offered. Her motivations were hardly selfless; she was eager for anything that would bring her daughter a sense of normality aside from hunting. She wanted Rashel to feel at home, and since she’d found her she was always looking for an excuse to spend time with her. She knew that if she agreed it would still be far from a regular mother-daughter day at the mall, but it would give them a chance to talk, so Ruby remained hopeful. 

Rashel knew what Ruby was trying to do and a part of her wanted to appreciate the efforts but the other wanted to just laugh. That side of her won out and though her intention was hardly for it to be as harsh as it came out, life had hardened her. It made all her actions rough around the edges even when she didn’t mean for them to be. And she wasn’t sure if her mother would know or understand that about her or perhaps she would misunderstand the callousness and put a distance. Rashel wasn’t sure if that was what she wanted or not, but regardless the presence of her mother in her life definitely provided her with enough confusion to last the rest of her life time. But the laughter that escaped her lips was an incredulous one, almost at the edge of being a scoff. “I’m hardly home so a collar wouldn’t be useful. And I don’t even know where I’d put a bed in my apartment. It’s tiny. He just sleeps on mine.” She wasn’t sure if her mother knew what she did, or even if she knew what her husband had done. And she wasn’t sure if she ought to tell her mother that she was the Cat that all the vampires in the Night World feared. Granted she was quite proud of her title and the reputation that far preceded her but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to out that to the woman who she could only imagine wasn’t as used to this life as Rashel was. The one of lies and easy deception. “But thanks for the suggestion.” She tried to be nicer, to be less abrasive with her words, but it was a difficult task for the huntress who deep down was likely still upset with the woman.

“I’m talking to you, that’s my excuse. But let’s just say I’m hungry too.”

“What a witty man you are. How hilarious. If you’re hungry, why don’t you just eat. Or are you one of those people who doesn’t eat what I eat.”

Sarah paused for a minute, thinking “I recognise that name, but I can’t put a face to it,” she shrugged a little, perks of being antisocial right? Must have seen this Noelle around somewhere right? “Mhm,” Sarah said nodding “Drawing, painting, occasionally making jewellery usually - I’m not terribly wild,”

“It’s a pretty common name, but I don’t know about the size of the student body at the university.” Rashel said, easily lying to the woman. Perhaps someone else would have worried at the ease but she didn’t. It was her daily routine truth be told. “That sounds amazing. I’ve never been too much of an artist myself but I always appreciated the talent.”

“Do you need help searching for him?”

“Help would be great. I mean I guess I could go to a witch. Do they do locating spells? Is that how this magic thing works? I never thought I’d be saying that without sounding crazy and here I am saying it with a complete straight face.”

“Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.”

“I’m just really hungry, and they are taking forever with my burger.  What’s your excuse?”

“Have you seen a kitten wondering about? Small, black, goes by the name of Tiggy?” 

“Have you tried the shelter? They take in strays or what they think are strays.”

“Guess again. Who knows? You may just get it right. Though, they do say that third times the charm.” Quinn danced in a small circle, his arms up as his feet tapped a slow rhythm on the street, suddenly gleeful in this little guessing game as he turned to face the woman who now stood a few paces from him. Her next question threw him for a loop and his smile disappeared as he was, once again, reminded that, yes, this was his existence. “I lost that long ago, blue eyes.” His smile suddenly manic, a soft sort of sadness to it, his hands twitched by his sides in a nervous sort of flutter. He was tense, ready for a fight, but he knew better than to make the first move with such a trained hunter. “We’re not so different, you and me. We’ve both lost things - I more than you. Survival Instinct flies away after awhile. I do what I do and it feels good - you do what you do and you enjoy it. I have a feeling we both like to walk on the wilder side of life; you may just have a little more motivation than me.” Clapping his hands, delighted that he could read so much from just their small interaction, Quinn pointed back towards the alley. “The dog is awaiting your arrival, miss. Why don’t we go find him now?” He had figured her out, had his fun, and now he wanted her in his hands, at his mercy, as he drained her dry of the life he so desperately craved. 

There was something sadistic about his actions, and Rashel felt the thrill of the hunt slowly taking over. Because there was no doubt in her mind that the very aspects that she picked up about him that led her to knowing he was a vampire had allowed him to figure out her true identity as well. He seemed to be smarter than most vampires who were just satisfied with finding a unused vein to actually figure out if they were stepping into a trap or not. What made this that much better was that she hadn’t even planned it—spontaneity was her favorite after all. “I’m pretty good with reading people and you definitely strike me as a serial killer.” And in many senses he was. Others used axes and guns, he used his teeth. It was some weird type of killing, literally draining the life out of the other person. His response confirmed in her mind that they were both on the same page. The undertone of knowledge and the pretense of ignorance had been dropped, both completely aware that they both knew each other’s true identity. It was the first time she saw a vampire with a sob story which was what it seemed like he was going to give her. But nothing he said was about to make her falter—she had heard it all. His analysis however did. That was the problem that made her ease up quickly. Because everything he said was true, and it wasn’t as if others hadn’t been able to pick that much out. All hunters had a common thread of loss that wove them together. But she somehow hated hearing that they were the same, hearing from his mouth that whatever he thought he lost measured up at all to her loss. Instead of making that clear, she simply shrugged. “I’ve never had survival instinct to begin with, which is why I’m about to follow the serial killer into the dark alley. Wonder which one of us will walk back out?”

“I see,” Sarah said with a nod, “Must be nice, what’s their name, maybe I know them?” Not that Sarah was terribly social or anything, but she might know them from passing by. “Yes, I am,” The strawberry blonde haired girl confirmed “I’m an art major,”

“Noelle.” Rashel said, giving the fake name that Nyala used. She was of course Rachel but for the most part, the huntress avoided introducing herself or giving her name. Though now it wasn’t as much of an issue as it had been in the past. “Wow, art. Are you an artist as well?”

After everything that had happened between them, and after everything that hadn’t happened, it felt strange for them to be speaking about something like this. She should have been there when Rashel got her first dog. She would have been a little girl, and Ruby would have gone to a shelter with her, holding her hand while she picked one out. But that would never happen. The had lost so manny opportunities, but she was there now. The least she could do was help her daughter search. “We could go back there, maybe get leave some food outside your apartment in case he comes back?” 

“Yeah that sounds like a good idea.” Rashel had grown up hating vampires, and everything that they represented. It was a fact of life for her and it was difficult to just be rid of such prejudices. So there was a lot of dissonance in her mind whenever she saw her mother and it was something the young huntress did not like. Consistency was key and there wasn’t the luxury of faltering in her line of work. She had to believe that every single vampire was horrible if she was to drive her stake through their dead hearts—but her mother made her question those convictions and that was what made everything that much riskier for Rashel. Falling into a silence, she began on her way towards Hungry Harry’s.

“Well I also think that staying still in the same position for a long time can be tiring, and I like moving, so it wasn’t really too hard to choose. Is this your first pet? How old do you think he is? I’m sure he knows what he’s doing, maybe he’s not used to have an owner and still considers himself a free dog. Maybe he’s around, is their food good?”

“You don’t have to stay in the same place while you hide but I agree—I like hunting better. Yeah it’s my first pet. I was never the nurturing type which is why I never actually tried before. I have no idea where he is though.” Granted she also hadn’t really had a conventional childhood that would have allowed for a pet but that wasn’t necessary information. “You know that’s alright with me. I might be worrying for no reason. It’s refreshing to run into an optimist in this town.”

Throwing his head back slightly as an unguarded laugh escaped from his broad chest, Quinn had to admit that he hadn’t laughed like that in twenty years or more, he nodded absently in appreciation for her intelligence and the offhanded gruesome comment. “I wouldn’t be sending your left earlobe if I was picking body parts, by the way. It would be something more distinguishing; my favorite something, if you will,” he replied offhandedly. He moved in closer, guarded as he was to get close to the fellow predator before him as he knew that she wouldn’t be backing down from this challenge, he kept his palms open, nonthreatening (not that he needed his palms when he had other natural talents; teeth, legs, speed on his side), until he was before the girl, an inch or two away. “Let me go first then, chicken.” A taunt, a challenge, as he moved his head slightly down to speak lowly to her, to add an extra punch into his taunt, before turning on his heel and heading towards the alleyway in question. His back towards the girl, Quinn wasn’t stupid or cocky with this one and he kept his eyes fixed on her while still keeping watch of his surroundings around him. “Who knows, blue eyes, maybe you’re the one who wants to lure me in this alleyway - with your story of the dog lost. Maybe the dog is your partner and this is some elaborate scheme.” There was a very small possibility that the this was actually the case but he didn’t think the girl was going for that tonight; something told Quinn that she was highly clever - enough to come up with a scheme like that. 

Had Rashel been functioning as the Cat in that moment, she would have had a smirk pressed upon her features. Her hands were already itching to go for the stake because she had finally identified his type. She knew he was a vampire from the second that his eyes fell upon her neck but the words, the laughter, it all made her understand precisely what type of vampire he was. Now she was not someone who would dare argue that there was anything that could be called a good vampire—it’s why she was struggling with her mother’s transformation so much—but there were some that were worse than the rest. And everything about him had convinced her that he fell into that category. The degree for error was quite generous in her evaluations though, but she was rather confident this time that she had correctly placed the man. “That right there gives me crazy serial killer vibes.” Rashel said with a seemingly innocent smile, though at this point they were just playing a game of cat and mouse. She was almost certain he had gone and sized her up, seen through the temporary façade. Any other person would have faltered, would have stepped back when he closed in, but not Rashel. Her blue hues flashed up to meet his, not taking a single step back because it was as if each and every action, every single word was meant to ebb her on. And though she was no idiot to fall for the taunts and make the first move, it definitely made her certain she would enjoy this kill more than anything else. Ralph hadn’t been an excuse, but somehow it worked out that she both got to find her dog and rid the world of another miserable leech. It seemed like a good day to her. “Such a brave man.” She threw back, staying right where she was. “Continuing on even in the face of potential danger. Where’s your survival instinct?”

{{ 

                               ❛ Oh, no! I couldn’t take your food from you.

                                                     But I will take your word and get myself some. ❜

                 Iiana shook her head to the woman’s offer, rather than taking her food she 

                 glanced around for a waitress, then at the long line at the stand-in order. 

                  She frowned. Iliana pointed to the seat in front of the woman, 

                              ❛ Do you mind? ❜

Rashel motioned to the seat before her, nodding that the blonde could take a seat there. “If you’re sure. But it really isn’t a big deal because the line is huge and I won’t be able to finish all of this anyways.” The portion sizes were far too large and her capacity for eating had never been too high. Probably because her body was used to going days without food and growing up not necessarily able to always get it on a daily basis.