Chapter Three - Predator and Prey - Walter Dowell
I was sitting at my desk at the 32nd Precinct, pondering what I had to do, something I didn't particularly want to do.
I'm not sure how useful I'll be against someone who doesn't follow vampire law. She doesn't even break human laws, not yet at least. Still, I've been tasked with doing something to rid this city of Asuya or it would be my hide and so far, I've got nothing. I wouldn't be a good detective if I didn't have a lead or two. I've watched Asuya since she got here and I do know that someone took her company from her, someone that didn't know what she is until recently and now that information is in their hands, they might do something reckless and force her hand. Bobby Gambini isn't one for subtlety so I know he will do something loud to try and get rid of Asuya which would only piss her off. Sure, humans haven't caught him yet in any of his extra-curricular activities, because they don't have senses like kin or whatever Asuya is, but I've seen men like Bobby fall. His father did and he's on an even more dangerous path than his old man.
I'm caught between a rock and a hard place here. On one hand, I'm kin and I have to do what my Master tells me to do, but on the other hand, I'm a detective and I have to keep this city safe, even from my kind. That said, I have to stop Bobby from doing something reckless, like say... hire a supernatural being to try and kill Asuya? I know that's what he's going to do, because I was outside his window when he said it. I was blending in with the shadows, keeping myself flat against the wall near his office outside---yes I was floating above is men patrolling outside, when I heard him say what he was going to do. Now that I'm back at my desk, I had a few choices to consider... let it play out and endanger the great citizens of New York, or...
I found myself outside of Asuya's hotel room. She was not an easy woman to track, but I have a particular skill that keeps me useful to my Master and his Master and---well, you get the idea. It did take me a few hours to find her, but I did. I could hear two people in that room, which made the hairs stand on end. That... shouldn't happen to undead, but it always happened when I got near Asuya.
Suddenly, the door opened and Asuya was standing right there in a robe that really accented her tight body that had contrasting ridiculous curves that should not've been possible. I was flabbergasted and couldn't speak for the moment! I saw a man behind her, one with the same type of eyes she has. Now there are two of them!
Asuya spoke first, "Well hello, Detective Dowell, is there something I can do for you?" Always so polite, even if she hates my kind. I think I built up a bit of a rapport with her, even if she probably thinks I'm annoying.
"Asuya, I have to tell you something, warn you even." It was weird saying that considering what I knew about her thus far. She was way stronger than kin and what I was sensing from her brother, he was stronger than even her! She stared at me and smiled a bit, before asking, "Warn me you say? I will humor you... warn me about what exactly?" I gave a sigh and gestured to step inside. I looked like a detective from the fifties: dark-brown trench coat, matching fedora with a red band, white dress shirt, a red tie with a mosaic design pattern, black dress slacks and black dress shoes---shoes that I made sure were comfortable as I had a lot of footwork being a kin detective'n all. I let myself in, only when she gave me enough room to get past her and her ample chest. Once inside, I tipped my hat to the man sitting there and put it on the hat rack that wasn't there, which made me do a double-take. It fell to the floor, so I picked up my hat, dusted it off and took off my coat as well, sitting both on the chair nearby the man sitting there. He was staring at me with curiosity, but I could feel simmering violence coming from him or maybe that was just a feeling prey get from predators. These---whatever they are---did not like undead, that much was for certain. I sat down on Asuya's bed---I knew it was hers, because it smelled like her---while she sat on her brother's bed. Her brother was sitting in the other chair, not occupied by my things. Asuya always seemed amused and chipper, but not sarcastically so, something I enjoyed whenever I saw her.
"Asuya, I'm gonna make this quick. Bobby is going to find someone supernatural to try and rid you of this city. I'm telling you this so you can be prepared and not damage this city with a battle that would reveal kin and whatever you are, alike," I explained, looking at her with an earnest expression. I was a bit different than other kin. Most lost a great deal of their humanity, but I kept most of mine. This was an odd thing, but useful to my Master.
"Sil. We are called Sil, Detective Dowell," she commented.
"Please, call me Walter. We've known each other quite a while, Asuya. First names should have been earned by now... right?"
She stared at me for a long moment, a growing smile filling the beautiful features of her face, before she looks to her brother. I'm still assuming that was her brother, but there were tell-tale signs.
He spoke up. "And why don't we just annihilate them and be done with it?"
I frowned. "Because that is not how we do things in the human world. Killing on that scale would reveal us all." I looked to Asuya now and stared at her. "You've been pristine in your behavior when it comes to everything up until now, Asuya. You don't want to ruin that and reveal the supernatural world to the humans, do you? Sure, there are rumors of kin running around and things, but they are just rumors and will stay that way if we work on that. Dracula's kin haven't done anything beyond---"
Asuya cut me off and said, "Dracula's kin haven't done anything beyond feeding from humans occasionally and taking from blood banks, because you do not know where he is. If he came back to lead you, the humans would need someone like me to stop him."
She was right. Dracula was a serious unknown in terms of motive, but knowledge of him was common. He was ravenous when it came to feeding the monster within and impaled very publicly to show his might.
I found myself staring at Asuya's neck and collarbones, a potent distraction. What a beautiful woman... she couldn't have come from human stock like us kin. No, she was something else. "Asuya, while that is speculation, I suppose you are accurate," I said, doing anything to distract myself and failing---though not miserably!
She spoke again, "And what of this Master Venerick? How come he was not told of my presence and to leave me be? I almost ended his long life. He caused many of his clan to be killed, because he decided to do something foolish."
That was the first I've heard of it! Damn. "Uhhh, he's new. He came from somewhere in Europe. I'm glad you didn't kill him and cut him some slack..."
"If he seeks revenge like Bobby seems to want? There will be chaos in this city and I do not know how all of that will be covered up," she says, her Englishwoman accent ringing clear.
I frowned again and looked to her bed for a moment. "You're right," I said without looking up. "I'm sure the colony council will make sure he knows the deal, Asuya. Master Venerick is a bit... pompous... he's use to the old ways of us being the predators and drinking his fill."
Asuya changed the subject with a question. "Why are you so different than the rest of Dracula's kin? Why are you so... human in nature?" I looked up and she was sitting right next to me, which would have made me flinch and perhaps even rush towards the door, but she... smelled so good! I was stunned as I just stared at her. Her brother seemed quite amused at my reaction which made me scoff at him a little. "I don't know..." I answered honestly. "The rest of the kin hate me for it and a lot of them envy me."
It seemed "make this quick" was not happening. I found myself lured in like a fly in a beautifully spun web. I had to get out of here, before I lost my marbles!
Asuya broke the awkward silence. "I'm afraid there is no getting around Bobby's death, Walter. He's going to attack me by hiring someone that he thinks will match me and you know what he's like. He'll join in as well, using his men. You and your kin will have to cover this up like it was a organized crime war."
She was right again. Bobby was a loose cannon, one we knew was going to cause chaos if provoked and it seemed Asuya's mere presence did just that. The thing is? She is justified in this. I don't condone murder, but Bobby has done a lot worse to the citizens of this city and did something real stupid when he stole Asuya's wine company, the Valentian Distilleries. She was named Mistress of Crimson Elegance in most wine magazines, due to the success of her company specializing in only red wines way back in the first World War. She laid low after a suitable time a human would live, staying out of the lime-light during World War II, I believe though there were rumors to the contrary. She let people like Harold White and his father take over as CEO while she stayed back, doing whatever she was doing. That was a lot of hard work. I should know, I was tasked with following her since the seventies.
"Asuya... while ridding the city of the Gambini Family would be nice, you know the fallout would be terrible. It would put eyes on this city. Every crime family across the nation would want to know what happened to them," I explained. She might've known the fallout already, but I had to say it. I paused as I saw her mulling it over in her head, the first time I've seen such an adorable face... pensive. I wanted to caress it and kiss her passionately, but that was just a---she looked up at me as if she read my mind! She was blushing! I swallowed and stood up, going for my coat and hat, before I did something stupid and stayed any longer. After my coat and hat were affixed right on my person, I looked at her brother. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name, big guy." He was much bigger than me. I'm only around six feet while he had at least a foot over me, maybe a little less. The guy was jacked too, not in that bodybuilder sort of way, but in that fighter sort of way. He stood up and actually went to shake my hand. "Kiname," he said as if answering the hidden question in my statement. "Nice to meet you, Kiname," I said as I shook his hand, feeling like a mouse shaking a lion's paw... "Please, keep her out of trouble. Maybe I'll get the colony council to handle Bobby for you, Asuya. We can't have him go crazy in this city with his wild antics, antics that may have worked before with the humans, but now he's going too far. It has been revealed to him that there is a supernatural side of existence and he's going to use that and make things much worse. I'll be back with news, so please, try not to act until I'm back, yeah?"
"Okay," Asuya says, staring at me with a softer stare than she ever had before. I think after all of this time watching her, I'm falling for her. It was even more surreal that her brother, Kiname wasn't even stepping in the way. Can a mouse really love a lioness and vice-versa? Either way, I had to get back, because the sun was about to rise.
Chapter Three - Predator and Prey - Bobby Gambini
I got one'na my tech goombas ta do ah little diggin' in the deep web. We had ta find someone dat can rid dis city---my city... of dis broad. She's ah wild card dat I don't like in my business. Oh we found someone alright. We found dis Chinese Assassin troupe called da "Ghost Spear", somethin' I will not try to pronounce in Chinese. My tech guy told me they were some sort of hopping vamps and I don't know what dat means, but it sounds like they could do da job. Dey get ridda her and I can go back ta business as usual.
It did not take long for dem ta get here in da mornin'. My men met'em outside and they were wearin' some sorta dark veils over there faces, veils dat went all da way down to their ankles. Prolly ta keep da sunlight offa dem. There was dis small li'l girl one, two big fellas and a medium sized guy there. Dey came inside and met me in my office. My men had all kinds'ah weapons trained on dem just in case they tried anything stoopid.
Da li'l girl spoke up first. "...Humans? It seems the supernatural are no longer hidden in this city," she says in some sorta irate tone. I had ta set dis li'l broad straight. "Nah. Dat ain't how it is. Only da Gambini Family knows uh you supernatural spazzatura." I called'em "garbage" right to their face and dey didn't even know it! Dey didn't have any uh dem smartphones ta check either. Da li'l broad stared at me for a moment. Did she know what I said? Notta chance... right? "And you say you have someone of great power that we need to destroy?" she asked as if we already didn't give'er da business before she got here.
I took a moment to look dem over as they slowly removed their veils. Dey looked... pretty good for undead, purple skin and red eyes wit no whites in their eyes. Kinda spooky, but yeah, dees guys should take dis Asuya broad out, f'sure. Dey had dees dark blue Chinese outfits wit their Chinese hats wit dees yellow danglin' thingies from da hats. Da li'l broad had two li'l knives, maybe small swords, da two big fellas had big weapons: One had a huge spear lookin' thing and da other had dis huge spiked club lookin' thing. The medium sized guy had dis longer sword.
"Y'see, there's dis woman called Asuya. I want her finito. I want her dead. Gone. Demolished! MURDERED!" I got madder the more I thought about dis broad! Da li'l broad raised her right hand in a haltin' motion and said, "We understand Mister Gambini. As long as you have what we are asking, you will get what you want."
I snapped my fingers ta one uh my big goombas and dey handed da li'l broad da case of five-hundred thousand big ones, fuggedabahdit. Da li'l girl took da case and carried it like it weighed nothin'. "Do you have our accommodations, Mister Gambini?" she asks. I nodded and shouted out, "Eyyo VinNY! Show dem to their accommodations. T'night is gonna be a night ta remember!"
Chapter Three - Predator and Prey - Walter Dowell (yes, again)
This was bad. I got a beat on suspicious cargo that landed at the LaGuardia Airport and since it was daytime, I couldn't get out there to stop it, so I called Asuya's room. She answered, "Hello?" She's so sweet, but I had to focus! "Asuya, I got a beat on some sort of Chinese coffins that were flew in and kept on the down-low. Bobby owns this airport, unofficially. I think they are the assassins coming for you tonight, Asuya. Is there any way you can take the fight to the Moose River Plains Wild Forest or somewhere else that you can fight them without drawing attention?"
There was a pause on the phone, so I asked, "Asuya?"
She answered this time, "Alright. I think those are jiangshi, Walter." I didn't know what that was, but I would find out as soon as I left this call. "Can you take them?" I asked with a bit of worry in my tone.
There was another pause, then she spoke again, "Walter, don't worry about me. I'm a little more worried about you if you get involved. Dracula's kin are strong, don't get me wrong, but jiangshi are... dangerous even for you. Energy vampires. Kiname and I will handle this, okay? Don't worry about me. You just keep yourself safe as you are rare for a vampire."
Was... did she care about me? Like that? I could hear it in her tone! I gulped, before I answered, "I'll be fine. I'll just do normal detective work. Call me when you finish."
"Okay," she said in answer with that sweet tone of hers. I wanted to kiss the damn phone! "Until then..." I said, before we both hung up. I sat there at my desk at Master Thais' sun-proof home, staring at my planner and just... sat there. I knew she was aware of me when I watched her from the seventies until now, but this? I did not expect this, but I could feel it. I love Asuya and it kinda hurt to be away from her. Was it really good for me to have so much humanity? Suddenly, I couldn't wait to be awarded the rare "Moonlight Ring" that only a few of us got to wear, a magic ring made for us to walk in the daylight for around four hours.
I remembered I'm also still tasked with ridding the city of her eventually, something I will tell her as soon as I could. Until then, she had more important matters to attend to.