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Rose mumbled something that might have been a protest, but it was half-hearted at best. Going home and collapsing into bed really sounded good.
"You should probably go home," Taylor said. He looked over at Damien, silently asking if he would take Sera back too. One of them needed to stay behind to keep an eye on the newcomer. |
Damien nodded just a little. "Alright, girls," he said, getting up. He helped Rose get up, keeping one arm firmly around her waist. "Time to go. I'll call into your work, Sera, and tell them you got sick. Same for you, Rose. I'm going to take you both home so you can sleep this off."
Sera got up without help, though she was still pale and looked a little wobbly on her feet. "Sleep sounds good." |
Rose let him help her, though she was able to steady herself once she was on her feet, for the most part. The world was still tilting back and forth, but not quite so bad as it had a few moments before.
"Let me know if you're going to be late coming back," Taylor said to Damien. "I'll make some sort of excuse for you." Meaning if Damien decided to track down the newcomer or stay behind to take care of the girls, Taylor would come up with an excuse for him to be off of the grounds for the rest of the afternoon. |
Damien nodded. "See you later." He steered Rose and Sera over towards the exit, taking his time so they didn't trip and kill themselves. He kept his arm around Rose, but he didn't touch Sera unless she needed help.
Once they were out to his car he got them in the backseat, making sure the doors were locked so they wouldn't fall out or anything as he drove them back home. |
Once they were gone, Taylor looked around for the newcomer. He was just going to keep tabs on the stranger for now, until he had a bit more information. Once the zoo closed for the night, he would figure out what to do.
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Damien managed to get Rose's keys from her purse and let them all in, helping them inside. "Okay, you two. Upstairs, go to bed."
Sera growled weakly at him. "You can't order me around," she said, though she was already creeping up the stairs. |
Rose just followed Sera, not in any mood to argue. Sleep sounded really good. One of the cats peeked out from behind the couch warily, not sure what was going on.
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"Follow her upstairs," Damien ordered the cat, giving it a gentle push. "Go on, keep her warm." He watched the girls to make sure they made it upstairs, listening for beds squeaking when they laid down or other telltale signs they didn't just pass out on the floor.
Sera threw her shoes at the wall and flopped on her bed. She barely had the energy to pull a blanket over herself and turn off the lights before she was out. |
The tomcat looked at him before padding up the stairs. He liked being a troublemaker, but somehow this just wasn't the time.
Rose toed off her shoes and snuggled into her bed, just barely able to get under the covers before she fell asleep. |
Damien waited until he was sure they were asleep before he called Taylor. "The thing didn't leave the park. I couldn't smell it anywhere near the entrance. Try checking by the reptile house; I think I smelled it in there as we passed. The girls are asleep, so I'm going to head back now."
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"Alright," Taylor replied. "I'm near there anyways, so I'll take a look. I haven't noticed anything out of place, so I don't think he's done anything else yet."
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"Whatever he did, I don't think that was the nibble you described," Damien said, scribbling a quick note to Rose saying he had her keys because he had to lock up after himself and he'd return them that night. "Either that or he doesn't feed like you do. Or both."
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"Then he's either a lot stronger than I am, or a lot more skilled," Taylor replied. "I'm never that hard on people even on a bad day, and I can't do that just walking by."
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"Or he's different," Damien said, frowning. "He didn't smell like you, Taylor. He smelled way too different to be another incubus. So what else feeds off people like that?"
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"I don't know what he could be," Taylor replied. "I've never seen anything like him before."
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"Alright. Well I'm heading back now, so we can keep an eye on him, for the time being at least." Damien sighed as he started driving. "I hate whatever it is already."
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"Alright, see you when you get here," Taylor replied. Closing his phone, he started heading towards the reptile house. If nothing else, he could take a look around.
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Damien arrived not long later at the zoo, starting to look around in case he saw the thing somewhere else.
Back at the reptile house, he paused in the middle of a nice conversation with an emerald tree boa, looking around rather nervously. |
Taylor slipped into the reptile house, not minding the change in temperature from the outside to the inside. It was always kept warm inside for the reptiles. He glanced around, and spotted the newcomer at the other end of the building.
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The newcomer glanced at him and headed for the other exit quickly. He knew what Taylor was, and he wasn't in a big hurry to get into a confrontation.
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Well that was interesting.
"What's the rush, my friend?" Taylor called over. |
The newcomer ignored him, hitting the back door, only to be steered back in by Damien.
"Going somewhere?" Damien's voice was mild, but his expression was not. The newcomer looked between the two, trying to decide which way would be better to try to bolt. |
Taylor stayed between him and the main entrance.
"What brings you around these parts?" he asked. |
"Just passing through," the lilu muttered, glancing between the two of them nervously.
"Oh? Wouldn't happen to be dining while you walked, would you?" Damien's voice turned sharp. "O-of course not!" |
"It's not all that wise to lie to him, buddy," Taylor said to the newcomer. "He's a little quick with his claws, if you catch my drift." He took a few steps closer to them, making sure to stay between the stranger and the door.
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