Naera

[chivalry-be-damned]

[chivalry-be-damned]

You're back late.

Sorry. Had to kill my crazy-ex 'cause she was trying to drain a five year old.

What?

I-

You know, what, I don't want to hear about it until after both of us have slept. Bed or couch is set up depending on what you want, but I'm gonna be in the bed regardless.

...Can I join you?

Knock yourself out. I'm gonna brush my teeth and then crash. Also, I should not have been binging Bridgerton because all it managed to do was piss me off.

Didn't you give up on that series...

A new season came out and I wanted to give it a shot to see if the writing had improved but it abso-fucking-lutely did not.

[black-iris-duchess]

(Aria has snuck into the manor through the exploded area, with Flare silently following behind.)

(Aria has a silver dagger and silver powder at the ready, as well as a vial of methanol.)

- @draining-flames

Are you insane?

[draining-flames]

Do you have a death wish? No, I'm not insane. Get out of my way or I kill you.

(Flare growls quietly behind her.)

[black-iris-duchess]

You've brought a dog- She will kill that dog.

[He still steps aside.]

[draining-flames]

Not if he's covered in fire.

I'm surprised you're letting me pass. I do hope you don't intend to kill me once my back's turned.

[black-iris-duchess]

I'm not interested in dying yet.

[draining-flames]

Cool. I'm going to remember your face in case I ever see you again.

(She cloaks herself and Flare in blue fire and continues forward, keeping an eye on Ilya.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Ilya zips away.]

[Aria can hear giggling from further ahead.]

[draining-flames]

This is like a dungeon crawl. Persuasion check succeeded.

(She moves quietly towards the giggling sound.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There's a room up ahead. She can hear the murmur of conversation and the giggle seems to be coming from there.]

[There are several thralls who look similar to the woman she encountered the other night hurrying about in the hall around her. None of them seem to notice her.]

[draining-flames]

(She winces slightly. She doesn't want to risk any thralls, otherwise she'd just blast the entire room with fire before entering.)

(He decides to go up to the door, adjusting the scarf around his neck and the reinforced parts of his cloak and tunic. Silver thread lines the seams of his clothes, but the fire should stop any vampires before they get that far.)

[black-iris-duchess]

Shall we drain her?

I don't see why not. We've had our fun.

A little morsel like her can't have much contamination to begin with.

And the mother? What will we do with her?

[The door is unlocked.]

[draining-flames]

(He opens the door and Flare suddenly leaps in, growling and barking loudly.)

(Aria steps in behind him. Both are still cloaked in flame.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Flare is barking at no one.]

[What she's been hearing is a recording.]

It would only be right to send her home with her baby. I'd hate to separate a mother from her child.

Do you want to end the trance?

Oh, no, I'll just layer on top of the first one.

[The giggling stops as she can hear the rustle of fabric.]

[The door shuts and locks behind her.]

[draining-flames]

Of course these people aren't as stupid as the Millers... (she grumbles)

I just hope Mary's still alive... and that this hunt won't be annoying as all hell.

(She breaks whatever's playing the recording and covers the floor in fire before seeing if the door can be melted or burnt away.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door doesn't burn.]

[draining-flames]

That didn't really answer my full question, but okay.

(She tries melting it while she looks around for another way out.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There aren't any windows. The door doesn't melt.]

[She's trapped.]

[draining-flames]

...

Oh shit. I didn't actually think anyone would try that.

Are all their doors like this or did they set a specific trap for me, because I don't think I'm that impor- hm. I did wipe out a lot of vamps, though. (she shrugs)

I should probably stop talking to myself or Flare and um. Hm. Is someone going to come kill me??

[black-iris-duchess]

[No one is coming.]

[Not for now at least.]

[draining-flames]

(She grumbles frustratedly before lowering the flame on her and Flare, and sitting against the wall. He's trying not to cry and feel helpless.)

(He tries reaching out through the pack bond.)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Aria!

[draining-flames]

They've trapped me in a room that I can't burn or melt my way out of!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

I'm almost there. Hold on a little longer.

[draining-flames]

Okay.. not really much I need to hold on about, they haven't sent someone to kill me yet.

(she sighs)

This is what I get for becoming too overpowered. (she jokes)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

You became threat and worthy opponent in record time. I'm very proud of you.

Have you heard anything from John?

[draining-flames]

Hehe, thank you!

Not yet. I assume he's probably around here somewhere.

I ran into some sorta Russian vampire but he said he didn't want to die yet and didn't get in my way. I didn't recognize him from any stories I'd been told, so I left him.

I think they might be planning to drain Mary.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

The demon chasin' me's insinuated as much. Motherfucker.

I'm almost there. I'll relay that t'Pete an' see if he can reach John.

[draining-flames]

You have a demon chasin' you?!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Strife. He's really pissin' me off.

An' he's got the hots for Grus apparently.

[draining-flames]

Ewww. I hope Grus unravels him.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

That's exactly what I said.

[draining-flames]

Hah.

Are you almost here or am I going to get murked?

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Just got through the front doors. There's some weird vamp gal waitin' there, so I'll be a minute.

[draining-flames]

Okay-

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door opens and a very tall vampire zips in and grabs Flare.]

[draining-flames]

Hey!

(Flare immediately, well, flares, covered in full blue fire again. He bites at the vampire. Aria stands up and grabs her silver powder pouch from her belt.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They hiss and throw Flare out of the room.]

[draining-flames]

(He lands with a "whuff" and Aria opens her silver pouch.)

(She sends a blast of silver-infused fire their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They just barely dodge the fire. They've been stabbed by someone else and it's impeding their movement.]

[draining-flames]

(She sends another blast their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The blast catches their side.]

[They're moving much slower now.]

[Flare can hear someone else coming.]

[draining-flames]

(Flare readies himself, growling.)

(Aria infuses her fire again and corners them before doing another blast.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The fire hits them head on and their flesh begins to melt off and turn to ash.]

[They scream in agony.]

[It's another vampire.]

[draining-flames]

(She finishes them off and Flare barks to alert her of the new arrival. She steps out and looks at the vampire, avoiding eye contact.)

Are you here to die too?

[chivalry-be-damned]

[The vampire begins to answer, but anything he had to say is cut short as his head lands on the ground and his body crumbles to ash.]

[As his body falls, Naera is revealed, silver axe in hand.]

[draining-flames]

Oh hey! Naera! Hi!!! You should probably not be here? But that was really badass so I don't mind that much.

[chivalry-be-damned]

Probably not, but I'm not going to miss a chance to screw over the Duchess and her plans.

You wanna get out of here?

[draining-flames]

Fair enough.

I mean, no, not until my niece is safe or her body is recovered. You can leave if you want, or you can follow along with me and Flare while we clear this place out.

[chivalry-be-damned]

I meant out of this part of the manor, but I probably could have been more specific.

Sure, I'll follow you.

[draining-flames]

Yeah, you gotta be suuuper specific with me, I'm a little slow.

(she walks past Naera and further into the manor.)

Have you seen Iris herself yet? Or a small kid around six years old?

[chivalry-be-damned]

The vamp who chucked your dog was trying to bring me to her. I saw the kid when I scoped out the area earlier, but I highly doubt that she's in the same place now.

[draining-flames]

Oh. Huh. I sorta killed them without letting them talk.

Okay. (she grumbles) If I was a wolf shifter maybe I could s- hold on. Bug, find Mary?

(Bug perks up and puts his snoot to the ground, moving ahead of them in search of Mary.)

Right. I have a dog. Which covers the blind spots I have from not being a shifter. Silly me.

(She follows Flarebug.)

[chivalry-be-damned]

Smart solution.

[She follows the two of them.]

[draining-flames]

I got him as a lil puppy and he's grown all big already! I've trained him to jump over fire and not get spooked by it.

(Flare continues his search, ears tilting every which way)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Flare is able to pick up on Mary's scent with some effort. Her trail seems to be leading out and away from the manor.]

[draining-flames]

(He starts running in the direction he can smell.)

Shit. (Aria runs after him.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Naera runs after both of them.]

[Flare is also able to pick up on John and Rachel's scents as they get closer.]

...choose Cambell your wife or your precious little girl. Which one gets to make it out alive?

[draining-flames]

(Aria focuses to make a pinprick of fire for accuracy and sends a line right into Iris’s neck, avoiding killing her outright but aiming to severely injure her.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[A ward blocks her attempt.]

[draining-flames]

I hate this bitch.

(She starts looking around for other targets. Unbeknownst to her, Parker has also shown up, and is balancing on a tree branch above while he looks for weak points in the ward.)

[chivalry-be-damned]

Yeah, me too.

[Naera splits off from the group and tries to find the vampire holding up the ward - Dennis.]

[John is held back by a pair of vampires and Rachel is tranced.]

[Mary is dressed in a red baby doll style dress with the Hawkes crest embroidered on it. She's been bitten several times and claps her hands idly. She's been tranced too.]

[Bill and Grus are nowhere to be seen.]

[draining-flames]

Fucking shit.

(Aria and Bug move more out of view and follow Naera, seeing no other option available to them.)

(Parker presses at the ward with his own warding magic, as he attempts to shrug off a strange feeling of anger rising in him.)

[chivalry-be-damned]

[She finds Dennis who is so deeply focused on keeping the ward up that he doesn't notice her.]

[She sneaks in close and stabs him between the ribs.]

[The ward flickers and begins to fail.]

[As Dennis reels from the stab wound, she removes the knife and then slits his throat. He crumbles without ever having made a sound.]

[The ward then comes down all at once.]

[draining-flames]

(Aria tries the pinprick injury trick again on Iris, shaking slightly.)

(Parker wants to attack as well, but his thoughts are getting too fuzzy.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Iris gets out of the way before she can be hit. The fire hits Mary instead which is enough to snap her out of the trance, but she's crying now as everything sets in at once, including the injury.]

[draining-flames]

Fuck. At least it was only a pinprick. (Aria immediately goes to Mary, keeping herself cloaked in fire to deter any attacks.) Mary?

(Parker draws his sword and attempts to cut down the vampires holding John.)

[black-iris-duchess]

Uncle- Uncle Aria? Where's Mom?

[Mary hiccups.]

I see your choice has been made for you.

[John shifts and breaks free, lunging at Iris.]

[Iris zips towards Rachel, preparing to kill her, but Emerson intercepts, just barely getting there in time.]

No, you don't.

[draining-flames]

Your mom's just over there. It's all going to be okay. Just keep your eyes on Bug.

(Bug is extinguished and presses his nose against Mary and licks her face, doing his best to comfort.)

(Parker is shaking and slowly backs away from the area.)

[chivalry-be-damned]

Hi Bug.

[She grabs onto Bug.]

[Emerson pushes Iris back and clears the path for John to get to Rachel.]

[Iris tries to get past him, but Naera slams into her.]

You're going to fight with me now. Not them.

[Having swapped with Naera, Emerson follows Parker from a distance, picking up on something being wrong.]

[black-iris-duchess]

(Aria has snuck into the manor through the exploded area, with Flare silently following behind.)

(Aria has a silver dagger and silver powder at the ready, as well as a vial of methanol.)

- @draining-flames

Are you insane?

[draining-flames]

Do you have a death wish? No, I'm not insane. Get out of my way or I kill you.

(Flare growls quietly behind her.)

[black-iris-duchess]

You've brought a dog- She will kill that dog.

[He still steps aside.]

[draining-flames]

Not if he's covered in fire.

I'm surprised you're letting me pass. I do hope you don't intend to kill me once my back's turned.

[black-iris-duchess]

I'm not interested in dying yet.

[draining-flames]

Cool. I'm going to remember your face in case I ever see you again.

(She cloaks herself and Flare in blue fire and continues forward, keeping an eye on Ilya.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Ilya zips away.]

[Aria can hear giggling from further ahead.]

[draining-flames]

This is like a dungeon crawl. Persuasion check succeeded.

(She moves quietly towards the giggling sound.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There's a room up ahead. She can hear the murmur of conversation and the giggle seems to be coming from there.]

[There are several thralls who look similar to the woman she encountered the other night hurrying about in the hall around her. None of them seem to notice her.]

[draining-flames]

(She winces slightly. She doesn't want to risk any thralls, otherwise she'd just blast the entire room with fire before entering.)

(He decides to go up to the door, adjusting the scarf around his neck and the reinforced parts of his cloak and tunic. Silver thread lines the seams of his clothes, but the fire should stop any vampires before they get that far.)

[black-iris-duchess]

Shall we drain her?

I don't see why not. We've had our fun.

A little morsel like her can't have much contamination to begin with.

And the mother? What will we do with her?

[The door is unlocked.]

[draining-flames]

(He opens the door and Flare suddenly leaps in, growling and barking loudly.)

(Aria steps in behind him. Both are still cloaked in flame.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Flare is barking at no one.]

[What she's been hearing is a recording.]

It would only be right to send her home with her baby. I'd hate to separate a mother from her child.

Do you want to end the trance?

Oh, no, I'll just layer on top of the first one.

[The giggling stops as she can hear the rustle of fabric.]

[The door shuts and locks behind her.]

[draining-flames]

Of course these people aren't as stupid as the Millers... (she grumbles)

I just hope Mary's still alive... and that this hunt won't be annoying as all hell.

(She breaks whatever's playing the recording and covers the floor in fire before seeing if the door can be melted or burnt away.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door doesn't burn.]

[draining-flames]

That didn't really answer my full question, but okay.

(She tries melting it while she looks around for another way out.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There aren't any windows. The door doesn't melt.]

[She's trapped.]

[draining-flames]

...

Oh shit. I didn't actually think anyone would try that.

Are all their doors like this or did they set a specific trap for me, because I don't think I'm that impor- hm. I did wipe out a lot of vamps, though. (she shrugs)

I should probably stop talking to myself or Flare and um. Hm. Is someone going to come kill me??

[black-iris-duchess]

[No one is coming.]

[Not for now at least.]

[draining-flames]

(She grumbles frustratedly before lowering the flame on her and Flare, and sitting against the wall. He's trying not to cry and feel helpless.)

(He tries reaching out through the pack bond.)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Aria!

[draining-flames]

They've trapped me in a room that I can't burn or melt my way out of!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

I'm almost there. Hold on a little longer.

[draining-flames]

Okay.. not really much I need to hold on about, they haven't sent someone to kill me yet.

(she sighs)

This is what I get for becoming too overpowered. (she jokes)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

You became threat and worthy opponent in record time. I'm very proud of you.

Have you heard anything from John?

[draining-flames]

Hehe, thank you!

Not yet. I assume he's probably around here somewhere.

I ran into some sorta Russian vampire but he said he didn't want to die yet and didn't get in my way. I didn't recognize him from any stories I'd been told, so I left him.

I think they might be planning to drain Mary.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

The demon chasin' me's insinuated as much. Motherfucker.

I'm almost there. I'll relay that t'Pete an' see if he can reach John.

[draining-flames]

You have a demon chasin' you?!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Strife. He's really pissin' me off.

An' he's got the hots for Grus apparently.

[draining-flames]

Ewww. I hope Grus unravels him.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

That's exactly what I said.

[draining-flames]

Hah.

Are you almost here or am I going to get murked?

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Just got through the front doors. There's some weird vamp gal waitin' there, so I'll be a minute.

[draining-flames]

Okay-

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door opens and a very tall vampire zips in and grabs Flare.]

[draining-flames]

Hey!

(Flare immediately, well, flares, covered in full blue fire again. He bites at the vampire. Aria stands up and grabs her silver powder pouch from her belt.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They hiss and throw Flare out of the room.]

[draining-flames]

(He lands with a "whuff" and Aria opens her silver pouch.)

(She sends a blast of silver-infused fire their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They just barely dodge the fire. They've been stabbed by someone else and it's impeding their movement.]

[draining-flames]

(She sends another blast their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The blast catches their side.]

[They're moving much slower now.]

[Flare can hear someone else coming.]

[draining-flames]

(Flare readies himself, growling.)

(Aria infuses her fire again and corners them before doing another blast.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The fire hits them head on and their flesh begins to melt off and turn to ash.]

[They scream in agony.]

[It's another vampire.]

[draining-flames]

(She finishes them off and Flare barks to alert her of the new arrival. She steps out and looks at the vampire, avoiding eye contact.)

Are you here to die too?

[chivalry-be-damned]

[The vampire begins to answer, but anything he had to say is cut short as his head lands on the ground and his body crumbles to ash.]

[As his body falls, Naera is revealed, silver axe in hand.]

[draining-flames]

Oh hey! Naera! Hi!!! You should probably not be here? But that was really badass so I don't mind that much.

[chivalry-be-damned]

Probably not, but I'm not going to miss a chance to screw over the Duchess and her plans.

You wanna get out of here?

[draining-flames]

Fair enough.

I mean, no, not until my niece is safe or her body is recovered. You can leave if you want, or you can follow along with me and Flare while we clear this place out.

[chivalry-be-damned]

I meant out of this part of the manor, but I probably could have been more specific.

Sure, I'll follow you.

[draining-flames]

Yeah, you gotta be suuuper specific with me, I'm a little slow.

(she walks past Naera and further into the manor.)

Have you seen Iris herself yet? Or a small kid around six years old?

[chivalry-be-damned]

The vamp who chucked your dog was trying to bring me to her. I saw the kid when I scoped out the area earlier, but I highly doubt that she's in the same place now.

[draining-flames]

Oh. Huh. I sorta killed them without letting them talk.

Okay. (she grumbles) If I was a wolf shifter maybe I could s- hold on. Bug, find Mary?

(Bug perks up and puts his snoot to the ground, moving ahead of them in search of Mary.)

Right. I have a dog. Which covers the blind spots I have from not being a shifter. Silly me.

(She follows Flarebug.)

[chivalry-be-damned]

Smart solution.

[She follows the two of them.]

[draining-flames]

I got him as a lil puppy and he's grown all big already! I've trained him to jump over fire and not get spooked by it.

(Flare continues his search, ears tilting every which way)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Flare is able to pick up on Mary's scent with some effort. Her trail seems to be leading out and away from the manor.]

[draining-flames]

(He starts running in the direction he can smell.)

Shit. (Aria runs after him.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Naera runs after both of them.]

[Flare is also able to pick up on John and Rachel's scents as they get closer.]

...choose Cambell your wife or your precious little girl. Which one gets to make it out alive?

[draining-flames]

(Aria focuses to make a pinprick of fire for accuracy and sends a line right into Iris’s neck, avoiding killing her outright but aiming to severely injure her.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[A ward blocks her attempt.]

[draining-flames]

I hate this bitch.

(She starts looking around for other targets. Unbeknownst to her, Parker has also shown up, and is balancing on a tree branch above while he looks for weak points in the ward.)

[chivalry-be-damned]

Yeah, me too.

[Naera splits off from the group and tries to find the vampire holding up the ward - Dennis.]

[John is held back by a pair of vampires and Rachel is tranced.]

[Mary is dressed in a red baby doll style dress with the Hawkes crest embroidered on it. She's been bitten several times and claps her hands idly. She's been tranced too.]

[Bill and Grus are nowhere to be seen.]

[draining-flames]

Fucking shit.

(Aria and Bug move more out of view and follow Naera, seeing no other option available to them.)

(Parker presses at the ward with his own warding magic, as he attempts to shrug off a strange feeling of anger rising in him.)

[chivalry-be-damned]

[She finds Dennis who is so deeply focused on keeping the ward up that he doesn't notice her.]

[She sneaks in close and stabs him between the ribs.]

[The ward flickers and begins to fail.]

[As Dennis reels from the stab wound, she removes the knife and then slits his throat. He crumbles without ever having made a sound.]

[The ward then comes down all at once.]

[black-iris-duchess]

(Aria has snuck into the manor through the exploded area, with Flare silently following behind.)

(Aria has a silver dagger and silver powder at the ready, as well as a vial of methanol.)

- @draining-flames

Are you insane?

[draining-flames]

Do you have a death wish? No, I'm not insane. Get out of my way or I kill you.

(Flare growls quietly behind her.)

[black-iris-duchess]

You've brought a dog- She will kill that dog.

[He still steps aside.]

[draining-flames]

Not if he's covered in fire.

I'm surprised you're letting me pass. I do hope you don't intend to kill me once my back's turned.

[black-iris-duchess]

I'm not interested in dying yet.

[draining-flames]

Cool. I'm going to remember your face in case I ever see you again.

(She cloaks herself and Flare in blue fire and continues forward, keeping an eye on Ilya.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Ilya zips away.]

[Aria can hear giggling from further ahead.]

[draining-flames]

This is like a dungeon crawl. Persuasion check succeeded.

(She moves quietly towards the giggling sound.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There's a room up ahead. She can hear the murmur of conversation and the giggle seems to be coming from there.]

[There are several thralls who look similar to the woman she encountered the other night hurrying about in the hall around her. None of them seem to notice her.]

[draining-flames]

(She winces slightly. She doesn't want to risk any thralls, otherwise she'd just blast the entire room with fire before entering.)

(He decides to go up to the door, adjusting the scarf around his neck and the reinforced parts of his cloak and tunic. Silver thread lines the seams of his clothes, but the fire should stop any vampires before they get that far.)

[black-iris-duchess]

Shall we drain her?

I don't see why not. We've had our fun.

A little morsel like her can't have much contamination to begin with.

And the mother? What will we do with her?

[The door is unlocked.]

[draining-flames]

(He opens the door and Flare suddenly leaps in, growling and barking loudly.)

(Aria steps in behind him. Both are still cloaked in flame.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Flare is barking at no one.]

[What she's been hearing is a recording.]

It would only be right to send her home with her baby. I'd hate to separate a mother from her child.

Do you want to end the trance?

Oh, no, I'll just layer on top of the first one.

[The giggling stops as she can hear the rustle of fabric.]

[The door shuts and locks behind her.]

[draining-flames]

Of course these people aren't as stupid as the Millers... (she grumbles)

I just hope Mary's still alive... and that this hunt won't be annoying as all hell.

(She breaks whatever's playing the recording and covers the floor in fire before seeing if the door can be melted or burnt away.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door doesn't burn.]

[draining-flames]

That didn't really answer my full question, but okay.

(She tries melting it while she looks around for another way out.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There aren't any windows. The door doesn't melt.]

[She's trapped.]

[draining-flames]

...

Oh shit. I didn't actually think anyone would try that.

Are all their doors like this or did they set a specific trap for me, because I don't think I'm that impor- hm. I did wipe out a lot of vamps, though. (she shrugs)

I should probably stop talking to myself or Flare and um. Hm. Is someone going to come kill me??

[black-iris-duchess]

[No one is coming.]

[Not for now at least.]

[draining-flames]

(She grumbles frustratedly before lowering the flame on her and Flare, and sitting against the wall. He's trying not to cry and feel helpless.)

(He tries reaching out through the pack bond.)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Aria!

[draining-flames]

They've trapped me in a room that I can't burn or melt my way out of!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

I'm almost there. Hold on a little longer.

[draining-flames]

Okay.. not really much I need to hold on about, they haven't sent someone to kill me yet.

(she sighs)

This is what I get for becoming too overpowered. (she jokes)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

You became threat and worthy opponent in record time. I'm very proud of you.

Have you heard anything from John?

[draining-flames]

Hehe, thank you!

Not yet. I assume he's probably around here somewhere.

I ran into some sorta Russian vampire but he said he didn't want to die yet and didn't get in my way. I didn't recognize him from any stories I'd been told, so I left him.

I think they might be planning to drain Mary.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

The demon chasin' me's insinuated as much. Motherfucker.

I'm almost there. I'll relay that t'Pete an' see if he can reach John.

[draining-flames]

You have a demon chasin' you?!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Strife. He's really pissin' me off.

An' he's got the hots for Grus apparently.

[draining-flames]

Ewww. I hope Grus unravels him.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

That's exactly what I said.

[draining-flames]

Hah.

Are you almost here or am I going to get murked?

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Just got through the front doors. There's some weird vamp gal waitin' there, so I'll be a minute.

[draining-flames]

Okay-

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door opens and a very tall vampire zips in and grabs Flare.]

[draining-flames]

Hey!

(Flare immediately, well, flares, covered in full blue fire again. He bites at the vampire. Aria stands up and grabs her silver powder pouch from her belt.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They hiss and throw Flare out of the room.]

[draining-flames]

(He lands with a "whuff" and Aria opens her silver pouch.)

(She sends a blast of silver-infused fire their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They just barely dodge the fire. They've been stabbed by someone else and it's impeding their movement.]

[draining-flames]

(She sends another blast their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The blast catches their side.]

[They're moving much slower now.]

[Flare can hear someone else coming.]

[draining-flames]

(Flare readies himself, growling.)

(Aria infuses her fire again and corners them before doing another blast.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The fire hits them head on and their flesh begins to melt off and turn to ash.]

[They scream in agony.]

[It's another vampire.]

[draining-flames]

(She finishes them off and Flare barks to alert her of the new arrival. She steps out and looks at the vampire, avoiding eye contact.)

Are you here to die too?

[chivalry-be-damned]

[The vampire begins to answer, but anything he had to say is cut short as his head lands on the ground and his body crumbles to ash.]

[As his body falls, Naera is revealed, silver axe in hand.]

[draining-flames]

Oh hey! Naera! Hi!!! You should probably not be here? But that was really badass so I don't mind that much.

[chivalry-be-damned]

Probably not, but I'm not going to miss a chance to screw over the Duchess and her plans.

You wanna get out of here?

[draining-flames]

Fair enough.

I mean, no, not until my niece is safe or her body is recovered. You can leave if you want, or you can follow along with me and Flare while we clear this place out.

[chivalry-be-damned]

I meant out of this part of the manor, but I probably could have been more specific.

Sure, I'll follow you.

[draining-flames]

Yeah, you gotta be suuuper specific with me, I'm a little slow.

(she walks past Naera and further into the manor.)

Have you seen Iris herself yet? Or a small kid around six years old?

[chivalry-be-damned]

The vamp who chucked your dog was trying to bring me to her. I saw the kid when I scoped out the area earlier, but I highly doubt that she's in the same place now.

[draining-flames]

Oh. Huh. I sorta killed them without letting them talk.

Okay. (she grumbles) If I was a wolf shifter maybe I could s- hold on. Bug, find Mary?

(Bug perks up and puts his snoot to the ground, moving ahead of them in search of Mary.)

Right. I have a dog. Which covers the blind spots I have from not being a shifter. Silly me.

(She follows Flarebug.)

[chivalry-be-damned]

Smart solution.

[She follows the two of them.]

[draining-flames]

I got him as a lil puppy and he's grown all big already! I've trained him to jump over fire and not get spooked by it.

(Flare continues his search, ears tilting every which way)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Flare is able to pick up on Mary's scent with some effort. Her trail seems to be leading out and away from the manor.]

[draining-flames]

(He starts running in the direction he can smell.)

Shit. (Aria runs after him.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Naera runs after both of them.]

[Flare is also able to pick up on John and Rachel's scents as they get closer.]

...choose Cambell your wife or your precious little girl. Which one gets to make it out alive?

[draining-flames]

(Aria focuses to make a pinprick of fire for accuracy and sends a line right into Iris’s neck, avoiding killing her outright but aiming to severely injure her.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[A ward blocks her attempt.]

[draining-flames]

I hate this bitch.

(She starts looking around for other targets. Unbeknownst to her, Parker has also shown up, and is balancing on a tree branch above while he looks for weak points in the ward.)

[chivalry-be-damned]

Yeah, me too.

[Naera splits off from the group and tries to find the vampire holding up the ward - Dennis.]

[John is held back by a pair of vampires and Rachel is tranced.]

[Mary is dressed in a red baby doll style dress with the Hawkes crest embroidered on it. She's been bitten several times and claps her hands idly. She's been tranced too.]

[Bill and Grus are nowhere to be seen.]

[black-iris-duchess]

(Aria has snuck into the manor through the exploded area, with Flare silently following behind.)

(Aria has a silver dagger and silver powder at the ready, as well as a vial of methanol.)

- @draining-flames

Are you insane?

[draining-flames]

Do you have a death wish? No, I'm not insane. Get out of my way or I kill you.

(Flare growls quietly behind her.)

[black-iris-duchess]

You've brought a dog- She will kill that dog.

[He still steps aside.]

[draining-flames]

Not if he's covered in fire.

I'm surprised you're letting me pass. I do hope you don't intend to kill me once my back's turned.

[black-iris-duchess]

I'm not interested in dying yet.

[draining-flames]

Cool. I'm going to remember your face in case I ever see you again.

(She cloaks herself and Flare in blue fire and continues forward, keeping an eye on Ilya.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Ilya zips away.]

[Aria can hear giggling from further ahead.]

[draining-flames]

This is like a dungeon crawl. Persuasion check succeeded.

(She moves quietly towards the giggling sound.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There's a room up ahead. She can hear the murmur of conversation and the giggle seems to be coming from there.]

[There are several thralls who look similar to the woman she encountered the other night hurrying about in the hall around her. None of them seem to notice her.]

[draining-flames]

(She winces slightly. She doesn't want to risk any thralls, otherwise she'd just blast the entire room with fire before entering.)

(He decides to go up to the door, adjusting the scarf around his neck and the reinforced parts of his cloak and tunic. Silver thread lines the seams of his clothes, but the fire should stop any vampires before they get that far.)

[black-iris-duchess]

Shall we drain her?

I don't see why not. We've had our fun.

A little morsel like her can't have much contamination to begin with.

And the mother? What will we do with her?

[The door is unlocked.]

[draining-flames]

(He opens the door and Flare suddenly leaps in, growling and barking loudly.)

(Aria steps in behind him. Both are still cloaked in flame.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Flare is barking at no one.]

[What she's been hearing is a recording.]

It would only be right to send her home with her baby. I'd hate to separate a mother from her child.

Do you want to end the trance?

Oh, no, I'll just layer on top of the first one.

[The giggling stops as she can hear the rustle of fabric.]

[The door shuts and locks behind her.]

[draining-flames]

Of course these people aren't as stupid as the Millers... (she grumbles)

I just hope Mary's still alive... and that this hunt won't be annoying as all hell.

(She breaks whatever's playing the recording and covers the floor in fire before seeing if the door can be melted or burnt away.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door doesn't burn.]

[draining-flames]

That didn't really answer my full question, but okay.

(She tries melting it while she looks around for another way out.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There aren't any windows. The door doesn't melt.]

[She's trapped.]

[draining-flames]

...

Oh shit. I didn't actually think anyone would try that.

Are all their doors like this or did they set a specific trap for me, because I don't think I'm that impor- hm. I did wipe out a lot of vamps, though. (she shrugs)

I should probably stop talking to myself or Flare and um. Hm. Is someone going to come kill me??

[black-iris-duchess]

[No one is coming.]

[Not for now at least.]

[draining-flames]

(She grumbles frustratedly before lowering the flame on her and Flare, and sitting against the wall. He's trying not to cry and feel helpless.)

(He tries reaching out through the pack bond.)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Aria!

[draining-flames]

They've trapped me in a room that I can't burn or melt my way out of!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

I'm almost there. Hold on a little longer.

[draining-flames]

Okay.. not really much I need to hold on about, they haven't sent someone to kill me yet.

(she sighs)

This is what I get for becoming too overpowered. (she jokes)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

You became threat and worthy opponent in record time. I'm very proud of you.

Have you heard anything from John?

[draining-flames]

Hehe, thank you!

Not yet. I assume he's probably around here somewhere.

I ran into some sorta Russian vampire but he said he didn't want to die yet and didn't get in my way. I didn't recognize him from any stories I'd been told, so I left him.

I think they might be planning to drain Mary.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

The demon chasin' me's insinuated as much. Motherfucker.

I'm almost there. I'll relay that t'Pete an' see if he can reach John.

[draining-flames]

You have a demon chasin' you?!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Strife. He's really pissin' me off.

An' he's got the hots for Grus apparently.

[draining-flames]

Ewww. I hope Grus unravels him.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

That's exactly what I said.

[draining-flames]

Hah.

Are you almost here or am I going to get murked?

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Just got through the front doors. There's some weird vamp gal waitin' there, so I'll be a minute.

[draining-flames]

Okay-

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door opens and a very tall vampire zips in and grabs Flare.]

[draining-flames]

Hey!

(Flare immediately, well, flares, covered in full blue fire again. He bites at the vampire. Aria stands up and grabs her silver powder pouch from her belt.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They hiss and throw Flare out of the room.]

[draining-flames]

(He lands with a "whuff" and Aria opens her silver pouch.)

(She sends a blast of silver-infused fire their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They just barely dodge the fire. They've been stabbed by someone else and it's impeding their movement.]

[draining-flames]

(She sends another blast their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The blast catches their side.]

[They're moving much slower now.]

[Flare can hear someone else coming.]

[draining-flames]

(Flare readies himself, growling.)

(Aria infuses her fire again and corners them before doing another blast.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The fire hits them head on and their flesh begins to melt off and turn to ash.]

[They scream in agony.]

[It's another vampire.]

[draining-flames]

(She finishes them off and Flare barks to alert her of the new arrival. She steps out and looks at the vampire, avoiding eye contact.)

Are you here to die too?

[chivalry-be-damned]

[The vampire begins to answer, but anything he had to say is cut short as his head lands on the ground and his body crumbles to ash.]

[As his body falls, Naera is revealed, silver axe in hand.]

[draining-flames]

Oh hey! Naera! Hi!!! You should probably not be here? But that was really badass so I don't mind that much.

[chivalry-be-damned]

Probably not, but I'm not going to miss a chance to screw over the Duchess and her plans.

You wanna get out of here?

[draining-flames]

Fair enough.

I mean, no, not until my niece is safe or her body is recovered. You can leave if you want, or you can follow along with me and Flare while we clear this place out.

[chivalry-be-damned]

I meant out of this part of the manor, but I probably could have been more specific.

Sure, I'll follow you.

[draining-flames]

Yeah, you gotta be suuuper specific with me, I'm a little slow.

(she walks past Naera and further into the manor.)

Have you seen Iris herself yet? Or a small kid around six years old?

[chivalry-be-damned]

The vamp who chucked your dog was trying to bring me to her. I saw the kid when I scoped out the area earlier, but I highly doubt that she's in the same place now.

[draining-flames]

Oh. Huh. I sorta killed them without letting them talk.

Okay. (she grumbles) If I was a wolf shifter maybe I could s- hold on. Bug, find Mary?

(Bug perks up and puts his snoot to the ground, moving ahead of them in search of Mary.)

Right. I have a dog. Which covers the blind spots I have from not being a shifter. Silly me.

(She follows Flarebug.)

[chivalry-be-damned]

Smart solution.

[She follows the two of them.]

[black-iris-duchess]

(Aria has snuck into the manor through the exploded area, with Flare silently following behind.)

(Aria has a silver dagger and silver powder at the ready, as well as a vial of methanol.)

- @draining-flames

Are you insane?

[draining-flames]

Do you have a death wish? No, I'm not insane. Get out of my way or I kill you.

(Flare growls quietly behind her.)

[black-iris-duchess]

You've brought a dog- She will kill that dog.

[He still steps aside.]

[draining-flames]

Not if he's covered in fire.

I'm surprised you're letting me pass. I do hope you don't intend to kill me once my back's turned.

[black-iris-duchess]

I'm not interested in dying yet.

[draining-flames]

Cool. I'm going to remember your face in case I ever see you again.

(She cloaks herself and Flare in blue fire and continues forward, keeping an eye on Ilya.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Ilya zips away.]

[Aria can hear giggling from further ahead.]

[draining-flames]

This is like a dungeon crawl. Persuasion check succeeded.

(She moves quietly towards the giggling sound.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There's a room up ahead. She can hear the murmur of conversation and the giggle seems to be coming from there.]

[There are several thralls who look similar to the woman she encountered the other night hurrying about in the hall around her. None of them seem to notice her.]

[draining-flames]

(She winces slightly. She doesn't want to risk any thralls, otherwise she'd just blast the entire room with fire before entering.)

(He decides to go up to the door, adjusting the scarf around his neck and the reinforced parts of his cloak and tunic. Silver thread lines the seams of his clothes, but the fire should stop any vampires before they get that far.)

[black-iris-duchess]

Shall we drain her?

I don't see why not. We've had our fun.

A little morsel like her can't have much contamination to begin with.

And the mother? What will we do with her?

[The door is unlocked.]

[draining-flames]

(He opens the door and Flare suddenly leaps in, growling and barking loudly.)

(Aria steps in behind him. Both are still cloaked in flame.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Flare is barking at no one.]

[What she's been hearing is a recording.]

It would only be right to send her home with her baby. I'd hate to separate a mother from her child.

Do you want to end the trance?

Oh, no, I'll just layer on top of the first one.

[The giggling stops as she can hear the rustle of fabric.]

[The door shuts and locks behind her.]

[draining-flames]

Of course these people aren't as stupid as the Millers... (she grumbles)

I just hope Mary's still alive... and that this hunt won't be annoying as all hell.

(She breaks whatever's playing the recording and covers the floor in fire before seeing if the door can be melted or burnt away.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door doesn't burn.]

[draining-flames]

That didn't really answer my full question, but okay.

(She tries melting it while she looks around for another way out.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There aren't any windows. The door doesn't melt.]

[She's trapped.]

[draining-flames]

...

Oh shit. I didn't actually think anyone would try that.

Are all their doors like this or did they set a specific trap for me, because I don't think I'm that impor- hm. I did wipe out a lot of vamps, though. (she shrugs)

I should probably stop talking to myself or Flare and um. Hm. Is someone going to come kill me??

[black-iris-duchess]

[No one is coming.]

[Not for now at least.]

[draining-flames]

(She grumbles frustratedly before lowering the flame on her and Flare, and sitting against the wall. He's trying not to cry and feel helpless.)

(He tries reaching out through the pack bond.)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Aria!

[draining-flames]

They've trapped me in a room that I can't burn or melt my way out of!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

I'm almost there. Hold on a little longer.

[draining-flames]

Okay.. not really much I need to hold on about, they haven't sent someone to kill me yet.

(she sighs)

This is what I get for becoming too overpowered. (she jokes)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

You became threat and worthy opponent in record time. I'm very proud of you.

Have you heard anything from John?

[draining-flames]

Hehe, thank you!

Not yet. I assume he's probably around here somewhere.

I ran into some sorta Russian vampire but he said he didn't want to die yet and didn't get in my way. I didn't recognize him from any stories I'd been told, so I left him.

I think they might be planning to drain Mary.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

The demon chasin' me's insinuated as much. Motherfucker.

I'm almost there. I'll relay that t'Pete an' see if he can reach John.

[draining-flames]

You have a demon chasin' you?!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Strife. He's really pissin' me off.

An' he's got the hots for Grus apparently.

[draining-flames]

Ewww. I hope Grus unravels him.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

That's exactly what I said.

[draining-flames]

Hah.

Are you almost here or am I going to get murked?

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Just got through the front doors. There's some weird vamp gal waitin' there, so I'll be a minute.

[draining-flames]

Okay-

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door opens and a very tall vampire zips in and grabs Flare.]

[draining-flames]

Hey!

(Flare immediately, well, flares, covered in full blue fire again. He bites at the vampire. Aria stands up and grabs her silver powder pouch from her belt.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They hiss and throw Flare out of the room.]

[draining-flames]

(He lands with a "whuff" and Aria opens her silver pouch.)

(She sends a blast of silver-infused fire their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They just barely dodge the fire. They've been stabbed by someone else and it's impeding their movement.]

[draining-flames]

(She sends another blast their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The blast catches their side.]

[They're moving much slower now.]

[Flare can hear someone else coming.]

[draining-flames]

(Flare readies himself, growling.)

(Aria infuses her fire again and corners them before doing another blast.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The fire hits them head on and their flesh begins to melt off and turn to ash.]

[They scream in agony.]

[It's another vampire.]

[draining-flames]

(She finishes them off and Flare barks to alert her of the new arrival. She steps out and looks at the vampire, avoiding eye contact.)

Are you here to die too?

[chivalry-be-damned]

[The vampire begins to answer, but anything he had to say is cut short as his head lands on the ground and his body crumbles to ash.]

[As his body falls, Naera is revealed, silver axe in hand.]

[draining-flames]

Oh hey! Naera! Hi!!! You should probably not be here? But that was really badass so I don't mind that much.

[chivalry-be-damned]

Probably not, but I'm not going to miss a chance to screw over the Duchess and her plans.

You wanna get out of here?

[draining-flames]

Fair enough.

I mean, no, not until my niece is safe or her body is recovered. You can leave if you want, or you can follow along with me and Flare while we clear this place out.

[chivalry-be-damned]

I meant out of this part of the manor, but I probably could have been more specific.

Sure, I'll follow you.

[draining-flames]

Yeah, you gotta be suuuper specific with me, I'm a little slow.

(she walks past Naera and further into the manor.)

Have you seen Iris herself yet? Or a small kid around six years old?

[chivalry-be-damned]

The vamp who chucked your dog was trying to bring me to her. I saw the kid when I scoped out the area earlier, but I highly doubt that she's in the same place now.

[black-iris-duchess]

(Aria has snuck into the manor through the exploded area, with Flare silently following behind.)

(Aria has a silver dagger and silver powder at the ready, as well as a vial of methanol.)

- @draining-flames

Are you insane?

[draining-flames]

Do you have a death wish? No, I'm not insane. Get out of my way or I kill you.

(Flare growls quietly behind her.)

[black-iris-duchess]

You've brought a dog- She will kill that dog.

[He still steps aside.]

[draining-flames]

Not if he's covered in fire.

I'm surprised you're letting me pass. I do hope you don't intend to kill me once my back's turned.

[black-iris-duchess]

I'm not interested in dying yet.

[draining-flames]

Cool. I'm going to remember your face in case I ever see you again.

(She cloaks herself and Flare in blue fire and continues forward, keeping an eye on Ilya.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Ilya zips away.]

[Aria can hear giggling from further ahead.]

[draining-flames]

This is like a dungeon crawl. Persuasion check succeeded.

(She moves quietly towards the giggling sound.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There's a room up ahead. She can hear the murmur of conversation and the giggle seems to be coming from there.]

[There are several thralls who look similar to the woman she encountered the other night hurrying about in the hall around her. None of them seem to notice her.]

[draining-flames]

(She winces slightly. She doesn't want to risk any thralls, otherwise she'd just blast the entire room with fire before entering.)

(He decides to go up to the door, adjusting the scarf around his neck and the reinforced parts of his cloak and tunic. Silver thread lines the seams of his clothes, but the fire should stop any vampires before they get that far.)

[black-iris-duchess]

Shall we drain her?

I don't see why not. We've had our fun.

A little morsel like her can't have much contamination to begin with.

And the mother? What will we do with her?

[The door is unlocked.]

[draining-flames]

(He opens the door and Flare suddenly leaps in, growling and barking loudly.)

(Aria steps in behind him. Both are still cloaked in flame.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Flare is barking at no one.]

[What she's been hearing is a recording.]

It would only be right to send her home with her baby. I'd hate to separate a mother from her child.

Do you want to end the trance?

Oh, no, I'll just layer on top of the first one.

[The giggling stops as she can hear the rustle of fabric.]

[The door shuts and locks behind her.]

[draining-flames]

Of course these people aren't as stupid as the Millers... (she grumbles)

I just hope Mary's still alive... and that this hunt won't be annoying as all hell.

(She breaks whatever's playing the recording and covers the floor in fire before seeing if the door can be melted or burnt away.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door doesn't burn.]

[draining-flames]

That didn't really answer my full question, but okay.

(She tries melting it while she looks around for another way out.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There aren't any windows. The door doesn't melt.]

[She's trapped.]

[draining-flames]

...

Oh shit. I didn't actually think anyone would try that.

Are all their doors like this or did they set a specific trap for me, because I don't think I'm that impor- hm. I did wipe out a lot of vamps, though. (she shrugs)

I should probably stop talking to myself or Flare and um. Hm. Is someone going to come kill me??

[black-iris-duchess]

[No one is coming.]

[Not for now at least.]

[draining-flames]

(She grumbles frustratedly before lowering the flame on her and Flare, and sitting against the wall. He's trying not to cry and feel helpless.)

(He tries reaching out through the pack bond.)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Aria!

[draining-flames]

They've trapped me in a room that I can't burn or melt my way out of!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

I'm almost there. Hold on a little longer.

[draining-flames]

Okay.. not really much I need to hold on about, they haven't sent someone to kill me yet.

(she sighs)

This is what I get for becoming too overpowered. (she jokes)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

You became threat and worthy opponent in record time. I'm very proud of you.

Have you heard anything from John?

[draining-flames]

Hehe, thank you!

Not yet. I assume he's probably around here somewhere.

I ran into some sorta Russian vampire but he said he didn't want to die yet and didn't get in my way. I didn't recognize him from any stories I'd been told, so I left him.

I think they might be planning to drain Mary.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

The demon chasin' me's insinuated as much. Motherfucker.

I'm almost there. I'll relay that t'Pete an' see if he can reach John.

[draining-flames]

You have a demon chasin' you?!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Strife. He's really pissin' me off.

An' he's got the hots for Grus apparently.

[draining-flames]

Ewww. I hope Grus unravels him.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

That's exactly what I said.

[draining-flames]

Hah.

Are you almost here or am I going to get murked?

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Just got through the front doors. There's some weird vamp gal waitin' there, so I'll be a minute.

[draining-flames]

Okay-

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door opens and a very tall vampire zips in and grabs Flare.]

[draining-flames]

Hey!

(Flare immediately, well, flares, covered in full blue fire again. He bites at the vampire. Aria stands up and grabs her silver powder pouch from her belt.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They hiss and throw Flare out of the room.]

[draining-flames]

(He lands with a "whuff" and Aria opens her silver pouch.)

(She sends a blast of silver-infused fire their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They just barely dodge the fire. They've been stabbed by someone else and it's impeding their movement.]

[draining-flames]

(She sends another blast their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The blast catches their side.]

[They're moving much slower now.]

[Flare can hear someone else coming.]

[draining-flames]

(Flare readies himself, growling.)

(Aria infuses her fire again and corners them before doing another blast.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The fire hits them head on and their flesh begins to melt off and turn to ash.]

[They scream in agony.]

[It's another vampire.]

[draining-flames]

(She finishes them off and Flare barks to alert her of the new arrival. She steps out and looks at the vampire, avoiding eye contact.)

Are you here to die too?

[chivalry-be-damned]

[The vampire begins to answer, but anything he had to say is cut short as his head lands on the ground and his body crumbles to ash.]

[As his body falls, Naera is revealed, silver axe in hand.]

[draining-flames]

Oh hey! Naera! Hi!!! You should probably not be here? But that was really badass so I don't mind that much.

[chivalry-be-damned]

Probably not, but I'm not going to miss a chance to screw over the Duchess and her plans.

You wanna get out of here?

[draining-flames]

Fair enough.

I mean, no, not until my niece is safe or her body is recovered. You can leave if you want, or you can follow along with me and Flare while we clear this place out.

[chivalry-be-damned]

I meant out of this part of the manor, but I probably could have been more specific.

Sure, I'll follow you.

[black-iris-duchess]

(Aria has snuck into the manor through the exploded area, with Flare silently following behind.)

(Aria has a silver dagger and silver powder at the ready, as well as a vial of methanol.)

- @draining-flames

Are you insane?

[draining-flames]

Do you have a death wish? No, I'm not insane. Get out of my way or I kill you.

(Flare growls quietly behind her.)

[black-iris-duchess]

You've brought a dog- She will kill that dog.

[He still steps aside.]

[draining-flames]

Not if he's covered in fire.

I'm surprised you're letting me pass. I do hope you don't intend to kill me once my back's turned.

[black-iris-duchess]

I'm not interested in dying yet.

[draining-flames]

Cool. I'm going to remember your face in case I ever see you again.

(She cloaks herself and Flare in blue fire and continues forward, keeping an eye on Ilya.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Ilya zips away.]

[Aria can hear giggling from further ahead.]

[draining-flames]

This is like a dungeon crawl. Persuasion check succeeded.

(She moves quietly towards the giggling sound.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There's a room up ahead. She can hear the murmur of conversation and the giggle seems to be coming from there.]

[There are several thralls who look similar to the woman she encountered the other night hurrying about in the hall around her. None of them seem to notice her.]

[draining-flames]

(She winces slightly. She doesn't want to risk any thralls, otherwise she'd just blast the entire room with fire before entering.)

(He decides to go up to the door, adjusting the scarf around his neck and the reinforced parts of his cloak and tunic. Silver thread lines the seams of his clothes, but the fire should stop any vampires before they get that far.)

[black-iris-duchess]

Shall we drain her?

I don't see why not. We've had our fun.

A little morsel like her can't have much contamination to begin with.

And the mother? What will we do with her?

[The door is unlocked.]

[draining-flames]

(He opens the door and Flare suddenly leaps in, growling and barking loudly.)

(Aria steps in behind him. Both are still cloaked in flame.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Flare is barking at no one.]

[What she's been hearing is a recording.]

It would only be right to send her home with her baby. I'd hate to separate a mother from her child.

Do you want to end the trance?

Oh, no, I'll just layer on top of the first one.

[The giggling stops as she can hear the rustle of fabric.]

[The door shuts and locks behind her.]

[draining-flames]

Of course these people aren't as stupid as the Millers... (she grumbles)

I just hope Mary's still alive... and that this hunt won't be annoying as all hell.

(She breaks whatever's playing the recording and covers the floor in fire before seeing if the door can be melted or burnt away.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door doesn't burn.]

[draining-flames]

That didn't really answer my full question, but okay.

(She tries melting it while she looks around for another way out.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There aren't any windows. The door doesn't melt.]

[She's trapped.]

[draining-flames]

...

Oh shit. I didn't actually think anyone would try that.

Are all their doors like this or did they set a specific trap for me, because I don't think I'm that impor- hm. I did wipe out a lot of vamps, though. (she shrugs)

I should probably stop talking to myself or Flare and um. Hm. Is someone going to come kill me??

[black-iris-duchess]

[No one is coming.]

[Not for now at least.]

[draining-flames]

(She grumbles frustratedly before lowering the flame on her and Flare, and sitting against the wall. He's trying not to cry and feel helpless.)

(He tries reaching out through the pack bond.)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Aria!

[draining-flames]

They've trapped me in a room that I can't burn or melt my way out of!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

I'm almost there. Hold on a little longer.

[draining-flames]

Okay.. not really much I need to hold on about, they haven't sent someone to kill me yet.

(she sighs)

This is what I get for becoming too overpowered. (she jokes)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

You became threat and worthy opponent in record time. I'm very proud of you.

Have you heard anything from John?

[draining-flames]

Hehe, thank you!

Not yet. I assume he's probably around here somewhere.

I ran into some sorta Russian vampire but he said he didn't want to die yet and didn't get in my way. I didn't recognize him from any stories I'd been told, so I left him.

I think they might be planning to drain Mary.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

The demon chasin' me's insinuated as much. Motherfucker.

I'm almost there. I'll relay that t'Pete an' see if he can reach John.

[draining-flames]

You have a demon chasin' you?!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Strife. He's really pissin' me off.

An' he's got the hots for Grus apparently.

[draining-flames]

Ewww. I hope Grus unravels him.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

That's exactly what I said.

[draining-flames]

Hah.

Are you almost here or am I going to get murked?

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Just got through the front doors. There's some weird vamp gal waitin' there, so I'll be a minute.

[draining-flames]

Okay-

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door opens and a very tall vampire zips in and grabs Flare.]

[draining-flames]

Hey!

(Flare immediately, well, flares, covered in full blue fire again. He bites at the vampire. Aria stands up and grabs her silver powder pouch from her belt.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They hiss and throw Flare out of the room.]

[draining-flames]

(He lands with a "whuff" and Aria opens her silver pouch.)

(She sends a blast of silver-infused fire their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They just barely dodge the fire. They've been stabbed by someone else and it's impeding their movement.]

[draining-flames]

(She sends another blast their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The blast catches their side.]

[They're moving much slower now.]

[Flare can hear someone else coming.]

[draining-flames]

(Flare readies himself, growling.)

(Aria infuses her fire again and corners them before doing another blast.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The fire hits them head on and their flesh begins to melt off and turn to ash.]

[They scream in agony.]

[It's another vampire.]

[draining-flames]

(She finishes them off and Flare barks to alert her of the new arrival. She steps out and looks at the vampire, avoiding eye contact.)

Are you here to die too?

[chivalry-be-damned]

[The vampire begins to answer, but anything he had to say is cut short as his head lands on the ground and his body crumbles to ash.]

[As his body falls, Naera is revealed, silver axe in hand.]

[draining-flames]

Oh hey! Naera! Hi!!! You should probably not be here? But that was really badass so I don't mind that much.

[chivalry-be-damned]

Probably not, but I'm not going to miss a chance to screw over the Duchess and her plans.

You wanna get out of here?

[black-iris-duchess]

(Aria has snuck into the manor through the exploded area, with Flare silently following behind.)

(Aria has a silver dagger and silver powder at the ready, as well as a vial of methanol.)

- @draining-flames

Are you insane?

[draining-flames]

Do you have a death wish? No, I'm not insane. Get out of my way or I kill you.

(Flare growls quietly behind her.)

[black-iris-duchess]

You've brought a dog- She will kill that dog.

[He still steps aside.]

[draining-flames]

Not if he's covered in fire.

I'm surprised you're letting me pass. I do hope you don't intend to kill me once my back's turned.

[black-iris-duchess]

I'm not interested in dying yet.

[draining-flames]

Cool. I'm going to remember your face in case I ever see you again.

(She cloaks herself and Flare in blue fire and continues forward, keeping an eye on Ilya.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Ilya zips away.]

[Aria can hear giggling from further ahead.]

[draining-flames]

This is like a dungeon crawl. Persuasion check succeeded.

(She moves quietly towards the giggling sound.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There's a room up ahead. She can hear the murmur of conversation and the giggle seems to be coming from there.]

[There are several thralls who look similar to the woman she encountered the other night hurrying about in the hall around her. None of them seem to notice her.]

[draining-flames]

(She winces slightly. She doesn't want to risk any thralls, otherwise she'd just blast the entire room with fire before entering.)

(He decides to go up to the door, adjusting the scarf around his neck and the reinforced parts of his cloak and tunic. Silver thread lines the seams of his clothes, but the fire should stop any vampires before they get that far.)

[black-iris-duchess]

Shall we drain her?

I don't see why not. We've had our fun.

A little morsel like her can't have much contamination to begin with.

And the mother? What will we do with her?

[The door is unlocked.]

[draining-flames]

(He opens the door and Flare suddenly leaps in, growling and barking loudly.)

(Aria steps in behind him. Both are still cloaked in flame.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[Flare is barking at no one.]

[What she's been hearing is a recording.]

It would only be right to send her home with her baby. I'd hate to separate a mother from her child.

Do you want to end the trance?

Oh, no, I'll just layer on top of the first one.

[The giggling stops as she can hear the rustle of fabric.]

[The door shuts and locks behind her.]

[draining-flames]

Of course these people aren't as stupid as the Millers... (she grumbles)

I just hope Mary's still alive... and that this hunt won't be annoying as all hell.

(She breaks whatever's playing the recording and covers the floor in fire before seeing if the door can be melted or burnt away.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door doesn't burn.]

[draining-flames]

That didn't really answer my full question, but okay.

(She tries melting it while she looks around for another way out.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[There aren't any windows. The door doesn't melt.]

[She's trapped.]

[draining-flames]

...

Oh shit. I didn't actually think anyone would try that.

Are all their doors like this or did they set a specific trap for me, because I don't think I'm that impor- hm. I did wipe out a lot of vamps, though. (she shrugs)

I should probably stop talking to myself or Flare and um. Hm. Is someone going to come kill me??

[black-iris-duchess]

[No one is coming.]

[Not for now at least.]

[draining-flames]

(She grumbles frustratedly before lowering the flame on her and Flare, and sitting against the wall. He's trying not to cry and feel helpless.)

(He tries reaching out through the pack bond.)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Aria!

[draining-flames]

They've trapped me in a room that I can't burn or melt my way out of!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

I'm almost there. Hold on a little longer.

[draining-flames]

Okay.. not really much I need to hold on about, they haven't sent someone to kill me yet.

(she sighs)

This is what I get for becoming too overpowered. (she jokes)

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

You became threat and worthy opponent in record time. I'm very proud of you.

Have you heard anything from John?

[draining-flames]

Hehe, thank you!

Not yet. I assume he's probably around here somewhere.

I ran into some sorta Russian vampire but he said he didn't want to die yet and didn't get in my way. I didn't recognize him from any stories I'd been told, so I left him.

I think they might be planning to drain Mary.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

The demon chasin' me's insinuated as much. Motherfucker.

I'm almost there. I'll relay that t'Pete an' see if he can reach John.

[draining-flames]

You have a demon chasin' you?!

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Strife. He's really pissin' me off.

An' he's got the hots for Grus apparently.

[draining-flames]

Ewww. I hope Grus unravels him.

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

That's exactly what I said.

[draining-flames]

Hah.

Are you almost here or am I going to get murked?

[wolves-of-the-revolution]

Just got through the front doors. There's some weird vamp gal waitin' there, so I'll be a minute.

[draining-flames]

Okay-

[black-iris-duchess]

[The door opens and a very tall vampire zips in and grabs Flare.]

[draining-flames]

Hey!

(Flare immediately, well, flares, covered in full blue fire again. He bites at the vampire. Aria stands up and grabs her silver powder pouch from her belt.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They hiss and throw Flare out of the room.]

[draining-flames]

(He lands with a "whuff" and Aria opens her silver pouch.)

(She sends a blast of silver-infused fire their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[They just barely dodge the fire. They've been stabbed by someone else and it's impeding their movement.]

[draining-flames]

(She sends another blast their way.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The blast catches their side.]

[They're moving much slower now.]

[Flare can hear someone else coming.]

[draining-flames]

(Flare readies himself, growling.)

(Aria infuses her fire again and corners them before doing another blast.)

[black-iris-duchess]

[The fire hits them head on and their flesh begins to melt off and turn to ash.]

[They scream in agony.]

[It's another vampire.]

[draining-flames]

(She finishes them off and Flare barks to alert her of the new arrival. She steps out and looks at the vampire, avoiding eye contact.)

Are you here to die too?

[chivalry-be-damned]

[The vampire begins to answer, but anything he had to say is cut short as his head lands on the ground and his body crumbles to ash.]

[As his body falls, Naera is revealed, silver axe in hand.]

[chivalry-be-damned]

That's more vampires than I remember there being last time.

Did you really think that you'd thinned our numbers so much on your own?

Let me go!

Mm. No. Iris has missed you very much and I'm not going to miss an opportunity to make her shut up-

[Naera stabs them.]

That...that was very foolish.

[chivalry-be-damned]

...

If you want to shut her up so badly, maybe you should let me try to kill her.

And end that wonderful alliance? No. I don't think I will.

...

[chivalry-be-damned]

That's more vampires than I remember there being last time.

Did you really think that you'd thinned our numbers so much on your own?

Let me go!

Mm. No. Iris has missed you very much and I'm not going to miss an opportunity to make her shut up-

[Naera stabs them.]

That...that was very foolish.

[chivalry-be-damned]

How are you feeling Syd?

Very very very flustered. I did not think that I'd get this far.

[chivalry-be-damned]

What's your opinion on them?

They seem nice.

[chivalry-be-damned]

That was a weird encounter with that fire elemental, right?

It was pretty strange.

[chivalry-be-damned]

[Syd sees jack while by the harris/Campbell territory. Nervously shifting from one foot to the other. He seems to be practicing something. A beautiful metal rose in his hand]

Nope. Nopenopenopenopenop.

[He hides behind a tree before Jack can see him.]

Deep breath. Deep breath. This is all going to be fine. You like him. He likes you. All you have to do is acknowledge these feelings.

Okay. Let's do this.

[He walks over to Jack.]

[blades-that-work]

[Jack sees him and jumps a bit. Hiding the rose before he relizes it's too late anyhow and holds it.]

Syd. What brings you here?

[He hands him the rose. Abandoning all of the practice he just did]

[chivalry-be-damned]

I-um- I wanted to apologize for how rude I was yesterday. And I also think you're really handsome, and I like you and I...

God this is beautiful.

Will you go out with me?

[chivalry-be-damned]

[Syd sees jack while by the harris/Campbell territory. Nervously shifting from one foot to the other. He seems to be practicing something. A beautiful metal rose in his hand]

Nope. Nopenopenopenopenop.

[He hides behind a tree before Jack can see him.]

Deep breath. Deep breath. This is all going to be fine. You like him. He likes you. All you have to do is acknowledge these feelings.

Okay. Let's do this.

[He walks over to Jack.]