In Enemy Territory

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Verdandi Fairburn had been a cautious person all her life. She knew what she was doing, and knew that the shadows always held something dangerous. Her work outfit changed into one that if she spied herself in the mirror she would be appalled, but no one would recognize the cold Verdandi critic for a streetwalker. Short sequin skirt, tank top, too much cheap makeup and even cheaper jewelry adored her body as she went into a bar she had marked her main point of resource. It was easy - flirt with someone, get them drunk enough and act like they were getting lucky by going in the back alley for some fun.

Smirking to herself, she led a drunken man by his ugly tie to a dark alley. He thought he was getting lucky, but there were much bigger plans in store. Verdandi whispered naughty things into his ear, and playfully avoided kissing; the stench of whiskey was evident on the man's breath. Now, why would a self-proclaimed pureblood woman such as herself be doing this? She had her own reasons, and most of them ended with the word cautious. This false persona used on drunken men and women who thought Verdandi was an easy lay without the cost. Ha!

The man groped her bottom, and she slammed him into the break wall marking the end of the alley - he thought she was being playful, but Verdandi has little use of playing with her resource. Stepping back, she pulled a seemingly bottle of perfume from her jacket pocket, and sprayed it in the man's face. He groaned and quietly passed out sliding down the wall. The smirk faded as she traded the bottle for a knife from the same pocket. Clicking the blade open, she made a precise cut on the man's neck artery. Quickly, she broke off her right rose stud, knelt and held it near the man.

"Absorb the life that man has taken for granted," she whispered. The rose glow a faint pink shade. The drunk's blood swirled in the air above the rose before being absorbed.

A few minutes later, the man dead and hidden behind a dumpster, Verdandi didn't spare him a glance. Gods he was heavy. She had led enough useless mortals down this alley to know that nobody would find the body for another month or until the old woman upstairs thought the drunken man was not actually alive.

Nearly smiling in delight, Verdandi turned to exit the alley.

[Jophiel]

Jophiel was not the type to wander around her city late, because heck, if there was a ton of crime during the day, there was going to be twenty times that at night. Of course, she'd be able to defend herself quite easily against any humans, vampires, werewolves, or any other type of being she came into contact with, but was it really worth the hassle? In any case, tonight was a weird night because 1) her coworkers had asked her to hang out at a bar with them 2) she actually had two glasses of wine 3) she was a little drunk. Jo waved her coworkers goodbye and walked a bit lazily out of the bar, regretting her shoe choice, as she usually did. What was it with her and four plus inch heels?

Jo didn't even know that she could get drunk. It made sense, when she thought about it, for her body was somewhat human-like, despite the extra powers God had given her. She swore that being on Earth made her body even more human-like, and it wasn't just the fact that her wings weren't popping out. Anyway, this night was full of new adventures. Her next and last one would be hopping on the right subway and getting home. If she could make it to a subway. "Alright, Jophiel. Lets go home, we're a bit drunk. And when did I start talking in third person?" The way she was acting right now felt like those girls gone wild on the television, except she wasn't wearing a skimpy outfit, flirting with guys, or fighting other girls who were in skimpy outfits and flirting with other guys.

Walk, one foot in front of the other. Oh, how badly she wanted to take her shoes off, but she would probably step on something disgusting as soon as she did so. Her shoes took enough of a beating in the city-one time she had been walking around with a used condom stuck to her shoe, and didn't even realize it until she got home. Needless to say Joph never wore those shoes again. Suddenly, Jo lost balance on a crack in the sidewalk and almost fell. She needed to find the shortest way possible to her apartment that didn't involve teleporting, because teleporting was a bit suspicious and despite it being late, there were enough people around that she could be caught. Sigh, human problems.

She need to get a block over for the subway she needed. Hey look, there was a dark sketchy alley that lead to that block she needed to get to. Perfect, said no sober person ever. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Jophiel knew that this could be a very bad idea, but the thought of walking those extra few steps in the painful shoes won over the rational part of her brain. And she wasn't even that drunk. Walk walk walk, avoid dead animal, walk walk walk, examine the unconscious body lying behind a dumpster...wait what?

Jo froze, her mind sobering up just enough for her to comprehend what she was seeing. She acted quickly, kneeling down to check the man's pulse, but finding that his neck was slashed and his body looking empty of, well, blood. Had a vampire attacked? Surely not, for there would be puncture marks on the neck, not a clean cut. Standing up quickly, she looked down the alley further and saw a figure walking out of it. Without thinking so much as doing, she ran down the alley as fast as her tipsiness and shoes would allow her. "Hey! Hey, you! What have you done?" Immediately assuming that this person-woman, she realized as she got closer, was the killer.

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Verdandi glanced behind her at the noise and grumbled underneath her breath. Great, someone found the body. Cursing in Italian (you don't spend two hundred years in New York working in business without picking up a language or two), she put her rose stud back on, and quickly decided the best course of action. Leaving two dead bodies wouldn't dwell well, and she doubted she could calm the woman to convince her otherwise. Well, there was always the best rogue action.

"Catch me if you can little birdy!" she shouted back, laughing. It’s been a while since she was caught after the act, and the thought of a chase excited her cracking the normally composed shell. Perhaps the recent kill sparked it or the thrill of a chase.

Turning on her heel, Verdandi shot down further into the dark corridors behind the cheap bars and restaurants. After being a woman for so many years, running in heels was easy so Verdandi escaped into the dark shadows. A grin slipped on her face, and she nearly hoped the woman decided to chase her. Aside from the vampires, she knew this part of the city better than any mortal did.

[Jophiel]

The little tipsy angel frowned at the cursing, understanding it perfectly. You didn't live for thousands upon thousands of years without mastering over a hundred or so languages. Jo didn't know what she was expecting, but she certainly wasn't expecting the woman to taunt her and start running. Okay, well at least she had pretty much just admitted that she killed him, so at least she knew she wasn't wasting her time on some innocent person. Joph shook her head and decided to run after her. So much for the whole walking as little as possible thing; it wasn't like she could let a murderer get away though. She was Archangel Jophiel, Knight of Honesty, and apparently it was her duty to run after crazy murderers who obviously weren't quite all human in the middle of the night down dark alleys.

This woman was pretty good at running her heels, unlike Jo, although she was quickly sobering up now that all of this was happening. The murderer was high on her kill, and that was apparent by her terrifying laughter, and speed and nimbleness through these alleys. She moved through them like they were familiar to her, and Jo wouldn't be surprised if they were. This obviously wasn't the blonde woman's first kill, and if Jophiel couldn't stop her, it would not be her last. Although, Jo had to question-why? Was she a psychopath? Or did she need to kill for some reason? What did she use the blood for? That part actually made her a little sick (in theory, of course-Jo never got sick). Right now all Joph could assume was that the woman was a plus, and she knew this because she had studied each of the creatures on earth and had gotten quite good at picking them out. Perhaps her powers required blood.

Jo quickly realized that she wouldn't be able to outrun in her current state and shoes situation. Looks like she had to pull out all stops. The woman was nearly impossible to see in the dark shadows, and she was barely able to keep up with her whereabouts throughout the dark tunnels that were NYC street alleys at two in the morning. Jophiel concentrated carefully in front of her, "turning on" her angel sight, which was far stronger than any human's and most creature's. It was then that she was able to see the woman and how far ahead of Joph she was.

This was a difficult situation. She knew she had to use her abilities-that would be the only way to catch this criminal. The chances of her getting caught by anyone else were low because honestly, who else would travel into these scary back alleys? Jo was told to only use her powers in case of emergency, and she was pretty sure this was one. Summing this all up in her head, she stopped running suddenly, concentrated quickly, and vanished. Jo appeared maybe a second later, right in front of the running woman, blocking her from running farther. "Stop running, you're not going to win." Jo said in the most intimidating voice she could manage. She hadn't felt this empowered since the heavenly battle in which she had lead 53 legions.

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Verdandi halted, and stared at the woman. Not mortal, not a vampire, and she doubted a Plus or Demon. Hmm... decisions, decisions, decisions. Forcing herself to calm down to think clearly instead of in the post-kill faze, she concluded the best course of action. She cursed in her head how tonight resulted in a lack of productivity, but the excitement constituted a profit in return; of course, this meant she had to go out another night and collect more resources.

"And what are you going to do little birdy?" Verdandi mocked, not at all affected by the voice. If anything, it turned her on in a dark way. Some of her friends were dominate women, and this beautiful woman would have been lovely to extend the friendship to, but, as it was, dressed like a cheap object after being assumed she had killed the man was not a good first impression. Well, she did kill him, but nothing was concrete to any other persons.

Verdandi had no doubt if there was a pair of eyes watching them, and that would turn out positive for her; maybe not so much for the woman. The Plus purposely lead them deep into vampire territory. Since the woman wouldn't let up, Verdandi would have to just let her go.

Grinning, Verdandi held her right hand near her ear as if she was satisfying an itch. The drunken man's blood escaped its holding and collected in her palm - a quart size that was enough to cause a splatter, and the sweet liquorice scent of blood to capture any vampire's attention. "Turn little ole me to the police? That'll look suspicious when you're the one covered in his blood."

Verdandi threw the blood orb at the woman making precise accuracy that it would splatter on the woman's chest; plus the short distance between them nearly insured that they. Turning heel, she turned down into another corridor and dashed heading to the public population where she could easily blend in with the other misfits of the night.

[Jophiel]

Jophiel certainly was a mystery. Not many angels walked the Earth (unless, of course, they were fallen, but in that case they'd most likely be demons or stripped of their powers but ANYWAY Jo was rare). She also wasn't flying around with a halo around her head singing hymns all the time, so there was really no way to know exactly what she was. Which was kind of awesome. Jophiel the mystery. Yay.

Jophiel the mystery was getting slightly agitated, although hid it well. The taunting actually made the woman less intimidating to Jo, though she probably thought the opposite. Mocking was a sign of confidence (cough-cockiness), definitely, but one had to back up their actions to actually be a threat. Well, I mean, the woman killed a man, but Jo was still sure that she would be no match for her. And what was with that little birdy thing? That in itself was pretty weird to Jo because it sounded like something a boyfriend would call a girlfriend as a cute nickname, not what a murderer would call the person chasing him or her. She couldn't help but laugh internally because well, with her wings, she was kind of like a bird. But if the woman knew that Jophiel was an archangel, she didn't think they'd be in this dilemma right now.

"I'm not going to let you get away." She sounded like a cheesy heroine from a movie. Oh well, she didn't watch movies. And she also had no clue what this woman was cooking up. When she's the one covered in his blood...wait what? Splat. Oh. Red, bloody, metallic smelling blood was splatted all over her white dress. Her brand new expensive white dress. Really? Jo looked down appalled for just a second before realizing that this was a diversion, and the woman was running away. Gosh, she was off her game. Granted, her last battle had been ages ago (literally) and in a different dimension. But still, how is she being outsmarted by a plus?

And blood naturally meant vampires, and this was the vampire capital. Jo was not about to have to deal with a clan, but it seemed like it was already too late. A few seemingly came out of nowhere, crouched like cats. They didn't waste any time in pouncing. She had to take care of them quickly; she telekinetically slammed all of them as hard as she could into the opposing brick walls (she really disliked using her powers offensively) , stunning them long enough to run after the woman. Somehow Joph managed to zip up her jacket to cover the blood stain and slowed down when she realized that they were going back out into the open.

Into a surprising number of people. Comon, it was close to three in the morning now, didn't anyone sleep? Wait, wasn't this the city that never slept or something? Ugh, Jo wished she was sleeping right now, or knitting, or doing something other than chase a killer through crowded streets. And Jo could make a mean scarf (oh, is that irrelevant, my bad). Her eyesight was still at the very best, but all she could see were the backs of people and hair. The woman should have been easy to pick out of the crowd in that interesting outfit of hers, but surprisingly she wasn't. So much of a nuisance. Where was that tipsiness now? Sighing, Joph went into another alley and quickly teleported to the rooftop of one of the buildings she was between, and put a glamour on herself so she could not be seen.

Like this, she jumped from building to building, looking below her so she could get a better view on those below. This way, it only took her a few minutes, maybe not even that, to spot out the woman. Jo jumped down into the next crack between buildings and became visible again. She walked out and joined the woman on the street casually, like they were friends walking and chatting together after a night at the club. "You won't lose me that easily." she said, turning and forcing a smile. No need to start brawling or really just looking suspicious now that they could be seen by people and possibly cops.

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Verdandi had escaped into the busy crowd, and blended in with the other people; some more haphazard looking than others from a night of drinking, gambling and wasting their lives away. She pretended to check out the stores filled with fake cheap items that were mocked copies of high-dollar ones. The critic wondered if the woman was dead by the vampires or somehow managed to escape, but it wouldn't surprise her on the latter. Hmm... it seems she would have some research to do when she returned to her apartment. Right now, she wanted to rid herself of this disgusting makeup as her normal composure was kicking back in.

Mentally, she eyed the people in disgust as they were filthy and presented the very core of what mortals are. In all her eyes she rarely met any human she liked, and even then they were nothing more than resources. She made a note to take a long hot bath to rid herself of their stench that crawled over her skin like a diseased worm.

Ideally walking down some street filled with undercover cops and early morning risers, Verdandi wasn't that surprised when the woman appeared next to her - in fact, she had been waiting for it. More clues on what species this woman truly belong. Glancing at the woman, Verdandi took note of the jacket concealing the blood splatter. The gears in her head turned as a new plan formed. She needed to adjust to the situation.

Her expression shifted to one of terror as she kept glancing around as if trying to find an escape route. Biting her lip, she gazed at a nightclub bouncer hoping that her eyes pleaded with desperation. Several vendors took notice and looked at each other nervously wondering what was going on. Verdandi spotted an undercover cop leaning against a donut shop sipping some coffee and munching on a chocolate sprinkled donut - so stereotypical. He was a large man with a thick mustache, bald and donned a leather jacket.

"You won't get away with this," Verdandi spoke in a frightened tone. She pulled away, and quickly grabbed the woman's jacket zipper before harshly pulling it down to reveal the blood-splattered dress. The critic screamed in fright and pointed at the woman causing people to stop and turn around to discover the commotion. The cop spit out his coffee, and hurried to the scene, dropping both items on the way. He didn't even need to speak as Verdandi started to cry and step away from the woman so they faced each other. "She--she--she killed him! She killed him! I saw her kill him!"

[Jophiel]

Jophiel perhaps should have gotten rid of the blood stain completely, but she was too focused on the biggest problem at hand. She thought the jacket would at least give her some time, and it wasn't like the vampires were going to chase her out of the alley. They weren't that desperate and she was just a bit too difficult for them to catch. Apparently, this woman wasn't having any of it. Jo, too, had spotted the police officer eating himself into further obesity. Even though he was undercover, his appearance couldn't have screamed 'cop' more loudly. She contemplated this for a second until she felt tugging on the zipper of her jacket. Before she was able to get the woman's hands off of her, the blood splatter was out in the open, and in plain sight of the undercover cop.

And her terrible theatrics went with it. Apparently her acting was believable enough, however, to everyone around her, because these people gawked. Well, some of them kept strolling by, but there were always some New Yorkers who were oblivious to anything and everything that didn't directly involve them, but most people were standing, watching, and some people even had cell phones out. Typical. This was probably going to end up on the Facebook and the Youtube in a few hours. Well, time for her to use some sneaky magic and her adorable personality.

"Hello officer." she said, kind as could be. The officer had his hand on his weapon, and he looked surprisingly startled at the situation for NYPD. Didn't they usually deal with crazy things? "We were just leaving the set. We're working on a low-budget indie movie, you see. We're walking home in our costumes. She was just practicing a scene that she couldn't get just right tonight." The more details, the more believable the story. The blood didn't smell terribly strong, but a vampire would easily detect it from a mile away. A human a few feet away as the police officer, not as likely.

Yet, the police officer didn't look quite right. He started sniffing like crazy, like he was catching a whiff of the most delicious scent in the world. Then she saw his canines through his mouth, and despite all the people around, he pounced. Well, what do you know. A vampire cop. To most of the pedestrians, it looked like he went to tackle her to hold her down and cuff her, which they seemed pleased with, but she didn't think anyone but her or the women knew at that moment he was literally a thirsty blood sucker. Jo barely avoided him, for his reflexed were those of a cat on steroids, and went to stand by the woman who had put her in this predicament.

"Watch this." Jo brushed her hand over the bloody material ever slyly. The police officer came back after effectively getting rid of most of the gawking people (a crazy-eyed police officer with a gun usually did that) and crouched down for a second go. One would think that a vampire cop who was in contact with dead bodies as a daily part of his job, would have better restraint. Jophiel was starting to think that this cop wasn't a very esteemed one. "Sir." she said, holding her hands up in defense. "It was really just acting. There's no blood on my dress, check for yourself." Okay, it was probably going to be a little awkward having a vampire cop check your chest area, but it was better than being killed by him.

He came over cautiously, trying to regain control again. He seemed to realize that the stench of blood was no longer in the air, no longer on her, but came over like she asked and "inspected". However, he knew right away that it was no longer blood. "It's just the fake blood, the kind used for our movie." And indeed it was. Cough, awesome angel magic right here. The cop cleared his throat and awkwardly murmured something like "It was blood, though." but there was no way he could say that and have a sure explanation for knowing that. Well, of course without revealing his secret. "I think you're just tired, sir. Have you been working all night?" The cop mumbled something else and swiftly started to walk off.

"That was fun." she said to the woman. The crowd that had been around them literally disappeared. There was no one around now that the whole thing was 'fake'. Jo brushed her hand back over the dress and the stain turned back to blood. And then, she extracted the blood from her dress in one more swipe of her hand. It puddled in her palm like a disgusting red lake. "You can have this back." she said, throwing it this time on Verdandi, not caring exactly where it landed. Jo certainly must of still been a bit under the influence to do something like that. So much for kindness, temperance, and honesty. All of those had been shot multiple times tonight.

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Verdandi was not a happy person at that moment. She thought her plan would work, but, unfortunately, the stupid cop could not see what exactly the woman had done. She watched as the scene went down, and she could do nothing about it. Couldn't get a scene right? She felt her ego bruise slightly by that comment, but couldn't help, and admire the way the woman turned the entire scene to benefit her instead of Verdandi. It had been a while since she engaged in any sort of combat, and felt a bit rusted. Of course, the last time she was caught, it was by humans, and they were easy to evade. Too easy. Normally it was simple to lay some of the victim's blood on a random stranger and have him or her devoured instead of her.

Nevertheless, how long would she remain under the vampire's radar?

Mentally shaking her head, she brought herself back to reality. Taking the blood back, Verdandi whispered her incantation so the rose stud absorbed the blood back into it, which only took a few seconds.

"Thank you. Since we're at a standstill I assume you want to know the reason for that character's death," she spoke in a calm voice. If anybody were listening, they would assume the discussion was on the film script, and not an actual murder that occurred roughly thirty minutes ago. Verdandi motioned them to walk, and the two women proceeded. Both were silent for a few minutes as Verdandi collected her thoughts. The city's lights blotted out the night sky so it seemed to be in a permanent tint of purple, red and black rather than a pure midnight black with dots of white stars. Nobody cared for the two women, but it easy to spot the pervs, the recently turned vampires and other scum that roamed the streets. She slipped her hands into her jacket pockets, and gripped the knife just in case.

"Roger Chilton’s character is a deceptive one. By night, he's a drunken man attending every bar along a four-block radius, and by day, he's a millionaire rooting out the extinction of Pluses. Mortal scum that originally written to die in a great political battle by some random Plus-supporter, but the scriptwriter decided to change that to suit the character's death more to his personality. Roger dies in a back alley without any blood pointing the finger to some random crazy Plus when in actuality vampires are draining humans a different way to avoid leaving bite marks. Roger becomes another grave, and nobody gives a nighting care to whatever politics he set in place. His wife left him the year before, running away with the pianist, and they had no children. She'd been going to abortion clinics because the marriage was arrange, and she would be dead before birthing any of his spawn. According to the scriptwriter, Roger is supposed to be a severe alcoholic with a whole bunch of insecure issues. Chubby, never got to kiss the prom queen, and his little brother always in the spotlight as an actor and activist. Dumb character biography really."

Verdandi felt no guilt for killing the man - she got over that issue two hundred years ago. No matter. They stopped at a food mobile, and ordered a Mountain Dew and hot dog, offering to pay for the woman's late dinner/early breakfast. After paying, she topped the hot dog off with ketchup and pickles, Verdandi munched into the greasy thing, and enjoyed it.

"The script writer really needs to change the story. From the beginning Roger deserved to die. This film is going to be dumb." Some teenager rode by on his bike and called Verdandi some vulgar name. She flips him the bird, and continues eating her hot dog. If she was dressed like a nightwalker, she was going to enjoy the persona freedom before switching back to her main personality.

[Jophiel]

Jophiel watched, unsurprised, as the blood she so rudely threw upon the woman she so calmly absorbed back into her rose stud. Interesting power, this Plus had, although she was still slightly confused about what the blood was for exactly. Jo wasn't sure that she wanted to know. In any case, the woman calmed down and stopped fighting/running for the moment. Apparently Jo had proved herself as a worthy opponent.

So the woman talked on, although strangely. It seemed like she was continuing with the whole movie thing, and this "character" was the victim of the murder. That made their conversation a little bit less suspicious. Jo walked along casually with the woman, this time for real as she explained who the victim was. She hadn't expected the woman to know so much about the man, and most likely assumed it was a random target, because those were always easier to kill. During the story of this character, Jophiel was silent. This man did not seem like a very nice man at all, but killing should never be the answer to anything. No one deserved death. Prison, maybe, but never a cruel murder.

She pursed her lips, not liking this whole situation. "But still, you should not have killed him." she said, staying true to her thoughts and beliefs. Jophiel probably sounded like a little annoying Asian version of Mother Theresa, but she was an angel and she was born and raised to resent all evils. "Thou shall not kill" is one of the ten main commandments by which she went by. She couldn't push this aside just because this Roger man was a slimy character. If every slimy character on earth was murdered, a good majority of the population would be gone. Granted, Jo was trying to fix this, but things on Earth were more complicated on Earth than when she was looking down from Heaven.

Although Jophiel wasn't particularly fond of greasy treats such as a hotdog, she accepted gratefully the food. It was like a small treaty. All of this running around and stress made her hungry, despite the fact that it was now probably closing in on four in the morning. "Thank you." She took the hotdog carefully and unlike her blond acquaintance, she took small, uncertain bites of her food. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't the best either. Maybe she was just too picky. Well, Jo didn't have to eat at all really, but when she did, she went for really delicious stuff she either made herself or was served as nice restaurants. Okay yeah that sounds a bit spoiled.

Jo shook her head when she said Roger deserved to die. "No one deserves to die. I mean, I'm supposed to say that." That second part wasn't supposed to come out of her mouth. Her eyes went wide for a second before shaking her head again. Damn, she was off. She was an angel; she was supposed to be one of those people who said 'oh, this mass murderer/rapist/child molester doesn't deserve to die, he just needs help from God.' But she was starting to lose this belief because she hadn't had guidance from God in hundreds of years. "I mean, this Roger Chilton. He is not a good person, but perhaps he could have gotten help and guidance, so he could have been lead on a path away from causing pain to others." Look at her, the poster child for all heavenly beings. She used to be able to say this stuff wholeheartedly, without feeling off.

"Although, a "dumb" film that would be." she agreed, like she actually knew anything about film. Jo's eyebrows raised at the comment shot at the woman, and then raised further at her reaction. This must have happened a lot. Jo had to admit that it had happened to her as well, although she hardly responded like that. Another bite of her hotdog, and she realized she was almost done. She was hardly even tasting the thing, she was so caught up in conversation. "So the character wearing the interestingly flashy clothing is a Plus." Jophiel said, looking the woman up and down. "A Plus with a liking for blood?" she asked, not sure whether to make it a question or statement.

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Verdandi chuckled at the comment. She was enjoying this woman's company far more than playing chase-the-killer. She leaned against the food mobile drinking her caffeinated drink as she listened to the woman's remarks on Roger Chilton. Guidance? Help? Didn't deserve to die? Oops. In that case, she had a list to show the woman who else 'didn't deserve to die'. 

"I assure you, this is not my daily wear," she spoke, throwing away the hot dog basket into the overfilled garbage bin, and sipping on her Mountain Dew. "We do what we have to do to remain hidden, and it's easier to separate the identities by two polar opposite personas. No one would suspect who I really am." She smirked at the woman. "Who is to rule over the judgement of others? By technicality, vampires are dead, and their sires are the ones who decided to kill them in a sense. Gods are dead if one doesn't believe in that religion. Witches, werewolves and the Fae are dead if one doesn't have the imagination to allow them to exist. But angels and demons? Those exist in some form in every religion. Valkyries, undead, monsters - those are the constant source of existence."

"Chilton deserved to die. If he had not, how long before he and other politicians ruled together, and enslaved the Pluses? Mortals rule by one thing that is absolute - fear. Its stinks and you can smell it on them. Trust never will be granted, and the chaos only end up in civil war. What will happen when mortals realize what is in their world? The only reason they exist is that they're the odd ones out. They populate the vampire and werewolf colonies, and give me what I want. If a mortal is gifted enough to be born a Plus then you could call it a gift from the Gods." Verdandi chuckled. "Well, if you're religious enough to give thanks." And she wasn't. 

"I can stand here all night and justify the character's death saying that it was needed to prevent a tragedy from happening, but that doesn't sounds like the character I'm playing. It's a selfish act I participated in for no greater enjoyment than to satisfy my greed. I'll blame my mortal self for that selfishness. And as for your last question, it's merely collecting my resources. If anything on the news is as it says, it's best to prepare. I'm not in any coven, and the only form of protection is my own skin. Best to defend thyself against a multitude of enemies. That is how the Blood Magician has always been for plenty of years."

Verdandi leaned forward to look at the woman closely, the smirk still evident. She had removed her sunglasses to the top of her head earlier that night, and was careful not to stare at anybody in the eyes. My, my, this woman is indeed beautiful and powerful. An excellent combo.

"Sorry that this place isn't more of your style. I'll take you to a nicer one next time little birdy. I assume at this point we're friendly enough to exchange names. You can call me Dandi." Straightening up, she held out her right hand. In all honesty, she didn't know how to act around people. She just adjusted her personas to suit the mood as she had for the past two-hundred years. Verdandi made a note that in her next 'life' she would become an actress to test the limits of her personas.

[Jophiel]

Jophiel had known that she had to run after this woman, this murderer, for that was an initial reaction. Or maybe it wasn't. No probably not, but it was an initial reaction for her, because she could usually do something about it. A human, however, would probably not run after a crazy person who just killed someone for fear of being next on the hit list. And, as stated numerous times before, this was New York City and people in this place usually kept to themselves, even if there was a murder or kidnapping happening right in front of them. In any case, Jophiel did not expect any of this to go down the way it did. Instead of avenging that man and bringing justice about in the form of capturing and doing something to get this woman off the streets, here she was eating a hot dog and having a casual conversation with that woman. Then again, she couldn't bring herself to trust police officers right now, considering the last one turned out to be a blood-thirsty vampire and tried to attack her. And, against a plus, human officers and jail cells didn't hold well.

She couldn't help but be relieved that the cheap outfit that the woman wore was not typical attire. Jophiel, after all, was quite the fashionista. It would be a shame that such a beautiful woman would wear trashy things like that that didn't show her true self. That was the point, Jo assumed, after thinking about it. Looking like a not so moralistic woman to draw her prey out to the alley to, uh, do things. Jo had to give her credit for all of the planning she did, and had not Jo been around and had been strong senses (even when drunk, ayo), this woman probably would have gotten away with it, like she had numerous times before.

So, there was no other choice than to hear the woman out. She did seem a little crazy, but not dangerous crazy. Like, she didn't scream 'I'm a mass murderer of children, the elderly and other innocent people'. She was calculating, which could be a dangerous thing, but coming from someone like her, calculating was better than rash. She listened to the woman with keen interest before shaking her head. How could any group of people, especially human, have enough power to enslave pluses-people with powers that seemingly could overpower any human? She spoke as if she knew the world inside and out, and even though she had many good points and spoke in a sophisticated manner, the angel couldn't help but disagree with some of it. "But you contradict yourself. You say the humans are strong enough to do something as organize and enslave pluses-most certainly a difficult task for a creature with no extraordinary power. Yet, you call them weak and say that they will implode on themselves."

Although humans seemed to be the most basic, the most boring of all species walking the Earth, they were the hardest to dissect. These were peoples that had waged wars on nothing, and found compromises on large conflict. They found means to make an atomic bomb, but also used their technology to fly crafts into space. There were those who rallied for peace and war, and others who have taken it upon themselves to try to destroy it. They followed no means or matter, an equality of good and bad...

These humans have lived throughout these years with growing numbers of 'creatures' around them, and one day it was bound to surface of their existence. It wasn't just going to be a gothic teenager, claiming a spirit had come to him or her in a Ouji board game in Mexico. It wasn't going to be the crazy hiker, saying they saw the 'Yeti' in the mountains of Japan. It was going to come like a high tide, washing down each and every species until they were all exposed, and then what? What would the humans do, knowing that they, although not outnumbered, were edging on an equality of numbers with all of these 'minorities' combined. The humans were the ones created for Earth, the only ones supposed to be walking the land, without worry from attacks from creatures who belonged in a different world, a different plane.

"Humans are not on Earth for the other species to do what they wish. Everyone has their place. God gave Earth to the humans, and the humans only. It was the other species that decided to come where they were not supposed to. Fae, who technically belong in Avalon, in their own world. Demons, who belong in hell, the underworld. Angels, who belong in the heavenly realm, with the exception of Archangels." She took a second to back herself up, to back her reason for being on Earth, for this rant made her a hypocrite if she didn't say so. She was created to be on Earth guiding the humans, so she was an exception to the rule. "Were-beings, vampires, pluses, witches-all variants of the human. These variants were created by beings who had no place on Earth, and look what it has created? Granted, I have no problem with any of these groups so long as they do not wreck havoc. But if and when they do, I have to stop this. Humans deserve to live in a world where they don't have to fear more things that could injure or harm- things that they don't think even exist and in reality do not belong."

Jo was really on a rant now. She was honestly a very fair person when it came to races. All in all, she respected them all equally, even while acknowledging that they weren't supposed to have a place on the human plane-Earth. But, she knew that, as in other planes and world, creatures could cross over, and forcing them out could be a difficult, if not impossible task.

Pursing her lips, Jo mentally sighed at this woman's greed. She obviously wasn't a very religious (not many people were, anymore) or even moralistic person, it seemed. Perhaps she should have taken more action with her. Too late now. Jo raised an eyebrow at what the woman called herself, a Blood Magician. So it seemed she didn't need the blood for vampiristic reasons, although she had mentioned a coven. "And what do the resources provide this Blood Magician?" she asked, her curiosity spiking.

Dandi seemed like the bold type, which was shown by the painfully obvious way that she was checking Jo out. Jo, not expecting such a thing, moved back slightly, slightly concerned at the sudden change. And, if she wasn't uncomfortable enough, Dandi had noticed that the hot dog wasn't really her style. Either Jo wasn't hiding it well enough or this woman was quite observant. She guessed a little of both. Standing straighter and squaring her shoulders, she assumed a position of power rather than awkward embarrassment and turned to her new acquaintance/friend/murderer person (titles were too complicated). "You can call me Jo." Jo, no nonsense with her fake Korean name that she used on all of her Earth documents. Usually the Kim Joo-Hwi came first, then the whole "but everyone calls me Jo" thing, but since Dandi had given her a curt name, and what seemed to be a nickname, she did the same thing. There were times to be cute and endearing, and times to be blunt. Guess which time this was.

Jo, feeling better after seeing a bit of Dandi's social awkwardness, reached out her right hand and shook her hand firmly. Did humans shake hands casually anymore? It seemed to be more for business meetings and formal events. No matter, Jo wasn't very good with contact anyway. A handshake was just fine, compared to hugs or kisses. She hardly found herself wanting to touch a girl after her last relationship went south (get your mind out of the gutter). Although, Jo was not blind to this woman's beauty, and would have been attracted to her if it wasn't for the fact that she just killed someone.

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Verdandi listened carefully, and kept quiet on her comments. Though she had informed this 'Jo' quite a bit about herself, she was not going to release any more information than needed. If the vampire community found out then Verdandi had no doubt she would be kidnap, and night knew what would happen to her. There really was no hope for the human race she thought as she finished her drink, and chunking it into the garbage bin. This woman's need to save everyone--ah! That was it. Jo unintentionally released a key point of who she was without realizing it. Oh how delicious. 

After everything said and done, Verdandi released a giant laugh that attracted the attention of several passerbyers, but she paid them no mind. She released a laughter that crackled like a villain, and spoke volumes of her dark humor. She was a cruel person, that was a given her occupation, and it was rare she showed it. Normally she was well composed like a classical sympathy, but this woman changed her tune to a heavy metal orchestra. Verdandi thought that maybe it was that it had been so long since she hung around another non-human had something to do with it. As sudden as it came, it ended. She tried over Jo's hand, bent down and placed a light kiss upon the knuckles. A common practice for noblemen to perform to women, but as Verdandi was a she; she ignored the gender-related issue. Jo had earned that respect. When was the last time she kissed another woman's hand? Ah, back in 1992 at that fancy party assorted of aristocratic men, women in heavy dresses and money laced pockets. However, that was long ago.

Verdandi straightened herself back up, and released Jo's hand.

"I bet my first edition of Dracula that you're an angel," Verdandi spoke. "It explains your need to rescue others even at their most vileness. Your knowledge of the other species along with this compulsive need to save humanity explained. I was wondering what you were... definitely not a Plus, Witch or Vampire. My conclusion was on a member of the Were community until you mentioned Angels. You're too beautiful, too kind and way too patient to be a Demon. All the ones I've met are compulsive bastards willing to make a deal even if it meant sacrificing their mother to do so. Yes, an Angel suits you well."

Verdandi stepped closer, and leaned in close enough to whisper into Jo's ear.

"Are you going to witness to me? Expose my horrid soul to your God in hopes I might repent all of the sins, murders and blood I have collected over the years? To give my soul eternally singing hymns? Unfortunately for your God, I have one foot in the doorway of Hell, and the other keeping me alive." Verdandi leaned back, playfully winked at Jo before strolling away with her hands in her jacket pocket. After a few steps, she turned around to face the woman. "Are you coming? I have coffee at my place not far from here."

[Jophiel]

Quite satisfied that she had gotten her point across with no interruptions or disagreement from her acquaintance, she Jophiel threw her drink in the garbage can when the plus did, not wanting to have any more of the carbonated sugariness sitting in her stomach...along with the greasy hotdog. If she didn't already know that thing wasn't real meat, her stomach sure did tell her.

Dandi's next reaction-random, it seemed-startled Jophiel. Had this woman suddenly gone mad? Or perhaps this was building inside and until something just set her off? All in one night, this woman went from cold-blooded killer, to a villain on the run, to a framer, to a more or less normal and calm woman, and now to a mad person. The cherry on top was when she felt her hand being grabbed and lips brushed her knuckles. Jo was stunned-what the heck was that for? Granted, that was probably the most respectful thing she had seen someone do to her on Earth, but why?

Jo couldn't say that she wasn't touched by the gesture, despite the person who it had come from and the circumstances around the whole situation. The last time a woman's lips had touched her was when she was still on good terms with Fyrelia, and that was several years ago. She had sworn not to fall for a woman, or for anyone for that matter, since. When her hand was released, she held it for a second like it was some foreign apparatus attached to her body, before dropping it back down to her side.

Jo knew that she perhaps wasn't being as discreet as she should have; she already had a feeling that Dandi was deducing her species and would find out eventually. As long as the humans didn't find out about her, and she didn't give them any proof of it, she assumed it didn't really matter who knew she was an Archangel. The other species already knew of each other's existence, like Dandi knew that angels, demons, witches, etc existed. "Then it looks as if you're keeping your book." Jo said smoothly, trying not to make this a bigger deal than it was. But then again, being an angel on Earth was kind of a big deal.

She couldn't help but scrunch her face up a bit at the very thought of the woman thinking she was a demon. A demon, the polar opposite of who she was and everything she stood for-an angel and demon were like oil and water, they could never coexist. It was funny, that analogy. Water was to angels as oil was to demons, when both placed in a container, they would separate, the oil coming together at the bottom and the water floating on top, a simulation of heaven and hell. In any case, they could never mix for they were different, and not just because of density in the case of water and oil.

"I'd have to agree with your perception on demons. Although, my opinion might be a bit biased." Jophiel said, smiling. She was pretty proud whenever she was able to make jokes, for they didn't come easily to her. Well, at least Dandi wasn't a devil-worshipper, despite her strangely evil-esque actions. She seemed like the type of person to flirt with the devil, but end up making him the fool.

After all of this talk out loud, why whisper? Jo leaned in to hear Dandi, eyebrows raised in curiosity. What Jophiel got was a taunt-a flirtatious one at that-that surprised her. What could she say to that? Even if she wanted to expose the woman to God, she wouldn't be able to, for He had been absent for hundreds of years now. "My hymns are quite beautiful, I'll have you know." The witty banter came more easily to her now. Being with this wild woman reminded her of the years she had been in love. Those were some of happiest years of her life; never had she been more radiant. She looked down at Verdandi's feet. "You have one foot eternally burning in hellish fire, while the other walks in Prada?" Jo said, keeping the mood light.

She felt a cracking in the shell of the person she had become, making jokes and going along with this unholy woman. For the first time ever she felt devious, breaking the rules and even gaining back slowly the sense of humor she once had. It was wrong, spending time with a murderer, and Jo was not one for going against her God. But her God was missing, and she, although slower than the others, was losing the faith that constituted them as some of the holiest beings in the universe.

Coffee, after such a long night, sounded just fine to her. What could be wrong with getting some coffee? "I'm up for coffee." Jo said, matching her steps with Verdandi, as they walked toward her apartment.

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Verdandi was enjoying Jo's humor. She couldn't help, but grin at the prospect of Jo coming back to her home with her. The critic had no intention of harming Jo, and the woman was more than able to handle herself. An evil thought slipped into her mind, and she had to stop her grin from growing. Oh, a deliciously evil idea. It would require time, patience, and a lot of planting to see if the rose indeed grew thornes. We shall see.

It was nearing five o'clock in the morning, and the vampires would be retreating soon to their safety as the sun rose in an hour or so. Verdandi guided them across the dirty downtown to the street. Somewhere between the shadows and lights of the lampposts and signs, Verdandi's outfit changed completely. She wore a strapless dark green swirled pattern dress, a matching tulle sash coiled around her waist that tied off into a large rose on her left hip; the dress reached her knees, the neckline curved, and dipped half-way down her back. A pink-tinted pearl necklace looped around her neck several times with a matching bracelet on her left hand. A pink clinch purse was held in her right hand; a rose-ring adoring her right middle finger. Yes, quite the completely opposite of her night-walker attire.

Hailing a nearby taxi, both women entered the vehicle.

"The Royal Complex please. If you can get us there in less than thirty minutes I'll double your bill," Verdandi said. The driver she recognized as her personal favorite since he knew the backstreets of this city like nobody else. The man grinned, and slammed on the gas pedal. Regardless if they got to their destination thirty-one minutes later, Verdandi was not cruel enough to deny this man's wages. She was a cab driver once in the 20s, and understood the hardships. Verdandi looked to her companion. "I promise the wait will be well worth the coffee. We'll be out of downtown soon, and into more populated areas. I surely hope you don't have work tomorrow. The view from my apartment is quite grand if I dare say so especially the amount I pay for it."