The Second Time

[divinitysoiled]

Characters: Catarina and YOU!
Setting: Floor six
Format: Starting with action, will match prose
Summary: Catarina goes hunting. This is not a good thing.
Warnings: Blood and mutilation of forest animals

[So many days without food. While she had made do with the life force she had taken from Lancer, she couldn't go forever without eating meat. The sixth floor had intrigued her, as had the oddly mutated animals. And they looked delicious. So with her knife, Catarina went hunting in the forest.]

[When one would come across her, she now was covered head to toe in blood. There was very little of her left that was left untouched. There were animal carcasses about her, brutally murdered and what appeared to be eaten raw. Catarina herself had a look about her, a look in her eyes that said something sane in her had checked out, and wouldn't be back for a while. The hunt had taken her, and her prey was before her.]

Comments

[fatherssins]

"Foolish hell-spawn." Alucard sneered, lip curling in disgust "I have no desire for the carcass of that creature you've maimed." The half vampire extended his arm and pointed to the bloody corpse that the demon was coveting. "I am here for you and to expunge you from this place. You, who would so readily bring Hell in with you."

[divinitysoiled]

That was enough for her. His motions were enough for her animalistic brain to think he was about to take her food. She sprung at him, knife out, her motions lacking grace but made of brutal rage.

[fatherssins]

Alucard knew that he had been provoking this creature for some time but he did not expect her to launch herself at him so readily. He only just managed to dodge her wild flurry, but felt something cool swipe at him and catch the back of his elbow. He paid it no mind (for now) and instead he unsheathed a long and rather elegant looking sword. He pointed the tip of the blade at her, but made no move to attack (yet).

"You are foolish to attack me." he said darkly, golden eyes burning like fire "When I catch you I will take much delight in snuffing out your cursed life."

[divinitysoiled]

She snarled at him, three limbs on the ground with her knife raised halfway. There was a spark of something... intelligent in her eyes, something that told her to stay put and wait. Watch. Live. She shifted her grip on the knife, dark eyes watching his carefully.

[fatherssins]

Alucard shook his head, there was almost a hint of pity in his eyes as he looked at her misshapen form. "I wonder if you were always the way you are now, or perhaps something changed you." He pushed those thoughts of sympathy from his mind, they did him no good and she probably couldn't appreciate them anyway. "Do you still mean to fight me, demon? Or have you lost the will?"

Alucard finally looked down at his elbow, there was a shallow cut on the back of his arm. She had sliced through the leather sleeve of his coat and cut his skin just a little. There was a hint of blood forming at the tiny wound. "Hm..."

[divinitysoiled]

That look. Her posture changed slightly, curious. She followed his gaze down to his arm, eyes focused on the cut. The she looked back up at him.

"...vampire..."

[fatherssins]

Alucard quickly run his palm over the tiny gash, wiping away the quickly clotting (and quite dead) blood. "Quite." he sneered, his aggression -for once- not directed at her. He hated what he was with every fiber of his being and almost hated being reminded of it more.

"So what are you going to do, demon? Hiss and slash at me until I'm forced to wring the life from you? You know I cannot let your kind wander the tower freely."

[divinitysoiled]

Her head shook, quick jerking motions. She whined slightly as her thoughts raced in two different directions. "...vampire... hunt... food. Need..." Catarina looked up at him, intelligence warring with animal. Her gaze dropped to the fallen animal, then back to Alucard. "Mine."

[fatherssins]

"Tch."

Alucard turned away, he could quite easily comprehend what she was trying to communicate to him. How she was protecting her 'food' from him, probably in fear that he'd come to steal her kill. Far from the truth, but the human pity in him was growing quickly now. Alucard could imagine his father sneering down at him for his humanity, his weakness in choosing to overlook the weak, the vulnerable and the naive.

He sighed, exasperated. "I have no desire for your kill, it is you I have quarrel with, not the flesh of your victim." Sternly he continues "You cannot stay here, you are a demon, are you not? I..." I need to kill you. he thought to himself I have to kill you. "You put the innocents here in danger, today you slay a beast, tomorrow?"

[divinitysoiled]

Her eyes blinked slowly, and her hands came up to them. "You... are a vampire." The most coherent thing from her yet. "I... think. My thoughts... I was... hunting. Meat." Her hands lowered, looking at the knife. Carefully, she licked the blood off, making a face at the slight taste of Alucard's blood on it. "... you... why... are you here?"

[fatherssins]

"I am here for the same reason you are." he replied, purposefully defensive, he did not want to be tricked into kindness by this creature only to be attacked again. "Why I have happened to come across you, of all people, I do not know but your kind should not be here. As I said, you pose a threat to the more delicate of this tower's inhabitants. There are too many people of importance here that do not need you and your demonic ways to influence them."

[divinitysoiled]

She laughed at that, shaking her head. "What... do you think I will be doing?" Catarina looked at him, intelligence and sanity starting to fill her features. "Do you think I have more than words to influence others?"

[fatherssins]

That condescending tone provoked Alucard to the point where he lost his composure and snapped back at this quasi-succubus with such venom that he forgot himself. "Do not patronise me," a hiss in his voice "I am fully aware of what demons do to influence their pray."

And his mind flitted to thoughts of his companions and his closest companion.

[divinitysoiled]

"And you believe I can do that." Her lips tightened at that, her chin lifting. "I lost my own mind at the need to hunt meat, something full blooded succubi do not do or even need. I hadn't even used any magic against you. I cannot use what I do not have." Catarina placed a hand to her forehead, breathing deeply as her mind settled. "If I were to have access to any of those demonic abilities, I would have used it."