A Small World

He would listen to her speak -- his ears twitching.

The very moment he had "met" Kore -- he had shot her in the chest twice. And he had told her that he would make it quick. Her death would be swift as no matter how infuriating the foe, he ultimately wanted them removed from existence. Demons had been plaguing the area previous and he had no intention of allowing something such as her any opportunity of escape. She had yelled at him during the exchange as hurt and angry. And it was when she had been on the backfoot that she had begun to bargain. It wouldn't have implausible that she had been a well crafted demon who had simply told him something that he would like.

And yet when it came to Kore, there was something unmistakably different about her. When she spoke to him and made her appeal, he had wanted her to be right from the beginning. For it would truly be a horrible world where a demon could act so thoroughly human as she did. A part of him felt afraid of how much he had wanted to trust her from the beginning. Almost as though afraid of faith itself. Even after agreeing -- he did not trust her. Not truly. Not enough to avoid ironically manipulating her himself into doing something she'd have ultimately consented to.

And now here we are.

"Perhaps not. How you came to be this was is something difficult for me to fathom." She was correct. There were still things about her path that hadn't understood ultimately. His monitoring of her was recent. "However, it clear to me now that is does mean a great deal to you." How it had come to this point was something likely to take time. But the fact of the matter was that it was here.

"It is very much like the day when I met you. Your blood of your flesh wreak of something else. But there is something about you so very unmistakably human. Beyond that I cannot see your soul. And yet I would wager it is one which would belong among some of humanity's best...I want to believe in it, truly." He said, almost afraid of his own faith.

"To tell the truth, I would only require that you continue to travel the path you do. If you do insist, I'm sure you'll think of something. You have overcome far greater conundrums." To hold up one's head was of no trouble to the vampire. His muscles did not ache or fatigue when he would stand perfect still and watch someone for days. But it would still feel good when he turned his head forward and allowed his head to yet lean on Kore.

"Ah. And there it is. Butter me up and then lay it out. The deal." She had guessed correctly.

"Truly you are a devil." He said, his humor as dry as she'd likely remember it.

But Devil as she was -- he did allow her words to infect his mind and plunge it thought. Though in reality, under any circumstance, this was something that she could have brought up at most any time. Septimus knew of the importance of groups and how pivotal they were to ultimately repel those threats.

"A bold claim." He said. But he was replying in the literal as his hearing was quite good. Especially when it came to all things related to blood. But as she went on, what she actually meant was much much clearer. A part of wondered if she thought he would go off on a tangent about how inferior these entities were. And that it was he who was the only one who could go and solve the world's problems.

"This is something I understand. I've worked under a corporation. I have worked with groups of hunters. And still to some extent do work with those who specialize in gathering information of such things. But not something with such reach and influence as a government. It is not because I don't believe in it's capability. It just usually doesn't go too well if I work too close. I was once told that I am not a very good soldier." Septimus smirked at the thought, given how he had lead an army through an extra-dimensional invasion.

"But I would give it a try. As you say. I would remain my own entity, unbound by any contractual obligations and bureaucracy. And of course who is not above investigating such an entity as a government if it is compromised by that which it seeks to stop. But I would definitely take advantage of that which you are offering." There was sigh.

"The main obstacles comes more from just how well I work with others. I was once told that I am not a very good soldier." For perhaps the first time he's been around Kore...Septimus chuckled, wistfully stuck in the past as he discussed the future. And then he smirked. His body shifted as he did because laughing required him to breathe for a brief moment.

"But I would offer you ancient insights and sagely advice at your leisure. Free of charge."

"Oh? And endanger my hard earned reputation?" Septimus said sarcastically. While there were some who did fear him, it wasn't something he particularly worked towards. Indeed -- if he had his way, he would almost no reputation at all. Less than mystery...he would have himself be utterly nothing. One who worked from the shadows and sought to spectate the results. Admittedly, moments like this weren't something he'd found himself wishing for. But he liked it a bit more than he would have thought.

Septimus listened to her groans, perhaps curious as to what exactly vexed her. "Hmm?" He tilted his head curiously he needed only wait to receive his answer.

"I still yet sleep, Kore. But during the day. Like any of my kind. But I can stay awake much longer. While others of my ilk are more compelled to sleep." He said, a weakness revealed. Seemingly it was without much in the realm of hesitation. It was not something said without thought, however.

As she mentions not wanting to go down the slippery slope of being late again, Septimus nods, agreeing. He was one who disliked the formation of bad habits and worked tirelessly to control his own habits after all. Routines and rituals held an importance to him difficult to describe. Something which currently he didn't see fit to describe. Kore understood to some extant and thus the vampire felt no need to add to it. That said, his schedule was fairly free at the moment. He had little planned and merely setup tracking that creature down as got acclimated to that which has changed in the years which he was gone.

"It may delight you to know it will. I have a phone specifically for you." He had many phones under many false names. But there was no reason to throw hers away. And it wasn't as though he was going to take her call when he was in the field at least.

Speaking of which, soon she asked him yet another question. And Septimus raised his head off her own as it helped him better think. He wanted to sum it up to her in a way that wasn't too wordy and was absent of the unnecessary details.

"I was making moves against the Varcolac. A long time ago -- we had decided to stay out of their affairs. To come to a truce of sorts. But I broke such a thing." He began.

"It entailed a great deal. I used a great deal of my funds and my knowledge to aide their enemies. Vigilante organizations more akin to small mercenary companies. And rivals gangs. I would even offer some measure of training. I would gather intel on the Varcolac's assets and their bases, tracing them through the humans that they themselves associated with. They had grown fat. And complacent. So they were often hardly prepared. They would hold Duskburg. But most of their profits and means of influence come from outside the states. Drugs. Human trafficking. And so on. So I would set gangs, militias and rival factions upon those points. And I would deal with their most elite agents personally. I was advisor, spy and a one man army, rolled up into one. They focused on keeping duskburg. All the while losing all that which gave them their power. Until they had enough."

He paused.

"They sent Karine after us. Like Vas, she is one the Varcolac's shall we say "lieutenants." Someone who I would say is less persuasive than the one you know. Than Vas. And more...forceful. More shall we say eccentric in her hobbies. And quite unpredictable. She is one of the oldest in the organization." And by that extension with age and feeding....followed power.

"While we were invading a port in Columbia. She appeared out of nowhere from the skies with silent wings masked by my focus and raging gunfire. And she scooped me up with about as much difficulty as an owl might scoop up a baby hawk. The sounds of war became quieter and lower -- as the giant winged humanoid took me above the clouds in mere moments. The ocean would" Septimus had an expression one could describe as rather grim.

"And now I'm sure you could guess where this goes." He would give Kore a moment to think of where it goes in part.

"She set upon the task of tearing me apart. And we did battle in the sky. She would drop me periodically -- but she would not let me hit the water. She would strike and pick me up constantly. She tore through my armor easily. And some of my limbs had been removed by the altercation. But I wounded her, as I blew a hole in her head large enough in her head to remove her motorfunctions temporarily. And before I could do much else, I had begun to fall. I would soon fall from the sky and impact the water, bleeding profusely from Karine's serrated claws. I sank soon to the bottom." Septimus spoke in a manner that might be befitting of an author. It was probably because he was someone who had written book.

"I lay at the bottom for some time, using the dirt to recuperate my wounds, Slowly but assuredly, the soil would allow my limbs to return after Karine's grievous injuries. I shed my gear. And I would return to slumber and allow myself to merely float, for I had not the energy to swim a continent. Eventually, I would wash up on a beach in europe. I was found, examined and eventually fed upon one of the people about to conduct an autopsy. Just enough to regain my function. 30%. A few pints of blood. Nothing more." The poor man. He was merely trying to investigate a dead man. In another time -- his body would have likely been mistaken for a demon's and burned. But in these times, they had half mistaken for a corpse. And he exploited this and drained him when the time was right. He'd nearly hit his head.

"I had whispered that in my mind for some time..." There was a silence as he let those words hang in the air for a moment. And then he broke it.

"Now I am here. Seeing what I have missed. Checking on the results of my actions against the Varcolac. Mulling over how I missed the Kronos Gala at the time. I had said I would be there -- as the hero Quiver had died. And I know her sister....rather closely." It was something he'd been doing, before Kore had approached to him. But then Kore was a matter of it.

"And I would seek to assess you yet." He took a deep breath. His still body would breathe in as if it had life. It was a breathe he need not take. And yet it had brought him relief anyway. As though he had expelled such thoughts. Septimus knew well that such things were to be struck down. But they could wait.

"But not I would not do so now, Kore. We will discuss it -- at a later time." It was his intention to lack any measure of ambiguity or crypticness. He would make his intentions clear.

"Not now."