Trash Panda

~Bonsoir~

Inside the Open Leaf, Vail let his eyes rove over the patrons as he decided whom he was going to make his target that night. Though he considered most of the people in the room, his focus mostly lingered on the group of women he had spotted from outside. There were three of them in all, sitting near the back of the room beside a large, glowing fireplace. Each one had in drink in her hand, and there was a flush to their cheeks that told him they had to have been drinking at least long enough to feel the effects of the gin. Thanks to their inebriation, any one of them would have a perfect victim.

He edged closer to the group, mixing easily with the crowd as he elected to choose his prey by scent rather than by sight. Over the years, he had gotten quite skilled at hunting without alerting his target to his presence. Even now, he let his gaze wander aimlessly over the room, acting as if he was merely enjoying the atmosphere of the pub rather than hunting down his next meal. None of the women seemed to take any notice of him either. They were all distracted by whatever conversation they were having to notice the predator in their midst.

Once he was close enough to distinguish their individual smells, Vail’s eyes flicked toward the woman sitting on the right, a young brunette with golden-brown eyes and a pretty face. Among the three, her aroma was the most delicious, and he was sure her blood would taste sweet—just what he needed to satisfy his craving. He was just about to begin planning how he would separate her from the rest of her friends when another scent wafted to him that made him stop in his tracks.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” he muttered under his breath, glancing over the room until he spotted Victoria speaking with the bar keep over the counter. She didn’t seem to have noticed him yet, but he doubted it was a coincidence that she was here now. He clicked his tongue and turned away from her again. Having learned his lesson from his last mistake, he wasn’t going to approach her this time. Perhaps, if he was lucky, she wouldn’t see him, and he wouldn’t have to interact with her again.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t make it that easy on him.

The strength of her perfume grew just before Vail felt her whispery voice on his ear. Her warm breath made his skin tingle, but his annoyance with the scene she had caused in the Black Bull outweighed the pleasantness of the sensation. “Following me now, are you?” he asked dryly as he continued to watch the woman whom he had made his target. He didn’t want to risk letting his prey slip away for just a conversation with the Crest heiress. “I would have thought you’d be satisfied after giving me away once tonight. Or are you trying to do some noble deed by stopping me wherever I go?”

~Bonsoir~

As Vail took a step toward the door of the tavern, he was surprised to hear the loud and jarring grate of a barstool on the wooden floor behind him. He glanced back over his shoulder to see that the Lady Victoria had risen from her seat and was now glaring at him coldly. The venom in her expression caught him off guard. He had expected her to be thankful for his help, since he had gone out of his way to brush off the stranger who had been eyeing her so lustfully. Instead, she almost seemed offended by the gesture.

He groaned inwardly. Why couldn’t he have just left the situation alone? It didn’t matter to him one way or another what the Lady did or what became of her. Looking back on it, he knew he should have walked away; made some excuse to lure the man he’d been targeting earlier into an alleyway and gone home without causing more trouble for himself. Instead, he had to go and play hero to a maiden in distress—or so it had appeared to him at the time—for only God knew what reason. To make matters even worse, it looked like Victoria was about to cause a scene.

In the next moment, she proved his theory correct by chiding him loudly in front of the other patrons. However, when she addressed him, he tensed. Apparently, sometime between their last encounter and the current moment, she had learned his real name. He cursed under his breath, his eyes flitting discreetly over the crowd. The Saints in the Order were everywhere, and she had just announced, quite loudly in fact, that there was a vampire in their midst. If any of the hunters were among them, he didn’t have long to get out.

As Victoria went on to reprimand him for telling her what to do—it seemed she had mistaken his earlier words of advice for an order—he slowly edged back from her, intent on leaving the Black Bull before the Saints could have a chance to catch him. He no longer paid attention to what she was saying. Now that his cover was blown, he didn’t have time to think about it. All he cared about was escaping from the crowded room without taking a knife to the back.

When the Lady stormed past him to get out of the tavern, herself, Vail rolled his eyes. Even though she had completely misunderstood his intentions, he didn’t care what she thought. The situation had been resolved, so he was going to move forward with his original plan and find a new target to feed on. With that thought in mind, he made his way quickly through the small sea of men, slipping out the door and heading for another tavern before anyone else could approach him.

As he walked, he frequently glanced over his shoulder to see if he was being followed, but as far as he could tell, no one had come after him. He relaxed slightly. It seemed he had gotten lucky and there hadn’t been any hunters in the Black Bull after all—at least, none who knew his family name. He turned back to the building he was walking toward now, a tavern called the Open Leaf where he had hunted in the past. Gazing through the windows, he was pleased to see that there were a few women interspersed amongst the men inside.

He traced his tongue hungrily across his lips as he stepped into the building, eager to finish what he had started before he drew any more attention to himself that night.

~Bonsoir~

Vail spent the rest of the day assisting his mother with the care of two refugees whom had shown up seeking help when he had been gone the night prior. There was one man and one woman, both members of the Jewel family. According to his mother, they had escaped an attack by the Order while they had been out to feed and had arrived in quite a bloodied state. He thought they looked worlds better now. The wounds they had sustained from the Saints’ weapons had been thoroughly purified and bandaged, and neither of their hearts had been touched by silver. As long as they got plenty of rest, he was sure they would fully recover within the week.

As night eventually fell, Vail readied himself to go out for a meal of his own. Between the news that the Wynters were moving and the sudden appearance of two vampires whom had been attacked by the Saints, he could tell that his parents were more nervous than usual about his departure. He didn’t share in their fear though. It had been a long time since he’d had any trouble with any members of the Order since he knew how to keep his head down. Additionally, he wasn’t worried about the Wynters because they were obviously biding their time to infiltrate the Crest family. It would have been a foolish move on their part to start a fight with him and cause a feud with the Hygraces. As far as he could tell, it was perfectly safe to go out tonight.

Feeling confident, Vail bade his parents goodbye and headed out of the manor to explore the city.

At this late hour, the streets were mostly empty aside from the odd passerby here and there. He strolled at a leisurely pace, in no hurry to sate his hunger. Though his jaw still ached, he was well aware of how dangerous it could be to let his instincts drive him. Forcing himself to be patient was a good way to keep from losing control. After all, a frenzied vampire was a dead vampire as long as the Order was around to kill any who drew attention to themselves. For his own safety, he couldn’t rush in his search for a target.

After a bit of walking, Vail came across a tavern that was still bustling with activity: The Black Bull. He paused outside to peer through the window. Like any other tavern, the patrons inside were mostly men as far as he could see. He clicked his tongue. Though he would feed on a man if he had to, he much preferred the sweet taste of a woman’s blood. Unfortunately, he didn’t always have that choice in this day and age. The Order had recently figured out that women were the prime victims of his kind, so they kept the local brothels under constant watch. Given that it was rare for ladies to go out alone when they weren’t working for a Madame, he often had to settle for male prey.

Still, that didn’t mean he would settle without taking another look around first.

Vail was just about to turn away from the tavern when something caught his eye that made him pause. One of the patrons at the bar had a more curvaceous figure than the rest. He smiled to himself. It seemed there was a woman at the Black Bull after all.

Keeping her in the corner of his vision, he slipped into the crowded building and made his way over to the counter. However, he had only made it about halfway when he froze again. Amongst the sea of smells in the tavern, he realized there was a familiar scent that he hadn’t expected to catch. No. He narrowed his eyes at the Lady’s back. Of all the women in London, he just had to stumble upon Victoria Crest, didn’t he? The coincidence made him want to snort.

Of course, knowing who the woman at the bar was, there was no point for him to stay at the Black Bull any longer. As much as he wished to feed on a woman’s blood tonight, he couldn’t lay a finger on the heiress of the Crest household. He let out his breath in a short sigh. It seemed like he was probably going to have to settle for taking a male victim this time.

He was just about to approach a young man who was sitting alone by the front of the room when another motion drew his attention. A man at the counter had taken that moment to cozy up to Lady Victoria. He wasn’t sure why he cared—perhaps he already felt some level of pity for her because he knew who her husband was to be—but for some reason, the sight made him frown. He shifted his weight from his left foot to his right.

It’s not my place to get involved, he thought sternly. Victoria had come to this place of her own volition. Surely she could take care of herself. There was no reason for him to intervene, especially when he still needed to focus on finding a suitable meal before he lost his window of opportunity. His hazel eyes flicked from the bar to the man at the table then back again, and he exhaled. As much as he tried to convince himself it was a bad idea, he disliked the thought of ignoring the situation at the counter too much to simply walk away. I’m going to regret this…

“Ah, there you are!” Vail exclaimed, pushing his way through the crowd as if he was in a hurry to reach the Lady’s side. “So sorry I’m late. I had a few matters at home that needed my attention, and—” He faltered, his gaze falling down to the man’s hand and then lifting back up to his face with a warning look. “And just who might you be?”

The man’s eyes widened, and he hurriedly pulled away from Victoria. “Sorry, sir,” he fumbled to apologize, his words thick from the ale he’d been drinking. “Didn’ realize she was with some’n.”

“And you thought that gave you the right to get friendly, did you?” Vail scoffed. He tipped his head toward the door. “Get out of here.”

As the man hurried off, Vail turned back to Victoria, wondering offhandedly if she had recognized him. He had been wearing a mask at her party before, so there was a chance he could have gotten lucky and she didn’t realize who he was. Regardless, he’d done his good deed for the day, so he had no intention of lingering around her any longer.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s dangerous for a lady to be on her own at this hour?” he said, deciding to offer her one piece of advice before he turned around to leave. “I think it would be wise of you to consider going home before you get yourself hurt.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Can't wait for that xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Crow shrugged, casting Penelope a lopsided smile. Walking beside her to the city where she had grown up, he let a comfortable silence fall between them as his gaze wandered back to the buildings across the river. He hadn’t realized just how much he had missed being able to spend time with her like this, but now that they were alone, he was happier than he had been in weeks. The elation reminded him of the future they were going to share that was growing so close. With any luck, it wouldn’t be much longer before they would be able to spend every day together. He couldn’t wait for that.

When they eventually arrived at a bridge, Crow felt Penelope slip her small hand out of his. The gesture was slightly disappointing to him, but he didn’t complain since he knew they were going to have to be more careful now that they were approaching a busy town. It was better for them to put a little distance between each other now than risk being caught and making the gossip in the inner kingdom worse than it already was. Besides, the knight was familiar with this city. He was sure it wouldn’t be difficult for her to find a secluded place for them to get close again later on if she wanted to.

Fortunately, none of the other people they passed on their way across the bridge seemed to pay much attention to them, and he ducked his head slightly whenever anyone got too close, just to make sure they wouldn’t recognize him. They managed to make it to Bellmare without any trouble, and he lifted his gaze to look over the bustling city as the knight welcomed him to it.

His first impression was that her hometown was energetic. Like the citadel, there were dozens of people in the streets, peasant and noble alike, who were out performing various errands. He couldn’t help but marvel at the intention in their movements. Everyone in the inner kingdom always seemed to be doing something for some particular reason. No one was ever just out for the sake of enjoying the weather—though, there wasn’t much to enjoy anymore now that the cold season was coming upon them—or to simply relax. It was quite a different atmosphere compared with the villages where he had grown up.

“All of that sounds great to me,” Crow turned back to Penelope with a grin when she finished explaining her plan for the rest of the day. All things considered, he was genuinely excited to see her home. He wanted to be able to share in that part of her life, just as he had taken her to Myrefall to be part of his.

“Lead the way, captain,” he said, nudging her playfully with his shoulder.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

It's great because Preston is good at saying things in a way that makes it hard for anyone to tell if he's being serious or not xD
I'm sure that would frustrate Naida, haha

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow smiled when Penelope kissed him on the cheek and reached to lace his fingers with hers as she took his hand. Already, couldn’t wait to spend the day with her. After being forced to keep their distance and sneak around the castle for so long, it was nice to be able to share casual touches so freely again. Of course, they still had to be careful to keep from being spotted, but there weren’t very many people by the river that he could see. It seemed safe enough to relax at least a little bit. He still drew his hood over his head again to keep from being recognized as they walked though.

When Penelope spoke up again, Crow turned to her with interest. Though she seemed to think there wasn’t anything too special about Bellmare, he was sure they could find plenty to keep them occupied. After all, he’d never really explored the inner kingdom before. Even when he’d lived on the outskirts of Colchester while he’d been living with Jaxon’s group, he hadn’t been interested enough to do more than learn the layout of the city for the purpose of escaping from the local knights. Anything she decided to show him now would probably be new.

He returned her smile, finding her enthusiasm infectious as she went on to mention that they could stop by her family’s manor. Knowing she was likely eager to show him the place where she had grown up, he gave her hand a fond squeeze. “I’m sure we can avoid them if we remember to keep a lookout,” he assured her when she brought up her “unpleasant” family, leaning over to press a kiss to her temple. “It can’t be that hard.”

Turning away from her briefly, he let his gaze wander over the buildings on the other side of the river. Since he didn’t know the area well enough to identify which city he was looking at, he wasn’t sure if it was Bellmare or not, but he felt sure they were at least close to the knight’s hometown. He glanced back at her with a playful smirk, “You can take me wherever you’d like, darling. I’m just along for the ride.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Oh, he's definitely going to rub it in her face that he knew first if it comes up in conversation xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

When he made it past the front gate of the castle, Crow slowed his pace ever so slightly so he could look around the citadel. He’d seen quite a bit of the area through the windows in the palace, but since he hadn’t been able to leave in two weeks, this was the first real chance he’d had to explore it. Already, he could tell it was an energetic place. The streets were filled with wealthy vendors and nobles browsing their wares. The surrounding buildings were impressive too. Compared to the small homes in the outer villages, the large manors towered overhead as if their builders had been trying to reach into the sky. Overall, the whole place screamed of riches in a way the viceroy found both captivating and disturbing.

In addition to that first impression, Crow also noticed that the citadel was remarkably untouched by the ongoing war with Younis. It was a stark contrast with the bordering villages, which were growing more and more worn down as the fighting raged on. If he didn’t know better, he might have guessed that the nobles here didn’t even know there were battles happening at all. He sighed. If the enemy kingdom conquered them tomorrow, no one in the inner cities would be prepared for the consequences.

As he meandered through the crowd, Crow was drawn from his thoughts when he noticed a group of women gesture in his direction and mutter amongst themselves. He grimaced and drew the hood of his cloak over his head. Since he was on his way to meet up with Penelope in secret, he didn’t want to draw attention to himself before he reached her. The less people recognized him, the easier it would be for him to get to and from the castle without being asked too many questions.

Luckily, once he started being more mindful of his surroundings, the viceroy managed to make it to the edge of the river without letting anyone else see his face. By the waterside, he was able to relax. There weren’t any other people close enough to see him this far from the nearest city. Still, he kept his hood drawn, just in case he happened to pass by any castle servants bathing or washing their masters’ clothes in the stream.

Eventually, Crow came across a clearing, and he smiled to himself as he recognized Penelope’s familiar figure on a large boulder by the water. As she came over to greet him, he reached up to lower his hood. “Of course not,” he smirked at her jokingly, wrapping his arms around her in a loose embrace. “Your directions were flawless, love.”

Leaning down, the viceroy touched a playful kiss to her lips and then pulled back with a grin, “Are you ready to go to Bellmare?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Preston is Crow and Penelope's number one fan xD