[hider=VOIDED]
[center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/tRszFRgk/blade.png[/img]
[hr][b][color=crimson][h3]ISSUE #9
GEARING UP[/h3][/color][hr][color=mediumseagreen][u]Outside Blade's Shop
New York City, New York[/u][/color][/b][/center]
When Quincy told Blade to call us if he had a job, I had expected him to wait a few weeks to call... Okay, to be perfectly honest, I didn't expect him to call at all. It would have been much easier for all of us, I think. I know that both Rachel and I didn't care for him, and Quincy, bless the poor old coot, didn't consider interacting with the dhampir to be a good time either. So imagine my dismay when not a day after Rachel and I had dropped him off at his home, we got a call from him.

[color=crimson][b]"Yo Drake, got a job. Haul your dumbass over to my shop."[/b][/color]

And just like that, he had hung up the phone. To my horror, Rachel seemed adamant to follow up on her comments to the man; she wouldn't go in my stead, or even tag along to make sure he and I didn't try to kill each other. [color=tan][b]"This is between you and him. I think you two have some differences to sort out before we can even think about going after Deacon Frost."[/b][/color]

I tried to put up a fight, I really did, but in the end that damned woman wouldn't budge. So with more than a few grumbles and quite a few scowls, I had gotten into the van to drive to Blade's shop. Along the way, I considered ways to make this escapade less of a pain in the ass: chief among them was shooting Blade in the head every time he annoyed me, though after a moment I realized that doing that would just be wasteful. Even if it [i]was[/i] awfully tempting.

By the time I decided that I'd just smack him over the head with the butt of my rifle every time he said something stupid, I had already arrived at the shop. It looked just like it had a day ago, a rather dingy brick building with chipped paint peeling off of the walls. There was a blank sign above the wooden doorway, waiting for the day the shop would be named. All in all, the place fit right in, what with this area being mostly an assortment of slum tenements and closed down office buildings.

Deciding not to forgo this any longer, I pushed open the door and entered the building.

As I walked in, I took a look around the place. Straight ahead of me was a desk with a messy stack of papers, a picture frame, and an old rotary phone resting on it. Sitting at it was the man himself, feet kicked up on the desk and mouth wide open as he snored rather loudly. I snickered at the sight despite myself. How charming.

Next to the desk was a pile of empty pizza boxes, and behind the chair that my new [i]"partner"[/i] was napping in was a door and (more interestingly) weapons rack. A few swords were racked up against it, some of the blades steel and others silver, alongside an assortment of guns. The firearms ranged from the usual order, such as shotguns and pistols, to more oddball weapons, such as an antique flintlock. How in the world did he get a hold of that?

In the corner to my right was a jukebox, playing some [url=https://youtu.be/F3CIbk3At_8]pop song[/url] or another. Next to the jukebox was... A broken pool table? It appeared to have been broken in half right down the middle after something heavy hit it. Part of me didn't want to ask, but the other part of me was too morbidly curious to let it pass. I'd be sure to ask him some time, though right now I was more focused on getting to work.

Finishing my scan of the room was a staircase at the far left wall, leading up to a single door that I assumed was his bedroom. Overall, the place was rather spartan, with only the jukebox serving as decoration. Far less home-y than what Quincy, Rachel, and I had set up over at Bo's Arcade. It was almost sad how trashy the place was, though I suppose it fit the owner's apathetic nature.

Finally deciding to do something instead of continuing to stand around looking the room over, I made my way over to the desk and stared at Blade for a moment. He was still wearing his trademark sunglasses, because [i]of course[/i] he would be the type to wear sunglasses indoors, and seemed to be out like a light. I tapped his shoulder. No response. I yelled [color=mediumseagreen][b]"WAKE UP!"[/b][/color] No response. Finally fed up, I hit him in the gut. Still no response.

How the hell can one man sleep so soundly?

Having had enough of this, I crouched down and grabbed hold of the chair by the legs. With a grunt, I began to pull, and finally yanked it out from under him. Blade fell to the ground with a [b][i]*CRASH!*[/i][/b], his sunglasses clattering to the ground and the man himself finally waking up.

[color=crimson][b]"WOAH WHAT I'M UP I'M UP!"[/b][/color] He looked around frantically, a panicked expression painted on his face. I let out a chuckle at his expense.

[color=mediumseagreen][b]"You better be,"[/b][/color] I replied, setting the chair down and taking a seat. [color=mediumseagreen][b]"After all, we got a job to do, don't we?"[/b][/color]

He squinted at me, before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. [color=crimson][b]"A job? Oh, right... Right..."[/b][/color] Blade picked himself up, grabbing his shades off the floor and sticking them back on his face. After a moment spent composing himself, he gave me one of his usual grins, before turning to his weapons rack. He took one of the swords off of it, and I recognized the blade from our scuffle at the Blood Bath. Silver; that could mean anything from a vampire or werewolf to a rabid goblin or harpy-minotaur hybrid (I shuttered at the thought of those... [i]Things[/i]).

[color=mediumseagreen][b]"What are we hunting?"[/b][/color] I asked, while silently praying it wasn't a harpotaur.

[color=crimson][b]"Bloodsuckers, Drake! Figured you'd be hype as hell for something like that, seems like your area of [i]expertise[/i]."[/b][/color] The word "expertise" came out with an undeniably mocking undertone. The bastard was taunting me. But I wouldn't bite back, much as God knows I wanted to. I wanted to keep things... Somewhat civil for now. Don't need him stabbing me in the back later.

So with an inward sigh, I gritted my teeth together and bit back a retort of my own. [color=mediumseagreen][b]"Alright then [i]buddy[/i], let's get this over with."[/b][/color] He looked quite surprised at that, perhaps expecting me to go for the bait, but simply shrugged and nodded. Good.

I led him out of his shop and into the van, hopping into the driver's seat. Putting the keys into the ignition, I started the van up and unlocked the back door so he could get into the back seat... Only for him to climb right into the passenger's seat next to me. I mentally berated myself for a moment. Damn, I forgot to lock it.

[color=mediumseagreen][b]"... You [i]really[/i] don't have to sit he-"[/b][/color] 

He silenced me with a loud [color=crimson][b]"SHHHHH!"[/b][/color], before turning on the radio and fiddling with it a bit. [color=crimson][b]"Gotta have full radio control!"[/b][/color] After a moment of watching him randomly tune in and out of various stations, I finally slapped his hands away from the controls and glared at him.

[color=mediumseagreen][b]"We have a job to do. Give me the details, and do be quiet after you do."[/b][/color]

To my surprise, he relented, sticking his hands up defensively. I quietly turned off the radio, which had settled on some sort of sermon radio show. [color=crimson][b]"A'ight, a'ight, no need to get your panties in a twist Captain Jockstrap. Few blocks north of here, old warehouse on the edge of the suburbs. Got an anonymous tip that a feral vampire's been hanging out there."[/b][/color]

I nodded. [color=mediumseagreen][b]"Alright. Let's go."[/b][/color] A few blocks north of here, old warehouse, feral vampire. I could work with that. With everything sorted out, I double checked that I had all my gear ready in the back seat, and began to drive. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after a-

[color=crimson][b]"So are we there yet?"[/b][/color]

I spoke too soon.
[/hider]