They knew about hunter the moment he passed New Auburn's welcome sign. They've got the whole city bugged these days. They're working with limited resources, sure, Eddie's still managed to keep the city running like a well-oiled machine. Got their sheriff for thank to that. She is, without a doubt, irreplaceable; smart and reliable and funny. Those are all traits worth admiring.

This hunter, though? Eddie's tracked him for a good twenty minutes now, and he's come to a pretty clear conclusion.

”He's kind of stupid, huh?” Eddie states. On the other end of the phone, Rachel bursts out laughing, and he has to smile with her. He leans against a brick wall, well-hidden by the bustling crowds on the street.

”Poor bastard,” she purrs when her laughter slows to a gravelly chuckle. ”Think they sent him to die? Gotta feed the fire, they'll get bored of ending us otherwise.” She pauses, and there's a lull in the conversation. She's debating if she should say anything, and Eddie gives him all the time he wants.

”You know, we've got one neonate stationed a mile away,” Rachel continues. Eddie shakes his head, but she can't see that now can she? So she keeps going. ”A lot better to risk him than – ”

”Nah, I'm going in,” the prince interrupts. He's already pushing away from the building, crossing the street. What the hell is Rachel gonna do, hm? Stop him? ”' Sides, if anyone's gonna charm this hunter off their feet, it's me.” Eddie ends the call before the sheriff can say another word. Honestly, he's a bit excited. Been a while since he got involved with the hunters.

Charming people isn't that simple. You can't just knock on someone's door, offer them a basket of fine cheeses. No, you need to be smart. You need to create a scene. So Eddie pulls his worn hood over his head and lets the dark circles around his eyes grow. There's something exhausted about his eyes, looking like he hasn't had a good night's rest in weeks. He's not his charming, usual self; instead, he comes across a disheveled mess. He walks around the house until he finds a locked backdoor and rattles it. [i]Loudly[/i]. Lockpicking the window is just as noisy; he's a new burglar looking to get in, not expecting anyone to be home. And why should he? The damn place has been empty for a long time. The door cracks open, and Eddie lets out a shaky, flabbergasted giggle.

”Holy shit,” he whispers excitedly, playing the part. ”Didn't think that would work!”