Just another evening ((open))

The rubber soles of Steve Rowland's combat boots made no sound as Steve crept along the grassy lawns of Helfor Manor. He stopped, checking his gear. An M-16, complete with laser sight, gunlight, and a serrated bayonet, was clutched in his hands, which were, as usual, clad in a pair of fingerless leather gloves. His police-issued 9mm was in a shoulder hoster, and a borrowed combat knife, nowhere near as good as his own, was in a sheath on his belt. He checked the load and catch on his rifle, then continued on. The front door was visible now, and Steve was half tempted to walk right through it. But this was a stealth run. Trin wasn't here (Steve was partly glad of this, for he wasn't sure that he was ready to see her just yet.), so this joint was a hot zone. Tonight, he had to be invisible. In other words, just another day on the job. He snuck around the back of the manor, looking for a service entrance or something. Music caught his ears. Some form of classical, by his judgement, but he may have been wrong. He passed the source, a large building behind the main house. he could hear someone moving around in there. Damn, another complication in a web of traps. With footfals that would not have alerted a deer, he raised the rifle, made sure that the light and laser were off, and took off towards a large door in the wall of the house, almost completely hidden by a hedge. His lockpick popped the door within seconds, and he walked into what seemed to be a large kitchen. A single cook was washing dishes nearby. An easy target, but Steve wasn't going to kill anyone tonight. Not if he could help it. He stole up next to the man, and drove his thumb into the man's neck. The cook was out before he hit the floor. Not dead, but the man would have one bitch of a headache when he woke up. Steve continued on. He had almost reached the door when something stopped him. He felt like he wasn't alone. Perhaps there was someone else. He tightened his grip on his rifle. and flicked on the laser. "Come and get it," he muttered, staring around.

The night security detail was watching the human dart into the Manor kitchen with bland interest. The Security commander looked over his shoulder at the other security guard.

'Anyone on the premises?'

'Amberelle DeEspionne.'

The commander laughed. 'Oh yeah, I gotta see this then.'

The other guard next to the commander asked, 'Is he kidding?'

The commander flicked his fang with his tongue and shrugged. 'Who knows. This should be interesting though.'

They watched the armed man with smug grins. No vampire would try and infiltrate another clan's property without expectation of death. It had to be a human.

Silly humans.

The hair on the back of Amby's neck stood up and she felt that distinct unease that comes from being watched. Her eyes opened and her senses sharpened but she did not stop her dancing. Pretend everything was cool, nothing was changed.

Even over the music she heard the rustle of cloth, the rush of air. Her nose twitched as a breeze moved through and brought on it a scent that was somehow vaguely familiar and yet not. It stirred up memories and terrors that lingered in the back of her mind to this day. Swallowing hard she spun and dipped low, scooping up her sheathed katana and wakisashi then made her way to one of the windows.

A shadowy form across the way immediately caught her attention and she sniffed again, ears straining as her vision shifted. The darkness's shroud lifted with her feline enhanced vision and she cocked her head to the side as she watched someone actually picking a lock into the Manor. She wasn't sure if she should laugh or snarl. Who voluntarily broke into a vampire stronghold? If this was some petty theif he was in for a rude awakening. Hmm. And a bonus, the blonde thought with a grin, was that she was hungry. Talk about delivery.

The door swung open and she lept up onto the ledge and down without even a sound, her vampiric agility coming to her aid as she landed on her feet and dashed to the entrance behind them. The door hadn't swung completely closed yet as she slid inside sideways. Her bare feet didn;t make a sound as she padded up behind the male. Her nostrils flared as she sniffed, her ears strained as she listened.

But when he sent the new chef, Claude she thought his name might be, onto the floor with a soft grunt her jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. Playtime was over apparently, because he'd just messed with someone's familiar. Everyone working here belonged to someone she estimated.

Sliding sideways through the butler's pantry area, Amberelle was glad she knew her way around the mansion's large kitchen as she came out almost beside the man. He spoke and she grinned, a flash of pearly white teeth that was more predatory snarl than amusement. The katana, still sheathed in its heavy wooden case spun with a soft whoosh as she aimed it for the back of his obviously very empty skull.

Steve saw movement to his right, and ducked as a heavy chunk of wood wooshed over his head. He tucked into a ball, and rolled across the kitchen. He stood up near the door, and saw a figure near where he had been. He fired three rounds, planting the slugs into the wall about an inch from the persons face. He couldn't tell, but it seemed to be a young woman.

Or a fucking vamp, he thought, leveling the weapon between her eyes. He still couldn't tell who or what she was, but he had a nasty feeling taht he was about to find out.

"Alright, that's far enough!" Steve's voice echoed in the kitched, resounding off the metal surfaces. "Don't move!" He adusted his grip on the weapon, then lowered it, aiming for the neck. This was very, very bad. It was times like these that he really, wished that Trin was around...

She'd been cocky. Her swing had obviously been slow and her attitude dismissive of the threat he posed. Annoyance danced across her pretty features briefly as he rolled away. Amberelle took a few steps after him before freezing when gunfire rang out. A cold knot formed in her gut as he aimed the firearm at her. Golden eyes dilated then narrowed dangerously on him.

She hated being shot. After the bullets that had stolen her humanity from her, there was nothing that would piss the blonde off more or send her into a furious frenzy. Luckily enough for him, he'd missed.

His face registered in her mind finally and cemented with the familiar scent. It had been a long time since Halloween. Even if the nightmares from then still haunted her every night, it had taken her a bit to remember the familiar. Her hands gripped the weapons she held as her knuckles turned white. Her vision was locked on the gun. It was all she could do not to leap across the distance between them and pummel him silly.

The faint crackle of an earbud radio carried, audible to her enhanced senses. It was far away still, but she could smell and hear someone coming down the hallway behind her, from deeper inside the manor. "Security must be on their way in response to those shots". If the rash human in front of her stood any chance of coming out of this remotely alive, he'd better listen to her. Hopefully he'd gotten a bit less headstrong since that last meeting of theirs.

Her voice was calm and her tone soft but it carried across the room, as hard as steel and icy. Steven if you do not lower that weapon right now, and stand down.. I am going to carve you into little tiny pieces.

She might even if he did, she wasn't sure. Even being property of one of her friends didn't necessarily protect him from her as angry as she was. And if he shot her.. he was dinner, end of discussion. Lord knew if any of the others, especially one of the Elders, came in and saw him he was a dead man.



((OOC - security team used with permission)

Sweat dripped down the bridge of Rowland's nose, as the figure spoke. That voice... and how the hell did she know his first name? He aimed the weapon, and hit the light. The stark glow hit the woman, and he recognized her as the blonde vampire who had saved his ass at that damn research facility back on Halloween. One shitty night, in Steve's opinion. He turned off the light and laser sight, knowing full well that the gun would only make him less likely to survive this little encounter. Damn yet again. He lowered his weapon, aiming it at his feet. "Should I be worrying, Amberelle?" His voice was calm, but his heart sounded like a engine running in his ribcage. He gave her an attempt at a smile, but looked more like a pained grimace. His finger moved, dropping the clip from the weapon. He picked it up, stowed it in his pocket, then slung the weapon across his back. If he was going to get out of here alive, he would need to behave himself. He drew his sidearm, removing the magazine from it too, stored the clip with the other one, then replaced the weapon in it's holster. Once unarmed, he stood as still as possible, eyes locked on the blonde, his hands slightly raised, and he idly wondered how many chunks he would end up in.

Aislinn sat bolt upright. Did she just hear gunshots? She sensed it was night time, but by the fact that she felt refreshed, although ravenous, she realised she had slept right through the day. She was still wearing her gold silk dress but had kicked her shoes off. She was more concerned about the possibility of a gunman in the vicinity than wearing yesterdays clothes however, so she hurried quietly over to her door and eased it open.
Hearing nothing at first, but still feeling uneasy she moved silently along the hall, hesitating by Fallon's door but deciding not to wake her yet in case it was just her imagination. When she reached the top of the stairs, she paused upon catching a sound, voices coming from the direction of where Fallon had told her the kitchens were. She could not hear what was said, although she recognised the icy tone as a threat...or perhaps a promise.
Aislinn was of the opinion that it was better to keep enemies within sight rather than hide and hope not to be found. If there really was a threat, she wanted to know where it was. She carried on barefoot towards the kitchen.
It did not occur to her that she was unarmed until she walked into a room with an unconcious chef, a blonde woman weilding some sort of eastern weaponry that she couldnt not identify, and the apparent gunman standing with his hands slightly raised in what she saw as wary surrender.

A simple "Oh" escaped her lips as she took in the scene. Well, at least she hadn't imagined it.

She could now here people heading this way, and she backed off a little, hopefully out of immediate reach of either of the two

Only when reason seemed to set into the human and he began to eject his clips did the cold knot in her gut begin to unwind. Amberelle was still livid, she could feel her cheeks were hot, flushed from her anger and knew in the soft light her eyes had to be reflective golden pools right now. Inside she warred between grabbing him and shoving him repeatedly up against the wall while chewing him a new one or beating the living hell out of him.

Almost like a cat approaching her prey the blonde walked slowly towards him until they were inches apart. Amby caught his eyes and stared at him. Her jaw clenched and every muscle was tight enough for the tension and restraint she was showing to be blatantly obvious. A soft growl started low in her throat and she didn't even notice. She could smell sweat and anxiety on the familiar now, which was good. He had every reason to be afraid now.

The door behind her opened but Amberelle did not remove her gaze from Steve's. She listened, sniffing the air that waffed past her on a gentle breeze from the door's swing. A scent she didn't know. Listening for a second Amberelle did not hear anything other than a soft exclamation and backwards footfalls. Dismissing the newcomer as no additional threat, she focused back on the human.

Deliberately slowly she set aside the smaller sword on the counter beside her and brought her katana up between them. Popping it from its sheath she slid the blade out slightly. It winked in the moonlight as she sneered at him, then she finally replied to his question in a soft voice, her accent thick.

Tell me Steven... do you think you should be worrying? She paused a breath but didn't give him time to answer before she continued. Sneaking your way into your mistress's home.. a vampire stronghold no less.. and going off half cocked with guns blazing. Gee.. She stepped forward, causing him to retreat back until his back came into contact with the door in the far wall and then shrink backwards against it as she leaned into him. Each word was spoken slowly and distinctly. What. Were. You. Thinking? Her expression did not ask for an answer. Merely for him to realize just what he'd done.

Amberelle stayed like that for seven slow, deliberate breaths then stepped back, shoving the sword into the heavy wooden sheath with a snap that echoed in the silence. No, she would not carve him up. That might make Trin unhappy and would certainly vex Rupert with all of the messyness and complications. But she would teach him a lesson. Much better it come from her than some security goon who might go just a bit too far. The Creole turned slightly and set the katana next to its companion, then turned back and clenched her fists hard enough to pop several knuckles as they flexed.

Open the door Steven. Amby nodded her head to indicate the one behind him and waited as he did so. She moved forward quickly, her hands coming up to catch him squarely in the chest and she used her strength and momentum to send him flying backwards out into the courtyard. She was leaping after him, landing on top of him just after he hit the ground. Grabbing him up by the shirt with her left hand she punched him squarely in the jaw with her right, growling down at him.

Is this why I saved your sorry ass that night huh? Another blow, then another as she brought her knee up into his stomach to knock the wind from him and pin him under her. To come in here, sneaking around and shooting at the very people who have saved your pathetic life, who protected you? Several more blows and she paused, the smell of blood making her nostrils flare and her stomach growl. Gripping him with both hands she hauled him up and peered down at him.

Well? Just what the FUCK were you doing here?

((OOC - permission given to move and abuse Steven =D ))

Rage boiled in Steve's chest as the blonde started beating the shit out of him. He was sorely tempted to return the favor, but he knew that, somehow, he deserved it. When she finally yanked him upright, he swayed a little, then steadied himself, as a trickle of blood ran down his face. His hand jumped to his pistol, knowing full well that, even if he had more than one round in there, that it would make little impression on the blonde. Her question rang in his ears, along with a funny whining noise that he hadan't heard a bit ago. He shook his headm then look right at her.
"I'm here because I need to retrieve some item that I left in her posession. But I don't think it would be a good idea for me to run into her just yet. I have a few loose ends to tie up before anything else can be done." Steve knew that the lie would never hold up, but She would belive him, or she would be in for a nasty suprise. He had taken some time to think, and had come up with something excellent for dealing with his fanged friends. A thought occured to him, and he continued: "I attacked because you attacked. I've been deployed for the last few months, and I had to deal with a traitor in my own team! So why don't you pull your head out of your ass, and leave me the fuck alone, got it?!" Steve hadn't expected to start shouting, but he was, roaring with rage that would have made any drill instructor look bad. He took a breath, then looked around. "Listen, Amberelle. I'm sorry. But the fact that you saved my ass back at those labs is the only reson I haven't barbaqued you yet. So, either you get out of my way, or I might throw my honor out the window, and start giving you a little taste of what it's like to piss me off. Do I make myself perfectly clear, or do I need put a few slugs in your forehead?" He stood back, glaring at her with as much anger as she was hitting him with. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn.

One of these days, he would need to learn to stop talking.

'....OH!'

Laughter erupted from the main control room. The security commander stood behind the group of guards that had come in to watch Amberelle knock the human around. He did his best to keep a straight face but could not help but snort softly at the beating she was inflicting on the clueless man.

'Oh...oh no! Out the door! No wait, waitwaitwait, listen.' The men quieted down to listen to the human threaten Amberelle. 'He is el macho!' One of the guards puffed out his chest and roared.

'Alright, alright,' the commander said as he cleared his throat, hoping to hide his own laughter. 'Have the security teams check in...stop laughing, come on...and keep eyes on the human.'

One of the guards seated in front of the monitors radioed out to the teams in the courtyard. 'David 5, David 2...this is command, eyes only on subject. DeEspionne has point. Be advised, eyes only no contact.'

The radio responded with confirmation of orders. The security commander nodded and crossed his arms. With a smug smile he continued to watch the event unfold.

The growling was back. It was unconscious and unfortunately a side effect of the boiling rage he was producing in her. Her pupils narrowed to slits in the moonlight, shimmering in a very feline way as they moved up and down him.

And here, yet again, he mouths off with the threats. For a moment Amberelle wondered if he had a death wish. It had sure seemed like it before but now.. well, now she wasn't sure if he was just too thick headed to get it, or if he genuinely wanted to get himself bumped off in a gruesome manner. Even if he made a valid point and she HAD attacked first, she dismissed that with the memory of him knocking out the poor chef.

A grin that was all teeth and no mirth showed off her elongated fangs. She stepped closer and tossed her braid over her shoulder as she lifted her chin. A barely audible snort to her left, and the soft creak of a shoe further away to her right. The tinny voice carried on the wind slightly and was barely discernable. She couldn't make out every thing but she did hear her name and heard eyes only.

They were letting her lead this dance and that was gratifying. Hopefully Steve would pick up the beat quick enough. Or she'd have to beat it into him. Otherwise the security team would just take over and he'd disappear and probably never be seen again.

You came here to retrieve... She shook her head. You silly little human. Didn't she explain to you how these things work? You, boy.. are chattel. Property. Your wants and needs come after whatever is convenient for her. Those statements were practically spat out. And do not EVER think to threaten me again you little piece of shit, do you understand me? Amberelle remembered all too clearly the feeling of being in his place, of knowing her life wasn't her own to run. Her sire had been a cruel and malicious taskmaster but at least the majority of the rules had been spelled out clearly. Heavens help them both if Trin didn't explain to her boy here how things were supposed to go.

Moving close quickly, the blonde grabbed his arm and spun him around as she jerked it painfully up behind him and brought him down to one knee. Leaning close with an open mouthed snarl of fangs, she hissed into his ear barely loud enough for him to hear.

Have you considered the repercussions of your foolish, brash little stunt? Not only you have to be accountable but so does your vampire.. Trin will have to answer for your words so shut the hell up, she jerked on his arm to emphasize her point, and pretend to be the meek little blood bag most of the vamps here expect you to be before they take it out of HER hide.

Shoving him face first into the cobblestones with a good bit of force, the vampire spun on one foot slightly and kicked him quite hard in the side and sent him skidding several feet sideways.

Now sit up and tell me what my friend has that is so important you'd risk your pathetic neck for it?

Amberelle crossed her arms under her breasts and glared at him. She was still pissed but had managed to get a moderate hold on her emotions. Her reactions tonight told her she needed a lot more practice. But, so far at least, she hadn't killed him so she was doing pretty good in her mind.

Aislinn watched in awe. She had never seen a fight such as this and she followed as far as the doorway that the blonde had kicked the man out of. She decided to keep as far back as possible but still able to see. She found it hard to take her eyes from the woman moving with all the grace and strength of a great cat. The flash of golden eyes when she happened to face Aislinn's direction caught her by surprise. Until now she had only seen such eyes on her brother and her own reflection. She would have to ponder that later though.

A group of guards had appeared now, though seemed to have little intention of going closer. Obviously the scene before them was entertaining and they seemed not to notice her so she ignored them and turned her attention back to the scrap outside.

She was close enough to hear the conversation although she did not understand most of it. His vampire? Humans had vampires? Aislinn frowned, that made no sense to her at all.

She winced when the man was roughly thrown to the ground and kicked hard for good measure. The blonde was evidently in control here, while Aislinn was sure she'd have been dead by now if it had been her against an armed man. She began to reconsider having self defence lessons with the formidable Celeste.

Anger blazed in Steve's chest, as the former pilot got a second wind. This damn blonde bitch had no idea what she was dealing with here. He pulled the 9mm clip from his pocket, jacked it into the gun, then let the blonde have a good sample of just how much she had pissed him off.

"Ok, first off, if you're going to say shit, have the balls to say it like it is: I know damn well that I'm nothing but a calf being led to slaughter. Second, there is a natural order in life. For me, my family come first, then my country, then my responsablity to this city as an officer. Then come you assholes and your petty affairs. And that reminds me, I don't give a flying rat's ass what you do to me, but if anything happens to the people I care about, I wont rest 'till whoever is responsible is where they belong: six feet under. Third, your leaders can't do a damn thing to Trin, because I'm not attached at the moment. So, in other words, I'm on my own. And as far as being a 'meek little blood bag,' you can kiss my ass, cause it aint gonna happen. Lastly, what I left up there is none of your damn bussiness. However, it is important that I get it, and I can see right now that I don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting up there without you getting out of my way, so I'll tell you. I left my personal effects with her: keys, gun, knife and my dog tags. I need the keys. I need to get on the servers in my house, in order to do what I was ordered to do by my superiors. I can't tell you any more, because this is a sensitive op, and I'd have to kill you if you knew any more." He took several breaths, then continued. "One more thing before I go: I wouldn't even be in this mess if you hadn't stuck your nose where it didn't belong, so don't you try to bust me down, because, had you just walked up and asked me what I was doing, I wouldn't have fired. So, sorry about the shots, but it was your own god damn fault, and you might notice that I gave you a warning shot. Not something I usually do, so you can unfuck yourself right now. Now, I have work to do. So, either tag along, or get the fuck out of my way."

With his feelings vented Steve shoved past the vampire, walking towards the door he had recently been ejected from. He noticed that the chef was stirring, He knelt down next to the man, checking him over. A slight concussion from the floor, but other than that he was good. Blood was still running down Steve's face. He touched the spot, recognizing the wound. The gash left by Girbaski's bullet was open again, no doubt during the beating. He grinned, remebering how the wound had been formed. The bullet had glanced off Steve's cheekbone, leaving a mark under his right eye. He walked to the door, then looked around to see if the blonde was following him.

Amberelle had spent her entire life learning to control her anger and her emotions. Keeping things bottled up inside was how she had managed to survive for so long as a familiar and then as kindred under her Sire's hawkish eye. Exercises in restraint, control, self discipline were common training for her. But the blonde was fiery by nature and it was times like these that despite her best effort and intentions that she lost the battle.

Amby was stunned speechless by his tirade."How dare he.. who does he think he IS!" she whispered to herself as she watched Steve's back dissapearing back into the manor. Unwilling to allow such blatant disrespect towards herself in her own home, knowing full well the whispered rumors that could spread like wildfire about her weakness or cowardice and undermine any credibility she had established here in her new home, her desire to rip out his sarcastic tongue and feed it to him warred with that shred of humanity inside her that reviled the violent nature she possessed. Fists balled tightly at her sides and something that was a cross between a frustrated snarl and a feline hiss issued forth from her.

Her long legs ate up the distance across the courtyard as she quickly strode after him, sliding sideways past an unknown figure in the doorway with barely even an acknowledging glance. One hand reached out and snatched up her katana as she rolled across the wide granite island in the center of the kitchen, unsheathing it as she landed just behind the human as ne knelt beside the barely conscious chef. Some measure of restraint must have won because it was the heavy wooden sheath that she brough down across his shoulders not the blade with a blow hard enough to send him tumbling to the ground face first.

Standing over him, her lips curled back in a snarl, the Creole struck him repeatedly across his back as if lashing him with a cane. Her eyes blazed in anger as she muttered broken sentences in French about his own stupidity and pride amid the strikes. It wasn't until he had almost ceased moving that she stopped and blinked at him. It was with a stomach turning realization that the young Anantya recalled the times similar had been done to her. A good bit of her anger drained away with the color that left her face. Thankfully the dimly lit kitchen would hide that.

Sword and case were set aside quickly and she crouched down, rolling him onto his back. Amberelle sat down straddling his thighs and began roughly rummaging through his pockets. The blonde didn't dare look at his face or meet his eyes. He was still breathing which was what was important.

Several minutes later a small piles of knives, lockpicks, ammo clips, C4 blocks, a taser and various other weaponry littered the island's surface. Her hands ran over him one last time and she shook her head as she pushed back one sleeve to remove the small Smith and Wesson .44 hidden there. A final quick pat down and she was satisfied he was effectively disarmed. Reaching up with a couple of fingers to carefully wipe away the blood that had pooled around his injured eye she finally looked at him and met his gaze.

I am going to say this once. Only once. Do not ever yell at me, threaten me or disrespect me again. I like Trin, she's my friend. And I don't want to upset her, so I have been very, very lienient with you since she obviously likes you enough to make you her pet. Her hand moved to gently cover his mouth and prevent any further replies to her observation. I will take you to her rooms and see if I can find these things you left with her. But you are going to have to keep your mouth SHUT.. and behave yourself. One more display like before and I am turning you over to the mercs for whatever fun they have in mind.

Her stomach growled quite loudly from the rich scent of the vitae and she couldn't resist licking her fingers.

Comprende?

((OOC - more thrashing and toy snatching done with permission!))

Steve swore as the first blow caught him, then crumbled under the barrage of strikes from whatever the hell that wooden thing was. His resolve was wearing thin by now; after all, saving his life only got her so far. Steve was about to let loose with the .44 in his sleeve when the blows stopped, and Amberelle rolled him over. He did a quick check of himself. Most of the wounds were throwaway surface issues, but his had felt something pop in his back. He felt her hand rummaging through his...

Oh, fuck!

The god damn blonde was patting him down, and taking his equippment. He was about to ask her what the hell she tought she was doing, when she located the .44 in his sleeve. Damn! Her hand moved to cover his mouth, and Steve was an inch from biting his when she spoke, telling him basicly that the only reason that she hadn't offed his sorry ass yet was because Trin had already staked her claim to him. Steve nodded up at her, a slight grin flashing across in face for an instant.

"Ok, Amberelle. We'll do this your way." He waited for he to let him up, and the rest of his sentence rolled through his head: For now, he thought, as he gave a glance at his piled equippment. No matter. He would get more. After all, he definitly had an advantage on that front. He forced false look of fear and respect, hoping that it would make the vampires around this place less hostile, while his thoughts whirred with plans to cut his captor's throat. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Aislinn had darted back out of the path of the blonde as she came back through the door without so much as a glance at her. Her fury was evident even before she struck the man and Aislinn stood motionless in surprise at the savageness displayed. But her natural instinct to help others kicked in and she moved quickly to drag the semi-consious chef out of further harms way. She checked that he was breathing ok and stayed crouched between him and the brutal beating going on. Not that she would likely be much protection, but these two seemed entirely engrossed in their own battle and had not noticed her.

She heard the blows being punctuated with a verbal beating in French, surprising herself with the knowledge that she still remembered much of the language her old nanny had taught her. Some words she did not understand though, for her nanny would never have said such things around her. She wondered if the woman was French until she suddenly stopped, then rummaged through his things to disarm him and spoke to him in perfect English.

They seemed to come to some sort of an agreement, although Aislinn did not trust the man at all. How he could still grin with a battered and bruised face was beyond her. He must be mad she decided. She glanced back at the chef, wondering what to do with him, then spoke to the blonde somewhat hesitantly in case she turned her anger upon her.

"Il y a quelque'un qui peut aider lui?"

The human's out of character behavior shift was a welcome change. Even if it was all an act, Amberelle was just relieved he had chosen to go along. She knew she'd have to deal with the repercussions of her little temper tantrum eventually, but for now she would just concentrate on getting Rowland's things for him and getting him out of the manor in one piece.

The softly spoken question made the Creole turn and glance downwards. The face was unknown, but the eyes looking up at her gave her a slight start. "Mon dieu, I don't think I've ever seen someone outside the family with eyes like mine," ran through her head as she gave the woman a gentle smile.

She responded in English, albeit with her soft Southern Creole accent lacing the words, for Steve's benefit as well as the two security team members who had seemingly materialized out of thin air. Their names escaped her but she recognized them. The blond knew it never hurt to be familiar with the security layout where you lived and Amby had made that a top priority when she moved to Nachton. A sign of her paranoid ways perhaps, but it had almost certainly proven useful tonight by having the men all familiar with her and what she was capable of.

There are plenty of people who can help him, I am sure.. in fact I would guess someone from security has probably already called for it. Her eyes darted to the side to meet one of the mens', a question in their depths that was answered with the subtlest of nods. But, I'm sure if you'd like to help them it would be more than appreciated.... She trailed off, having no clue who the woman was and therefore was somewhat unsure how to address her.

The men had stepped into the room fully now, one between Aislinn and Steve and the other moving around towards Amberelle's side. He began methodically picking up the miniature armory that she had removed from the familiar, while the second watched them all with a cool expression. The hand resting lightly on his revolver seemed a tad too itchy to the Creole so she leaned down to take Steve by the arm.

Trin's rooms are in the other wing... Let's move. The sooner she got him away from the others and into one of the few blindspots that she'd managed to find between surveillance cameras, the better. Audio covered everywhere but there was always signing if the human knew how. Amberelle wasn't sure this new and docile Steve would last long.

Motioning for him to follow, she spun on her heel and moved for the door as her mind reached out down the path of the bond with her beloved cat. Hopefully Louis would be close enough to tell her if Trin's own pet was nearby, or had been seen recently.

She stood, and Steve leapt to his feet, wimpering slightly as the guard gathered up his weapons. This was not a major problem, as it seemed that he would be admitted into the bowels of the manor. His body tightened as he passed the guard. The revovler was an interesting design, but Steve was not interested in it at the time. He followed the blonde, remembering the layout of the part of the manor that he had seen when Trin had brought him here. This was not a familiar area, but he would remember the layout of the place. He stayed close to the vampire, ready to strike should something or someone attack. It wasn't an ideal situation, but then again, when had his tasks ever gone as planned? Hell, he couldn't even kill one stinking traitor without getting his ass blown to kingdom come by his own fucking bomb! He growled at the thought of Girbaski walking free. And now the bastard had made it back into the States! Steve shook his head. Mind on the mission, Rowland, he thought. Mind on the mission. He looked at the blonde vampire, waiting for her next move.

Connecting with Louis was almost instant, and the young vampire inquired about the location of her friend's younger black cat but it seemed Louis had not seen B.J. recently. The blond did her best not to roll her eyes as her tomcat then babbled to her non stop about this and that, obviously happy to talk. She mentally winced when realized she may have been neglecting her furry friend. Finally gently shooshing the chatty feline so she could talk, Amby told him to meet her at Trin's door. She glanced over her shoulder as she exited the kitchen and motioned with her head to make sure Steve followed her.

Walking in silence, she debated what to do. She knew where Trin's rooms were. But Steve certainly had not proven his loyalty to the clan tonight so the Creole saw no reason to trust him with very much intel on the place. Or on her or even Trin at this point. They reached the blind spot at the juncture of two hallways and Amberelle abruptly stopped, her fist raising to sign for him to as well.

She spun without a sound on her bare feet and stepped close, raising up onto her tip toes so her lips were right at his ear. Speaking not much louder than a breath, Amby kept her senses open for anyone who could be following. Blenders were commonplace in the clan but heartbeats, breathing and several other clues were there for the observant.

Listen to me.. there are eyes and ears everywhere. Just stay close, keep your head down and I should get you out of here in one piece.

Moving away and heading right down the hallway she stopped at the wrought iron doors to her own suite. Opening them, she motioned for the human to enter her foyer. Hopefully he would stay put while she grabbed her lockpicks from the bedroom.

I need to pick something up from my suite so you stay in here. Do not move. Do not touch anything. Do not even breathe on anything.

Aislinn noted the blondes start when she looked at her, thought she couldn't be sure if it were because of the language or the physical trait she had noticed herself. She was relieved when the woman spoke softly to her, obviously not percieving her to be a threat. She made a mental note to ask Fallon about this golden eyes blonde.

She watched them leave before eyeing the guards and pondering what Amberelle had said. With that she decided to leave them to it, as much for the fallen mans own safety as much as any thing else. With the faint scent of blood in the air from the gunmans wounds, Aislinn was having trouble thinking about anything else. She backed off to let the guards see to him, then turned and slipped silently away in the hope of finding something to satisfy her.

((ooc - Aislinn out))