Encounterlogs
Annies Odd Encounter Sr Ethan
In the quaint and charming bedroom of Annie, an unexpected intrusion shatters the peaceful morning. Two figures clad in black, bearing carbines, barge in with the intent of abducting her, believing she holds some connection to a person named Reines. Panicked and caught off guard, Annie stands little chance against the trespassers. One, a vampire in a billowing robe, uses a sinister ruby red ring to assault Annie's senses, rendering her blind and vulnerable. The male, cloaked in ballistic gear, aims to subdue Annie with zip ties, but an urgent struggle ensues as Annie desperately fights back.
Declan, having been on security detail, arrives just in time to turn the tides. He employs a neutralizer grenade to momentarily disorient the vampires before engaging them with gunfire. Annie, though dazed and partially blinded by the magical assault, manages to cling to consciousness throughout the struggle. Ethan soon joins the fray, lettering incendiary bullets fly, stoking the chaos. In a decisive moment, he takes a wooden stake from Declan and ends the vampiress' life, calming the storm. Declan deals with the remaining male vampire, as Annie requests to be untied, clearly shaken but displaying an air of indignance. The Templar bodyguards arrive late to the scene, tasked with cleanup as Declan claims the vampire's gear and Annie seeks to regain her composure after the harrowing encounter.
(Annie's odd encounter(SREthan):SREthan)
[Sat Dec 2 2023]
In a room in transition
This room has a whimsical air, characterized by pristine white walls that serve as the perfect canvas for the enchanting decor. At its heart, the room features a collection of large stuffed animals, each contributing to the room's girly charm. Among these cuddly companions are giant rabbit characters, their floppy ears and round, expressive eyes creating an atmosphere of comfort and playfulness and and some fantastical creatures that look like they're from Japanese media.
The colour scheme of the room is a mix of soft pastels and bold, bright hues, creating a cheerful atmosphere. A canopy bed with sheer curtains provides a cozy and dreamy sleeping space, where one can rest and dream of their next adventures. Shelves are filled with books, trinkets, and souvenirs from various locations and realms visited. A small writing desk by the window is adorned with journals and sketchbooks, where the owner records their thoughts and drawings inspired by imagination and adventures alike.
It is morning, about 24F(-4C) degrees, and the sky is covered by wispy white clouds.
(Your target is abducted in their sleep, waking up alone in a locked room. They need to either escape or draw attention to them so their allies can come and provide assistance.
)
Still lazing about in bed, Annie is just barely conscious, still lulled by the promise of further sleep. She struggles to find the motivation to pull the covers off and jump out of bed, grumbling tiredly and turning on her side as laziness wins out in the end.
The sun is creeping through the nearby windows, the distant, subdued sounds of your typical Havenites perusing Main Street on the weekend providing a standard sort of ambiance that is likely routine for Annie by now. A different sort of sound, that of someone's footfalls outside of Annie's bedroom, add an odd sort of contrast with the outside ambiance. The door to Annie's bedroom creeps, slowly, betrayed only by the noise of the door's squeaking hinges as it is slowly pushed open by someone or something.
The sounds outside the windows are as typical as the footfalls coming outside of her door. Heaving a tired sigh, the noises grant Annie enough motivation to check the time on her phone. Not expecting it to be so late in the mornig, she blinks both eyes open and sits up with mumble, rubbing at her eyes before blearily studying the door opening without even a knock. "Breakfast in bed?" she enthuses, assuming the best rather than the worst. "Great, thanks," she murmurs as if all this was routine for her.
With their presence betrayed as Annie calls out to whoever or whomever is beyond the threshold of Annie's bedroom door, the act and all pretense for it has been dropped. "Breakfast in bed, indeed," a single voice calls out, its tone like a hiss. A feminine peal of laughter rings out behind the source of that voice as the door to Annie's bedroom is swung open, revealing two figures clad in black, one covered in ballistic gear while the source of the feminine laughter is clad in a billowing robe. Both, however, are armed with two carbines whose barrels are pointed directly at Annie. "Well, we failed at getting Reines the other day, but those closest to him will work," the masculine voice cackles, slowly making his approach towards Annie.
Annie squints at that voice she does not recognize at all. It's enough for her to grow more fully cognizant and swing her legs out of bed just as the figures enter, starting for a large duffel bag sitting at her side of the bed. She drops that plan real quick, only willing to stand tall and face the uninvited guests with a tension working at her brow. She still has her phone in hand, but as much as it brings convenience in her life, there is aught much it can provide her right now. "Who are you?" she naturally asks, looking around herself, but comes up with nothing to make this situation more in her favour.
"Ah, ah, ah," the masculine voice chides Annie, with the only thing missing being a wagging finger that the man unfortunately has preoccupied on the trigger of his carbine. "Don't think you think about moving." Neither person seems to want to answer the question presented by Annie, but an answer is provided all the same when the presence of the feminine figure's lower face is revealed as another feminine peal of laughter rings out through the small bedroom, her long incisors clear as day despite the entity's evident disdain for being caught out in it. "I think you know," the feminine voice says after placing her violent mirth in check. "This bitch was with him, wasn't she?" the masculine voice then asks, his helmet craning sidelong enough to tilt in the black-robed woman's direction, yet allowing him to still keep his carbine trained on Annie. "Pretty sure she was, yes."
It doesn't take much for Annie to take note of the woman's features, her visage darkening as she begins to put the pieces together. She has her phone held up between herself and the trio before her as if it was the last thing keeping them at bay. Prior to the warning, her thumb was definitely moving over the screen, manipulating through the menu of an app. But at this point she's cooperative, hardly moving so as not to incentivize them into action. "You probably have the wrong person," she tries to bullshit her way through getting out of this with what she hopes is a disarming smile. The bedhead she has on probably takes away some of the potential it could have had. "I don't know a Reines."
Lifting her hand, the feminine, robed vampire reveals a ruby red ring settled at the base of a dainty finger. A faint glint as the ring catches the outside light is all Annie sees before Annie's vision begins to flood red, a niggling pain originating from behind Annie's eyeballs. "She's blind, grab her before those two idiots wake up," the vampire haemomancer hisses, and from what Annie can discern with Annie's hearing, the sound of jackboots meeting the floor is the only warning provided for Annie before the butt of a rifle checks Annie right in Annie's gut.
Lifting her hand, the feminine, robed vampire reveals a ruby red ring settled at the base of a dainty finger. A faint glint as the ring catches the outside light is all Annie sees before Annie's vision begins to flood red, a niggling pain originating from behind Annie's eyeballs. "She's blind, grab her before those two idiots wake up," the vampire haemomancer hisses, and from what Annie can discern with Annie's hearing, the sound of jackboots meeting the floor is the only warning provided for Annie before the butt of a rifle checks Annie right in Annie's gut.
Her gaze alighting on that curious ring, Annie's face contorts, instinctively holding a hand to her face as she drops her phone and stumbles backwards. "Screw you," Annie spits, incensed and pretty upset at how her morning is going. It doesn't help she was barely able to crawl out of bed before her lazy ritual was interrupted. She treads backwards, rubbing at her eyes in a desperate attempt to find her vision.
There may not have been a distress call, but Declan had been briefly assigned as a security detail in the evening and wee hours, noting an unusual vehicle parked nearby Narnia. He acts on a hunch that proves to be fruitful; the apartment looks disturbed and as he nears one of the rooms, overhears the presence of more voices than there ought to be - none of them he recognizes. It's either a morning party or a home invasion. So, he posts up next to the door, tries to open it and let it swing ajar with him safely behind the wall.
The masculine, kevlar-clad vampire takes what opportunity that his feminine-leaning mancing collaborator has provided him. Slinging his carbine over his shoulder, the masculine vampire uses his preternatural strength to wrench Annie by the shoulder and tries to sling the woman down to the bed. With a cable ties in his other hand, the vampire grabs at Annie's wrists and tries to forcibly bring them to Annie's back in an effort to constrain and subdue the woman. All the while, his feminine partner watches the proceedings with a sadistic, satisfied grin before the distant sound of Declan opening a nearby door causes the vampire to crane her head over and check for the origin of the sound.
Annie drops the prospect of rubbing at her eyes when she feels someone grabbing at her shoulder. The yank causes her to cry out in pain, but that only ignites a resolve to go down fighting. Widening her stance, she can't really compete with the supernatural strength bearing on her, but she does have a few tricks up her sleeve. Her hands reach for the man's arm, sliding a forearm over it to lock it in between her arms and hold him tight, trying to buy herself any time to prolong her abduction.
Declan stoops down, taking a neutralizer grenade from his pocket and pulling the pin, waiting - or hoping - for the footsteps of at least one assailant to close in towards the door as it swings several inches further open. Then he gives it a sharp push to send it rolling into the bedroom. He has two mags carried and one full in the carbine, but isn't certain whether he has a firepower advantage. May as well even the odds.
"Stupid... bitch!" the masculine vampire yells again, bringing a balled fist to try to collide with the back of Annie's head as his other arm is subdued. His feminine, robed compatriot spares a glance to watch what is going on, but once she sees the fist from her ally collide with the back of Annie's skull, it is enough for her to return back to her investigation towards Declan's current position. With her carbine back in her possession, the barrel peeks right past the threshold and right into Declan's field of view. Fortunately, the barrel seems to be pointed into the living room itself, and the vampire woman seems to have no concept of cutting around corners to check her blind spots. Meanwhile, her male compatriot seeks to use the opportunity provided by his most recent physical blow to wrench his hand free from Annie and set to work on securing some zip ties around Annie's wrists.
"Asshole," Annie returns fire with annoyance just before the lights are nearly knocked out of her. A grunt leaves her as the fist makes impact with her head, sending her reeling. She manages to stay upright, not quite down for the count just yet thanks to the firm grip she has on her assailant's forearm. She was applying pressure to the joint of his elbow, but after receiving that punch to the head she's merely just holding on now, buckling at the knees that may or may not hinder the vampire with her weight.
Meanwhile, Declan is waiting for his opportunity, for either the neutralizer-burster or for the vampiress to notice the silver cylinder that might've just bumped into her boot from outside, sat right in the blind spot from the vantage point of the door. Not that the vampire's other acute senses would be unable to notice him there, but any delay such delay is in his favor. At least until he tosses a deliberate sound into the equation. The distinct flip of his selector switch from single to auto.
Noticing the silver cylinder as it bumps by her foot, the feminine vampire only has time to let out two words, "Oh fuc--". Indeed, the little neutralizer that could does go boom as a sudden electronic field billows through Annie's room in an instant whilst a distinct and terrible keening rings out at a frequency that likely only the two vampires can hear as they both immediately fall to their knees. The sound does not seem to last long, as both vampires almost immediately rise to their feet with their ears bleeding and rifles at the ready. The man, reeling from the neutralizer has completely left go of Annie, his ears bleeding as he cranes his carbine towards the offending source of the exploding grenade. Meanwhile, the woman is trying her damnedest to recover, her feminine form trying to recover, cross the threshold of Annie's room and then get her rifle trained on Declan.
Dropping to her knees, Annie struggles vainly with the zipties holding her wrists together to no avail. There is blood running down her nostril, painting a red streak down to the upper lip. A hit to the head on top of the arcane influence affecting her vision, she's unable to make heads or tails of what's going on, her gaze distant and glassy. With one last blink towards the commotion at the doorway, her strength wanes and she falls to her side with a cough.
Declan does not waste the opportunity. He might've not used a frag to avoid collateral damage and friendly fire, but he's dealing with hostile supernaturals here judging by the reaction, so a rather lethal response is advised. A step to the side to expose him, but he's already got his muzzle pointed at the she-vampire. Two short, controlled bursts, center of mass, all ball ammunition, should be enough for anyone living. Dead, though? We shall see.
As the robe-wearing woman takes two to the chest, she visibly recoils and screams with a start almost immediately upon trying to cross that threshold into the living room, the barrel of her rifle flying upwards as a startled trigger finger fires off a three-burst of rounds that whizz and crack over Declan's head and immediately connect with the lofty brick walls of the apartment. "Fuck... fuck! Did they wake up already!?" the masculine vampire hisses, ignoring Annie and electing to try to join his compatriot right outside of Annie's room as he sees her get knocked backwards from Declan's rifle. Unfortunately, the masculine vampire seems to underestimate his sudden lack of preternatural speed to rely upon and finds himself stumbling over his own feet, stumbling out of the room right into the center of Declan's kill zone.
A sudden thud of dropped grocery bags precedes the arrival of Ethan. A smashing of glass and jars in their contents is all that follows before two flaming rounds ring out from the man's forty-five caliber USP. Like a breath of flame right out of the barrel, those rounds crack over towards the feminine vampire. Unfortunately, one seems to miss its mark and lodges itself firmly into the brick wall near Annie's room, though another seems to collide at center of mass right into the vampire woman's robes.
Almost willfully fading into a near state of unconsciousness, Annie is kept afloat by the chaos that she can hear surrounding her. If her sight has started to return, she'd be staring wide-eyed at what was happening before her. Struggling to sit upright, she somehow manages, but the bindings at her wrist ensure she is a helpless audience in this play. Slumping against the frame of the bed at her side, she mouthes off names quietly, hesitant to believe her eyes, the presence of Declan far more surprising to her than Ethan's.
Declan detects another combatant join the fray, and induces that it's likely Ethan who is present, given the thump of groceries and the fact that the person was nice enough to use the front door. He doesn't bother greeting him, though, but doesn't make the tactical error of wading into the line of fire. Instead, judging that feminine vampire is temporarily less of a threat, he unloads five rounds rapid into the toppled male there on the floor.
The single incendiary round that collided right into the feminine vampire's chest is enough to make her keel over in pain, screaming out as errant flame smolders across the center of her robe and does the same for her now partially exposed flesh. Declan achieves similar results as the vampire male collides face first into the floor as those five rounds find their mark and collide with an ugly-sounding thud right into the back of the vampire's Kevlar. "This... this isn't those two," the male vampire hisses, clearly in pain from Declan's five-round burst. "Fucking Templars..." The male vampire tries to crawl towards the rifle that has fallen a small distance from him, desperately trying to get an outstretched hand on it right in front of Declan.
With the red aura around the feminine vampire's physique, Ethan does not even spare a second thought as he rushes over with his handgun primed in both of his hands. At his new proximity, Ethan isn't afforded nearly any opportunity to miss a round this time and the first shot from his handgun fires first into the vampire's head before a second gout of flame escapes his handgun again to lodge another burning bullet right into the woman's breast near where the heart would be. This is enough to make the feminine vampire look as if her body was completely overtaken by immediate rigormortis, utterly paralyzed save for darting eyes that demonstrate a clear panic and fear between Ethan, Declan, and her downed compatriot. "You good, Hayes?" Ethan calls out, sparing a glance towards Declan once the two threats give an initial appearance of having been neutralized.
Some of her wits returning, Annie is growing more aware of the current situation. She works her legs out in front of her, kicking at the floor that distances her away from the incoming fire. While close to the male vampire, she was fortunately not the target. All the same, she hurriedly wriggles her away from him, determined not to get in the crossfire. Otherwise, her only participation in the madness happening in the bedroom is coughing into her shoulder, spittle and blood staining her white t-shirt.
Once she has her back pressed against a wall, she just about has front row seats to the frantic spectacle. She draws one knee against her chest, the other stretched out straight before her with a relieved sigh, recognizing the two newest arrivals for what they truly are - backup. "Get me untied," she calls out in a near complaint, the perpetual fear over her features now replaced with an indignant annoyance directed at her would be captors.
"Not sure." Declan walks over, knowing the male vampire isn't quite down for the count yet, closing the distance but out of easy arm's reach, instead using the opportunity to try and blast his arm stretching for his rifle into dust before pointing it at the back of the vampire's skull. Not the kind of damage a lesser vampire can easily shrug off, were they red, and given these two are using firearms ... either they're specialists or they're neophytes. Flicking the switch back to 'single', he then says to Ethan, "Okay, now I'm feeling better."
A shrill, curdling scream rings out from the masculine vampire as his corpse-like arm is immediately mangled and dusted into something unrecognizable by Declan's gunfire. Rivulets of blood, likely from the pain, begin to stream down from the vampire's helmet as the wounds he has now taken seem to be having some kind of impact against the vampire's physiology and his form goes limp. Meanwhile, the feminine vampire is not faring any better, her eyes beset by increasing levels of panic as she watches her ally slump unconscious like a truly dead corpse. "Fuck... fuck you!" the female vampire spits, "we're not the bad ones! You... your people killed my wife! She did nothing. NOTHING!" The feminine vampire screams in rage, tears of blood running down her cheeks as her flesh continues to smolder from the impact of those two previous rounds.
It is immediately made apparent that the female vampire's words have no impact on Ethan, and even Annie's present predicament seem to be lost upon him as his features are nothing but cold detachment as he asks Declan, "Got a stake on you?" The question is enough for the vampire woman to scream again, likely in anticipation of the inevitable.
"One, wasn't expecting vampire." Declan takes it out from a pouch in his jacket to hand over to Ethan without much delay, still mindful not to take his muzzle off the male vampire, even keeping his boot on its back. He looks down again at the figure. "Else we'll magdump them 'til they disintegrate if you want to get rid of them. So, where are these two from?"
Amidst the remaining vampire's outburst, Annie presses her back against the wall, using that as a support so she can use her legs to push her up to her feet. Unable to support herself by herself, she is glad to use the wall, feet sliding across the floor so she stands at a lazy slouch. Some of the contempt she has riddling her facial features lessens somewhat as the vampiress claims that a loved one of hers was slain, but after realizing that she could have been used as revenge, the hard edge that once lined her features returns. "Who are they?" she wonders as well, sharing Declan's curiosity.
Taking the stake into his possession from Declan, Ethan breaks the distance between him and the downed, paralyzed vampiress. Without even giving the vampire woman a chance to bellow out any further defiances, Ethan plunges the pointed end right into the burned wound over the woman's breast. A blood-curdling scream follows, but it does not seem to cause Ethan to relent at all. Instead, with the stake lodged firmly in her chest, Ethan takes his pistol into his hand and grips it by the barrel. Flipping the safely off, he uses the blunt end as a makeshift hammer and repeatedly jams it deeper into the woman's chest as if it were a defiant nail meeting a hammer. There are a few loud grunts, each dripping with rage, before he finally stops -- and so too does the woman as her form goes limp entirely. "From the Court, if I had to guess," Ethan muses, the man trying to catch his breath. "They abducted me the other day as well. Him, specifically, actually." The man casts a cursory glance over towards the prone Kevlar-clad male. "Annie? You okay?"
"Ana..." A final gasp comes from the vampiress as the stake violently finds it way towards her heart, her eyes looking as if they were about to bulge out of their sockets with each inch that the stake buries into her chest. As if all the air and muscle were being sucked out of her, the vampiress's body begins to shrivel, as if time and death were catching up to finally claim their due. Meanwhile, the male is still flat on the ground, making no movement at all. Suddenly, two Kevlar-clad soldiers, bearing the sun on their chest, make their way into the living space from the front door. Both seem to be breathing heavily, their helmeted gazes seemingly trying to process all that has transpired.
"Is his gear any good? Can I have it?" Declan uses his rifle muzzle to poke about various parts of the male vampire's form, relaxing maybe unwarrantedly in the face of their apparent victory. Though this one can't move fast enough to handily blitz all of them, anyways - he needs a gun, he's no James Arkwright. A tsk. "Feel like her wife deserved it in some form." He turns as the two reinforcements (?) join up - another tsk. "Little late, Strike Force, but we have two new pretty," perhaps, "ageless," mostly, "prisoners."
Pressing her toes against the flooring, Annie starts to find the strength in her legs. Once she's standing straight, she looks as if she's at attention thanks to the bindings keeping her wrists bound behind her. She watches Ethan take the stake from Declan quietly, brow furrowing as she quickly pieces out what's going to happen next. Even if it was expected, she turns her head away while Ethan dispatches the vampiress, grimacing at that final word, or name leaving her lips.
As if given leave to do so by Ethan's query, she briskly strides to him and Declan, turning her back towards them while straining at her bindings, knuckles white from the persistently tight grip she's compelled her fists to make. "Yeah. Get me out of these," she urges that also comes off as a firm reminder.
Sparing a moment to check the safety of his firearm, Ethan places it in the confines of his jacket before withdrawing a pointed knife from a similar space behind it. Taking Annie's wrists, the man only needs to apply a bit of leverage with a few quick motions to easily remove the zip ties securing Annie, freeing the woman's wrists. At Declan's mention of 'Strike Force', Ethan turns his head around towards the two soldiers and looks as if he wanted to use that knife on them. Catching himself, however, that anger seems to wash away in a near instant. "Two natural bodyguards caught off-guard by two vampires. Not their fault... You two, toss what's left of the woman into the woods. Take our friend here for processing." Sparing a quick glance towards Declan, Ethan then adds: "Strip the male and give his gear to Hayes later. Man has earned it and a bonus."
"Thanks, sir, though Annie probably wants for his pants too." Declan turns as Annie approaches and the two soldiers go on to sort the vampire, having some .. modest difficulty restraining him conventionally after that because he shot the guy's other arm off and it'll be at least a day or two before it starts growing back. A once-over of the previously-captive blonde while Ethan helps set her free. "Were there any signs of support or reinforcements from them?"
The two Templar bodyguards, seemingly expecting a reprimand, both seem to slump with relief when it doesn't come. Dutifully, they both salute Ethan and set themselves upon their task. There is reservation from the one charged with moving the vampiress, as he seems to struggle with dislodging the stake from the shriveled corpse. Instead, he elects to fireman carry what remains and is the first out the front door. The other soldier, now struggling to handle the man on the floor due to the added weight of all that Kevlar, first tries to bind and secure the unconscious corpse, before trying to drag them out by their armpits.
The Templar stops trying to drag the unconscious male away, affording a dumbfounded glance between SREthan, Declan, and Annie. "You, uh... want his pants, sir?" the soldier asks Declan, allowing the vampire to drop to the floor as the bodyguard weighs the order. "Do you want me to strip him, sir?"
Clearly struggling, the Templar soldier stops trying to drag the unconscious male away, affording a dumbfounded glance between Ethan, Declan, and Annie. "You, uh... want his pants, sir?" the soldier asks Declan, allowing the vampire to drop to the floor as the bodyguard weighs the order. "Do you want me to strip him, sir?" (fixed)
"Was a joke, drag him out, Private," Declan says quickly to the Strike Force private, raising a hand.
"Thanks," Annie breathes out a sigh of relief upon feeling the unforgiving constraints of those zip-ties wound about her wrists snap off. Red markings in a near identical line where the bindings were goes to show just how diligent she was in trying to remove them herself. Turning in place to face everyone, she begins to rub at a wrist sorely, holding a disgruntled demeanour over her visage. "They barged in uninvited," she makes a case for her near state of undress. "This is my room," she bridges context for Declan, deciding to head towards the dresser and find something to put on. It seems like she doesn't quite fancy the pants that Declan has suggested. "I don't want it," she states in a testy manner, probably quite conscious of her state now that her ordeal has been averted.
With a clearly pleased sigh and nod of understanding, the bodyguard clearly gets back to work in trying to drag the Kevlar-clad man out the door. Once he does so, there's a noticeable sound of multiple thuds resounding through the stairwell that are audible even to the three of you standing in the living room. "Fuck, I dropped him!" the bodyguard's voice echoes, though he seems to set himself to the task of carrying the vampire out all the same given that the sounds of struggle seem to be fading away.
Sighing as he inspects the bullet holes that now adorn part of both Annie's room, the ceiling, and the walls of the living room, Ethan takes a few steps away from Annie and affords the departing soldiers with no small amount of skepticism before he returns his attentions back towards both Annie and Declan. "At least they don't lack for enthusiasm..." Ethan murmurs with another sigh of admonishment. "Thanks for keeping an eye on the place, Hayes. I kind of figured that after they struck once, they'd probably do it again. The Court seems desperate after New York."
Declan, having been on security detail, arrives just in time to turn the tides. He employs a neutralizer grenade to momentarily disorient the vampires before engaging them with gunfire. Annie, though dazed and partially blinded by the magical assault, manages to cling to consciousness throughout the struggle. Ethan soon joins the fray, lettering incendiary bullets fly, stoking the chaos. In a decisive moment, he takes a wooden stake from Declan and ends the vampiress' life, calming the storm. Declan deals with the remaining male vampire, as Annie requests to be untied, clearly shaken but displaying an air of indignance. The Templar bodyguards arrive late to the scene, tasked with cleanup as Declan claims the vampire's gear and Annie seeks to regain her composure after the harrowing encounter.
(Annie's odd encounter(SREthan):SREthan)
[Sat Dec 2 2023]
In a room in transition
This room has a whimsical air, characterized by pristine white walls that serve as the perfect canvas for the enchanting decor. At its heart, the room features a collection of large stuffed animals, each contributing to the room's girly charm. Among these cuddly companions are giant rabbit characters, their floppy ears and round, expressive eyes creating an atmosphere of comfort and playfulness and and some fantastical creatures that look like they're from Japanese media.
The colour scheme of the room is a mix of soft pastels and bold, bright hues, creating a cheerful atmosphere. A canopy bed with sheer curtains provides a cozy and dreamy sleeping space, where one can rest and dream of their next adventures. Shelves are filled with books, trinkets, and souvenirs from various locations and realms visited. A small writing desk by the window is adorned with journals and sketchbooks, where the owner records their thoughts and drawings inspired by imagination and adventures alike.
It is morning, about 24F(-4C) degrees, and the sky is covered by wispy white clouds.
(Your target is abducted in their sleep, waking up alone in a locked room. They need to either escape or draw attention to them so their allies can come and provide assistance.
)
Still lazing about in bed, Annie is just barely conscious, still lulled by the promise of further sleep. She struggles to find the motivation to pull the covers off and jump out of bed, grumbling tiredly and turning on her side as laziness wins out in the end.
The sun is creeping through the nearby windows, the distant, subdued sounds of your typical Havenites perusing Main Street on the weekend providing a standard sort of ambiance that is likely routine for Annie by now. A different sort of sound, that of someone's footfalls outside of Annie's bedroom, add an odd sort of contrast with the outside ambiance. The door to Annie's bedroom creeps, slowly, betrayed only by the noise of the door's squeaking hinges as it is slowly pushed open by someone or something.
The sounds outside the windows are as typical as the footfalls coming outside of her door. Heaving a tired sigh, the noises grant Annie enough motivation to check the time on her phone. Not expecting it to be so late in the mornig, she blinks both eyes open and sits up with mumble, rubbing at her eyes before blearily studying the door opening without even a knock. "Breakfast in bed?" she enthuses, assuming the best rather than the worst. "Great, thanks," she murmurs as if all this was routine for her.
With their presence betrayed as Annie calls out to whoever or whomever is beyond the threshold of Annie's bedroom door, the act and all pretense for it has been dropped. "Breakfast in bed, indeed," a single voice calls out, its tone like a hiss. A feminine peal of laughter rings out behind the source of that voice as the door to Annie's bedroom is swung open, revealing two figures clad in black, one covered in ballistic gear while the source of the feminine laughter is clad in a billowing robe. Both, however, are armed with two carbines whose barrels are pointed directly at Annie. "Well, we failed at getting Reines the other day, but those closest to him will work," the masculine voice cackles, slowly making his approach towards Annie.
Annie squints at that voice she does not recognize at all. It's enough for her to grow more fully cognizant and swing her legs out of bed just as the figures enter, starting for a large duffel bag sitting at her side of the bed. She drops that plan real quick, only willing to stand tall and face the uninvited guests with a tension working at her brow. She still has her phone in hand, but as much as it brings convenience in her life, there is aught much it can provide her right now. "Who are you?" she naturally asks, looking around herself, but comes up with nothing to make this situation more in her favour.
"Ah, ah, ah," the masculine voice chides Annie, with the only thing missing being a wagging finger that the man unfortunately has preoccupied on the trigger of his carbine. "Don't think you think about moving." Neither person seems to want to answer the question presented by Annie, but an answer is provided all the same when the presence of the feminine figure's lower face is revealed as another feminine peal of laughter rings out through the small bedroom, her long incisors clear as day despite the entity's evident disdain for being caught out in it. "I think you know," the feminine voice says after placing her violent mirth in check. "This bitch was with him, wasn't she?" the masculine voice then asks, his helmet craning sidelong enough to tilt in the black-robed woman's direction, yet allowing him to still keep his carbine trained on Annie. "Pretty sure she was, yes."
It doesn't take much for Annie to take note of the woman's features, her visage darkening as she begins to put the pieces together. She has her phone held up between herself and the trio before her as if it was the last thing keeping them at bay. Prior to the warning, her thumb was definitely moving over the screen, manipulating through the menu of an app. But at this point she's cooperative, hardly moving so as not to incentivize them into action. "You probably have the wrong person," she tries to bullshit her way through getting out of this with what she hopes is a disarming smile. The bedhead she has on probably takes away some of the potential it could have had. "I don't know a Reines."
Lifting her hand, the feminine, robed vampire reveals a ruby red ring settled at the base of a dainty finger. A faint glint as the ring catches the outside light is all Annie sees before Annie's vision begins to flood red, a niggling pain originating from behind Annie's eyeballs. "She's blind, grab her before those two idiots wake up," the vampire haemomancer hisses, and from what Annie can discern with Annie's hearing, the sound of jackboots meeting the floor is the only warning provided for Annie before the butt of a rifle checks Annie right in Annie's gut.
Lifting her hand, the feminine, robed vampire reveals a ruby red ring settled at the base of a dainty finger. A faint glint as the ring catches the outside light is all Annie sees before Annie's vision begins to flood red, a niggling pain originating from behind Annie's eyeballs. "She's blind, grab her before those two idiots wake up," the vampire haemomancer hisses, and from what Annie can discern with Annie's hearing, the sound of jackboots meeting the floor is the only warning provided for Annie before the butt of a rifle checks Annie right in Annie's gut.
Her gaze alighting on that curious ring, Annie's face contorts, instinctively holding a hand to her face as she drops her phone and stumbles backwards. "Screw you," Annie spits, incensed and pretty upset at how her morning is going. It doesn't help she was barely able to crawl out of bed before her lazy ritual was interrupted. She treads backwards, rubbing at her eyes in a desperate attempt to find her vision.
There may not have been a distress call, but Declan had been briefly assigned as a security detail in the evening and wee hours, noting an unusual vehicle parked nearby Narnia. He acts on a hunch that proves to be fruitful; the apartment looks disturbed and as he nears one of the rooms, overhears the presence of more voices than there ought to be - none of them he recognizes. It's either a morning party or a home invasion. So, he posts up next to the door, tries to open it and let it swing ajar with him safely behind the wall.
The masculine, kevlar-clad vampire takes what opportunity that his feminine-leaning mancing collaborator has provided him. Slinging his carbine over his shoulder, the masculine vampire uses his preternatural strength to wrench Annie by the shoulder and tries to sling the woman down to the bed. With a cable ties in his other hand, the vampire grabs at Annie's wrists and tries to forcibly bring them to Annie's back in an effort to constrain and subdue the woman. All the while, his feminine partner watches the proceedings with a sadistic, satisfied grin before the distant sound of Declan opening a nearby door causes the vampire to crane her head over and check for the origin of the sound.
Annie drops the prospect of rubbing at her eyes when she feels someone grabbing at her shoulder. The yank causes her to cry out in pain, but that only ignites a resolve to go down fighting. Widening her stance, she can't really compete with the supernatural strength bearing on her, but she does have a few tricks up her sleeve. Her hands reach for the man's arm, sliding a forearm over it to lock it in between her arms and hold him tight, trying to buy herself any time to prolong her abduction.
Declan stoops down, taking a neutralizer grenade from his pocket and pulling the pin, waiting - or hoping - for the footsteps of at least one assailant to close in towards the door as it swings several inches further open. Then he gives it a sharp push to send it rolling into the bedroom. He has two mags carried and one full in the carbine, but isn't certain whether he has a firepower advantage. May as well even the odds.
"Stupid... bitch!" the masculine vampire yells again, bringing a balled fist to try to collide with the back of Annie's head as his other arm is subdued. His feminine, robed compatriot spares a glance to watch what is going on, but once she sees the fist from her ally collide with the back of Annie's skull, it is enough for her to return back to her investigation towards Declan's current position. With her carbine back in her possession, the barrel peeks right past the threshold and right into Declan's field of view. Fortunately, the barrel seems to be pointed into the living room itself, and the vampire woman seems to have no concept of cutting around corners to check her blind spots. Meanwhile, her male compatriot seeks to use the opportunity provided by his most recent physical blow to wrench his hand free from Annie and set to work on securing some zip ties around Annie's wrists.
"Asshole," Annie returns fire with annoyance just before the lights are nearly knocked out of her. A grunt leaves her as the fist makes impact with her head, sending her reeling. She manages to stay upright, not quite down for the count just yet thanks to the firm grip she has on her assailant's forearm. She was applying pressure to the joint of his elbow, but after receiving that punch to the head she's merely just holding on now, buckling at the knees that may or may not hinder the vampire with her weight.
Meanwhile, Declan is waiting for his opportunity, for either the neutralizer-burster or for the vampiress to notice the silver cylinder that might've just bumped into her boot from outside, sat right in the blind spot from the vantage point of the door. Not that the vampire's other acute senses would be unable to notice him there, but any delay such delay is in his favor. At least until he tosses a deliberate sound into the equation. The distinct flip of his selector switch from single to auto.
Noticing the silver cylinder as it bumps by her foot, the feminine vampire only has time to let out two words, "Oh fuc--". Indeed, the little neutralizer that could does go boom as a sudden electronic field billows through Annie's room in an instant whilst a distinct and terrible keening rings out at a frequency that likely only the two vampires can hear as they both immediately fall to their knees. The sound does not seem to last long, as both vampires almost immediately rise to their feet with their ears bleeding and rifles at the ready. The man, reeling from the neutralizer has completely left go of Annie, his ears bleeding as he cranes his carbine towards the offending source of the exploding grenade. Meanwhile, the woman is trying her damnedest to recover, her feminine form trying to recover, cross the threshold of Annie's room and then get her rifle trained on Declan.
Dropping to her knees, Annie struggles vainly with the zipties holding her wrists together to no avail. There is blood running down her nostril, painting a red streak down to the upper lip. A hit to the head on top of the arcane influence affecting her vision, she's unable to make heads or tails of what's going on, her gaze distant and glassy. With one last blink towards the commotion at the doorway, her strength wanes and she falls to her side with a cough.
Declan does not waste the opportunity. He might've not used a frag to avoid collateral damage and friendly fire, but he's dealing with hostile supernaturals here judging by the reaction, so a rather lethal response is advised. A step to the side to expose him, but he's already got his muzzle pointed at the she-vampire. Two short, controlled bursts, center of mass, all ball ammunition, should be enough for anyone living. Dead, though? We shall see.
As the robe-wearing woman takes two to the chest, she visibly recoils and screams with a start almost immediately upon trying to cross that threshold into the living room, the barrel of her rifle flying upwards as a startled trigger finger fires off a three-burst of rounds that whizz and crack over Declan's head and immediately connect with the lofty brick walls of the apartment. "Fuck... fuck! Did they wake up already!?" the masculine vampire hisses, ignoring Annie and electing to try to join his compatriot right outside of Annie's room as he sees her get knocked backwards from Declan's rifle. Unfortunately, the masculine vampire seems to underestimate his sudden lack of preternatural speed to rely upon and finds himself stumbling over his own feet, stumbling out of the room right into the center of Declan's kill zone.
A sudden thud of dropped grocery bags precedes the arrival of Ethan. A smashing of glass and jars in their contents is all that follows before two flaming rounds ring out from the man's forty-five caliber USP. Like a breath of flame right out of the barrel, those rounds crack over towards the feminine vampire. Unfortunately, one seems to miss its mark and lodges itself firmly into the brick wall near Annie's room, though another seems to collide at center of mass right into the vampire woman's robes.
Almost willfully fading into a near state of unconsciousness, Annie is kept afloat by the chaos that she can hear surrounding her. If her sight has started to return, she'd be staring wide-eyed at what was happening before her. Struggling to sit upright, she somehow manages, but the bindings at her wrist ensure she is a helpless audience in this play. Slumping against the frame of the bed at her side, she mouthes off names quietly, hesitant to believe her eyes, the presence of Declan far more surprising to her than Ethan's.
Declan detects another combatant join the fray, and induces that it's likely Ethan who is present, given the thump of groceries and the fact that the person was nice enough to use the front door. He doesn't bother greeting him, though, but doesn't make the tactical error of wading into the line of fire. Instead, judging that feminine vampire is temporarily less of a threat, he unloads five rounds rapid into the toppled male there on the floor.
The single incendiary round that collided right into the feminine vampire's chest is enough to make her keel over in pain, screaming out as errant flame smolders across the center of her robe and does the same for her now partially exposed flesh. Declan achieves similar results as the vampire male collides face first into the floor as those five rounds find their mark and collide with an ugly-sounding thud right into the back of the vampire's Kevlar. "This... this isn't those two," the male vampire hisses, clearly in pain from Declan's five-round burst. "Fucking Templars..." The male vampire tries to crawl towards the rifle that has fallen a small distance from him, desperately trying to get an outstretched hand on it right in front of Declan.
With the red aura around the feminine vampire's physique, Ethan does not even spare a second thought as he rushes over with his handgun primed in both of his hands. At his new proximity, Ethan isn't afforded nearly any opportunity to miss a round this time and the first shot from his handgun fires first into the vampire's head before a second gout of flame escapes his handgun again to lodge another burning bullet right into the woman's breast near where the heart would be. This is enough to make the feminine vampire look as if her body was completely overtaken by immediate rigormortis, utterly paralyzed save for darting eyes that demonstrate a clear panic and fear between Ethan, Declan, and her downed compatriot. "You good, Hayes?" Ethan calls out, sparing a glance towards Declan once the two threats give an initial appearance of having been neutralized.
Some of her wits returning, Annie is growing more aware of the current situation. She works her legs out in front of her, kicking at the floor that distances her away from the incoming fire. While close to the male vampire, she was fortunately not the target. All the same, she hurriedly wriggles her away from him, determined not to get in the crossfire. Otherwise, her only participation in the madness happening in the bedroom is coughing into her shoulder, spittle and blood staining her white t-shirt.
Once she has her back pressed against a wall, she just about has front row seats to the frantic spectacle. She draws one knee against her chest, the other stretched out straight before her with a relieved sigh, recognizing the two newest arrivals for what they truly are - backup. "Get me untied," she calls out in a near complaint, the perpetual fear over her features now replaced with an indignant annoyance directed at her would be captors.
"Not sure." Declan walks over, knowing the male vampire isn't quite down for the count yet, closing the distance but out of easy arm's reach, instead using the opportunity to try and blast his arm stretching for his rifle into dust before pointing it at the back of the vampire's skull. Not the kind of damage a lesser vampire can easily shrug off, were they red, and given these two are using firearms ... either they're specialists or they're neophytes. Flicking the switch back to 'single', he then says to Ethan, "Okay, now I'm feeling better."
A shrill, curdling scream rings out from the masculine vampire as his corpse-like arm is immediately mangled and dusted into something unrecognizable by Declan's gunfire. Rivulets of blood, likely from the pain, begin to stream down from the vampire's helmet as the wounds he has now taken seem to be having some kind of impact against the vampire's physiology and his form goes limp. Meanwhile, the feminine vampire is not faring any better, her eyes beset by increasing levels of panic as she watches her ally slump unconscious like a truly dead corpse. "Fuck... fuck you!" the female vampire spits, "we're not the bad ones! You... your people killed my wife! She did nothing. NOTHING!" The feminine vampire screams in rage, tears of blood running down her cheeks as her flesh continues to smolder from the impact of those two previous rounds.
It is immediately made apparent that the female vampire's words have no impact on Ethan, and even Annie's present predicament seem to be lost upon him as his features are nothing but cold detachment as he asks Declan, "Got a stake on you?" The question is enough for the vampire woman to scream again, likely in anticipation of the inevitable.
"One, wasn't expecting vampire." Declan takes it out from a pouch in his jacket to hand over to Ethan without much delay, still mindful not to take his muzzle off the male vampire, even keeping his boot on its back. He looks down again at the figure. "Else we'll magdump them 'til they disintegrate if you want to get rid of them. So, where are these two from?"
Amidst the remaining vampire's outburst, Annie presses her back against the wall, using that as a support so she can use her legs to push her up to her feet. Unable to support herself by herself, she is glad to use the wall, feet sliding across the floor so she stands at a lazy slouch. Some of the contempt she has riddling her facial features lessens somewhat as the vampiress claims that a loved one of hers was slain, but after realizing that she could have been used as revenge, the hard edge that once lined her features returns. "Who are they?" she wonders as well, sharing Declan's curiosity.
Taking the stake into his possession from Declan, Ethan breaks the distance between him and the downed, paralyzed vampiress. Without even giving the vampire woman a chance to bellow out any further defiances, Ethan plunges the pointed end right into the burned wound over the woman's breast. A blood-curdling scream follows, but it does not seem to cause Ethan to relent at all. Instead, with the stake lodged firmly in her chest, Ethan takes his pistol into his hand and grips it by the barrel. Flipping the safely off, he uses the blunt end as a makeshift hammer and repeatedly jams it deeper into the woman's chest as if it were a defiant nail meeting a hammer. There are a few loud grunts, each dripping with rage, before he finally stops -- and so too does the woman as her form goes limp entirely. "From the Court, if I had to guess," Ethan muses, the man trying to catch his breath. "They abducted me the other day as well. Him, specifically, actually." The man casts a cursory glance over towards the prone Kevlar-clad male. "Annie? You okay?"
"Ana..." A final gasp comes from the vampiress as the stake violently finds it way towards her heart, her eyes looking as if they were about to bulge out of their sockets with each inch that the stake buries into her chest. As if all the air and muscle were being sucked out of her, the vampiress's body begins to shrivel, as if time and death were catching up to finally claim their due. Meanwhile, the male is still flat on the ground, making no movement at all. Suddenly, two Kevlar-clad soldiers, bearing the sun on their chest, make their way into the living space from the front door. Both seem to be breathing heavily, their helmeted gazes seemingly trying to process all that has transpired.
"Is his gear any good? Can I have it?" Declan uses his rifle muzzle to poke about various parts of the male vampire's form, relaxing maybe unwarrantedly in the face of their apparent victory. Though this one can't move fast enough to handily blitz all of them, anyways - he needs a gun, he's no James Arkwright. A tsk. "Feel like her wife deserved it in some form." He turns as the two reinforcements (?) join up - another tsk. "Little late, Strike Force, but we have two new pretty," perhaps, "ageless," mostly, "prisoners."
Pressing her toes against the flooring, Annie starts to find the strength in her legs. Once she's standing straight, she looks as if she's at attention thanks to the bindings keeping her wrists bound behind her. She watches Ethan take the stake from Declan quietly, brow furrowing as she quickly pieces out what's going to happen next. Even if it was expected, she turns her head away while Ethan dispatches the vampiress, grimacing at that final word, or name leaving her lips.
As if given leave to do so by Ethan's query, she briskly strides to him and Declan, turning her back towards them while straining at her bindings, knuckles white from the persistently tight grip she's compelled her fists to make. "Yeah. Get me out of these," she urges that also comes off as a firm reminder.
Sparing a moment to check the safety of his firearm, Ethan places it in the confines of his jacket before withdrawing a pointed knife from a similar space behind it. Taking Annie's wrists, the man only needs to apply a bit of leverage with a few quick motions to easily remove the zip ties securing Annie, freeing the woman's wrists. At Declan's mention of 'Strike Force', Ethan turns his head around towards the two soldiers and looks as if he wanted to use that knife on them. Catching himself, however, that anger seems to wash away in a near instant. "Two natural bodyguards caught off-guard by two vampires. Not their fault... You two, toss what's left of the woman into the woods. Take our friend here for processing." Sparing a quick glance towards Declan, Ethan then adds: "Strip the male and give his gear to Hayes later. Man has earned it and a bonus."
"Thanks, sir, though Annie probably wants for his pants too." Declan turns as Annie approaches and the two soldiers go on to sort the vampire, having some .. modest difficulty restraining him conventionally after that because he shot the guy's other arm off and it'll be at least a day or two before it starts growing back. A once-over of the previously-captive blonde while Ethan helps set her free. "Were there any signs of support or reinforcements from them?"
The two Templar bodyguards, seemingly expecting a reprimand, both seem to slump with relief when it doesn't come. Dutifully, they both salute Ethan and set themselves upon their task. There is reservation from the one charged with moving the vampiress, as he seems to struggle with dislodging the stake from the shriveled corpse. Instead, he elects to fireman carry what remains and is the first out the front door. The other soldier, now struggling to handle the man on the floor due to the added weight of all that Kevlar, first tries to bind and secure the unconscious corpse, before trying to drag them out by their armpits.
The Templar stops trying to drag the unconscious male away, affording a dumbfounded glance between SREthan, Declan, and Annie. "You, uh... want his pants, sir?" the soldier asks Declan, allowing the vampire to drop to the floor as the bodyguard weighs the order. "Do you want me to strip him, sir?"
Clearly struggling, the Templar soldier stops trying to drag the unconscious male away, affording a dumbfounded glance between Ethan, Declan, and Annie. "You, uh... want his pants, sir?" the soldier asks Declan, allowing the vampire to drop to the floor as the bodyguard weighs the order. "Do you want me to strip him, sir?" (fixed)
"Was a joke, drag him out, Private," Declan says quickly to the Strike Force private, raising a hand.
"Thanks," Annie breathes out a sigh of relief upon feeling the unforgiving constraints of those zip-ties wound about her wrists snap off. Red markings in a near identical line where the bindings were goes to show just how diligent she was in trying to remove them herself. Turning in place to face everyone, she begins to rub at a wrist sorely, holding a disgruntled demeanour over her visage. "They barged in uninvited," she makes a case for her near state of undress. "This is my room," she bridges context for Declan, deciding to head towards the dresser and find something to put on. It seems like she doesn't quite fancy the pants that Declan has suggested. "I don't want it," she states in a testy manner, probably quite conscious of her state now that her ordeal has been averted.
With a clearly pleased sigh and nod of understanding, the bodyguard clearly gets back to work in trying to drag the Kevlar-clad man out the door. Once he does so, there's a noticeable sound of multiple thuds resounding through the stairwell that are audible even to the three of you standing in the living room. "Fuck, I dropped him!" the bodyguard's voice echoes, though he seems to set himself to the task of carrying the vampire out all the same given that the sounds of struggle seem to be fading away.
Sighing as he inspects the bullet holes that now adorn part of both Annie's room, the ceiling, and the walls of the living room, Ethan takes a few steps away from Annie and affords the departing soldiers with no small amount of skepticism before he returns his attentions back towards both Annie and Declan. "At least they don't lack for enthusiasm..." Ethan murmurs with another sigh of admonishment. "Thanks for keeping an eye on the place, Hayes. I kind of figured that after they struck once, they'd probably do it again. The Court seems desperate after New York."