The young lady’s breath came in short, shallow gasps as she rounded the corner and lunged into the park. She half-ran, half-stumbled down the palely illuminated gravel walkway and looked frantically in every direction. Tonight was a cool spring evening to be sure and if she hadn’t been scared out of her wits, the young woman may have cursed herself for forgetting her coat; as it was she was more worried about crossing the park and getting to her apartment safe and sound before the blonde guy she’d run into two blocks back caught up with her.
After rounding a large bend in the path which brought her to the crest of a small hill near the park’s centre the maiden took a moment to survey her surroundings. She was alone, as far she could tell, though despite the lack of cloud cover and large, nearly full moon, her vision was limited beyond the pools of light shed by the regularly placed lamp posts. She gulped in two deep breaths then turned to continue on when, seemingly out of no where, her pursuer appeared.
“Please, don’t scream,” Colum pleaded, his hands out wide and his face soft with concern - but the young woman seemed not to hear him as she screamed, loudly, in his face. Purely on instinct Colum’s right hand flew and cupped over the woman’s mouth, stifling her screams. With a fluidity which betrayed his inhuman nature, Colum swept around the girl, and carefully took her in his arms. He treated her softly, even used a bit of his telekinesis to straighten her frazzled hair, then rested his chin on her shoulder.
“Now, I’m going to take my hand off your mouth, and I would kindly ask you to not scream.” The woman gave a quick nod and Colum slowly released his hold on her mouth. At first, the woman complied, gasping for air and wriggling only slightly in Colum’s grasp. Then she screamed again.
Colum responded by biting the woman’s neck. Even as his fangs broke through her flesh and pierced her carotid artery Colum was filling the woman’s thoughts with whatever pleasant images he could conjure. Puppies, kittens, snow falling on the mountains - and each one of them was accompanied by his telepathic voice saying “Really, I am sorry about this,” or “I just need a little of your blood for the night, you won’t even miss it by morning,” or, and this one he felt particularly proud of “You are getting sleepy” which his early evening snack found to be particularly compelling since she really was getting sleepy - only it was mostly due to the loss of blood she was suffering and not anything Colum had done to her brain.
By the time the young Amman vampire had siphoned off roughly two and a half litres of the young woman’s blood, she was fast a sleep. Colum carefully implanted a vague memory of having had too many martinis and not enough water then gently lay the woman down on the side of the path.
“Now, we’ll just rest here, you and I, until I get my head straight,” Colum gently patted the woman on the shoulder. “I always get a bit light headed after my first drink of the evening so you’ll have to forgive me - but once that’s over I’ll pluck your address from your thoughts and see you safely back to your place.” He smiled, and gave the woman another pat on the shoulder for good measure. The young vampire also contemplated how his sire may have viewed this most recent act. He hadn’t killed the woman, far from it, in fact he would need to feed at least twice more tonight before he returned to the apartment he shared with Marcus - but he had shown a bit of a cavalier attitude to this young woman and her plight.
Kie Linque, Colum mused, no doubt would have embraced him for his treatment of the girl - the human’s fear was wafting off her almost as strongly as the perfume she’d worn - and there in lay his dilemma. A child of two covens of sorts was he, one of blood and perhaps, the other by deed. Before he could ponder the situation more thoroughly however, Colum’s keen ears caught the sound of footsteps coming along the path - and they were getting closer.
It was a beautiful night, and, Helen being a creature of the moon, could not resist a quiet walk through the park. Westminstral was her favorite, for it had serene scenery, and seemed to have a calming effect on her. She felt her stresses lift from her soul, and evaporate into the humid haze, joining with the clouds above her. She had expanded her wardrobe from simple black sweaters and slacks to jeans and a light green sweater. However, she could never part with her beloved combat boots. They were boots that had been with her since her turning, and after almost four hundred years... She had grown a little attached to them. So what if the soles were falling out? So what if there was a tiny little hole that allowed her small toe to peak through every once in awhile? They were her shoes, and they'd stuck with her through thick and thin. At least she was expanding her color pallet. Black and black and more black became a little dull. When she was just a fledgling though, it was hard for her to conceal her pale complexion without freaking out the locals. If she covered as much skin as possible, with her long black hair... it was better.
But now as she neared her four-hundredth year of existence, she really did not give a damn. To be quite frank, anyways. Her pride had consumed her to the point where human meddling gave her little pleasure. Rules, regulations, it didn't matter. She was old, she was tired, and a little bit cranky, too. Though she had met her share of fellow vampires, none of them had truly stuck. She was a lone ranger, of sorts, and a little bitter because of it.
Then, all of sudden, Helen was ripped from her happy place as a terrified shriek echoed through the park like a candle in the darkness. Helen raised an eyebrow and could only guess it was probably a young vampire who wasn't skilled in how to successfully subdue their victim. Either that, or it was just poor planning on their part. Helen, on the other hand, preferred to seduce her victims. It was just easier that way to get them when they were completely susceptible. It was just more fun that way (in her most humble of opinions of course).
And now, Helen's interests were peaked. It had been quite some time since she had actually conversed with a fellow vampire, and she rather missed it. Humans were boring, and it was such a hastle to try and prevent them from figuring out what she really was. Most mortals did not take well to meeting a creature of the night. Which, to a certain degree offended the Italian lady. Just because she fancied blood did not mean that she was going to chomp every beating heart that passed her. She had an appetite, sure, but she was very careful to keep it in check. In fact, she seldom ate. The older she got, the less prone to hunger she felt. Perhaps the frenzy died down with age? She didn't know, and frankly didn't care. Even though she liked it, she tried to prevent herself from becoming addicted to the hunt. It tended to bring the monster out of even the best of vampires who had centuries under their belts to control themselves and their powers.
Helen walked silently down the beaten path, trying to find where the scream had come from. With enough investigation, Helen soon came upon a lad with his prey; now unconscious. She continued on to sit on a nearby bench with coy grace. She wouldn't interrupt his meal quite yet.
Colum watched the woman approach and for a moment he considered concocting a slightly exaggerated tale of how he and his wife had been out for a walk and how she had suddenly fainted. ‘She’s narcoleptic!’ Colum pictured himself saying. ‘She just needs a moment and she’ll be fine...’ All thoughts of putting on a mortal front flew however when Colum realized the woman was no mere human.
“Greetings miss...?” Colum stood and brushed himself off before extending his right hand. “It’s not often I meet a lady of such, distinction.” Colum smiled knowingly at the new comer and gave her a quick examination. Her clothes were modern enough, even borderline fashionable, though her boots left much to be desired. Colum made a rather thorough study of the ratty footwear before it dawned on him that he may be obviously staring, and so he quickly looked up to the woman’s face. He smiled broadly again then stretched out with his thoughts trying to telepathically probe the stranger’s mind for more information.
