Lost {Tag: Father Dantes}

[Lucien Cobriana]

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 Flores]

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.

[Lucien Cobriana]

"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 Flores]

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.

[Lucien Cobriana]

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.

[Rhona Flores]

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.

[Lucien Cobriana]

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.

[Rhona Flores]

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.