Hey Pretty {Tag Darren}

[Purezza]

Purezza sat on a bench in the little plaza, purse to her side, eyes watching the crowd as dusk set in to New York city. She was waiting for the perfect victim, one who wasn't as dull as that last fellow. Biding her time, she hummed to herself, and softly spoke words of terror to people walking by. She enjoyed making men stumble in their steps with but a quiet command.

She sensed a familiar presence approaching, and raised her eyes in anticipation. Who could it be? Perhaps her favourite kitty?

[Darren Liten]

Darren had absolutely no idea what waited for him just a few minutes walk in front of him, and he was actually on the phone with his mother, laughing at some stupid thing his cousin had admitted doing to her.  Funny, Connor didn't admit things like that except to his own mother or Darren's mother.  Even Chase didn't get to hear all of them.  Of course, telling Darren's mom meant that Darren got to hear it. 

For him, it was a win win situation, with the only downside being the fact that he didn't get to laugh about it to Connor's face personally.

Honestly, the situation with Purezza had mostly faded from the front of his mind, at least.  He wasn't likely to ever forget it, considering how traumatic it had been and just how badly injured he was afterward.  Connor's concern and fury during that whole situation had been pretty memorable as well, considering he'd never seen the guy like that.  His paranoia regarding a potential future incident with Purezza had faded to almost nothing, though.

It had been so long since it had happened that he didn't think she'd bother messing with him again.  Wrong.  Surprisingly, he didn't even notice her as he approached.  He was more involved in his conversation.

[Purezza]

Purezza rose, flat out blocking Darren's path, willing him not to see her until the very last possible second. Walking into her was like hitting a brick wall. She did so adore her power, sometimes.

"Why good evening, pet," she sang to him as he no doubt picked himself up off the pavement. "Seems to be a familiar place for you, flattened on the ground. Care for another stroll?" There was a hint of threat in her voice, but then again, all she spoke was venom and snakes, so it was hard to tell what she would and would not do at any given moment.

She looked down her nose at him, as she should. Purezza's ego had only grown in the years since her mortality left her, it was no surprise that she should elevate herself above others so easily.

[Darren Liten]

Just as she'd wanted, he didn't take any notice of her whatsoever until he'd plowed right into her, and it was true that he'd hit what felt like a brick wall and landed on his ass.  His mother heard and immediately went into 'worry-mode', asking if he was alright and what had happened.  She'd just about had a heart attack when she'd heard about the incident with the car and come to see him, so she hadn't quite gotten over that.  When he heard Purezza's voice, he knew his mother had every right to worry.

"Call Connor.  Fast," he told her in a low tone as he pulled himself to his feet, and he hung up the phone.  No doubt his mother had heard Purezza talking, but he didn't know if the woman would know what was going on.  She'd call his cousin, though.  Just him telling her to do so would be enough to scare her.

"I'd rather not.  One was enough, and even getting me hit by a speeding Ferrari doesn't make me your pet," he told her boldly, instinctively edging a bit away from the street.  It wasn't like he could do anything about it if she tried for a repeat performance, but he'd been pretty paranoid about crossing the street ever since.  He didn't want to be too close, especially with Purezza there. 

He knew her crowd control was pretty good, considering what had happened last time, but he was going to have to make a break for it.  Maybe the way he'd come.  He certainly wasn't getting past or or running into the street.

[Purezza]

"Sure it does," she said brightly, like they weren't talking about ownership rights and had been discussing something much more base, like the weather. She reached out for him, lightning fast, trying to take catch of his shoulder before he took off.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked, stepping forward. If he tried anything cute she WOULD throw his ass back out into traffic.

[Darren Liten]

He was an instant from taking off when she grabbed his shoulder faster even than he moved, and he had cat speed on his side.  He almost, and it took the fact that she scared him to keep him from it, but he ALMOST turned and either bit her or tried to knock her hand off.  Considering how little hitting her arm would have done, and the bad implications of biting a vampire, he was better off for not doing either.  That wasn't even taking into account that she'd have been pissed.

"Anywhere away from you," he answered honestly at her question, suddenly not trying to run, but definitely tilting as far away from her as he could get.  "My cousin will be here soon, and he's not someone you want to play with."

Sure, a hunter would have told him not to warn her, but he wanted to try to get rid of her sooner rather than wait until Connor arrived and hope things worked out.  He should have known it wouldn't do anything to get her to leave, though.

[Purezza]

"They never get here in time," she said bluntly. With that, she deliberately shook him to make him focus on her eyes. "Tilt your neck darling, and don't struggle, or I'll kill your darling mother in her sleep and string her intestines along a wire for the entire neighborhood to see." And she meant it. Purezza was fond of bloody messes, especially when she was the catalyst for them.

When he'd done what she'd commanded, and he would, or she'd throw him under a bus again, she wasted no time in taking a healthy bite out of him, just where she had before. Her crowd control was still held tight, and the blood only helped.

How long, she wondered, before he started to lose his mind, like she had so long ago?

[Darren Liten]

One might think that, as an adult, being shaken was no big deal, and he should have run.  Anyone who thought that has never been shaken around by a vampire and needs to shut the hell up.  She definitely had his attention, and he looked at her automatically just as she started her voice thing.  Normally, even if he couldn't, he'd have tried to fight with her just to show that he wasn't going to get eaten so easily.  Having her threaten his mother like that changed things pretty drastically.

There wasn't the slightest attempt at struggling out of him, and he tilted his neck for her as she demanded.  Between her voice magic and that threat, he didn't stand a chance, and refused to try.  Naturally, the fact that his blood would only give her more strength to mess with him didn't sit well with him, but he was out of options where that was concerned.  He'd just have to wait for Connor and hope his cousin could help.

Of course, those concerns vanished rather quickly as she sunk her teeth into him, and it hurt enough to draw a gasp out of him initially.  That was nothing in comparison to what was coming afterwards, though.

Ever feel someone pour molten steel into your veins?  What about being doused in Napalm?  It wasn't so much that his skin felt as though it was burning, but it hurt everywhere.  It was almost as though the blood she was drawing from his body was leaving every part of him grasping at the life she was stealing, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.  He reached out almost blindly, his eyes open but not focusing on anything around him, and found her shoulder, but the barest hint of her threat wove itself through his mind again.  His mother.  He may not have been a hunter, but he was still a blood relative of Connor's.  That willpower the hunter displayed routinely wasn't a trait from the Batten line of the family, and it was all that allowed Darren to continue enduring rather than trying to fend her off.  He couldn't leave his mother to that.  Before long, though, he wasn't going to be able to take anymore.

He couldn't tell how much time had passed, considering it felt like forever to him, but he at least had the right to feel proud that his knees began to buckle before he allowed himself to reach the limit of what he could handle.  By the time he couldn't take anymore and HAD to have her OFF OF HIM, he wasn't strong enough to do more than hang on and wish somewhere in the back of his head that he'd fall and she'd either let him go or rip his throat out and just end it.  Anything would be better than what she was doing.  Anything.  If he could have summoned up enough strength to jerk his neck away and do it himself, he would have, but he felt utterly incapable of even attempting movement.  His thoughts had to be a jumbled mess by then, but somewhere in there was 'make it stop' and various other 'requests' such as that all mixed together.

[Purezza]

She eventually just dropped him on the ground, which was quite characteristic of her as of late. Purezza wasn't interested on nuzzling into some of her victims for very long like other vampire lines were; on the contrary, she rather enjoyed that little thumping sound bodies made when they hit the ground. Dead weight. How... fitting.

"So, cat, when's your little crusader coming to your rescue? Do I have time for a martini?" she asked as she dabbed blood off of her lips in a stuffy, lady-like sort of manner. She looked around, and grew tired of holding her crowd controlling illusion, releasing the immediate area of the fog she'd put them in. Visible once more, she sat down on the bench pointedly, and flipped open a compact to touch up makeup on a reflection she could no longer view.

[Connor Batten]

He didn't KNOW when Connor was going to show up, or even if he would, but he really didn't have any other options.  Either his cousin could help, or he couldn't.  Connor was only human, afterall, so what could he REALLY do?  Would he be able to help?

God, he hoped so.

"Soon," he murmured, trying to push himself up and failing.  He felt so weak, so tired.  His mind was still reeling from the pain she'd managed to cause with that feeding session, and it put him in a state of near panic.  Neither human nor cat liked the pain or the feeling of being prey.  Neither were used to it, and neither wanted to be, but he couldn't get himself up well enough to run.  He was stuck unless help arrived, but it fortunately wasn't far off.

Ironic that she called Connor a 'crusader', since he showed up disheveled and in an obvious hurry, his cross hanging out of his shirt and his jacket left open enough that a gun in a shoulder holster could be seen whenever he was hit with a decent breeze as he ran the distance that his mother had said Darren was traveling.  The boy was going to have to STOP walking anywhere and start driving if he couldn't keep from running into psycho vampires.  It didn't look like the vampires were going to stop, so the kid was going to have to take measures to keep himself safe.

It was pretty obvious when he'd reached his destination, considering the fact that he suddenly found a familiar form laying on the sidewalk with people walking around him.  One had stopped, seemingly to help him, but the young man started pushing himself up slowly and waved the man away.  Why?  Connor hesitated, looking around in an effort to pinpoint the vampire.  Considering the woman seated on the bench nearby didn't seem at all bothered by the man before her, he could assume that was the one.  He was tempted to kill her right off the bat, but Val's influence had him ever so slightly worried that it might blow up in his face later.  He approached cautiously, watching her as the stranger left with Darren's warnings, and taking the man's place.

"Don't, I'm fi--Connor?" the leopard said suddenly, obviously catching his cousin's scent, and looking up with those bright green eyes showing panic.  Connor had to help him up.

"You okay?" he asked quietly, keeping his right hand free and his weapons accessible.  His eyes darted back to the woman.

[Purezza]

"Stop looking at me, Hunter, or I'll take your eyes out," she warned, snapping her compact shut. She rose from the bench, pressing lips together still rouge from that little bit of blood she'd missed. It tended to stain after so long. No matter. Not her problem. She smiled sweetly, then, held her hand out to Darren.

"Come here, darling. Don't try to act all brave now, just because your cousin is here." She had also scented him, though she didn't want to make light of it just yet. Instead, when Darren inevitably took her hand*, she nuzzled into his neck again, this time giving him a light kiss instead of biting him.

"Come to join the party?" she asked Connor, batting her lashes. Right now she had Darren at a very volatile point. One false move from Connor and she could easily break his neck... and the Akkas weren't known for their stability.


*Sry for powerplay, let me know if I need to change.

[Darren Liten]

If Darren had thought that Connor's mere appearance was going to fix this whole situation, he was horribly wrong.  Purezza didn't give a rat's ass about Connor, apparently, and instead threatened him and went on with her little voice trick.  Unfortunately, Connor didn't have the slightest idea that Darren wouldn't refuse her when she did that, nor did he know yet how to distinguish exactly when she was using her trick and when she was just talking.  He'd figure it out fast, though.

That really didn't help Darren in the meantime, however, and though he'd needed help in getting up, he somehow managed to summon up the strength to go back to her.  He took her hand and didn't move away when she nuzzled in against his throat, but it was doubtful whether anything she said would have been able to stop the way he flinched when she kissed his neck.  He was NOT unaware of the danger he was in.

Connor's first instinct when she mentioned taking his eyes out was to assume that she'd plucked the thought from his mind, and though he averted them immediately without even thinking, it also pissed him off.  What the HELL was the vampiric fascination with eyes all of a sudden?  If he hadn't already wanted to kill her for screwing around with his cousin, he'd have been tempted just for that.

Of course, he didn't get the chance to even try it, since Darren suddenly lurched into motion, going right back to her.  What.  The Hell.  It made him a hell of a lot more cautious about the vampire herself, but it was also going to seriously tie his hands on this one.  With her that close to Darren, there was no way that he could make even the smallest attempt at attacking her without risking him.  Shifters were tough, but they could still be killed, and he couldn't risk it.

"I guess you could say that.  I need you to let him go," he said, surprisingly calmly, all things considered.

[Purezza]

"And I need you to go away," she said casually, smiling at him as she spoke. Her voice was silky smooth, like darkness and milk as it swam around in the air, finding Connor's ears, as it always did. She let Darren go for the most part, but still held a firm grasp on his arm.

"Move, kitten, and I'll rip it out of socket," she said, her crazy sort of smile only brightening. She spoke so cheerfully, so utterly carelessly, that it was a wonder this sort of behaviour hadn't gotten her killed yet. As an Akka, destructive sort of behaviour was usually discouraged, but Purezza had managed to withstand the test of time sheerly by the use of her rather unique... talents.

What a gem.

[Darren Liten]

Connor was damn good at dealing with vampires, and he was now a bloodbonded human, rather than 'just' a human.  That didn't mean he was immune to a power like Purezza's, especially given how old she was.  Akkan vampires had a very concentrated power, and she was throwing it at him to get him to take off.  It would take more than just being a bloodbond to deal with that in a way that didn't include listening.

He tried to fight it, he really tried, but it didn't do him any real good.  Perhaps he would have fought harder if she'd attempted to order him into doing something more drastic than just walking away, simply out of instinct, but he inevitably did exactly what she said.  He didn't forget what the problem was, though.

Fuck this.  He was calling Leone.

Watching Connor, someone who Darren respected and knew better than to cross, forced away by Purezza's voice was really the last thing the leopard needed to see.  He knew that his hopes that Connor would have been able to save him were pretty useless, but having them smashed to bits like this was pretty bad.  At least he hadn't watched his cousin smashed to bits in the process, though.

It had to be something in their blood, because Darren definitely had the same sort of self-sacrificial streak that Connor did, just in a less drastic way.  He wasn't a big fighter, or he wasn't yet, and so he wasn't in a situation where it was his life or someone else's often.  Watching Connor leave at Purezza's orders made him grateful that his cousin wasn't going to die for him, at least. 

Needless to say, he didn't move when she told him not to, even if she wasn't using her voice trick.  He wasn't going to assume she wouldn't do exactly as she said, and he did NOT want his arm ripped out of its socket.  He was going to try to avoid as much pain and torment as he could.

[Purezza]

She closed her eyes and ran through Connor's mind as he left. Interesting.. but.. I can't.. why is his mind so guarded? It hadn't occurred to her that Connor was a bloodbond, at least, not until she jerked out of his mind. His shields were definitely active - she was only being fed bits and pieces, and not even memories, more like.. things on the surface. Like Capricia, and Valeria, whoever they were. And Ash. She pondered for a moment as to why that name sounded familiar, and then her eyes widened.

That fucking hunter was going to sic a Triste on her. Angrily, she slapped Darren in the face, moreso because she could than anything else. "I'll be back, kitten," she sang, and then turned as though she were going to after Connor. Instead, she paused halfway in step, and called to him.

"Hey, Connor?" she purred. When she was sure she had his attention, she smiled a little. "How's the baby doing?" And with that, she fell, literally, backwards - before her body hit the ground, it shattered into dozens of bats, which instantly took to the sky, leaving the ominous sensation that Purezza... was just getting warmed up.