undergrounds | AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

The bloodlust was a step too far. Kyle already hated vampires before the event, his species's natural predator. Then the Fae were opening doors into their world, Daybreak was persecuting seemingly innocent members of Midnight while claiming they were practicing Necromagic, and the wolves even had their own kill-some-humans Festival. The supernatural world was a shitty, terrible place for people who were trying to live their lives in peace. And while there were Guardians meant to look out for and protect people, they followed loose laws more concerned with protecting their secrets than in saving lives.

So he started putting the word out. He didn't really know what he was doing, or what he was trying to create. Maybe a new squad. Maybe a book club where instead of weekly reading, they killed guilty parties. He wasn't sure. By definition, he was trying to put together a group of vigilantes.

He put the word out. Coded flyers here, whispers in Hillingdon there, and so on. He reached out to the people he knew and those he'd heard about who might happen to agree with his cause. Anyone and everyone was welcome, regardless of race or faction. Except the vampires he still hated.

[ooc: Kyle is trying to put together a vigilante squad. What the group does will mostly be up to the group, but may include bounty hunting, saving people in trouble, killing 'villains', and so on. Anyone is welcome to chat with him about it, regardless of their interest in joining.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There's something so appealing about the idea of leaning forward and kissing her right then and there. Bodies intertwined, spirits caught up in passion in order to avoid misery, the bar leading to a dark corner then a room. A night away from everything, pretending she's not a vampire and forgetting about all the bloodshed. It's tempting, intensely so for a moment as the vision of what could potentially be passes through his mind. Assuming she's interested, ignoring that it's a terrible idea.

Kyle pushes past it, returning his attention to the bartender as their drinks arrive. He's not the cheating type, even when he wants to be. But he does want an escape. There's a part of him that longs for the deserts of rural South Africa again, or the dirt roads of Soweto. He misses knowing people have his back and having someone else's. Here, he ultimately feels isolated and lonely.

"When you can't walk and you can't give up, you crawl," he replies as if quoting, something drilled into him during training. Kyle lifts his new beer in an offer of cheers. "To crawling. And to bloodsuckers who don't suck blood."

Natasha hums softly in agreement. It's a philosophy that resonates with her, from her earliest memories in a war torn Stalingrad, to scraping out whatever food and freedom she could while being juggled between orphanages, to her eventual recruitment and training with the KGB—to now, it seemed. She'd spent a lot of her life crawling because for better or worse, she wasn't the type to give up.

There's a brief moment of sincerity in her expression as she raises her glass in return, sharpening at his toast. "You have no idea how much I needed to hear that tonight," she says before glancing away, her normal more cynical reservation and wry smile coming back. It had been there for a moment, though. The month so far had been a struggle. Just having the effort she put into this lifestyle recognized, however briefly, was a balm she sorely needed.

"To getting back on your feet," she adds only when the instant passes. "It's got to happen eventually."

"Good. Glad I can be of service." He keeps the 'even if it is a vampire' part of that thought to himself. Natasha's not so bad and he doesn't feel the need tonight to continually remind her what she is. It's not like she's forgotten. Instead, he clinks his glass to hers and takes a sip of his drink.

"Always does," he adds after the latter. Kyle's seen a lot of his people go through a lot of terrible things and has experienced his share of it too. Yet here they are, drinking, with money and still alive. It's not so bad, all things considered.

"Unless you're eating people. Then we have to deal with that." He can't help it.

She grimaces a little at that. Looks like the moment's passed. It was nice while it lasted—and she really did need it. Even if he couldn't hold back all the barbs, it was nice to have someone on her side.

So long as she's not drinking blood.

Somehow this whole situation seems like setting herself up to fail, but even so she'll take it as long as it lasts. As long as she's trying not to drink blood.

"Still on the wagon," she assures him, her tone dry. "Nothing to deal with just yet."

"Good to hear. Because I'm kind of starting to like you," he admits lightly, as much joking as sincere.

His eyes are glued to the back of the bar at nothing in particular as he says it, hating himself a little bit for letting it get personal. He wonders if liking her is like bonding with a drug lord, someone destined to be evil regardless of what humanity they possess, or if she's simply someone born to sin who's trying to redeem herself. He's never been particularly religious, but he gets good and evil and Natasha's the closest thing he's come to seeing something not evil in a vampire.

Kyle takes a sip of his drink and then looks over to her again, with a light smile. "How do you deal with it when your nest wants to eat everyone and you're on a vegan diet? How does that work?"

Natasha snorts, lifting her glass a little. She won't take his admission too much to heart, but it's still not bad to hear. She's in no hurry to tell him it's been a struggle, but she's not above taking what encouragement she can. Anything to get through the night.

"If you mean how I don't join in, like this, mostly," she says. "Try not to think about it too much. Definitely try to avoid it as much as possible."

Except when she's getting dragged into it, playing the hero. She huffs, almost laughing at the thought. "And if that doesn't work, I still have your number around. Looked at it a few times, but it never seemed quite that bad."

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

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