[open] FAE HUNT

[falsify]

17TH // BROMLEY

The reports come his way in the morning. Losing fae to the vampires is... Unfortunate, but not unexpected. Not with Harris in charge. This is different however, and an urgent call has him making his way down to one of the community centres long before he'd think about leaving the house under usual terms.

Having a couple of fae tell you all about the night they had, being caught by vampires, watching another die, one with bites on their neck, etc. etc. It puts a real damper on your day. At first, he chalks it up to general vampire cruelty and plans to phone in a bounty to Hillingdon, but they just keep coming. Fae with burns from iron cuffs, missing fae, dead. It's like something just happened overnight.

He can be found more than once over the course of the evening, having a hushed conversation in the corner of a bar that looks like it could easily come to blows if not for the way Eames excuses himself abruptly and none too friendly.

Maybe you're curious, maybe he bumps you as he leaves looking fully like he intends to kill someone. Or maybe you just have a weak spot for men with clenched jaws nursing drinks alone at the bar. Either way, he's about.

18TH ONWARDS

It takes a couple days, and even then it's slow to start, but sure enough security starts tightening up around the two Fae boroughs. Anyone with a particularly keen eye for patterns and a lot of free time will notice the patrols and any vampire who enters the area might notice how it feels like they're being followed. Not just watched, like they usually would be.

A week in, it wouldn't be entirely incorrect to assume every other fae is carrying a stake, but that's not the only change in faeville. Eames is powerfully unhappy with this, and he's really not too pleased to speak to anyone who isn't a fae. He doesn't think the handful of vampires he's friendly with are involved, but he doesn't care to see them, and in his estimation humans are a bunch of useless hypocrites. Any conversations are strictly business.

Despite the danger, he's totally unafraid to wander into vampire territory, (though by the 25th he's constantly flanked by a burly looking pair at the behest of another Lord,) and some might say he's actively looking for a fight. There's more than a few scuffles if one fancied joining the fray. Vampires he sees getting a little too close to a fae, or maybe they try to round on him instead.

It wouldn't be silly to assume he's looking out for his people, but really he's just looking to vent some of his frustrations at the source.

29TH/30TH

There may be plans to deal with Harris, but that doesn't put Eames any more at ease in the interim. They're being hunted by vampires, and they're increasingly at danger of the whims of witches as Samhain approaches. It's not exactly a great time to be a fae in London.

He's not been in the mood for sex (shocking, isn't it,) drinking is at a minimum, and he can't exactly fight his way across the city just because he's in a shitty mood. Much as he'd love to. Doesn't leave many outlets to keep his mood even, but there's always a spot of fun to be had with a game of cards.

They're not as numerous as they used to be, (ah, the good old days,) but there's still plenty of back room gambling dens around London if you know where to look. And maybe it's a little unfair to hang out in the ones not frequented by magical types, but on the other hand Eames doesn't give a fuck. He needs to unwind a little, relax himself before the big night that hopefully won't be a huge fucking disaster. If that means clearing a bunch of mortals out, then so be it.

Go ahead, confront him about it. He'd love the fight.

ETC;

Wildcard! PM or Plurk me if you want something more specific.

Comments

29th/30th

[dirtyredneck]

Daryl wasn't there for cards. He'd been given a job to investigate a certain mortal 'medium' and looking into her staff had led him to the backrooms for those who might cater to certain vices. Ones that weren't magical in nature, but very, very, very mortal.

He did, however, know how to get himself involved in said cards when he needed to. Two of the stage hands were on their second beers and starting to get loose tongues. A spot had opened as one of the others stepped away. Daryl had expected another regular to step in and take the chair. Seeing the Lord of Autumn sit down had him freezing and staring perhaps a bit too long before he snapped out of it and took his cards as the first bets were thrown out.

18th-ish

[specifiercity]

Arthur finds Eames one night while he's chasing a lead in vampire territory. He's clearly a bit roughed up but Arthur can't see any reason for real concern as he spots him from his alleyway across the street. Eames is alone, which Arthur thinks is foolish all things considered, so he watches him for a couple blocks before he decides he doesn't really look like he's going anywhere so much as he's just wandering around looking for trouble.

Well, that doesn't do at all.

Arthur follows him quietly, trying not to draw too much attention from any vampires that might be drawn by the smell of a powerful fae walking down the street, but when he gets closer he jogs a few steps to catch up.

"Eames."

[falsify]

Eames catches the staring, it's kind of hard not to, something familiar about the shifter across the table. Eames doesn't fuss about it though, it's not like anyone else here would even believe him if one felt like blurting that there's a fae sitting at the table.

He seems plenty jovial as he sits, and known to at least a couple of people here, clapping the guy next to him on the shoulder and setting out his chips with ease and confidence.

"Alright," Eames tosses a few chips in the middle, "what's the buy-in? A grand?"

Time to clean up, eh.

[falsify]

He thinks he's seen one with a bag rattling as he walks, the kind of rattling that could well be chains, and Eames watches intently. From a distance it might seem funny, watching Eames follow this vampire while Arthur follows him, but as soon as he gets that prickling feeling of being watched, it only makes Eames more annoyed.

Stopping, if only because he's not going to get anything done with Arthur here, Eames glares at Arthur once he's caught up. Happy to see him? Not at all. As far as he's concerned, half the reason Hillingdon even exists is to prevent this kind of thing, and now here comes their second to tell Eames off.

"What do you want." It's not a question so much as a thinly veiled 'fuck off' but he's stopped going after this latest vampire regardless.

[specifiercity]

Arthur is visibly insulted by the complete lack of a warm welcome and he actually scoffs. He knows Eames is in a bad mood but also wow rude much?

"I'm just wondering what the hell you're doing," he says, "other than asking to get killed."

[falsify]

"I don't see how that's any of your business," Eames answers flatly, watching Arthur with a kind of almost dismissiveness he's honestly never had when talking to him before. But if Arthur could leave right now that would be excellent.

[specifiercity]

That look makes Arthur a little furious, and he takes a steadying breath. Maybe he should have more respect for the Lord of Autumn standing in front of him, but he's known Eames too long to have any real reverence for him.

"Well, I would have to live with what would happen if the vampires managed to take you out," he says harshly.

[falsify]

Hilariously, Arthur couldn't get much further away from the right thing to say. Eames clenches his jaw for a moment, working it harshly while he wills himself not to just turn around and leave.

"Mm. Be a shame to inconvenience you, wouldn't it?"

[specifiercity]

"That's not what I meant," Arthur says, but he's more chastising than backpedaling. He can see how angry Eames is and he doesn't mean to make him moreso, but him being angry makes Arthur impatient and he's not very good at hiding that.

"It's just, you get reckless."

[falsify]

"Oh, do I?" Eames raises his eyebrows like Arthur's told him some new, interesting fact, and then he abruptly turns on his heels to leave. "Thanks for letting me know."

[specifiercity]

"Hey," Arthur says sharply, following quickly enough to put his hand on Eames' shoulder to try and get him to stop. "Eames, you're going to get yourself hurt."

[falsify]

Eames shrugs off Arthur's hand pretty much as soon as it lands, not stopping walking. He's probably going to go home, actually, but still.

"Thanks for your concern, Arthur. But I can handle myself."

[specifiercity]

"It's not your ability to handle yourself that's in question right now," Arthur says, keeping pace behind Eames.

[falsify]

"Well, Arthur, clearly it is." Eames says, rounding on him this time, because he wouldn't be so persistent if not for the inconvenience that Eames' death would be.

"But how about we compromise then," the way he says it isn't an offer, it's more like a statement of fact. This is what he'll be doing tonight. "I go home, have a drink or ten, and forget about this whole... Inconvenience." Reasonable, right, "then I return tomorrow and do what I came here for without you getting up my ass about it."

[specifiercity]

Arthur clenches his jaw and stares Eames down, unafraid. He knows Eames has magic and he's physically stronger than Arthur could ever be, but he's always had a habit of acting overconfident as a defense mechanism.

"You're a Lord now, it's not okay to act like this," he says, completely ignoring Eames 'compromise.'

[falsify]

It's amazing how Arthur has this skill for pissing him off, for picking the worst things to say at the worst possible times. Eames' lips twitch in a smile that doesn't meet his eyes, and he breathes a short laugh, astonished that this is what Arthur would choose to say to him right now.

"Let me be clear with you, mm? Crystal fucking clear." He drops his voice as he steps closer to Arthur, low and full of barely restrained venom, "you do not get to tell me what is and isn't okay."

[specifiercity]

Arthur doesn't move. "Someone has to," he says, his volume matching Eames'.

[falsify]

"Well unless you happen to have been crowned Unseelie King since the last time we spoke--" Eames backs up a step, turning again to go home because Arthur has thoroughly ruined this for him tonight. He's angry, yes, but not in the right way anymore. "You don't need to burden yourself with that responsibility."

[specifiercity]

Arthur hesitates a moment before he follows.

"You know, I'm not trying to piss you off," he says, still sounding annoyed despite what he's saying. He doesn't actually get off on making Eames mad - he really believes what he's saying and he's worried that Eames is being reckless.

[falsify]

"In that case it's amazing how good you are at it."

Is there an equivalent to soulmates, where instead of complimenting you perfectly they instead are just perfectly suited to driving you up the fucking wall? Maybe that's what Arthur is.

[specifiercity]

Arthur sighs as he continues to follow him. He's not sure how to get his point across, or whether his point is important at all.

"Is it so crazy that I might just not want you to die?"

[falsify]

"We've already established it'd be inconvenient for you," Eames replies quickly. It's not like he's hurt by it, but he's hardly concerned with what might make Arthur's life difficult down the line right now.

[specifiercity]

"You know what I mean," Arthur says sharply, looking up and down the street as he follows Eames. He has his gun on him, loaded with wooden bullets, but he has to be on guard when he's in vampire territory.

[falsify]

Arthur might be mollified a little if he cares to realise Eames is walking toward the nearest tube station, but then it may go back the other way when Eames scoffs at his statement.

"No, Arthur, I'm afraid I don't." He says tiredly, and annoyed, dragging a hand through his hair, "or am I supposed to believe we're friends now?"

[specifiercity]

"Aren't we?" he says, for once wondering why the idea of friendship is so taboo. He doesn't consider Eames a friend. He considers him many things other than friend, but maybe all those things add up to something like a friend, and either way Arthur doesn't want him to die on more than just a political level. Surely, it would be bad in this climate for the Lord of Autumn to die, but more than that Arthur would prefer that Eames didn't die.