Another Reunion [Vincent]

[†The Blood Countess†]

A long, tiresome month had passed since her absence from Vincent's manor and the assassin knew all too well that he may be irritated for her disappearing. Again. This time it was absolutely necessary for some of the old guild members had survived the assault on the original base and were trying to revive it. The problem had been dealt with but other assignments were shoved into her hands before her clients would stop bothering her. One by one, they were completed, and she was finally free to resume her life as a mother to her daughter. Eva was a forgiving soul at least.

Alora's old attire was long gone and replaced with some armor that she had made only a few weeks back. It was flexible, absorbed most gruesome strikes to her body, and helped her blend into the night. The one thing that truly stood out was the tattered, red cloak that she wore which shrouded her features. That had to go since she was in familiar territory. The massive bolt of cloth was folded up and tucked under her arm; the mask she wore was unclipped and hung from a leather strap.

A single knuckle was all she needed to knock on the large doors of his home.

[Vincent]

Vincent sighs, staring out into the courtyard, bored out of his mind, deep in thought. He'd been reticent of late, working on a new case, cases rather. There was evidence of a new cult of vampires rising, the Council of Blood or some such nonsense, and there was a war brewing between powers that he'd never encountered before. Angels and Demons now walked among them, and he was under a lot of stress.

His homeland was under threat, the Council headquarters here in the heart of his home, and he couldn't do anything! "Dammit all!" he roars, smashing a hole in his wall, spinning away and retreating into his room. He takes up his own ragged cloak of crimson and throws it over his shoulders.

"Eva! I'm going out again, keep the turrets on standby." he orders as he strides out. They were a new creation of his after Michaels entrance, they fired silver bullets at a million rounds a minute from five hundred rotating barrels. An advancement on project metal storm that kept intruders at bay.

He opens his door, walking right into the person before him. His bare chest that radiated heat constricted as adrenaline surged through him and he quick stepped back. His crimson eyes flashed, duller thab they'd been in a long while but still intense. His black hair was unkempt, his pants ragged, feet bare and he was unarmed. Mant thought he was looking for death. Many might be right, for not even he knew what he truly sought.

"What do you want?" he demands gruffly, poised for an attack.

[†The Blood Countess†]

"Yes sir, yes sir!" Came Eva's response and immediately did as he ordered. The genius had been busy updating the security systems of Vincent's house during her mother's absence and now it was almost impossible to get to the front door without being seen. Hell, she even put motion detectors in the ground to see if anyone would be stupid enough to dig their way through into the manor. Needless to say, it was as safe as safe could possibly be in this day and age.
--
The assassin's sky blue eyes narrowed at Vincent and she held up one hand, signaling for him to be quiet while she spoke, "You don't recognize me, eh? Well, my hair is shorter now, but I'm still the same person who vanished again a month ago." Her old friend didn't seem to take the hint right away, and with a resigned sigh, she cut to the chase, "It's me, Alora. You know. Alora?" She continued talking to avoid a lecture or getting yelled at, "I'm sorry for what I did, but it had to be done for sake of my daughter. A threat was out there that I had to deal with myself and now it's gone. I'm back."

[Vincent]

He growls at her, "Don't bother apologizing, you're only going to leave again. Just like everyone else..." he mutters the last under his breath, stepping aside to let her in. "Well, welcome back then. As always, my home is yours. I suppose I shall go dress to entertain as my plans have been put on hold." he says softly, eyes still ablaze with an unknown intensity.

He wondered if she'd have heard the rumors and stories of him in her travels. A vengeful god, an dark angel of wrath. Many corpses had been left in his wake, a bloody path had been his trail of death and chaos. His crimson cape had left many that survived in gibbering wrecks as they spoke of the crimson demon. He ascends his home, retreating into his room again, stalking to his closet. He pulls out a fresh pair of pants, clean and nice, and hangs his cape on a peg. He doesn't bother with a shirt, but slips on a pair of shoes that were mainly used for martial arts.

He descends back into his drawing room to meet Alora, sighing as he entered, shaking his head. "Sorry, you deserve better. I've been running myself into the ground of late, as Eva will attest I'm sure, and it's hard to shake that mode off. How've you been?" he asks, smiling at her. It was clear he was tired and ragged, sleeping no more than four hours a week, but he was happy to see her, maybe he could finally relax, but he doubted he'd be able to open his heart to her again, she'd done a number as she'd left run out on him again.

[†The Blood Countess†]

"Vincent..." she sighed and dropped her shoulders. There was no point in trying to justify herself, at least not while he was in this state of mind. Alora did have her reasons for leaving this time and she wanted to present her case as soon as possible. "Alright." The assassin swept past him and began to remove her armor bit, by bit starting with the shoulders. Underneath it, she had simple attire on, consisting of a tank top and loose pants. Once their little chat is over she needed to clean her weapons and talk to her daughter about what happened during her absence.

How've you been?

The Blue Butterfly directed her attention from the floor, "...alright, I guess," but her tentative tone stated otherwise. "I know you are mad at me for what I did, and I truly am sorry. Me disappearing like that was for the sake of my daughter." She paused, her hand resting on a curved dagger inside a sheathe that had the same symbol as the tattoo on her forearm, "The guild where I was trained to be an assassin returned and I had to eliminate them. They were after me, and Eva, so I did what I had to do to protect her; I didn't want them to know where she was." Her left hand picked up the weapon and she stood, "I had to appease the clients for a few more weeks, and now she's safe. Now that it's done..."

Alora held out the dagger to Vincent, her features sincere and honest.

"My days as an assassin are over, Vincent. Me relinquishing this dagger is the ultimate proof. I cannot do my job without this."

[Vincent]

He looks at the dagger, then at her. "Isn't it always for Evas sake? Do you not believe I can protect her from children playing a game I mastered over two thousand years ago? Won't you only use it as justification again?" he asks her, eyes hard and emotionless. Once upon a time, he'd have forgiven her in a heartbeat and laughed it off. Now...he wasn't so sure.

He takes the dagger from her, tucking it into his belt, feeling it against his skin. He sinks into a seat, "I've given up on it Alora, your life is your own, I'm done trying to convince you. You can make your own decisions." he says wearily. His eyes closed, and a hand passed across his brow, a sigh passing his lips. No one stayed in his life, no one trusted him or his capabilities, what was the point in living? He'd only existed to slay his brother, and his life had wasted away.

Now, close to three millenia old, he had nothing. No family, no life, no purpose. "Alora, this house and everything in it...it belongs to you. If you plan to settle down, this is the best place for you two." he says, looking up with world weary eyes. "I've lived almost three thousand years, when I should have died on that battlefield with my fellow soldiers. I've lived too long, and have nothing left. I have no family, and no purpose, and I don't think I'll ever have another person to be with. My heart is filled with hate, shattered too many times to love I think. I seek my own death at the hands of some faceless upstart, or perhaps in this new war brewing. You have a chance to be happy, my day is long since passed." he finishes quietly, his voice sad.

[†The Blood Countess†]

"You do not understand the love a mother has for her child," Alora explained, "even if the person I trusted the most had gone out and taken care of the job, I would have felt like a coward sitting here doing nothing." The Blue Butterfly took a few steps back, and joined her hands together behind her back. However, when Vincent started talking the way he was, her features immediately melted to horror and shock. The assassin was speechless, stunned; this wasn't the Vincent she knew! Alora couldn't even look him straight in the eye at this point, and tilted her head down to avoid his gaze.

"You have nothing left? How could you say such a thing!" She shouted, fists clenched, "You have Eva, and as absent as I used to be, you also have me! Aren't we not enough for you?!" The assassin -ex assassin at that- shook her head, "Forget it. I'll be upstairs in my room." Alora didn't even wait to hear Vincent say anything else. Teeth bitten down on her lip, eyes watering, she raced out, up the stairs, slammed the door to her quarters, and locked the door. Geez, what a welcome home greeting that was. She didn't expect joy on her return, but a suicidal talk? The Blue Butterfly couldn't handle hearing those words coming from one of her only friends, and talking reason into Vincent was like talking to a dumb ox-you'd get no results.

[Vincent]

Yes, a child not his own that would grow and leave as her mother did. He had all the world at his beck and call. He sighs, hating himself even more now, too stressed out for his own good. He didn't truly know what he wanted, only that the lives he involved himself in were usually wrecked. People died, he never could protect them, things always ended in disaster, and he was always left alone.

He shakes his head, ordering a servant to bring him the strongest thing in the house, staring into the flames that burned in the fire place. What he needed was a good all or nothing fight to clear his head. Since Michael had disappeared again, he had nothing to do, and could never do anything right. He takes the drink from the servant with a forced smile, turning away and staring back into the fire, caught in his own thoughts again.

[†The Blood Countess†]

An hour or more slowly drifted by with Alora pacing impatiently inside her room, trying to come up with something to try to make Vincent see sense. He can't just give up like that! He was one of her last true friends, no, her last, and she wasn't going to let him go so easily. The ex assassin stopped mid pace, looked to the door, and narrowed her eyes. Words never worked on Vincent, but perhaps something else will. Alora was determined now more than ever and she had no intention of backing down...
---
Eva had overheard the conversation, but what could she do to resolve this? She was only a child, stunted in growth at that, and no one took her seriously. At least she could do something useful. What she didn't expect was to see her mother coming downstairs, snatching up her weapons, and putting on her armor. Was she leaving again? Eva was about to stand to confront her, but the ex assassin looked at Vincent.

"Get out of your chair. Now."

Eva blinked.

"You think I'm just going to let you waste away? I'm going to knock some sense back into your thick skull here and now whether you like it or not. Meet me outside."

Alora didn't wait for a response, and she slipped out through the door...

[Vincent]

He scoffs at her commands, recognizing clearly her intent. He rises with a half smile on his face, swaying lightly from the alcohol. He steps out into the cill night air, smiling at her. "Too cowardly to face me without arms or armour? Is that the honor and courage of a true A-list vampire? But then, what would an assassin know of honor or courage?" he says mockingly, wanting to irritate her for the hell of it.

"Too afraid to even stick around and look after your own child, you run, leaving her care to another that must sacrifice their way of life to watch her alone." he continues, laughing at her. He takes another deep drink from his bottle, swaying some more as he walked towards her. She wouldn't be the only teacher tonight.

[†The Blood Countess†]

Alora stood there, arms folded, clearly not phased at all by his tauntings. "An assassin does not care for honor, because they are honor-less. Though, I am no longer one, so I guess I'll sink to your level." The armor was swiftly stripped off and tossed aside, leaving her in her earlier attire. The daggers, the blades and the guns also joined in the pile-now the fight would be fair. Though, should Vincent start fighting dirty, it would be easy to retrieve a weapon or two. Piercing blue eyes flashed, and the bottle holding the alcohol shattered into numerous pieces, emptying the rest of the contents to the grass.

"Enough with your vile words, Vincent. I did what I had to do and you should respect that." The female sniffed in disgust, "And look at you. Once a proud, strong vampire you sunk to a pathetic level. Talks of ending your life, drinking yourself to a slurred state, and saying you've got nothing left in this world. I wonder who's worse."

Alora, without warning, palm struck the air, sending a sharp gust of wind in Vincent's direction...

The fight had begun.

[Vincent]

Vincent laughs, amazed she'd fall for his ploy so easily. She'd stripped herself of arms and armour just to rise to his challenge. Like a child, she thought she could follow his twists and turns. He laughs again as the air tears through his flesh, spilling his blood. "You can't win. You can't because you won't kill me, and I regenerate your every blow. Whereas you can die so easily."he says with a shrug, beside her in less time it took to blink, her dagger flipping through his fingers.

He had no intentions of using it, it just made it more fair to keep him occupied, "The difference between you and I is that I acknowledge the pitiful wretch I am, whereas you petulantly run and try to deny it and hide behind a stoic mask." he ssys with a shrug, back to back as he leaned on her.

[†The Blood Countess†]

"You may regenerate quicker, but like you," she looked over her shoulder at him, "my pain tolerance is high, and unlike you, I have a trick up my sleeve that will protect me."

The vampiress spun around, hooked her leg around his neck, and pulled him down to the ground with all the strength the limb could muster. With that, she clenched her hand tightly, and slammed down towards his gut, wind behind it to add more damage. If Vincent didn't move, he'll suffer quite a blow from Alora.

[Vincent]

He flexes his abdomen, emphasizing it for her and smiling as he flipped over her leg, tucking to land on his feet, rising and slipping an arm around her waist and locking hre tight to his bar chest, reaching up to cup her cheek, looking into her eyes. He was sobered up, and he spook softly.

"You idiot, didn't you ever think to just open up, and trust me to let US deal with it when they came for us here?" he asks softly, tilting his head in and kissing her softly, aware it'd probably just piss her off. He broke it off and smiled at her as he gently stroked her cheek.

"And you fell to an easy ploy, never toss your arms and armour, there's no such thing as a fair fight dear, the only unfair one is the one you lose. And you'll never lose with me backing you." he says, kissing the top of her head and chuckling.

[†The Blood Countess†]

"Hey!" What the hell was he doing? The assassin struggled to squirm free, but when he started talking, Alora stilled so she could listen. What could she say in response? Nothing. Alora didn't know how to justify what she did. The fire that burned in her eyes from the fight dimmed, at least for now; but the sudden kiss threw her into a loop.

Alora was stunned and her cheeks had turned a deep shade of red. Did that actually just happen? The shock did wear off, and Alora wore a smile.

"I...I only relinquished my armor and weapons because I was fighting a friend, that is all. If it was with someone else I would have shot the bastard in the head. Though, you got me."

She chuckled.