[M] Once Cursed, Twice Damned {Lyra & Midori-Hime}}

[Lyra]

None spoke. They stood outside Elsbeth's cursed shop as if made of stone. No looks were exchanged, no thoughts leaked into words but the tension thickened the air and boggled the mind. The image of the 'future', dreadful as it sounded, was forever etched in Mathian's brain. The oracle was toying with them, he was sure. It was in her nature. She was fickle and crafty, burned-at-the-stake worthy, and entirely unlikable. He vowed to steal her crystal ball, again, in retaliation.

He tried clearing his throat a few times, casting shy glances at Theo but only reaching at the sight of his knees; venturing above was murderous. The pink in his cheeks lightened, it was but a blately shade now. He would never, even if hell froze over, twice, ever go anywhere near Theo's intimate regions. Who would consort with a werewolf and put up with all the shedding and the howling and the bad breath, though the idea of trying to get him to fetch was a good one. He almost smiled, barely, but Theo broke the silence first. Thank the witches of Salem for that.

Mathian could hear him talk, but he had a hard time trying to listen. It was a few moments before he had any reaction and moved in the direction Theo was heading. He placed his hands in the deep pockets of his coat, sighed, and managed to focus a little bit.

"We could speculate," his tongue almost tripped over his words but he remained composed and eloquent as ever, "or we could just focus on finding the bloodsucker. I'm sure we'll know then." Mathian thought that if he didn't muse over all the inconsistencies with the mission, they might just prove to be irrelevant.

He paid scant attention to their surroundings as they walked in the assigned direction. He was just worried about keeping a safe distance from the werewolf to ease the uncomfortableness that followed in their steps. Suddenly, however, he felt the hackles on the nape of his neck rise like before and a single electric shock hurl down his spine. He halted almost instantly and whispered, sort as a feather, "Theo," in other moments he would have opted for 'werewolf', or 'beast' but he needed to get his attention more effectively.

The werewolves he had noticed a while back on their way to Elsbeth's shop were following them not bothering to mask their presence. They were already far off from the market square. There were fewer shops around, the streets were wider and almost empty and far from safe.

The wolves, their eyes glowing and teeth bared, slunk in the shadows, behind columns and walls, watching and wagering. One of them, a tall, long-haired, broad-shouldered man in a plaid shirt and patched trousers, stepped out, catching them sideways and spoke in a thunderous voice,

"Ain't no passing through here without paying toll," a special kind of enmity resounded in his throat. To see a witch and a werewolf traversing together was unacceptable. "traitor," he spat on the ground, Theo's way. Two of his pack members, smaller men but equally belligerent, came up behind Mathian, inches away from him, ready to claw their way through his insides. But Mathian wasn't defenseless. He moved away and closed the distance between him and Theo, eyes locked on the two preying werewolves who attempted to follow but had their beards, shirts, and fingers singed as a warning when Mathian whispered a light fire spell. Instantly, they moved back, for all werewolves feared fire.

"We're on official business. Beat it, dogs," Matty clicked his tongue, more and more annoyed by the current plot development.

[Midori-Hime]

Perhaps Theo was a little too focused, as he didn't sense anything wrong until he heard the warlock apprehensively whisper his name. Immediately he could smell the male's fear radiating off of him as well as the scent of wolf. Or rather, wolves. Theo stopped, his eyes searching their surroundings as more and more made themselves known. Though quickly his eyes were trained on the large man that approached. His gaze hardened and his body was instantly taut, as if ready to spring into action in a moments notice.

There was a slight twitch, a clenching of his jaw as the other wolf spat at him. He was quite familiar with the word but he didn't let himself get intimidated, nor his beast become too angry. He was trying to think of a way out of this without the altercation turning into a full on brawl, when he caught the other two moving in on Mathian from the corner of his eye. A low rumble suddenly rose up from deep in his chest, narrowing his eyes at them. Not that he cared much if they wanted to tear Mathian apart, but he had a feeling his handler wouldn't be too thrilled with him if he brought his partner back in pieces. He was stuck with the warlock as much as he might hate it and they had an obligation to look after each other. However, before he could act, Mathian used his magic scare them off. At least he wasn't totally useless.

Though even if it was enough to make those two back off, they were still greatly out numbered and the werewolves were not oblivious to that fact. Nor did they take too kindly to be called 'dogs'. "Watch yourself, Witch...," One of the werewolves growled, more of them starting to close in despite Mathian's warning spell. "You're in our territory now..." Theo's eyes flickered between them, trying to tabs on all their movements.

Tension hung heavy in the air with everyone ready to leap at each others throats the moment someone glanced the wrong way. "Look... We'll be out of your hair if you just let us pass. We're on your side. There's-," But Theo didn't finish his sentence as the long-haired male's fist connected with his jaw. The force of it turned his head, his eyes wide with shock amidst the howls and laughter of the other pack members. "Don't think for a fucking second that you're equal to us. You're nothin' but a lap dog to a disgusting witch." The werewolf looked down at Theo with a sneer. "You oughta keep a tighter leash on your dog..." Another jeered at Mathian.

If he had been human, that probably would have shattered his jaw, though he still had the taste of metal in his mouth. Theo spit blood before slowly lifting his gaze to bore into the other wolf's eyes. It was a bold move, knowing the other wolf would take it as a challenge, but he wasn't about to back down from these thugs. His body began to visibly tremble, his breaths slow and heavy as he fight to keep his anger under control. The other wolf then took a stance, gesturing with his hands as if to goad Theo on. "Come on, bitch... You wanna fight?," He continued to taunt, cracking a smug smile. "Come at me if you fucking dare." The other wolves cheered them on, itching to see some blood. But Theo fought to hold himself back, knowing that the second he gave in, the others would take it as an opening to separate them. "How much juice have you got with that spell?" Theo quietly growled to Mathian through gritted teeth, keeping his eyes on the other wolf. He obviously didn't know how their magic worked, but he figured the warlock would get the gist of what he was trying to ask.

[Lyra]

Werewolves, ever the chippy bunch. The witch who thought it clever to cross a wolf and a man surely had a few screws loose, Mathian thought. Although he managed to spurn the wolves' advances with theatrics, it was only a matter of moments before they struck again. What they waited for was an opening but Matty wasn't willing to indulge them. He was rather keen on being snippy and sarcastic but he knew well that goading them on might leave a few scars. And he liked his skin flawless. Instead, he just smiled derisively and tried to concoct a plan. He scanned the perimeter in a few fleeting glances but the long-haired wolf's fist was faster than Matty's thoughts. Instinctively, he moved back, noticing that the number of wolves suddenly increased. There were now more behind them.

Great. cue the eye roll. Mathian knew he would have to do something and do it quickly. Chancing a brawl and awaiting a favorable outcome, surrounded by bloodthirsty mongrels, wasn't optional. Too many witches had died at the hands of werewolves. He wasn't planning on stacking the numbers. He took a deep breath and focused; a flicker of light shone out of his eyes. No wind blew, not a chirp in the air, everything stilled.

"Plenty," a whisper rolled off Matty's lips. "On my mark," he advised, "jump."

There was no time for doubt or hesitation. The flicker of light in his cool, grey-colored eyes was now set aflame and the ground where Mathian and Theo stood flared up with a single hand gesture and spoken phrase. The flames coiled and spiraled uncontrollably around them and grew with each growl that was torn from Matty's throat. As it grew, it expanded and gained shape. The werewolves immediately stepped farther and farther back, both wary and fuming with rage. Had they any sense in them, they would run with their tails between their legs, but their pride was to be their downfall.

Shit, shit, shit. Matty struggled to control the fire but he felt the flames burn holes in his coat. There was no time to fuel the flames further, he'd have to take action now. In a whoosh of a hand, another spoken word dispersed the fire in all directions, to engulf and maim, but not kill, the wolves and scare off those fortunate enough to evade it. Some yelped, some howled, some screamed but those who wanted to charge could not because the fire kept burning and formed a protection ring around Theo and Matty. It burned long enough for Matty to summon another portal.

"Now," Matty growled and jumped through, landing just a few streets away. He wasn't strong enough to portal farther but he figured the smoke would dull the wolves' senses long enough for Matty to come up with a spell that will mask their scent. He just needed to recover. He landed on his knees, visibly tired and annoyed. He would be far less effective now against the vampire they were tracking down but at least they were both unharmed.

"What a bunch of assholes," Matty jeered in a loud tone of voice. He'd love to get his hands on their pelts and hang them on the walls of his room. He threw a glance at Theo and scanned him from head to toe. "And you're still whole, good." he sounded almost disappointed. "Now what?"

[Midori-Hime]

Of course Theo knew what to expect, or at least he thought he did, but seeing the wall of swirling flames suddenly conjured up from thin air still startled him just as much as it did the other wolves. He shied back from them as well, shifting closer to Mathian. Theo was taken aback by the growls behind him, quickly realizing it wasn't from a wolf, but the warlock himself. He glanced back at Mathian then, frozen for a moment in awe.

The wild, dancing flames were terrifying and yet... beautiful. And so was Mathian, he realized in that brief moment. The way his dark hair swayed around his pallid face, and his eyes which were normally so cold mirrored the blaze, shimmering and glowing with untamed light. Such a stunning display of raw power... One that gave Theo all the more reason to watch his back around Mathian. However, Theo was immediately pulled from his momentary reverie as the flames grew hotter around then, drawing him back even closer to the witch, even if he was the source of it. For a moment he wondered if Mathian could control these flames at all, or if they were going to turn and swallow them up instead, regardless of the fact that Mathian was the one to birth them. But finally they were directed at the wolves, scaring the last of them away.

At Mathian's word, Theo's body reacted, even though his stomach turned the instant he realized they intended to escape through a portal. But of course... Gritting his teeth, the wolf leapt through the portal behind the warlock. The second time was more barrable, though not by much. Once on the other side, he leaned over heavily, holding himself up with his hands pressed to his knees. With his eyes closed, he took a few deep breaths through his nose, releasing the breath from his mouth, both to rid himself of the nausea and to cool his blood from all the excitement. "Yeah... you can say that again," He breathed, opening his eyes finally. "Let's hope we don't run into them again, or it's safe to say we're as good as dead." A small smirk pulled at his lips however, hearing the disappointment in Matty's voice.

By now Theo's jaw had healed, leaving no sign behind except for the few drops of blood staining his shirt. "Oh I'm sorry, were you hoping I'd be missing a few limbs?" He asked sarcastically, shooting Mathian a glare, until he saw the warlock on his knees. The amusement fell from his face then, realizing that the stunt had left the warlock exhausted. Great, was he on his own to deal with the vampire now? "Now... I suppose we continue where we left off, before the interruption. Unless you're already tapped out?" He asked with disappointment. However, a moment later he would step over to the warlock and offered him a hand. "...But thanks. For getting us out of that..." He said bluntly, obviously reluctant to say the words. But he wasn't so prideful as not to give the warlock credit where credit is due.

Regardless if the warlock took his hand or not, Theo would pull him up by the arm to bring him to his feet. He wondered if the witch's skin was particularly cool, or if it just seemed that way because of a werewolf's blazing body temperature. His own skin always felt feverish to the touch, but that certainly had it's benefits. Quickly dropping the witch's hand, Theo turned to get their bearings, walking along the street until they came to an intersection. With a quick look around, Theo glanced back at the warlock. "Hmm... Should be this way, I think." He started towards the direction of the sewers. "If we can find that abandoned building she mentioned, that might be a good place to start."

[Lyra]

"A finger or two would've been nice," he retorted in a low tone of voice and a partly suppressed, soft laugh. He let his breath out, closed his eyes and momentarily relaxed. He was proud of himself but pride quickly turned to nostalgia. There was a time when conjuring up wondrous flames that danced in the wind and spiraled into unimaginable shapes was child's play. Now, reduced to a mere initiate for refusing to use ancestral magic, Mathian had to scrape by with whatever he could find... and he was doing just fine.

When he opened his eyes, Theo was there, reaching out. It was an unexpected sight, the wolf's cute daity nose and full squishy lips and the large, dark eyes - ferocious but charming. Even the wolf's bruised, robust jaw made him look handsome, Mathian thought, involuntarily. It was a momentary lapse of judgment, as if time itself stood still. Meanwhile, Theo had already helped Mathian to his feet. He composed himself instantly once he was standing on his own. He regarded the thank you with a sideways look which spoke of casual nonchalance despite his heart hammering in his chest.

He shook his head and wondered... what the fuck? His mind was playing tricks on him, surely. It was all Elsbeth's fault. He moved away dusting ash off his coat. The mission was their priority, he had to focus. He managed to keep the wolves at bay, for now, but he was sure that they would be back, sooner or later. He followed after Theo, fatigued but strong, and took out the spellbook he kept in his pocket. He leafed through it trying to find the appropriate spell.

"Yes, we should canvass the area. The sewers is where I'd hide, as obvious as it is." He said, speeding up his pace. He might have a general idea on how to draw the vampire out but he wasn't sure the werewolf was going to like it. It involved using a live bait so Mathian was a bit wary about revealing his plan to his partner. He came up behind him and quickly plucked out a stand of hair from his head without a warning.

"We need to mask our scent," a smirk danced at the edge of his lips. He could have asked politely, but it was more fun this way. "Keep an eye out, partner. Don't make me pull out the leash," he joked and took out a piece of chalk. Crouching, he drew a pentagon on the uneven ground, placed Theo's hair and one of his own in the center. He plucked some grass nearby and added it into the mix. He then recited a lengthy spell to disguise their scent behind the scent of the grass. He was altering it in a way, since he did not know how to completely mask it. As he spoke, the hand-drawn lines of the symbol shone a bright green and subsequently disappeared. He stood up and pushed the grass to the side, looking up at Theo.

"We should be safe for now. Let's go, the sewers are close. You can practically smell it."

[Midori-Hime]

Theo caught the little comment from the warlock and he almost laughed, if it wasn't for the fact that Mathian was... well, Mathian. It was silent as they walked, this area seeming to be much more vacant than the main market. But make no mistake, there was definitely beings lurking around them. Hearing the rustle of paper, Theo glanced behind him curiously and raised a brow as he watched Mathian flip through his book for a moment. Rolling his eyes, he looked ahead of him again, keeping an eye out for anything promising. That and he really didn't want to be ambushed again.

He was too busy studying their surroundings that he didn't notice the warlock sneaking up on him, until he felt that tiny pinch at his scalp. "O-ow! What the fuck?!" He exclaimed sharply, flinching away from the witch as a hand went to his head, rubbing. Theo glared daggers at Mathian, wary of what the witch intended to do with a strand of his hair. He wouldn't be surprised if it was some crazy voodoo shit...

Even when Mathian reassured him that it was only to mask their scent, Theo was still slightly suspicious of his partner. "Watch yourself..." He growled lowly at the joke, still a bit miffed after their interaction with the other werewolves. But he shortly realized he was being too sensitive and made an effort to ease up a little. He stood off to the side, arms crossed over his broad chest while he watched and waited as Mathian prepared his spell. His eyes widened slightly as the lines glowed with a bright green light, curious as he'd never actually seen a warlock perform their magic up close before.

"That's it?" He muttered quietly, but then wondered what more was he expecting really. His brows furrowed a little, but he moved to follow Mathian, keeping some distance. "Huh..." He exclaimed all of a sudden. Theo then quickly gained on Mathian and swiftly took a hold of the warlocks arm, making him pause abruptly. Without warning, Theo suddenly leaned into Matty's hair, their cheeks almost touching as the wolf took a deep breath. He blinked and then immediately drew back from Mathian again. "So weird... It really did work," He said, sounding rather astonished. He could still catch the warlock's scent beneath the sharp smell of grass, but only when he was this close could he really tell.

Without another word, Theo simply continued on towards the sewers as if nothing had happened. It was obvious that they were nearing an entrance as it was suddenly more populated here. Though these sort didn't seem to be any more pleasant than the ones they'd run into so far. "Hmm... Take your pick." He glanced back at Mathian suddenly before his golden eyes surveyed their surroundings once again. There was a small group of vampires with a subjugate trailing, clearly on thier way to a hidden club in an old meat packing plant. But he doubt they'd talk. Not to him at least. And he thought they should avoid the two groups of wolves that were on their way to a pit. Their loud, boisterous voices echoing as they turned down an alley. Theo took a few more steps and then turned down another side street, finding a small shanty town where a good number of the homeless resided. Theo stiffened a little, but it seemed like a place to start. "Well?"

[Lyra]

Mathian flinched when the wolf came up behind and sniffed him out. What a creep, he thought, narrowing his eyes to squint at him mockingly. "Of course it worked!" he issued a sharp reply followed by a cutesy snort. "I'm bloody awesome," he spoke in an undertone. And he believed it to be true. A witch of his background was as good as dead without a certain set of skills.

Mathian thought it best if they were to avoid vampires, werewolves, and witches alike for the time being, although few witches roamed these parts for fear of a vampire's thirst for their blood and a werewolf's inclining towards ripping their hearts out. Perhaps it was best if they approached the humans first. He followed after Theo as they found themselves amongst the most unfortunate. Cardboard boxes lay scattered around in corners, posing as housing and shelter from harsh weather conditions, poor and ineffective as they were. Most homeless people, donning threadbare, hole-riddled, smelly clothes, gathered around a fire to keep warm. They owned nothing but the clothes they wore and the plastic bags they carried around and used to store the scarps they would find around. Mathian's stern face mellowed at the sight. As if their plight wasn't big enough, most vampires would saunter in to feed off whomever they pleased for nobody cared if these people disappeared. Or died.

During the first few months of Mathian's self-inflicted exile, he was homeless too. Some nights he slept out in the open, some nights he broke in for soft bedding and shelter, so he knew how to empathize. But it wasn't the time for that. He fought his way out of that horror and he wasn't ready to go down the memory lane at the present moment.

"Someone must have seen something, let's split up and canvas." he said, sounding it off like an order. "We discuss strategy after, we'll need that bloodsucker alive." He added and walked away. He went from one person to another. Most feared him and refused to say anything. He would get suspicious looks, incoherent stutters, and a plethora of curses. He did not strike back, though, he just moved on to the next.

Finally, he came upon an elderly woman sitting on sheets of paper by a makeshift teepee. A moth-eaten shawl was wrapped around her shoulders and her head, a few loose, grizzled stands of hair were sticking out. Her frail body rocked back and forth, as her hand reached out and grabbed Mathian's.

"Alice, have you seen Alice? She said she would be back, she did. She promised, I know, I heard it. With my ears." she spoke rapidly and almost deliriously. Mathian crouched in front of her and removed her hand from his arm gently, saying,

"No, I haven't. Where did she go?" he asked politely.

"Where they all go, she said. But they don't return. Why? They said they would be back. Alice heard them too. She's such a sweet girl. Why isn't she back? She promised. She promised!" the woman was visibly agitated and became even more so with each shallow breath. She grabbed his arm again, her nails clawed at his skin. He pitied her, so he did the only thing he could, he gave her peace. With a single touch on her wrinkled forehead and a whisper, dormi, he put the woman to sleep and bid her to dream nicely, laying her carefully on the ground.

"Alice is dead," a voice came from behind. "We found her in the sewers, we buried her." an elderly man said with a sad expression on his face and walked away, dragging his left foot behind him.

The vampire, Mathian immediately thought, scanning the surroundings for Theo.

[Midori-Hime]

It was a familiar sight for Theo as well and despite any qualms he might have had with joining the Militia, he constantly reminded himself that it was better than sleeping on the damp streets, scrounging around for food, having nothing to your name. At least he had his supernatural abilities to keep him warm but he felt for these poor souls that huddled around fire pits, seeking any way to keep themselves warm. However, even this sort of lifestyle proved to be too difficult to carry on with, being what he was, and he was forced to move on.

"Alright..." He agreed simply. He might have made a comment about why Mathian suddenly felt that he was the one to be giving orders, but he wasn't in the mood at the moment. He started to wander down a path opposite of Mathian, glancing over the faces that stared at him, a stranger in their little neighborhood. These people were particularly wary and he could understand why. They were so easily preyed upon.

A small group around flaming burn barrel seemed open enough for him to approach. He asked them if they had seen a young man as the vampire had been described to them. Or if they had seem anything else suspicious around here...

"You mean besides the vampires picking off any stragglers or those fucking dogs threatening us to take what little we have?" One man muttered bitterly and the others seemed to share his sentiment. "I'm sorry. Really... But I'm just trying to help here-"

"Look, we don't know nothing... Okay?" Another man spoke up, interrupting, and moved with the other men to turn away from him. Well, so much for that, Theo thought, turning away with a slightly dejected look. Until he heard a soft, "Psst-" from across the way. He looked up sharply, spotting an older man with a long, untamed beard and matted hair stuffed under an old beanie. He gestured Theo over and with a cautious glance around, Theo obliged. "You're lookin' for someone, yeah? Or is it, somethin'?" The man muttered quietly. Theo raised a brow. "Yeah, Jacob Bryce. A fledgling..." He explained, keeping his voice low as he described him again.

"I don't think I've seen anyone like that but there's been some rumors spreading around a particular warehouse just a block or two from here. There's been a lot of disappearances from there... But not like your typical vampire den or nuthin'. Word keeps spreading around here, warnin' people stay away from that place." The man went on. It made Theo wondering if that was the same abandoned building that Elsbeth had mentioned, or maybe it was something else all together.

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Mathian looking his way. Turning back to the old man, Theo gave him a nod. "Thanks for your help." And with that he turned away towards his partner. "Wait-" The man said suddenly, "If you plan on goin' there, watch yourself lad." Theo paused, glancing back at him with a faint glimpse of a smile before he continued over to meet up with Mathian. "So, you find anything out?" He asked curiously, hoping the warlock had a little more to go on. Of course the warehouse might be promising, but he really wasn't looking forward to it if there was indeed a vampire den there.

[Lyra]

"Only that the poor are too often objects of pity," the thought of their unhappiness pricked his conscience but he stayed calm, collected, and aloof. He moved away from the elderly woman who slept peacefully with a hint of a smile forming at the edge of her chapped lips. "There might be a potential victim, but too many vampires prey in these parts, it's hard to tell." He mused out loud, finding himself at ease with the way they were handling the mission. This was their first important case; there was no sidetracking or useless banter or moaning on their part. Mathian's previous partner was a nightmare. She'd complain nonstop and digress in that irritating, high-pitched voice of hers. She was an entitled ass so Mathian felt no pity in reducing her to a frail, breathing sack of flesh and bone. Though, she'd recover soon enough now that Mathian had none of her DNA.

"We should head to the sewers, but before that," he paused, chanced a look at Theo's face, and continued as he his cool, grey eyes fixed on Theo's dark marbles for a moment, "what's our--" he intended to go over their capture plan, since he had a feeling they would be needing more than just the usual 'knock him out, portal him back' method, but a silly looking man cut in with a boisterous laugh.

"Excuse me, excuse me," he repeated, looking at the two with one, amber-colored eye. He didn't have the other, there was just an empty socket. "I have the finest set of stakes on the market, if ye'd like. Pierces right through a vamp's heart and leaves 'im yearnin' for more," he cackled, showing the odd pair the lining-side of his shabby coat. It was obvious he was a salesman, or at least trying to be. He had an array of wooden stakes, makeshift potions, and pieces of silver neatly stacked inside the coat. "Or are ye more interested in offin' a werewolf? I hear their fur warms ye up nicely," he brandished a knife seemingly coated in silver. "Or, if ye be on the queer side, I got these from a witch, ye see, very powerful stuff, makes ye go all night without stoppin'. Ye guys look like ye pull all-nighters together, innit?"

At first Mathian wanted to laugh, then he was irked. Which part of them just standing together, casually, in the middle of the street, spoke that they were together together, he wondered. "Beat it, drummer, before I pull the 'toad' on you."

"Oooh, a witch, aren't we? We don't get many witches here, we don't. Are ye lookin' for that thing that be takin' people from around these parts? Vampire, they say, demon says I." as he spoke his face contorted into a powerful grimace meant to mimic that of Satan himself, if he were a comedian.

"What do you know about it?" Mathian asked.

"That ye be dead before ye lay yer hands on it, that's for sure. So, how about it, an aphrodisiac for the happy couple? Might get me talkin'." he teased and nudged, hoping for a sale.

[Midori-Hime]

Theo wasn't quite sure what to make of that, coming from Mathian. He didn't exactly strike the werewolf as the sympathetic type. But as the warlock stepped away, Theo noticed the soft smile on the old woman's sleeping face and the sight made him wonder for a moment. He moved to follow Mathian, listening and pondering over their options. "The sewers?" Theo blinked, wondering what made him chose the sewers first. To be honest, he wasn't thrilled about venturing through the maze of sewers. Even less thrilled than he was about the idea of checking out that warehouse. But he wondered if Mathian knew more than he was letting on, or maybe it was just some hunch the warlock had... Either way, Theo decided he'd put his reservations aside for now and focus on whatever they had to do to get this mission over with. Despite any bad memories it dug up.

His attention was drawn back to the warlock once again as their eyes met, opposites like fire and ice. But before Mathian could say what was on his mind, they were interrupted yet again by another strange character. "Ugh, what now..." The wolf grumbled with an exasperated sigh.

The man was your typical shady, smooth talkin', back alley salesman, but this man's peculiar wares made Theo's dark eyebrow raise. Stakes for vampires? Really? "Look, we're not interested-" He started though the man only continued on. Suddenly the werewolf grimaced in disgust at the idea that anyone would skin a slain werewolf, but at the same time he didn't doubt that there were hunters who did. Just the sight of the silver knife made Theo tense all over, shifting back a step next to Mathian. He couldn't help it... It was just instinctual.

However, suddenly Theo wasn't sure which was more disturbing... The idea of someone skinning his pelt as a trophy or that this old peddler was suggesting that the two of them were 'together'. He was thankful for Mathian telling him off, about ready to turn away, when the old man finally said something of interest. But of course the stranger was a salesman, first and foremost, and Theo knew they weren't going to get anything out of him for free.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" He hissed, quickly shoving his hand in a back pocket and then the front, finding a crumpled Twenty. Figures it was the only cash he had but he supposed Mathian had already put in for this mission, so it was only fair he did as well. "Here, this is all I got. Take it or leave it..." He said bluntly. But the man seemed plenty happy with his sale and traded the cash for the small glass vial. Theo glanced down at it briefly with a frown before absently shoving it into the warlock's hand, so that he could put it away in his coat pocket. "Now ... What do you know about the vampire?"