The black haired woman gracefully made her way through the crowds, her long hair flowing around her. Her gown swirled around her legs, her eyes sweeping the people searchingly, looking for something undefined. "Hello, m'lady," the woman's voice was like honey as they stood by the torches, the fire light flickering over them. "Princess," Heather turned to look at her, bowing her head slightly in respect to the noble, but there was no submission in her eyes. The Princess simply smiled back, her own red hair shining in the dim light. "You are the talk of the court," she pointed out in a husky purr, "I think your actions will keep all our gossips busy for the next few months." "My apologies," Heather said to her wryly, "I was unaware that the two noblewomen I visited had lacked discretion." "I almost expected you to deny the rumors," the Princess looked amused. Heather shook her head. "Denying such things merely fuels the gossips," she said, "I'd rather pull their teeth with the truth." "Impressive," the Princess acknowledged. She reached out to rest a hand on Heather's arm, "I was wondering... if I could confirm the stories are true?" Heather gave her a searching look as she asked warningly, "Are you sure you wish to be the subject of the gossips?" "I do not fear rumors," the Princess laughed. "We'll see," Heather reached out to stroke her cheek once, then moved off into the near darkness of the hall. Out of the corner of her eye Heather saw the woman who was her true target, and with unerring accuracy she moved in. The serving girl finished collecting the pieces of a broken mug then the brown haired girl looked up, seemingly sensing the other woman's arrival. "M'lord," she squeaked out, her dark eyes wide with surprise. "Carrie," Heather nodded, "it's been a long time." She wasn't offended that Carrie didn't recognize her, her formal manner and fine clothes were extremely different than how she had looked visiting the girl's family. "Aunt Heather?" Carrie blurted, looking up at her in shock. Nor was Heather actually the girl's aunt, but all of the children in the family had come to call her that over time. "Your mother is worried about you," Heather said to Carrie softly, "she asked me to go look for you." Carrie started to head towards the kitchen with the broken mug in hand, Heather following closely like a stalking cat. "How did you find me?" Carrie asked her after they found a quiet corner in the busy room. "There weren't many places I thought you could go," Heather said dryly. "This was one of a few noble keeps near the village that needed servant girls." "I guess I wasn't as clever as I thought I was," Carrie admitted, the shapely younger woman tugging nervously at the rough wool of her servant's dress. "In truth I wouldn't have expected you to make it here," Heather conceded. She fixed Carrie with a intense look, "Why did you run away?" "Mother is working so hard taking care of us," Carrie said softly, "I don't want to add anything more to her burden." "It's not a burden for her," Heather pointed out to her gently. "Either way," Carrie met her eyes with determination, "I want to help her." Heather studied Carrie, weighing her words and the strength of her will. "I can't make you go home," Heather finally conceded, "but... be careful, little one. This court is a dangerous place, even for someone who is just a servant." "I'll be careful, Auntie," Carrie flashed a smile. "An' don't be calling me that, either," Heather chuckled warmly, "I'll ne'er hear the end of it." "I'll try," Carrie promised. "Do that," and with an eerie degree of silence Heather was gone. Heather firmly shook away the memories of the past, meeting the bartender's eyes directly as she asked, "What do you mean, missing children?" Carter nodded grimly, his short brown hair streaked with gray as he wiped the top of the bar off. "There's been a few street kids who used to haunt this place, but they've all dropped out of sight," he said gruffly. "And you used to give them food and stuff, like little lost kittens," Heather said, her voice gently teasing. Not mocking, of course, for she knew she had similar tendencies to take in lost lambs. 'Like Alice,' she thought of the girl guiltily. "Something like that," Carter agreed with a sigh. He poured himself a beer and her a wine, the setting sun shining in through the window as he asked, "Do you think you could do me a favor and take a look into it?" "Why me?" Heather asked as she took a drink. "When you talk to people they listen," Carter shrugged, "and answer your questions even if they really don't want to." "I can be very persuasive," Heather said just a bit dangerously, a silent but clear warning. Carter picked up on it, too. "Not asking any questions," he added quickly, "I'm sure that there's things about you I don't want to know." He took another drink, staring down into his mug as he added quietly, "Please?" Heather finished off her glass of wine and sighed softly. "No promises," she said and quietly left the bar even as the evening crowd began arriving. "Good luck," Carter murmured before going to work. Heather began in the shelters, moving from church to community center and asking questions about missing kids or adults. A few tried to deny her, but a long look into her piercing eyes and a touch of her will made them wilt. Like pieces of a puzzle she gathered information, and the picture it formed was very disturbing. There were the usual transients who moved from city to city, but many of the young people who had been haunting the streets for the last few months had been gradually disappearing. More worrying was that the disappearances were scattered all over the city, not in any one territory or area. The only connecting theme seemed to be that friends reported the kids claimed they had found a big break of some kind. After questioning a few people pointedly Heather got a name, and eventually reached a small office building in a bad part of town. A sign reading Lockheed studios was hanging nearby the front door and Heather paused, tilting her head to the side to better catch the smell of the evening's breeze. There was the thick smell of bleach and disinfectant on the air, but just beneath that the powerful taint of blood. It was faint, only her own unique senses could have spotted it, but it lead inside the older office building. A locked main door yielded to Heather's superior strength and she strode inside, her gaze sweeping the oddly clean front hall. She stalked forward past mailboxes towards the stairs, trailing a finger past squeaky clean walls. 'Did someone struggle down here?' she thought bleakly. "Help..." a choked off cry came from upstairs. Swiftly Heather raced up the stairs, her coat fluttering around her, and she followed the cries and a scent of blood to a room in a corner of the upper floor. A single shove sent the door crashing inward and two figures gazed at her in surprise. A younger lady struggled weakly, striking her captor softly, while the man narrowed his eyes... fangs gleaming. 'One of our kind?' Heather realized, swiftly assessing him. He looked oddly mild, short brown hair falling in a messy mop and his eyes gleamed a faint red, his face twisted by hunger and rage into something inhuman as he clutched the girl possessively. "What do you want?" he demanded. 'A pup,' Heather felt herself smiling as her own fangs gleamed, 'and a young one, too, if he can't sense what I am.' Once he saw her revealed fangs his eyes widened, then the young man stiffened slightly as he tried to summon courage. "My name is Daniels, Sebastian..." he stammered a bit then recovered, "he sent me here, told me there were no others of our kind here." "Ah, dear Sebastian," Heather smiled coldly, "He and I don't get along, so I suspect he sent you here to vex me." Her conversational tone dropped away like a mask as she said grimly, "This is my territory, pup. I am the only one who hunts here." "I could challenge you..." Daniels managed. "I'd tear you apart," Heather countered, "literally. The only reason I'm not doing it right now is that Sebastian would probably like that." "Excuse me..." the girl in the boy's grip started to say. "Sleep," Heather barked the word and she was out in a instant, the power of Heather's will overwhelming her. "So strong," Daniels paled again. Hurriedly laying the girl down he said, "I'll leave, miss, right now. You'll never see me again." "You do that. And Daniels?" Heather asked as he raced to the door. "Yes?" Daniels asked as he looked back over his shoulder, his ill fitting suit making him look even more foolish. "I will kill you if I see you here again." After Daniels fled Heather walked to the sleeping girl, kneeling down to pick her up gently. Once the child was awake she'd bite her, then use her gifts to wipe this whole experience from her mind. Cleaning up the mess Daniels felt would take more work but Heather could manage. This building probably hid the young vampire's other victims, too... she's have to come up with a excuse to get the police out here, soon. "It's been a long night and my work is just beginning," Heather smiled to herself wryly.
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