Jewel of the Nile {Tag Tsunai, Angelica}

[Victoria Kelly]

Odessa's weapon was all used up. It only had enough venom to be effective for one strike, and had become nothing more than a paperclip twisted around her fingertips. Still, she handed it to her driver as Angel rid herself of her own goodies. She did hate walking in unarmed, but Odessa had garnered a great many ally from this place in favour of finding them rare and unusual creatures to breed, break, and do with as they pleased.

"I do, indeed. In fact, while I'm in, I believe I'll pop in and visit one in particular. I know he won't be interested in her," she said, nodding her head at Tsunai, "but he's mentioned there are vampires who might be. Besides, he's... fond of our particular persuasion." Odessa loved a man who could acknowledge her diamond-like radiance as superior to those dark-haired mongrels she was surrounded by.

"I understand if you'd prefer not to linger, of course. I wouldn't dream of imposing you with plans you don't care to entertain. It's so refreshing to finally meet a business woman. I'd thought I was alone all this time." She truly meant it.

[Remi Smith]

'Weapon' (it wasn't as if a few drops of any normal toxin would affect any vampire, after all) used up or not, Angelica wouldn't trust the vampires of Midnight as far as she could throw them. And the chances of her being able to throw any of them at all, unless they wished it... well. They'd use the loophole, if they had the chance. Not that Angelica cared on Odessa's behalf, of course - if offered enough she'd cheerfully betray her. She would sell any of her allies, just as long as it didn't come back to sting her. And so many of them trusted her so very much; the thought would sometimes make her laugh.

Angelica hated being without weapons like this, it made her feel horribly naked. But it was neccessary. "Oh? Who is that?" It was perhaps lucky for Angelica, though she didn't know it yet, that she was wearing blue contact lenses. She often did when moonlighting as Angel, it made her look slightly less distinctive. She would still stand out, of course, but not as much. She didn't need to completely disguise herself.

Angelica smirked a little at the last words from the other woman. "Oh no, I think I'll stay for a little while. You're right in that there don't seem to be many of our particular persuasion around. But that only gives us the corner on the market." But then most considered it a bit too dangerous to be willing to sell nearly anything, if the price was right.

[Victoria Kelly]

She smiled. "Good, then," she said, cheerfully. It was just wrong that she was so perky considering what she'd just accomplished, but Odessa preferred to be an optimist. As they headed inside, she paused, spotting a servant wiping down some of the displays. "Can you locate Stefan and tell him his presence is requested in the dungeons?"

She was careful with her tone, though the child recognized her clearly enough. She nodded and vanished down the hall, leaving the two women in the lobby. "Shall we?" she chirped. The guard followed behind them with Tsunai's body, and once they arrived below, deposited it into a cell, locking the doors tight.

"I wonder what sort of wake this is going to leave," she mused to herself, a finger to her chin as she observed the sleeping Serpiente thoughtfully. She tilted her head at Angel. "I had almost planned to leave, but staying to see the fireworks is so tempting."

[Stefan]

His presence 'requested' or not, Stefan was not used to unexpected guests and didn't particularly like them, but this was especially unwelcome.  The servant didn't have to venture far from Odessa's meeting place, to be honest, since the blond vampire was to be found in another part of the dungeons, tormenting a younger, stupider vampire. 

Perhaps 'torment' wasn't a strong enough word.

"Cassius, I have to congratulate you.  You have the most feminine scream I've heard out of a male in my entire life, and that includes the countless Soviet swine I eviscerated as a mortal.  You are truly an amazing and pathetic creature," Stefan commented conversationally, already spattered across his own pale face and the front of his shirt with the vampire's blood, and his arms were soaked halfway to his elbows.  He'd been digging around. 

"As you've noticed, the trick here is to inflict as much pain as I possibly can, while not killing you or allowing you to heal.  Considering you're a vampire, there's almost no trick to it, so I have to make it challenging somehow.  Which would you prefer, a hook or a pin?  I could use both, but that might be overkill, pardon the expression.  What?  No preference?  Pity."

The real pity was that the child servant appeared at that moment, paling instantly upon the sight before him, and delivered his message.  Stefan's jaw clenched briefly and he caught that hook around a part of Cassius' anatomy that should never feel open air, and jerked.  That'd take awhile to heal.  "Don't go anywhere."

He didn't even bother to do more than wipe his hands on a clean towel as he searched Odessa out, and he raised an eyebrow at her and the other pale women present, somewhat intrigued.  "Ah, Odessa.  You look well."

[Tsunai Feleon]

Tsunai really was perfectly content to keep sleeping until she was placed down away from the head of the person that had been carrying her.  Groaning lightly she shifted uncomfortably.  It was bad enough on a bed but this was hardly anything soft enough to be a bed.  Her head was killing her and everything was foggy.  She could hear voices once again but this time they came through a little stronger.  A slight frown persed her lips as she tried to figure out her surroundings.

What really got to her at the moment was the smell since none of her other senses were properly working.  It smelled of old and new blood, the air was stale as if there was no ventilation.  Scruntching her nose she tried to figure out where she was and what was going on.  She had never passed out before.  Well loss of blood never counted since just about every hunter could probably say they had at some point.  This felt so much different then that though.  Not to mention she had not been in a fight for about nine months so there was no way that could be it.  She also felt perfectly normal otherwise besides the little bit of a throb from the scratch she had gotten earlier.  Was she drugged?  Either way this was not good. 

[Remi Smith]

"I believe she's waking up," Angelica observed as calmly and nonchalantly as though she were making a remark on the weather to friends over tea, not talking about a kidnapped pregnant queen to be with a mercenary and a vampire covered in fresh blood. What a pity that there isn't more of the drug to give her. Then again, as had been previously observed, it was the child that was the real 'gem' in this collection. They didn't want to pump her too full of toxins - it might harm the baby. They were so fragile before they were born.

But, Angel couldn't have anyone recognizing her; that would make life ever so much more complicated then it needed to be. With that in mind, she took a few seconds to knock her out completely, then turned and somehow managed to sink into an elegant curtsy without wearing a dress.

"Stefan, I presume. It's a pleasure to meet you."

[Victoria Kelly]

Odessa smiled, a finger to her lips, crooked in amusement as she saw the blood still on his hands from where he'd only briefly smeared them on a towel, one no doubt ruined. "Well, hello again," she said with a lilt to her voice.

"Darling, do you remember when I told you that I would be sure to give that mongrel who insulted me what he deserved?" she questioned, brushing strands of blonde hair out of her gem-like eyes. A mischevious glint was in them, something dangerously poisonous, mixed with excitement. She stepped aside, allowing him to view the pregnant and now, thanks to Angel, very unconscious Tsunai.

"Meet Tsunai Feleon.. pregnant halfwitted fiancé of one Lucien Cobriana, or as you said, the man whose place was beneath my heel." She folded her arms, wondering what he'd think of this one.

[Stefan]

"Of course it's a pleasure," he remarked easily to what Angelica had said, not quite joking.  "I'm sure knowing you will turn out to be just as enjoyable, though your introduction would be far more pleasant if it included your name, my dear."

If he didn't get her name, he'd find her to be rude, and Stefan wasn't the most pleasant of people to those who were rude to him.  He liked Odessa from their first meeting, though he had to admit he was surprised she was present.  "Yes, I remember," he responded, crossing his arms as he listened to her grand scheme, then turned his gaze on the unconscious woman.  "That is the serpent king's bride-to-be?  I believe you did him a favor in kidnapping her, though he'll certainly be too stupid to realize.  How pathetic that you can improve his situation and punish the fool in the same act."  He shook his head, as though he really thought it was a sad situation, but perked up slightly when his thoughts continued to far more interesting places.

"What do you intend to do with her and the cobra's spawn?"

[Remi Smith]

"Of course; how rude of me," Angelica said. "I am known as Angel - or the Angel, at times. You may have heard of me or may not have, but in either case I'm sure that we can both benefit from knowing one another." Indeed.

She listened without showing expression as he said that they'd done the cobra a favor, kidnapping his intended. Not that her face was blank or controlled, as though she was attempting to pretened she didn't care. She really didn't and instead looked almost bored. Or... no, that was the wrong word as well. She looked utterly unconcerned, the only possible expression to be found a brief, fleeting smile.

"We'll sell them, of course. Seperately, unless someone wants to pay for the set. Once that is done then their fate is in the hands of their new master. If no one buys them then it's easy enough to kill them, but I would be surprised if there wasn't someone interested in the child, at least. Despite the coloration -" Angelica had heard of Stefan, and she knew how to play for an audience, she certainly didn't care if the slaves she was selling had blonde hair or black, blue eyes or red or any other color, for that matter, "- there are some here would would doubtless appreciate a cobra, because of their rarity. This one possibly more so, as by blood it will be the heir to the serpiente throne."

[Victoria Kelly]

Odessa only smiled glibly as Angel spoke. She didn't care particularly who bought them either, as long as they had deep pockets. "I'd prefer to separate them, honestly. Can you imagine the agony? And even if the Cobra king manages to find one of them, which I honestly doubt considering our resources versus his, do you think he'd be able to find both? He'll go mad with grief." Her voice lifted at the end, with delight. It was madness, the way she spoke so happily about the circumstances that may or may not happen.

"It's almost tempting to keep the child, but who wants one of those anyways," she spat, rolling her eyes. "Really. You vampires have the right idea," she said to Stefan, her ocean-hued eyes glittering with mischief. "Infertility is a gift. If I ever become bored enough of this form, I might just take a step further into the darkness." Become a vampire, she meant. But not right now. Right now she was just bustling with energy being Odessa.

[Stefan]

"Angel.  Very nice," he remarked smoothly, and then his attention was once more on the unconscious mother-to-be as they discussed her fate.  He wasn't stupid, so her 'skill' at selling to any audience was wasted.  He knew that some of his colleagues were interested in the lesser creatures, and he liked that.  It meant he had to fight less for the true gems he found.  Really, he might have personally been interested in the cobra spawn just for the sake of having the creature.  He'd turn it into a fierce little thing, no more than a dog, but a strong, dangerous dog.  He didn't find the dark creatures to be entirely useless, just unworthy of humanity. 

"I do think that I agree with you, darling.  Separating them makes more sense, though you'd have to wait until the child was old enough to part with her," he told Odessa, rather liking her way of thinking.  Surely, the cobra king wouldn't find both, and he'd suggest ensuring that the man never located the child, but perhaps leaking to him where the woman was would be interesting.  Watch him scramble to help her.  He didn't say it, but he did disagree with Odessa's opinion of children.  He didn't prefer them, but they were the one type of human that he didn't form an opinion on immediately.  Even the dark ones didn't get instant abuse, though he certainly preferred his blondes.  He tended to keep a rather neutral opinion on them from the start, and he didn't go out of his way to strike out at them.  He almost thought he might have liked children at one time, but that time had passed. 

Odessa was instantly more interesting than children with her mention of taking that further step, but he did no more than smile at it.  If she was ever bored, indeed.  Or if he was ever bored. 

[Victoria Kelly]

She stretched languidly, and leaned against the cage for a moment, looking inside the cell like a child staring at Christmas presents placed under the tree a week before the holiday to taunt them. She sighed wistfully, and then turned, coming off of the bars should the hunter decide to pop up and try her from behind - not that Odessa was worried about who would overpower who, it was simply a chance she wasn't willing to take.

"My, Angel, do you think we should advertise now?" she asked. "I've got a handful of potential buyers, but I'd prefer the bidding to be global for... maximum results," she said, glancing to Stefan briefly with another mischievous smile. She was going to have to talk to that vampire later in less company. He was interesting enough that they might be able to work out some sort of... arrangement.

[Remi Smith]

Angelica had laughed as the viper had talked so gleefully of the Cobra King's grief - she herself honestly didn't care one way or another; the only reason that she was here was the profit that she saw in it for herself. That was all, all she needed....

"You'd even think of keeping the child?" Angelica asked with a slight snort - she didn't go on. Oh, certainly there were some who would do a great deal to own the heir to the Cobriana throne, but Angelica personally thought that the brat would be more trouble than it was worth for too long to make it worth the bother - she wasn't generally the most patient of individuals, not unless someone was paying her to be so.

And, though Stefan might not buy her little act, it was automatic - and not entirely an act, when all was said and done. She'd never really understood what some of the collectors of Midnight had seen in the black hair, the garnet eyes, she just knew that some would pay highly for the chance to display their little jewel. Stupid, really. Still, when all was said and done the only creature that she truly appreciated was herself - the rest of the world could be blonde, brunette, a redhead, have hair as black as onyx or be anything in between and the only the she really cared about when she saw them was profit, and self-interest.

Beyond that they didn't matter.

Angelica's expression was soft and blank when the other asked her where she thought they should advertise, but then it normally was. There was a tiny grin that put one in mind of a contented cat on her lips, but other than that....

"I have a few ideas," she said with a grin. "As I told you, there are some interested in exotics who I've been in contact with before. Let me get ahold of them and see if there's anyone interested in the mother or the child."

[Victoria Kelly]

"Well, we can start the bidding now. She won't be pregnant for long, so if some of them have a fancy to that, they'll be inclined to pay more. If they can wait... we'll see," she said. She glanced back at the woman in the cell with a smirk. "We shall see, indeed." The singsong, accented sort of voice she had was harsh as she spoke then, a low whisper, but rich with hatred. Victoria truly wished she could just skewer her and parade her around, but that was not her way - no, she was much more underhanded and subtle.

She wondered if Lucien was panicking right now, wondering where she was. She had the woman's phone packed inside a small buoyant box and thrown into the river, where it would drift aimlessly. It would be a real treat to see them think they'd found her, only to realize they'd been following a box around the state as it traversed to various streams and lakes. She folded her arms and walked a small circle, coming back to Angel's side.

"And I wouldn't necessarily want to keep it myself, but to have it trained..." she trailed off. "Something like that could utterly destroy the Serpiente monarchy, you see. It would be like someone kidnapping the Tuuli Thea before she was born, raising her to be completely backwards, and then sending her in to stake claim on the throne. The monarchy would fall apart, the people would suffer..." her voice trailed off, obviously bored. "Anyways, I'm really just interested in her, more or less. The fact that she was pregnant was a bonus," she said with a shrug and a smirk.

"A lucrative little bundle of joy, for both of us," she added. "Personally, I hope someone takes her as is, and then drops her down a flight of stairs."