(no subject)

[somepoorsoul]

The night is damp and chilly for May, but that has not stopped the university’s young revelers from stumbling about in drunken celebration, even past midnight. Athos only ever comes this far north to visit the stables, and it is strange to be here so late at night, amongst the older, more scattered houses, stuffed full of students nine months out of the year. Outside the university, neighborhoods fall away to countryside fairly quickly; it is no surprise that so many could so easily go missing.

Athos has spoken little during their late-night trek to the edge of campus, thoughts focused, as best he can, on the task at hand. Is he glad that Porthos agreed to come along, or nervous? He still trusts Porthos with his life, and always will, but he fears that the man has been guilted or coerced into this venture. Believing what he does (knowing what he does), why would he follow Athos anywhere?

But they are here now. Athos leans against a lamppost that leaves him half-illuminated. Celebrants are now stumbling home in ones and twos, and fewer of them seem out and about. If the vampires intend to strike tonight, it will likely be soon, now that most students have gone home, leaving the more foolish (and the more drunk) to venture into the darkness alone and vulnerable. He glances at Aramis, their "bait" for the night, and then, briefly, meets Porthos' gaze. “Still up for this?" he asks them both.

Comments

[afineseamstress]

It is a couple, man and woman who approach, the former raising a brow. "Lost?" he asks, and Aramis' sleepy smile remains as he shrugs his shoulders.

"Where do you live?" he is asked, and Aramis thinks about the maps Athos had laid out. "Thayer Hall," he answers, slurring faintly as he leans forward. "Do you know where it is?"

The man steps closer, pulling Aramis' glasses from his nose to tap it. Aramis narrows his eyes as if he cannot see, not yet able to decide if the gesture is predatory or merely flirtatious, but then the man nods over his shoulder. "This way. We'll walk you."

"How kind," says Aramis with a small bow, his gaze flicking once to the alley where Athos and Porthos lurk. Thayer Hall is decidedly not in that direction.

[du_vallon]

Porthos is brimming with energy, watching the both of them and realizing that something is wrong the instant they lead him off. He knows they should stay at least a few paces behind, a growl low in his chest at the man touching Aramis like that. "When do we take them?" he asks quietly.

[somepoorsoul]

Athos keeps his hand resting on Porthos’ arm, feeling him tense with energy, like a spring ready to fly. “When we are sure they are not what they appear to be.” The couple looks so innocent, so uninteresting. If they are the vampires, as Athos suspects they are, then no wonder they were able to lead so many to their deaths. Now, they are leading Aramis towards a wooded area, and Athos knows they must follow. “Come on,” he says, rising carefully from their hiding place.

[afineseamstress]

Aramis walks with uneven steps, but steadily forward. With the man at his shoulder and the woman a half step behind on the other side, he has the unmistakeable sense of being herded, and he does his best to pretend it's not needed. Ahead a darkened copse of trees looms. It's the perfect place for a tryst, or a bloodletting, and Aramis still has no idea which this is.

Turning his head, he aims an experimental smile at the man through his lashes. "This doesn't seem like the way," Aramis says, only to feel a slender hand wrap suddenly around his arm. "Wouldn't you like to come with us?" the woman asks him, her grip unnaturally strong. Aramis' blood picks up, color rising to his cheeks in a way that closely resembles desire, rather than the sudden urge it actually is to strike at her with silver.

There are spikes in the toes of his boots. Holy water deep in his right pocket. Athos and Porthos at his back. Aramis knows he'll be quite alright, and he leans into her, his suspicions confirmed when her slight body rights him easily, pushing him towards the trees.

[du_vallon]

Porthos isn't d'Artagnan. He knows better than to charge into a situation, but from where he is, it's not hard to see the way Aramis is aroused, the way he leans into her. He keeps his distance, but he personally decides already that he wants to take her head off. He keeps a hand at his blade as he stays to the shadows, waiting for a change to strike.

[somepoorsoul]

They are leading Aramis to his death. Athos has still seen no proof that the seemingly young couple are what he thinks they are, but he knows it in his bones. Their skin glows pale in the moonlight and their smiles are too predatory for comfort. Athos' blood pounds in his ears but he smiles, for they have found what they are looking for.

He and Porthos move closer still, until they are only a few feet away from the little group. Athos' step has been silent, or so he thinks - for all at once the woman turns. Her expression is unsurprised. She is...pleased.

"Now it's a party," she says, and when she smiles, Athos sees needle-like fangs.

[afineseamstress]

Although startled to find his brothers already discovered, Aramis recovers quickly. The creatures might know that they are here, but perhaps they don't know just who they are, or what they're carrying.

The male, nearer to him now, shoves Aramis backward, and Aramis uses the space that opens between them to pull the holy water from his pocket. He throws it hard and it shatters at their feet, sending up a plume of sizzling smoke everywhere it touches their bare flesh. It's more distraction than anything, but it should give Porthos time to throw Aramis his weapons.

[du_vallon]

"Aramis," he growls to get his attention and tosses over the small satchel of things, already drawing his crucifix out from underneath his shirt, grinning when the man recoils at the sight of it. "Not so charming now, are you?" he asks, bracing his silver knuckled hands as he leans in and punches, throwing all his weight behind it as he knocks back the man.

"Hands off him," he warns, keeping a weather eye to make sure Athos is fine, too.

[somepoorsoul]

Athos spares a moment of admiration for the quick reflexes of both men, but then the female vampire is coming at him, and he must leap out of her way, drawing his sword. There is nothing innocent about her now - she is a vicious thing, and fast, leaping away from the sharp edge of his blade like a cat. He cannot quite catch her, not when she lunges at him at every opportunity, only to dart back again before he can respond, but he drives her back towards Aramis in hopes that he can finish her off.

[afineseamstress]

Aramis lifts a hand and catches the bundle neatly, extricating his sword and the pistol with the carved bullets. He'd prefer not to use the pistol if he can, for the shot might call other vampires to the fight, but the sword he draws readily. Athos is driving the female towards him, and Aramis swings in a tight arc meant to cleave her head from her neck, but she is too swift.

Turning, she leaps on Aramis and bears him to the ground, her mouth open and ready to bite, but he grabs the collar of his shirt and pulls it down, bearing the full crucifix that is tattooed into his skin. She flies off him with a hiss, and Aramis leaps to his feet and kicks her hard, sending her back to Athos while he turns to watch Porthos pummel the undead creature with silver fists.

[du_vallon]

Porthos thinks the smaller one is going to be swifter, quicker on her feet, and he needs to dispose of the man as quickly as he can. With one last drive to the vampire's face, Porthos unearths his blade and takes abject pleasure putting it through his eye, shifting his sword to his other hand to lift it up and cut at the neck, sending the head tumbling aside.

"You need some help?" he roars, the echo of victory on his words.

[somepoorsoul]

The female is upon Aramis so suddenly that Athos does not have time to react; thank God Aramis is quick-thinking. She flies back, tumbling in the dirt, and Athos is ready. Before the creature can rise, he runs his sword through her back and into her heart.

Athos looks up at Porthos as he jerks his sword out of her unmoving body. He nearly grins. “Not especially."

[afineseamstress]

Stepping forward, Aramis takes a fistful of the dead vampire's hair and lifts, slicing her head from her neck with one stroke. "Just in case," he says and smiles, stepping away from the corpse to regard both men with a smile. They are both breathless but unharmed, all but glowing with the thrill of victory.

"We ought to let them lead us to a secluded wood more often," he says. "Far more discreet."

[du_vallon]

"What will you shave next to lure them away?" Porthos quips with a smirk, tucking his sword and knife away as he rids himself of the knuckles, aiming not to call more attention to himself now that the battle is done. He gives a firm nod of his head, pleased with their work here tonight.

[somepoorsoul]

Athos smiles faintly, wiping the blood off his sword before sheathing it. Before their eyes, the two bodies disintegrate, crumbling into the earth. Vampires’ habit of disappearing into nothingness is damned convenient, he must admit.

“You are both unharmed?"

[afineseamstress]

Aramis gives a bright laugh, running his fingers through his curls in suggestion, but they all three of them know he'd never part himself from a single lock of it.

"Unharmed," he says, passing a hand over his neck next, but the tattoo has done its job. "I thought there'd be more of them," he laments. "Perhaps they hunt in pairs and take prey back to their lair."

[du_vallon]

Porthos grunts as he nods. "No harm done," he says, arching his brow. "You looked fairly willing to go with them. Imagine someone without a cross, without knowing. It wouldn't take more than two charming people to coax them into a bad situation."

He dusts himself off, packing up the remainder of their things. "Were there more spots?" he asks, curt, ready to get to the next piece of hunting, if there is one.

[somepoorsoul]

“Especially if the someone were drunk and inclined to be friendly.” Athos shakes his head. From what he has seen of them, the university students in these parts had terrible survival instincts.

“Students who have vanished were last seen at a handful of houses near campus, as well as in scattered locations across the city. But we have no way of knowing precisely where they were ambushed.” Athos sighs and pushes back his hair; now that the initial euphoria has past, he is left with the reality that they may not have even begun to stop these vampires who are preying on Darrow’s students. “At least our suspicions were correct: they are attacking the weak and easily persuaded."

[afineseamstress]

"Or those pretending to be," Aramis is quick to point out, sliding his hand up Porthos' back to rub between his shoulder blades. "We could search deeper into this wood," he says, "Now or in daylight. Perhaps we'll find a nest. Or we could go to the next place on the map."

Aramis lifts his shorn chin. "It would be a shame to waste this much beauty on a single hunt."

[du_vallon]

In a mood to get things accomplished, Porthos nods his head, reaching for the map in order to consult it and see where the next marked place is, navigating all the marks Athos has made in order to find the next most likely location. "Athos, what do you think?" he asks. "Do we go on?"

[somepoorsoul]

Athos folds his arms over his chest, considering their options. “Let us try the woods,” he decides. “If you’re right,” he nods at Aramis, “then would do better to find the nest, instead of picking off pairs one by one.”

“They were taking you this way, were they not?” He gestures at a small path that leads further into the trees.

[afineseamstress]

Aramis nods, returning to the parcel Porthos had thrown him to fetch his torch. "If we find it tonight, we can return in daylight to dispatch it. God knows how many could be inside and hungry. Or," Aramis muses, "Light it on fire and let the creatures run out to us."

Aramis shrugs. "That way is certainly more spectacular."

[du_vallon]

Porthos follows after the map's lead, tucking it back away to where it belonged so that it would stay safe. This isn't his preferred way to spend a night, but he knows that he'd rather be here with Athos than avoiding him, and so he's more than happy to keep searching until the sun comes up, if that's what it takes. "I always did like a fire, but never when we have to waste alcohol to get it."

[somepoorsoul]

“We will see how many there are. That is all.” As satisfying as such a display of fire might be, the danger is too great. If they can find the nest at all - and that is quite an if - they still will not know how many creatures wait inside, what strength they have, what might best defeat them. A fire might only cause chaos. “Then, if necessary, we will come back in the light of day, when they may be weakened."

[afineseamstress]

"Ah yes, the more sensible option," says Aramis with open disappointment, but he starts off, letting the moonlight guide him along the path for now. "We may find a stray one here or there," he muses, hoping for more action. It feels good to exert himself in this way, but he can feel the tension rolling off Porthos in waves. He and Athos both could use a decent outlet.