Through a Wine Soaked Glass

[Lucy Serrano]

Lucy knew she had to place some kind of trust in this person. Trust that she would take what was said to her on board. To not react as she likely felt the need to. Lucy offered the information with a kind of good faith. She had no idea how wrong she might have ended up.

"Now you're putting the pressure on." She replied, feeling content enough in her own warning. If she had any idea, she'd have fought harder.

And then she tapped her fingertips again. Just a single run of her fingernails. "I'm still not gonna use this as an excuse to sleep with you." Lucy continued on, shaking her head with a knowing grin; "Might be nice to see what you call home, though."

[Talia Bracken]

Now she was putting the pressure on. Which was true in a few ways. But then came that tapping behind her again. She still wasn't going to use this as an excuse to sleep with her. It came with a shake of the head and a knowing grin. An expression Talia responded to with a chuckle. It might be nice to see where the assassin called home, however. Talia wasn't too sure about that. But it would be interesting for the thief to find her way there. If she could.

"How very noble of you." She stood while she said it. The words as playful as the pat she gave to her cheek with a wide smile. "Then I guess we should get started. I do have other things to get to today, unfortunately. As much as I enjoy talking to you, I can't ignore it forever." Her work was never done. Even while searching for her initially. "So I guess I'll catch you later. Hopefully." The last word came with a wink before she turned and headed off.

She was glad she'd found her again. And while it was unfortunate it had been too later, hopefully she wouldn't be too changed by it. It hadn't seemed like it. Hopefully it would stay that way.

[Lucy Serrano]

Nobility never suited Lucy. Hell, it didn't suit either of them. Dipped and drenched in the underlayer of this city, and no worse for wear on the surface. Maybe it was noble, but she didn't totally see it that way. She only saw it as fair.

Then she cut it all off. Lucy should have known that she had something planned. Not everyone could wander the city with time to spare, especially not those who ran an organisation on their lonesome. Nothing but a wink and a quick set of steps off. Lost in her own thoughts likely. Lucy was left sitting with her jaw partly dropped.

It wasn't enough. And it was unfair that it didn't feel like enough. Was it the same for her? Lucy gave her a minute to ponder whatever she wanted as she walked away.

And then she followed. Vampires had faster steps. Stalked in shadows. She wasn't the best at it but she wasn't so bad straight out the gate. Talia never lost her focus so she never lost the brighter way she smelt. She caught up quickly, and she was way to eager to let her know it.

"How later were you talking?" Lucy asked first, and then she grinned; "You didn't really say."

[Talia Bracken]

Even while thinking, Talia kept stock of her surroundings. It was a necessity really. Which was why she knew someone was following her. And given who she was just talking to, she had an idea of who it was. She smiled to herself, but wanted to see how long it would take for her to catch up. Not too long from the way her voice piped up.

How later was she talking? Blue eyes turned back to that grinning face, and she found herself amused once again. She never really said. "True." She admitted as much. "If you really want, we could play today. Might be better for you." Another tease. Slightly challenging too. "But you'd need to give me...at least thirty minutes to get what I need done. Then I'm all yours." Granted she could still find her.

[Lucy Serrano]

There would be no doubt that Lucy believed Talia knew she was on her back. She wasn't the best in her business for nothing. On some level, maybe she wanted to be found. Lucy didn't struggle in the slightest as her hands landed on her hips.

Thirty minutes? Like she should pass the time on her own like a child in the corner "What, you can't have company while you kill people?" Lucy asked instead, refusing the passive thought.

And then she snapped her fingers, like pieces fell into place so perfectly; "What stages a murder better than a set of puncture marks on the neck?" And on some level, she wouldn't need to run back to the one who turned her in order to get living blood. It was almost perfect.

[Talia Bracken]

Hands landed on her hips, and Talia could see the rejection of her offer. What, she couldn't have company while she killed people? The notion that she wanted to actually come along drew another laugh from the assassin. The only ones to voluntarily go with her were other assassins. "Then you'll have to be much sneakier than you just were." She answered with a smirk.

Then there was a snap. Like a great realization came in a flash. What staged a murder better than a set of puncture marks on the neck? It was an idea Talia hadn't had. But now she mulled it over. Weighed it's advantages. It would be a lot less suspicious. The blame would be placed on some unruly vampire. Not an actual assassin. Slowly she smiled. Her blue gaze once again went to her. "Alright. If you really want to tag along, then I suppose it'll be fine."

[Lucy Serrano]

When Lucy was told she essentially failed to be sneaky, she didn't seem surprised. It reminded her of everything the one who turned her wanted her to learn. Perhaps there was merit in catching that information after all, if only to be a better version of herself.

Talia mulled it over and Lucy could only look eager as she waited. She didn't know much about being an assassin but she couldn't exactly say she hadn't killed a person before. At least she wasn't completely green.

"You suppose? Don't act so excited about the company." Lucy offered her with a light shrug of her shoulders; "You can always say no. It won't totally kill me." She could surely take a shot like that to her ego and still be standing.

[Talia Bracken]

She actually looked eager for Talia's answer. Until she gave it. Suppose? She shouldn't act so excited about the company. Though it came with a shrug, she could hear the sarcasm. She could also say no. It wouldn't totally kill her.

"Oh I'm fine with you coming along." It was the truth. She really didn't mind. "It's just a surprise that you actually want to come along with me to kill someone." It was a far cry from when they'd first met. Then again, the fact she spoke about it so easily hinted this might not be the first time. "But if you really do want to come along, then we should go."

[Lucy Serrano]

The last thing Lucy wanted to do was launch into a discussion over her bending morality. She supposed the assassin who made this her trade had every right to question companionship on something so precise, and so she didn't answer verbally. But she pressed her lips into a disapproving line at the question itself.

"Lead the way, love." Lucy replied with a broad sweep of her hand in the direction she had been travelling; "I'll do my best not to be so loud."

[Talia Bracken]

She didn't look so happy with Talia's words. Not if her lips were anything to indicate. Yet she should lead the way; she would do her best not to be too loud. Again Talia was more amused than anything. It was common in her company. "Alright then. Let's go." With that she headed off towards her new target.

Fortunately, it was a human target this time. If it had been a vampire, she might've insisted the brunette stay back. Those were harder. More dangerous. Complex. Demanding of the utmost skill. Much as she liked the other woman, she would've been a bit of a problem in that kind of situation. But the house she slowly approached was not of a vampire's. Only a human that had caused far too much trouble. Enough to get a contract on his head.

Route and timing already memorized, it didn't take long to sneak inside. She'd staked the place out before. It was only a matter of making sure she was following close behind. Before long they would be in the main bedroom, where her target slept soundly. Normally she'd do it herself. Eliminate the man, set up a story, leave. Simple as that. But this time, she was there. So things were a little different.

It took little time to gag and subdue him using what was there. Though he fought, she had far more experience and the element of surprise. Once she was done, she offered him to her. "Well, you wanted to help. Here's your chance." It came out quietly, an eyebrow raised but a soft smirk in place.

[Lucy Serrano]

If nothing else, Lucy found that she learned a lot from watching the way Talia worked. Dropping the concept of a profession into a person's attitude absolutely changed the game. From the precision of her steps all the way to how she checked on the vampire who followed her.

Now incapacitated, Lucy was called upon to do the very thing she was now made for. At the time, she felt no remorse for the act she offered. But now that she stood at the feet of it, she had to wonder just how easy this could be.

Don't make atupud mistakes. That was what she had been told. That was what she was practically ignoring.

"Do me a favour," Lucy started then, raising her eyebrows; "Don't watch?"

[Talia Bracken]

There was something there. A hesitation. A thought. Talia only waited to see what she would end up doing. Finishing her task would be easy on her own. In the end, she seemed to push forward with the idea. One one condition. She had to do her a favor and not watch. A not so odd request, considering. It wasn't as if she hadn't seen such things before. Yet she could understand.

"Alright." She turned her head, but kept her grip firm. She didn't want her target to escape at any point. It would only complicate things. Standing still, she followed her request not to watch. But that meant nothing for not listening. With this kind of proximity it was impossible not to. She was holding the one being drunk from afterall.

[Lucy Serrano]

A set of eyes on her in a position like this had Lucy reeling back to freshly developed memories. It felt odd to be watched; she didn't have a choice then, but she had a choice now. Taking any kind of power felt necessary. At the very least, there was some form of understanding. There was a request and it was accepted without question. How different it felt.

Without much more hesitation, she let her teeth fall into unfamiliar flesh at his neck. The smell alone practically burned her nose, and she refused to make a sound herself as life itself was drained from one such stranger. She left the privilege of any sounds to the muffled individual she stole every last morsel from.

When she reeled back, she glanced forth with dilated eyes. The hit alone called forth to greater senses as she practically felt the beat of the heart of the girl so close.

"Easy as fuck." Lucy reasoned, but she pointedly rocked back a step.

[Talia Bracken]

At first she felt rather than heard her approach and start feeding. There was a sudden jerk in the form she held still. Then a gradual lightening as life fled. True to her word, she didn't look. She didn't have to. She knew what was happening. Memories came unbidden until she felt the body in her hands slump. Only then did she turn to look back, seeing her instead.

Easy as fuck. It was casually said, yet there was a different note to it. The brunette rocked back a step. Her eyes dilated. No doubt she could now hear Talia's heart. They were close enough for it. The body was put to the side. Put haphardly away to make it seem unplanned, and not the work of a professional. A few tricks to make it look unrelated to the widows. Then her attention turned to her. Pensive. Then with a smile. "Apparently so. Thank you."

[Lucy Serrano]

There was something of an unfamiliar look in the blue eyes that stared back at her. For Lucy, she offered a newer brand of focus she'd never quite managed to reach. It was hard to think of anything else when so attuned to the rhythm of a particular heart. Was it faster? Slower? Was she still calm?

A vote of thanks was something she waved a hand at. Potentially, she made the entire process take longer. She wanted to make a joke of it, but she didn't.

When she parted her lips, she stalled for a second. Contemplative and somewhat confused, Lucy felt the way the air threatened to shift; "I should go, I reckon."