The Marionette- 1x1 W/ Ashen

[Owl0430]

For a woman who often complained about wishing to be outside of the manor, one would think she would be happier about being outside. But she wasn't. Not like this. The point of being outside the manor was to get away from the nightingales. Alec's presence was ruining everything about exploring the nightlife.

They had went to a few stores that were open yet- Alec had even picked out a dress for her at one of them. He claimed she would need it when the next gathering- an event in which vampire families of importance gathered for a night of festivities- came around. After that they had went to a restaurant- though she ate hardly anything. She had ate earlier, plus there was something just...wrong about watching Alec eat normal food. From there he decided they should take a stroll through the local park- more of a public garden, really.

" and that's how Ms. Margaret Smith became known as the lady of the wine." Alec had finished, having been telling her a story of how some women became known as 'the queen of wine' at the restaurant they had been at. " It really was a shame you didn't get a chance to meet her tonight, I do believe you would have found her quite funny. Nonetheless, you have been enjoying yourself, yes? This night has turned out to be rather nice. There's not a single cloud to seal the stars away, and the weather is neither hot nor cold. Even the wind has stilled.

" Yes, the night has been most...interesting." she spoke, a sad look crossing over Alec's face. " I know that tone. You hated everything, didn't you?"

Hurriedly she corrected herself, changing her tone. " No no no, I had fun, I assure you! I'm just...not used to socializing with so many people at once, is all. You know I don't do well in crowds." It was the truth. The night had, surprisingly, been rather enjoyable. She just really, truly wished the night hadn't been with him.

Hm...ok, I'll believe you. That tone sounded truthful. You have to remember I've spent more time around you than the others- namely because I was only two years older than you when you got to the manor. I know when you're lying to me. Speaking of which..." he stopped walking, looking at her seriously. " I know you were hiding something outside your window the other night. I don't know who or what you were hiding...but be careful, alright? Even I can't help you if the others find out your hiding something."

It was difficult, but somehow she managed to keep a poker face at his words, though her mind was racing with numerous worries and concerns. She had thought she had mastered the art of deception...but then again, a master con artist know when they are being conned, while a normal person would simply fall for the act. Still, she tried to play it off naively. " Whatever do you mean? I'm no fool, and I've learned my lesson ages ago. I would never be so idiotic as to hide something from the Nightingales. "

Alec sighed, walking towards her, placing a hand on her face. "Please do not lie to me, Ophelia. I will not tell them. I just...I don't wish to see anything happen to you." he ran his thumb down her cheek before tilting her head up. " even an immortal would mourn for someone dear to them." and that's when it happened- Alec placed a gentle kiss upon her lips, one hand still on the side of her face, the other wrapped around her, resting at the small of her back.

It had taken her off-guard, and so she stood there still as stone, arms held slightly out from her sides. Though, from the wrong angle, it would appear ,to those who were in-the-know about his kind, as if he was choosing to feed from her.

[Ashen]

To anyone who might have been watching the small rebel, it would have appeared as though Mags were stalking these two. She had been trained to stay out of sight, to not make a sound, to cover her scent and her tracks and make sure no one would ever be able to link evidence back to her, but in the moment, with her head fuzzy and her emotions charged, she wasn't paying attention to any of that. She slunk into step behind them, pretending to scroll through her phone, to study the crowds, to browse the different flowers and trees around them, but she was sure she would not let them out of her sight.

Ophelia and her friend were talking, or perhaps he was talking to her. He seemed accusatory, but Mags could make out little of their conversation, and getting any closer would add too much suspicion. She instead watched their expressions, tried to read their lips, to no avail. Were they plotting something? It was too early to rule out the possibility of Ophelia feeding information to the Nightingales. Were they talking about her? Mags doubted she was in any real danger. Even if she barely knew Ophelia, she didn't think the girl would give her away this easily, not with how guarded she had seemed about it before. But then, what business did this vampire have taking his captive out on a date like this?

And then the body language changed. The vampire grabbed for Ophelia's face, and instinctively Mags stilled, waiting. What was that brute planning with her? Mags's fingers felt at her sides, her boots, mentally locating ever knife on her body. She had only just met Ophelia, but her need to protect her, or perhaps her need to endanger him, already had her spurred to action. She wouldn't let him hurt her, not in public like this, and as she silently watched and waited for him to try something else, she slowly unsheathed a dagger at her side.

As soon as he brought his lips to her skin, Mags was ready. Her dagger soared the distance between them, aimed straight at the vampire's throat. Maybe it would be enough for Ophelia to get away, to regain her composure. She looked uncomfortable, wary, and Mags had felt that she needed to do something. But now, she knew she was putting herself in danger. Just as soon as her dagger left her fingers, Mags shot into a small crowd walking by, back to scrolling on her phone. If the vampire had seen her, she knew she was in trouble, but she had faith she was safe. He was likely busy with avoiding the attack--or, with any luck, not avoiding it--and that would give her ample time to get away. She walked from the park, intending to return home, but a part of her wanted to know what happened. So she lingered, now a great distance away, but still near enough to see him, to see if her attack had done any real har, to her target or her ally.

[Owl0430]

Initially, Alec had been enjoying his night with Ophelia. Everything had been going fine- he had even gotten the chance to do something he had wanted to do for quite some time: kiss her. However, no sooner had he placed his lips upon hers that he had heard the sound of something cutting through the air at an alarming speed. He had seen the moonlight glint off the blade just in time to shield himself with his arm- therefore resulting in the blade impaling his arm. As soon as it had struck, however, he looked for it's owner, tucking Ophelia protectively behind him. He briefly caught a girl running into a small crowd of people.

To say it had caught him off guard was an understatement. He had always been warned hunters- or whatever they were going by these days- existed, but he never expected to run into them. Then again, the family thought there might be some in town. Maybe he should've been a bit more cautious...he had felt like they were being watched from quite a while, but he had thought it was likely just some type of bold, rash mugger. He hadn't planned on just barely blocking a blade from striking his neck. Considering the look of the blade- which, to Ophelia's disgust, was somewhat poking out the other side of his arm- it could easily have killed him at the velocity and trajectory.

Pulling the knife from his arm, he examined it before looking around, shielding Ophelia behind him. " My apologies, Ophelia. It appears we have..unpleasant company." he said with a glare, eyes wandering, examining the expanse. It would be best for that girl...woman, whatever, if she left. But, soon enough, he caught her- just barely caught her- lurking around a good distance away. " I believe I am going to go settle these matters...preferably peacefully, but whoever threw this blade has pulled the first punch if you will. I will not hesitate to defend myself...but don't worry, I shall not kill them- I know it would not be to your liking." Kill, no. Scare them enough they wouldn't dare attack him and Ophelia ever again. He would worry about the wound to his arm later. " Please, Ophelia, return to the manor swiftly. But be careful- there could be more of them. " that was all he said before he left to confront the woman who threw the knife, within a few minutes standing behind a tree, out of her view. "It's rather rude to third-wheel and ruin someone's date, you know. Make I ask what prompted you to throw that blade?" he questioned.

Meanwhile, Ophelia was still standing where she was, in shock from both the kiss and the blade that had impaled Alec's arm. The way it stuck out from the other side of his arm, blood dripping of it's tip, was much too grotesque for her liking. She hadn't even seen it coming...it could've killed either one of them, had Alec not stopped it with his arm at the last second.

The kiss, on the other hand, left her with mixed emotions. Hate and intrigue. It was the first time someone had kissed her...and she hadn't minded it. In fact, it had almost been nice. But that was the exact problem. She had enjoyed it- and Alec was the one who had kissed her.

Alec was a vampire...like the rest of them, he fed on people to live. He was just like the rest of them, right? He was a monster.

But her mind still tried to justify it. He had been human once...surely he had some morals? He couldn't be entirely bad...

those were worries for later though. The knife was a bigger threat. Who had thrown it? someone in the resistance, surely, but who? Not mags... she wouldn't risk hitting here. The way mags had acted, she was much to valuable. Then again, Mags had seemed quite perturbed earlier.

[Ashen]

Mags had remained just long enough to see the vampire extend his arm to block her perfect shot, saving his worthless life. She swore under her breath. It had been risky, making a move like that in public, and she had failed. She wasted no time leaving the scene, knowing there would only be trouble if she stayed. She needed to get out of there anyway, to be away from the beasts that were ruining her life, the lives of many, and to think things over in her guild, in her apartment. She scolded herself for acting so recklessly as she walked away, knowing the danger she was putting her entire mission in.

But as she stalked away, she heard footsteps behind her. Mags slowed to a stop and turned her attention to her pursuer. It was the vampire she had just tried to kill, this time without his companion. Mags turned to face him, masking her emotions all too well. If he thought he could approach her to scare her, or to try and get some revenge, he didn't know who he was dealing with.

His words left a rotten taste in her mouth, but Mags was silent. Date? she thought. Yeah right. Her eyes rose behind him, to survey the area and to try to catch a glimpse of Ophelia, who by now was out of sight. She brought her gaze back to the vampire. "I beg your pardon?" she muttered softly. "I don't--Oh!" Feigned surprise came over her face as she deliberately looked at the beat's arm. "Sir, you're bleeding!" She was not in the mood to deal with this thing, not now, not in public, while Ophelia was watching. Had she even seen who had thrown the blade? Why had she stayed back? Mags met the vampire's gaze, searching for his expression, his thoughts. She wore her panic well, too used to acting to get what she wanted. "Do you need me to call you an ambulance?" she said, already reaching for her phone, keeping her grasp on it firm. "What's your name? I'll call now."

She dialed the three numbers and waited for the call to connect. As she did, she examined her own work. It was a clean cut, one that would have definitely done the trick. What had thrown him off? He must have heard it, she figured; she would need to account for that next time. This close, she wondered how easily she could plunge another knife into his throat, his heart. He was on guard now, and she was small, too small to overpower him. Still, her mind fancied the possibility.

When she heard a voice on the other line, she paused, waiting to see if the vampire would buy her ruse, or if he would be stupid enough to attack her while she was on the phone with the police.

[Owl0430]

Alec pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers, letting out a huff. " Look, I really don't have the time for this, so if you could just expla-." he shut up. It was pointless. The woman was already dialing 911- it wouldn't be wise to speak while the operator was on the line. But, thinking logically, it was an emergency line. They dealt with situations that needed immediate attention. If he stayed silent, the operator would eventually either get annoyed and hang up, or they would work on tracing the phone's location- so long as the woman didn't speak either.

Therefore he leaned back against a tree, a relatively annoyed, but somewhat sad look on his face. He would wait the phone-call out and see what happened. However, he didn't want to waste more time than needed on this issue. Maybe there was a way to communicate without risking the operator hearing.

Maybe he would be lucky enough the woman was good at reading lips? ' I don't wan't trouble.' he mouthed, trying to silently communicate. ' She already hates me enough. Your actions aren't helping matters any. So again- why did you throw the dagger."

He didn't dare get any closer for the suspicion that she could have more daggers on her. But he also worried the woman would start making up a story of sorts- not that it would do her any favors either. If she really was part of some hunter group, the phone was probably disposable, and getting involved with the feds would be the last thing she'd want to do. Still, he wouldn't take many chances. If she started making up a story he would pursue the issue on a different night- if he followed her anywhere it could be a trap.

[Ashen]

He was being difficult. Mags looked him over in his silence, reminding herself not to roll her eyes. If this creature didn't want trouble, he had a lot of explaining to do. Mags wanted to snap at him, to remind him of the trouble he was causing his date, or the people of this city, or the families he'd left with funeral expenses and months of therapy. If he didn't want trouble, he'd do the right thing and properly off himself. But she bit her tongue; talking to him like that would only hurt her cause in the long run. Even if it pained her, she refused to speak against him.

If he wasn't going to speak, she was. "I've got a man bleeding out," she said into her phone. Her eyes watched the vampire, waiting to see if he would stop her. Surely he wasn't dumb enough. "He's near the park on..." She paused to look around, to find a street sign, as if she didn't know where she was. "Arch Avenue, we need rescue." And with her deed done, she removed the phone from her ear and approached the vampire.

"They'll be here soon," she assured, continuing her game. "They should be able to patch you up. I am already late, I really ought to be going--will you be alright on your own?" Even now, she going to play the part of the concerned passerby. She looked behind him, as if to try to find his date. Seeing no one, she glanced back at him. If she had read his lips, she made no obvious sign of it. She bowed her head, and she took a few paces back. "I hope you feel better soon," she called, and with that she turned and walked away.

She kept her phone in her hand throughout her walk, as per the operator's request. She wasn't concerned with the ambulance they were sending, but she did want to keep a witness around should the vampire follow her. She didn't go directly home; she walked circles around the city, misleading anyone who would dare follow her. Only when she was sure she'd lost his trail did she make her way home.

She would ask Ophelia about it, later. What the thing had meant. Were they really on a date? Was Ophelia not as trustworthy as Mags had thought? How had the vampire gotten so misguided, and what had that expression been, on his face, as he watched her? Mags took to one of her journals, scribbling encrypted notes to herself about it. She wanted to trust Ophelia, to trust her instinct, but... Why did you throw the dagger?​ Mags finally rolled her eyes.