Kekkai Sensen/Blood Blockade Battlefront

Merciful Red

It had been a while since Leona had seen Zapp. She was a little relieved, as well as Sonic. There had been a few close-calls where she had prevented Sonic from transforming with a look or command. But, Zapp did tone his flirting down. As strong as Zapp comes unto her, it was a little flattering. Leona couldn't recall being flirted with so hard. She had dated twice in her life. She only went out with them because they asked. The relationships were short though with them breaking up with her. There was no heartbreak for Leona. She simply accepted it and went on with her life, which made them a little more upset with her.

Her boss of the Beyond the Times believed that with more free time Leona would find more news. An example of this was the discovering of the Beyondians kidnapping humans for food a few days ago. Leona uses her days off to explore the city and to take photographs. It had been a little since she had visited the old zoo. She and Sonic got up early in the morning to take a visit. Sonic's troop were happy to see them both after being away for so long. Leona took pictures of many monkeys. Baby mach monkeys were quick little scamps just learning how to steal at every opportunity. Sometimes they would try to snatch her camera or money. If one of them got lucky and did swipe her camera, Sonic would chase after them and get the camera back after he scolded them. Older mach monkeys still had their speed but were a wiser with conserving their energy. Old monkeys' fur became a little shaggier and the dark muzzles went from dark to gray. One older mach monkey seemed to be eldest of the entire colony. He was taken care of by other mach monkeys. His eyes were dull, only half-blind. Leona gave him a donut which he took and ate while he made himself comfortable in Leona's lap.

After an hour they continue their exploration of the zoo further. Besides monkeys, there were other animals that had also been altered by the Collapse. It was mostly smaller creatures. There fruit bats in darker caverns of the tropic zone. Fruit bats were the largest of the bat species, but since the Collapse, they have gotten bigger, the size of a medium dog and fuzzier. Leona was startled by the first pack she came across…but they were friendly when they dog piled her and licked her face. Leona takes pictures of them. She was able to take many as she noted their features. They were brown, black and reddish-brown. They resembled very small German Shepherds with wings and were herbivorous. In the central part of the zoo, the Central Garden, there was a great pond. Most of the trees, grass, and plants both domestic and exotic had completely overrun the area. There was an assortment of butterflies of different colors and sizes. They probably lived in the insect exhibit that was on display that year. In the pond were goldfishes. The goldish were beautiful. The water turned and splashed by the mass of bodies swimming against each other. Leona wonders what they were eating to stay alive. Large goldfish that were big enough to swallow a mach monkey. As lovely as the area was Leona noticed that the mach monkeys that were following them kept a great distance from the pond. Sonic growls into her ear and hid further into his hoodie. She decides not to explore that thought further. She snaps a few pictures and moves on.

The exterior of the zoo still exists, the famous zoo entrance with the dome and the clock with the animals running around was still there. Leona takes a few shots before she returns to the mach monkeys' habitat to break for lunch. There were fewer monkeys, probably going about the city looking for food. Or, buying food from items they've stolen and pawned. Leona shares her sandwich with Sonic and as they ate a thought comes to Leona. She hacks into Sonic's eyes, viewing the world from his perspective. He hoots as Leona turns her head left and right, which moves Sonic's head left and right. She releases him from her hold to latch onto another mach monkey. Leona had learned from before that usually no matter where Sonic is she can pinpoint his location through his eyes. She couldn't do so when Sonic went missing. Perhaps he was unconscious while in the hands of the King of Depravity who planted that flea with the gate in Sonic's fur. She was connected with the other monkeys using both her eyes and her Blood Breed abilities. With her eyes could use the tiniest details to tell each monkey apart. Some had more obvious features and she gave them names. A few of those monkeys didn't live in the zoo. Some come back to it when they were sick or wounded or just wanted to visit family. There were other smaller groups that made certain parts of the city their territory.

There was a monkey she named Frecks. His dark muzzle was spotted with darker spots. She looks out towards the city and her eyes zoom through the streets and buildings and she finds Frecks at Yankee Stadium devouring a hot dog. Frecks gives out a startled chirp when his eyes were hacked. Blood breeds like in the vampire stories were known to be able to control certain animals like ravens, rats, and dogs. Her Blood Breed powers extended beyond her eyes to be able to not only control Frecks but to communicate with him. She speaks to Frecks within their minds and feels him relax when he recognized her voice. Frecks is directed to leave his spot to move amongst the crowd. Frecks startles spectators for a moment before moving on in seconds. Frecks dives under the seats and using her vampire connection was able to hear was Frecks was hearing. Leona had been disappointed that with her eyes powers she could only see but not hear. Her Blood Breed abilities enhance her spying capabilities and were now able to hear what she sees. She has considered learning to read lips in her spare time. There were videos on how to do so online and apps. Frecks zips down the aisles right over the dugouts. Frecks sits above them and Leona spends some time listening to their conversations. Leona cringes at the dirty talk of sexual conquests and trash talking about the other team. Leona decides to pull out a notepad and a pen. The sports section was looking for rumors and gossip. Maybe it would give these players a shock to see their own words published somehow! She releases Frecks from her hold and makes a note to herself to give him a treat for his cooperation.

Next was Sweets. Sweets made his territory in Central Park. He and the other park monkeys found plenty of food there. Whether it was from the trash, stolen from picnickers or just a place to again steal things to make money and buy food from vendors and food trucks. There had been citizens that complained about the monkeys but there was anything the city could do. The monkeys were difficult to catch. A push to get rid of the monkeys hasn't been press since an article published by the Beyond the Times revealed the monkeys were the perfect alarm system when a child strayed too far from playgrounds or if a stranger was trying to entice children away. The monkeys liked children. Loved to play with them and especially loved it when they shared their snacks and lunch with them. In return, the monkeys watched out for the little ones. It was surprising to Leona that the parents didn't get it until after the article was published! Parents were encouraged to bring extra food to give to the monkeys to keep them close to their children's favorite playground. Sweets was one of the playground monkeys. Sweets is noted for his sweet tooth. His favorite sweet was gummy bears. He didn't have any distinguishing features. He looked exactly like Sonic but jittery. Sweets had these twitches when his need for sugar is low. He also smelled of sawdust and cotton candy. When Leona connected to him at times, she could feel the sugar rush flowing through him! Like Frecks, Sweets is made to hover over or hide under benches to listen to parents' gossip. Leona listens to their concerns about safety, politics or the newest trend of a new bakery or restaurant.

A female monkey named Glitter lived where the streets were packed with nightclubs and gentlemen's club. There was glitter always in her fur. Glitter and what Leona affectionately called her "crew" did more than just steal from wallets and jewelry. They also stole drinks from drunks. Glitter sleeps through most of the day, leaving Leona unable to connect with her. But once happy hour hits, she was up. It is best to hack into Glitter's eyes during the early parts of the night. By midnight, Glitter was half-drunk, munching on pretzels. Glitter had her favorite clubs and they vary from raves to jazz. Through Glitter, Leona now knew the places Zapp liked to pick up women and gamble. She used Glitter to track down where Zapp lived. Leona was just making sure he and his woman of the night made it home safely and the woman didn't hurt him.

Much to Leona's embarrassment, Zapp was an expert in the bedroom. His ladies were not faking it! She recalls her last two boyfriends. She lost her virginity when was 18. There weren't any fireworks during her first time. Her second was little better when she was 19, but nothing to write home about. She thought sex shouldn't be apart of the equation to a good relationship…but, it was.

Glitter was also useful in locating susceptible prey for Leona. Sometimes, Leona can push through the fog of Glitter's drunk haze to listen in on conversations. Leona once overheard a group of members of the mafia partying. So far, she had things about drug rings, prostitution and the like. She shared this information with the police. The information was good at times, but physical evidence would be better she was often told. She has yet to figure out a solution for that issue.

Leona and Sonic left the zoo late in the afternoon. Leona decides to visit the photography store. She greets the owner, Mr. Stacey, and he welcomes her kindly. Mr. Stacey was a dandy gentleman. He was in his mid-forties, but it was obvious he was and still is a handsome man with his bright periwinkle eyes and salted blonde hair, still luxuriously thick and combed back. He wore pressed white dress shirts and sweater vests, topped with a bow tie based on the colors of the season. It was summer transiting to autumn, so his bow tie was blue with red dots. They chatted for a bit and Leona asks,

"Do you have any smaller cameras?"

"Smaller cameras," Mr. Stacey repeats.

"Yeah, as a news photographer, I was thinking of doing some incognito stuff."

Mr. Stacey smiles slyly, "Ahhh, incognito, eh?...I have just the thing!"

Mr. Stacey goes into the back room and returns a little later with a small box and a camera that was meant for display purposes.

"I have been carrying these for a while, but not a lot of people were buying it. People these days like things small, but not too, too small that it doesn't have a large enough screen like their phones and tablets do. This is a mini HD camera and video camera. It has simple functions to use between the two modes. It takes an SD card and its rechargeable."

He places the camera on his index and pointer finger and was able to balance it with ease. He opens Leona's hand and places it in the center of her palm.

"Wow, it's perfect! Sonic!"

Sonic climbs out of the front of her hoodie and hops onto the counter.

"Can he hold it?"

"As long as he doesn't swipe it."

Leona holds the camera out to Sonic. Sonic takes it and seemed quite impressed with the camera that he was able to hold. He makes happy sounds and holds the camera as he had seen Leona held one. It was perfect in his paws and he chirps when he takes a picture of Mr. Stacey. Mr. Stacey chuckles.

"This is really cool! I bet it's really expensive though…"

"Ha, not at all, my dear lady! This is only $12.99."

"Seriously!" Leona slams her hands on the counter. "I want four!"

"Four?" Mr. Stacey stares at Leona. "My dear, what on earth? Why four?"

Leona grins and pats Sonic's head, "For Sonic and my three other fuzzy assistants."

"…You're going to use mach monkeys to help you take pictures?"

Leona grins and nods.

Later she goes to a pet store to purchase four small cat collars. All were white to blend with their fur. She summons Frecks, Sweets, and Glitter to her apartment. Glitter was excited to receive a collar. Frecks didn't mind it. Sweets was pacified with a lollipop. What really caught the three monkeys' attention were the tiny cameras.

"These are for you! Don't sell it," Leona urges.

Sonic nods from her shoulder with authority. Leona teaches each monkey while using Sonic as an example of how to use the camera. She decided to keep it simple and have them focus on just take pictures. Video recording would be taught much later after they mastered picture taking. Leona promises them a tasty reward when they take as many pictures as possible. All three monkeys were eager for a reward and took learning the camera very seriously. The mini cameras had a strap that could be linked to their collars. It was long enough for them to hold and shoot and when not in use could dangle from their collars without interfering with their movements.

Before sending the monkeys out on their own with their own camera, Leona took each monkey with her and Sonic for a practice run. She started with Frecks one day while she worked around Dianne's. Frecks and Sonic worked together taking pictures of the customers and of the tiny staff inside the diner and the passersby outsides.

Another day, she hangs out with Sweets. They took pictures around Central Park, enjoying the scenery together. Sweets took some great and adorable pictures of the children and scenic shots of the trees and gardens. He took wonderful shots from high angles. He filled up his camera very quickly by the end of the day. Leona bought him, Sonic and herself ice cream for a job well done.

Glitter's run day happened on a full moon. Leona had Glitter sleep over her place. She had to keep her sober and well-rested a little longer. She decided to invite Vivian.

"Wow, this is crazy," Vivian giggles.

"How so?" asks Leo.

"Man, I've been working at the diner for years. Eat. Sleep. Work. That's how I've been living all these years. I've been working in that diner since I was a little girl. The last party I went to was a slumber party."

"Geez, Vivian, you need to get out more." Leo smiles with a shake of her head. "You look great by the way."

Vivian was dressed in a short, strapless red dress with black heels. Her hair was softly pulled back with a gel. Make-up was gently applied with dark eyeshadow and red lipstick.

"Would you believe that the skirt part was longer, and I just, generously hemmed it up and removed the straps."

"For reals? That's amazing!"

Vivian blushes, "Thanks. You look nice too."

Leona was wearing fluttering black shorts with an off-shoulder blue top that showed a sliver of tummy. On her feet were black ankle boots. Leona had light make-up on as well with only her lips painted a baby girl pink.

"Eh," Leo waves it off. "It's nothing fancy."

The club they went to wasn't anything too fancy or crazy. Not only were Leona and Vivian out for fun, this was a simple test for Glitter and to scout out a prey. Leona and Vivian started the night with drinks. Vivian tries not to laugh when Leona had to be carded. The girls talked for a bit and once they had warmed up on cool drinks they sent out on the dance floor and danced together. Some men offered them to dance, Leona turned down most and Vivian danced with one guy. As she danced, Leona goes back to the bar. While there, a man that had tried to dance with her offers her a drink. Leona politely turns him down. He kept insisting to buy her a drink, but Leona rather buys her own. The man finally gives up and leaves her alone. Vivian rejoins Leona and shows her the number on a slip of paper.

"Going to call him?"

Vivian sighs, "Naaah, I'm not. I rather meet a guy in my true skin without make-up and a hot dress in my natural habitat at the diner. But, what about you? You've turned down every guy who asked for a dance."

"It's a little complicated on top of other things."

"Like what?"

"Well, I was a little disappointed losing my virginity to my first boyfriend that was lackluster. Second boyfriend, just as disappointing. But, besides the sex, I really wasn't into it. I just became their girlfriend because they asked and went with the flow for the experience. On my part, I have to take responsibility. I wasn't a very good girlfriend and I didn't have strong feelings for either guy."

"Aww, sorry."

Leona shakes her head.

"Have you found any interesting guys here in Hellsalem's Lot that is little more exciting?"

Leona starts to shake her head no…then she gave it a second thought, "Actually, yes I did."

"Oh? Do tell!"

"You've met two of them. The guy that kept molesting me and that really tall man with the red hair and glasses. The guy with dresses in white (the molester) …he's a pervert but…isn't too bad. He had saved my life twice so far. Mr. Steven gave him a talk."

"Mr. Steven? Oh, he sounds classy."

"Yeah, he is. Also, pretty mysterious."

"I remember the tall man. He introduced himself to you at the diner as…some German name…uh…Klaus von Reinherz. He has that crazy fanged, underbite."

"…I think his fangs make him a little attractive to me," Leona blushes.

"Ohhhh, do you have dreams of him nibbling your pretty neck?" Vivian purrs.

Leona blushes further and bites her lip. No, she didn't think of that…till now. She remembers his fierce gaze when Klaus attacked the Beyondian smuggling humans. Was it the Blood Breed in her that was attracted to his beastly physique and strength? She licks her lips and takes a sip of her drink. Suddenly, she was hungry.

"Leona? Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I fine. I just got lost in my thoughts!"

"So, Mr. Reinherz is your favorite so far?"

"M-maybe…"

Two pops startle Vivian. Leona smiles, "Hey Sonic! Hi, Glitter."

Both mach monkeys hoot in greeting. Leona orders them a shot. The bartender raises an eyebrow. Leona notices this and smiles with a shrug.

"If you're nice to a mach monkey they won't steal from you."

Vivian grins and winks at Sonic.

Leona and Vivian continued to chat when they are joined by a familiar face.

"Mr. Steven?" gasps Leona.

Steven glides in the stool beside Leona and smiles, "Good evening, young lady. And a good evening to you too, miss," he throws a charming smile toward Vivian.

Vivian blushes and ducks her head, "Leona," she hisses a whisper, "You failed to mention that Mr. Steven was crazy handsome!"

"I have no right to say where you can go, but, I didn't think this place would be your scene, Mr. Steven."

"What are you saying, that I'm too old for this place."

"Um, you said it…not me!"

Vivian snorts behind her hand. Steven raises his eyebrows and coughs out a laugh.

"I was just meeting some friends."

Leona recalls Steven's job as gathering intelligence and making friends. Glitter pats Leona's arm, holding up her glass. Leona shakes her head and orders a refill.

"Drink this and you only get one more after that."

"Are you giving monkeys alcohol?"

"Yes, Mr. Steven," Leona reaches out and removes Glitter's camera. She takes a USB cable from her purse and connects it to her phone. She reviews Glitter's pictures, showing them to Steven and Vivian.

"You're training monkeys to take pictures?!" both Steven and Vivian were stunned.

"Yep, they get the best angles!" Leona reaches out and rubs both monkeys under their chins. They coo and purr.

"Best angles of what exactly?" asks Steven.

"Anything interesting."

"Interesting, you say, young lady…hmm? Wouldn't you mind sharing such nice photos with me from time to time? If blown up they would look nice on my walls."

Vivian raises a brow while sipping her drink. Sonic and Glitter stare at Leona and Steven.

"I wouldn't mind selling pictures to you if you really think they're good enough."

"Oh, they're good enough, depending on the subject matter. I am willing to pay you for your art."

"Thank you, Mr. Steven."

"Oh, thank you, young lady, ahead of time."

Leona excuses herself to the restroom. Just as she gets close to the bathroom a man grabs her. She recognizes the man as one of the men that asked her to dance. It was also the same man that wanted to buy her drinks.

"Hey there, little girl! Remember me!"

He tugs her by her arm and forces her to walk outside into the back alley. He pushes her against the wall and cages her with her arms. Like most men, they tower over her, trying to make themselves intimidating. What the man didn't know, unfortunately, was Leona had faced worst.

"Little girls like you don't know what's good for you! When a man gives you a drink, you better take it and as many as he gives you!"

Leona glares up at him but slowly smiles at him.

"Thank you for revealing yourself as an opportunistic jerk. You make a certain man I know seem decent."

The man frowns. Leona looks over his head.

"If you please!"

The man turns around and is face to face with a beast! The beast grins at the man showing his rows of sharp teeth between his horrendously long canines.

"Hey, Leona! Where've you been?" Vivian asks when Leona returns.

"There was a very rude man and I had to hide out in the restroom for a minute."

"Are you okay?"

Steven notices the bruise on her arm, "Do I need to have words with this man."

"No, don't waste your time on him, Mr. Steven. But, thank you."

It didn't take much concentration, but Leona was able to keep sending blood to the bruise. She was able to control her healing speed. It was a helpful technique though tiny. Especially, when she works in the kitchen alongside Vivian and Master and accidentally cuts herself. It would be suspicious if she instantly healed before their eyes.

Sonic reappears licking his muzzle clean with a paw.

"Excuse me, may I have two Bloody Marys?"

"Say, would you like to try our new Sweet Bloody Mercies? Dedicated to Hellsalem's merciful Angel of the Night?"

Leona tilts her head and looks at Sonic. Sonic nods his head.

"Sounds yummy."