Rhona fumbled with her purse in the chilly night air, and then stopped abruptly. She had walked too far, she was sure of it. She looked up, clearing her dark hair from her eyes, and frowned. "Now where..." she trailed off. She'd left from the building and walked in the absolute wrong direction to her car. She looked up at the street sign, and sighed. She wasn't familiar enough with the area she was in, but she figured if she just backtracked, she'd be fine.
After twenty minutes of walking, she was cold, which was a negative since she was Serpiente and naturally gravitated towards the heat, and she was also very lost. She sighed a little, and headed back towards the office building she'd left. A tug on the door told her that they'd already locked up and left for the day, and then sun had long since set in the winter schedule.
She dug around in her purse for her phone. She'd just call a taxi, she supposed.
Father Dantes stood on the rooftop savoring the cold night air. He felt around,trying to sense if there was a sinner nearby. He was devoting more mental energy these days to staying hidden than he usually did, trying to avoid another brawl in the middle of the city. Though his wounds had been slight, he was not in a hurry to tangle with another of his brethren, especially not when there were so many demons about.
Something strange in the air...Dantes sniffed, as much with his nose as with his searching mind. There was a woman on the street below, but he wasn't sure what she was. Part of his mind was screaming shifter, demon! But another part was whispering faithful, innocent....
Well, there was only one way to be sure. He concentrated on the source of the power, and teleported. He appeared behind her and quietly advanced on her. Normally he would have simply run The Paladin through her back, then put a bullet in her head and been off. But not tonight, not this one, something was different...
He watched as she turned down and alley, knowing that it was a dead end. He followed, the feeling of this one was too strange to act rashly. He watched as she realized her error and attempted to turn around, only she couldn't because Father Dantes was blocking her path.
"Why hello there my dear...isn't it a bit late for you to be wandering the streets alone...terrible things could happen to one such as yourself at this hour"
Dantes loosened his power a bit more...seeking...probing...she was surely a shifter, but she was shockingly innocent, and to make matters worse for the Priest, he could see a gold crucifix gleaming around her throat in the glow of a dirty streetlight.
Rhona growled as she found herself in an alley. They always LOOKED like through streets until you got right on them, with the lack of streetlights and whatnot. What were her taxes going to, anyways? She turned around, and let out a little gasp as the silhouette of Father Dantes became clear in her vision.
"Why hello there my dear...isn't it a bit late for you to be wandering the streets alone...terrible things could happen to one such as yourself at this hour."
"I..I.." she stuttered, and then took a step back. She smiled a little, though it was nervous, and pulled her coat more tightly around her. Rhona was a pretty woman, and though she was dressed in a long wool peacoat, jeans and a sweater, some thugs would say that it was enough. She focused her eyes a little more on his form, and caught glimpse of a... sword?
"I'm just a little turned around is all." She figured that she'd try to approach him rationally. "Could you.. tell me how to get to the subway from here?" She put her thumb and forefinger on her Crucifix, rubbing it a little bit. Even being a shifter, Rhona was still Puerto Rican, and her mother had taught her that even with all that, it was a gift from God. Rhona believed.
Hmmm, she was afraid, that was good. It meant that his inherent glory as an angel was shining through. But there was the issue of the crucifix...how could such a wretched creature carry one. He squinted and looked closer to make certain it wasn't inverted. No, it was in its natural position. Well, Jesus had been tempted by Satan...but Satan was the father of lies, the adversary, the deceiver...not some petty demon in human guise. Dantes decided to speak to her of faith, and perhaps if her answers were acceptable..he would let her live, for he was merciful.
"I do not take the subway, so I can't help you there. But I also can't help but notice that crucifix around your neck. You see, I am a humble priest...they call me Father Dantes as a matter of fact. So tell me my child, are you among the faithful? It is so rare to find them amongst the sinners and demons of this vile world"
Dantes looked at her, and felt his his eyes changing as they always did when he made a kill or was angered. The black would bleed from the iris and fill his entire eye. Not yet, not yet he told himself forcing the color back to its normal state. He even tried to grin and look friendly...something he vaguely remembered from his days before his ascension to true Holiness.
The man announced himself, and all of the fear Rhona had swept away. "Oh, Father," she said, laughing off her fear, though she was still nervous. A priest wouldn't do anything to her. "Faithful? Well, currently I attend Saint Michael's. I actually teach Sunday school there... Did... was there something wrong?" she asked, confused as to why her faith was coming up as a question.
She was trying to be somewhat calm, but she was still slightly disturbed.
Father Dantes felt the womans relief wash over him like cool water. So she felt at ease with a fellow follower. This was confusing him to no end. What was he to do? He could not kill and innocent, and a Sunday School teacher at that! But she was a hell spawn...she was a demon! But she was a Catholic, and a believer. Perhaps she was concealing her true nature from him, but then again, some angels had rebelled against the Blessed Father, so perhaps she had rebelled against her maker and was seeking salvation.
"My child, how aware are you of your nature? I am afraid that you are a ahhh I don't even like to speak such blasphemy..but I am afraid you are a shifter...but how can you be so faithful to our Blessed Father and yet be such a creature?"
Dantes knew that he was probably going to scare the woman with that question. No doubt she hid her true self easily from Humans, both the innocent and the sinner. But he KNEW what she was. How merciful could he be? The inner conflict in him was causing his eyes to begin bleeding into all black again, and this time he was too distracted to stop them...
Rhona backed away, instinctively, as his eyes bled out black again. So, vampire. A vampire priest. It had taken her long enough to realize it, and she chided herself mentally for not sensing it sooner. She had been cold and distracted, and now... Madre de Dio, she thought to herself.
"I'm aware.. it's genetic," she explained, still confused. "My entire family is like this. We're all also very Catholic, so if you're trying to suggest that this gift I have is evil by nature and not given to me from God like I believe, than I'm afraid you insult me - and my faith." She bit her lip. "My mother says our family is blessed, and in return, we need to give back. I teach because God tells me to, because I am grateful for the gift which He has given me, and so I want to give back to His children."
She tried to sidestep him, now, irritated that he questioned her faith. Rhona had been a 'good Catholic girl' since she was a child, and now for a priest to question her faith... even if he WAS a vampire.. it was igniting her Puerto Rican temper. "Excuse me, I need to get home. It's getting late."
So this one believed her power to be a gift from God? How strange...most of the ones he had met didn't believe in his God. Father Dantes was still puzzled by her sincerity, Sinners and Shifters alike had tried to agree with him, in order that he might spare them....but this one was different. She meant what she said. He could feel her conviction radiating off of her. He could also feel the anger...the anger that even as a Priest and Angel, that he would question her faith. What was he to do with this one....clearly, letting her leave so soon was not an option...but perhaps she was something new, something that had managed to break the hold that the deceiver had over her kind. Further Inquiry was needed...
Quickly and with out a word, as she tried to side step him, Dantes drew The Paladin and slammed it into the wall of the alley, blocking her escape.
"Not so fast my child. I sense that you are truly faithful, and as such, you most likely have earned the blessing of my mercy. But I need to know how it is that you have such a faith in God....did some one in your line turn against the Deceiver? I have to admit..you should feel very honored to have gained such notice and mercy from an Angel of Judgment such as myself. If you continue to be honest and your answers satisfy me..I give you my word as a Priest, that not only will I spare your life, but I will also teleport you safely to your doorstep if you wish."
With the conclusion of his speech, Dantes forced his eyes to regain their normal appearance. He would likely NOT be killing this one, unless of course she forced his hand. Believer or not, she was still a demon in his eyes...but if she had found some path of redemption for her kind, perhaps the killing could slowly end, and this beautiful young woman could be the savior of her people.
Rhona screamed as he whipped out the sword. She knew vampires were fast, but it still was a motion VERY close to her face, and Rhona didn't appreciate the gesture much. She jumped backwards, holding an arm up crossways to shield herself - he hadn't taken a swing at her, no, but was staring at her, hunched, creepy. Jack the Ripper, right here, folks.
"My family's been religious ever since I can remember!" she exclaimed. "My mother's sister is a nun! She lives at a convent in Puerto Rico and runs the local homeless shelter with the Sisters of Mercy!" She wasn't quite shouting, but her accent was bleeding through, betraying how frightened she was.
"Do you treat all of your congregation this way?" she demanded.
Congregation....no not yet, though now that he was in a city filled with his kind, perhaps he should look into gathering such a congregation. That was something to keep in the back of his mind for sure. A Nun? That was....true...how could that be? Dantes' mind was racing and he was in serious danger of losing control. How could this be? Why hadn't he encountered this before. She HAD to be lying. With no attempt at being subtle, he slammed into her mind, searching for answers. All he found was an untainted landscape, like pure virgin snow. Here and there were minor infractions, but overall she was one of the most innocent beings he had ever encountered. This just could not be...was he losing his grip...had he ever had a proper grip to begin with?
"Child...I can tell there is truthfulness in your words. I can feel your conviction. I...I...I am sorry that I have frightened you, but please tell me one last thing...what is your..animal..form?"
Dantes was breathing raggedly, this encounter was straining him. On one hand, he wished he had just killed her on sight as he usually did her kind, on the other hand..this was something he had never experienced before. Perhaps her second form would help shed light on this situation.
Rhona felt a strange sort of foggy sensation as he made no attempts to hide that he was rifling through her mind, like pilfering through files in the office, tossing aside this or that, looking for something that just wasn't there.
"Why would I have lied about that?!" she screamed. She was losing her patience, and she was very scared. She inwardly wanted to run away, but she knew that she wouldn't get very far. She didn't know what to do.
"Child...I can tell there is truthfulness in your words. I can feel your conviction. I...I...I am sorry that I have frightened you, but please tell me one last thing...what is your..animal..form?"
"I'm not telling you ANYTHING else!" she snapped. "Let me pass!"
Again Dantes burst into her mind, searching, digging. He was growing more frustrated by the second. And now she was making demands of him? He was showing her an amazing amount of mercy, how dare she make demands! He felt anger surging within him, what to do, what to do. He was breaking down. This woman was a contradiction in the most literal sense. She was a demon, yet pure. She was pure, yet a demon. Dantes reached out and grabbed her by the throat. His eyes bored into hers. He was done being gentle...he was ripping through her mind, searching for any hint of her second form. There a tiny glimmer, of scales and a forked tongue.
"Serpent....vile disgusting serpent. That is how you deceived me! You...you...almost made me forsake my sacred duty..I almost allowed you to escape. No, you shall not pass. And perhaps, you shall not live."
He released his grip on her and stood trembling. Father Dantes sincerely believed he was facing an incarnation of the Devil, and was trying to decide if he was strong enough to over come his Adversary.
Ironically enough, Lucien was leaving St. Sebastian's cathedral and cursing the fact that he'd had to park so far away when he passed the alley Father Dantes and Rhona were in. He might still have missed out on the fact that anything out of the ordinary was going on, given the fact that he had plenty on his mind after his talk with Father Corsier, except that he caught the bit about a 'serpent'. He could have been wrong in thinking it was a serpiente, one of his people, but he didn't think so. Coupled with the 'shall not live' bit? He was there.
If Dantes thought that Rhona seemed to be the incarnation of the Dark One, he really didn't want Lucien to walk down there, but that wasn't quite how it was going to work out. Lucien's concern had been struck, and he slipped down the edges of the alley, keeping to the shadows and watching carefully as he got closer to the pair.
He recognized her. The woman. She'd sat beside him at the first Shifter council meeting. She was one of his, not some fodder for a crazy vampire to do with as he pleased. No, this wasn't going to happen. Of course, Lucien couldn't exactly attack him right then and there, since Rhona was far too close to the vampire to ensure her safety. Otherwise, he would have just attacked and put the monster out of his misery. Instead, he stepped into the slightly better light, trying to catch Rhona's eye to 'suggest' she put some distance between herself and the vampire.
"Is there a problem here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and fixing the creature with his red eyes. He was actually fairly unaware of just how Father Dantes was going to take that, otherwise he might not have. Might. He also might have done it just to be an ass, since he was definitely unafraid of being a spiteful bastard when he felt like it.
Father Dantes had felt Lucien's approach, but had written it off as just another human passing by. But when he turned and saw Lucien standing there half way illuminated by the light he knew something was wrong. He turned from Rhona, and with no pretense ripped straight into Lucien's mind...and was stopped. He knew then that he was facing someone with training of some sort. And he also knew he was a shifter. Dantes looked hard at Lucien...and suddenly the shifter's red eyes caught his attention.
Father Dantes wasted no time drawing a revolver with his left hand and leveling it at Cobriana, and his right hand tightened on the hilt of The Paladin, which was still stuck in the wall. He was almost in a panic, here he was pinned in a narrow alley with two demons. And their energy was disturbingly the same, which meant they were both serpents. Cobriana's red eyes just made things worse. Dantes could feel the arm holding the outstretched gun trembling...shaking....wavering. He began mumbling Latin under his breath, eyes feverishly darting first to Rhona, then to Lucien. His mind was racing...he was pinned between two serpents.
Dantes had slain countless shifters and humans. He had killed several dozen vampire "heretics" and even dealt with a few witches...but he had never been so disturbed as he was now. He knew that there was no way the shifter was fast enough to dodge a bullet at this range...but for some reason he could not pull the trigger. He slowly pulled the sword from the wall, and slid it into its sheath, but still kept the increasingly unsteady gun leveled on Cobriana.
He began backing slowly out of the alley, keeping the gun up. Panic finally seized him about the time he hit the street. He began screaming in Latin, stringing together phrases and prayers that made not sense. He had faced the Devil, and to his mind, the Whore of Babylon...and had been over come. He was not yet prepared for this confrontation. He was shaking...his mind was almost refusing to accept what was happening. Dantes knew it was time to flee, even without trying to engage the red eyed demon..who could quite possibly be THE Serpent himself...
"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"*
With those final words Father Dantes crossed himself and teleported, leaving the two shifters in the alley, and a cold wind blowing down the now empty street.
((*My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?))
Rhona was picked up, choked, and then dropped before she knew what was happening. As soon as she hit the ground, she stood up and ran behind Lucien, clearly expecting that the bigger Serpiente shifter would know what to do about this situation. There was a moment when the man had the revolver so close that Rhona squeezed her eyes shut, expecting it to be her last breath - and then nothing happened.
The vampire screamed something and vanished, and she opened one eye first, than the other, now gripping Lucien's arm so tightly she hurt her own hands. "Is he... is he gone?" she asked quietly, looking around the alley with wide eyes.
He'd been surprised at staring down the barrel of a gun for the second time in a week, if it had even been that. He was even more surprised that the vampire went batshit psycho even before he had a chance to react, screaming something in a language Lucien didn't know and finally teleporting away from them.
What. The. Hell.
He blinked, surprised at just how easy it'd been to help Rhona, and turned his head to look at her where she had run behind him and begun clutching at his arm. She had quite the grip, but not enough to make him force her to let go. Just enough to maybe bruise. Nothing serious, just...uncomfortable.
"I think so," he responded, returning to watching their surroundings for a moment, just in case, before looking back at her. "I'm not quite sure what's going on here, to be honest. What happened?"
Rhona released him instantly as he turned. "I'm sorry," she breathed, her fear still quite evident. "I just... that was really close." She rubbed at her throat a little. It felt raw on the surface, but it would heal in only hours. It was fortunate that she was a Serpiente, because a grip like that on a human may very well have crushed a windpipe.
"You know what sucks? I still have no idea where I am. That man didn't help me even in the slightest," she said, kicking at a wadded up piece of paper on the street. "If it isn't too much trouble, can you wait here until I can call a Taxi?" she asked. She'd tried to call one before, but evidently they'd been back in the alley when the man had driven by, and he'd just left, assuming his charge had found another ride.
"No, don't apologize," he returned, shaking his head. "You haven't done anything wrong. I'm just glad I was walking by."
He was, that wasn't a lie or an exaggeration in the least, though he hadn't really done anything useful. He'd just...shown up. That his mere presence had been enough to deal with the issue was strange, but he wasn't going to worry about it at the present moment. Why should he? The lunatic was gone, for the moment at least, and he had Rhona to attend to.
"Would you just prefer a ride home? I'd feel more comfortable if I knew you made it home safely," he told her seriously, though he followed it up with a smile. "I can promise that you will make it home safely, on top of it all."
It did occur to him that they hadn't really been introduced, though he had the feeling his identity preceded him. Even so, he offered her his hand, and a proper introduction. "By the way, I know we haven't officially met. I'm Lucien Cobriana." He just assumed that her name would logically follow.
Rhona blushed horribly when Lucien introduced himself. She'd seen him before, at the Shifter Council meeting, but hearing the name made her dizzy all over again. Cobriana. He was royalty - he was basically her king, if she understood things correctly. Still, she couldn't let that go to her brain too terribly much. It somehow struck her that she'd already made a lasting first impression on the Diente, no reason to make it worse.
"Rhona Flores," she said, offering her hand. "And if you're willing to give me a ride home, I'll accept it with many thanks. I'm not interested in standing around to become vampire bait again," she said sarcastically, although there was still a twinge of fear in her voice. No, Rhona would be saying a lot of prayers tonight and hanging garlic all over her apartment. Stupid vampires.
As far as Lucien was concerned, Rhona really hadn't made a BAD first impression on him, so she had nothing to worry about. In fact, he thought she was rather attractive, and friendly, so far. Why wouldn't he like her?
"Believe me, Rhona, you're not going to be vampire bait again while I'm around," he assured her, and he meant it. There was no way in hell he was going to let another vampire at one of his serpents, let alone her. He was a protective leader, and the idea of losing any of his people to some idiot vampire with a religious fetish was outrageous. The fact that Rhona was already looking like excellent company didn't hurt in the least.
He offered her his hand, having heard that slight touch of fear in her voice, and gestured out of the alley. "My car's this way. It's a little bit of a walk, but there are plenty of streetlights," he promised.
She stared at him for a minute, and then finally seemed satisfied with whatever it had been that she was looking for. He is the Diente, after all. Someone would have to be an idiot to attack us... I mean, besides that other guy.
She walked next to him for a moment, and then instinctively reached out for his hand. Rhona had grown up in a large family that was both Serpiente and Puerto Rican - physical contact was not something she was a stranger to. Both bloodlines she had tended to lean towards it for all things - including comfort and security, which was exactly what she needed at the moment. Her fingers searched for his, brushing against his at first, before finally making the grab for an actual clasp.
She spoke as she walked. "So... what's it like to be the Diente?" she asked, not really knowing what else to say. She knew it was lame, but she was curious.
Actually, that 'other guy' hadn't actually attacked Lucien. He'd acted like he was going to, then spazzed. Lucien would actually prefer reactions like that more often, to be honest. It'd make dealing with pain in the ass vampires a little easier, though he'd be lacking in satisfying fights. Ah, well. He'd just appreciate this one appropriately.
As with any other serpiente, Lucien didn't mind the physical contact at all, and actually liked it. He understood her desire for it like humans and even other shifters would ever be able to comprehend, and he was willing to be entirely cooperative. Sometimes, despite how much he liked other people, he just preferred his own kind, and this just went to prove it. She was curious, so she asked. She didn't hold back, or hide the fact that she wanted to know what it was like to have his job. Dealing with serpiente was so much easier sometimes.
He actually laughed, though it wasn't at her. He just thought it was a funny question, and so brazen! Nobody asked him things like that. "It's...busy. Sometimes almost overwhelmingly so, but I wouldn't trade it," he told her. Really, that wasn't much in the way of explanation, but he wasn't the sort to brag or complain about the job. "Onyx tends to be a bit easier to run, but I think that's only because it's so contained. Everything I need to handle is more centralized. Serpiente are everywhere, and therefore a little more difficult to deal with."
If she hadn't thought she was safe with him before, perhaps the mention of being a hunter would help. Really, a vampire would have to be stupid to jump them. Guild leaders didn't fall THAT often, which was why the situation with Batten had stood out so strongly.
The funny thing was, even as polite as Rhona was, she was known for doing or saying things that others perhaps might find rude. She didn't nearly come close to it as someone who was downright nasty, but she simply seemed oblivious sometimes to the idea of political correctness. It hadn't occurred to her not to ask about Lucien's position. As, technically, her leader, he should be able to speak to her and vise versa without there being some strange law of niceties set into place... Rhona wouldn't have survived as an Avian, that was to be certain.
"Onyx? Oh! Oh, I didn't realize you were the leader of Onyx," she said, visually both surprised and impressed. Rhona felt strangely at ease knowing that. She'd heard of the Guilds, so being in the presence of both her Diente and the leader of the Onyx Guild, she wagered someone would have to be stupid to attack them again. She breathed a sigh of relief, and a bit of a cheery smile played on her lips. "Well, gee. I'm a teacher during the week and I teach Sunday school every week down at the cathedral. I don't suppose we could be more different, hm?" she asked, almost teasing him.