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[Color=darkslategray][b]Time:[/b][/color] Morning
[Color=darkslategray][b]Location:[/b][/color] Rooftop near The Witches Brew
[Color=darkslategray][b]Interaction with:[/b][/color] [@Tae] Maeve 

Noah buzzed with excitement as the sound of a scream cut through the quiet morning, finally someone had found his gift. His vampire hearing picked it up with perfect clarity and it was just as satisfying as he had imagined. He waited for the rest of the scene to play out just as he had imagined it but was taken by surprise when moments later a woman, obviously a witch, appeared on the roof with him. He was thrilled to see his gift had in fact found its way to a witch so quickly, and even better was the look of fury that danced in her eyes. Was he lucky enough to have already stumbled onto another witch? He could hardly believe his good fortune, he hadn’t expected them to be quite so easy to find but he was after all, very clever. 

She continued with an array of tricks, the sudden appearance of the eyeball he’d left in the cafe, then making it levitate and glow. It became like a projector showing him the beauty of his last kill, the glorious savagery of it, but now he was getting to see it from the prey’s eyes. Noah with a wild and toothy grin watched the image the eyeball played in front of him; how thrilling to watch himself kill, to see himself depicted as a perfect monster. He let out a deep throaty laugh at her question, it had such an obvious answer, did it even need asked? He gave a slow clap at the trick and smiled at her question.

[color=slategray]“Strange? Why would it be strange? I did kill him.”[/color] The eyeball trick had been incredibly amusing, a real showstopper but Noah cared for her next trick far less. A heavy chain wrapped itself around Noah like a snake, constricting his movements. The chain itself was brighter than the sunlight that struggled to break through the clouds on this overcast morning, and it stung with more intensity than even sun on a bright day. It made his skin tingle and itch. The trick that followed next was another impressive one, as four of her now stood before him, speaking in unison. Noah continued to grin, now allowing his fangs to show in excitement, he’d always enjoyed a good magic show. Two things were abundantly clear; this witch was more powerful than Shay, and for some reason she thought Drake had sent him to The Witch’s Brew. 

[color=slategray]“You, smell like…”[/color] Noah took a long pause, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath as he made a show of sniffing the air. He was enjoying this, it was dramatic, encapsulating, and he felt like a great villain. [color=slategray]“Power.”[/color] He said with a laugh as he opened his eyes back up. [color=slategray]“How interesting, and to treat me with a magic show, with surround sound, and it’s not even my birthday.”[/color] He thought about her questions, unsure of what exactly Drake would want him to reveal to a witch. The thought that a witch could ever do real harm to Noah wasn’t something he could comprehend and he found her threat of consequences amusing. Witches were beneath vampires; they lived, breathed, ate all the same as humans did, even with a touch of magic witches were still lesser beings. He wondered why Drake would even bother to maintain a show of friendship with one, why not just take this witch and make her turn over Shay, surely such a thing was within his capabilities. He studied her reaction, searching for any clues as to what interests a witch could hold to a vampire, other than the amusement of their magic tricks. 

[color=slategray]“As for my gift, Lord Drake sent me to find his lost pet, and where better to leave a message for a witch, than at a cafe with witch in its name? You’re not the one I’m looking for but you’ve got tricks up your sleeves don’t you? I’ll bet you could give me a hint, help me find the lost witch and I won’t have to leave anymore messages.”[/color] Noah paused and turned his head to look towards The Witch’s Brew where there had been a very human reaction to the scene inside only moments ago. [color=slategray]“Hey was that your friend screaming, it was quite lovely, I think I’d like to hear it again. How ‘bout it, by the pricking of your thumbs, bring us Shay, or something wicked [i]her[/i] way comes.”[/color] He turned back towards her, showing no concern or any sense of danger at his situation. He wondered how the witch would react to a threat against her human friend, if witches even concerned themselves with human lives or if they were more akin to vampires in such matters. 

[hr]

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[Color=AEECD5][b]Time:[/b][/color] Rest of the night/Next day early afternoon
[Color=AEECD5][b]Location:[/b][/color] OH HQ/Diner
[Color=AEECD5][b]Interaction with:[/b][/color] none

Much to his annoyance outside the exhibit were several operatives from Operation Humanity. The humans who tried to flee had been stunned unconscious, probably to cover up the whole vampire debacle. It made sense, the mass panic that would ensue if most people knew what was out there would be much worse than keeping people in the dark. The world certainly did not need modern day witch trials. Still being electrocuted unconscious and waking up in a OH interrogation room was not a fun way to continue his night, even if he could understand the reasoning behind it. 

Unsurprisingly, a secret military monster hunting group knew far more about him by the time he woke up than he ever did about them. The Holy Saviors, at least when he’d been a part of it, kept a very low opinion of OH. Not only did they allegedly use witches in the development of their weapons, there were also rumors that they did ‘unnatural experiments’ on their operatives as well. Though to be fair Father Xavier also considered everything from vaccines to removing ones appendix to be an ‘unnatural experiment,’so Eli didn’t exactly put much stock in anything he’d heard from that source. They asked a ton of questions regarding the vampire incident while answering none of his own. 

What Eli told the operatives of OH was mainly focused on the vampires. They already knew there were werewolves, no use lying about that, it wasn’t as if he could pretend he hadn’t seen giant lycanthropes tossing vampires around. When asked which direction they were headed he could honestly say he had no idea, they left out the back and that was all he knew. He briefly mentioned the redhead and the insane child, both of whom he suspect worked for them, but said nothing of the witch. She’d been at the art gallery initially in disguise, and he omitted her from anything he told Operation Humanity. Sure, she could be working with them too, maybe that was what she and Red had been arguing about, but just to play it safe he acted like he hadn’t seen anyone besides the child playing with fire at the art gallery. 

Then came their recruitment speech, offering him a place in their organization that came with a thick contract and rather tempting signing bonus. While he was more than sure the resources they could provide would make his job a hell of a lot easier, signing up with a secret military operation would have far more strings attached than he could imagine. He’d already left one cult and wasn’t looking to join another, especially one so well controlled and funded; there was little chance that they’d let someone who worked for them just walk away. Upon being led out of the one building he spotted a brief glimpse of Colonel Trotter; the man, the myth, the mustache, himself. Then a black hood was placed over his head and he was driven back into town in complete darkness. Once he finally made it back to his apartment he finished off his night with his usual pre-bedtime ritual; drinking until he could finally pass out. It wasn’t the healthiest coping mechanism but when one’s soul becomes as burdened as his had, it was the only reliable way to sleep. If he did have dreams while passed out drunk he never had the unpleasant memories of them, and that made a morning hangovers more than worth it. 

A bad night and a morning hangover were best settled with a morning cigarette, diner food, and black coffee. The diner was within walking distance, as was just about everywhere in Ember Grove, so he smoked his morning cigarette as he walked there. The first cigarette of the morning was always the best one, the only one that still gave a taste of that nicotine buzz and he savored every inhale. This was one of the few times where his mind was clear, and his only thoughts were of his cigarette and a peaceful view of the overcast sky. Inside the diner he ate alone, enjoying the unlimited coffee refills, and letting the calmness of the morning linger before he had to again worry about all the creatures that lurked in the shadows of Ember Grove.