surprising events (yo, Trin! Over here!)

Trin settled back into the couch more comfortably as she watched him deal with the cuffs. A small smile tugged at her lips - she wasn't surprised he managed them by himself.

She accepted the beer and studied him. 15 minutes ago she could have sworn he wanted to just get this done and over with and her out of his house. This was probably the first good thing to happen tonight - it meant the bond was taking hold. She doubted he'd ever be exactly compliant - but around her, he should how a certain degree of restraint. In fact, if this was going the way she hoped, by this time tomorrow, he'd treat her like a trusted equal. Which would be downright perfect, for both of them. Or at least she hoped that would happen. She really wanted this bond to be ally level - she had no desire to supplant his personality with a mindless idiot. Ick.

"Thank you, but I think I'll live." She touched her head, not surpised that a bit of blood came away on her fingers. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a silk handkerchief which she used to wipe at the small scrape. "Should be just fine in a few hours. By tomorrow night there won't be a mark."

She took a long drink from the bottle - not top quality, but nice and cold.

"I can answer some questions now if you'd like. There are some things I need to wait to answer til tomorrow night, but if you want to know anything now, I'll tell you what I can."

Steve had one question burning in his mind: How in the world do you kill a vamp? But, out of respect for Trinity, he toned things down. He still took a tactical approach. After all, it was best to know what one was dealing with. "Well, tell me about yourself, since you probably know everything interesting to know about me." He figured that this was the best route, since they were supposed to be "friends," or at least allies. Besides, should this go south, his best bet was to know his enemies as well as they did themselves.

(ooc: Gotta bounce, catch ya tomarrow!)

Well, there was a loaded question. And not the one she expected.

"No, I wouldn't say I know everything interesting there is to know about you." Like why this need he had to have a gun nearby. Or where the scar came from. Or what his case was about that got him mixed up with vampiers in the first place. Or whatin the name of all the gods he thought he was doing becoming a familiar to a vamp he hardly knew. Of course, she could turn that one around on herself as well.

"I'm the youngest of three sisters. My father owned a sugar plantation before his death. It's still in the family - or was the last time I bothered to check. I go back regularly to visit." There was a time when she could tell you exactly where all the descendents of her family were. She stopped bothering when the numbers go too high to be practical. Prolific bunch they turned out to be. "I play the guitar, talk to cats and garden to relax." She grinned, wondering if he'd take the cat part seriously or think she was just nuts. BJ would get a kick out of messing with this one. Damn cat. "I was born June 21st and I enjoy climbing buildings and racing across rooftops."

All of which was true - and none of which really told him a damn thing.

"Yourself?"

Steve cocked his head at the cat thing, but made no other indication that he was skeptical. He listened as she finished telling her tale and then asked him about himself. He smiled, looking an old photo on the mantle. It showed three children: a short, skinny girl with long brown hair, a taller boy with an odd grin, and a tall blonde girl with a kind face. A single tear came to his eye as he looked at his late sister's face. Damn, it had been a long time. He looked back at Trin, blinking the tear away. "Well, I grew up on a ranch in Idaho, joined the Air Force after high school, got shot down over Kuwait, kicked ass until Nikki started having problems and Ashley was murdered, then I went to the police academy, moved to Nachton, and got my sorry ass bit by what I thought was a damn co-ed. I shoot, hunt, fish, and kill things. Thats my life in a nutshell." He grinned as an afterthought. "Now that I told you, I gotta kill you," he said, fingering his weapon.

(OOC: He's joking, don't go all medieval on me here!)

Trin stood so she could better see the photo he had looked at while telling her the bare bones of who he was. His concern of the night before for his sister made more sense now, knowing he had already lost one. She studied the picture, allowing him a bit of privacy in which to pull himself back together.

Multi-talented. That about summed it up. The more she thought about the why of doing this, the more she understood her knee-jerk reaction to wanting him as a familiar. There were few humans who would have been able to track that vampire last night - much less been quick enough to keep up in order to see where he bolted. Tenacious - to the point she knew he'd give her regular headaches. But weighed in the balance, she felt he'd be worth the effort.

"Co-ed, hmm?" She glanced over her shoulder, grinning. "I've worked hard for that image - trust me, there are serious downsides to looking like a teenager for eternity. The rest sounds like fun though - I prefer to be active myself. Never much cared for guns, though. Maybe it's the smell."

She turned to face him full on, looking up into his eyes. "I suppose we should make a few things clear, just to make sure that you survive this experience and are able to take advantage of the benefits. Once the third bite happens, you will technically be a member of my clan - though, to be honest, a rather minor one." She sighed, doubting he'd like this part. "Actually, you'll technically be my property - though it's not a concept I necessarily agree with. I prefer to consider you something of a partner and a responsibility. If by some fluke you trip over other vampires - and that is entirely possible in this city - it would be best that once your certain that you let them know you're spoken for. For the most part, it gives you a degree od protection against them. If you offer yourself up as a snack, there's not a damn thing I can do to protect you is things go haywire."

Steve listened to her warnings. Her property, eh? Well, it was nothing new. After all, he had been a soldier, and when you pick up that gun and get on that bus to hell, you became a disposable hero, used to do Uncle Sam's bidding.
The part about other vampires also came as no real surprise. After all, how could they not be hiding in the shadows? He just hoped the found a way to kill them efficiently, and fast, too. Especially since he was trying to kill one. He eyed up Trinity. Damn, she was pretty. And good with that nose of hers, apparently. Didn't like the smell of guns, eh? Then she had damn well stay out of his basement. He grinned. "I'm just as deadly with a gun as without, but I like the convenience of being able to take people out from a distance. I'll see about something to mask the scent." True, C.Q.C. had been one of his strong points in the military, and he loved a good fight, but a gun gave him comfort, made him feel safe. Soldiers were that way a lot. Now, however, all he wanted was to rest. "Hey, I'm kinda beat. You got anything else you need me for?"

(If you decide to leave, then my next two posts will reflect that, so we shouldn't get reamed by admin!)

Well that was a surprise. Trin hadn't expected that he'd bother with covering the smell of the guns, though there were other reasons it might not be a bad idea. She didn't have a clue how one might do that though. Maybe Toby had some ideas. "Don't worry about the guns on my account. It's a preference thing, not a deal breaker!" She grinned at him then grew concerned when he expressed being tired.

"Unless you need anything else, I think we're done for the night."

Standing gracefully, she went into the kitchen to put the beer bottle in the sink, since she hadn't a clue whether he was the recycling type and she'd hate to tick him off over something so minor as throwing away an empty beer bottle. Returning to the kitchen, she slipped her hands in her slack pockets and fingered the hilt of the dagger strapped to her leg through the non-existent lining.

"You have my number if you have any problems or need anything." She gave him a mock glare. "And I expect you to use it." She winked to let him know she was teasing - well, mostly.

Part of her felt an urge to touch him in farewell, which confused the daylights of her. It had to be an effect of the bond that was forming. "Same time and place tomorrow?"

(there are times you scare me. seriously. out!)

"You got it. See you then, I guess." For some reason, Steve got a vibe that something troubled her, but maybe that was himself that he was picking up on. As Trin left, Steve watched the vampire go with an odd mix of loneliness, dread, and anger. Perhaps this would make sense in the morning.

At about noon that day, Steve had gotten a call from work, saying that he was needed somewhere tonight. So he had left a message with the time and place for, dinner, to joke, on Trin's voicemail. He just hoped she didn't get to freaky tonight, 'cause this one might end bad, even wthout the co-ed looking vampire tagging along...

(Steve out)


(lock please)