A Parallel Journey

[Evangeline Carter]

“FREE-BIRD!”

~For the love of--~

“FREE-EE-EE-BIRD!”

“Will you shut the #$%& up?!” This from the mouth of David Harlem, Vampire Slayer. Murderer for Hire. Exterminator of all large, blood-sucking vermin. Let the world try and find a politically correct term for that trade.

“Free-bird?” The man on the bar -- yes on -- gazed down at David, head cocked at a curious angle, from across the room.

“How d’you even know that song?” The bewildered man turned his face away, grimacing. This new acquaintance, known to David as ‘Drunkard on Bar’, was quite tipsy, lacking coverings of the trouser variety. “Can’t you put your damned pants on, old man?” David was more than a little bitter that Drunkard on Bar had been blessed with the opportunity to get thoroughly smashed but David himself had been forced to abstain.

That was the price of traveling with passengers. Everyone was so very paranoid about blood-alcohol levels.

Especially with ladies.

“Come on out of there already,” he addressed the door to the ladies room -- solidly locked -- and gave it a good thump with his closed fist. “Rest stop’s over.”

“FREE-BIRD!”

“Shut up old man!" Back to the door. " --There are other places to eat on the way, Red.” The nickname he’d awarded the girl for those fiery ringlets. “--And if I don’t see you in thirty seconds--”

“FREED-BIRD!”

“--I’m gonna be eating at one of them by myself!” He pounded the door again. The boy was cranky and impatient to move on.

[Kale Allerion]

MariAnne sighed loudly, David's impatience starting to grate on her nerves. "I'm almost done!" she replied, flushing the toilet and unlocking the door to the unsanitary, foul-smelling stall.

I don't want to be here anymore than you do, David, MariAnne thought, running hot water over her hands - the soap dispenser was empty, much to her displeasure. But you don't need to nag me. She hated being rushed. It made her nervous.

But then again, she couldn't exactly complain either. Impatient as David was, he was doing her a huge favor. That fact in mind, she put herself in a better mindset and walked out of the bathroom to meet the anxious slayer.

[Evangeline Carter]

"Eyes on the floor," he advised curtly, in light of Sir Pantless, still perched on the bar calling out for songs no one knew how to play any more. The boy's hands went instantly to his pockets, assuming his defenses as his head ducked. The trench-boat he wore was long, the leather lined well to keep out the cold and trap the heat of his body as they headed for the exit of the establishment, where the winter would -- again -- greet the two of them.

"Fall in or somethin'?" There was no possible way of discerning how much malice there was behind the jab. After all, there was yet to be confirmed if David -- young for a human, old for a slayer -- had any thing left of a sense of humor.

He shot a nasty look to a pair of loungers who followed them with their glassy eyes, his callused fingertips darting to touch the shock of pink hair above his temple, nearly hidden within all the brown. More nervous, it seemed, when there was no danger than when he actually had a reason to be looking over his shoulder.

[Kale Allerion]

"Sorry," MariAnne said timidly, unsure of whether David was angry or joking. It was so hard to judge his character. "I tried to go fast."

Although David's intense personality made her uneasy, MariAnne felt safe here with him there. Even now she couldn't believe that she'd accepted a ride with this strange, dangerous slayer. Accepting a ride from a stranger in New Haven period was pure folly, but so far this man had protected her.

"So..." she said quietly, pulling her wild, rain-soaked curls into a ponytail. "Where to now?"

[Evangeline Carter]

"Well," David squinted at the cold air hit them, gazing out into the parking lot. The guiding lights had been nearly engulfed by this on-coming snow storm. It had been planning on his part, admittedly, to embark on this particular venture. Going where they were was ill-advised and dangerous enough without the benefit of a clear, clean road.

"I talked to... One of the big guys..." There was really no distinction. "--He said there was a diner about a mile down the road from here. You can put some dry clothes on there." He didn't feel he needed to elaborate upon why the woman shouldn't change in the bathroom of a biker-bar filled with bored men. Evidently, the man did not yet know MariAnne's capabilities. "And we can get something to eat that hopefully won't crawl off the plate."

The snow was of that miserably heavy and wet variety. He had only avoided becoming as soaked as she because of the trench-coat. "Last stop for the next four hours, at least." They were still in New Haven, technically, but the highway they were following would soon take them far outside the city limits and into darker places.


ooc: My brief synopsis:

Both of our characters have lost people close to them by kidnapping. Though the chances are slim that either are still alive, it's what keeps them going, right? So there's been word of a place where the blood-trade (blood-slave trade) is in heavy circulation, and if ever our two heroes wanted revenge on the vampires who tore their lives apart, this is the place they'll probably find said blood-suckers.

Now, we both know what a genial personality David has. You can guess how easily he keeps friends in the slaying business. This is dangerous and he knows better than to do it alone, and he likes MariAnne, on some distant, irritated level, so he's asked her if she'd like to go.


--And now I must fly away to work. **Runs off with wax-wings**

[Kale Allerion]

MariAnne nodded, looking forward to changing out of those soaking clothes. She envied David his trench-coat, and mentally kicked herself for not having brought a heavier jacket.

Inside David's beat-up car, she watched the snow fall in thick, heavy clusters. Her brow furrowed in displeasure and she willed the snow to turn back into rain.

It wasn't long before she could take no more. The sight of snow brought back awful memories.

Memories of that man, with skin whiter than the snow that surrounded him.

Memories of how he'd taken the dearest person in her life at such a young age.

She turned away from the window and directed her attention toward David. She put on a brave face and pushed the memories behind her.

"So," she began, just trying to make distracting conversation. "How long have you been a slayer?"

[Evangeline Carter]

There was pause as the words fell between the two. David was focused on the road, unblinking, and then, "... Ten, eleven years, maybe. Only a couple months in New Haven." The falling snow was hypnotizing. One had to be careful about not becoming all too enraptured with the flakes. "You seem new." New meaning inexperienced. Innocent. Incompetent, even.

Yet he'd asked her on this excursion.

As an after-thought, he side-glanced. "No offense." He wore his thoughts on his sleeve, and he didn't fancy the concept of a long ride and a miffed female.


ooc: To be certain, I'm not under the slightest impression that your character is incompetent. David's just a biased, jerkish individual, and it's like him to make such assumptions.

[Kale Allerion]

MariAnne laughed nervously. "None taken," she said. "You're right. I'm very new. That little incident in the alley the other day was my first attempt at slaying."

MariAnne remembered the fearful face of the young girl who'd been trapped in the hands of a rogue vampire. "I was just...angry." She anxiously twirled a strand of her hair, feeling that familiar mixture of sorrow, fury, and pure adrenaline that had forced her into action that night. "Acted on impulse."

He probably thinks I'm stupid, she thought, feeling warmth rise to her pale cheeks. He's so experienced, and the only reason he winded up meeting me was because of my own idiocy.

But why was she here with him tonight, then?

I'll never understand this guy.

OOC: Oh, don't worry. I understand! And it's not like my character has given him any reason to believe her competent, anyway. At least, not yet! ^_^

[Evangeline Carter]

“Not a bad way to start off,” came the muted reply. “Haven’t met many slayers who started off because it made them happy.” He snorted -- laughter? -- and added gruffly. “Who lived to brag about it, any way. Find it hard to believe, though, that you coincidentally had one of those” he pointed to his guns, which lay in its holster on the seat between them, “--and just decided to try your hand at it.” He hoped. He was feeling this situation out -- rethinking the decision of inviting the supposed slayeress along for this trip.

[Kale Allerion]

By now, David's poor opinion of MariAnne was evident. Geez, if he doesn't like me, then why the heck did he bring me?! she wondered again.

"Oh, it's not like that!" MariAnne said, holding up her hands in something like defense. "I do know how to shoot...sort of. My Dad taught me, but I'm not very good. I'm better with martial arts." Just to assure that he understood she wasn't completely helpless, she added. "I'm a black belt, in fact."