Bait and Catch...(private)

Tai had limited experience with this sort of thing. And by limited, he realized as he paused at the entrance of an alleyway, he meant almost none.

He'd hunted humans before, that was nothing new. But when he'd left the opera house he hadn't taken into consideration that his previous targets were chosen with consideration and he'd had ample time to leisurely construct the best way to kill them. Now, he was hungry, he was impatient, and he wanted to settle it. Tai was normally a very patient person, but given recent events he decided a bit of urgency was warranted.

Ellis was right to have kept herself away from him. This was the first test of his worthiness. If he couldn't even manage to feed himself, then he had no right to associate himself with her. So he was here, in the alleyways of the warehouses he'd been in when he first met her.

He wasn't going to aim any higher than he should right now. He needed blood, and he needed it quickly and surely. Tai wasn't going to risk being picky, so here he was scouting the dregs of Nachton's society for a specimen that looked like it had enough.

It didn't take long to find a prostitute. She wasn't as young as she should have been, but she wasn't as skinny as drug abuse and malnutrition should have made her. She was leaning with her back against a warehouse wall, looking the opposite way down the empty street, obviously waiting for someone.

Tai, moving quietly, stood behind her for a good thirty seconds before she sensed his presence. She turned and cried out, but he made no move toward her. Her curses were soft, but they quieted soon enough as she realized his appraising gaze could mean another few bills in her pocket.

The proposition came, as well-practiced as she. Tai remained silent, the arch of a brow the only expression of his interest.

"Cat got your tongue?"

The woman's voice was husky, but not in the sultry, sexy way Ellis' was. She sounded like she'd spent her lifetime smoking too much, drinking too much. Tai tilted his head at her.

"No."

She stared back at him, eyes wide and blank. "Well then, do you like what you see?" She stood a little straighter, her breasts pushing out at him. Tai's eyes flickered down, then back up to her neck.

"Well enough."

She paused, uncertain if that had been invitation for more. Deciding it was, apparently, she crossed the few steps to him and pressed up close against him. Tai fought to keep his nose from wrinkling. Turning the expression into a tight smile, he backed away a few steps toward the alley. Once there, half in shadow instead of moonlight, he beckoned.

"Back here."

The prostitute hesitated. "Let me see your money."

Tai obliged. Not enough to tip her off to anything untoward. He'd spent enough time as a youth in the world of whores and pimps to know the game. He offered what was reasonable, no more, no less. She would come to him. That was how it worked.

And she did, indeed, follow his lead. She was too well-seasoned to think he'd be uncomfortable in this venue. Apparently it wouldn't be the first time she'd been up against an alley wall. But however it worked, she was game. That was the delight of a well-worked whore, Tai decided. Adaptability. It was what made the strong stronger.

Tai let her wrap her arms around his neck, but he himself made very little move toward her. She didn't turn her mouth to his; no prostitute would offer a kiss for the amount he'd shown. It didn't matter. He had her now.

He pressed her against the wall, pinning her with his chest and hips. She didn't make a sound; didn't even bother with false accolades or damning praise a younger woman might have tried. They weren't necessary. Tai turned his face into her neck as his newly-grown fangs seemed to extend, and bit down none too gently.

She cried out, once, and went still. Her blood flowed; it was worn and tired like she was, but to Tai it was life. He drank deeply, his first meal thrumming through him. So this was how it felt. It was pleasant. It didn't take long for him to forget that the woman herself had been old and shabby and too well-used. He soon stopped caring that her blood was the same.

And then he realized he'd killed her. There was nothing left to drink. For a moment, Tai almost regretted what he'd done. He stepped away quickly, and the lifeless husk fell to the ground. Tai wiped his lips, wishing there'd been more to her but satisfied for the moment.

The alley was tucked out of sight; this was an area no one would ever think to scour. Still, the whore had been waiting on someone. It would be better to hide the body. That didn't take much effort, either. This slum was full of corpses... some of them were still walkng and talking, trying to find a meal or a few bucks, but they were still corpses anyway. They just didn't realize it.

Tai wiped his hands, task finished, body safely disposed of, satiated for the night. The sun would be up in just a couple of hours. He turned and walked a few steps. Then he paused and turned back.

Rummaging through the dumpster again he uncovered the body. He removed the bills he'd promised earlier, tucked them safely under her shirt, and then as an afterthought, solemnly and almost thoughtfully placed a quarter on each wide, staring eye. Then he tucked her back in and closed the dumpster once more.

He'd have to find a place to get rid of his gloves. They were covered in trash.