KazAlkemi

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Time worked differently in the space between the living and the dead. After Christian agreed to meet Penny at the restaurant, he teleported from her hotel room in America, to a small village in the Jordan desert. He had reaped four souls before opening the door to the small diner Penny sat in with her new comrades. Christian figured if he could continue his work without raising too much suspicion, Death would leave him alone.

Christian made a courtesy glance around the diner, although he already knew Penny sat in the back next to Charles who was actively trying to get her attention. When Penny waved, Christian turned to look at her. He smiled slightly and nodded his acknowledgment before making his way through the diner to their table.

"My apologies for being late," he said, speaking softly. He shrugged out of his jacket before taking the seat Penny offered. Christian had changed into dark green slacks, with a black, buttoned up, long-sleeved shirt that had the top button undone. He paired the outfit with brown loafers, and a jacket. The piercing in his ear seemed to catch the light and if one looked closely to the watch he wore, they wouldn't see a typical timepiece but one that moved and rotated to follow the phases of the moon and the earth's rotation. It was a unique piece that kept time differently.

"I hope you will allow me to pay for tonight's meal as a thank you for helping Penny in avenging my sister's death," Christian said, dropping his gaze to the table as a wave of emotion overtook him. Christian could play any part he needed to. It was what allowed him to help so many souls cross over.

Charles eyed the man who joined their table, not entirely comfortable with the presence of this well dressed man. He was too pretty for Charles' liking. He shifted in his seat, draping his arm over the back of Penny's chair casually before he smiled brightly in an effort to seem relaxed.

"Of course, Penny was a natural. Why is it you didn't avenge your sister, thought?" The question seemed casual enough but there was a tone Christian caught that told him it wasn't.

Christian looked at Charles and smiled painfully. He could see Charles as clearly as if he looked through glass. He knew the man was suddenly uncomfortable with his presence and the familiarity Penny seemed to show. It amused Christian, and although he was usually more reserved, he wanted to play with the man a little.

"I understand what you mean. But I am not made for the life of hunting. I work in the medical field and see death too much. I try to keep myself away from it when I can. That is why I am so grateful to you and Penny." He shifted his focus to her, his smile shifting to something warmer and brighter. Charles slid closer to Penny. "I have no doubts Penny was able to rise to the occasion. She is made stronger than most of us can ever hope to be." The words Christian spoke were true enough. He believed them wholly and wanted Penny to see the strength she possessed as well, but if it got under Charles' skin in the process, all the more better.

Charles cleared his throat, not liking the direction the conversation was taking. "Exactly, you should be doing this more, Penny. We can teach you more ways to hunt," he said, eagerly trying to pull her attention back.

The serving staff came over then to take drink orders and Christian sat back quietly in his seat while he looked through the menu. The food all sounded familiar to him. Many people spoke of food after death, wishing they could have one last steak or homemade pie. Christian found food to be the universal language. Everyone came together and bonded over meals, much like this one, despite cultural barriers. Still, food held no sway of Christian. He didn't require it and had never had it. He stared at the menu, looking for something that would be adequate for someone of his size while he listened the other conversations at the table.

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Christian looked back at Penny, amusement shone on his face. Dinner? Christian had never had dinner let alone be invited to one before.

”Christian Reaper? I suppose it has a nice ring to it. But my last name is actually Jones. At least, it was the name Death told me.” Christian sat down on a chair, thinking over the possibilities of him going to dinner with Penny and her new companions. ”Do you want me to come?” Christian asked, watching for her response.

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

”Maybe a little crazy, but most hunters are. Not a lot of people believe in supernatural creatures. Ghosts maybe, but vampires push the bounds of what most people are willing to believe in. It's not an easy life, but if you're feeling called to it maybe you need to try it.”

Christian watched Penny intently while she spoke to Charles. He frowned slightly when he made her laugh. When she looked back at him, Christian quickly turned away and preoccupied himself with something else.

”Werewolves are real. They don't turn into wolves, though. Skin walkers can change their form or a witch’s familiar,” he divulged.

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Christian smiled crookedly at the way Penny questioned his words. His eyes flicked back and forth between hers. ”Yes, you silly girl. I never say anything I don’t mean,” he said and started to clean up. He paused when she apologized to him again.

An image of the life he had to take in placement of Penny’s flashed before him, and he shook his head before he stood. ”You don’t need to keep apologizing. I made that decision because I wanted to, not because you forced me to. As for what happened after, it’s all water under the bridge,” he said, smiling at her gently before discarding the garbage and moving the towels into the bathroom.

Christian couldn't tell Penny what happened even if he wanted to, but he didn't want to. He wanted to save her from the uglier parts of his work being a reaper. He wanted to protect her, even now when she knew how to look after herself. If things went well on the date with Charles, Christian wondered if Penny wouldn't need him around us much. The idea of that worried him, which, in turn, confused him.

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Christian remained silent, focused on his task. He followed the trail of the tiny bumps his touch seemed to leave behind and frowned. He looked up at Penny when her breath hitched, worried he was hurting her, but she seemed to relax and didn’t tell him to stop. Christian hesitated a moment before he kept going, moving his eyes to watch his task once more.

”Nothing more nothing less,” Christian repeated. ”I’ve overheard humans in passing make dates seem like they are everything. They dictate whether a relationship will continue and lead to love, sex, or marriage, but you don’t seem to care for those things. At least not with this date.” Christian finished his task and wiped his fingers off before he grabbed the bandages. ”Charles seemed rather happy with the acceptance, though.”

Christian placed the bandage against Penny’s skin. He pressed his hands onto her sides, securing the bandage in place. Her skin was cool to the touch but soft despite the raised flesh. His fingers lingered before he realized what he was doing, and he pulled back.

”I think you are a good judge of character. You simply wish to see the best in people, and there is nothing wrong with that. It is people like you who give others a second chance when they pass on. People often remember the worst parts of their life when they die. If those people can accept what they have done, they will have an easier transition. If they don’t and become angry, the transition is more challenging. I find if they’ve had someone like you in their lives, they see death as a second chance to live their afterlife differently. However, it’s not the same for monsters.”

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Christian’s eyes remained on Penny even after she broke eye contact with him. Was she embarrassed? Curious. Christian refocused on her wound when she revealed it to him again. He raised an eyebrow when she instructed him to do her worse. ”I’m fairly certain that would hurt more,” he said seriously. He rolled his shirt sleeves up and stood to wash his hands.

He glanced at the food trays, smiling at the fact she had eaten something; that was always a good sign after a hunt. He washed his hands before returning to open the antiseptic. The pungent smell of alcohol filled the room as Christian added some of the liquid to a compress.

”This will sting,” he warned her before putting the cool compress against Penny’s wounds. He lifted and pressed the compress over her skin in several areas before he got clean water. He bundled a towel onto her lap to soak up most of the water that he would be pouring over her wound to clean the area further.

”Vampires aren’t exactly the cleanest,” he explained while he worked. ”Infection is more what you have to worry about than bleeding out.” He dabbed Penny’s stomach with a damp cloth before sitting back on his heels, letting the area dry. He opened the cream that would be a barrier between her skin and the bandages and glanced at Penny before speaking.

”Did I overhear that tall, blonde-haired man ask you on a date?” It truly wasn’t any of Christian’s business, but Penny had made a point—twice—that she wanted Christian’s friendship. Friendship meant sharing personal things, right?

Christian washed his hands with the antiseptic before he added some of the cream to his fingers and lightly spread the cream onto her wounds. His fingers were featherlight as they moved across her skin.

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Skills: Invisibility; Teleportation

The car ride back to Penny’s hotel was quiet but comfortable. The music played gently from the radio, and although Christian watched the world go by again, he wasn’t as enthralled by it as he had been the first time. He appreciated the scenery and the company he shared it with. Maybe that was what life was about. Not necessarily what you are doing but who you are doing it with.

Christian walked silently with Penny up to her hotel room. He left her alone to shower and clean up, but something told him she would be hungry when she finished. He had overheard Penny offering to take the hunters for a meal later, but he wanted her to have something, so he ordered a few dishes from the room service menu.

He had just finished setting the trays on the table in Penny’s room when she came out of the bedroom, a towel pressed against her stomach and wet hair dripping down her back. The smell of fresh blood mixed strangely with the scent of Penny’s shampoo, and yet it was still so wholly Penny.

He approached Penny when she asked if he knew how to bandage wounds. ”May I see?” If she moved her towel, Christian would bend down to examine the wound before nodding. If she didn’t, he would answer her the same. ”I do. I just need to gather some supplies. Sit, eat,” he said, gesturing to the table. ”I’ll be back quickly.”

Christian teleported from Penny’s room to a local pharmacy. He wandered the aisles, gathering the supplies he needed. Christian blended in seamlessly with the crowd in the drugstore. No one seemed to pay him any mind as he went about his task, and when he disappeared, no one questioned it.

Christian returned to Penny’s hotel room with supplies in hand. He set everything down and crouched. ”Do you want me to walk you through it or help you?” he asked, gazing up at her.

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Skills: Invisibility; Teleportation

Charles smiled brightly when Penny agreed to go on a date with him. “Cool, it's a date. I'll give you a call later today. Good work today, Penny,” Charles smiled and waved her off before he got into his car and drove off.

Christian watched the whole exchange with interest. He thought the tall, blonde man was bold, but he was surprised when Penny agreed. Why should he be? Christian suddenly frowned, feeling slightly annoyed from the whole thing. Penny met his eye and almost looked guilty before she dashed across the street. Peculiar. Then she was calling him.

Christian teleported inside Penny's car and noted her appearance. The blood was unsurprising, neither were the marks on her face or her torn shirt, but he was no less concerned.

”How did it go?” Christian asked. He shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to Penny. At least this way she could cover up some before walking into her hotel.

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Skills: Invisibility;

A shift outside occured as the vampires started to die. One by one Christian watched the beasts cross over into purgatory. All of the monster's final resting place was in that hellscape. Where an endless battle occurs, the only release being when a soul is killed before being resurrected in purgatory just to be killed again. Christian smiled. Perhaps he would tell Penny that. He was sure knowing her almost murderers would suffer for the rest of time would bring her further peace.

Christian remained in the shadows until he watched the final soul leave. He looked to the front door, waiting for Penny to emerge. He walked across the street to stand there and wait, but she had yet to leave the house.

Charles grinned when Penny offered them a meal. He chuckled at her mention of a shower and he nodded in agreement.

“We could all use the clean up and we never turn down a free meal,” Charles agreed. He nodded at Dylan and Annie to go on ahead. He looked back at Penny and smiled.

“You did good. I got sick after my first kill, too” he assured her. “But you didn't hesitate. You came here with a goal and didn't change your mind. That's brave,” he complimented her. He cleared his throat then, feeling slightly nervous suddenly and knelt to clean off his blade.

“So uh, we're probably going to be in town for a couple more days and I was wondering, well, maybe you'd… maybe you'd like to catch a movie or go to dinner? I mean not like tonight but another night with, uh, me?” Charles asked, looking at Penny once he stood back up.

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Skills: Invisibility;

Christian debated whether to teleport to the vampire location or scout ahead, but he ultimately decided to go with Penny in her car. He gazed out the window, watching the world go by with fascination. It was his first time in a moving vehicle.

His face was lit up like a child’s, unable to focus on any one thing for more than a second before he was scanning and looking at other things outside the car window. He was also equally fascinated by the workings of the car on the inside. He pushed buttons and opened compartments with seamless abandon. He quickly decided his favourite aspect of the car was the seat and the controls determining whether cold or hot air blew.

Christian returned to looking outside again when they pulled up outside the vampires' lair. He was so busy watching the sun shift through the trees that he hadn’t fully realized they had arrived until Penny grabbed his arm. Christian turned his head immediately, eyes surprised, but quickly turned to concern from her words before they finally softened, a small smile forming to match.

Her words tumbled out in a rush, and it took Christian a lot of concentration to follow the run-away words. His smile turned to one of amusement unintentionally. ”You will come out of this alive,” he agreed. ”And you can do this. You have people here to help you,” he added, nodding to the approaching hunters. ”I will remain near, but perhaps if I am not in the house, you will feel the urgency you need to fight and win to survive rather than call me.” He wished Penny a quick good luck before she opened the door, and when she looked back, Christian would no longer be in the car. He stood near the house now, concealed in the shadows of Penny’s old home.

He watched the four hunters approach and noticed how calm seemed to wash over the three experienced hunters. They were primal and ready. Christian watched them kick the door down and charge in. His gaze flitted over to Penny, watching her blond hair disappear. She’ll be fine…she’ll survive this.

The silence crept in, poking and wrapping itself around Christian while he waited outside. He started to pace, hoping the feeling would leave him, but it only intensified when he heard yelling and screaming.

Inside, the hunters started their kill. They got to two of them easily, but by then, the vampires knew their home had been infiltrated. Whether Penny miscounted in her bloodless haze or the vampires had been busy, the headcount now came to ten rather than eight. Fighting quickly moved on to one-on-one or survival.

Charles and Annie did their best to stay close to Penny, coaching her through how to duck, swing, and jab while they survived their fights. Dylan was in his battle, blocking the others as he went through one vampire to the next, never seeming to be engaged for long before a head thunked against the floor and rolled away.

Charles made a slice across a vampire’s neck, blood spurting before he kicked off their head. “Guess we should have double-checked if you’re okay with blood,” he said, glancing at Penny to ensure she was doing okay.