"I need one more," Allen replied as he wrapped his arms around her. "Can't take as much from girls and all that." He grinned and gave her a kiss. "Mmm, you taste good." He set her down on her feet gently. "Give me five more minutes, alright? I just need to get one more bite in and then we can head back home."

Asta smiled as she was kissed, returning it as best she could before laughing and running her tongue over her teeth. "Alright," she said. "I'll meet you back at the apartment, okay?" With that, she left him, no reason to stick around. She knew too, that if she watched him feed, she'd be sure to want more food.

As Asta stepped up to the door to her apartment, she froze slightly. Something was.. wrong. She could tell that much just by the silence that was in the area. Asta looked left, then right, and after standing to listen, she forced her key into the lock, and entered her home. She was quick to shut the door behind her, and even quicker to lock it. Whatever it was that was happening.. it was not good.
Into the bedroom she headed, then into her bathroom. Asta first moved for the sink, dampening a small rag that was by it with warm water. Asta ran the now warm rag over her eyes first, being sure to rub then carefully, then the rest of her face. By the time that Allen was done hunting, Asta was in pajamas, looking all natural, just as she normally did when at home.

After finishing his 'meal', Allen made a quick stop back by his apartment to change. The last girl he'd bitten managed to spill half of her hideously colorful drink on him. Once he was dressed in something more suited to cuddling, he made his way to Asta's apartment.

"Hey," he said, knocking on the doorframe. "I see you made it back alright without me. Sorry I took so long... I got some sort of pink thing spilled on me, and it ruined my shirt, so I had to change."

When Allen kind of just appeared in her doorway, Asta jumped, and then laughed just a little bit to disguise the moment of sick surprise that had caught up with her. Looking at him, she smiled, laughed just a little bit more, and then climbed from her bed, and over toward him. "I think you should come to bed now," she said as she jumped onto his back. Asta seemed to like to do that.
As she practically rode him to the bed, she fell only when he did, and once she was on the bed once more, she moved to her designated space, and waited for Allen to join her.

Allen didn't mind her jumping onto his back. He actually thought it was kind of cute. He carried her over to the bed and let her fall onto the bed, flopping down next to her. Reaching over, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him.

"You looked like something scared you," he said once they were comfortable. "Is everything alright?" He'd noticed when he entered the building that it seemed a bit too quiet, but he'd shrugged it off as it being nearly three in the morning. Normal people were all asleep by this time.

Snuggling into his arms, she sighed just a little bit. Of course he noticed her slight behavior variation.. only he would. "Yeah.. uhm.. I'm fine. It's just.. I.. When I got home I just had a feeling.. like something was wrong. It's really quiet tonight, it's not normal." It was never this quiet in the city, or at least not near Asta's apartment. Even if it was just the littlest rustle, she could always hear something going on, no matter who or what it was.

"It's nothing, I guess I'm just not used to being home, I'm fine." Smiling up to Allen as she spoke, she closed her eyes and hid her face within his arms, pretending that nothing was wrong, and honestly, nothing was as of now.

"No..." Allen said, thinking back, "now that you mention it... It did seem too quiet when I got back." He went quiet for a moment, listening. He nodded. "Yeah, I still don't hear anything. I figured it was just because everyone is asleep, but..." he shrugged a bit. "Maybe we should lay low for a while?" It was probably nothing, but if it was enough to unnerve them both, then something might actually be up.

"Well," she said softly. "Maybe it's nothing. I mean, it's not like whatever it is has any real threat against us anyway." That was one benefit of living forever, the strength that came with it. She was no invincible being, no, but she was definitely a lot more durable than she'd ever been before. And that was certainly an advantage.
"It's not a big deal.. Let's just sleep, okay? I'm tired."

Allen nodded and let her get comfortable.

"It's still early, yet," he commented, "but we just got back from a long trip." He grinned and kissed her cheek. "Go on to sleep. I'll probably fall asleep soon myself." In the back of his mind, he made a mental note to ask Ana if there was anything they could do to see if there was anything to worry about.

Speaking of, Ana was walking on the other end of town, enjoying the cool night. The sky was clear, the moon was almost full, and she could see millions of stars. She'd already fed for the night, so now she was just enjoying the quiet. She liked France, yes, but Paris never slept at all. At least here at home, there was an hour or two of quiet.

Snuggling ever closer to Allen, Asta closed her eyes, and hid her face in his chest. "Goodnight, Allen," she whispered before finally allowing her body to relax, and her mind to clear. Before anyone would know, she was fast asleep.


Stepping quietly upon the sidewalk, two black, snake-skin dress shoes moved below a pair of legs. The legs were dressed in a nice pair of gray slacks, above that, a nice, firmly-pressed dress shirt which was white, and the sleeves were rolled up to the elbow. In the being's hands were a gray jacket, the coat that matched the slacks.
Coming upon the face, there was a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips, and on his cheeks were several scars, one on his chin, another running through his right eyebrow. His face was very well chiseled, and he was quite handsome, actually, but there was a particular pale luster to his skin. He had dark, raven colored hair, and the deepest of brown eyes.
Moving to the right of the sidewalk just a bit, he brought the cigarette between his fingers, ashed it, and blew outward heavily, an eruption of smoke escaping his face.

Ana took her time as she walked quietly down the deserted street. Her eyes picked out every crack and chip in the sidewalk, and the moonlight turned everything black and white, although anything with a patricularly strong color shone faintly. Her skin went from pale to white, and her hair darkened from deep red to near black.

Taking a deep breath, she paused and wrinkled her nose when she smelled cigarette smoke. Nasty, unnatural stuff. She had no idea why humans had invented the things, they only hastened death. She wasn't sure where the smell was coming from, since her nose was sensitive enough to pick things up from a good distance away, and she wasn't all that interested in finding out. If the humans wanted to poison themselves, then she wasn't going to stop them.

With every step that he took, her was becoming close and closer to Ana, still steady smoking his cigarette. Back in the day (as he liked to say) when he was human, he rather enjoyed nicotine, and at a young age, he became addicted. All through the years, if he was out driving, or walking, or really doing anything, one could always find him with a cig in his mouth, or between his fingers. Old habits die hard, or in this case, never would.

Taking another hit, he exhaled through her nose, and then took in a sharp breath. He could smell her before he could see her, the other vampire in the area. He didn't know who it was, or what, but it was a vampire, and they were drawing more near.
The male hesitated slightly before hitting the cigarette once more, and then dropping it to the sidewalk, putting it out with the slight heel of his shoe. Now it was only a matter of how long before he saw the other creature.

Ana sensed him before she saw or heard him. She was older than he was, at least by a little. She gradually heard his footsteps getting closer and closer. He must have been wearing some sort of hard-soled shoe or boot, though his step was light. If he'd been wearing different shoes, she might not have heard him at all.

"I would say that those cancer-sticks will kill you," she said aloud, "but it's a moot point by now." She knew he would hear her. If he was close enough that she could hear his shoes, then he was close enough that he would hear her voice.

Instantly he ceased movement, and a smirk appeared upon his face. He couldn't help but to snicker just a little bit. His idea was correct, he'd come across another that was like him, but not only that, but he'd come across a women, a female.

"Yeah," he replied softly. "I guess it's good that I no longer need my lungs, eh?"
He swung his coat over his shoulder, and stuffed both hands into the pockets of his slacks. He'd only barely paused before he decided to speak again.
"So what is your name?" he asked. "I'm David. David Grayson, nice to meet you."

"...Ana," she replied after a moment. "Ana Fletcher." She turned around to get a good look at him. The moonlight threw the scars on his face into relief, but it somehow only added to his good looks. As he got closer, she could smell the lingering scent of cigarette smoke on him. "I've never seen you around here before, and this has been my home territory for a while now."

David wasn't looking for anything, though, basically meaning the idea of not looking at her. He closed his eyes instead, tilting his head back, and sighing in the slight breeze that passed.
"I pass through every once and a while, but I usually don't stay more than two nights." For him, blood was a beautiful thing, and usually he was always fed. He usually fed just enough to keep himself full all throughout the night, and sometimes in the morning when he slept. It was never hard to find a place to sleep, either, for he could always charm some innocent woman into giving him shelter for the night, if not just a bit more.

"I hope that my being here isn't a problem for you."

"So long as you don't poach, I don't mind," Ana replied. "I'm looking after a pair of fledglings in the area, so..." she trailed off. She knew she was older than he was, so if there was any trouble, she was fairly sure she could take care of it. What she wasn't sure about, though, is why she felt a bit of attraction to him. She hadn't needed any male companionship in a long time, so why was she suddenly thinking about it now?

Hah, poach. Now that was certainly not a promise he would make, but rather than responding, he ignore the idea, or rule rather, and opened his eyes, turning in Ana's direction. With his head cocked to the side slightly, he gazed upon her. He had to admit, she was rather good-looking. Hrm.
"Oh, well, I haven't come across anyone but you. I'm sure they're fine though, couldn't have wandered too far."
Turning his body, he straightened himself out, and then looked back toward the sky, closing his eyes yet again, taking in a very deep breath. He was testing the air, trying to search out said fledglings. Alas, he came up with nothing, and sighed. "I can always help you look, if you'd like," he suggested as he turned to face her again.

"They're probably home by now," Ana replied easily, waving it off. "They tend not to stray too far from their apartments." She hadn't meant that she was looking for them, rather, she took care of them. "By all accounts, they are both still a little too young to be without a sire, so I teach them." Why was she telling him this? He was far too easy to talk to, she would have to be more careful.

"Oh? Well aren't you the kind mother," he said. He'd never exactly changed anyone, at least.. he was sure he hadn't. Hrm. David pursed his lips slightly before running his fingers through his hair. Though he didn't want to admit it, he seemed as though he was having a loss of things to say to her. He was almost at a loss for words.. it had been so long since he'd actually spoken with a woman who was of his own kind, actually worthy of genuine conversation. Humans were no longer of any interest to him.

"So you live around here?" he asked. "I could use a place to sleep. It's getting rather early, and I wouldn't want to combust."

"Too young for a bit of sunlight?" Ana couldn't help but tease. "Only one of my fledglings is technically of my blood," she added. She glanced at the position of the moon. Judging from that, and her own internal clock, she guessed it was still a few hours until dawn. "I suppose I could let you crash in my apartment," she said, "so long as you don't bother the neighbors. I rather like this city, still, I have no desire to leave yet."

Well, technically, if she wanted to get all technical with it, he wouldn't burst into flame immediately, but it would certainly not be a comfortably or pleasant feeling, and it was something that he'd been hoping to avoid.

"Oh, my dear. I am older than you think, you've got to give me at least a little bit of credit." Other than that, though, David didn't seem to say much else, he'd stopped, and grown very still very suddenly, his attention turning toward the right of his body. Something was moving in the distance, and he didn't like the way it smelled. It was a foul scent, and his nose wrinkled
"Yes.." he said softly, turning his attention back to Ana. "Let's go. I don't want to be outside much longer. Shall we?"

Ana had caught the same scent, and it had been enough to keep her from continuing the refreshing banter. She nodded.

"Follow me," she said. She didn't like the scent at all, and she had a bad feeling about it. She turned and began to lead him to her apartment, making sure to take a round-about route just in case they were being followed. She knew that David would understand what she was doing, if he was old enough to be on his own.

David too had a bad feeling, and closely he followed Ana, but only close enough to be within reach. Whatever that smell came from was no good omen, and as the pair walked, he watched and listened to everything in the general area. There was something wrong.
When they had arrived to her apartment in question, he stood behind her, eyes on the very direction from whence the smell came. Whatever it was, they'd moved away from it, apparently, as the scent had become more faint by now. He was more relieved in the end than he thought he would be to come across her apartment.

As they walked, Ana had been trying to place where she'd come across the scent before. It was familiar, and not in a good way. She was just unlocking the door to her apartment when it finally hit her.

"I know that smell," she murmured. "It smells like a hunter." She didn't elaborate on how she knew what it was, she ushered him inside instead. "It's probably best that you stay here tonight... Our kind should stick together when there are hunters about."