"Those who want to live, let them fight and those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal struggle do not deserve to live."
- Adolf Hitler
Steam seemed to churn in the very air. The giant, blackly painted metal coffin of train, beginning to slowly pull away from the station. Steel metal plates for wheels, tractioning over the smooth rail with every exerting chuff of air, coal burning steadily away in boiler as they did so. An almost harshly reassuring sawpaper sound occuring every time the next chain reaction between water and heat occured, deep in the mechanised bowels.
For Selene, like most jobs, the time had passed in relative silence. Nothing to say and no need to say it. Luggage was stowed and so, went the logic, were thoughts.
"'Any alliance whose purpose is not the intention to wage war is senseless and useless'..."
Eyes blinked to attention. The focusing orbs snapping as immediately to the spoken target, as they would have done for the barrel of a gun. "I'm sorry?"
"Adolf Hitler," the woman sitting across the table clarified. It had been, as it happened, among the very first things they had even said. "'Mein Kampf'. For a human, they have an marvelously ruthless way of thinking."
Ah yes... The book. Selene, though not usually one for small talk with strangers, was certainly no slouch when it came to social graces. Not when it came to the matter of ruling vampiric elder. An upwards nod of acknowledgement given at that comment. "From author to commander of an empire in only a matter of years. Shakespeare would be proud."
"Not every pen is mightier than the sword," observed relaxed brunette. "Or, come to that, cannon."
"Or tank."
"Touché..." One vampiress smiled to another, a slight bow of head with eyes kept trailed and extended hand of greeting. "I apologise for not making myself amenable before, shall we say? Selene, yes...?"
Rabbit-quick glance to hand. Own contacting lightly in agreement of the supplicant hospitality.
"I was most curious..."
"In what exactly?"
"You are Viktor's get. He favoured you dearly... I only wished to see for why - and," Amelia added with smile, "of course, to have the security of one of our more reputable lycan killers on this journey."
"Yes, well," Selene's lips pursed. "There's not been too much opportunity for that lately." 'Lately' being several hundred years, if concerned with whole populated dens of them. The days of eradication were over for all but her though. There would always been at least one of them out there, some place... Waiting. To be killed. "But one must keep the dogs from our feet, where able to."
"Yes. One must."
Amelia had an odd way about her, even for an elder. It didn't annoy their nominated guard but, still, it was peculiar. As if they were always pondering on something. Chances were that they were doing precisely that. But that gaze of theirs was quite unsettling and, more to the point, Selene couldn't really show it. A shift of shoulders was the most she could manage for sociability. She had to play the game of uncaring, though Erika would have told her to just play along, let the elder peruse and even encourage that. For who knew what areas of promotion would lay ahead?
The thing was, Selene wasn't particularly interested, unless it involved getting away from Kraven. Even less so if it meant negating duties from lycan dispatching.
And at last Amelia had chosen to look away after the longest while. The feel of creeping shadow expelled by light.
Selene elected not to speak for the remainder of the journey then. But the train moved on, boiler stoked and pistons greased; racing its industrialised way across countryside and urbanisation both. A fleeting monster, whose passengers feasted on blood. In the distance, little reverberating puffs of sound and each one signifying one more attempt at explosively bombing death.
When the monster finally found its foreign home, it breathed its breath of heated steam and all came to a standstill. A dragon among engines with a decorative plume of smoke. A lit signal given before the cue had been taken and doors opened, figures stepping out. A file of undead guardians and entourage alike, with Selene at the head of the queue.
Amelia just beside.
And what do monsters do, when coming to meet so gladly?
Why, they meet fellow monsters, of course.
"Frau... Amelia?"
A feminine smile of reply, sharp as those razored nails.
"Guten tag..."
- Adolf Hitler
Steam seemed to churn in the very air. The giant, blackly painted metal coffin of train, beginning to slowly pull away from the station. Steel metal plates for wheels, tractioning over the smooth rail with every exerting chuff of air, coal burning steadily away in boiler as they did so. An almost harshly reassuring sawpaper sound occuring every time the next chain reaction between water and heat occured, deep in the mechanised bowels.
For Selene, like most jobs, the time had passed in relative silence. Nothing to say and no need to say it. Luggage was stowed and so, went the logic, were thoughts.
"'Any alliance whose purpose is not the intention to wage war is senseless and useless'..."
Eyes blinked to attention. The focusing orbs snapping as immediately to the spoken target, as they would have done for the barrel of a gun. "I'm sorry?"
"Adolf Hitler," the woman sitting across the table clarified. It had been, as it happened, among the very first things they had even said. "'Mein Kampf'. For a human, they have an marvelously ruthless way of thinking."
Ah yes... The book. Selene, though not usually one for small talk with strangers, was certainly no slouch when it came to social graces. Not when it came to the matter of ruling vampiric elder. An upwards nod of acknowledgement given at that comment. "From author to commander of an empire in only a matter of years. Shakespeare would be proud."
"Not every pen is mightier than the sword," observed relaxed brunette. "Or, come to that, cannon."
"Or tank."
"Touché..." One vampiress smiled to another, a slight bow of head with eyes kept trailed and extended hand of greeting. "I apologise for not making myself amenable before, shall we say? Selene, yes...?"
Rabbit-quick glance to hand. Own contacting lightly in agreement of the supplicant hospitality.
"I was most curious..."
"In what exactly?"
"You are Viktor's get. He favoured you dearly... I only wished to see for why - and," Amelia added with smile, "of course, to have the security of one of our more reputable lycan killers on this journey."
"Yes, well," Selene's lips pursed. "There's not been too much opportunity for that lately." 'Lately' being several hundred years, if concerned with whole populated dens of them. The days of eradication were over for all but her though. There would always been at least one of them out there, some place... Waiting. To be killed. "But one must keep the dogs from our feet, where able to."
"Yes. One must."
Amelia had an odd way about her, even for an elder. It didn't annoy their nominated guard but, still, it was peculiar. As if they were always pondering on something. Chances were that they were doing precisely that. But that gaze of theirs was quite unsettling and, more to the point, Selene couldn't really show it. A shift of shoulders was the most she could manage for sociability. She had to play the game of uncaring, though Erika would have told her to just play along, let the elder peruse and even encourage that. For who knew what areas of promotion would lay ahead?
The thing was, Selene wasn't particularly interested, unless it involved getting away from Kraven. Even less so if it meant negating duties from lycan dispatching.
And at last Amelia had chosen to look away after the longest while. The feel of creeping shadow expelled by light.
Selene elected not to speak for the remainder of the journey then. But the train moved on, boiler stoked and pistons greased; racing its industrialised way across countryside and urbanisation both. A fleeting monster, whose passengers feasted on blood. In the distance, little reverberating puffs of sound and each one signifying one more attempt at explosively bombing death.
When the monster finally found its foreign home, it breathed its breath of heated steam and all came to a standstill. A dragon among engines with a decorative plume of smoke. A lit signal given before the cue had been taken and doors opened, figures stepping out. A file of undead guardians and entourage alike, with Selene at the head of the queue.
Amelia just beside.
And what do monsters do, when coming to meet so gladly?
Why, they meet fellow monsters, of course.
"Frau... Amelia?"
A feminine smile of reply, sharp as those razored nails.
"Guten tag..."