Bare feet made little noise as they walked across the cemetery's broken pavement, their owner taking her sweet time approaching the man she'd chased all the way from the French Quarter. Her prey was panting. The chase was not a short one, and he had run far too fast at all the wrong moments. No conservation of energy, no dirty tricks, no attempts to escape her line of sight and get away. He'd simply run, right into the jaws of the wolf that chased him. For Candice did not tire easily and she could herd prey as well as any sheepdog.
Now they were here.
Candice drew closer to her prey. He retreated in a feeble attempt to keep distance between them, too tired to run but still struggling to get away. He was a coward, but he was a dedicated one, and she could admire that. It wouldn't save him from his fate, though.
"Sweetheart, your instructions were simple," Candice murmured as she drew closer. She was aided in the effort when her prey stepped wrong and overbalanced, toppling to the ground. The heels that dangled from her left hand clacked together when she placed a bare foot on his chest. "Follow the Original. Track her movements, and report back to me." He made some pitiful sounds that may have been words, but she didn't grant him the courtesy of listening. "This is not the first time you've lost track of a target, Mason, nor the first time you've failed to obey my instructions. The punishment must be as severe as the offense."
Her prey made more noises, but still Candice paid no attention. She crouched carefully so as to not dirty her dress, her knee replacing her foot on his chest. He was struggling, now, knowing what was coming, but he wouldn't be able to prevent it. She took the item of his atonement from his face with her own bare hand. There was no ado, no fuss or hesitation, and she made sure to pluck his eye out in one whip-quick motion. More for her own sake than his. There was mess, however, and her prey certainly did not bear the pain well. At least none of it got on her dress.
"Gray, Miles? Clean this up," Candice ordered over her prey's shocked yelps as she stood, allowing the miserable man to roll about on the ground with his hands pressed to his face. The orders were directed at the pair who appeared during the gruesome scene like ghosts in the night. They were her loyal cleaners, an odd pair that worked together nearly as well as they did their work. She trusted them with her reputation, trusted them to dispose of everything cleanly, and she was lucky they'd deigned to follow her to New Orleans. She was equally lucky she'd had the forethought to instruct them to follow her tonight.
"I'm not fixing that up," Gray declared with a wave at the man on the ground, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she pulled on her gloves.
"It's your turn, darlin," Miles responded, setting down a duffle bag that contained the tools of their profession, then offered a wet wipe and an umbrella to Candice with a polite smile on his face.
"It is not! I patched up that last human."
"That last human was six weeks ago. It's your turn."
Candice smiled softly then left the pair to their bickering and their work, cleaning her hand with the wipe before leaving the cemetery. She waited until she was on a decent street before putting her heels back on. Twas a nice night to roam the streets, what with the smell of rain in the air.
♚
She'd made it all the way into the French Quarter when a sudden scream tore through the air. It was nearby, close enough that Candice only had to spend a handful of seconds searching before she found the source in an alley.
The scene within was enough to force her to stop dead, eyes roving over the creatures, their victim, then finally the source of the madness. A vampire, it seemed. Candice let the woman finish her feeding and complete the macabre display she made of the corpse, undisturbed by the lot of it. She'd seen things just as terrible, and done some that approached it. Nothing quite so messy, however.
"Good evening," Candice said by way of greeting when it seemed the other woman was quite done. "Your illusions are impressive."
Lilith turned around upon hearing a voice behind her. Her eye was a deep red as she licked the last bits of blood off her lips. She was about to charge at the person behind her but calmed down when she saw who they were.
Lilith's eye returned to it's normal color as she saw the beauty of the woman behind her that praised her illusions. She giggled cutely and twisted a strand of her hair around her finger.
"Why thank you. I love using them as a hunting method. It makes people suffer badly, and I love suffering. Improves the tastes of a puny human's blood after an adrenaline rush"
Lilith smiled and took the bottom part of her dress lifting it up slightly as she made a bow before the woman.
"Anyhow. My name is Lilith Schtreisz. I'm from Germany. My age is around 400 now and I am proud to be who I am."
Candice let out a breath when the vampire relaxed, the only hint she gave that she'd been concerned at all. She was fast, and she was good, but this was no full moon and she wasn't strong enough to stop a vampire that wished to tear out her throat.
"I wouldn't know about the taste," she admitted with a soft smile, adjusting her grip on her umbrella. "I don't have much need to taste the blood after I make my kills." Besides, she preferred a more organic hunt, A proper chase. To each their own, however. She mimicked the bow that Lilith had done, using the hand that wasn't occupied with the umbrella. "I do know that it's a pleasure to meet you, Lilith. I am Candice de Leon. I'm from Oregon. Thirty six years old. I'm in an acceptable position, though..." Candice paused for effect before adding, "You could help me get into a better one. What would it take to get such a powerful illusionist on my side, hm?"
Lilith smiled a bit and began thinking. No one had ever offered her to be at their side before. This definitely was something new for her. SHe looked at Candice and gave a small nod.
"I'd say lots of love. No one has ever liked me before. Back in Germany people in my town, including my family thought I was a demon. I have multiple personality disorder but also had multicolored eyes. And with had I mean this."
Lilith stepped closer towards Candice, almost against her. She looked up to her eyes as Lilith's right eye would be very noticeable. She took off her eye patch to reveal the empty eye socket before putting the patch back over it.
"Some thieves attacked me one night. They stabbed out this eye and stabbed me in my spine which caused me to develop walking problems. Therefore I have this cane"
A look of surprise crossed Candice's face before she could stamp it down, but it was gone as fast as it appeared. The lack of expression didn't mean she was no longer surprised, however. The request was a surprising one. She was in a business where people wanted simple things. Drugs. Money. Wealth. Influence. "Love" was a strange thing to hear. "Love" was also a simple thing to give, according to someone who didn't understand the meaning of the word.
Candice didn't flinch at Lilith's approach nor the empty eye socket, the story resonating with her on an odd level. She knew what it was like to be hated by the family that was supposed to love you, after all. "I think we'll get along well, you and I," she murmured, leaning just a bit closer to Lilith as she spoke. Then she offered her hand to the vampire, a soft smile gracing her lips. "My hotel isn't very far. We can talk over drinks."
Lilith blushed a bit and would take a gentle grip of Candice's hand. Lilith's hands were kinda small but also very soft. She would hug Candice's arm and licked her lips.
"I haven't drank any alcohol in about three hundred years. But I guess it's time for me to drink something again. I'm excited to see what there is around these days"
