leah_allen (leah_allen) wrote in city_limits, @ 2009-05-31 18:52:00 |
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Entry tags: | au inquisiton plot, leah allen, sonya ramius |
Dawn Foraging
Leah followed a pace behind Sonya as the other hybrid crossed a wide boulevard and into a nearby alley, the sun's rays just beginning to peek over the horizon. She would rather have been with one of the vampires, they seemed to understand her better than any of the others, but they were all bedding down in the abandoned building they'd taken over as a refugee.
This Leah was a colder and more predatory version of the one that existed in this dimension, and more overtly demonic courtesy of an attempt by the Inquisition to purge that side of her when it first manifested at the start of puberty. The attempt backfired and stripped away most of her humanity instead, and the enhanced hybrid had drained her persecutors before escaping into the night.
That had been over ten years ago, and her hatred for the Inquisition ran deep.
She came abreast of the other hybrid and glanced about. Everything was so different here, the buildings, the vehicles, even the few people she'd seen were dressed quite differently from the repressed British and their Colonial lapdogs. The surprise of that and the fact that Sonya was right there with her had kept Leah from approaching one of the few men she'd seen and draining him of his life essence right then and there.
She was hungry, almost ravenously so.
"Where do you want to go first?" She asked the defacto leader of their motley band of fugitives.
Sonya had done just as she had said and flown above on wings, hovering in the dawn air, to get a more dedicated overview of the ground. There was activity, electrical power and moving vehicles, although not of any type she recognised. Even at this hour, activity might be minimal, but could still be noticed. Having gained a better understanding, she had descended back down to ground level, not wishing to attract too much attention, if she could help it. If the sky was being watched, then it was better to get her directional bearings by foot, for familiarity's sake. The lack of combat had allowed boney spikes to retract, but her unkempt clothing still made the Russian a sight to remember. Ripped fabrics and leather torn in the heated excitement of escape, fighting and generally dirty existence.
"Foods," the redhead replied. "For all," she added, for their shared situation had caused this version of Sonya to be more responsible than her dimensional counterpart in this world. She might be one of the most formidable combatants, but did her best to provide others with a means of survival. "Vampires are needing blood. Those who can provide? They will need recovery. Then, clothings."
Heightened olfactory senses had led Sonya out into what seemed to be a main road. Across from them was a closed butcher's and the ideal place to stock up on nutrition. She had no trouble in breaking into places, but hesitated, knowing her presently bewinged form was bound to attract-
Something humanoid, but horned and with yellow skin, crossed her path and Sonya widened eyes. They were not a part of her group. She would have recognised the face. Yet, it was walking casually, without fear of open retribution. A look being passed to Leah, as if to openly ask what this could mean. Taking notice of a waste bin, Sonya gingerly walked out onto the street and looked over the top, reaching inside to retrieve a discarded newspaper. The words seemed to be in a recognised form of English, but the contents... Articles and pictures referring to demonic and angelic entities, alike, as well as obvious humans. Holding it open for Leah to see, words escaped the redhead, for now.
Could it be? A world where their kind were not hunted to extinction?
Leah's own eyes were wide at the sight of the creature walking boldly out in the open, right in the early morning sunlight! Surely it would have been captured by this dimension's Inquisition by now if it typically did such foolish things.
She peered at the newspaper, but the print made little sense to her. Learning her letters hadn't taken priority over survival, and her own education was poor at best. The pictures however, seemed to show non-humans and humans living side by side without much conflict.
Impossible. Leah felt her skin heat up from the anger bubbling up inside. "It must be some sort of trick! They're playing with us..."
She forced herself to try and calm down. If she got too upset then her demonic traits would make themselves obvious to everyone and she'd be no use to Sonya. Red skin, horns and a tail tended to stand out in broad daylight, and would make her an easy target. With effort, the hybrid managed to pull herself back together and focused on her leader.
"Bring it with us, the others might understand it better." She tried to turn her attention back to the task at hand, but she couldn't help but stick her head out of the alley to follow the progress of the creature walking down the street without a care in the world.
Nodding in agreement, Sonya rolled up the one piece of what may yet prove to be crucial evidence of their new home. The possibilities for what it represented were staggering. Even if only mildly tolerated, to think that their kind could so much as exist in society without constantly hounding persecution, had been almost unthinkable. At least, when in the context of the one they had known. Here, though... After so many years of what had been endured, Sonya would take just about any genuine opportunity to cease their apparently never-ending quest for survival.
After what had happened to her parents, she would never submit to being 'purged'.
Now Sonya almost felt bad about having to break into places and steal, if this world could truly offer them sanctuary, but it would be necessary. "There," the redhead gestured at the butcher's behind metal shutter. She could force it open and was guessing some kind of alarm would go off, but they could take what was needed and be off. Before taking care of physical food, however, she had to turn and, with furrowed brow, ask an important question. Leah was like her, after all. A hybrid. They saw eye to eye, every now and then, even if only because of similar heritage.
"Can take from me, after... If needs?"
Leah felt no hesitation at the idea of breaking into a human-owned business. Humans had killed her mother and taken her away from her father. Humans had tried to 'purge' her of the demonic traits passed on by her mother, and through their own incompetence painfully enhanced them to the point that her human side was little more than window dressing. They had been trying to find and kill her ever since, she owed them nothing.
All they were to her was food.
However, Sonya's offer to let her feed off the redhead was appealing. She'd rather have a male, they tasted better, but Sonya's energy had a unique scent that promised a tasty meal in itself.
"I can," she nodded, a bit reluctantly, "but I don't know if I can stop myself from taking too much. I'm hungry Sonya, I haven't fed in over three days." It had taken her some time to make her way to where they'd departed their old dimension and the brunette hadn't had the opportunity to feed in the process.
And self-control during feeding had never been her strong suit, it simply wasn't in her nature.
Being half-demoness, Sonya's spiritual essence was of an infernal and distinctly powerful nature. When Sonya had allowed it, the result was a sort of metaphysical, high-octane chocolate gateaux. While it also tended to infect Leah with darker inclinations, the point was that it gave the other hybrid enough energy to go on for much longer than if she had taken from a human being. That it meant less could be taken to achieve similar results, was a bonus.
"I will stop you," the Russian answered, deciding for them both. Providing for others was an important part of team cohesion and, besides, Leah would have to be in peak condition, if they were all going to make a go at this. "Take things, first. Then give to you, later."
So long as there was sufficient food available for Sonya to 'recharge', there should be no problem. Especially if others were around to safeguard matters. Getting that very food, however, was what they needed now and the redhead flexed wings, readying herself for the physical destruction she would have to enact. With a nodding gesture at the shop, Sonya took took flight flapping back a short distance, before ramming at full speed across the speed, right into those metal shutters. Being forced to master the art of demonic aerobatics was something this version of Sonya had to have learned at an early age and the barrier was severaly damaged. The alarm had gone off, but, in the process of tearing the offending remnants away from the already-shattered glass, Sonya forced the door open, allowing them to gain entry. Plenty of meat was on display and and the girl took a mouthful for herself, making haste to throw several carrier bags in Leah's direction. They needed to take whatever could possibly be made out with.
"Clothes, next stop!"
Leah grabbed whatever she could from the refrigerated cases. Cheeses, hams, sausages, steaks, basically anything that was lying out in the open was quickly stuffed into the bags. As soon as one was full she handed it off to Sonya as the redhead could carry much more weight than Leah, her heritage being of a different flavor than the brunette's. Spotting what looked to be pre-sliced bread packaged in strange clear colored bags, the hybrid cleaned off a shelf of those as well.
"Ready!"
The two hybrids quickly made their way out of the now ransacked butcher shop with enough food to carry those of their group that ate regular food for several days. Leah had one bag slung over her shoulder, filled to bulging with treats she knew would send some into a drooling frenzy.
They moved with a sense of urgency through the neighborhood's back alleys to put as much distance between them and the butcher shop before the authorities arrived, and finally slowed down several blocks away. Leah put down her bag behind a dumpster and peered out the alley. "I think that may be a clothing shop of some kind, maybe?"
She couldn't read the letters on the sign above the entrance, but the clothes on display in the windows seemed a good clue.
Having locating a dislodged brick during their unorthodox escape Sonya hurled it an upper level, grabbed ahold of Leah and literally flew the other young woman up to the ledge, entering through the smashed window. They had no idea of others' sizes, which meant having to grab as much of a range as possible. Jeans would be enough to suffice for both genders, but clean underwear would be what most would require.
"Take fast as you can!" Sonya urged, hefting the food together. "I return soon!"
Flapping off to the agreed meeting place, the redhead needed to offload their stolen produce at a quick pace. Without having to navigate streets, it was a far simpler task than before and, within the space of around a minute, resettled by the window, like some humanoid vulture and clambered her way in, hunting around for Leah.
Leah had quickly shed her tattered dress for the strange pants and a loose shirt a size too large for her. She took a bag and began stuffing as much clothing of various sizes into it as possible and, by the time the other hybrid returned, had filled the to the point where it refused to draw closed, jeans and packages of undergarments sticking out of the opening.
She'd guessed the other hybrid's sizes as best she could, and when Sonya returned she tossed a pair of jeans and a shirt toward her. "Here, they should fit pretty close to your sizes."
Sonya looked over the styling with curiosity. Different to the types of things they had their world. It confused her, a little, but as it was nothing too outrageous, the redhead had no reason not to simply remove garments, right then and there. It was a quick matter for her to replace them. Brevity forced her to be a hasty dresser, much of the time, just as it gave her a practiced need to rip the top just enough to allow for wings. At least this set were a clean one, which was quite the departure to usual.
"Not so bad," she congratulated of Leah's choice. What she would not give for a fresh pair of boots... But this was more than fine enough. "Oh!" She started, remembering that belts would be a must for some of them and retrieved a number from the nearest applicable shelf.
With a friendly, "Hey," Sonya tossed her fellow hybrid a can of drink she had scavenged from a vending machine. "You think, eh... This place? It could be makings safe for us?"
Leah was pleased Sonya approved of the choices. Many times they had butted heads over decisions made, but she still respected and sometimes feared the other hybrid.
"I don't know..." she responded to the question. "It looks safer than the old place, but it's too early to tell." In her opinion anyway. "Give it another day or so, see what the others have found out."
Either way, they were still badly outnumbered by humans.
It was simple enough to determine how to open the drink, and she tried the sugary confection. "Ahh, nice!" The drink wouldn't do anything for her nutritionally, since the botched purging there had only been one thing that provided sustenance, but she could still taste conventional food and drink. "Try it!"
"I will," Sonya replied with a friendly smile. To think that they had come through so much adversity... Ordinary humanity had come leaps and bounds, but for those who were anything else? Existence was one long trial. This was like being a war veteran who had just got given the 'all clear' signal. "Maybe, some day, we shall only have human problems. Can you be imagines? To only worry of paying mortgage!"
Things which this world's Sonya could not be in the least bit bothered with. She was lazy and forgetful, not wanting anything to do with such trivialities. This one, though? She longed for the day when household chores would be the most hectic her life could get. Not that she disliked excitement, but when her life was on the line and it meant being virtually quarantined from almost all social interaction, Sonya was not a happy bunny.
Taking a rucksack and stuffing as many pairs of socks into it as possible, the Russian kicked her old clothes off to one side and made a grab for Leah's arm, preparing to lift her into the outside air. "Fly you out," she offered. "We take things to others. Then, maybe, make you not so sleepy, da?"
"Yes." Leah nodded her agreement at the last statement and put her arms around Sonya's neck to make it easier on the other hybrid to fly her out. The scent of the redhead's energy was stronger this close, and Leah almost drooled at the thought that soon her hunger would be sated.
She honestly couldn't say anything about having human problems, Leah had never experienced any other life than the kind she'd lived back in their old dimension. It would be nice not to have to look over their shoulders and worry about the Inquisition being right behind them, but she couldn't see herself settling down with a house and turning into some domestic little wife like so many women had before.
She was a predator, even if there had been more dangerous creatures on the food chain than her.
Sonya pushed off and soon the duo was flying out in the warm morning light.