Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death [Open]

[detectiveofthewest]

The old Kitterick hotel, long since closed and abandoned, sat silently in its abandonment. At first it seemed that this night would be the same as any other -- one more in the long series of nights spent settling, creaking, slowly but surely marching toward the dissolution that surely awaited it. Yet as evening settled firmly over the streets of Greenwich, something changed in the air.

A long car, sleek and black, rolled up to the front of the building. A woman got out; two men aided her in doing so. Her long dress was bright carmine, spilling out behind her in a whispering pool. In the dark of night, the cloth looked almost black.

"This will do nicely," she said. Her whisper was full of promise.

[This, should you choose to use it, is a catch-all post for the Bloody Countess plot! It's for investigations, encounters, and so on leading up to the main event.]

Comments

[detectiveofthewest]

"It's not like they'd noti -- " began Heiji, before Sasuke started wobbling like someone about to ride the Vomit Comet.

"I do know someone. Maybe a couple someones. I'll text you the details for the meeting later. Right now, we gotta get you a taxi."

[apolly]

— Wait, oh no, Sasuke is definitely not fine.

Apollo's already on it, whipping out his phone again and scrolling down the screen for a taxi service. He'll pay for it and everything. Man of the day, right here.

"Well excuse us for being worried after we say a body drop from a building, Heiji!" Apollo's not letting him get away with that one, though he finally lets it go once someone answers the phone and he starts giving directions.

[eyeforaneye]

It's not easy to be aggressively dismissive but he's definitely trying.

"Maybe tomorrow at one in front of the Institute... It's safe and neutral and Apollo and I will be on lunch. I'll go to Hillingdon tonight and see what I can learn."

[detectiveofthewest]

"Vampires don't care about animals much," said Heiji by way of explanation to Apollo, which probably sounded weird because Sasuke didn't know he was a fox.

"Alright, one tomorrow. I'll ask around, too. Someone's gotta know somethin' about these guys."

[apolly]

Apollo's done with the phone call soon enough, another frown on his face but it looks like he's not going to convince Heiji easily on this one. A dead body happened, after all. Heiji would be all over this case.

"... Fine, sounds like a plan and I'll do some research tonight. Do you want me to take the taxi with him instead then?"

[eyeforaneye]

"I'm right here. Stop talking like I'm not. I'll take the taxi alone and meet up with you both tomorrow." And as a sign of his determination he prematurely gets to his feet, even pulling out his cell to check it.

"I'll phone before I show up."

TIMESKIP, SASUKE IS NOW A NINJA DAD

[detectiveofthewest]

Heiji arrived at the Institute on time, with the bit of leather tucked into one pocket. He wasn't dead, either, so clearly Apollo's worries were entirely unfounded and there was nothing to worry about, definitely not.

emily i'm not deleting that tag and you can now consider it blackmail

[apolly]

Relief passes over Apollo's face, then irritation as he places a hand on his hip. Lunch time as promised, though he was here instead of actually eating.

"Well, I see you're fine. And Sasuke's feeling better." As you can see.

"What do you have there?" He gestures to Heiji's pocket.

you're assuming I have any pride

[eyeforaneye]

Sasuke for his own part is armed with a gyro from a street vendor they'd passed on the way here and is shamelessly eating. He needs this more than you do.

"The sigil? I asked around at Hillingdon as I stated before; no one's familiar with it. I'd assume we're dealing with a discreet new group or one from out of the city."

[detectiveofthewest]

Disgusting. Who brought a gyro to a strategy meeting. Heiji reached for a piece of lamb absently and pulled the sigil out of his jacket with the other.

"Someone on my side said it resembled the insignia of one of the old vampire clans. One of them that ain't play by the rules, but we already knew that. Unfortunately, they haven't operated in London for an extremely long time -- makes it hard to nail down their exact identity. I think we should nab one of them fledglings and then..."

He made a wobbly mind-powers gesture with his fingers at Apollo. "You can do your thing!"

[apolly]

WHY IS EVERYONE ELSE EATING, THIS ISN'T FAIR.

"That's pretty much what I found out from the books, so we have to find out exactly what made them pop back up again." Impossible, it seemed like.

... He imitates the gesture, confused, before his eyes pop open wide. Oh yeah! "My perceiving, you mean? You want me to interrogate a vampire?"

[eyeforaneye]

Wow that better not be my lamb, HE IS TAKING A STEP BACK.

For his own part though he's trying to figure out if 'resembled' means it was identical or if it's a group simply adopting an older clan's mark, but if Apollo's powers are indeed fully effective in this scenario then they'll be answered questions in short time.

"Sounds wise, though we'll have to be prepared to move quickly before they realize that member has been caught. They might retaliate or make themselves even more difficult to find.

I'm willing to help in capturing them. I'm not going to sit idly by after what happened before."

[detectiveofthewest]

WHY ARE YOU DENYING HEIJI HIS HERITAGE AND BIRTHRIGHT RE: STEALING YOUR FOOD.

"'Interrogating' sounds so violent. It's more like an Interview with the Vampire!" Mic drop. But no, Heiji turned to Sasuke, looking a bit concerned. "You sure you're okay?" Like you did seem pretty wobbly there yesterday.

"We should also figure out what to do with him once we're done..." Looking at Apollo now. "'Cause we can't exactly throw him in jail. Are we gonna try and imprison him somewhere? If he does get loose, he'll run right back to his buddies."

[apolly]

"... Why're you looking at me? I'm a lawyer and teacher, not a cop." Apollo does think about it though, briefly.

"There's a building not too far away from my apartment that was abandoned a few years ago. Could we use that somehow? I'm not too much use on the forefront but I can look into special locks and stuff."

1/2

[eyeforaneye]

GET AWAY FROM THE FOOD, YOU FREELOADER.

Still though, this expression. "... I'm fine." This is not the main point here.

2/2

[eyeforaneye]

"This plan has a million ways to fail. We should actually incapacitate whoever it is to the point that he can't fight instead of trying to build some strong cage around him. How quickly do they actually heal?

Because if we're using that building we need to be absolutely certain that there won't be any witnesses whatsoever, which seems difficult if there are squatters or vagrants of any kind. And as for when we're fully done..." Well. Perhaps his silence speaks for itself. There's only one way to make sure that he won't bother them at all in the future.

[detectiveofthewest]

"Well, 'cause I don't think this guy," he said, indicating Sasuke with his thumb, "Is gonna mind if we end up having to stake the vampire afterward. But you might. And that's kinda important. Like Sasuke says, there's a lotta room for something to go wrong."

u gonna be ok apollo

i submitted it too early somehow wtf

[apolly]

"... Are you asking for my permission to kill a vampire?" Apollo gapes, hands up in the air.

"Wait, hold on a second, what about Islington? What's gonna happen if they catch wind of this?"

[eyeforaneye]

"If they're unrelated to Islington then it makes no difference. Just like we wouldn't defend humans we aren't aligned with that cause problems, I doubt they'll involve themselves just because it's their kind.

If you're uncomfortable with killing then you don't need to be there." It's much less that Sasuke 'won't mind' killing and more that he's looking forward to both the revenge aspect and the ability to protect those he actually does care about by wiping out this particular existence.

I missed this somehow whoops

[detectiveofthewest]

God Sasuke, slow your roll.

"We might have to, if he gets loose," said Heiji. "We could try to turn him in to the Night Council if everything works out... that's what you'd prefer, right?"

you're grounded

[apolly]

Apollo's eyes widen by a fraction at Sasuke before his eyebrows furrow, turning back to Heiji with a sigh.

"Yeah, I'd much rather turn him over and get a verdict. It makes the most sense to do." There was no way he'd agree to a kid carrying out heroism.

[eyeforaneye]

The silence that follows should set off alarm bells in anyone that knows him well but unfortunately neither of these two do, hands slipping into his pockets as he glances away. Zero promises.

"It's all a pointless discussion without a plan for isolating and capturing one in the first place."

[detectiveofthewest]

Shady......

"Okay, so ideally we'd like to get one on his own. I think that's doable. That place they set up at, it's pretty deserted right now. Moving around in packs would cause too much suspicion, so they mostly go out one or two at a time, anyway."

He paused. "We could trap him in the Other Realm. He wouldn't be able to escape without help, so we could question him without any danger of his buddies coming to back him up. But we'd need to put him back in London if we want the Night Council to pick him up. That could be tricky."

[apolly]

Super shady...

"Then we'll figure it out when we get there. The Other Realm it is." Apollo has never been there, so this could be his ticket to actually seeing it and also questioning a vampire. Sounded pretty cool, he guesses.

"They'll be more likely to help bring him back once they understand, so it's fine." Yeah.

"... Is this an okay plan for everyone?"

[eyeforaneye]

"It'll require a little more detail." Which is a good way to get out of agreeing to every aspect of it but it's hardly noticeable when he goes on.

"My vision's still just as sharp at night and I'm willing to watch the hideout to wait for one to leave. Apollo is best stationed where we plan to question this person, in order to keep an eye on the premises and ensure that no one else enters the area or causes problems. Heiji could then be mobile in between the two spots and can help me corner him and apprehend him to bring him back, since he's the one that can move easily between the Realms.

Is that direct enough?" As if a plan from him would be anything but.