Edward - People are Strange
(apologies for lower-case i's. Laptop broken, will fix later)
It all started with the other Gangrel. Some people had been taken, then murdered. A woman had been taken now, and Edward was damn well going to do everything in his power to stop it. The dead two had been a young couple, and someone had silenced their lives and loves. Blood simmering in his veins, Edward nodded to the three Gangrel. On the way out he grabbed the young Mekhet, child of a friend...he wanted someone he could trust. A new Gangrel who talked about violence backing him up, while Chita and Benny stayed behind to "coordinate?" Probably off f-NO. He forced himself calm and looked at the young woman. "People were taken. Let's go."
Or maybe it had started earlier.
Chita and Benny needling him about not being a good Gangrel, a real Gangrel and for a moment he wanted to slam their heads together. Just a moment. They were joking mostly, but it came from a true place. That was annoying...he was older than the two of them together and then some.
Or even earlier. People talking about finding peace, even...relationships of a sort. Hurt and anger burned through Edward for a moment, but his calm allowed him to say with perhaps just a touch of bitter "I have found that such relationships rarely work on the Kindred." After a few moments he managed "sorry...did not mean to get my bitter all over." He gave a weak smile and the conversation returned; the feelings smoldered like a burning coal in his chest, burning him against the cold.
But the mission. As they drove, Edward couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. It was like the last time, like when he'd led two others against that ghoul who was taking Kindred. Even with the rightious indignation he felt over what this person or people were doing a part of him sat up and smiled, stretched like coming out of a long sleep. He was on the hunt, tracking a quarry who did not know he was coming. Long slumbering instincts began to rise and he felt almost out of body, felt all his senses sharpening.
Hopping out of the car, Edward called upon his blood and his muscled burned so good as he shifted to wolf form; something not done for a little while. He called upon his powers of hiding and ran, feeling the heady joy of running four-footed, sure-footed. Then something, a wiff of something delectable like catching the scent from a fine restaurant after fasting was on the air; blood, female...fresh. He growled low in his throat, on the hunt, and swiftly loped along the trail towards the factory where the other two had gone. It was good to run through the cold, to barely feel it behind the powerful shape he wore. Meeting them there, the blood scent going inside, he told them to plan. For him and the Mekhet girl to check inside invisibly, for the Gangrel millitant to way outside.
Edward called upon the Sight as the girl did, and she sprang into sharp focus; he waited until she had him seen as well before pantomining his plan: the doors were all closed, but there were broken windows and he could fly up as a bird and peer inside. Just more blood. Could see the older man with a mind laced with fear and madness, see the younger man with the knife, see the girl tied up and bleeding fromthe head; her aura was getting paler, and he could smell the blood fresh and hot and would be so delicious from where he was. Anger rose in him, and he flew back to the group to talk to them as the two men argued.
He could see the other Gangrel coming inside with gun drawn, shouting that he was FBi and Edward took advantage of the distraction to Call upon some ravens nearby for help. The two men began to freak, the one with the knife moving towards the makeshift altar intent on ending it before he could be stopped. Edward circled high and dived towards the man just as a shot rang out from the other Gangrel. The peregrin falcon can reach speeds over two hundred miles per hour in a dive, and while not a full high dive falcon-Edward smashed into the man with a nasty crunch, knocking him back and over. Edward restrained the knife-wielder as the mystery vampire left at unnatural speeds, getting only a gunshot before escaping. The hunger to feed surged in him at the smell of blood from the knife-man's fresh shoulder wound, but he forced himself calm until support arrived.
When Darwin, Chita and Benny got there they broke to handle things. Chita or the Mekhet were to stay with the hostage as Edward and others followed the blood scent, but she decided her dog ghouls would be enough. Edward was annoyed by that too, but it was time to hunt and run and follow and bring down. He followed it easily through the woods, leading them to a simple cave opening. inside the vampire was quickly packing up trinkets and gewjaws, and didn't even notice them until Darwin threw sharpened sticks into his back. The man didn't go and the hunt became a dogpile.
Edward felt something inside surge as he lept; catching the man in mid-spin and downing him quickly. Others there restrained while Darwin put a stake in him...but Chita stood there as the creature fell to its rage before being silenced. Can she do as her Sire had, was she her bully father's brat? Edward wondered, and part of him wanted tos lap the smirk off her face. For a moment he stared at the downed man
Back at the party site they waited. And waited. Edward stood, paced, growled, wanting to just leave and eat. He sat with fellow Gangrel and growled at Chita as she questioned why he was the way he was, told him to let it loose. Edward felt his patience waning, felt the hunger and anger. We can eat her, we can just grant her wish for a fight and bite deep, drink deep...no...no...NO. As Chita flicked little things at Edward to try to get him to give in, he tried not to think about ripping out her tongue and drinking the gush of blood, knew it would be wrong but so much better than that weak human blood....NO. He closed his eyes and took a long breath, trying to meditate before growling and stalking off. if they needed him they knew how to get in touch with him.
He was hungry, Edward couldn't deny that. But he'd fed already tonight, and if he didn't get home and control something...would happen. He turned the radio on as he got into his truck and started it up, heading back for New York as quickly as he could. "People are strange, when you're a stranger," the singer confided in him. "Faces look ugly when you're alone. Women seem wicked when you're unwan-" and quick change of the radio was called for. He managed to find classical music, something light and peaceful for the trip home.
A ways into the trip he had to stop for gas and pulled into a small station. There was a sleepy clerk and Edward tried not to watch the vein in the man's neck, one filled with rich, strong blood. He paid with shaking hands and practically ran back to his truck, speeding the rest of the way home so he could get somewhere safe to center himself. If he just melded over the day then he'd be too hungry upon waking to be safe for anyone.
Edward made it home somehow, hurrying up to his apartment. He had some emergency stuff stashed away, and that plus meditation would tide him over until he could hunt the next day, until he could take the edge off. it wasn't until the door closed and he heard the light voice that he remembed.
Oh hell. Ellie.
The phone call was quick; the masters of the domain did not feel it was a Kindred matter. That they could be so callous about human life brought up a flush of heat, but Edward calmed himself and proposed calling the police. Authorized to distract Edward became a bird again and felt...hungry. He pushed down the desire and smashed through the window, angling a fall towards the knife man. He dodged and cawed as an angry bird might, avoiding being cut badly by the knife until a voice from the shadow whispered "he is not normal! Kill the bird!" Edward Looked and saw the gaunt man. Well. NOW it was a Kindred matter.