Guess Who's Coming Home For Dinner

She was faraway again. How long had it been since she last saw them? Their cute, child faces. They would be adults now; fully grown. Maybe adopted? Maybe not..they were certainly involved in the church. She remembered some of the younger boys playing with sticks, claiming they'd become knights of the Round Table one day. The woman smiled faintly; they also promised they would protect her wherever she went. As soon as they were old enough to hold a sword of course. The smile faded into a frown; it didn't matter now. They were mere orphan boys then; they couldn't hope to compete with the knights who branded her and threw her out. Worse, she was a monster now; a thief of the night. Ro didn't tell Juliet that she still completed the rosary every night; nonetheless, she suspected Julie knew. It was the only atonement she could think of besides giving her kills a proper burial. Why did she cling to an establishment that hated her kind? Romei didn't know; maybe it was a creature of habit consequence. Or maybe she hoped Zen had a space in heaven for demons like her.

Still, she hoped Juliet hadn't caught wind of Ro visiting her old stomping grounds. It hit her then when she saw how much time had passed; most of the children's faces unfamiliar, some of the nuns and monks tending to them the very children she grew up with. Nor did she want Jul to know she was almost caught; the woman knew how much her lover hated Zentopia.

As if summoned, Juliet appeared over the hedge, a drop of blood at the corner of her lip. It was the only sign of what she had been doing. She plopped down next to Romei with a happy sigh.

"That good I see," Ro commented coolly.

"Oh he was delicious!! Bad temper when he realized he was duped instead of the one duping, but he tasted sweeter than cake," Juliet grinned back. They had spent the last couple of weeks in western Fiore, and she had to admit she loved it. The people out here were plumper with sweeter blood. She credited the clean air and beautiful scenery for that.

Nonetheless, it would be time to move soon. Apparently Zen's cronies wanted to finish what they started. She personally welcomed the challenge, as it meant thinning their numbers, but Julie could see the effect it had on Romei, so they ran. The vampire wrapped her arms around before placing a large smooch on Ro's forehead.

"Stop brooding, it makes you look mean...well, cute-mean, but you'd be even cuter with a smile," she teased lightly.

"I'll try." Ro leaned her head against Juliet, the two sitting in silence.

For a short while anyway. Julie stood pulling Romei up with her. "Enough moping. We're going to see the sea today!!" With that, she half-led, half-pulled Romei off the hedge.

"Waitttt," Ro protested as Juliet jumped from the hedge, skillfully switching Ro to a bridal hold as she landed in the meadows below. With that, she took off for the coast, a blur of motion as she picked up speed.

"Nope! We will see that smile again!"

Her speed was indeed impressive as she zoomed through the open meadow, impressive enough that it caught the attention of a silver haired woman who was lying in a tree not too far away from their location as her nose picked up on something very nostalgic.

"Hm? What's this?" She stood up from her comfortable seat and continued to sniff, eyes opening with interest as her mind identified what that smell was. She'd never mitsake the smell of her own kind.

"I wonder who they are or rather, what they're doing out here"

As for herself, Evangeline had just finished a rather tedious task given to her by her boss and on her way home, she had decided to take a quick nap as the journey had been quite daunting. This wasn't even mentioning how badly she missed her husband who was also assigned a mission. Evangeline made a note to demand Tetsuya send them on one together next time.

Evangeline pouted. "Lindsey and Sa'luk are always going on missions together, why can't me and Dy do the same? I bet the boss is doing it on purpose..."

Sighing to herself, she decided to leave that matter for later as she jumped from the tree she was sitting on and looked towards the direction that blur had sped off too.

"This should quench my boredom. I'm curious to know if they're as old as me, wouldn't that be a treat?" She chuckled before she disappeared from her location, vanishing wihtout a trace as her body had been transported through the use of her magic. It only took a few seconds before she reappeared a few meters ahead of the duo as she raised her hand and genuinely smiled towards her vampire brethern.

"Yo. How's it going?"

Juliet blew by her, before realizing she had passed someone. She put on the brakes, coming to a roaring stop a few kilometers past the figure. A familiar scent then wafted across her nose, prompting her to backtrack. She stopped just short of the woman.

"...Well, that didn't go as planned" Evangeline sweat dropped as she stood there dumbly when the woman blew right past her turning around before she noticed them coming back. She usually would have been mad at being ignored but in this case, she felt far more amused than angry, most likely due to the fact that the receipents were of her own kind.

"Hello!! I didn't you see there!" Julie said in greeting before grinning widely.

She then recalled hearing something. "I'm good!! We were just on our way to the coast! You?" Despite her cheeriness, curiosity was present too, wondering what one of her own kind was doing out here. While there were vampires everywhere, they were usually scattered and elusive.

"Greetings" Evangeline waived her hand, a smile forming at her face at the friendliness apparent on her brethern's face. "Sorry for dropping in on you like this, I caught whiff of a familiar scent and was curious so I came to check you guys out"

Her eyes drifted down to the woman still being carried by her partner and raised her eyebrow.

"Is your friend alright? She looks a bit... tapped out" Being carried at that speed couldn't have been a fun experience.

Indeed, Romei had seen better days. Her face was green, the vamp grateful that her stomach was empty. "Arrrghhh." she managed as Juliet set her down.

"Whoops! Sometimes I go too fast for even myself," Juliet admitted, setting Ro upright. She laughed a bit. "Curious? Oh right! It's a rare find, another vampire. What are you doing out here?" she tilted her head slightly, ruby eyes brimming with warmth.

"It's nice to meet you..." Ro added, her face starting to recover a bit of its color, even if her expression was still lackluster, "that's it, we're walking from now on."

"It's a pleasure" She nodded towards the one blue haired one before walking around the duo, examining them from top to bottom.

"I can't go into details but let's just say I was finishing an assignment given to me. I was on my way home before I spotted the two of you. It's not often you meet those of your own kind around these parts" She stopped after she had gotten a good luck before smiling once more.

"My name is Evangeline S. Heartsong. What are your names?" There wasn't a vampire alive who hadn't at least heard of her rather infamous name. If these two hadn't, then that just meant that they were humans who had been turned into vampires or they were simply far too young if they didn't know the name of one of the most powerful vampires to have ever existed. She was intriguied to know which group they belonged too.

Well, it was a little more complicated than that. Juliet grinned as soon as she heard the name. "You're her???!! But you're sooo young!" she exclaimed, "my name's Juliet! I'm not from around here though. My homeland's way across the sea." She points due west.

"Why thank you. It's very nice to meet you, Juliet" Evangeline giggled at the compliment, already forming a very positive opinion of the blonde as her eyes followed the woman's finger. "Is that so? You must have had quite a journey to reach these parts"

Ro rubs her head, now able to function. She couldn't help but bristle a bit as Evangeline walked around them. It was weird being examined. Though Ro admitted she was doing the same thing, studying the silver-haired vampire from head to toe. Juliet was right about one thing; from a biological standpoint, she could barely be called an adult. Not that such considerations mattered; a vampire could look like a child and be hundreds of years old.

"My name's Romei. I can't say I've heard that name whispered in the crevices or anything," she admitted. She was only a newborn after all; maybe a decade under her belt? It was difficult to remember when she didn't have a reason to anymore.

"Romei? Hmm, that name escapes me. I've never heard of either of you actually and since you both don't seem to recognize me, you must be quite young" Evangelined sighed a bit, her hope of finding those from her generation shattered. It was a pipe dream but she still had hope that someday she'd meet those from her time.

Regardless, she had no right to complain as these two while young, were still vampires and that alone was enough to brighten Eva's mood as she smiled.

"Where were you two headed in such a rush?" That was the million dollar question.

"Young?" Juliet squeaked, almost indignant. She soon was smiling again, however. "I'm over 200 years old. Maybe older, but the years blend together after a while. You've never heard of me cause all of my exploits were in the west continent....and well, the place they happened in doesn't exist anymore." Something about her smile turned dangerous, before resettling into a cheery guise.

"Forgive my presumption, certainly a vampire your age shouldn't be considered young" Evangeline inclined her head to show a bit more respect towards Juliet who she didn't peg for being that age. 200 years wasn't old by any stretch but she was certainly old enough not to be referred to as "young" and Evangeline would remember that. And above all else, that "smile" certainly didn't belong to a child as Evangeline smirked herself; she had found quite an interesting fellow.

Romei sighed. "Unlike her, I don't have that excuse...I'm a newborn as far as vampires goes. I am a Fiorian though...born and raised her-"

She was interrupted by Juliet. "We're going to see the sea!! To brighten up her day since she's acting mopey." The woman poked Ro affectionately. "Do you want to come Eva?"

"The sea?" Evangeline blinked, a bit confused on what that had to do with cheering someone up. Nonetheless, she shook her head and made an apologetic face.

"Sorry, while that certainly sounds... fun, I'm afraid I've got to return home and report in my mission. It's an annoying task but orders are orders so I'm afraid I can't join you. However..." An excited glint appeared in Evangeline's eyes as she wrapped her arms around Juliet's shoulder.

"If you're looking for some fun, why don't you both come with me back to my guild? You won't find a more a more exciting place than Dawn Horizon" She laughed as she extended her invitation while embracing the two girls side by side "I'm sure it'd be better than going to the sea or whatever it was you wanted to go to"

"It's all right, I looked different for a while there, but then decided to change it up recently. The consequence was going from beauty to cutie," Jul grinned.

Juliet then saw Eva's confusion. "Ro loves looking at it..it fills her with tranquility," she commented, nodding sagely. Her excitement built at the suggestion. "Really??!! That would be great!"

Romei, however, didn't quite share her partner's enthusiasm. "Are you sure about that? It seems like your guild is pretty closed off to visitors," she noted. The last thing she wanted was to step on people's toes. Though, if they had a vampire in their ranks, they couldn't be all bad right? Then again, what had Mother May told her? "Never assume."

Nonetheless, she could see Juliet's joy; maybe she was hoping to see more vampires. She finally nodded her assent. "We'll go."

"It's settled then!"

"Great! And don't worry, you'll be accepted just fine. My friends aren't the kind of people to judge others" Evangeline proudly proclaimed as she let go of the duo and walked forward, stopping briefly as she remembered something and frowned a bit.

"Even better! I hope that means you all sorts of people there!" Julie concurred. As Ro suspected, she was intent on seeing more vampires. Or at least, non-humans; they were all the same to her these days: food.

"Although, there's one person who probably won't be happy about you two coming to visit. In fact, she'll definitely hate it as she's what we call... an extremist" Evangeline scratched her head, already imagining the vampire hating assassin's reaciton towards seeing even more of her kind.

Romei paused, as the "but" she was expecting came to fruition. "An extremist? Are you sure about this then? I'd rather not ruffle feathers unnecessarily," she commented, following Eva as she led them along.

"Oh please, she'll probably just say names we've already heard then storm off, just like anyone else," the blonde vampire responded, her tone dismissive.

"Julie."

"What?"

"You don't know why she ended up that way. At the very least, wait until we get there before you start flinging assumptions." Ro's tone was unamused and just a bit icy, knowing just how dangerous assumptions could be.

"Fineeeee." Juliet bounced forward, until she was in step with Eva and Romei. "If she does anything stupid though, I can't make any promises."

Evangeline brushed aside their concerns, or rather Juliet's concern with a wave of her hand.

"Don't worry about it. As long as you don't bother her, she won't bother you as I've come to learn about her. Besides, the boss will make sure nothing happens. He's one of the very few humans who I have complete trust in, besides my husband of course" Evangeline boasted before she began to lead the way and jerked over her shoulder at the two behind her.

"Now come on, we should make it there before sun down if we take a short cut. On the way, I'll fill you guys in on the guild and what to expect. Oh, and of course I'll tell you some juicy stories about my past. I've got stories that'll send shivers down your spines" She alluded with a wide grin.

Now it was Juliet's turn to be surprised. "YOU MARRIED A HUMAN???" her outdoor voice echoed across the land, causing birds to scatter as she continued to follow Eva's lead. Shook she was as she remembered the other part of Eva's statement; her guildmaster was human too. For her, it was difficult to compute; sure Romei was human at one point. But that was what? Thirty years ago?

The woman conveniently forgot that she fell in love with Ro when was just a nun going about her business. "How does that arrangement work? Is he cute? Does that mean you do kinky blood stuff in bed?" Juliet asked, more questions bubbling. While she had heard Eva's comment about other scintillating stories, her attention was drawn to this valuable nugget of information.

Ro was just as curious, though she cuffed Julie on the head for the last question. "Don't ask about things like that! I'm sorry Evangeline, just pretend you didn't hear that question please."

"Haha, it's fine! Really, you don't have to worry about crossing boundaries with me" She waived them off before blushing a bit as she smiled sheepishly "...Though, I can't deny that it's a bit embarassing. Yeah, me and Dy are married, crazy right? I never thought I'd find my partner in the form of a human but I fell madly in love with the man. He's wonderful, I couldn't ask for a more reliable partner" She spoke fondly with a warm expression.

"Oooww!! I was just wondering!" Julie complained, before smiling. "So he's a special then...kobe beef or flame mignon?" She received another cuff for that, complaining once more.

When she heard Juliet's inquiry regarding his physical features, she scoffed. "Cute? Girl, he's gorgeous. In fact, I've noticed alot of my guild mates are. Especially our guild master, he's even prettier than a lot of woman. I suppose it must be fate that leads attractive people to Dawn Horizon" She glanced at the two of them and nodded. "You two would also follow that tradition" she teased.

Her face flushed red when asked about the bed matters. "That's a bit... ahem, well personal but I can promise you that our sexual life is never boring. The only thing that's a bit of a disappointment is the fact that my husband's blood while delicious, is quite lacking when compared to the blood of my guild master. Ooh..." Her body quivered as she remembered the taste "Hnng, I can't get enough of it. So thick and flavorful...." She was lost in her delusions for a moment before snapping out of it to clear her throat and wash away her embarrassment.

"A-Anyway, you'll learn more about it once we get there"

"Gorgeous huh.....definitely flame mignon. A guild of beautiful people? Are you sure you're not a modeling agency?" Juliet teased back before flipping her hair, "You think I'm pretty now? You should have seen me in the old days. People were tripping over themselves."

Her expression became smug, while Ro groaned. "See!?! They do kinky blood stuff! And who?? Are you cheating on your hubby just for blood? Tsk tsk tsk."

"Of course not!" Evangeline denied the claim immediately with a fierce blush. "His blood is to die for and he's very dear to me but my heart belongs to Dy and Dy alone"

Ro noticed Eva drift away for a second, seemingly lost in fond memories of the blood-drinking. It wasn't a good sign as far as she was concerned; nor was the idea of going into a nest of humans appealing. Her throat burned with thirst just thinking about it.

"I suppose we will. What do you like to do in your free time?" Ro asked finally, somewhat eager to change topics. She continued striding forward.

"Uhh..." Evangeline scratched the back of her head, a bit perplexed on how to answer that question. She was a former queen and a vampire of otherwordly power but if she were being honest, hobbies weren't exactly something she could boast about. Outside of the ocassional mission, she was either lazing around at home with her friends or spending time with her husband. She had plenty of free time but nothing to spend it on.

She sighed. "Not much really. It's a bit embarassing but I don't have much going on that doesn't include the guild or my husband. Forget me, what do you guys like to do when your free? Maybe I could learn a thing or two from the both of you" She looked at Juliet. "You especially would appear to have a lot to do in your free time"

"Hobbies? Don't ask Romei that, she'll give you a boring answer like swordplay or something. Or reading...or..the rosary," Julie responded, ducking a playful swat, "though...her swordplay is kind of cool.."

Romei sighed internally. So Juliet did know; so much for secrecy. "Ahem! The sword practice is true, but I also write about what I see and feel. Just to catalog what's happening," she said.

Julie smirked. "I just drift. Have a snack here or there. Crash a party when I feel like it; run on water sometimes just to shock the locals. Makes them think I'm a god or something," she added, "otherwise, I just go with the flow, see where the winds take me. Oh, and spoiling this lady." Jul places a big kiss on Ro's cheek, causing the latter to blush a bit.

Evangeline grinned. "Oho? You two seem rather close. I'm going to assume that blush on your face wasn't just from embarassment" She laughed as she already guessed what kind of relationship these two had. She hadn't known them long this familiarity was something Evangeline believed only occurred due all of them being vampires.

Ro's blush deepened. "W-we a-are," she stammered a bit, causing Julie to smirk a bit.

The trip to Dawn Horizon was a lengthy but fun journey as the three exchanged stories, jokes, and even naughty tales during their trip. The sun was just over the Horizon when the trio made their way through the vast forest that covered the secret location of the base and eventually, led to them standing just outside the outskirts of the entrance that was coated in Illusion Magic.

"Here we are" Evangeline exclaimed happily that she had finally made it back home. She took a step forward as a distortion occurred in front of her, indicating that she was entering a new space as she turned back at Juliet and Romei with an amused expression.

"Welcome to our home. We have to be a little secretive from outsiders but I trust the two of you so just follow me and I'll lead you inside"

Juliet sniffed. "Well well, someone's been practicing; the magic scent's pretty much covered," she said before raising an eyebrow, "secretive? What, you all on someone's hit-list? I'll like you even more if you say yes." Her grin widened in anticipation.

Ro followed Eva, ready to step through. Her stomach sank at the secrecy part; what were they hiding from? Or better yet, who were they hiding from?

Rene dropped her sword, nearly cleaved in half as Violet's blade stopped a hairsbreadth from her. The assassin's expression was faraway, distracted even, only to deepen into something akin to disgust.

Violet's blade immediately stopped when the Miyamoto noticed the abrupt change in the assassin's eye's as she slowly withdrew it and tilted her head in confusion.

"Rene? What's the matter?"

"Something rotten is coming."

Aethon stopped mid-chew, having dug into one of Mr. Piggy's sandwiches. As much of an asswipe as he could be, she had to admit the man could cook; even if saying this killed her softly on the inside.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"That's what I'd like to know. What do you mean by something rotten? Does someone smell?" Violet sniffed herself in confusion, trying to find the source of the stench. They were sweating a bit after another sparring session but it wasn't anywhere bad enough to call it "rotten" as Violet was convinced she wasn't the problem and drifted her eyes over to Aethon.

"Did you shower today?" She knew it was a ridiculous question as the bird was rather dutiful towards cleaning herself but she had to ask just in case.

Aeth looked insulted. "Of course I showered; who do you think I am?" she retorted, taking another bite of sandwich. "What's rotten?"

Irritation showed on her Rene's face as she finally came to, plucked from whatever distant plane her mind drifted to. "Not you guys. Outside, and coming closer. I know that stench anywhere," she responded finally, her tone embittered.

"Anywhere?" Aethon questioned, before something clicked. While not the sensor Rene was, she had been practicing with Tetsu and others to improve her magic proficiency. She despised how useless she had been in the past, promising herself that she wouldn't leave Ren to the wind like that again.

It seemed the work was paying off, Aethon's expression paling. "She didn't. Is she mad???!! Now isn't the time for that!"

"I know that look" Violet stated as she watched Rene's expression turn grimm with annoyance and disgust. "That's the look you make whenever I see you either make eye contact with Eva or sense that she's nearby"

It had been a few months since Renes had joined the guild and yet there was still no hopeful progress for Eva and Renes to get along. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that Renes had no interest in getting along with the former vampire queen who wasn't hostile towards Renes at all. In fact, it was Eva's lack of hostility towards Renes that probably annoyed the assassin more than anything as the concept of being friends with a vampire must have been alien to her.

But it couldn't have just been Eva being nearby that would warrant such a reaction right?

"I'll go take a look" Violet suggested as she sheathed her blade and made her way to the stairs that would take her to the entrance. If it was just Eva returning from her mission, then there would be nothing to worry about and they'd go back to training. But on the off chance that it was something else...

Violet turned to both Aethon and Renes.

"Are you coming?"

"Of course," came the curt response. Rene picked up her sword from where she dropped it, the wicked crimson blade winking at her in the sunlight. She knew many in Dawn Horizon hoped for her and Eva to get along, become good friends even. Both the guildmaster's wife and the dragon had pushed the issue. Each time it ended in a train wreck. A vampire and her getting along? That was like a butcher and cow being the best of friends. It was naive.

She put her sword away, eyes hard as rubies. The assassin waited as Aethon stood, gulping down the last of her sandwich.

"Let's go."

A Friend of My Enemy is my Enemy
Evangeline entered the familiar walls of her home with her new friends following close behind her as they walked through the lively halls of the guild. Evangeline glanced back at the duo who showed looks of both fascination and curiosity and grinned as she threw her arms behid her head in a nonchalant manner.

"So, what do you think? Pretty crazy place right?" As if she needed to hear their answers.

"It's huge!!" came Juliet's emphatic response. When Eva had said a guild, the blonde vampire had expected something average, a rustic place with a large meeting hall, and maybe some other rooms. This though? This was a cross between a castle, a fortress, and a palace. Still, its opulence appealed to her. "How long did it take to build this??"

"No clue, I never bothered to ask but I assume it took a long time. No way they could have built this massive labyrinth of a home overnight" She chided.

Ro wandered a bit, trailing behind them as she listened to the abundant noise and laughter. It reminded her of the orphanage; they were never short on grins, never short on joy. She smiled faintly. "It's wonderful; your guild master must be pretty remarkable to have made something such as this. That and he has good people with him to build it."

Evangeline nodded "Tetsuya's amazing, you won't find many humans like him. Not just him, everyone that lives under these roofs are pretty remarkable. That's why I love em, you'll never find a boring moment around these guys" She laughed as she turned a corner with the duo, coming to an abrupt halt when she saw another trio down the hall who had also turned a corner and walked towards them. A malicious grin appeared on Eva's face when she saw who was on their way.

"And speaking of remarkable individuals, here comes some now"

Before Evangeline and her group had turned the corner, Violet was seen walking down the halls with Aethon and Renes by her side as they casually chatted on their way to discover who Renes had sensed.

"So, any guesses as to who will be waiting for us at the entrance? You must have some ideas" Violet asked.

Aethon shook her head, even as she felt Rene growing more infuriated by the second. "I mean, Eva's probably one of them, but still, there has to be someone else for a reaction like that. Or multiple people; I doubt it's anything good," Aeth said, careful to skirt exactly what was in question. No point it setting off Rene further.

Rene didn't bother responding, choosing to simmer instead. She was absolutely certain ms. queen bloodsucker had done this on purpose. Why else would she drag along not one, but two more vampires?

Juliet nodded. "So he's Grade A. Good to know. Wait, there's more?? Oh goody." She then spotted the incoming trio. A human....a bird who pretended to be a human....and..a DHAMPIR?? Her excitement peaked. How long had it been since she saw one of those? A vampire and a human mating.

"HELLO!!" Julie exclaimed, waving to the incoming trio. She seemingly ignored the dhampir's lack of enthusiasm as the blonde vampire rushed forward, only to be snatched back by Romei.

"Waaah??"

Ro, on the other hand, saw the sneer plastered on the dhampir's expression. It matched the malicious grin she witnessed on Eva's face, as the space was supercharged with tension.

"She's the one isn't she..." Ro commented, more a statement of fact than a question. Several questions rose unbidden; what was a dhampir doing here? Where were her parents? Who raised her? It didn't seem possible for humans and vampires to exist in a stable relationship, yet Eva was happily married to a human, and now an example of offspring stood in front of her, seething.

"How?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Quite a looker isn't she?" Evangeline answered Ro as the two sides stopped a few meters from each other, a noticeable tension building between Renes and the vampires. Of course, that didn't tension was momentarily washed away when Violet stepped forward to greet her returning comrade.

"Welcome back Eva. I take it your mission went well?" Violet questioned with a welcoming smile, a reaction that was completely opposite of the woman standing behind her.

Eva nodded as she scoffed. "It was a breeze as usual. I would have got home sooner but I came across some... unexpected company and lost track of time" She inclined her head towards the two standing behind her as Violet poked over her shoulder. The swordsman could tell immediately that these two were also vampires just like Eva, if that wasn't already obvious by the glare Renes kept sending them.

"Eva" Violet said a bit seriously as the vampire queen flinched at the scolding tone. "You should already be well aware of the rules regarding bringing home guests. I know they're... special but you have to clear it with either the boss or a fellow S-Class mage"

"Aww, come on Vy! I know it's unexpected but I just couldn't leave them! You already know how rare it is to find people of my own kind. I'm allowed to have some friends over can't I?" she pleaded with a puppy dog look that made Violet sigh in resignation.

"You're so hopeless" She rolled her eyes before addressing the two standing before her and decided to welcome them with a smile and extend her hand.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that. This blockhead should have spoke to us first before bringing you here but since you're already here, there's no use whining about it. I'm Violet Miyamoto, a pleasure to meet the both of you. I assume Ms Former Queen already told you about us"

Romei ignored Eva's comment, still scrutinizing the dhampir. A half-blood; she continued trying to wrap her mind around that. Truthfully, she wanted to know what had happened to her for the woman to be so cold; a quick sniff told her Rene was young. Too young to be so angry.

Her relief was apparent when Violet started speaking. "She has. Romei, nice to meet you; I know a thing or two about dealing with blockheads," she said, smiling good-naturedly as she continued to hold a squirming Juliet tightly, "this blockhead is Jul-" Mei lapsed into silence as the dhampir next to Violet turned, striding away from them.

Juliet broke free at the moment, her own interest piqued as she gave chase to the retreating woman. She clapped a hand on Rene's shoulder.

"Hey! What's your probl-" she nearly tripped as Rene stopped. The hallway's temperature plunged.

"Hand. Off. Now." A stream of withering killing intent sprang from Rene's person, her already minuscule patience fraying to nonexistence.

Juliet, for her part was shook as the foul intent took on an almost corporeal shape around the assassin. She knew people didn't like her kind; she had drained several naysayers in fact. But in her two century plus existence, this was the first time she had come across a hatred so potent, such...malevolence. This was a hatred that nurtured and was nurtured, that led to propaganda speeches and mass graves. Something told this woman's hands was stained with vampire's blood; a monster who hunts monsters and eats them for breakfast.

Julie slowly retracted her hand. As soon as it was by her side, Renesmee was gone.

Aethon let out the breath she had been holding. She found a need to break the tension that still existed in the vacuum. "Well..at least nothing came of that??" Aeth questioned, her tone hopeful. In the past, Rene would have cut the vampires down on sight...so maybe this was progress? She prepared to excuse herself, wanting to go after Rene.

A brief awkward silence followed the assassin's leave before a heavy sigh could be heard from Violet as she shook her head.

"Can't say I wasn't expecting that" She slightly bowed towards Romei and Juliet "I apologize for our guild mates behavior towards you two. She isn't the biggest fan of vampires and has her reasons for that" She then turned to Aethon as she strolled forward to begin her pursuit of the fleeing assassin. "She couldn't have gone far, let's go look for her"

Violet threw one last glance over her shoulder at Eva. "Go report in with the boss. While I'm certain he won't object towards you bringing your friends over, he has to know about this and give his approval" That was all she said before she motioned for Aethon to follow her after Renes.

Reasons Juliet wanted to know, her excitement returning in force. Admittedly, that...transcendent? Luminescent? Whatever special brand of rage it was, it had caught her off guard, but also intrigued her.

"I want to talk to her!" she declared, waving away Violet's apology.

Aethon threw Vy a grateful glance before taking off down the hallway. Only to stop when she heard the blonde's comment.

"Not recommended. She's killed vampires your age before...she has no problem doing it again," Aethon warned before continuing on her way. She didn't realize this would only increase Juliet's interest.

Rōmei locked her arms around Juliet again, predicting the woman's running start this time. Though she hid it well, the newborn was still shaken by hatred that saturated the hallway in those brief moments; it reminded her too much of Zentopia...in some ways it was even worse.

"What exactly happened with her? I don't mean to pry but...something like that doesn't just show up," Mei questioned, the smallest of quivers in her voice.

Eva scratched her head with a troubled expression, trying to think of a way to answer the woman's curiosity.

"I'm not sure I should be the one to fill you in on that since I'm pretty sure she hates me far more than either of you" She resigned as she motioned for the two of them to follow her.

"I'll take you to our leader. It might be better to hear to the story from him" was all she said as she led the excited Juliet and still curious Romei down another path that would take them to the meeting room where the boss usually conducted his business.

On the way, Eva turned to Juliet with a curious glint in her eyes.

"You're quite the brave one aren't you? You were hit by that intense blood lust either and yet you still want to know more about her. I'm not sure if I should call that bravery or stupidity" She laughed as her eyes then befell Romei.

"Why are you guys so interested in her?"

"I'm bravely stupid. Or stupidly brave; one of the two," Juliet commented before sniffing, "Isn't it obvious? I rarely see a vampire. A half-blood? That's a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. I want to see what makes her tick."

Rōmei nodded as she listened to Eva's rather meager explanation. Hopefully the guildmaster of hers did know. "Because that's more than the hatred of a cold-blooded killer; that's the hatred of someone hurting and in pain. Someone who's rejected themselves and doesn't really know where to go after. And no...I'm talking about more than her vampire side," she said, her tone pensive.

"Oh, I forgot to mention this, but Mei used to be a nun! It's why she's so attuned to people and things. She's really empathetic," Juliet said off-hand, hugging Rō as the trio continued on their way. Rō just sighed.

After a few more minutes of walking, they passed one final corner as they stood before the large meeting room door but to their surprise, they weren't alone as a tall tan skinned man with glasses wearing a lab coat was seen walking away from the door with an excited expression. He seemed to notice the approaching trio as he smiled widely, his inhuman fangs showing on his teeth as he greeted his fellow comrade.

"Well, ain't this a surprise! I didn't expect to see you back so soon my dear Eva" He stopped before his eyes took note of the two vampires standing behind her.

"And I see you brought back some... interesting looking specimens" His eyes sparkled with interest at meeting more members of the vampire race.

"Good to see you as well, Jaz" Eva curtly nodded, following his glance as she sighed at having to do another round of introductions.

"This is Juliet and Romei, a pair of vampires I came across while I was out on my mission" She then turned to the vampire duo while pointing to the excited Jaziah. "And this is Jaziah, the doctor and researcher of our guild"

"A pleasure" Jaziah bowed before swiftly taking the hands of both Romei and Juliet and kissing them gently in a suave manner. "To have seen two more vampire beauties fills my heart with such unending joy! Ah, what a fabulous day it is!" He yelled rather randomly as the trio looked on with conflicted expressions.

Juliet simply laughed with him, taking his exuberant nature in stride. If anything, she fed off it, bowing back. "It's great to meet you!! I'm Juliet, and the mopey blue-head is Rōmei," she responded, evading yet another smack from her love.

Rōmei, for her part, raised an eyebrow at Jaz's word choice. "Interesting specimens? Um....that doesn't sound reassuring," the vampire noted hesitantly.

"Oh he didn't mean anything by it! It's like when I say a human's Grade A!"

"That's because you considered them good foodstuff."

"Nuh uh!! It's a rating of character and coolness!"

"That's a lie and you know it."

"Ahem...." Evangeline coughed to clear away the girl's rather silly back and forth as Jaziah slowly leaned into the vampire queen's ear.

"They're quite a pair. I like them already" He laughed as Evangeline nodded.

"Indeed they are. Anyway, you'll have to excuse us as we have business with the boss"

"Oh? Because of those two right?" When Jaziah saw Evangeline nod at his question, he laughed a bit before shaking his head. "Then your going the wrong way. Our beloved guild master isn't in the meeting room at the moment. He's currently in the recreation room throwing a dinner party" He explained as he lifted his glasses.

"Ooh!" Eva's eyes lit up in excitement as she rushed over and grabbed Jaziah's coat, a twinkle in her eye. "That means that the boss is cooking right? RIGHT!?"

Jaziah only awkwardly laughed as he nodded at the vampire's unconstrained excitement. Evangeline let go of him as a pool of water dripped out of her mouth, her desire for food clearly visible as Jaziah walked over to the two vampires who were curiously staring at the zoned out Eva.

"She's always like that when it comes to the master's cooking, pay her no mind" He smiled before deciding to ask the vampire duo a question.

"Forgive me if this sounds rude but I'd like to ask you two what your intentions are? Were you just accepting Eva's invitation or do you perhaps have another motive for coming here? Hmm?" Jaziah probed with his usual smile, one that showed both acceptance and cautiousness. He trusted Eva but doing some probing of his own was never a bad idea and he'd be able to tell if they were hiding something from him by the way they responded to his question.

Juliet grinned. "Isn't obvious? I wanted to see what vamp queen was bragging about...it's usually just the two of us, so seeing another vampire and now a half-blood, it's made the trip absolutely worth it. Plus, I figured it would help her get out of her funk," the blonde responded, her expression tender as she turned to Rōmei.

"I wasn't nearly enthused as my partner over here but...seeing a dhampir piqued my interest. Especially one so angry when she sees my kind; I know she refuses to acknowledge herself as part of us. I assure you we have no ill-intent, you don't need to be cautious or concerned. Well, if Julie goes off the deep end maybe," Rōmei added, smirking a bit.

The blonde vamp laughed. "Now....about this dinner party...maybe I should bust out the old look for it."

Jaziah's concerns were almost instantly dispersed as he could never mistake that harmless and innocent twinkle present in their eyes. It reminded him of the same look he got from Tetsuya when they had first met and when he offered both him and his other half a place in his guild. Eyes that conveyed their loyalty towards those they cared for and eyes that yearned for companionship.

Jaziah's eyes glanced over at the still dazed Eva as he smiled fondly.

"She's found some good friends huh?" His feminine half spoke from within his mind as the man agreed wholeheartedly.

"I was a bit concerned but it seems my worries were unnecessary. Why don't you take over from here? I'm sure they'd appreciate a woman's company than mine"

"Really? Weren't you really looking forward to the party? Wasn't your plan to get the boss drunk and then when no one was looking-"

"H-Hey! D-Don't read my thoughts! Anyway, we're switching!" The flustered man spoke as he closed his eyes and his body began a metamorphosis that saw his entire biological structure change. The tall and slender young demonic man had now transformed into a voluptuous young woman who wore the same outfit as the man as she flicked her hair and smiled at the surprised pair of vampires standing before her.

"Sorry about that, my other half is quite the shy one. I'm so glad to meet the both of you" She then walked over and grabbed the drooling Evangeline and began dragging her along as she motioned for the two vampires to follow.

"I'm sure you both have a million questions but let's save those for the dinner party. Come along" She uttered before starting her walk to the room where the dinner was being held.

"HE CHANGED INTO A SHE??!!! COOL!!" Juliet jogged along, catching up to the woman. "Is your name still Jaz??"

Jaziah giggled. "Yes. My original name was Janice but now that I share this body with my counterpart, I now go by Jaziah. Cute isn't it?"

Rōmei sighed before smiling a bit. "So you share the same body? What's that like?" she asked, despite realizing how invasive such a question might be.

Juliet wagged a finger. "Don't you be prying now! Or are you the do as I say, not as I do type person?" She then decided that she would change for this dinner party; a throwback to the good old days. Though, she'd wait till they were closer to the venue, just for maximum impact.

Jaziah waived off their concerns as she continued dragging Evangeline. "It's fine. It's been several several years of having to share the body of someone else and it's still an odd feeling to me. We both experience and share the same things and can switch whenever we want so I suppose it's not too bad. Although, what makes it really enjoyable is teasing other people as they become enamored by myself or my other half and then switch on them, which always results in a funny reaction" She explained with an amused expression.

"Tsk tsk tsk, teasing poor souls like that; no shame," Juliet shook her head sadly before smirking, "Deciding who has dibs for the day must suck though."

They passed one more corner until they came face to face with a sliding door that was emitting a large amount of nois, indicating that there were quite a number of people inside as Jaziah turned to the two vampires.

"We're here, you ready?"

Juliet giggled. "Welp, time for the grand reveal." Her golden-blonde hair lengthened, losing its rough bob cut as it extended to her waist. Her white sweater and long skirt disappeared, replaced by a stunning dress of ivory and gold trim. Billowing out from below it is blue silk, giving the dress's lower half more volume. Completing the look was detached white sleeves and rather modest heels.

Rōmei's mouth dropped to the floor.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Her tone changed with the appearance, childish wit exchanged for mature sensuality. She placed a quick kiss on Rō's open mouth before linking arms with the vampire. "Ready when you are Jazzy."

Jaziah was momentarily stunned before she laughed in an amused manner. "Quite the transformation, Juliet. It seems your just full of surprises. Let's not keep our friends waiting then"

Without any further, they waltzed forward as the sliding door automatically opened for the four of them and as they stepped inside, they were treated to quite the bizarre and unexpected sight of numerous individuals hanging out in a spacious living room. In particular, everyone seemed to be gathered around a round table playing some type of card game that apparently involved clothes and money as some of the guys and girls were wearing nothing but their undergarments looking incredibly frustrated.

"Hehe, I've got this round" A blonde woman with short hair sneered with a cocky laugh as she looked around the table, certain of her victory.

"You say that every round and yet look at the state your in" A black haired man wearing an eye patch chided as he was missing a shirt and only wearing his sweatpants.

"Yeah, unless your trying to say that you being half naked what all apart of your master plan" A muscular dark skinned man added with a loud laugh.

"Both of you shut up! I'll win this time! Start the round big bro!" The blonde woman angrily yelled as she looked at the other dark skinned man at the top of the table.

"You don't need to tell me twice. Alright, show your hands!" Tetsuya, the guild master of Dawn Horizon ordered and on his signal, the other players around the table all revealed their hands before a moment of silence dawned.

"DAMN IT ALL!" Serena, the blonde woman yelled in aggravation as her female partners all sighed in defeat at losing another around while the guys celebrated.

"Tough luck ladies" Kaido sneered as a perverted glint appeared in his eyes. "Why don't you show us the goods?"

A bitter look of defeat and annoyance appeared on the ladies faces as they all prepared to strip off their last layer of clothing before someone finally noticed the unexpected visitors.

"Oh? Is that you Jaz? It's about time you got here, where's Violet?" Tetsuya asked before he noticed the two unfamiliar woman at her sides and raised his eyebrow. "Who are they?"

"Not sure, I thought she would have been here by now" Jaziah shrugged, not even fazed by the bizarre game they were playing as she let go of Eva and placed her hands behind the backs of Juliet and Romei.

"We have some guests today. This is Juliet and Romei, they're friends of Eva" She introduced as she walked forward with them and whispered in their ears.

"Bet you guys weren't expecting that huh?"

Just as she recovered from Juliet's transformation, her mouth dropped to the floor again. When Eva and Jaz said dinner party, she expected food, socializing and the like...BUT STRIP POKER? Her former nun sensibilities were deeply offended. Instinctively, the vampire crossed herself after seeing such an unholy sight. She then averted her eyes.

"Um....nice to meet you...I think." Her discomfort was clear.

As usual, Julie took it stride. "OH. So it was THAT kind of party. I'm pretty sure dinner party and strip poker don't belong in the same realm of meaning," she commented, politely guffawing into her hand.

Not that Jul minded the view; the defeated party helped her dirty thoughts machine kick into high gear. "I'm Juliet by the way; the blushing maiden is Rōmei."

"Aw would you look that, she's embarrassed. How cute" Kaido laughed before he was punched in the arm by Dyson who put his shirt back on.

"That's enough. We have guests, try to show at least a little modesty" Dyson complained as he stood while the others also began to put their clothes back on while cleaning up the cards. Walking over to the approaching group, he noticed his still drooling and dazed wife as he smiled and patted her head.

"Welcome back Eva, I missed you"

HIs words seemed to have an instant effect on Eva as she snapped out of it and looked up to see her beloved standing before her with his usual charming smile and blushed immensely before shyly nodding her head.

"Y-Yeah, I missed you too..."

"No need to be embarrassed" Dyson chuckled as he rubbed her head and glanced over at the two vampires she brought along with her.

"So you're friends of Eva huh? It's nice to meet you all, I'm Dyson Salvatore, her husband. I hope my wife hasn't caused you too much trouble" He asked as he was still petting the blushing vampire queen on the head. It was quite a feat, to reduce the prideful vampire queen into that of a submissive school girl.

Juliet's laughter boomed through the space as she watched Eva's transformation. She had seen lovestruck people before, but this...this was a treat. "A...child," the woman chortled, gasping for breath. From warrior queen to a girl in the yard with her crush. Oh this was rich! She took a mental snapshot of this scene.

Evangeline sent a death glare towards the laughing blonde as her face reddened like a tomato at being seen in such an embarassing state.

Seeing this transformation helped Rōmei fight down her own mortification. At the very least, there was someone of decent character in the room. "Oh no, she's been very hospitable," Rō responded, politely excluding what happened in the hallway.

Julie finally mastered herself. "How'd you manage that?" she asked Dyson, "I need tips."

Dyson winked. "That's a trade secret. A magician never reveals his tricks" He said teasingly before letting go of Eva and walking to the table once more, accompanied by the still embarassed vampire queen as Jaziah's laughter could be heard behind them.

"Those two have always been like that" Jaziah claimed as she also walked to the table, turning her attention to her guild master who had been conversing with some of the others.

"Where's Mizuki?" She asked as she looked around the room and couldn't find her.

Tetsuya waived her off. "She's over at Sabrina's. I told them about the dinner party but they weren't interested. It's impossible to separate those two nowadays"

Jaziah nodded. "I see. Well I suppose that's a shame but we'll have to make do with whoever's here" She then raised her hand to call over the two gawking vampires. "Hey, come introduce yourselves at least to the master"

Tetsuya watched the duo approach him with a observant eye as he shuffled the deck that was on the table with incredible speed and skill and smiled at them.

"Welcome to my guild. I'm Ludius Grande Di Tetsuya, but please just call me Tetsuya" He stopped shuffling and stood up from his seat and reached a hand out.

"Pleasure to meet you both"

Juliet would shake his hand first. "Juliet; I'm from the west side originally, but I decided to set up shop here before meeting this cutie," she poked Ro affectionately, "Nice place you have here. Did it take you long to build?"

"Of course. Took years before we could get this place up and running. You wouldn't believe how annoying it was to finish the blueprints on this place. Thankfully, I had some connections that saved me a shit ton of money and resources"

Rōmei would follow, though the questions she wanted to ask died in her throat. If felt..inappropriate to voice them in this joyous, if raucous atmosphere. Julie had told her that being a debbie-downer helps no one.

"My name's Rōmei. I'm the one responsible for making sure she doesn't go foaming off at the mouth, or do anything stupid. Unlike my partner, I'm from Fiore; a bit of ways southwest of here," Rō said, shaking his hand.

"Your guild has good people."

Tetsuya smiled earnestly at the compliment towards his subordinates. "I would hope so, I recruited every one of them"

After he finished shaking their hands, he walked closer and began sniffing them, starting with Romei and ending with Juliet as he circled around them and seemed to confirm something in his mind as he nodded and took a step back.

"You're definitely vampires. You've got the same smell as Eva over there" He pointed to the lovey dovey couple sitting at the table as he answered the curious looks being sent by the vampire duo.

"I'm sure you both already know what Dragon Slayers are and your looking at one. Sorry if that was weird, but I had to check just in case"

"That's the ticket. A dragon slayer....it's about time I met one of those; I'm surprised you're still alive actually," Juliet commented breezily, " was pretty thorough when it came to your kind; after all, you'd just become more dragons to kill."

"Juliet!"

"What? I'm just saying it like it is. The moment he smelled either of them, they'd be marked. So I'm just curious as to how Tetsuya isn't among the dead. Nor the other one I smell...though it's really faint."

Rōmei sighed. "You'll have to forgive her; she had no filter or restraint," Mei started, her tone apologetic.

Tetsuya blinked before laughing as he shook his head, as if the idea of him being offended was nonsensical.

"She's honest and speaks whatever comes to her mind. I like that trait in a person" He reassured, scratching his chin in thought at the question regarding the apocalypse dragon. "I've never met the dragon, only heard stories about him from Sabrina and how terrifying he is. Guess he's too busy with whatever it is he's doing to deal with little ol me and honestly, I'm grateful for it" Tetsuya knew he was strong but even knew he'd stand little chance against a being that even Sabrina feared.

Nonetheless, Juliet continued onward, sensing what Mei wanted to talk about but was too polite to broach. "Though....there was that one girl..damn. The hatred she was wielding; I thought I'd burst into flames with that death glare," Juli pushed, ignoring Mei's own cross look.

Tetsuya's eyebrows raised at her words "Girl? Who are you talking about?" Most of the guild were either in the room or out on missions and it definitely couldn't have been either Mizuki or Sabrina as they were too busy oogling over his newborn child so by process of elimination, that only left Violet, Aethon, and...

A look of worry appeared over Tetsuya's face as he grabbed Juliet's shoulder and asked her with a pleading look.

"Please... please tell me that the girl your talking about isn't someone with red eyes, long black hair, and a scowl always plastered on her face" He knew it was probably pointless but he just wanted to verify.

Juliet looked at his shoulder, then at the pleading look. "I mean...that's about as exact a description as I've ever heard. Only difference was she looked about ready to bite my head off. So less a scowl and more an open roar you know?" she responded. Her nonchalance was almost disturbing.

Rōmei sighed again. "That was her alright. Since Juliet brought it up, even though I'd rather not have talked about it, I was wondering why and how she ended up like that. Where I came from, fraternizing with demons and vampires meant capital punishment; any kids resulting were victims of infanticide," she added, feeling the mood drop with each word. "So I just want to know..how she's coped...and to..talk."

"Your nun is showing Mei."

"Ex-nun, and I can't help how I was raised."

Juliet's blunt confirmation of Tetsuy's worries had him sighing heavily as he dropped his head and let go of the blonde. Picking himself up, he ruffled his black hair in frustration at the unfortunate circumstances that led to Renes meeting not just one but two more vampires and Tetsuya could only imagine how pissed off she was.

He shook his head. "Your kind but for your own good, it'd be better not to pry into her past. You see she's had... very bad dealings with vampires and it's left quite a bad taste in her mouth, both metaphorically and literally" He sighed "Believe me, I'd love to fill you guys in but I have to respect the wishes of my guild mates and won't disclose information about them to strangers whom I've just met. She hasn't been here that long but she's still a member of my guild, I have to respect her privacy. If she gives the okay, then I'll tell you as much as you want to know but until then, my lips are sealed"

Rōmei's forehead wrinkled in worry. It had to be more than bad if her reaction was such; she truly wanted to know, but agreed that going over Rene's head would only end in disaster. "Fair enough..I didn't mean to...never mind," Mei said, her expression still troubled. "Mother Hen Concern" as Juliet called it.

Ending that off, he walked over to the kitchen and pulled out a few knives as he sharpened them against each other while still addressing the clearly unsatisfied vampire duo.

"Anyway, I have to make dinner and boy are you two in for a treat" He boasted with a grin as looked over at Dyson who was still conversing with his wife. "Hey Dy, keep our guests here entertained while I get dinner ready. The same goes for the rest of you, make them feel welcome" He then turned his sights to the siting Jaziah "Jaz, mind checking on Renes for me? I'm sure the bird brain's with her but I'm still worried about her state right now. If she's feeling good, see if you can get her to come"

"As you wish" Jaziah complied as she got up from her seat and nodded at her guild master before leaving the room to check on the assassin.

Meanwhile, those left within the room heard Tetsuya's order about keeping the guests entertained as they gathered around the round table, with Dyson sitting near the front as he picked up the deck of card and began shuffling them while casting the duo a challenging look.

"What do you say ladies? Wanna try your luck? Of course, we won't include the rules involving the stripping of anyone's clothing" His gaze was cast at Romei when he uttered those words as her awkwardness when she first walked into the room seeing half naked people was pretty obvious.

Juliet walked forward before plopping down in a chair. "Great!! What card game are we playing? I'm a Rummy and War lady myself. Though I can get down for a good game of poker," she added. Rōmei would hesitantly sit beside her.

Meanwhile, Jaziah would find a despondent Aethon sitting in Rene's room, the assassin nowhere to be found. The bird had already checked the training rooms, the bathrooms, meal halls, and anywhere else where Rene might be. That the room was empty told Thon the assassin had probably went outside. And didn't want to see anyone.

She would look up as Jaz entered. "Hey..."

"Hey" Jaziah greeted, eyes scanning the barren room as she stepped inside. Considering Aethon never went anywhere without Renes and the girl in question wasn't here, it clearly meant that the bird had no idea where she was and Jaziah frowned at that.

"So, you wanna fill me in on what happened?"

"I think you know what happened....Eva strolled in with two new vampires. You know how tense things are between Rene and Eva; adding in two more? I'm still trying to figure out how she managed to leave. When the blonde vamp put her hand on Rene's shoulder..." the bird shivered, "that killing intent didn't belong in this space..not in this world. I could see the murder in her eyes...she wanted it..she needed it. I don't think she would have been satisfied unless their shredded, decapitated corpses were at her feet."

Aethon shook her head numbly. "But she walked Away. Where she found the wherewithal I don't know. But Violet and I looked everywhere: she isn't here."

The bird was right; she had already surmised the situation the moment she encountered the two vampires but still wanted to hear a more detailed retelling of what occurred from an eye witness. She made a note to remind Tetsuya to adminster a fitting punishment to Eva who made such a thoughtless move without asking permission first but decided that was something to worry about later as she sighed.

"Ignoring Eva's stupidity aside, we need to find her. She's in a very vulnerable state at the moment so it'd be best for her to be around a welcoming face" She motioned for Aethon to follow her as she turned around prepared to locate the missing assassin before stopping as she spotted Violet approaching the room from down the hall.

"Hey Violet, you find her?"

The swordsman shook her head with a dejected look "No luck. I've tried all of her favorite spots but I still can't seem to find her. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear she's not even in the building anymore"

"That's... certainly a possibility but let's not get hasty" She turned back to the clearly bothered Aethon and asked her in a more serious tone. "Aethon, you know her better than either of us. Is there anywhere you can think of that she'd go to? Even if it's just on a whim" She was hoping she wouldn't have to use any drastic measures to find the assassin and placed her hopes in the feathered companion.

Aethon stood, following Jaz to the doorway before Violet reappeared. The bird's hopeful expression soon floundered as she saw Vy was alone.

"It would have to be outside...she can't disappear when her emotions are that volatile. Nor would she stay in an enclosed space when she's at rise of 'exploding'." Thon then saw their confused expressions.

"Oh that's right, you wouldn't know. 'Exploding' Is when her rage peaks, her acrimony reaches a simmer, whatever phrase you want to use. It's usually accompanied by a massive burst of magic power and well...a need to kill. The first time I saw it was when she was welcomed in by a vampire family..she was still semi-trusting then..at least enough to hope they might be different. They were a family after all: things like that were rare. She smiled, and laughed; I thought maybe we could finally set aside the whole anger thing, and just focus on finishing her mom."

Aethon swallowed hard. "Then they tried to turn me into taxidermy and her into dessert while we slept. Holding us both down with superior strength and numbers. I don't know what happened, but something in her snapped. Next thing I knew was I emerging from the rubble of a home, magic power everywhere. She hunted down each and every member of that family that night. No matter how far or how fast they ran, she caught them and killed them...like a predator, like a demon. She never laughed again after that day." As soon as Aethon finished, a deafening roar could be heard from outside.

Violet and Jaziah were absorbed into Aethon's story before they heard that scream as they swiftly turned their heads.

"Rene!!" The bird pin-balled out of the room, before bursting through the nearest window, shape-shifting halfway through before tearing through the skies.

"Hey, wait just a minute!" Violet tried to call out to the now transformed bird with urgency as she dropped her hand and sighed, scratching her head in frustration.

"The master isn't going to be happy about his broken window" Jaziah offered a silent prayer for the bird as Tetsuya hated damage to his property.

"Now's not the time for that, we have to go after her!" Violet shouted as she prepared to jump out the window and follow, glancing back at Jaziah who shook her head.

"You go on, I'll go and inform the boss of what happened"

Violet nodded in affirmation and jumped out the broken window, landing on the soft ground of the forest land as her she spotted Aethon's flying figure in the distance and followed after her. Utilizing her footwork, catching up the the fleeing bird wasn't going to be a problem and Violet was more concerned with what was going on with Renes as she had thought the girl had been able to control her emotions after joining Dawn Horizon but it seemed the girl was still a way's off from being comfortable around non lethal vampires.

Aethon continued to fly like the wind, cutting over the trees as she tracked an even faster moving Rene. "Shoot..where is she going? She never moves this quickly unless..no...no-no-no." She put on the after-burners as Thon picked up Rene's scent veering left sharply. What had she found? Who or what was in her cross-hairs now?

She slowed down as she heard Vy's footsteps. "It's shifted...." Aethon said, "no longer hectic...but..buttoned down." She had flashbacks of how the frenzied killing of the vampire family shifted to heartless, systematic murder. A predator hunting.

Another roar, followed by a pained scream, would have her tearing off again. This time, however, she found the lady of the hour, bent over something cold and unmoving. A gut feeling told Aethon to keep her distance.

The assassin was muttering something over and over again: what was it? The bird strained, ranging out her hearing.

"Not enough not enough not enough not enough, you just aren't enough..." It was hummed, almost like the melody of a song. Aethon then saw what it was Rene hummed over: a corpse. From her perch, she could just about make out the tell-tale sharp teeth.

Her eyes widened. "No way...." It had to be a coincidence: how far away were they from the guild? A mile? Ten miles? Thirty? She had been too busy flying like a bat out of hell to notice. There's no way one of them should have be

A figure emerged from the forest as it landed a few meters away from where Aethon and Renes were standing as Violet stood up and narrowed her eyes at the scene. A corpse laid in the assassin's arms as Violet bit her lip and moved a bit closer, finally standing alongside the transformed bird as her eyes burned with sorrow and regret.

"We were too late..." She closed her eyes and offered a prayer to the departed soul who cursed with the unfortunate luck of being on the receiving end of this woman's unbridled rage. Her fists trembled as she realized none of this would have happened if she hadn't let Renes accompany her and made sure to keep those vampires from meeting her no matter the cost. She also blamed Eva but that was for later as she slowly approached the unmoving Renes.

"Renes, are you alright?"

The answer she received was the drawing of one of this wicked crimson blades. However, instead of being pointed at Violet or Aethon it was turned towards Rene. She then plunged it into herself, grunting as the sword went through her abdomen. The assassin spat out blood, ignoring the collective horror of the two witnesses. She needed this. The sharp, clean pain centered her finally, the red haze fading as Rene set the corpse down. The corpse's features were now in sharp relief, two sharp, needle-like teeth jutting out of the upper-lip of a severed head: fangs.

She spoke finally. "I'm never alright. Only alive."

Aethon hesitantly began. "How...did you find them?"

"The nose knows. If you're one of them, it will find you..wherever you are."

Violet grimaced at the scene of Renes plunging a dagger into her own flesh but didn't turn away, only looking on in regret as she knew this was the girl's way of calming herself, less she attack her own allies.

"...Do you think... you can handle being around those two right now even after this?" She asked hesitantly.

She frowned at the bloody blade after pulling it out, the wounds healing faster than ever. "The short answer? Probably not. Could I last a few minutes, maybe an hour? Possibly; but I don't think this is the time to be running tests. They're her guests, let her entertain them," Rene said, her tone measured, "When they're gone, I'll return. Tolerating her is one thing; she's been here longer than I. Tolerating them is something else; especially when they reek of recent kills."

Aethon shifted back into her human form, sitting next to Rene. "I'll stay with you till then." She was rewarded with a grateful glance, the assassin leaning her head on the bird-woman's shoulder.

"If you want something to take back to Tetsuya, just say I needed some air and some space."

"Oh? Is that what you call this? Because the last time I checked, murdering a vampire isn't what I would call getting some air"

All sets of eyes turned towards the source of the voice that was coming behind a tree close to where Renes and Aethon were sitting as as a voluptuous woman wearing a witch's attire slowly stepped out of the shadows as her golden dragon eyes were present for a moment before vanishing as a welcoming smile appeared over her face.

Rene's expression was flat. "Wrong phrase; blowing off steam is more apt I suppose." "S-Sabrina, what are you doing here?" Violet was stunned as she didn't believe the strongest mage within Dawn Horizon would appear here of all places. Wasn't she supposed to be cooped up at her home with Mizuki watching over Tetsuya's daughter?

"Well, I was feeling a bit giddy and wanted to take a little stroll outside and perhaps check up on the boy but to my surprise, I sensed a rather potent source of blood lust in the air and decided to check it out. And to my surprise, I encountered the three of you and whatever is left of that poor vampire over there" She pointed to the corpse as she stepped a little closer,

"If it's not too much trouble, would you care to fill me in on what happened?" It sounded like a request but Violet knew better as those words essentially translated too "You better fess up what's going on".

"...I'll fill you in" Violet complied without complaint and explained the situation to Sabrina and how they arrived at the point they were at. They walked a bit further from where Renes and Aethon were at as Sabrina listened with a whimsical expression, no one being able to tell what's on her mind. When Sabrina saw the duo staring at her from a distance, she just smiled mysteriously at them before continuing to listen to Violet.

Aethon continued to stare at the two as they walked off a ways, only able to catch snippets of their conversation with her hearing. She had a feeling the witch was the reason why. She rubbed the assassin's back reassuringly, even as she felt Rene grimace.

Truth be told, the assassin was far from enthused upon seeing Sabrina appear. The human witch masquerading dragon was monstrously powerful and the guild's proud ace. She could also sense the disapproval coming off the dragon upon seeing the kill. Rene didn't bother saying it could have been far worse.

She resumed staring at the corpse. Now that her simmering bloodlust had dropped, she couldn't help but feel empty. Was her training kicking in again? Renesmee didn't know, only wondering if maybe she should leave the guild; she doubted her presence was good for team unity, and she was absolutely certain that if was between her and Eva, the latter would be chosen every time. She couldn't blame them; the vampire had been with them far longer.

Plus, sitting, training, making small talk...it felt like a slow death. Sketching again felt nice, but it could only do so much. Maybe peace wasn't meant for her; not with bloodied hands like these. She remembered one acquaintance proclaiming that he "would die as he lived: fighting." A few months later, he was dead, though not before taking his targets with him. Perhaps that was her fate too.

Aethon nudged her. "What are you thinking about?"

"Everything and nothing."

When Violet finished re-telling the events of what transpired, Sabrina nodded as she understood the situation.

"I see. It sounds to me that this entire problem was caused by the thoughtless actions of our dear little vampire queen. I always knew she was a little slow but to do something like that is just silly" She shook her head but shrugged afterwards. "In any case, that's a moot point as there's nothing we can do about what's already happened. For now..." Her eyes trailed over to the sitting Renes as her eyes narrowed.

"...The bigger problem is how we handle our frenzy inducing dhampir"

Violet nodded, following the dragon's gaze with a somber expression "This is a problem. I thought she had grown accustom to being around vampires after spending a few months living with Eva but clearly, we underestimated just how deeply rooted her hatred is. The way she is now, she won't be able to co-exist with Eva anymore and if that's the case..." Violet paused, not wanting to utter the possibility of having to expel the dhampir from the guild as her fists balled.

"...What should we do?" Violet was at a complete loss as she contemplated those words. Her drifting thoughts were interrupted however when she heard felt a hard smack on her ass as she yelped girlishly and turned to the smiling dragon.

"W-What was that for!" Violet yelled with an embarrassed tone as she rubbed her aching butt.

"Don't make an expression like that, it's unbecoming of a lady. Just leave everything to me. There's no way I'd ever allow Tetsuya's efforts in recruiting this poor girl to go in vain by her quiting the guild. You just watch" She winked before heading towards the sitting Renes and Aethon who seemed to notice the dragon approaching.

When Sabrina reached them, she smiled before she took a knee and tried to look at Renes face to face but the girl's face was looking down so Sabrina grabbed her chin and lifted it up with such speed and strength that it left the assassin helpless to resist.

"Look at me child" She said in a serious tone, looking deep into her soul as she began to read her emotions and her mind.

"What is it that you want?" She asked unexpectedly.

Aethon turned as she heard footsteps. It seemed the dragon wanted to talk. Not that she thought talking would do much good. However, she was startled by what Sabrina ended up doing.

Having her chin snatched wasn't what Rene had expected yet, she couldn't dredge up a reaction. Sabrina would find a blank stare meeting her own.

What she wanted? That was a good question. Technically speaking, she had already gotten what she wanted: her mother's death. For a while she drifted, then she settled on hunting vampires and the worst of human society: there was plenty to be exterminated there. Was that all she wanted though? There was anger directed towards that figure; she supposed she should call her grandmother. But what was the point when she was never here? It took her grandmother's mother to intervene.

Her mental walls, a bristling, formidable, multilayered labyrinth, began to cave. She still didn't know anything about him: her father. Only that he was dead, and that Esme turned him into a late dinner. She had no idea where to start, where to look, if she was even ready for that can of worms. Did he have family that was still alive? What were they like? What would they think of her? Yes she was his child, but she had the misfortune of being hers too. She didn't want to think about all the times she was grateful for not being a redhead. So she continued her kill-streak: her hands were already soiled anyway.

"What I want....." The walls, slowly caving, suddenly reinforced themselves. Her tone hardened. "Doesn't matter right now. If you plan on kicking me out, get on with it so I can be on my way. I have a list that needs to be checked twice, and sitting here isn't doing it."