"Had I not reacted, you would have taken the knife to me and exposed me," Ana replied carefully. "I know the ways of your kind, Hunter." She listened as he spoke, and briefly wondered what information he wanted that he thought she would have. "I doubt I have the information you need," she said, "but if I cooperate, then you have to leave Mary and Veronica alone. They're young, they don't have any valuable information." She shifted her weight forward slightly, away from the tingling edge of the silvered knife. "Neither of them are of my blood, so leave them be."

He listened to her terms and quickly agreed. There was no reason to disagree with her, she had been returning his treatment of her fairly. "Then how do you want to do this? I have the feeling your friends won't appreciate you and I just leaving with no good bye." He glanced towards the entrance, Zechariah was no where to be seen. Kris felt a wave of paranoia hit.

What if Zech knew what was going on? What if Zech wasn't really a 'friend'? Kris shook off the feeling. Now wasn't the time to start second guessing who was a friend and who could he trust. He knew already he was going to have to be a bit more careful with Ana; after all he is basically forcing her to assist him. "Any ideas? The only one I'm getting is you deciding to 'feed' on me," he watched the bartender finish up their drinks. "however the two of them would be tempted to join, correct? So that rules that idea out."

"You're assuming I share," Ana purred, mostly to unnerve him. "They"re both big girls, they're more than capable of feeding themselves. I don't make it a habit to share my food... I'm not adverse to playing with my food, however." Her tone was a tad seductive, but she wasn't putting any power behind the words. "I could just tell them that I'm taking you back to our room and not to disturb us... That would give us a chance to discuss our 'business' and I can change into something a bit more practical."

Her purring did certainly offset him slightly. Who knew vampires were so feline? He listened to her plan, running it over in his head a couple of times. It didn’t sound too bad, just the opportunity for her to forewarn them about anything was slightly high. Despite his training, something told him to trust Ana, at least just for this. “Sounds like a plan,” he smiled at the bartender, handing over the payment for the drinks as he slyly hid the knife once more into its compartment. “Now how do you want to do this? Want me to come over with you, or wait here? Either way works for me, its just a matter of being convincing for your friends.”

Kris took a sip of his drink. “It didn’t look like you cared too much for me, so you might have a bit of a problem convincing them?”

"Let me take care of that," Ana replied as she picked up the drinks. She could see Veronica and Mary looking around for her, so she took the drinks back to their table, adding a bit of a saunter to her walk. It would make her lie more convincing.

"Ladies," she said as she gently set the glasses down, "I do believe I'm going to take our unexpected guest back to our room for a while. So Mary, you can have my drink, and I'll see you both later. If I'm not there when you get back, don't worry about it." Veronica raised an eyebrow, but grinned suggestively.

"Well, then, have a nice night," she said. "Let us know if he's any good."

"You know I don't brag about my donors," Ana replied. With that, she walked back to Kris and linked one of her arms with his for show. "We're all set to leave. But I want your word that you won't hunt them down later."

Kris watched amused as she took the drinks back over to the other vampires. He headed closer to the door, glancing around for Zechariah. Still not seeing the dhampir, he took a calming breath and awaited Ana to rejoin him. He met the gaze of the bouncer nearby, noticing he too gave the aura of someone important. Friend or foe?

Before he knew it, Ana was back at his side linking their arms. <i>"We're all set to leave. But I want your word that you won't hunt them down later."</i> He gave a small nod. They exited the club and stepped right out onto the Strip. "I swear, as a fellow predator, however pathetic I may be, that I will not return for or harm them." He gave a grin as they were swept up in the crowd that appeared every night on the Strip. "Lead the way."

Ana nodded steered him out of the club and into the cool night air. As soon as they were out of the building, she let go of him. He smelled too much like permanent death, and it unnerved her.

"Our room is in one of the hotels closer to the airport," she said. "It's not too much of a walk for me, but I don't know about you." She wasn't trying to brag or insult him, she was just stating fact. She was already looking forward to being able to change out of her club-wear. The faux corset was flimsy and mostly made of lace and polyester, and her artfully torn pants were fake leather. She wanted very much to change into a pair of jeans and a proper corset that would be able to handle a bit of 'rough love'. When she remembered that she'd left her good corsets at home, she sighed a bit. An every-day false one it was, then.

Kris breathed in the not too fresh air of the Vegas strip with an almost pleased sigh. As much as he loved the atmosphere of the clubs, he much preferred the open air. Even after all the training he went through the past ten years that had programmed him to hate open spaces. He hummed, thinking of a response. The hotels closer to the airport were certainly a walk, considering how far north they were on the strip, but it wouldn’t be anything too horrible.

“Lead the way,” he managed a grin, “if worse comes to worse I can always duck in a nearby hotel and get a drink or two.” He stretched much like a cat, resisting the urge to chuckle at the feeling of the hanging chains around his legs brushing against the polyester of his pants. As much as they didn’t make for great vampire-hunting garb, they did make it easier for him to slip into clubs. He patted the spaced where his hidden dagger was, just to double check it before continuing on their walk down the Strip.

Ana stretched languidly once they were outside. She enjoyed the open space much more than the desperate pulsing of the crowded clubs, and it was really the only place nowadays where she actually enjoyed breathing. She didn't like the taste of sweat and alcohol in the clubs.

She started walking towards the hotel at a reasonable human pace. She would have loved to let loose and run, but it would attract far too much attention, and she refused to blow her cover like that. Had she been out in the country, it would have been a different story, but like New York City, the Strip never slept.

As much as she wanted to enjoy the cool night air, she was still on her guard. She didn't trust the hunter at all not to try to stake her from behind, and she made sure to keep him in her peripheral vision the entire time. The walk to the hotel wasn't all that long, really, maybe twenty minutes to half an hour, but she was still glad to see it.

Kris had a hard time holding in the yawn as they finally arrived at the hotel Ana spoke about. He had been on high alert, just waiting for another hunter or even another vampire to join their little duo. Undoubtedly they stood out without their hanging all over one another or talking to each other loudly as was expected of a pair at this hour at night. His eyes glanced quickly back and forth over the street before them, nowhere near as crowded as normal.

He would have reached out and grabbed Ana’s arm if he wasn’t worried about causing her to lash out or anything. “Something isn’t right.” He turned around; his hunter instincts telling him to never put his back to the vampire, agreement/partnership or not. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, nor hear anything. “The crowd’s way too thin...”

Ana wasn't as familiar with Vegas as Kris obviously was, but there was something setting her on edge, as well. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was setting alarms off in her head. She glanced around warily. She didn't see anything, but that didn't mean that there was nothing to be found. She knew that many of her kind could hide in plain sight, and even a small group of humans would mask the scent of one vampire.

"Take my arm," she said softly. "Look like you're escorting me to my room." That way, if either one of them was attacked, the other could react quickly. In defense or flight remained to be seen, but there would be a reaction nonetheless.

Kris immediately recognized her logic, taking her arm almost nonchalantly. Despite his outward appearance of nothing being wrong, his eyes continued to search almost frantically for the disturbance. He led her inside the hotel, weaving around the few people that were standing about. He murmured almost silently, knowing she'd probably hear him over the loud noises around them, "What floor? I suggest we take the elevators, busier than stairs and we'll have witnesses."

"Fifth," Ana replied softly, making sure he would be able to hear her. She held onto his arm gently, making sure not to hurt him. It would be bad form to leave bruises after he so graciously failed to knife her earlier. She walked with him towards the elevators. "I'll lead you to the room when we get upstairs so that nobody can overhear me telling you." Something was still setting her on edge, and she had the distinct feeling that they were both being tailed. If they were, she didn't want their tail knowing which room she was in before she could get there herself.

Kris nodded, leading her to the nearest elevators. He pressed the up button and glanced around the elevator filled room, taking in the faces of the people all around. Out of the eight other people waiting, only one of them was looking at the duo. He didn't recognize the man whatsoever, and there was no hint of another vampire in the area. He quickly realized it was the lack of lovey-dovey or sexual tension between them that might cause other people to peer at the two with confusion.

He tugged on Ana's arm, "Let's go get a quick drink before we head to bed." He led her to just out of the room into the chaos of the slot-machine filled casino and all the noises that surrounded them and bled into their ears. Reluctantly he pulled her close and began talking into her ear, trying to hide his mouth from anyone being about to read it. "I'm going to need you to trust me, especially with the possibility of being followed. I have an idea." Kris explained in extremely hushed tones the idea of picking an elevator floor, see if anyone doesn't choose a different floor, switching the floor at the last minute and leaving whomever following them to get off at the previously picked floor if they don't want to be caught. From there, Ana and Kris could use the stairs to backtrack to the fifth floor.

Ana hesitated for a moment before nodding. She didn't like having to follow him, not at all, but if it kept her alive, she would do it. She wasn't so proud that she wouldn't listen to someone else if she had to. She gently wrapped one of her arms around his and laid her head on his shoulder, giving the impression of them being a loving couple.

"I'll trust you," she murmured in his ear. "If you get me knifed or something, I won't be pleased." She wasn't worried so much about being staked anymore. That was old-school, and nobody used stakes anymore unless they were amateurs. "Once we get to the fifth floor safely, we can hide out in my room for a bit."

Kris nodded in agreement before leading her back into the room with the elevators. There was no one still in the room that he recognized from the first time there, and it concerned him. Was he just being paranoid? He pressed the up button for the sake of doing so and held onto Ana tightly. He really didn't care to have the smell of a vampire all over him, but it was already as far as this, why not even more?

An elevator door opened and he slid on inside, holding Ana in front of him as he pressed the button for the fifth floor. Everyone who joined them pressed a different floor. This left Kris mentally cursing. Did someone overhear his conversation with her? How? He specifically chose a crowded and noisy area, he made sure no one could read his lips. Maybe he really was just being paranoid.

They exited at the fifth floor and as soon as the elevator doors were completely closed the Hunter separated himself from Ana. "I didn't see anything odd, did you? No one followed us, no one I recognized, and there was no telling of a vampire nearby. At least judging by what I've been taught... what about you?"

Ana didn't see anyone come out of the elevator with them, and she didn't smell or hear anyone in the area. She glanced around, for good measure, but she still didn't drop her guard.

"I think we're alone," she said cautiously. Slipping her hand into her pocket, she drew out her card key. "Come on." Her room wasn't far, and she could tell from the lingering scents in the hallway that neither Veronica nor Mary had been back yet. She wouldn't fully relax until she was in her room with the door locked, and even then, she would still be careful. She was never fully safe for the day anywhere but home.

The hunter nodded, trusting her senses more than he trusted his own. There was a reason vampires were considered extremely dangerous, and that wasn't just because of the fangs. He quickly ran a hand through his hair, eyes still darting around. "Lead the way," he murmured, trusting her to hear him. "I don't know how long or safe we truly are. Eyes could be watching us from anywhere." His eyes focused on the large glass window that was at the end of the hallway. "The window, security cameras... we can't be too sure."

Ana quickly opened the door to her room and ushered him inside, closing and locking it behind her. It was a risk, locking herself in with a Hunter, but she was confident that it was just as much of a risk for him to be locked in with her. Once she was relatively sure that nothing would get in without her notice, she went over to one of the suitcases neatly standing in the corner and started to rummage through it.

"You must forgive my rudeness," she said, "but I absolutely must get out of my... hunting clothes." Looking through her things, she changed her mind about the corset when she found her favorite sapphire-blue camisole and her ivory button-down shirt covered in tiny blue pinstripes. She pulled them out, along with a pair of jeans. "Now, care to discuss our 'business?' I just need to duck into the bathroom to change, but I can still hear you."

Kris let himself be ushered inside, nodding and almost shooing her into the bathroom when she went to change. He found himself wandering towards the large window that took up the whole wall. With a finger, he pushed the curtain aside slightly and peeked out on the bright lights below.

"How it works is this," the hunter sighed, not spotting anything out of the norm with his mortal eyesight, "There is a sire, more than likely yours, that has ruled over Vegas for ages. However from what we've gathered, he's no longer staying within the rules set for sires of his nature." He stepped away from the window and leaned against the desk, crossing his arms and fiddling with his chains. "The latest rumor is he's changing children, and we cannot allow that to happen.

"Now, where you come in is getting me a way to see him so I may speak on behalf of hunters in Vegas." The chains clinked together as he ran his fingers along them. "No one else can get to him, so we need a vampire-in."

((All-new post, now with extra plot!))

"Changing children?" Ana repeated in disbelief. That was one of the most concrete rules governing her kind: never change a child. She came out of the bathroom again, wearing much more comfortable, less conspicuous clothes. The more she thought about it, though, the more it made sense and the more uncomfortable it made her. Only a sire who had turned many fledglings would be powerful enough to get away with turning children, and her own sire was certainly old enough to have created that many offspring for himself.

"Caine is old," she said as she put her hunting attire away. "He has many fledglings aside from myself, and he and I are on shaky terms with one another." She was sure she could find a way to get in to see him, if she had to, but it would likely be difficult. "I know where to find him, of course, we all do, but... I would need a little time to find a plausible reason for needing to see him."

((yeah, sorry!))

Kris rested his chin in hand, gnawing on his bottom lip in thought. "I understand. I knew this would take a few meetings at the minimum." He shoved off the desk and lowered his hands to his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels. "This is where I'll need your guidance. How shall we keep in touch, without it being too obvious that we're up to 'something'?

"There's also the issue of my leaving and you heading to speak with Caine to inform him of the hunters' suspicions. I realize that trusting you with this information so readily could be the end of me and my career as a hunter. Nonetheless," his eyes almost seemed to glow in the small light of the room, "something tells me to trust you, and so I shall."

((It's alright, I know you're not online often.))

"I'm not doing this for you or your hunters," Ana said. "I want to make that clear. But even a rumor of turning children is highly disturbing, and I want to see if there is any validity to it." At least, that's what she was trying to convince herself. Inwardly, though... Something told her that it was okay to trust him, as well, and she had no idea what it was or why it was so insistent. Still... she would be careful about it. She would trust him, but only just.

Going into her suitcase, she pulled out a pair of daggers and discretely hid them on her person. Going to visit her sire with weapons visible was a blatant insult, but she would never go in unarmed. It would be suicide. She made sure Kris saw the daggers before they were hidden.

"As I said, my sire and I are not on good terms," she continued. "I made it quite clear that I was not to be 'kept' and I was not going to be an enforcer to keep the younger fledglings in line. I cannot guarantee I will get information out of him."

((I appreciate it, hopefully once this semester is complete I can post more often.))

Kris watched as she stashed the daggers on her person, almost nodding in acknowledgement of the action. "Are you sure you want to go out tonight? Wouldn't that be a bit obvious? Also, aren't your friends going to check up on you eventually? And what if they see me on the Vegas Strip? That's where I do the majority of my rounds?" He seemed to curse under his breath, realizing he hadn't truly thought this plan completely through. He began to pace slightly in the hotel room. There had to be a simple solution to all of this. Something that was right in front of him that he was missing.

And then his cell phone went off. Checking the screen he realized it was time for him to head back to the headquarters and check in. With a growl he shut the alarm off and shoved the phone back in his pocket. His boss could wait.

Ana slipped her own cell phone into her pocket, and some cash as well. Otherwise, she didn't do anything else to get ready. She didn't need much if she was going to see her sire.

"Fortunately for you," she said, "humans are not allowed as guests amongst my kin. As food, perhaps, but not as a guest. It would be best if I were to go alone." She paused, almost hesitating. "How should I contact you if I find any information that might be useful?" She wasn't necessarily comfortable maintaining contact with a hunter, especially since things like cell phones could be traced, but it was better than each of them running blind.