View Single Post in: Story Time Contest: Hero Edition
#186
23rd Jul 2012 at 9:57 PM
23rd Jul 2012 at 9:57 PM
Posts: 22
Previously, our vampire hunter Suzanna butted heads with the mysterious 'company that she used to work for, and was faced with the consequence of her friend Bram being turned into one of the creatures that she hates. She now embarks on her quest of rescuing Bram. Today, that means stumbling through a party in a dress that's too short in the name of justice. Tomorrow it will be reconciling with the morality of the monster, but why ponder on that when one can storm a prestigious social event; it is simply not done.
Current Plot Point: Move Heaven and Earth
Previous Plot Point: The Cake was a Lie
Word Count: 2,000
CC Used: Yes
--
Something Suzanna Trench never did was go into a building without observing the weaponry inside. Even such a outwardly harmless building full of aristocrats is usually armed. If she knew the 'company' at all, she knew that they had friends in high places with high explosives -- her former employer made sure that their enemies knew that they could be destroyed in the blink of an eye. This building however didn't have a single gun in it. Just frilly dresses and primpy tuxes.
She shudders, that meant it was time to get into a frilly dress of her own. If she had her choice, she wouldn't be wearing such a thing at all; this wasn't her idea though: when she was a teenager, a 'friend', Valentina Victor, bought her a dress, expecting her to wear it. She wore it once for the influential daughter's benefit, then it reached the bowls of her dresser never to be seen again. Until now...
The grand doors opened for her as she shuffled in. She stiffened at the sheer amount of dancers on the floor. She was supposed to be in here!? With all of them?! She sighs, whenever I had to go to one of these things he would always have my back. She pauses, she had hardly thought about his vampirism at all in the last hours. Did it really change much?
Up in the rafters smugly stood her old mistress: Marie Victor. The woman beckoned her with her eyes and Suzanna could feel that she had the answers. The vampire hunter embarked up the stairs in her dress, feeling eyes on her buttock the entire way. Instead of the elder to greet her though, she met a burly twenty-something with a scowl.
There we go... Kicking butt is so much more fun.
"Keep moving girl, the mini bar is that way," he says condescendingly. Suzanna bristles.
"Oh really?" She was never one for catch phrases, instead she whips out her sword. The zone from which it came will remain classified at this point, as she had left her usual uniform of death outside and had to improvise greatly to get anything to fit on her person. Her blade hardly kissed the air before a second burly guy flew in behind her.
Inappropriate thoughts go though Suzanna's mind; mostly about skewers. A second person comes in behind her before she can even blink, there was a tostle that sent her to the ground.
It was hardly fair to be sneaked up so many times. This dress has officially hindered her it's way into the trash.
Bram! He seems to be handling his vampire speed nicely. Although he could have come at a better time. Such as on the dance floor for instance, but no, now he's going to think he's some sort of knight in shining armour. He didn't even know that she just couldn't defend herself right now. Oh boy. "It seems as though I've picked a good time to step in," he says cooly.
He moves closer, seeping unnatural confidence. He will need to be taught a lesson about that later on. He noted her silent glare, "The last time we went partying I remember you said 'Don't leave me here alone'. Did I pick a good time?" He paused, she didn't answer, "So what exactly are you up to here?" She grated her teeth, "Certainly not coming to save me right? I'm pretty sure I can handle myself." He said. She finally spoke in a scathing tone,
"I was coming to save you actually, you know I occasionally worry for your well being when you run off smoking in the sun." The smile finally comes off his face.
"Oh." He says. Ok, she felt a little sorry. "I can't tell you everything at the moment, but it involves me getting into that room and talking to some people. Now if you would stay outside and let me..." She was cut off
What insolence does the wretch preach to intervene on her plan?
"You?"
Oh, that insolence.
"I must be of some help when it comes to persuading... business people?" She had a deep wrath within that was willing to over look the 'rescue' part of the mission.
"I can handle myself!" She growled.
"In a little black dress." he interjects, very amused with himself at her expense.
The lights around them we dimming, meaning the dancing was done. "Yes, in a little black dress." Bram held back laughter. "Don't you say a word," She warns, her voice turning to ice, "And for the record, I didn't buy this outfit, it was a gift. Now look, I'll take you if you shut up and let me do the talking, got it?" She said. He seemed pleased.
"Done. Hey, perhaps I'll get to learn a bit about that mysterious past of yours."
He has spoken long enough, "Don't you go dissing my mysterious past!" She was this close to snapping her fingers in his face. Some atrocities should simply never be performed.
They walk casually into the drawing room. Defeating those guards before must have just been a preliminary precaution on their part to keep out the wrong people then, because if the company really wanted them out of the building, their butts would be on the street by now. Riding on some borrowed confidence, she observed the three figures waiting for them. It seemed as if one in particular was absent: Valentina. Not that Suzanna liked her all that much, but it was worth noting.
"I see you have finally come back to us, Suzanna." Marie addresses.
The rain outside reflected Suzanna's outlook towards her; it had swamped the party in the hot tub, forcing the patrons to flee like rats. Her half feral mind revelled in the chaos being caused. She growls, "I'm not coming back to you, I've come for answers."
Her enemy does not miss a beat of the anarchy swelling in her heart, "Very well. Ask away, we are friends here." She says flippantly.
Suzanna tempers her anger, noticing the confusion on Bram's face regarding the lady's words. "Why did you send that woman last night?" She asks, her teeth gritted.
"Well dear, I'm not sure who you're talking about." Marie says kindly, "Natalie, do you know what she's talking about? My memory might be fading after all these years."
Natalie responds with quick rehearsed words, "No mother." She turns to Suzanna, the gaze that she held was machine like. "Can you describe this intruder?"
Suzanna holds back her hellfire one more strenuous time, "She was a vampire, and she made him." He finger hung loosely at Bram as she braced herself for the downpour of emotional shrapnel about to explode from him. Surprisingly he only winced. Natalie replied.
"We don't deal with vampires here." One more automated response from this lady... "You have us pinned all wrong I'm afraid, we're merely an organization dedicated to the saf--"
"LIAR!" Suzanna yelled. The elderly one scoffed,
"Excuse me!" He lips flapped like a porpoise blowing bubbles.
"Don't any of you try to fool me! I know it all, the tricks, the front, everything. You people are behind this!" She raved. They might calls the guards on her for this one but she didn't care. Let them do it!
"You can prove nothing." The man on the couch said.
Suzanna cackled, feeling unhinged, "but there is something else isn't there,"
She narrowed in on the latest offender of her cause, "There is another plan isn't there! This is no isolated incident!" She shrieked. The crowd began to scorn her, their glares were boring into her, it was because she was cracking their plot! Her confidence was fortified, and she was about to attack them again but was cut off by a most unlikely source.
"Now, now, we don't have to be so hasty on these conclusions do we, Suzanna?" Bram said quickly. Speaking out of turn like the infidel that he is. His words had temporarily caused the attention of the room to fall on him. Suzanna seethes, he thinks he can play damage control.
"And what do you have to say about this, vampire?" The man spoke again, she could see his eyes line up on Bram like a bird of prey.
"I think we need to speak in more reasonable terms." Bram says cooly, taking the glares with surprising grace, as if he knew what he was doing. His attacker goes on,
"Terms? I'm not sure what terms you people are talking about, if any, it seems as though you simply decided to barge into our home and question us like prisoners. I, for one, will not be held captive in this house and I will evict you all right now. Do you want to be evicted?"
It's official, Bram has caused more trouble than what he's worth. Suzanna briefly considers knifing him for the good of the mission, though she doubted these people would appreciate blood on their fine rugs.
"No, I want answers." He says evenly. The man glares at him.
Natalie softly disparages "Jacob," He moves like he is waking from a sleep.
"Not if I feel like I'm being interrogated you don't." He says pointedly, Bram takes it in stride and responds:
"Good, you won't be, I'm just wondering about the operations of your... company."
"Well get on with it then, I don't have all day."
Bram sighed in partial relief, "Can you go into detail about them?" He asked. Jacob looked at him with a raised eyebrow and sighed.
"No." He answered shortly, then continued with a professional tone. "Most of what we do is for clients and it remains confidential as per our agreement with them. What I can tell you though, is that we offer specialized security to those who think that their personal security has been compromised."
"Does this involve murder?"
Jacob's eye twitched, "Never."
Bram looked at him, trying to penetrate him with his eyes. "I think we're done here." He said. Suzanna almost flipped him across the room.
"What do you mean we're done here?!" She hissed.
He looked back at her, "I mean that I don't have anymore questions. Unless you want to screech at them some more, I think I've heard enough." he whispered, then turned back to the inner circle. "Thank you for your time."
"Don't come back." Jacob said in a miffed tone. His mother scolded him,
"Oh Jacob, that temper of yours. Good bye Suzanna, Bram." She said. Natalie waved elegantly as well.
The duo left the room. When they were safely outside Suzanna nearly screamed at Bram.
"What were you doing, I had things under control and I told you not to talk to them!" She said in one garbled heap. Her fury knew no bounds now, he had crossed a line; he crossed her path while she was on the job. While that job wasn't her usual cup of tea, it was still work, and he had intruded on her when she had things under control.
"Oh you so did not have things 'under control' I god us out of there before we were kicked out." He said, his voice showing some irritation now. "Besides, I got what we needed to know."
She was ready, he was going to die now. "And what was that?"
"They're just a security organization! He wasn't lying to us! They didn't have anything to do with... me."
She groaned. "That tells me nothing!"
Bram suddenly stiffened up. Suzanna noticed and swiveled backwards, the same eyes as the man inside looked back at her: Valentina.
"Hi Suzie," She says. Said 'Suzie' bristled, this was the same spoiled brat wannabe friend that turned Suzanna into her overgrown barbie doll for her own amusement. She was probably here to do the same again.
"Helle Valentina." She said slowly. Bram nodded to her.
"I have some information that you might want to know regarding a plot..."
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I'll take the penalty! This chapter has the exact right amount of words and I'm tired of being stifled by an upper limit. 300 more words is not a big deal in my opinion.