After Dark

[Pig_catapult]

It was midnight, and Oia was almost invisible in her Shadow Cloak under the new moon. A thirsty vampire glanced her way, but didn't follow her. He knew better than to mess with someone of whom he couldn't tell the race, age, or type of weaponry they carried. For all he knew, it could be another, younger vampire, or worse, a vertically challenged vampire-hating vigilante from some other city. You never really knew in Ryal.

Oia picked a nearby drow's purse, and went on her way to a nearby vendor as she counted her money. She purchased a strange-looking black fruit. It was round, shiny, and encased in a tough shell covered in thorns, with a particularly large one sprouting from one side. She broke the long thorn with a fluid movement of the wrist, sniffed it, then brought it to her mouth and began to drink the pitch juice through her teeth, pausing to spit out a seed or three at someone every once in a while.

(OOC: How rude! )

[Dria]

Dria prowled the dangerous streets of Ryal City, her back straight and erect as she looked down her long nose on the various scum that passed her by. She walked without fear and brimming with a cool confidence, her icy eyes intimidating any stranger when she glanced at their pitiful forms. A smile brushed her crimson lips--she was on the hunt for blood tonight.

The streets were surprisingly busy this night, which suited her fine. A stranger mistakenly bumped into her as he passed, and she sent him flying to the side with a quick shove. She bypassed several more people, but she wasn't interested enough in the looks of them to want their blood. How sad this city was--maybe she should have gone to Ayla or Gryphon instead.

Suddenly, a small something hit the side of her cheek, which invoked an ugly scowl upon her smooth features. She watched the small seed drop fall to the ground. Spinning around, her eyes fixed on the culprit, which happened to be some cloaked stranger. Anger flooded through her as she retraced her footsteps and quickly caught up to the stranger. Without hesitation, she muttered a spell and aimed a powerful black jet of electricity at the stranger.

[Madness]

Such infinite beauty, so wasted upon the souls which currently walked right through it. Noone ever stopped to wonder at the stubborn tufts of half-dead, grime covered grass, that through all difficulties refused to stop growing even in the most used portions of the shadowy metropolis, Ryal City. Noone ever stopped to just look here or there, so wrapped up in their own paranoia and arrogance that they tread upon the grass, crushing it beneath padded sandals and iron-reinforced boots. Chrimeris stirred beneath Umbral's robes, making it appear as if a tentacle were growing out of the albino's chest. He had been listening in on every thought, as per usual.

"And if you weren't so damned lazy, we could scourge the whole lot of this place."

"Obnoxious little bastard..", the drow snarled under his breath, prodding his chest quite forcefully.

If it wasn't Chrimeris, it was his sword. The sibilant mutterings he had heard when his ungloved hand had first initiated contact with Kurotsuki had only multiplied over the years, growing into maddening whispers that erupted whenever he deigned to grasp the sil-wrapped hilt. It wouldn't bother him half as much if he could actually hear what they were saying, though. The elusive little blighters would shift the moment he heeded them, scuttling off into another corner of his mind.

In the few moments that he could stop wallowing in his own irritation, he noticed the world around him. Crouching in the shadowed muck beside a dessicated old tower, he swallowed few details, instead focussing on the general picture. It was late, and the damned city never slept. He was starved for sleep or Reverie as it was, and a bit hungover, but it was obvious no rest awaited him here. He should get back to camp.

"Oi, someone's preforming magic, and it doesn't seem like the wholesome sort. I can sense it, turn around you buffoon.", the black serpent snapped from somewhere around Umbral's shoulderblade.

Quick as lightning, his sickly yellow-irised eyes swiveled to take in the world around him. Some cloaked figure was spitting seeds upon random goers. Was it suicidal? Sooner or later it'd spit on the wrong being and end up dead or worse, and by the looks of one voluptuous vampiress, the latter would come sooner. A dark presence crackled around her palm; she clearly intended upon killing the offender. What fun!

[Pig_catapult]

Oia had been expecting something like this sooner or later. She just barely dodged, giggling to herself nonetheless. It wasn't often that she could play a game in her line of work, and the higher the stakes, the higher the fun. She waved one hand, and the remaining juice emerged from the fruit, then threw itself at the vampire when she flicked her wrist. Without pausing to see if the juice hit or not, she turned on her heel and ran, weaving through the crowd with long-practiced grace, but still trackable by the vampire -- and anyone else with exceptional night vision -- because of the inky blackness of her cloak standing out against the less inky darkness of the night. However, one none-too-kind individual stuck out his foot at the last second and tripped her, sending her sprawling to the ground, cloak flickering out of existence as her concentration broke.

[Madness]

A high-pitched, keening laughter erupted from deep in Umbral's throat, heightening even more as he realized the vampiress would surely catch up to the seed-spitter now. Which made him pause in apprehension as he glanced over.. what exactly was that creature?

Some sort of fox-thing? A shape-shifter caught inbetween forms? He had heard of anthros before, but had never actually seen on in all his years in Ria. This must be one of them. And more importantly, he had never seen one in combat. How lucky he was to have involved himself so easily! A simple extended foot, and he might get to have a little fun. The back of his cleverly constructed sandal was smudged with soil now, but it was a small price to pay. And know that he looked closer, he could see the tell-tall signs of the same cursed blood that ran through his veins--gently curved ears, skin almost as pale as his own, raven hair that extended far beyond the norm. She was at least part drow, was she? Even better.

Chrimeris was mumbling softly now, but the albino didn't even notice. One hand held Kurotsuki fast by the scabbard, the other alternatingly gripped and released. There was no telling what would happen.

[Dria]

Dria's face darkened when she found that she had missed. This foolish passerby was smarter than she had anticipated. She broke into a quicker pace, her long legs reaching out to cover more ground as to keep the wretch in her sight. When angered, she was not a woman to be messed with. Up ahead, the stranger flicked his or her wrist and sent some sort of liquid flying through the air. An angry hiss came from her red lips as she ducked, feeling bits of sticky wetness falling into her hair.

Suddenly, the food-spitting stranger disappeared from sight. Dria frowned as she rushed forward and found something that looked like some sort of sprite, except with a bushy tail and elvish ears. As she was examining the pitiful creature, she realized there was someone beside her. The vampire reared her head to look and made out a pale face and a set of glittering yellow orbs. She disregarded the man immediately and focused on the subject of her fury, the anthro sprawled on the grounds. Dria spit on the fallen creature and said, "you will pay for your impertinence, you miscreant."

[Pig_catapult]

(OOC: For the record, I totally suck at fight scenes. Just thought you should know.)

Oia rolled over onto her back and sat up, furious. She got to her feet quickly, glaring up at the vampire. By now, a group of passersby had stopped and gathered around to watch the events unfold. She waved her hand again, and the air suddenly got dryer as water vapor began to collect into a ball.

"Me? Pay? I don't think so," she said with a smirk. "You see, I've got this thing about paying for things... I don't like it."

"And I don't like it when my little girl starts picking fights with vampires!" a gruff male voice snapped. A dark-skinned drow was pushed aside roughly, and a tan blonde man with constantly shifting eyes stepped ino view.

"Um, ah, h-hello, Father..." Oia stammered, although it was obvious that he couldn't really be her father. They looked nothing alike, and he seemed to be a shapeshifter, which she was most probably not. Her eyes were both different colors, for one thing, and Halfling shapeshifters were practically unheard of. He began to walk toward her, and she threw her arms up to shield her face as he summoned a fireball to his hand, her concentration once again breaking and the orb of water dissapating back into the air.

[Madness]

"Well? What's it gonna be, you overgrown mosquito? Gonna let this spark-throwing munchkin get the best of you?", a deep, rumbling voice questioned.

Umbral couldn't help but bark out a laugh, even as he pressed forcefully upon his ribs, where Chrimeris was currently situated.

Decisions, decisions..it was doubtful the halfling, half-anthro, and vampire woman had become temporarily deaf, though they might not have heard the taipan, and it seemed as if all three of them commanded some magical power. Fire, Water, Shadow, Lightning? His best bet would be to aim for the pyromancer, as Shadow and Earth could be used to great effect against his flames. His mind made up, shut his eyes, focussing in the wellspring of power that broiled within his pale body. The bloodline ability of many drow, Darkness? Or the innate skill over Earth he had cultivated by himself over the years? Both.

A bulge beneath the right arm of his robe top deflated as the sand held in the hempen bag escaped. It whirled around him, the fine grains barely visible before they clung to his skin, making a thin armour.

One metallic hand and one of colourless flesh and black blood pressed together, forming a seal that made the shadows around his feet react. They quivered for a moment, shuddering before finally bowing to his will and swarming up his legs, scouring them clean of dust from the road and soil from his latest movement, before finally congealing around the tips of his blacksteel gauntlet's claws. Whatever powers they might command, whatever weapons they held, Serathil was prepared and quite confident.

[Dria]

She scowled as the jet black bolts ripped through air instead of flesh. Several onlookers stopped in their path as many narrowly missed the magic that went screaming into the night. Disliking the crowd's attention, the vampire bared her fangs at them, causing many to flinch and skitter quickly away. Scowling, Dria hissed turned on the girl with an angry gaze. Impatience rushed through her again as she looked upon the brat's face--she would give this girl exactly what she deserved.

Her blue eyes looked on without fear as a ball of water vapour formed in her offender's hands. What a joke! Did the girl think this was some water fight? Dria snorted as she continued glaring at the girl, daring her to attack.

Suddenly, a man's voice cut in, knocking some drow aside. Genuinely uninterested in whatever relation the man and the girl shared, her eyes turned to the dark elf, whose shadow seemed to be an oddly curious, moving shape. Dria stiffened as the years of experience told her that the man was casting a spell. Sure enough, the darkness shot up his body and wrapped itself around his dangerously sharp claws. Her icy blue eyes widened slightly, wondering what trick the dark elf was playing.

[Pig_catapult]

(OOC: For the record when I said that "Halfling shapeshifters were practically unheard of," I just meant that since Oia is obviously a halfling, she couldn't be the shapeshifter's biological daughter. Not that the man is a halfling. He's not.)

The man fisted his free hand in Oia's hair, pulling her up onto her tip-toes. "Stupid girl," he growled, holding the fireball dangerously close to her face. "You'll be sorry for this later." He dropped her and turned to the vampiress, letting the fireball dissapate. He smiled apoligetically. "I'm very sorry about my daughter's behavior, Ma'am," he said courteously. "I assure you, she will be punished." Noticing that oia was moving to sneak away, his hand darted out behind him and grabbed her hair again. "Stay put, girl!" he snarled at her.