[Kiel]

((Crappy title in reference to goose chases and happy endings.))

Kiel was totally trying his best not to fidget, but it was kinda hard at the best of times to stay still, and he currently had a rose bush pricking at his pants leg and the small of his back where his t-shirt had caught on a flower and ridden up.

Wah! he wanted to yell, every muscle he owned wanting to flex just so he could leap up out of the bushes and brush himself off. Instead, he hunkered down, gritted his teeth, and clamped his fist around his COM with his thumb hovering over the "start" button ready to begin recording. Luckily, he'd found a pretty good spot close to where they figured the bad guys were going to meet, and part of the reason he was so entangled with the roses was 'cause he totally wanted a straight line of sight for his video.

They were making sure this couldn't get screwed up, though, man. Like, pretty much every one of their gang was now situated throughout this little park, lying in wait with their COMs at the ready. If they didn't have COMs, they were hanging back, ready to jump in and save the day if there was trouble but trying to look inconspicuous otherwise. Kiel kinda figured that was why he was here with his COM instead of there with them. He couldn't look inconspicuous if he tried, and he knew it.

Man, Zeph'd be so proud of him if he knew he'd managed to sit still for this long, you know? Kiel couldn't wait to get home and tell the hairball all about his heroism, but he kinda had a bad feeling about all of this. Maybe they should have gone straight to the Marshal or something, instead of trying to handle it by themselves, you know, but, like, none of them had really thought that would work. If the dude was so bent on wiping out vamps, he wasn't going to take evidence from one, especially since all they really had so far was the cryptic messages.

He'd tried contacting Aiden, thinking the Guardsman would totally know what to do, but he hadn't answered. Besides, thinking about it, Kiel was kinda reluctant to drag the Therian into this. Therians were Therians, you know, and Kiel wasn't sure which side the dude would come down on. So here they were, trying to get irrefutable proof they could take to the authorities.

And here he was, with rose thorns in his butt.

[Official NPC]

“You're late.”

“And you're annoying.”

Two figures moved together from opposite sides of the park, their meeting backlit by a street lamp burning on the road behind them. It cast their faces into shadow and made identifying them in the dark difficult.

One clenched his fists, clearly irritated by the insult. Before he could bluster, the other waved a hand dismissively, which made the first bluster all the more.

“You're getting careless.”

“And you're getting dangerous. Killing Sirius?” This last was a hiss, a combination of shock and worry.

“What? He was getting in the way. Him and his ego.”

“I suppose you don't have that problem,” the first man grumbled. The second didn't seem to react, but then he turned his face further into the light and his glare was enough to make his co-conspirator step back. “Look, this whole thing was meant to be over by now. Oisín was meant to be out of office. The only reason I agreed to go along with this whole thing was because you promised that your little turf war would open up the Marshal's seat. You promised me - ”

“To let you live.” The first man fell silent again, a hand clutching at his collar. “What's wrong? You look pale.”

“I - I'm fine. But we can't keep this up. Sooner or later someone's going to catch on. Bailey's poking her nose in dangerous places, and at this rate Oisín will realise he's been played.”

“Well, you're the inside man, here. You're the one meant to be discrediting him and keeping him distracted.”

“Aye! And I am, but I can only do so much, Vicente! The papers sympathised with him a lot after you killed Layla and - ”

Vicente moved in a flash, and suddenly his accuser was a foot in the air with a fist wrapped around his throat. “Keep your mouth shut, you idiot. Do you want us arrested for treason and conspiracy just because you can't keep your mouth shut about one little murder? And tossing my name around like it's paper confetti? Brennig.” Vicente waited until Brennig was turning purple before shoving him away and turning his back on the moron, lifting his eyes to the sky as if for divine inspiration. Doing so lit up his face like a beacon, just for a moment, before he turned back into the shadow to find Brennig still doubled over gasping for air. “Pah, humans. You're all a bunch of weaklings.”

“Vicen-” Cutting himself off before he could say the murderer's full name, even though it was too late to make much difference, Brennig shoved himself to his feet and cleared his throat, his voice still hoarse. “Look, I've done what you wanted, okay? I've spoken out against Oisín, turned the city against him, and it's having the effect you wanted too, right? Bailey doesn't stand a chance of getting support from the Council now, so you can swoop in with your vampires and take over the Black Rose. But you have to do it soon, before they realise the real reason behind Layla's murder.”

“Hmph. I was planning to make my move this weekend anyway, so why don't you go back to your power-grabbing life and leave the important planning to me? Go on, Brennig. Run along, but remember - keep your damn mouth shut.”

[Isabel]

Isabel had no idea whether what they were doing was legal or right. All she knew was that they had to catch whatever would transpire between the men that were meeting in this particular place. And... if chance would permit, catch the men themselves.

Isabel took a peep behind the tree she was sitting at. No sign of the men yet and the others were probably scattered around the area doing the same thing. It wasn't the most comfortable of places but it did give an advantageous view of the park. Though not of the hunter class, the park was earily silent that she would be able to detect anything strange.

A sudden soft breeze blew by rendering her unable to see and in that few seconds she suddenly heard voices.

“You're late.”

“And you're annoying.”

Tensing, Isabel's heart suddenly started thumping; a sound she was sure could be easily heard. Slowly turning from where she was hiding, Isabel looked towards the direction where the voices was coming from. Judging from their voices, she was definitely sure they were male.

Finally locating the owner of the voices, Isabel silently cursed. It was too dark to see their faces clearly. All she could do was record what was being said. Hopefully, names would be dropped somewhere.

........

After a few minutes of the intense conversation , Isabel sat there unmoving. That was it. They had them! They have all the evidence they needed and things would be much simpler if they could catch the men themselves. Isabel readied her stance. She wasn't a fighter but she couldn't let an opportunity like this escape. It was now or never.

(( OOC: if this needs any editing please tell me ))

[Txelu]

Txelu waited silently as the clandestine situation unfolded. Just like everyone else, his COM was readily recording the entire conversation live. The voices of the two men seemed to pierce through the night air with astonishing clarity, enhanced both by his sharper vampire senses and the already strangely quiet atmosphere. Although the stillness meant that their crime hunter group had to take extra care not to make any sounds, it also gave the COMs an easier time engraving the conversation into clear, solid evidence.

“Look, this whole thing was meant to be over by now. Oisín was meant to be out of office. The only reason I agreed to go along with this whole thing was because you promised that your little turf war would open up the Marshal's seat. You promised me - ”

It didn't sound like anything new at least, but another two conspirators obsessed with obtaining power through shady means. Txelu narrowed his eyes, watching their faces and waiting for the right moment. His fingers hovered over the handle of his sword. It would be soon, now, and the others were hopefully ready, too. He tried to catch the eye of the person nearest to him, whether it was Kiel, Issy, or Phen.

It was just like him to have already decided to go after Vicente, the mastermind, the other vampire. Brennig, as a human, posed less of a physical threat. Txelu knew he wasn't the best fighter as far as fancy Japanese sword-swinging and one-hit-KO were concerned (seriously, he had never done this on Earth), but if the group divided the enemies amongst themselves, it could all work out. And there were some perks to being a vampire.

"Go on, Brennig. Run along, but remember - keep your damn mouth shut."

Txelu let Brennig walk a few yards away from Vicente before attacking the remaining vampire from behind. The unsheathed blade of his katana gleamed in the moonlight before swishing through the air with the intention of locking around the man's neck. Hopefully the others were making their actions in the same moment, too. These culprits would not get away.


(( Tell me if edits are needed ^^; I'm assuming that we'll all attack? ))

[Euphenia]

This was the worst idea. Ever.

Then again, it wasn't like options were leaping out and trying to gnaw on their toes. They had no shortage of obstacles, though. Finding clues, figuring out the clues they'd found, following where the figured out clues led, finding more clues ...

"I'm starting to think that I'm not cut out for this," Phen thought to herself as she tried to remain motionless. Like Kiel, she had to contend with the rose bushes that lined the area where the group had surmised the "villains of the moment" where going to meet. The bushes probably had something to do with their arrangements, come to think of it. Who in their right mind would hide among thorny rose bushes to eavesdrop on a conversation, much less record one? "Just us plucky young detectives," the nyad muttered inside her head, all while trying to peek between leaves to try and see just what was going on. Had their quarry arrived yet?

"Thank Xanth I didn't bring Sanna. It's bad enough with these thorns snagging my wings. What would she do if they hurt hers? Oh, is that movement?!" Phen leaned in with widening eyes, then almost sputtered when some longer than usual thorns pricked through her long sleeved shirt. She went so far as to hold her breath to keep from making any noise and ignored the sting that always followed being poked by such wickedly sharp protrusions.

"You're late."

"And you're annoying."

"Thank you, my Lady!" the nyad offered with the utmost of sincere gratitude. Then Phen realized that since the beginnings of the exchange were underway, she had to get her COM to face the right direction to fully capture sound with as few imperfections as possible. That meant she'd have to wriggle her arm about, an arm that was half inside a rose bush.

Grimacing and being thankful that she remembered to wear gloves, Phen tried to avoid as many of the brambles as she could. Which was to say, she felt like she'd snagged them all. "Ow, ow, ow, ow!" became her mental mantra as she got her COM into position and pressed the RECORD button on its touch screen. Hopefully the others were doing the same, those who had elected to huddle around the meeting site, anyway. The rest were a bunch of lucky sons of chestnuts for standing guard instead of conducting honorable combat against thorns, but that was just the opinion of a certain nyad under the influence of "itchy-must-scratch!".

Paying attention to what went on between the two men helped to distract Phen somewhat. Peering about in hopes of not spotting one of her comrades was also an excellent diversion. They would all wait for the men to finish, right? They really needed this evidence, because without it, what would they present to the marshal? Ow, thorn! "Please hurry it up," Phen grumped, then blinked when one man picked up the other and lifted him by the neck a few feet into the air. With one arm. "A vampire for certain," she decided, "It all fits."

"What now?" Phen wondered as the conspirators started to go their separate ways. The winged nymph reached a finger around with the intent of hitting the STOP button on her COM, then froze when moonlight flashed on steel in the direction Txelu had said he'd be in. "Oh no!"

Think fast.

Her mother's words. They did seem to apply to the situation, so Phen used them. The first thing that popped into her head was to use one of her personal strengths, and if Phen knew anything, it was how to put on a show. "Hey!" she shrilled, her musical voice gaining opera quality high notes as she drew herself away from the roses and stood up in one flowing move. It would have been a lot more impressive if the thorns hadn't snagged so much of her clothing (and skin) along the way, but hey, what can you do? "By Xanth's tears came the oceans, and they crashed upon the soil!"

With a dramatic forward thrust of both her arms, one still clutching her COM purely out of reflex, water gushed out from under Phen's shirt and roared in the general direction of Vicente's back. "Someone get Brennig!" she shouted, hoping that the others would react in time to prevent the other man's potential escape.

Piper's Boutique # Raine # Celestial Star # DaFont # Angel

[Official NPC]

Vicente had a lot on his mind, but that was what passed for normal for a man "righting old wrongs" and "throwing out the trash of society". He always had to be looking over his shoulder. Triple checking everything he did wasn't just a habit, it was a lifeline.

So when his triumphant, and perhaps just a touch smug, stride was interrupted by the sudden appearance of the flat of a katana's blade by his throat, you possibly can imagine his surprise.

It cost him a precious second, that sudden realization that there was a chance all of his careful planning had crumbled like a fresh baked cookie in the hands of a child. The metal kept moving, no doubt intended to be pressed against his throat. It might have made it there if Vicente hadn't also moved a split moment later.

A deceptively thin arm shot up fast enough that Vicente's dress jacket gained a ripped seam. That arm interposed itself between Txelu's sword and Vicente's neck, effectively blocking the weapon, and then the vampire twisted his body with unnatural speed in the opposite direction. If Txelu hadn't moved, he was soon to be face to face with a furious vampire that didn't seem all that intimidated by his opponent's choice in weaponry. Vicente's elbow was more likely to slam into Txelu's chest before the younger vampire would be able to fully appreciate the experience, anyhow.

Brennig didn't catch all that went down between the two vampires. He was too busy running. "Forget this," was his first thought, and the second was, "I'll get out of the city. Let the others take the blame. No, I'll get to the office and get warrants made .."

If Vicente's attacker had accomplices, Brennig wanted their hands full with the vampire, who he was pretty sure would put up enough of a fight to keep a whole platoon busy. All the better to make his getaway.

"Hey!"

What on Elysia was an anyelos doing there, and how did they not notice those wings earlier? It wasn't that dark, for Xanth's sake! Brennig dashed past Euphenia before the nyad literally started the waterworks, and the sound of the rushing water only made the man's feet pound harder and his heart skip a few beats.

"Someone get Brennig!"

He had to get away! These people knew too much!

Unfortunately for Euphenia, her attack was anything but subtle, so Vicente had plenty of forewarning before the water got anywhere near him. He did the most logical maneuver when something potentially dangerous is zooming your way. He ducked.

[Kiel]

At first, Kiel didn't think they were going to get anything. It was too dark, the men were backlit so he couldn't recognise their faces - assuming he'd even know them if he could see them - and they were being careful not to talk vaguely and not mention any names.

Before they got to the good stuff, his focus slipped and his attention took a swan dive into the bushes where it languished as he gritted his teeth and sank into himself just so he wouldn't give the game away by, like, jerking up out of the bushes with a "wah!"

Maybe if he did that, the two dudes would think he was a pervert instead of a spy, but, like, he couldn't risk it, you know? Not with the others' lives at stake here, and so much riding on him staying quiet.

But that also meant it took him a few costly seconds to realise that the meeting was over and his friends had already started without him. “Wah!” He wasn't sure what had happened the past couple of minutes, even if his COM had recorded anything solid, but he saw his friends in battle and just reacted.

He shot upright with another “Wah!” - this time a squawk of pain as the rose bush tried to keep hold of him - and dove towards Vicente as the dude's speed made it clear he was dangerous (and, like, Kiel didn't know squat about Txelu so maybe the vamp was in trouble, you know?). But then Phenny yelled and Kiel realised Brennig had run away with nobody chasing him yet, and since Phenny was helping Txelu, Kiel did as he was told.

He went after Brennig.

“Hey, hey, man, wait up!” he yelled after the dude, like that would actually slow him down. Except Kiel was crazy fast, and determined to catch this dude, even if he had to chase the guy all the way back to Dardanos to do it!

[Isabel]

It all happened so fast. Isabel was just about ready to jump from behind the trees when a flash of white struck her eyes and the next thing she knew, Txelu was already on the offensive. Not once had she thought that things would go easy. Specially with that vampire called Vicente. Brennig was a small fry; It was Vicente they had to watch out for.

She was on her way to aid Txelu when a blast of water suddenly caught her off guard and a sudden shout of “Someone get Brennig!”

Looking towards where the human had run off to, Isabel took out her dagger and threw it around the area of Brennig's leg hoping against hope that her aim was right this time and Kiel, who was at Brennig's tail, would remain unscathed.

Though weaponless yet again, Isabel remained undetered in helping out the two who were fighting Vicente. In a burst of adrenaline, Isabel rushed towards Vicente in an attempt to body tackle him just as he dodged Bubbles' attack.

[Txelu]

The second he felt the pressure of Vicente blocking his sword, Txelu immediately shifted to defensive in anticipation of a more than likely counterattack. From where exactly he did not know, but he did instantly move back to reduce the impact of any potential blows, and in the direction where his enemy would be least likely to gain an effect throw. Still, Vicente moved with astonishing speed, and Txelu staggered back a little as he barely escaped the brute force of the other vampire's slam.

It would be difficult to gain an advantageous offensive again since they had used their element of surprise... but they still had the element of water. And a lot by the looks of it. Txelu had not yet seen Phen battling with her element, and he would certainly start to appreciate deadly nymphs in the future, but he wasted no time on idle thoughts now. Every bit of his focus was concentrated on defeating Vicente without killing him.

Destroy his base.

When he saw Vicente's momentarily distracted by the water, Txelu stepped to one side and made a wide sweep of the katana in the direction of the enemy's legs while Vicente dodged Phen's attack. The enemy vampire possessed a good amount of speed, so the best thing to do would be to eliminate that strength. People didn't run well on damaged legs. If Txelu's attack could at least unbalance him, then he and Phen would gain the advantage for a new offensive.

[Euphenia]

She couldn't have any distractions. No, none. At least, that's what Phen kept telling herself. Her friends, and those she'd very much like to call friend, were depending on her to do her part in apprehending the suspects they'd driven into a corner. The nyad couldn't change Kiel's pain filled "Wah!", or turn back time to be before Isabel flung herself in harm's way to help in the taking down of Vicente. There was no plan, Phen could only react.

"And the Creator guided the waters over the land, forging hills and grooves. Mountains rose and lakes spread!" she declared for effect as the nyad gestured, appearing to guide the torrent of water as it performed a flowing U-turn in midair. The liquid started to spiral, faster and faster, becoming a narrower version of the same funnel Phen had once set against the marshal's men. It writhed like a serpent, twisting as it headed downward in an arc, aiming to smash into the side of Vicente's head in the opposite direction that Isabel had knocked him in.

Phen forcibly kept her eyes from narrowing as she sought to maintain absolute control over her element. With Txelu and Isabel so close to her target, there was a high risk that she might hit them instead. With her elemental weapon's current velocity any damage caused had the potential to take them out of the fight, if not permanently then long enough for their quarry to possibly get away. It just couldn't be allowed to happen.

Piper's Boutique # Raine # Celestial Star # DaFont # Angel

[Official NPC]

The anyelos looked to be plenty distracted by Vicente, along with the rest of her "friends", which served the son of a carser right! Brennig had half a mind to laugh in panicked glee that somehow he'd managed to give the meddlers the slip, when he heard a definitely male voice shout something that made his blood run cold.

"Hey, hey, man, wait up!”

The guy had to be kidding. Brennig spat over his shoulder, but didn't try to see who was following him. By the sound of pounding feet behind him, he'd already figured out that the other person was gaining on him. He had to think of something, and fast!

Reaching the edge of the rose bushes, and wondering if meeting in a park had really been all that swell of an idea, Brennig started to leap over the thorny greenery, only to bellow when sharp pain attacked his left thigh. Having dealt with being wounded numerous times before, he didn't lose the momentum that carried him over the roses and into the grass beyond, but his right leg had to take most of his weight upon landing.

He was slowed considerably, trailing blood no less, but still the man tried to hobble along for a few steps. At last realizing that he wasn't going to get away like that, Brennig cast about for somewhere he could hide, and ended up dragging himself to a gardener's shed. Sliding alongside it, he waited in silence and shadows, grimacing as he forced even breaths. He probably only had enough time to draw his sword, which he did, before Kiel would catch up.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Vicente had not anticipated Isabel tackling him. She did it fast and low, catching the vampire about the chest and slamming him to the ground. As a result, Txelu's sweep went wide, though he did manage to nick Vicente's left leg just below the knee. The black haired vampire didn't make a sound when the steel bit into his flesh, only went with the flow of the force of Isabel's blow, letting it carry him out of the sword's path.

Once out of immediate danger, Vicente used the last of Isabel's momentum to try and roll over the girl and keep rolling with the aim of sweeping an arm under her chin and squeezing her close. Getting to his feet would be made that much easier if he had a prisoner, and since the girl yelling nonsense about the so-called Goddess seemed to have a conscience, she likely would call off sword boy and try to work out a truce. Pah! Soft hearted idiots, all of them.

Then he saw stars as something smashed into the back of his skull. He kept going alright, his body momentarily paralyzed and thus only able to go where gravity and inertia took it. The world spun as Vicente tried to figure out what just happened. He smelled his own blood, enough of it to prod his sluggish brain into considering that something might be out of the ordinary besides the vampire not being able to see or think straight. Unless Isabel moved, she was going to have a slumped Vicente draped over her, his blood dribbling down the back of his neck from where Euphenia had partly crushed the vampire's skull. That was going to leave some nasty stains.

(( Isabel's dagger got a deep slice into the inside of Brennig's left thigh, but it didn't stick. It's in the grass near the inside of the ring of rose bushes. ))

[Isabel]

Isabel was never a planner to begin with; her decision to tackle Vicente head on was made out of pure impulse and whatever happened next she left it up to fate. Which was why she started panicking when she realized that Vicente was turning her attack into an advantage for himself. It was only then that she realized that being this close to him would make her vulnerable to attacks, weaponless as she is. She was just about ready to poke his eye out if worst comes to worst when she suddenly saw a torrent of water a few seconds before it hit Vicente on the head with enough force to make him bleed.

Still surprised and relatively relieved at the turn of events, Isabel failed to move out of the way of the now unconscious Vicente and was now left to face the hard cobbled stones on her back and a male vampire weighing a ton on top of her. She gave out a loud “Oooomph!” as she realized her mistake.

Vampire though she may be, Isabel didn't have the strength to push at the knocked out vampire on top of her; only just enough to nudge him little by little. With a breathless voice, Isabel called out to the others. “Help! Anyone!”

Having a dead weight on top of you isn't anything to joke about.

[Kiel]

Kiel had almost tripped head over arse with a startled “Wah!” but as Brennig disappeared behind a small wooden structure, Kiel grabbed hold of the corner and skidded into a ninety-degree turn.

Squelch.

“Dude.” Kiel blinked, clutching at the dude's sword wrist with one hand and still gripping the side of the shed with the other. All he could do for a second was stare, and then he glanced down. The tip of the dude's sword had pierced through the pocket of his shirt, but he couldn't feel anything. Like, something like that, being stabbed, it should hurt, like, right? But he wasn't bleeding, either, and he didn't hurt, so, like, what the hell, man!

Still clinging to the dude's wrist 'cause he so didn't want the guy to escape, Kiel leaned back slightly. There was a tugging sensation as the sword popped free, and Kiel flapped at his side where his pocket was stuffed with random snacks to pull out an oozing bun wrapped in now-torn paper.

“Dude! You killed my bun! You're so under arrest!”

[Txelu]

Okay. More sword practice was a must. It seemed that knowing techniques in theory did not equal what Oz would call "pwnage".

After Isabel's assault, Txelu moved back in surprise and relief as Phen's next attack slammed Vicente directly in the head. It made quite a sound; the enemy's skull definitely didn't escape severe damage. Although it meant that Vicente would be in no condition to effectively fight them any longer, they still needed the criminal alive. "Phen, you did it! But that's enough -- let him live," Txelu called to the nyad, almost as though he was defending the enemy... which was nowhere near true of course.

Tch! He muttered a curse when Vicente's momentum brought Issy to the ground, eyes widening in genuine concern for the girl. He immediately rushed to pull Vicente off her and cast him to the side with an irritated glare in the barely conscious vampire's direction. "Are you okay?" he asked Isabel, trying to help her up with an arm if she consented. With his other hand, he directed the katana at Vicente in case he got up again.

"You should surrender now, Vicente," he suggested, waiting to see if the guy could still even speak.

[Euphenia]

A voice within Euphenia's psyche, one that was usually considered as insignificant as it was small, achieved a volume previously unheard at the sound of Vicente's skull cracking.

It laughed.

Cackling with glee, a woman who had never been allowed to be reveled in her enemy's coming defeat. She embodied all that Phen pushed aside to be the calm one, the reasonable one, the caring and self-sacrificing one. The shut out and forgotten shard of a life grinned wide inside her prison, anticipating further torment of he who would harm what was hers.

Phen's fingers trembled. A litany of the good things that she'd the fortune to know throughout her life was thrust like a spear at the dark blot lodged within her soul, the spiritual weapon's searing light lent strength by Txelu's saying that what she had done was enough.

The voice was silenced, but that didn't make Phen feel any less soiled.

She drew the water up and away from where Vicente lay upon her comrade, only to watch as Txelu tossed the man off of the gasping Isabel. Phen orientated on Vicente, Shaping her element to cushion his head on its way down partly out of guilt. She didn't bother with the rest of him, as logic dictated that he might be carrying documents that could support their case against him. While the paper might survive a thorough dousing, whatever was written on it might not fare as well.

"Izzy, Zue, are you alright?"

Phen coughed to clear her throat, because that low and dangerous voice couldn't possibly of been hers.

"You should surrender now, Vicente."

"Yes, please do. We don't want to harm you further," Phen added, sounding far more like herself.

(( To clarify, this is the first time Phen's ever harmed a living being to this degree, hence the rearing of her "dark side". Don't worry, there shall be no Pyscho music playing in her future. ))

Piper's Boutique # Raine # Celestial Star # DaFont # Angel

[Official NPC]

For a second there, Brennig had felt an odd mix of panic and relief. For one, he had enough dead people on his proverbial hands, thank you very much. For the other, having the boy be face down and ready for the daisies would have made getting away from all of the craziness so much easier.

The guy had to be the luckiest lad in all of Elysia for the sword to have ended up lodged in some pastry rather than a far more painful alternative. Fortunately, his luck seemed matched by a tendency to talk more than he swung a weapon around, and it was about time something went Brennig's way.

"Have you got authority to back up your lip, son?" he snorted contemptuously as he flexed his arm, testing Kiel's grip. Just what would it take to make the fellow furious enough to do something stupid? "All I see is some kid who stuffs his shirt like a girlie looking to boost her 'assets'."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dimly aware of what was happening, Vicente reserved what energy he had left and let his entire body go limp. Playing possum wasn't the honorable way to go, but it had been a long time since such morals dictated Vicente's actions.

He paid for his act with not only having to listen to the female underneath him plead for help (Pathetic!), but in enduring the gripping of his body and being tossed like a meat puppet without strings.

Vicente landed far less roughly than he would if his body had been tense in any way. Instead, he'd accepted that he was going to hit the ground long before it happened, and ended up a bruised sprawling of limbs and ... a wet head? If he'd not been trying to act half-dead, Vicente might have blinked at the sensation of cool liquid cupping the back of his skull like a pillow that had been left in the wash too long and was never allowed to dry.

He heard their requests for him to surrender, and internally he laughed. As if they had anything he wanted! They thought that they'd won. All he needed to do was buy some time to heal. Vicente's vision was already beginning to lose some of its fuzziness, tested beneath barely opened lids and under the protective shadows of thick eyelashes. There would be no "eeney-meeney-miney-moe" necessary to decide whom he'd attack. That girl with the water had to go.

[Kiel]

Brennig couldn't have pushed a bigger button if he'd been a telepathy/empath and tried, man, for sers!

“I!” Kiel began as he dropped his murdered bun and gripped the hilt of his katana. “Am not!” A scrape of metal as Kiel unsheathed the blade. “A girl!” He'd let go of Brennig's wrist, where'd he'd been holding on tight so the dude couldn't run away, to drop back into a fighting stance with one foot braced under him and the other pointing toward Brennig, both hands and his sword raised over his head. His glare wasn't anywhere near Zeph-worthy, and he still looked more like a tantrumming kid than some awesome warrior out to kill people, but Brennig had to get a clue, right?

Like, right?

“We've got, like, soooooo much evidence against you, man. Like, Oisin's gonna kick your ass, you know, so you better believe we've got the authority.” Okay, so they didn't have, like, a warrant or anything, but if Oisin knew what this guy'd been doing behind his back, Brennig's face'd be plastered all over the city on WANTED posters anyway. Kiel and his friends were just skipping the whole chase part. “Don't make me hurt you, okay?”

[Isabel]

Isabel took a huge breath as soon as Vicente was pulled off on top of her. She heard Txelu asked if she was ok but she couldn't answer just yet and took a few seconds to compose herself. She smiled greatfully at Txelu as he offered his arm and took it to pull herself up. “Thank you!”

As she stood, Isabel dusted off her clothes and took a few steps back from Vicente. She'd let the experts handle him now or else she'd get in their way.

“Izzy, Zue, are you alright?"”

Isabel suddenly looked towards Bubbles. She sounded a little off but it was probably due to nerves. She gave her a small smile instead. “I'm fine, thank you. A little shaken maybe, but fine nonetheless.”

Isabel looked back towards the direction Kiel had run to. Worried that something might have happened to him being alone, Isabel started off in that direction in a short sprint while yelling to the others, “I'll go and check up on Kiel!”

As soon as she reached the rose bushes, Isabel saw the trail of blood. Looks like she hit him after all but it seemed he was still able to get far even with an injury like that. A glint caught her attention and as she slowly rummaged through the thorny bushes, Isabel saw her wayward weapon. Breathing a sigh of relief thinking that she had to buy another one. She picked it up and placed it back in its sheath that was strapped to her waist.

Moving on, Isabel jumped over the rose bushes, wincing when a thorn or two caught her leg, and followed the blood trail. It lead her towards the garden shed, and upon rounding the corner she saw for the first time a very furious looking Kiel pointing his sword at a bleeding yet defiant looking Brennig who was holding on to his sword as well.

Isabel automatically grabbed her dagger but hadn't unsheathed it yet. Holding out her other hand to Kiel, Isabel tried to calm the man down. “Easy, Kiel. We want him alive and skewering him now isn't going to help matters any.” Then, looking towards Brennig, Isabel gave him the best glare she had. “And you! We got you cornered Brennig, and with Vicente down, it would be best for you to just give up and atone for your sins.”

[Txelu]

"I'm fine too," replied Txelu to Phen's question. He was relieved to see that she wasn't injured as well, although that sudden tone of hers had felt quite strange. His curious look in her direction portrayed that. "And you? Are you okay, Euphenia?"

Now they could focus on Vicente.

Txelu stayed where he was while Isabel left to check on Kiel, keeping his sword pointed at the enemy. He eyed the other vampire suspiciously. This guy was obviously a clever one, so who knew what he'd be up to beneath that closed expression? Well, it didn't take much to guess. He would either stay down, which was not likely enough considering that he was a vampire, or he would attempt to surprise them with some sort of counterattack. The man had moved with considerable speed and strength before. Accelerated healing usually went along with such things. Txelu just didn't know to what level, and he couldn't risk killing him.

Frowning, he narrowed his eyes, the tip of the cold blade just barely touching Vicente's neck. If the guy tried anything fishy, he swore to Ella's thousand-dollar necklaces that he would kick the man while he was down. And hard, too.

"We should watch over him while they get Brennig," he said to Phen.

[Euphenia]

"Be careful," Phen warned unnecessarily as Isabel went after Kiel and who knew how much trouble. She'd said it with a smile stretched thin by the mockery she was making of their noble efforts, but the meaning behind it was sincere enough. While Euphenia didn't know Isabel very well, she still cared for the vampire's well being, and even hoped to one day count her among the nyad's close circle of friends. "Tell him we'll keep Vicente busy!"

The violet of Phen's eyes practically glowed as she flicked her visual focus to where Vicente lay suspiciously still. She glanced up from her prone enemy for only a moment, just long enough to soften her smile when she caught part of Txelu's odd expression. "No, I'm not."

She'd been blunt, as Phen tended to be when things were getting too complicated. Weaving a web of words wasn't going to distract the nyad from how a part of her had wanted Vicente to suffer. Guilt bubbled in Phen's belly and tried to slither its way up her throat. She swallowed, and the taste was bitter.

"Agreed. Perhaps we ought to restrain him somehow, just in case?" Phen asked as she began to walk slowly and purposefully away from the two vampires, circling back around only after she put another five feet between her and the fallen Vicente.

Euphenia tried to exchange a meaningful look with Txelu. They had never worked together in this capacity before, but she was praying that he'd understand by her moving so quietly that she was trying to make Vicente be more choosy should he try something tricky. She wasn't a tactician. Not in the ways of combat, anyway. Yet even then, she understood how those of a primal mind acted when around their natural enemies. Vicente seemed very much a predator to her, and Phen had been the only one to seriously wound him thus far during their encounter. She would be his first target.

"Where am I now, murderer?" she asked within her mind, not expecting an answer, "Can you pick out my scent with Txelu's, your blood, and Xanth only knows what else surrounding you? Are your senses even that sharp?"

Her attention had again been soaked up by the supposedly unconscious vampire.

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