Two shadows passing (Complete)

[Lord Vali]

Whispers had spread quickly throughout the city. Bodies had been found, drained of blood and left to rot. Most of the reports had been filed nearby the cemetary, and locals had gone, for the most part, ignored by local authorities. The thought of a 'Vampire' was absurd, and no self respecting officer of the law would dare touch the case.

After awhile, a mob assembled nearby the cemetary. They had attributed the deaths to a woman who had recently arrived. No one had seen her during the day, or even at night really, so the automatic assumption was that she couldn't survive in daylight.

People could be so superstitious.....

This night, the mob, armed with torches and crucifixs (since the holonet movies said blasters didnt phase the undead) decides to start a search, and hopefully smoke out this creature of the night.

During the search, one of the citizens caught a shadow moving out of the corner of his eye and broke off from the group down a long alley to investigate...

[Razielle Shadana]

Being female did tend to make Razielle adore getting attention when it was provided, but this was getting a tad out of hand. She hadn't really thought that a couple street punk-would be hero kids would have gone missing with so much cause for concern. Which could mean one of two things. Either the elusive Miss De'Ville had set her up or Razielle had carelessly started a panic that would be bothersome for future feedings.

Presently she crouched at the top of a building that was used as some sort of holy place. So still was she that the mob, that was currently out looking to remove her head, ran right past her. She swung down from the buildings elaborately carved ornamentation and climbed along the side of the structure. She paused as another search party ran through the alley. Were they actually carrying crosses? How very... archaic. The concept that ideology or fire would end her immortal life was nothing short of absurd. Burns would harm her, but nothing she couldn't recover from with a bit of sustenance.

The thought of feeding brought a smile to her face. If they wanted to kill a Vampyre, she would give them a Vampyre. All she needed now was for a puppet to present itself for her macabre stage to be set. She would drain some unfortunate soul to the point of emaciated weakness and then feed him just enough of her Blood that he would have the perverse desire to attack anything that would seek to harm him. The mob would have their Vampyre this night.

Plan in mind, she climbed lower down the side of the wall. Not enough to be seen directly unless one was looking. She allowed her movements to be less fluid and more clumsy until she attracted attention. Soon enough she had what she wanted, she had been spotted. Now let him come.

[Lord Vali]

Nothing was more amusing than a lynch mob. Watching the ignorant congregate in itself was hilarious. But toss in a side of fear, hatred, and of course an extra helping of stupid, and you have a lynch mob, in all its glory.

The lower alleys were the perfect enviroment for Vali. The shadows cast from a jumble of sources, along with the low rooftops made this a predator's playground. And Vali was very much a predator.

Sticking to the rooftops and shadows, Vali kept his distance from the mob, but kept them in view none-the-less. After awhile of stalking the mob, Vali seemed to feel as though he wasn't the only one 'there'.

There was someone else playing his game.

It didnt take long, and one of the men of the group caught a shadow out of the corner of his eye and went to investigate. As soon as the man had gotten completely out of his groups sight, Vali dropped down to ground level and slowly made his way toward the man, keeping himself well hidden so not to lose the crucial element of surprise.

[Razielle Shadana]

One of Razielle's more developed Gifts was her ability to mesmerize her prey. Handy trick when her food wasn't at once taken in with her Vampyric charm and decided to struggle. As the man approached her he held aloft his torch to better adjust his eyes to the dimly lit alley. Caught in the soft glow, Razielle locked her gaze upon the poor fool and allowed herself to slide down the wall to her feet.

Easily controling his mind she bade the man to lower the torch as she slowly approached him. Removing the light from his hand without removing her gaze proved easy enough. She slid the torch into a crevice in the wall as sort of a make-shift sconce. Bidding him to close his eyes she walked around behind him, so as not to impede her view of the alley's entrance.

Second's before she would have sent this Oh-so-riteous hero to his maker, Razielle caught the scent of another actor gracing her stage. She wasn't too sure she liked the idea of an interloper in her little presentation. No longer in her thrall, the man began to struggle. She silenced his pitiful protest efficiently by digging her clawed fingertips into his throat cutting of his airway.

Full attention locked onto where she felt the newcomer she smiled her befanged grin. Just as well, her "Vamp" would need some prey for it to be real. She began to think of the newly arrived presence as nothing more than a prop for her little play. It did strike her though that this person could carress the night almost as well as the Undead could. Oh well.. Wrong place, wrong time, right?

"Oh please don't be shy.. "

[Lord Vali]

As Razielle looked on, she could see what appeared to be a shadow within a shadow. The closer Vali got, the more defined he became. He was fairly large, and a crimson cloak enshrouded him.

He kept a comfortable amount of distance between himself, Razielle, and the now silenced mob member. He looked on without a word, curious to see what Razielle would do with her prey...

[Razielle Shadana]

This was getting better by the minute. If it were not for her enhanced vision she doubted if she would have seen him at all. As it was, at the moment, he was still a tad on the hazy and undefinable side. For a moment she began to rethink her stagtegy of killing him. He didn't appear to be some avenging angel come to stop the evil fiend from another innocent slaying. So then, what was he? She decided the best way to figure it out was to continue on with her plans, as scheduled.

"I don't often allow front row seats , sir. But in your case I'll make an exception. Just don't do anything heroic."

Razielle's attention returned to the man in her arms. She removed her fingers from his windpipe but sadly his scream never came. Having bitten directly into his jugular, his life ebbed away quickly. Then, with her gaze locked onto where her shadowy watcher remained, she bit into her own finger and ran just a small drop across the lips of the newly deceased. It wouldn't animate him long, but he would be quite strong by mortal standards.. It should, at any rate, give the mob what they wanted.

"I do apologize for the inconvinience, but I am afraid I am going to have to let our friend here go now and... You do appear to be the most likely choice he'll come after. Sorry. But do console yourself knowing you will die for a good cause, sort of..."

Razielle gave the shadows her most charming smile and released her newly created monster. She did not stay to watch however and at once dug her nails into the wall and climbed straight up.

[Lord Vali]

Vali turned his head slightly to the side, allowing himself to show an ounce of curiousity. A few different scenario's played over in his mind, and he quickly decided his next move. As Razielle began scaling the wall, Vali reached out with the force and gave her a hard tug, bringing her flying back toward the ground.

The next order of business was the 'zombie' that was storming toward Vali. The sound of sliding metal was heard, following by the plop of a head hitting the ground, followed by the thud of a body hitting the ground. As strong as the guy was, Vali's claws still worked just nicely....

"Clean up your mess...."

[Razielle Shadana]

The surprising feel of her body being yanked back down to the alley, via the force, came as something of a shock to Razielle. Okay, so the guy wasn't your average idiot. She landed with feline grace and turned to glare at him as he removed the head from her victim. The lifeless eyes stared up at her as the head rolled to a stop at her feet. Well, at least he had also severed the marks from her bite. One less murder they could pin on her.

"My mess..? I do believe the headless corpse would be thanks to you. He might have wandered out of town, as I had left him."

She was still uncertain what to make of this guy. He was obviously adept with the force and not using the skills for any friendly, do-gooding means. Razielle narrowed her eyes and focused on his hazy outline, getting a better feel for his size and position. She decided this could get quite nasty, but refrained from arming herself as yet.

[Lord Vali]

"I didn't tell you to argue, I told you to clean up your mess."

The three claws extending from Vali's right arm shot back into their guard. He stayed still, not offering her any free clues to what his next move could or would be. Instead, he kept his icy glare directly on her.

"This is my home, I dont appreciate you dragging trash in here."

[Razielle Shadana]

Razielle at once took in their immediate surroundings. She glanced somewhat distastefully at the dirt and litter strewn alleyway. Kicking a bit of random scum off her gleaming boot she tried to keep the mockery out of her voice but failed.

"You live in this alley....? Charming. Well, I do regret to inform you, but I don't do cleaning, sorry. But I'll make it up to you..."

She extended her hand and retrieved the torch from its niche in the wall. After kicking the disembodied head back towards the rest of its remains, she threw the torch ontop of it and smiled in the blaze that followed. Soon enough it would be nothing more than ashes, surely the alley wouldn't bear anymore filth then, than it did now.

"Now, if you are done with your commands....?"

[Lord Vali]

"Not entirely. You missed a spot...."

As the flame started kicking up, the body lifted from the ground and was flung at Razielle, flames and all. Vali's claws, which had just been retracted, quickly extended again, as Vali began walking toward the Vampyre, this time with a bit of haste.

Hopefully, Razielle would spring out of the way, so Vali wouldn't have to cut through a flaming corpse to get to her.

[Razielle Shadana]

There were not many options open to her, at this point. Razielle did the only thing she could do, to avoid having the rather nasty corpse hit her with its burning stench. Removing her katana from its sheath slung across her back, she slid the blade cleanly through the corpse, bisecting it. Its already rotting flesh was craving more Vampyric blood that would never come, accounting for its state of decomposition and the ease with which it was cleaved in two.

The flaming halves spun away from her and down each side of the alley. Katana still clasped tightly in her right hand, she was prepared for the oncoming claws and met their blow knocking them up and away from her person. She snapped the blade back up before her, at the ready, as her feet gracefully side stepped giving her a better defensive stance against the attacking madman.

"Definately not the chivalrous type, are we? I can tolerate quite a bit, but rudeness is most annoying."

Silver blade still before her she removed her crimson single bladed saber from her belt, smiling as it hissed to life in her left hand. She gave another melodic little laugh as she waited to see if he was done or if he had the audacity to continue.

[Lord Vali]

The claws slid back into their guards with a shlink once again. They were strong, but a saber would cut through them like butter. Vali fell out of his offensive stance and took a step back, giving himself some healthly distance. He straightened up and crossed his arms underneath his cloak.

"I hope you know what you're doing. It would be a shame to damage such a pretty face."

[Razielle Shadana]

Razielle held his gaze, the red light of her saber now the only source of illumination in the dark alley. Somehow she had the feeling that his night vision was nearly as good, if not as good, as hers though, so there should be no problem in continuing their little chat . She couldn't help but notice that he sheathed his claws simultaneously with the arrival of her saber. One could be thankful for the small things, like them not being made of some kind of resistant metal. If they didn't wind up killing each other she might mention that fact to him at some later event.

Weapons both still before her in defense, Razielle grinned at her opponent and offered him an easy out which of course he would decline, but she would try any ways.

"I do know what I am doing. But for fear of damaging little me, you could always take option two and desist in your quest to make me obey and clean up."

She was sure her offer would be met with some sort of bloody and damaging retaliation, so she gritted her teeth and prepared for the worst. He was, after all, nothing if not persistant.

[Lord Vali]

Vali let the standstill continue for a few more moments, opting to let any doubts that may have been lurking in Razielle's mind lurk to the surface before he made his next move. She didn't seem like the type to shake easily, but one could never tell. The moments passed, and Razielle hadnt broken down and done anything cute, like attack or beg for mercy, so Vali decided it was time to continue on.

"I'm gonna enjoy this..."

The two small metallic skulls at the top of Vali's chest made a small clink, and the cloak that was secured to them was released, allowing it to drop to the ground behind him. In his right hand it was revealed that he was holding a lightsaber hilt, from which a single crimson blade of his own sprang forward.

Vali held his saber forward a bit and slowly began to circle Razielle. He kept his feet positioned so that he could turn easily to parry, and allowed Razielle the opportunity to make the first move.

[Razielle Shadana]

Well, well.. He had a splendid taylor at least. Razielle made a quick mental note to inquire after the creator of his cloak, pending one of the two of them was still around after all this. The more she thought about it, the more she found to admire. Not only was he well dressed, the set came complete with an Oh-so-well-equipped saber as well. She would get to see if he knew what he was doing. Of her own skills, she knew she wasn't lacking, though she was glad to actually be facing off against a real opponent again.

Apparently he did know somewhat how to be a gentleman she thought, as he circled her awaiting her first move. She would not dissapoint. The alley was now quite well lit by the bloody red glow of both weapons, her smaller form was easily tracked as she moved. Slinging her katana back into its sheath to save the blade, she spun her crimson saber before her and advanced, easily tossing the weapon into her dominant right hand. She tested the so-called waters by a few quick slices and thrusts all of which were, as to be expected, easily blocked.

"Not quite the imbecile I originally took you for. My apologies."

She made a little mocking bow just before once again moving in to swing upward across his midsection as she took the offensive, eager to get on with it.

[Lord Vali]

Vali angled his body to square up with Razielle's swing as he brought his own saber up to block. It was surprising how sabers could even up a battle. At the moment, he was keeping defensive, prefering to guage Razielle's own skills before revealing his.

His block opened her stance up a slight bit, but Vali stepped back instead of trying to capitalize. He kept his right side slightly farther back than his left, with his saber in his right hand. His stance was meant for stronger deflections, since bringing a saber strike from behind his body offensively would make it easier for Razielle to guard against.

[Razielle Shadana]

She wondered how long it would go on this way, one moving the other stepping back. For several minutes it was a game of advance and retreat as they both gauged how the other would move. She tired of the game quickly.

"Oh, by all means, don't be easy on me."

She twisted her body to the right and backward, out of reach of his weapon, only for a moment. Above them and along the side of the building was metal piping of some sort. It also higher up formed a walkway between the two buildings lining the alley. She reached up with the force and pulled the bulk of the apparatus down upon them. Her smaller size made her quite fast and agile. She managed to evade the falling beams and climb up on top of them with a leap.

At the very least this would make things more challenging, with the jagged edges of metal surrounding them. Perhap she was even lucky enough he had been skewered already? She hoped not. She was rather enoying herself.

[Lord Vali]

Flattened against the side of the alley, Vali held still, letting an illusion hide him. The commotion caused by the crash had torn Razielle's attention away from him long enough for him to disengage his saber and hide. From what he could tell, her night vision was flawless, so right now, it was just like hiding in plain daylight for Vali.

He could do it, but it took pretty intense concentration.

The illusion itself wouldnt last too long, but it would give Vali the opportunity to gauge the new playing field a bit, and maybe work up a loose strategy. He'd managed to end up on her peripheral during the crash, which came as a slight advantage. Dropping the illusion, Vali made a force boosted leap toward Razielle, engaging his saber on the way and poised himself to make a landing strike. If all went right, he would land close to her, not right on top of her, which left room for him to block, just in case she managed to toss an attack his way.

[Razielle Shadana]

When all had settled, the alley still resonated with the metalic ringing of the fallen rigging. When she realized she appeared to be alone she felt a small twinge of remorse. She hadn't really meant to kill the guy, not yet anyways. Then again, she recalled how he had appeared when she first spotted him, blending in with the nights shadows.

It was then, when the ringing finally stopped she felt it. He was still here, unharmed and watching her. Less than a minute later he sprang into the offense again. He was almost already on top of her as she likewise reacted to his attack. Slamming the heel of her boot down into a fallen pipe, forced a wall of jagged metal to spring up and surround her. He would have to decide what was more important, avoiding impalement or getting a piece of her.

He wasn't going to get the chance this time, whatever he chose, she was ready to intercept his hit, should it come. Her legs were braced in a defensive stance and her saber was raised to fend off the blow.