Midnight Bliss [Anyone]

[poss]

Crawling growl of the throaty thunder as it erupted overhead, giving way to the droplets of rain that dampened and pooled on the concrete underfoot. Each tread forth splashed audibly, the stainless sheen of those steel toed knee highs was tainted in the debris of the street. The sway of her stride, the lick of the breeze, her fluid motion seemed not to be hindered by the downpour as her squinted eyes cast scrutiny across the overcast skies. Another distant rumble tearing through the humid airflow moments after a blinding flash illuminated the cloud cover and she seemed unaware. A gust of the wind caught the dark tresses of her long damp hair in a fury, whipping swiftly over her shoulders, a few strands casting a veil across her line of sight. The moonlight had faded, given way without a struggle to the weather that cast sheets of moisture across the city in a gray haze-like mist. Drops seemed to sting in an acidic manner as they settled on the bare skin of her face and neck, their icy cool touch like the pierce of individual pinpricks before they beaded and drizzled hell bound over the heaves of her leather jacket. A brilliant white dazzled the vista yet again, the surrounding buildings merely silhouetted, the electrical charge crackling through the skies ruthlessly before diminishing as it faded in to the overcast skies.

Anastasia's confident stride was effortless and swift- hands at her sides, fingertips grazing her thighs as she moved. A streetlamp overhead flickered from existence with a few bursts of intermittent light before diminishing all together. A single birch, growing through a designated circle cut in the concrete, stood between she and the street as she paused. Her figure was slick from the rain as it beaded upon the leather of her jacket, glistening with each burst of lightning, gaze examining the enveloping darkness from the alley across the street to the distance behind her. Hands raised slowly, finding the sides of her jacket as she pulled it tightly around her with a groan from the leather, turning her back to the billowing rain as she sighed softly. Paranoid? You are damn right.

[lucius]

Lucius stood beside the clock atop ZaneCorp Tower, glancing down at the streets below him. He had escaped from the busy affairs of his life for the night to perhaps go have some fun or just see what was going on of late, his blue eyes peering through the rain and haze to see if there was anything interesting down below. An elder vampire as he certainly had rather keen senses, and his eyes could be far more sensitive over distances than many others. Most of the city retreated indoors due to the storm, though; Lucius could not entirely comprehend why. He enjoyed thunder and lightning, and always had in his centuries of deathly life. With each crack of light that flew across the sky, he grinned some, watching it illuminate the city below, casting brief flashes of total visibility in between the long bouts of cold, wet darkness.

One flash of lightning, though, revealed a solitary figure far below near a birch tree, walking through the rain. Interesting. The solitary figure piqued the interest of the vampire, and he decided to go investigate. Taking a few steps forward, he walked off of the top of the tower and began descended quickly towards the ground, slowing just before reaching the bottom and levitating softly onto the ground. Yes, he could float but, sadly, not fly. He started off in the direction that he had noticed the figure, slowly dematerializing into a cloud of mist that blended in nicely with the rest of the mist and rain covering the city. Once close enough, he reappeared in human form and came around a corner, standing now meters from Anastasia. "Awful night to be out and about the streets without an umbrella," he said to announce his presence, offering her his umbrella in a friendly gesture.

His eyes tried to size her up, but he could not exactly tell who or what (profession wise; she most certainly smelled like a human) she was. Had he known she was a cop, Lucius most likely would have been a bit more thoughtful about intruding upon her. He controlled the city's media, and had quite a few of the more corrupt members of the city's police department on his payroll, making him not so popular with the actual 'good' cops, who tended to regard him as a corrupting gangster that they grew frustrated with for being able to find anything on to imprison him for. He always had excuses and alibis, it seemed.

[poss]

Another harsh flash of brilliance illuminated the shrouded streets, the rippling leaves of the birch over head glittering damp as they resisted the wind with a sway of its trunk. By now her fingertips had been kneading at her upper thighs just below her hips, having given up on holding the leather jacket tight around her upper body. Cautious gaze scanned the scene before her with a squint as dropletes clung to her eyelashes and dappled across her face. Long wisps of hair licked at her figure as she stood, the tendrils tracing fine lines over her shoulders and down the slick arms of her leather jacket, teasing along the jaw line and giving way to the breeze with each gust. Musty scents of gasoline and the like were heavy in the humid airflow. Silhouetted figure standing abreast the otherwise solitary tree stood motionless as soft coils of breath seeped from her lip line with a sigh. Movement on the street corner ahead as a pair of people maneuvered from the streets in to a doorway and beyond, the soft click of a latch echoing even over the sound of the rain. Suspicions had already flared in her mind, palm gliding with a seamless caress from her outer thigh to her hip, resting on the butt of her pistol. Why would they be out at this hour? In this weather? It was as it she could taste their crimson essence on the breeze, feel it coil about her and kiss her being without having to spill any of it. Without thought, merely in reaction, the urge to bring them to their knees brought her body rigid, chin raised and lids half drawn over her sultry gaze as she watched the closed door from the distance. Left foot raised from the wet pavement of the sidewalk- a hesitant stride drawing her forth only to cease completely as it touched down. What in the hell was she thinking? Innocent before proven guilty- not the other way around. What was she becoming? Lately she found it better to pull the trigger first and ask questions later. Lets hope this never got back to the head office. Well, its not like all of her kills were recorded by the police. She knew how to keep secrets- and lately she had more secrets than not.

Fingertips, having been hovering over the butt of her gun, now dropped, palms gliding over the slick material over her thighs yet again. Lids fell heavy for a moment, blocking her view of the rainy night scene before lifting again. She loved how the rain could wash away stress with little to no effort on her behalf. As she opened her eyes, the haze rose from the warm asphault like a fog as the clouds continued to release their fury down upon the world. Another crash of thunder crackled overhead, the lighting having gone unseen, and yet it was then that the man spoke. His words caught her off guard- something that was not easy to do. However, confident, she lifted her gaze to meet his without a lick of suspicious evident upon her facial features. Any cop could do it. Lucious Erif. Instant recognition yet still her expression was flawless. A faint curl of her lip line as she smiled with a brief flash of her teeth in friendly gesture of greeting. A slight shrug of her shoulders in response before her soft voice whispered over the gusting winds, "A perfect night for a walk, I must say..." A brief glance in the direction he had appeared from, positive she had not seen him earlier as she stepped under the nearest half of the umbrella. Rain still drizzled down her back, some seeping under the collar of her jacket and slipping down her neck and along her collar bone.

When it came to her profession, it was only her bold confidence that would give any hint. Otherwise, she was perfect at what she was paid to do: be herself. Bare palm of her left hand outstretched to him, slightly damp from the rain, but leaving her right open to go for her gun if need be. She was always this cautious, right now was no different. Perhaps it was not he that she was directly suspicious of, but in her opinion, it only took that split second to be taken by surprise that could end your life. "Nice to meet you Mr. Erif, I believe. I am Anastasia." She offered with the same friendly smile as before, meeting his gaze.

[lucius]

A friendly smile continued to grace the handsome features of the elder vampire as Ana walked towards him and accepted the offer of his umbrella to shield her from the rain. Not that it could have done much more at this point; she was already quite soaked. Nonetheless, it was a congenial comfort he offered, and he was happy she accepted. When she mentioned his name, Lucius showed no sign of surprise or unpreparedness. Not much surprised him these days; nineteen centuries of practice had prepared him for most situations in regard to his identity. After all, he ran one of the city's largest corporations; his face was not a stranger to certain groups of people.

Now all he needed to do was figure out which group she belonged to. His blue eyes scanned her over once; she was certainly delectably attractive. But her profession he could not exactly place. "Anastasia. A beautiful name," he replied as his eyes met her own once more. "I see I am in no need of introduction, it seems, so I shall just say that the pleasure is mine to meet you." He extended his own hand to shake hers, his empathetic skills no reaching out to try ascertain her feelings towards him.

Mistrust. Suspicion. So, not only did she know him, but she obviously did not have too high an opinion of him, unless there was something about her that was just mistrusting of others in general, which was another possible explanation. Lucius decided not to bother himself with it any further; all would reveal itself eventually, he was sure. All it required was patience. "Well, if you do not mind the company, may I walk with you? I always enjoy this weather anyways," said Lucius, genuinely too. Thunderstorms were spectacular to him. The awesome powers of nature revealed. "Where are you of to? I'm more than happy to offer my umbrella's services for your journey."

By avoiding asking what would have been typically an obvious question-- how she knew his name--, he was making it known that he was in no way worried or otherwise perturbed by it, as if it were some casual exchange between the two, which he was certainly making it seem to be. Lucius Erif did not panic easily.

[poss]

The crisp cackle of lightning splitting through the night skies, exposing a washed out view of the streets intermittently during its electric display. Anastasia had a slight weakness when it came to darkness- a true lack of ability to see beyond several feet infront of her before it became fuzzy around the edges. She had tried glasses and contacts before, but they all made it worse. Just a simple case of 'bedtime blindness' as she called it. The glare of the lightning flare caused an absent minded squint reaction, tearing her gaze from his as her hand slipped from his grasp back to her side with a slight tense of her forearm. He was rather stunning, both in the faded details of dusk and the brilliance of the flashing light. It wasn't common for her to even consider such evaluation, usually it was defined attributes that she stashed in to her memory for better recall later on, but when it came to a figure of the media- someone who she already recognized, she let herself wade in the smaller aspects of things. Not to mention, it was her night off duty. A prickle of energy surged through her fingertips in response to his touch after their handshake was released. So he was not as he seemed She had always had a keen sense of power, but this time it was rather unexpected.

Anastasia did not come in contact with vampires very often, but when she did they were usually short lived- and so were the vamps. Each vampire seemed to have their own essence, an energy about them that she could pick up on only through direct contact. She could make a judgement from the force she felt as to how powerful they were, often based on a rather skilled estimate of their age.

Just last year she was a legal vampire hunter. Called in by the feds when they felt they were in over their heads (Why risk a boy in blue when someone else could do it for you?) and by now she already had over two dozen vampire kills on record, and perhaps another dozen off of it. A new bill came in to effect last December that gave vampire hunters a 'badge' and an open opportunity to join the squad rather than stick with their earlier position. Truth was, she only took the offer when she realized that not all vampires were monsters. Already she had a few of them that even to this day she called her friends. And with such a relationship, she wordlessly gave them her protection. They helped her realize that she was one of the monsters, even if she was human.

The prickling of her flesh after releasing his grasp caused a quizzical raise of a brow, peering up at him with a smirk twisting the earlier smile with amusement. Without speaking, surely he would pick up on what it was that she had realized. Ana had heard much of Lucius- but until now, she never knew he was a vampire. Interesting. If he thought she was suspicious earlier.. well let us just hope he doesn't check again. "Mine as well. And certainly you may walk with me- the weather is a rush, wouldn't you say?" Her response held a twist of fresh knowledge, hinting ever so slightly that if it was meant to be a secret.. the gates had been left open. "No where in particular, I just couldn't let up on a chance such as this to relish in the what the storm has to offer. Helps relieve the stresses of the day. And yourself? Where are you headed?"

[lucius]

Whoever she was, Lucius was becoming quite pleased with his pick of company for the night. Ancient as he was, he had met a myriad of interesting people in his lifetime, and always enjoyed meeting more. The feelings coming off of her were perplexing, even a bit conflicting, and continued to fail at giving him a glimpse into exactly what she was. The slight mystery of it was enticing to the elder vampire, and her enchantingly good looks did not hinder his growing fascination with the stranger much at all either. For a man whose purpose in society was the control of information, he felt quite the urge to get the information on the woman now sharing his umbrella during a midnight stroll through a storm.

Perhaps she worked in Nox News? Or was an intern elsewhere in ZaneCorp? No... she did not quite fit the part, and he was sure he would have noticed her by now. Her outfit was one of business; dangerous business at that. The way she was dressed could quite easily conceal weaponry, and usually accompanied those who carried around such weapons in the dark underworld that creatures of the night such as Lucius were a part of. She may have worked with an organization in town, but Lucius did not smell any lycan on her, and vampire covens--especially the Storm Clan--did not usually employ humans to do any muscle work for them. His mind continued along quickly as he thought of the logical conclusions, leading him towards either government employment of some kind--undercover police or special forces--or work with as a hunter of dark creatures like Lucius, either independent or with a guild or council of some type. Either would have knowledge of Lucius Erif-- police for aforementioned reasons, and some hunters because Lucius had been avoiding such a slain fate for almost two thousand years now. Yes, concluded Lucius; those would be the most logical outcomes. He was itching to find out which was true, if either.

And yet she seemed so young for such risks. She could not have been much more than two decades old, he deduced. But, the young always were a tad bit more daring. Perhaps she was well-suited for one of the positions that Lucius concluded she must be in.

"Indeed it is," said Lucius, gazing at her curiously as they released hands and he sensed the interesting tone in her voice. He turned to start walking beside her, his body close enough to feel the heat of hers due to the sharing of the umbrella. "Oh, I was just walking from the park back to my apartment, but I was in no hurry. I was taking my time to enjoy the weather," he said, glancing sideways at her. "And what type of great stresses does a beautiful woman like yourself deal with during the day?" Perhaps it would be easier just figuring out what she was the old fashioned way-- asking.

[poss]

The soft thud of her footfall upon the pavement as her steel toed stainless knee highs glistened under the dim streetlamps that had not yet had their bulbs shattered by vandalism. From what she had heard through the head office- this street, and the few connecting to it, were a center for gang related crime and vandals. She wasn't under cover to reveal some big heist- not high enough in the rankings to even be considered to go in and try to dig out information on ZaneCorp. No, she was simply supposed to look the part of a helpless young woman to bait out the filth of the night. Street crime was her area, much like a traffic cop does, well, traffic.

Walking beside the man, she allowed herself to look him over before they fell in to steady stride, the windswept rain having dampened his clothing as well, yet not nearly as bad as herself. Damp hair tousled over her shoulders and cascading down her back over the form fitting black leather of her jacket. Her right hand remained at her side- finger tips absent mindedly kneading at her upper thigh as they walked, the other hand in her pocket casually. It was the rain that had blessed her with the night off duty- however if she were to witness an act of violence she would surely not hesitate to step in and make her presence be known. No, she wouldn't pull out a badge, or read them their rights. No breaking 'cover'. Simply take control of the situation, ID the suspect and call it in later.

Anastasia had heard of Lucius before on several occasions, yet never directly was she involved in a case, whether police or hunter business, that involved him. Just rumors, gossip, talk around the office and on the streets. It seemed had had his friends and his foes, but she never knew anything in depth that caused concern at the moment.

Gaze washed over the empty streets as they approached a crossing, the streetlights overhead flashing yellow due to the time of night. It was rather quiet tonight- rarely the growl of an engine, not that it could have been heard over the commotion of the clouds overhead. The wind rippled the stream that hugged the curve, rain drops dappling the damp asphault as they walked slowly through the night.

She smiled briefly at his compliment, yet was used to having men attempt to flatter her to find out information. However, she did not feel he was prying, more genuinely interested in the answer than anything. "Well I just moved here. Still do not have an apartment, so I am staying in a motel a few blocks away but it is so grungy I spend as much time away from it as I can. I don't think I have even unpacked anything from my car other than to change and put it back in the suitcase in the backseat." Smirking yet not wanting to bore him with personal information. Surely he was just being a kind gentleman, vampire or not, and wasn't interested in such things. " As for work, though, it isn't that stressful. I am a personal trainer for those that feel they are important enough to pa someone to help them keep in shape." She shrugged lightly, glancing at him, as if about to ask him what he did for a living only to catch herself and stifle a laugh. "No need to bore you with my life story, though." Raising her right hand from her hip to push her fingertips back through her windswept hair to remove the veil of deep hued strands from her line of sight. "Is there anywhere around here that I should keep an eye out for, places of interest? Favorites of yours, perhaps?"

[lucius]

The rain was coming down rather hard now, the wind sweeping it sideways and at times rendering the umbrella rather useless. Lucius had half a mind to use his extremely limited methods of telekinesis to bounce the falling water around the power of them, but it would be excessive and require a bit too much concentration than he was willing to give it right now, his attentions focusing on the woman at his side. He was wearing some slacks, a nice silk black shirt, and a fine, fashionable overcoat-- Lucius could afford the best in clothing and usually wore it. Thus, the fact that it was now getting rather soaked annoyed him somewhat, but such minor annoyances were common throughout his existence and he decided to pay it no mind. Clothes were replaceable; interesting conversations rarely so.

Though, as he thought of it, it was quite often that his clothing managed to get wet, torn, or stained in one way or another when he was out on the streets. Whether he was capturing clawing nekos, unexpectedly finding himself seeking his fangs into an annoying or dangerous person he wandered upon, or in the rain, it tended to be rather regular lately. Whatever slave or servant was in charge of his laundry probably had quite a lot of work cut out for them; he made a mental note to send a reward in thanks next week.

An out-of-towner. Now, that made things even more interesting. Apart from piquing his curiosity in her more, it also meant that she was most likely not entirely tainted by any particular organization in town. A future business opportunity. He made a mental note of that as well as he listened to her. The revelation that she was as-yet homeless caused a frown to form on his face in concern; whether it was genuine or not was up to her to decide. "A grungy motel, hm? Well, that's unfortunate. If you are ever interested, there are open apartments in ZaneCorp Tower and I am more than willing to consider you for a tenant," said Lucius, putting the option on the table for her should she want it. A personal trainer. Neither of the logical conclusions that Lucius had come to. Odd. Perhaps she was not telling the whole truth, or she was just that much of an anomaly. It would take further investigation.

"Bore me? Ah, never. I love learning about new people," said Lucius. He loved learning in general, really. He was an information sponge. As they continued to walk through the rain, he considered her question for a few brief seconds before answering. "Around here? Plenty of places to fill your every desire. I would personally recommend the hottest club in town, Syndicate, or the more relaxed Pub," replied the ancient creature. He actually tended to prefer Club Cyanide, but humans were not permitted there for a multitude of reasons unless they were the slaves of the vampires and demons that frequently occupied the club.

[poss]

The wind blown tresses of her hair were heavy from the rain, strands clinging to the flesh of her jawline and neck as they walked against the airflow. Squinting her eyes as the droplets stung on her cheeks- more acidic in feel than what would be expected. The umbrella seemed utterly useless at times- the changes in direction of the wind whipping the rain around them in a coiling swarm of wet and cold. However, beneath the plush leather of her black jacket and the heavy material of her pants she was nearly unaffected.

If he were to have used any sort of power while they walked, her reaction may put this meeting to an end, or turn the tables and churn the waters from friendly to a stand off. She was uncertain of herself around vampires enough as it was- a few friends here and there, and already the head office was suspicious of her behaviors. Ana realized she would have to start being more careful when it came to pulling a weapon on someone, or sh would be the one behind bars. Or without a job. The latter would be much easier to deal with.

Once upon a time, in a far off place- oh wait, it wasn't that far, it was the neighboring city, and while we are being truthful let us admit it was only a few months ago- she knew a man whom she referred to as The Reaper. Trustworthy, loyal, yet deadly. She knew that even though their friendship was strong, if things ever left them staring down the barrel at one another, that man wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. Truth was, he would like any excuse to do so, he just hadn't found one that fit just yet. The Reaper likes big game hunting- that is how he referred to vampire and lycans. They were more of a challenge. Anastasia was only a human- not much of a challenge, so he would give her clear warning, but in the end, she knew she could never win a shoot out against him.

The Reaper was exactly what she had thought she could never be. A ruthless killer- someone who would aim for the head and never have a second thought. Over the last few months, she cut the strings. Moved to a new city, more than once, and now she found herself here. A new police squad. In a way- a new beginning. She wanted to change who she was, become a better person, but she was finding it harder and harder to fight the urge to pull the trigger first and ask questions later.

Just these thoughts had taken her from reality for a brief moment, and she found her right hand hovering over the butt of her gun yet again- far from casual about it. Gaze flashed from the wet pavement infront of her, to Lucius. Cautious, yet attempting to remain cool. Smirking, holding his gaze momentarily as she responded with a tad of sarcasm, "I may have to take you up on that offer, I just hope these apartments aren't too far out of my price range." Offering a wink before slowing her pace to cross the street as a car passed by, water from the curb splashing at their feet. "I have never been one to go to a club- I often find myself getting more frustrated and can't seem to have any fun." She almost mentioned 'because I am there on duty' but reminded herself of who she was supposed to be. "I guess I just don't know the right people." She hoped that following the topic would take the attention off her her recent actions that were rather uncalled for.

[lucius]

Lucius had never had much of an affinity for leather, unlike many of his vampiric brethren and, indeed, most of the denizens of the underworld which his kind inhabited. It just never felt nor fit right on him. He owned a few leather coats, of course, but nothing more than that. His tastes were very much refined, as part of the aristocratic pedigree he had been used to ever since his human days as a member of the Roman elite. So very long ago. So, he always tended to prefer the more comfortable and refined tastes of fashion; silks and other fine cloth. And, it tended to fit his style much better than others.

Alas, it did have the problem of getting awfully useless in a storm, with the water seeping through it rather easily to soak his body. Again, not that he minded it much. He enjoyed the rain; soaking in its wonder had a certain sense of cleanliness about it. A baptism in night. He remembered it was raining the night that he was turned, on the battlefield in what was now southern France. So very long ago...

His own drifting thoughts were suddenly pulled back to reality as he felt an alarming feeling emanating from the beautiful woman at his side. It was a heightened sense of animosity, fear, loathing of some type... He could not exactly placed the feeling, but it was not friendly in the least. The elder vampire's blue eyes drifted over her, noticing her hand reaching towards her coat. She most certainly was armed, which of course meant that in all likelihood she was not some mere personal trainer. Yet, despite these disturbing feelings he felt from her, he did not get the sense that any of it was directed towards him, which only perplexed him even more.

On top of it all, his handsome features and his body's tensions did not change in the least at her sudden, seemingly hostile movements. Lucius was not one to panic easily nor worry of things; sudden attacks, even from those with perceived friendly intentions, had been a common thing to him over the centuries. It would be of little difference or consequence if she for some reason pulled a weapon on him as well; he felt he was capable of handling himself, despite his lack of wanting to do so. He was quite enjoying the company, and was somewhat relieved as she seemed to relax a small bit again.

"Well, they are rather nice apartments with an excellent view, but I might be able to work in a discount of some sort," he replied with a chuckle, showing no overt acknowledgements of her recent actions. "Oh? Frustrated and no fun? Well, that's a crime. You shall have to come to one of the clubs with me when you have the time, then. I promise I'm a good person to know to make it enjoyable," said the ancient vampire, winking in her direction once with a mischievous grin on his face as they crossed the street.

[poss]

He was right when he assumed that her violent intentions earlier were not aimed at him, but you see when you have a problem with remaining in a state of mind where you can tell rght from wrong- all is safe. It is that moment when the adrenaline takes over, surging through your veins. The first pull of the trigger is always only the beginning. And what is all this talk about bullets.. we forgot to mention Anastasia's weapon of choice. The blades. On her body she carried at least five blades at all times. Another reason she hated going to the clubs lately- their metal detectors always caused a big scene at the door, and she rarely remembered, or wanted, to disarm herself simply for the reason of having a good time.

To be honest, she much more comfortable with a weapon in her hand. Whether it be the hilt of one of her blades, of the butt of her gun, it has a cool calming effect on her. Safety. As a human, she had no other way to defend herself, other than staying out of bad situation all together, but what was the fun in that? Her gaze held his momentarily as they walked, her palm sliding over the pistol grip before her hands found the material of her pants, then the fingers of each hand entwined behind her. Keep them busy, and not empty, unfortunately this would be the split second difference between being ready and being occupied that could be her only lifeline. Trying to get a sense of the moment, she searched his eyes before looking back to the street. He didn't seem hostile in anyway, but the surge of power she had felt- the energy that had prickled her skin when they shook hands, told her he was no new born vampire. He had over a thousand years on him, yet it was beyond her to be any more specific. After one thousand years, things were different- and she could feel it. A different n power, or perhaps, just their ability to carry themselves as they wished with few flaws in the mask they hid behind. A few months ago, she would have said 'they are allmonsters' but these days.. she was beginning to rethink her theories.

Ah, leather. It was not her favorite material either. She disliked the feel ofit against her skin, and the groan of it when it was worked. The jacket was bought simply to do as it does now: keep her dry. But the original thought was to keep her dry from blood, not rain. So far, it did the trick. A drizzle had found its way down her spine from the collar that she had forgotten to upturn, but the damage had already been done- no point in fidgeting with it now. A brief moment of calm as sheets of rain in the distance washed over the pavement yet they were blocked by the large buildings on either side of them. The darkness was inky black, almost liquid it seemed so thick- but that could have just been her eyes. Their adjustment to low light was a big downfall, especially since she spent most of her time awake through the darkest of hours, catching sleep in the late morning.

"Well I wouldn't want to impose, but I must say that does sound rather appealing. I am getting rather annoyed with living in Motels- My car is not only more comfortable but it is where I find myself keeping everything anyways. I guess I just have trust issues." She said with a smile that brightened in to a grin. A moment of hesitation before she responded further, "Well I guess I find it difficult to have fun when I am around... too many vampires at once." Gaze meeting his as her pace slowed slightly, hair still heavy from the rain and pull over one shoulder.

[lucius]

Skyscrapers and other buildings surrounding them now as they walked through the streets of the large city helped to block out a lot of the rain, causing the load upon them to be somewhat lighter and the umbrella that Lucius held to actually be of some use. Of course, occasionally the buildings served as a hindrance, wind tunnels forming within a few of them and pounding the pair with near-horizontal downpours, but these were not too often. As it was, Lucius was already soaked enough for it to not make much of a difference to his well-being anyways. Ah, the joys of modernity. Nearly two thousand years he had walked the other and the human race had yet to invent anything more efficient than an umbrella to block rain.

While originally unconcerned about being soaked, his mind did briefly go over whatever might have been in his pockets that could get soaked. Lucius very rarely carried any weapons with him, finding them unnecessary at times. When violence was called for, he rarely did any of the fighting himself; he was a middle man and a good speaker-- others usually fought on his behalf. Occasionally, when circumstances demanded it of him, he would wield a gun-- his enhanced senses offered him a rather fine shot. Centuries ago, he used to be exceptional with a sword, but lately all he ever wielded a blade for was classical fencing, a sport he enjoyed and engaged in often. Therefore, he had little to worry about wet weaponry on his person. He supposed his wallet was replaceable.

"Oh, it would not be an imposition in the slightest. In fact, I insist! I'm sure you'd be an excellent tenant," said Lucius. In regards to her trust issues, he momentarily debated explaining about the massive vault complex beneath the tower where he stored many precious items, but then thought against it. He, too, had trust issues, and she may have just been some incredibly skilled and convincing con artist trying to gain access to his treasures like so many others had in the past.

A curious, somewhat put-off expression briefly passed over the handsome face of the elder vampire as he contemplated her words. They were understandable, for a human, he supposed. But, a smile reappeared once more on his lips as his gaze locked with hers. "Why is that? Scared of... us?"

[poss]

Both arms rested behind her, fingers entwined at her lower back, walking beneath the umbrella as the winds churned with a howl and a hiss between the large buildings. Damp pavement reflected the bursts of light that shattered the liquid darkness intermittently from the heavens. The sound of passing cars echoing against the thick walls and down the lengths of the asphalt streets was audible now that they were out of the direct wind. For this hour, the city was oddly quiet. Perhaps it was the rain, but one could never be too sure. The forecast seemed to be calling for chances of rain tomorrow as well, and the thought of yet another night off duty was relaxing just to consider it a possibility.

When it came to violence Ana held her own- no one stood up to fight for her or protect her and even if they tried, she rarely allowed to be pushed to the side to watch. She was a hands on kind of girl. And a dangerous one at that. Perhaps that is what the other officers on the force didn't like about her. The way she took charge of situations and protected those around her even if they felt they didn't need it. Well, maybe that wasn't everything. Not only did head office have a hunch that she had several off record kills that she was unwilling to admit to, but she had not that long ago been dating the 'enemy'. You see, not that many human police officers are fond of vampires. Not enough to consider friendship... let alone a romantic relationship. The vampires name was Lex. He ran a few of the clubs down town in a neighboring city to this one. Suspected of many crimes, yet never could they find any evidence to prove he was guilty. In the beginning, she was simply sought after by him, and she took the opportunity to use his trust against him. In the end, they had a few too many things in common and found themselves caught up in eachother, but she had to move on. Were they in love? Well, Lex would say so, but Ana had never yet allowed herself to experience such emotions. She saw them as weaknesses if you get too caught up in them.

Anastasia's pockets held very little of importance- she carried no cash, no wallet or ID, only a few clips of extra ammo and a cellphone. Surely the cellphone was drenched by now, but it was not like she planned on using it any time soon anyways. Usually it was just head office calling, but they were also the ones who would replace the phone when it was water damaged, so no worries there. And lastly, a key card to her motel, and a key chain that included the ignition key for her car. Her car. The only materialistic object that she held close to her. Her fathers old '69 Boss 302. Handed down to her when he passed away only two years ago, it was his lifelong project and the apple of his eye. Completed only a few months before he was died while off duty, yes he was a cop as well, in a car accident while the passenger in a friends truck. The last direct connection to who she was, and it was all taken away from her before she was even 19.

She couldn't help but smirk in amusement at his comment of her being an excellent tenant. Let us not describe the condition of her last few apartments before she was asked to leave. Bullet holes and bloody carpets say anything to you? She wasn't too fond of uninvited night time visitors.. but was always ready for them. Lucius' first true change of expression in response to her words amused her as well and she paused their slow walk beneath the flickering light of a dim streetlight, turning to face him with a bold grin. "I am sure it is more often than not.. the other way around." Hands unclasped behind her as the crisp caress of the wind licked at her figure, casting a devious veil of dark tresses across her line of sight. Fingertips pressed back through her hair over her scalp in a failed attempt to rid them from her face.

[lucius]

For his part, Lucius thought little of the notions of love and rarely allowed emotions to block his thoughts much. It was bad for business. Had he felt love in the past? Yes, something like it; it was an intoxication that usually tended to end up going poorly eventually. Love clouded someone's actions and distorted their thoughts. It was not only illogical, but it got in the way of logic. Yet, it had its uses. Others fell in love quite well, especially the humans. The got emotionally attached to other people or objects, meaning that something or someone had a special, inexplicable power over them that could quite easily be exploited to bend or other manipulate them to one's every will. Some people were willing to do anything for this notion of love, and Lucius had indeed used that relevant fact in the past when he had to turn to force to deal with some people and get what he wanted.

As their footsteps came to a halt beneath a street light and its annoying habit of flickering on and off--Lucius had half a mind to buy the utilities company and get it all fixed up, as inefficiency bothered him a great extent--the elder vampire turned and gazed curiously at the human police officer. An intrigued smile settled onto the handsome face of the ancient being, wanting to hear more of her bold statement. Here it was. An opportunity to, perhaps, get beneath the mask she was wearing and find out what she really was. It was quite an enticing revelation. "Oh? And, pray tell, what do vampires have to fear in a delectable creature as yourself?" he asked in response, his tongue wetting his upper lip once as he looked curiously at her.

The rain around them continue to pour, a few cracks of lightning illuminating the sky and granting momentary bits of complete light around them. Lucius was now, as aforementioned, soaked to the bone, but it did not seem to affect him in any way. He could not get cold or sick from it; such immunity was a benefit of the vampiric type of immortality. Thus, he was in no hurry to dry himself. His cellphone was specially made to be rather water resistant, anyways. It was a very special advice that respond only to either his touch or voice command, and controlled much of the technology in ZaneCorp tower and had direct link with some of his company's telecommunications satellites hovering up in space. It was the only possession he prized that he actively carried around with him, solely for the absolute convenience it afforded him.

[poss]

Anastasia was not easly impressed, especially when it came to the use of money when mistaken for power. One could be filthy rich and still not have a head on their shoulders. Not enough intelligence to put it to good use- their sense of power that is. And she wasn't exactly a fan of the dimwitted. These days people seemed to mistake money for a lot of things, and along with these assumptions they expected to be treated differently than the middle or lower class people. To buy the electric company simply so that that specific persons path could be lit wherever they walked was one thing, but to consider it in a way that Erif here had, taking in consideration how he could improve the efficiency- well that would have impressed her. He was truly interesting, in both how he carried himself, and the fact that he actually used the head that was on his shoulders, and not the other one.

The high pitched buzz of the bulb overhead would have, on nights with better conditions, attracted moths and the like to swarm the street. Luckily, the rain that poured relentlessly from the overcast skies, and drizzled down the nape of her neck, prevented that tonight. His curious gaze was met by hers, quizzical raise of one brow as her lip line curled in to an amused smirk. If he thought he was going to find out she was a police officer, he was wrong. She had no problems revealing her past, in truth, especially if she was not surrounded by the monsters. Oh wait, the vampires. With Lucius standing here before her, however, and the sensory image of her generalized estimation of his age.. she wasn't too sure what to expect. With the vamps under one thousand, it was much easier to come to a quick conclusion of what to expect. It wasn't simply their imperfection of skill and power, it was exactly how much power they possessed. Erif here, had quickly become a mystery to her.

Gaze licked at the darkness from one side to the side, up and down the street upon which they stood. No one seemed to inhabit this section of the city other than themselves. Odd, even with the rain, usually a few stragglers could be seen every block. Could there be a reason for the silence of the night? Ana was beginning to wonder if he had a bunch of flunkies following close by to ensure nothing got out of hand. Yet perhaps.. he thought she was merely one human. One insignificant patron of the streets who would be as helpless as a newborn child in comparison. Well, that was half true- if she never had any weapons, which suddenly began to feel heavier on each limb, marking their presence in her mind to assure herself that each one was in place. If she never had any of the objects that were currently hidden on her figure, then she would be helpless. And unless he suspected who she was (Some of the vampires seemed to have a nickname for her on the streets that she just recently had picked up on. The Executioner.) he would have no reason to assume she would be so heavily armed. Eyes cast scrutiny over the man before her, obviously looking him over as he stood beneath the umbrella with her. No sense of hostility, only the lingering remnant of the power that she had felt upon their physical contact during the hand shake. A mystery.

Smirk faded to a smile as she met his eyes again, true confidence beaming as she responded to his question with a sultry gaze. "To put it simply.. Me." It had nothing to do with her current occupation, it was merely the fact that a single human had taken down so many vampires- both young and ancient, in such a short time. Perhaps, however, they would have feared her more several months ago before she began considering the vampires as less of a monstrosity, less of a walking corpse and more of a living creature, but that did not mean that she would hesitate to slaughter one that crossed her. Officer or not, she based most of her actions out of respect. You respect her, and not just those that she cares for, but those she has expanded her protection to (Whether they know it or not, from other officers and friends to the general public) then she will return the favor- but step on any toes and it may be the last midnight stroll you will ever experience. "But I am sure someone as... old as yourself, wouldn't have anything to worry about.. would you?" A bold statement at that, as she questions his motives for the night. Dripping with sarcasm as the night did with cold.