Sapphic Pigeon
Damycles
WardenCelestine
Heat
Blazion
Alby47
Chev
Light
Even with the clouds out and threatening to quite literally rain on the parade, it seemed the people would not be deterred and were out in force. Mostly normal humans such as herself, but behind the darkened lenses of her aviators, Genevieve spotted more than one known supernatural. She let them have their day in the sun though, and those few who recognized the huntress merely noted her presence before quickly going about their business. It had gone round once or twice by now that she was notoriously… Forgiving of those who didn't set out to cause trouble. The vampire owner of the Indo bar in particular was fond of remarking on how terrible of a hunter she was.
Yet for all that, she was still a hunter. She still had the skills and tools to strike down the supernatural wherever it may fester. Just a few days ago she reminded some werewolves of that fact. They had been fighting among themselves, ripping each other apart in the forest right behind her home. For that mistake one of them paid with their life. The others managed to escape into the woods but not without injury. Only two really mattered to her though, the large brawler of a werewolf that had obviously started the skirmish, and the white one. If it wasn't a foul monster, and she didn't have a deathly fear of them, she might find it beautiful. At least until a silver bullet went through it and painted it's fur an ugly crimson.
That was what truly ended the battle, the tactical application of silver. While they could have all surely turned on her and ended her life right there, she had instilled in them the very same fear that she had of them. This time she had won out, proving herself the more viable threat and using her confidence as a weapon to make them rethink such a tactic. She knew she was lucky though, and the thought nagged at her continuously on her walk home that night, until she managed to pass out as usual. Damn this town and all the wolves in it. The vamps left her well enough alone, and most managed to stay under the radar, same for the witches. Werewolves though, it wasn't enough that she had her own reasons for despising them all, but they always seemed to be causing some kind of trouble.
Speaking of, she put eyes on a boy who seemed to be acting a bit twitchy. Younger, had a look of discomfort about him and was trying to avoid bringing attention to himself. Unfortunately for him, she knew how much that worked against someone even under normal circumstances. It was one of the first things she learned in special activities, and what they drilled her on the most. Never act like you're not supposed to be somewhere, like you don't want someone to see you. Confidence is the most powerful weapon a spy can have, and it can deflect suspicious eyes far better than any other infiltration technique.
Genevieve detached herself from the leaning position against the side of the stand, she didn't even know which one it was, there were dozens. Wearing plain clothes made her blend easily into the crowds, and her confident measured steps placed her behind the boy without gaining immediate attention. From there it was just a matter of glancing around at the stalls as if she actually had intentions of purchasing their wares. He was just five meters ahead, still looking out of place as he stepped closer to the stand for a local jeweler. Ugh, just a petty thief.
Not even a good one either, she had spotted the not very subtle swipe of the peridot rings from between eight people and across the street. Once more he was on the move, if he was smart to get off the street and a clean getaway. Such was what she was hoping for, and was where she would take him down. Honestly, when she agreed to work private security for the city she hadn't actually expected to do more than stand next to some stalls and pretend to be interested while watching people. She did end up starving just as she knew she would. Damn fairs and all of their fried food. A drink and something incredibly unhealthy would do her some good, but first the thief.
Much to her surprise, he turned down the way and between two stalls, putting him in the next street over and towards the exit of the square. That made everything easier for her, and she preferred things easy. Genevieve put a little more hustle in her step, passing by a few vampires who were out quite early for their kind, and a rather scruffy looking man talking to a younger boy. None of them mattered, she was on the hunt now. One hand rested on the concealed holster at her hip, the other she used to gently make a path through people. There he was.
She made her move, putting some power into the balls of her feet as she rounded the corner behind the storefronts, and colliding with him quite heavily. They both went to the ground in the shade of the backways, him hitting face-first against the pavement with a pained gasp, and her using him to cushion her own landing.
"Be silent and still, and you might walk away without cuffs."
No one ever cooperated. Ever. He struggled anyways, though she was pinning him to the ground with one hand, and frisking him with the other. The questing hand found what she was looking for in the pocket of his jacket, a pair of rings and several other items from other stalls.
"H-hey! Those are mine, I paid for them!" Her hand came around the back of his head with the flat of her palm, cutting off whatever retort he had next for her.
"I watched you pocket the rings, not very well either. Besides, if you bought them, the why do all of them still have price tags attached?"
That made him go quiet. It was policy for the shops to remove tags from merchandise or put a red mark through them when purchased. Sure, it was easy enough for someone to just rip the tags off themselves, but that required a little more thought than it seemed this hoodlum was capable of.
"These people all work hard to make things like what you stole, think about that next time you feel it might be a good idea to steal. Now get lost, and if I catch you again I'm breaking your legs."
In a single move she was back on her feet, leaning against a stand and watching him get to his with a bit more effort. He turned and glared down at her, something she hadn't realized when she was tackling him to the ground. There was a decent enough size difference between the two, and it seemed he realized that as well for a moment until the outline of her pistol was made evident. That was enough to deter him, and send him on his way. Damn, that had almost moved in a direction very different from easy.
With that bit of her job done, she made her rounds of the square, returning each of the items with the thanks of their makers. Few had even noticed the tussle, most too involved in the celebration to notice anything other than their own happiness. Something she was keen to get to for herself in a way, heading up to the security booth and checking in for the day. She had been there since set up, and was in dire need of food, a drink and just not being here in general. Too many people in too small a place, and that was something she absolutely preferred not to be involved in.
It was distracting in its own way though, and without a hard focus to set her mind on she slowly drifted as she walked through the crowds. Perhaps she would linger for another hour or so, maybe even glance over the shops for their product this time, instead of potential thieves. A few minutes passed and she didn't even notice, just absent-mindedly wandering. Fried food was everywhere of course, and it was calling her with a fierce temptation. A smirk threatened to show itself on her lips as she thought that at least she was armed to fight it off. Instead she found the stall for the local delicatessen, getting herself a light sandwich to at least try and eat somewhat healthy for once.
She allowed herself to relax a little, taking in her surroundings as she sat at a picnic table in the square, placed there for the convenience of those partaking in the food stalls. Craftsmen from all over town had come here for Founder's Day, selling their wares and showing off what Salem had to offer for tourists and locals alike. Trinkets of all kinds adorned many, everything from carpentry to taxidermy(thankfully limited that one). A short breeze brought the smell of scented candles to her, a mixture of apple cinnamon for the approaching holidays and the last of their summer flavors. One in particular stood out, a somewhat fruity one that reminded her of-
"Hey Vi!"
"What?!"
"What about Tahiti? It's a magical place!"
Genevieve got up with a start, her eyes searching for ways out even as the memory played itself out in her head. The smell of tropical beaches turned swiftly to that of arid mountains and cordite. She managed to find herself a place out of the way and away from other people so she could center herself, taking in deep breaths and quietly counting backwards from a hundred until her heartbeat stabilized. In just that scant moment she had went from calm to somewhat panicked, though she kept it hidden well enough that no one seemed to have noticed. Perks of a large crowd and more interesting things to look at.
"Damn it. Why now?"
She hadn't thought of those times in quite a while, and almost thought herself over it all. The steel of a pressed tag was cold against her chest, two of them dangling from a light chain. Her own dog tags, and those of the last person to truly be close to her. Something had changed in her life to make her look back on a part of her life she tried to look past. Her instincts were telling her that she had made a mistake somewhere, that she needed to cut it out. A growing sensation of weakness formed, and she couldn't shake the feeling. What she needed right now was a distraction, and anything would do. Perhaps taking one of these vampires aside and instilling the fear of Hunters into them would correct her mood? No, it was far too public and they could just make a scene out of it.
Blaine Moore happened to move past her line of sight at just that moment. Though for all she wanted to seek out what had brought her low in that moment, that this new "friend" might be the source didn't even come to mind. She was odd enough, a bit of a strangeness to her that Genevieve couldn't quite place. It had nagged on her ever since their first encounter in the bar, and perhaps it was that curiosity that led her to reach out. Friends wasn't really something that she specialized in, but the carpenter had been understanding and kept enough of a distance to keep her comfortable, but still make her presence known.
It was incredibly odd for her, and she wasn't sure why she had bothered to keep this connection, much less allow it to fester and grow. Nor was she quite sure why she chose to leave her relatively isolated spot out of the crowds, and start walking towards the woman. Genevieve walked with a bit of an impatient lean, but she was on the hunt and it never occurred to her to call out while on approach. Instead she subconsciously wove her way subtly through the crowds and padded all the way up to the side of Blaine before speaking.
"Didn't think this was your kind of event, Blaine." She spoke softly, as there was no need of it for how close she had gotten. Sometimes it was a good thing she didn't care for people, as with her remarkable ability to blend with a crowd and silent step, she could get herself into a lot of trouble sneaking up on people.
