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[img]https://i.imgur.com/Mzz8EQr_d.webp?maxwidth=9999&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/img]


[i]Hehe! ihr Nicker!
Wie seid ihr niedlich, neidliches Volk!
Aus Nibelheims Nacht naht' ich mich gern,
Neigtet ihr euch zu mir![/i][/center]

Das Rheingold in all its beauty, the German words echoing to a simpler if in many ways a far more vile time. While many prefer to have some sort of fast, hard hitting tunes while exercising, Valentin Florescu preferred something to calm his mind while his body was so excited. It let the man use his time better, going through all the things he had to think about and hopefully find solutions to the many problems he had. Truly, the smith machine was a wonderful purchase.

There was the little issue of the guest though. He kept thrashing, and even with the noise-cancelling headphones the rattle of the chains was quite a nuisance. The man sighed, wiping the sweat off of his brow and taking several swigs from his waterbottle. Well, might as well deal with the bastard know Valenting reasoned. Walking over to the side of the basement wherein everything was covered in plastic sheets he removed the blindfold from the fellow restrained against the table. The hunter smiled, giving a very friendly wave that belied the man’s intentions. [color=39b54a]“Hello!”[/color] he said, opening a case the contents of which the victim would most certainly be unable to see. [color=39b54a]“Now there is a slight chance you will right away tell me what I want to know for fear of what I’m going to do to you, but usually the arrogance of your kind prevents that. However even if you would willingly reveal all I need you are still [i]a thing[/i]. Not an animal, no. You are akin to them, but with the one distinction that whereas animals are simply elements of nature acting upon instincts, you are evil. Thus, a simple death would be too simple for you, you deserve to suffer. Though you can suffer less by cooperating with me, your death will not be painless. Now, why do I tell you this? Well, I want to see the fear. I like seeing it in fact. The little twinkle of your brain trying to find a way to escape, and knowing there is none; only writhing agony awaits. I want to see the same thing you saw on your many victims, I want to be a witness to justice being done.”[/color]

Picking up a saw Valentin tested one of its teeth to make sure it was sufficiently sharp, and another to make sure it was painfully dull. Flourishing the tool, the hunter finished his monologue. [color=39b54a]“Shall we?”[/color]

[hr]

It was a very long shower, but he had to make absolute sure there would not be even the slightest bit of the smell of blood upon him. He’d have to dispose of the bits of the dead creature he couldn’t sell later, he thought, remembering he had to go to that art thing now and meet with the Macedonian. Ah, well, what was a janitor good for if not cleaning up? Wrapping up the mess, he put it along with the other things he’d be carrying to his car. There would most likely be a missing persons report for the bugger on the table, and if so soon after yet another beast went missing so soon after there’d be eyebrows raised. Perhaps different knife work would have to be done, blame it on wild animals like all the werewolf attacks in the woods were. The work of a hunter couldn’t be delayed, for if it was then that meant there was a threat to innocent people not removed — a thing Valentin could not stand. 

Dressing very simply in a brown tweed suit and pants with only a black silk ascot and handkerchief as flourishes he filled his SUV with the tools of both his trades, before closing it and riding on to the university. Looking at his watch it was time for his snack, and so with a thermos of tea, a simple sandwich and a little Liszt on the radio he enjoyed the ride to the university… even if he knew he’d very soon be surrounded by many pretentious pricks and the people that orbited them. 

[hr]

Stepping out of the car he looked more like hired muscle guarding some ethnocentric gang’s leader than a University Professor, but it was what it was. But it was what it was, and walking in the Romanian found himself surrounded by exactly what he expected. Pierced faces, hair dyed unnatural colours, tattoos signalling either somebody had daddy issues or desperately wished that they did. The guy hosting the event seemed classy enough, but what classy entailed was different across time and culture and hence this new cohort of sycophants. Still, anyone who was able to reach a point of hosting such exhibits of their own resources was clearly doing something right, and so he couldn’t really say anything bad of the Drake fellow, in fact he could only applaud him for being to stand the company his work attracted. They were interesting paintings, decent work. He doubted they’d enter the annals of history, for they were too… well, they were trying to hint rather than express. but if you were only doing art for the sake of fame then you were a person the Professor would like to punch the teeth out of. 

Metaphors for the man ranged from teddy bear to a quite literal grizzly as he appeared quietly, towering from behind a duo of his students, his shadow giving him away to the couple. He ignored whatever greeting they stuttered out, smiling to them. [color=39b54a]“Well I am glad to see you! I take it your papers are going very well then, if you have time to go to these big art exhibits yes? Well, clearly then I have given you more than enough time for it, I will make sure to mark accordingly.”[/color] Whenever he found any of his students Valentin made sure to follow the same routine, thinning the flock of the younger folk present. Nevertheless Valentin tried his best to make sure the Drake fellow along with the other organizers of the event wouldn’t see what he was doing; it was after all, arguably somewhat rude. If the host would lock eyes with Valentin, then he’d raise his tea thermos in cheers feigning ignorance to any slight incurred and walk over to converse, but he hoped to avoid that for now. There were two important goals the Hunter had in mind for now; discerning who here was his quarry yet unmarked, and finding his acquaintance from the opposite side of the Balkans.