Cold rain with a touch of fire Who: Jezebelle and Lex Where: Alleyway in Scarlet Oak When: Late evening
It had been at least a week since Lex had his fix for fire elemental blood, thus explaining his impatient pacing in the dark alley. He had came across another blood hunter who was willing to fetch him enough to hold him over, though the price was rather steep. Whatever. He had his addictions that needed to be calmed down and right then he was willing to pay any price. Once the blood hunter showed up, the two made the quick exchange in silence with Lex staring him down coldly. He couldn't understand why a hunter would have such difficulty being on time, but it didn't matter now. Lex had his blood and that was all that mattered.
Once the hunter left, Lex immediately unscrewed the bottle in hand like a crazed addict and instant began chugging it down. There was no moment of slowly savoring the warm blood that rushed down his throat. He needed the blood way more than he imagined and simply wanted his anxious craving to finally blow over. After a moment of drinking the bottle was finally empty. Lex pressed his back against one of the building walls and heaved out a massive sigh while pulling the bottle away from his lips. Within seconds the warmth flowed through his body and he was able to sense the slight coolness in the rain droplets that fell onto his face. He didn't even care if it was pouring out; Lex merely basked in the moment as a smug grin formed on his face.
And then he heard something down the alley. The paranoid side of him instantly reacted to it, causing him to whip around, unsheath a throwing knife, and prepare to launch it. Though the second he spun around he saw the figure standing the in the shadows and actually recognized the form, causing him to not release the knife between his fingers. Blinking his blue eyes, Lex parted his lips as if to say something, but merely stood there in silence.
Jezebelle stepped out of the shadows, clicking her tongue as she gently shook her head. She'd seen plenty of addicts over the years, but rarely had she seen a vampires handle blood the way a junkie went for a fix. "For a moment I thought you would let it fly," she grinned, speaking of the knife. It would have hurt, and she would have been pissed, especially if it had ruined her dress, but it would heal. The bigger faux pas would be throwing a knife at a "friend", if she could be considered as such.
She knew Lex through her sire, and had never been given the chance to speak to him in private. The last time they'd crossed paths, she'd been young, new to the taste of blood and the lust it could create, and she'd been obedient. Wandering around in the night, alone, it was obvious to anyone from her past that something had changed. Her sire would have frowned on spying on her own kind, especially her own line. It was nice to have her freedom. "Of all the blood bags walking around this town, you choose to drink from a can?"
So it really was her. Lex let out a sigh of relief and eased his body. The knife quickly returned to its hidden sheath while he looked her over quickly. Had it really been that long since he saw her last? Now wasn't the time to be remembering pity details such as that. "Very tempting, if I do say so myself." Lex nodded, responding to the part about letting go of his knife. "Though I don't think Dixen would be too thrilled with his precious woman all scratched up, now would he?" He knew better than to openly attack another vampire, especially one of the same line. Maybe if he hadn't slept in close to a week it would be mildly acceptable in his mind, but either way it was not something wise to do.
"I'd rather drink from a can than take my chances with a fire elemental." Lex glared at her, rather ticked off that she had the audacity to mock him like that. "I enjoy my unlife quite well, thank you." The vampire took several steps closer to Jezebelle, his blue eyes looking her over slowly. Still the same, alluring object he remembered from years ago. "And what brings you here? I knew you had a tendency to be shady, but a bloody alleyway?" He tsked his tongue at her while shaking his head. "You're just asking to be taken advantage of now."
Jezebelle's expression turned bitter at the mention of Dixen. She hadn't seen much of her sire as of late, and that was both a good thing and bad. Good, in that she'd betrayed him and was sure he'd know the moment he saw her. Bed, in that it left her feeling slightly insecure. She'd never gone this long without him by her side. "So Dixen's the only thing keeping your knife out of me? That, sir, is both rude and sad. I'd think that in times like these, we could at least trust our own." Trust was probably too strong a word, but it was all she could come up with at the moment. Jezebelle trusted few.
"But it's so much better straight from the skin," Jezebelle said with a little smile. She was thinking of Graham, and how it was a pity that she hadn't seen him lately. Perhaps she should pay him a visit. "Who in our line doesn't have a tendency to be shady?" she asked, rolling her eyes. There were no good men in the line of Shades, as far as she knew. "Let them try to take advantage. I enjoy a good fight from time to time."
Lex was extremely content with Jezebelle's initial reaction. Being able to bring out that bitterness in her meant that he was doing something right. At least in his eyes. "I trust our own far more than I trust everyone else, but doesn't mean we shouldn't let our guard down." Lex never let his guard down. It slipped by him once back during the second World War and he wasn't willing to do it again to experience that type of hell.
And Jezebele had a point. About both the blood and their family line, but the part about the blood perked his interest more. It was far more refreshing and intoxicating than chugging down a bottle. He was happy with his fix of fire elemental blood, though, seeing that the hunter he paid off did an excellent job at making sure it was hot off the press, so to speak. "True, but I still value being alive over that." Was a bit of a double-edged sword for Lex; he needed blood to stay alive and fire elemental blood was his addiction, though at the same time fire was a main weakness to vampires and he feared it greatly. Nothing was ever easy these days. Lex perked up a brow, finally stopping a foot in front of her. There was something about her smiles that always threw him in for a loop. He could never entirely trust her whenever she smiled. "That almost sounds like an offer. When was the last time you had someone fight you?"
"Find a fire elemental that doesn't know what they are," Jezebelle grinned. "That's what I did." It hadn't been her objective, but that didn't mean she wasn't thoroughly pleased with the turn out. The blood of a fire elemental was a nice perk, but it was the fae blood she was after. It was fae blood she would pay for, but she knew not to get caught. "Just keep in mind that getting caught paying is bad for us," she smirked. He really should know better, being as old as he was.
While it might be fun to pick a fight, doing so with Lex would be a bad idea. When it came to their kind, her means of murder were much more subtle. There was nothing Jezebelle's poisons could do in a physical fight, which automatically made her weaker than Lex in that sense. Plus, she was a woman, and they were both vampire. She knew better than to push too hard here. "Almost an offer. If you were human, it would be," Jezebelle said, her eyes meeting his as he stood so close to her. "It's been a very long time. Too long, really. I miss the opportunity to tear people's throats out."
"Watch your tongue, love, I typically kill those who catch me." Lex growled lowly. He hoped Jezebelle would be smart and not spread gossip about what she witnessed that evening. Of course he knew better than to get caught, he wasn't that stupid, but after hearing her words Lex couldn't help but continue feeling paranoid for the rest of the night. He even turned his head upon hearing the rain fall harder. Damn weather. "And a shame, really. Would be quite fun to catch you up on a lovely fight." Then again, his vision of fighting Jezebelle involved smacking her around and putting the vampire in her place, but he had to show some respect to his fellow family member.
While he smirked, Lex's mind rapidly relapsed back to what Jezebelle said before. Wait, did she mention that she...? "You found one? A fire elemental?" He didn't even take her for the type to be into fire elemental blood. Wasn't she a slave to fae blood like half of the vampires out there? It was a nice touch for Lex, but not a requirement. He preferred feeling warm and alive again than immunity to the sunlight. Besides, he lived in the shadows for the most part, so it defeated the purpose. "Where the bloody hell did you find a fire elemental, especially one who didn't know what they were?"
She was quite sure Lex usually killed those who caught him, as it would be stupid not to, so long as they weren't a vampire. Almost all vampires were smart enough not to say anything, since it made them look bad by proxy. The differences between houses didn't really matter when a vampire was caught doing something wrong, so it seemed far more important for them all to make each other look good.
"By accident," she answered. "Nice fae and fire mix, so I'm happy all around. I can walk in the sun and be warm all at once." It was amazing how human Graham had made her feel, and he wasn't even trying. All he had to do was let her feed and the world just seemed that much more amazing. To make things even better, she didn't have to pay for it and he let her drink from him. "You know, the people around here seem to be more than they appear. I don't know if it's something in the water, or what, but every sip I get is more than I expect. I'll see if I can't find one for you, since I don't like to share."
Fire elemental and fae blood? Now that was a combination Lex had yet to stumble upon and he was certain it would sell for quite a high price seeing that it sounded like the next closest thing to actually being alive. No wonder Jezebelle was smiling. "You'd find one for me?" Lex tried not to snort at the thought. "When was the last time you were ever generous to me like that, if ever?" The vampire began circling her slowly, his eyes still fixated on her. "Besides, if you were going to give me something, I believe I'd want more than blood." As he walked behind her, he let his hand skim over the small of her back ever-so lightly. Lex smirked wickedly to himself as he came full circle and faced Jezebele again. She was completely off limits and he knew better. While Lex was higher on the food chain than Dixen, he didn't feel like duking it out with someone who was just as qualified to kill others as Lex was. Then again, in Lex's mind he didn't see it like that, but it was the truth.
"Though if your offer still stands after tonight-" He brought his hand up, nestling it under her chin and forced her look into his icy eyes. "-I'd greatly accept it."
Jezebelle was willing to be generous when it fit her to do so, but she would not be to someone that treated her like a lessor creature. The way his hand slid over the small of her back sent forbidden shivers up her spine and she clenched her teeth furiously. How dare he touch her in such a way! By the time he had moved back to face her, there was fury in her eyes, rather than the attempt at being civil. If he hadn't been her elder, Jezebelle would have spit in his face. "You will earn no favors manhandling me without my desire for you to do so," she said, her voice low and dangerous. At some point, she wouldn't care how much older he was than her.
"Without your desire for me to do so?" Lex released her chin and took several steps back from her. "Almost sounds like you have potential for said desire." He grinned wickedly at the thought while letting out a snicker. Oh, teasing women never grew old, and Jezebelle was no exception. "Though desire aside, I'd be willing to take you up on your offer, whether it's from your lovely catch or elsewhere. Perhaps we can come to an agreement of some sorts, yes?" It had been awhile since he did a favor for another vampire, let alone one for his family line. There was always the orders handed out by the elders, but that was it. This was going to prove to be interesting.
The correct answer would have been "without her sire's permission", but Jezebelle had been ignoring that particular option as of late. Dixen had never been allowed to grant such access to her, as that would be the quickest way for him to be rid of her completely. No one touched her unless she wanted them to, no matter how important they thought they were. "Potential is nothing without want. I have the potential to do a lot of things," Jezebelle pointed out. "I'll see what I can do. I'm sure there's a fire elemental out there that would suit your tastes. I just need to watch for them." She couldn't promise a deal, since she wasn't willing to offer Graham. She'd just keep him in mind in case someone else came along.
Her words were extremely fascinating to Lex, but he wasn't going to prod any deeper than that. And while he wasn't a hundred percent trustworthy with Jezebelle, he did trust her judgment when it came to finding a suitable blood donor. Then again, donor was a very loose term, seeing that Lex preferred to force himself onto most of his 'donors.' More like prey in his eyes. "If you were to do that then perhaps I should throw myself at your disposal. Fair trade, is it not? I'd find a fae-blooded slave for you, but it looks like you've already found a lovely blood pet. I gather you must take care of her well?" Lex made the horrible mistake of assuming the elemental Jezebelle spoke of was a woman, predominately due to his own preference in where he fed. Oh, what little he knew.
"I treat my pet well, yes," Jezebelle said with a little smirk. She wondered why he presumed her source to be a female. It might be due to the conflict of being loyal to her sire and drinking from a male. Blood and sex went together well, but she wouldn't have been tempted if she'd been feeding on a woman, and she'd been unable to bypass the temptation when feeding on Graham. She still couldn't believe she'd gotten away with it. "Just so I know, do you prefer women or men? I know the fights they put up are completely different, and I've heard you do like to fight with them."
"Always the ladies." Lex flashed a rather wide grin, showing off his fangs quite nicely. "They are quite enjoyable to fight with, especially when they scream. I'm sure another woman of your caliber wouldn't too much for you to handle, now would it?" Lex flicked his damp hair out from his eyes and glanced up. The rain was finally starting to bug him for the tedious drops reminded him what his migraine from several days ago felt like. Letting out a slightly annoyed sigh, he brought his gaze back down to Jezebelle and raised and eye brow. "Bloody rain is rather annoying. Thankfully we can't catch a cold from staying out here."
Ah, now she remembered why she didn't like Lex. He reminded her of Marcello, with his willingness to torture women. It made her stomach turn, and she couldn't help the look of distaste that crossed her features when he mentioned the screaming. It was never a good fight, in her opinion, when one side was so scared that all they did was cry. She'd always preferred the men because they had a real chance at survival. "I'll see what I can find," she said, unable to promise him anything. "I suppose I should continue on my way, move out of the rain. Where can I find you, should I need to contact you?"
Lex was always paranoid about giving out his contact information, but it was his own family members so he had to give in. After quickly cluing her in on his cellphone number, he decided to add in something extra. "Don't know if you've heard of it, but there's a place around here called Ad Gustum. Caters to our kind specifically. I'm there often, so if the cell doesn't work, you know what your second option is." He smirked at Jezebelle and began walking past her, his hand skimming against her hair as he went by. Lex settled on not telling her anymore than that. If it peaked her interest than she was more than welcomed to look it up. For all he knew she might have liked the place. "Enjoy the rest of your evening, love. I'll be seeing you around." Lex called out to her as he kept walking. With a few more steps he would be lost in the shadows and from there who knew where he would be.