ArchivedLogs:No Small Loss

No Small Loss
Dramatis Personae Selene, Parley, Casper
In Absentia	2014-01-12 Dark work in New York back streets.
Location a new york back alley...
Thunder rattles beyond the city buildings and nearer, a light percussion of spare fat raindrops plink down into night time puddles. A freak heatwave has plunged New York into a freak winter thunderstorm, all absurd dashes of lightning and twinkles of anglehair droplets falling past haloed streetlamps. The street traffic has slackened off to distant rumbles of motors, and pedestrians have rushed to get in off the street. Standing at the opening of an alleyway, a teen girl in a thin long-coat and dark hair leans against the wall, compressing there hard to get up beneath a low awning semi-sheltering a set of dumpsters full of soggy furniture. She battles with a small powder blue lighter, trying to light the sweet-scented and kind of /damp/ Clove cigarillo gripped in her lips. And /huffs/ softly to herself. It's been almost two weeks since the last time Selene has fed on others. Which means, it's time for another meal. Clad in a black peacoat, trousers, and boots, Selene has been walking through various alleyways in search for her meal, followed by her bodyguard/confidante Casper, who is clad in a gray trench-coat, jeans, and military boots. Having come up short before, Selene spots the girl, eyes her over, scanning her mind, before sending a mental signal to Casper. << Found one. Stand guard.>> Nodding silently, Casper takes a position at one side of the alley, as Selene calmly approachs the girl, hands in her coat. "You alright there? There's a mighty storm out, don't you have somewhere better to be than here?". Inside her coat, she's slowly removing her black gloves for feeding process, though she doesn't show any hints of her intentions in her movements. "Need a help with that light?" The girl looks up with the initial flat New-Yorker wariness, eyes hard and cautious. To come nearer, the long coat she wears can be seen for the thriftstore beater it is, with an over-large white and blue striped sweater beneath it and mismatched earrings. The cool repose envelops a mind full a teenager's existent turmoil - a screaming row with a mother, weeks back, living from friend's house to friend's house. Sleeping on couches. A brash, fierce well of determination in this wide world even as she moves closer and closer to what may well be homelessness. She darts her eyes down Selene's form, relaxing somewhat. << woman. >> << women aren't dangerous. >> << she looks rich. >> "Pff," the girl makes a HUFFY sound, one she equates with sounding adult and jaded, "Got nowhere else to be. My friends are assholes." She shakes her head when the cigarette finally catches, smiling ruefully behind the filter. "I like your coat. I had a coat like that." The girl's thoughts make Selene mentally chuckle towards Casper, but her demeanor remains calm and collective. "You like it? You can have it, I have about a dozen others just like it.". Selene gestures to remove it, even though she doesn't /actually/ plan on giving it to her snack. Meanwhile, Casper's picking up a rock from the alley, juggling it in hand before pushing it into his pocket, eying the area around him to try and see how he could use it in case of emergency. Selene nods at the friend's thing, her face showing caring emotion. "I get you. People can be tough. You just have to ignore those people and find the ones who truly care about you.". "What, really?" The wariness snaps up in girl again, but it seeds through brightly with a hopefulness - freething? nicelady? nervous study? "Just - like that?" /Fuck yeah/. Except she glances past Selene at the man with the stone, then back to Selene. Conflicted. "Gosh lady, um. That's awesome. You're sure?" She comes away from the wall and takes a step nearer. Creepcreep? Removing her jacket, Selene nods. "Don't worry about him. He's...troubled.". Casper grunts, and Selene smiles, holding her jacket out. "Hard to find good help these days.". Selene plans on feasting as soon as the girl gets close enough, but sends a quick mental signal to Casper to act if things go south, noticing her uneasiness. "Like I said, you can have it. It's no trouble to me. I'll just take his coat to get home.". Another grunt from Casper, and she snaps her fingers at him, silencing him, anticipating the meal. "Heh. Got to love him." "Heh," the girl makes a kind of nervous laugh, at the interplay between man and woman. She runs through justifications to take the coat, reasons why she should. You can't say she stole it, right? Maybe this elegant lady is on /drugs/. Or /drunk/. Or just doesn't mind. Her approach becomes more confident now, smashing out the live ember from her cigarette to douse it, and then tucking it behind an ear to save the rest for later. When she steps out from under the awning, small delicate drops of water catch on her eyelashes, speckle her shoulders. Hang suspended in shimmery crystals on the humid-frizz of her hair, exposed now to the elements. Exposed now to the night. And she smiles warmer, showing her teeth. And she curls her fingers around the offered jacket, "Wow. Thanks a lot, lady." "Never trust a stranger.". Selene grins deviously, as the girl curls her hands on the jacket, and Selene is quickly /lunging/ forward to grasp her, her first action to cover the girl's mouth with her hand. Speaking, Selene is moving around her, ignoring the coat and letting it go with her own hands, as she holds her from behind. "You should have stuck with your gut. I doubt your mother will even miss you. And the police, they won't give a damn. Homeless girl dies in alley during storm. Happens all the time.". As Selene says this, her eyes glow a dark red, as she begins the (painful) life transfering process, which takes several minutes before death, which is why Casper is there. "And now, there is only sleep.". Screams fill up Selene's hand, muffle there against the city noise of cars in the distance and finally gurgle quietly away. Far above, the orchestral primal roar of thunder far above and in Selene's arms the girl's body loses its vitality and goes limp. Her dark wet hair plastered to the side of her face as her knees give out. Casper's work has now BEGUN. Across the street, beyond the curtain of rain churning in puddles, there is a subtle movement, in the entryway of a darkened laundrymat. A polished loafer shifts against the pavement, and idly withdraws deeper into the shadows. Arms crossed loosely, Parley watches in the hazy anonymity of a presence deeply muted. As the girl's life is fully drained, Selene steps letting her go, eyes fading back to brown, as she stretches, fully revitalized. Casper, unhappily, puts on a pair of gloves as he moves over to the body, positioning it to make the death seem as natural as it possibly could. Grunting, Casper turns to her. "She's just a girl. Did she really deserve this? Do you even ever feel guilty?". Selene laughs, putting a hand aside, grinning at Casper. "Cut the bullshit, we both know this is necessary. I haven't been doing this for decades for /fun/. Now, can we go? Need to get out of here before anyone finds the body.". Casper nods, putting the gloves away, as they walk back through the alleys towards the car, a devious grin on Selene's face. "Do you know where we left the car?"