(A/N): So, yes. The character that was being difficult was Tarea Hugar, which... is incredibly on brand. Chapter 500! Yay!
Trigger Warnings: Tarea Hugar exists, and more specifically, exists in a position of power. He carefully manages (AKA, manipulates) various people throughout the chapter (Ruthie, and the Hunters under his command), which gives us a look at how he might have tricked Audrey for so long. Speaking of Audrey- and Jay, and Elaine, but specifically Elaine- there is a part where Hugar uses the excuses of 'having to get home to take his family out for lunch for his daughter's birthday' to end the conversation with Ruthie on a hopefully sympathetic note (she was having none of it). This is fake, and not only is it not Elaine's birthday (July 22nd), he certainly doesn't plan on going 'home' anytime soon, because he won't leave the safe-house near Evie's until he's sure the Yates aren't coming back, and also, he's basically on deployment (more on those things in the end Author's Note). There is also some questionable treatment of his subordinates, particularly the two women, and with that, there is the explanation of why they don't let two female Hunters partner up- which is that they're already a nearly irresistible target to sadistic vampires, and two together would basically just be a suicide mission, every mission, for those female Hunters (more on that, too). Uh... depiction of Jerremyah as a serial killer?
January 16th, 1966
Tarea Hugar
A moment after the youngest Wright sister slammed their front door in my face, I heard the rather unexpected sound of someone clapping coming from behind me. I didn't jump, or spin around to face the source; if it was a vampire, the sudden movement wouldn't help me anyway, and if it wasn't... well, not only would it seem suspicious to any of the muggles that lived in the area, but at least some of the Hunters under my command were currently watching the front of the house, and subsequently watching me... and part of my ability to maintain their respect- and therefore their obedience- was based on my reputation as being unflappable. It wasn't a vampire, that much was immediately clear. Usually, I drilled it into my recruits' heads that one could never, ever be completely certain that someone wasn't a vampire by sight alone- but the grizzled old woman on the other side of the fence was very decidedly not a threat. At least, not to anything but my ego.
"Whoo, boy- she sure told you!" She sounded delighted by that fact, and as much as my frustration about being pushed out- about my efforts being thwarted once more by these damn vampires- made me want to snap at her, I forced myself to push that urge aside in favor of trying to probe her for any information she might be able to give me. Especially anything that the older Wright sister hadn't wanted- or thought- to tell me.
"My apologies, madam-" She interrupted me with a barked-out laugh.
"Don't bother trying to pull that innocent act with me, 'mister'- if you've got sweet little Evie that upset, you must be a real class act. I've half a mind to introduce you to the business end of my pruning shears- only, my strength isn't what it used to be, so it might take me a few extra snips." She made a vague cutting motion with a few gnarled fingers, and immediately, I knew I wasn't going to get anywhere with her- but I still had to try, just in case she let something useful slip.
I pulled on my most convincing embarrassed smile, dipping my head to her sheepishly. "Just a bit of a misunderstanding, ma'am-" She looked like she didn't appreciate this term of address either, but whether that was because she wasn't keen on it in general, or because she didn't believe a word out of my mouth, I couldn't tell. "-there was a bit of a, ah... incident, with a mutual acquaintance, and I fear it's soured her opinion of me, somewhat." She waved a hand at me dismissively.
"You aren't worming your way into my good books, boy- an 'incident' isn't the kind of thing someone like Evie would act like that over; you did something to her, something bad- or at least, to someone she cares about." Hm... that seemed to line up with what Viola had told me about her sister, but... unless this wasn't the first time Evelyn had encountered the Yates's, then that almost certainly wasn't the case. Which meant... she wasn't herself.
It wasn't the first time I'd considered it- the idea that the vampires might send her back with more than just the typical minimally intrusive Influencing in place, in order to keep their involvement from being discovered- but this was so out of character for those particular vampires that until she'd appeared in the room behind me, I had managed to mostly convince myself that she must be dead. An unfortunate oversight, on my part, I must admit.
Roland had filled me in on the situation to the best of his ability, and I had visited the site of the incident personally, in the early hours of the morning. His team had been called in by Shaw- a recently 'retired' Hunter who happened to have found work as a bouncer at one of the less specifically trendy clubs in the West End- to check in on, and if necessary attend to, the two vampires that had come through his line. The team had witnessed the couple openly Influencing an innocent- Evelyn Wright- and when they made their way into the men's room to feed on her, Roland had led them into action- managing to fire a stake at the female vampire before they had apparated away from the threat with the girl. Since the stake hadn't been found in the room after the vampires fled, Roland assumed it had hit his mark... but I wasn't so sure.
It wasn't that I didn't trust Roland- well, his assessment of events, anyway- but I would like to think I knew them pretty well, by this point- vampires in general, but these vampires specifically. I simply didn't think that if one of them had truly been injured in the way Roland assumed, the situation would have turned out like it did, in the end. No, the unknown factor here was Evelyn- Evie- which meant... she was the key to figuring this all out, and putting an end to Jerremyah Yates's over three-hundred-year-long killing spree.
"If that's the case," I told the Wright's elderly neighbor. "Then I'm unaware of what I've done, and who to." As she scoffed at me, I caught sight of my owl, Charon, landing on top of a lamp post across the street.
"I don't believe that," She said, which was par for the course. "Men like you are always aware of the damage you cause- but you think the end justifies the means, so you do it anyway." I suppose that was true enough, under certain circumstances. "These girls don't deserve that- none of them do- and if I have to be the one to go toe-to-toe with you to ensure that doesn't happen, well..." She kicked the chain link fence between us with her striped wellies. "My date book's clear if yours is." Spirited old crone, wasn't she?
Hearing Charon hoot quietly, I flashed her the least strained smile I could- but apparently, it wasn't a good enough effort, because she seemed far more satisfied than I liked. "I'll be sure to pencil that in. If you'll excuse me, I best be getting home- I have plans to take the family out for lunch for my daughter's birthday, you see, so... mustn't be late for that." She pursed her wrinkled lips, clearly not buying this in the slightest.
"Mmhm, sure. Don't let the gate hit you on the way out. Or do." The last part, as I turned away from her to leave, wasn't concealed in the least, but I ignored it in favor of making my way out of the Wright's front yard. Once I was, I crossed the street and started down the pavement toward our current communal safe-house, and overhead, Charon fluttered from perch to perch, knowing better than to approach me where muggles might see it. It was only when I reached the red phone box halfway down the street and ducked inside that Charon swooped down to land on my shoulder, knowing that I was now invisible to the muggles outside- along with any vampires that might be watching the area.
As per usual, as I entered the room, the sound of the other Hunters inside died down, and Roland met me by the door. "Hugar, the girl-"
"Is back? Yes, I'm quite aware." He swallowed thickly, as if he expected to be reprimanded more severely, or even physically punished. "I assume that Charon carries your warning?" Roland nodded, and I turned my head to look at the bird on my shoulder. "Bring them all in- I only want to have to say this once." Her head dipped, and once I'd removed the small note wrapped around her leg- in order to be as imperceptible as possible- I let her out of the door to the phone box, and focused on Roland once more. "We've got issues- no idea how bad, but it bears addressing. Possible danger, as of yet unknown. The girl knows we're in the area, and threatened to call the police if I didn't leave- and 'take my little friends with me'." His eyebrows shot up, then furrowed.
"Hmm..." He said, pinching his bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger as he took this in. "That puts a bit of a wrinkle in things, doesn't it?" To say the least. "What did you think of the others? The ones I spoke to, last night?" Of course he was preoccupied with that, the credit-hog.
I shot him a dark look, which tempered his enthusiasm a bit. "That's not high on my list of concerns, at the moment," I told him, before reluctantly following it up with, "The girls are fierce, which is good. The boy... hard to get a read on such a blank slate, but he doesn't seem like anything special- or even cut out for this life in the first place." He shrugged.
"Yes, but the girls- they're... promising. Very, very promising." They had been- when they'd had a cause to rally around. Well, I suppose they still had a cause... it just happened to be Evie, who was rapidly becoming an issue.
"They were promising- now, they're a problem. Or at least heading that way. I don't know the extent of things- how much meddling they did with her mind- but based on everything we know about her- from the records, from her sister, and what little the neighbor told me between threats-" My glare silenced Roland's amusement almost before it developed. "-that reaction wasn't hers. I'll- Again, I'll explain more when we're all here." He nodded, despite appearing slightly disappointed- likely at the prospect of knowing everything before anyone else being taken from him.
There had only been two other Hunters in the safe-house when I had entered- Oz and Jax- and over the next five minutes, the remaining members filed in- unwittingly filling me with relief when they did, and I realised they were all in one piece. First was Neal, then Sawyer- the only member of the original team that had insisted on being part of this continuation of their mission- followed by Darcy and Jefferson coming in at the same time. Last of all was Conway, who immediately cut a path through the room to join Oz. The two cousins tended to gravitate toward each other at the best of times, and not just because they were usually the only two women in the room- but as well as they worked together, we had to keep them apart for their own safety. After all, for the more honorable vampire- if there was such a thing- a female Hunter was merely an oddity, but for the most sadistic of the species, she would be a nearly irresistible target... let alone two of them, at the same time. No- as capable as they were, that wasn't a risk I was willing to take.
Now that everyone was here, I rested my hands on the dining table we used as a meeting table, and they all looked at me expectantly. "As you most likely already know, Evelyn Wright- the girl who the Yates's kidnapped- has returned." Almost all of them nodded, but Darcy, Jefferson, and Conway- who had all been on watch in various positions around the far side of the house- appeared surprised, likely because they hadn't had the chance to witness her journey toward, and into, the house firsthand. "However, I have reason to believe she's under heavy Influencing-" The reaction to this news was a variation of disgusted, disgruntled, and furious. "-which makes me wary that not only do our targets know we're here, but they plan to do something about it." There was an appropriate level of unease about this possibility. "Under threat of having muggle law enforcement called in to remove me, I was forced to leave- but as I did, she said something to me that I feel is cause for some concern." I glanced at Roland, then Sawyer- the only two in attendance who had been present for last night's encounter. "She asked me if, with everything I knew about them, I 'really thought they would let what I did in that bathroom go- what I tried to do'." Sawyer's eyes dropped to the tabletop, but Roland simply frowned slightly. "Which tells me that while she's accurately identified me as a Hunter- or at least, related to the group that attacked them, depending on what exactly the vampires Influenced her to think happened- she doesn't know who, specifically, was there." Sawyer and Roland both looked relieved by this, one more than the other.
"Do you think that means the vampires also aren't sure which Hunters attacked them?" Sawyer asked, which was certainly an... optimistic, way of seeing things.
"I think they don't care who was actually involved, and who wasn't- they're just going to lash out at any Hunter they can get their hands on." It didn't sound like either of the Yates's typical modus operandi, but then again, we'd never landed this sort of blow on them, before- it was best to prepare for the worst, rather than be complacent, and risk my men.
They were predictably troubled by this prospect, and Conway slammed a hand down on the table. "Well, they're gonna get a hell of a lot more than they bargained for, if they come after us," She snapped, and Oz shot her a reproachful look- likely not for her reaction, but for the fact she'd done so before I had permitted them to speak. I gave Conway a reasonably softly disapproving look, wanting to foster that characteristic fire while still reinforcing my control over my subordinates, and after a second, she turned somewhat sheepish. "Sorry, boss." I dipped my head at her, acknowledging- and returning- the respect she was showing me by doing so, before continuing.
"You've already been briefed about the danger these particular vampires present- their ages, training, and other special abilities- as well as their predicted course of actions, in a variety of situations," I said. "I'm no longer sure that applies." There were a few looks shared between them, but no one spoke up, whether to question me, or to vent their frustration. "I believe the rules have changed- and unfortunately... I think we're the ones to blame for that change."
(A/N): Wellies = Rain boots/Gumboots/Rubber boots
So I was trying to think of a way that the Hunters could set up a temporary, hidden safe-house (preferably using a pre-existing structure), and my brain was like, 'hey, what about a phone box? Like superman gets changed in? And they can use the extension charms and protection charms that the Golden Trio used when camping out in Deathly Hallows, so it's bigger on the insi- OH.' So yeah... I accidentally remade the TARDIS, and decided to stick with it because it was too funny. It is the iconic British red phone box- I checked, like, 'hey, maybe I could make it NOT be the classic, because I don't want it to be stereotypical' but... it's not just a stereotype. Like, that particular red phone box design (the K6) really was super prevalent in 1966. The K8 was designed in 1968 but only existed as a concept, it never went into production, but I did really like the look of that one as like, a spy hideout. I imagine it's basically a medium-sized empty room with the actual phone box stuff at one end, a conference table with chairs around it in the middle, and then around the edges of the room there's cots or hammocks or something.
I was writing this and realised that I view this section of the Hunters and their duties as similar to the 'Criminal Minds' team- where they track and profile vampires to determine how much of a threat they are, and try to anticipate where they're going to strike next and how, and then hunt them down and 'bring them to justice'. To be fair to the Hunters in this particular situation, Jerremyah HAS killed a bunch of people over his lifetime, and obviously, they want to minimise loss of human life, which means they need to stop him- but the issue is, for Hunters, the only method for 'stopping' a vampire is to kill them.
Tarea calling Ruthie an 'old crone' wasn't meant to be an insult. I essentially wanted him to call her 'old lady', but couldn't figure out how to do it properly, and I thought that since he's a wizard, words like crone or 'hag' (which are both ways to refer to witches) probably aren't as negative or insulting as they're seen in the real world. If he'd actually called her either of those things to her face she definitely would've walloped him, though. Ruthie is really close to the Vi and Evie, and protective of them, considering she's been living next door to them for since they were both born, and was close to their parents, and probably feels like (and legitimately is) the only person that cares that deeply about them, and is willing to try and protect them like this. The sisters have other (biological) family, but none of them are really all that interested in helping them, so it's really just Ruthie peering over the fence being like, 'you girls alright over there?'
Tarea says 'I'll pencil that in', despite the fact that wizards don't use pencils, because I imagine he has to be fairly familiar with muggles and muggle cultural things like that in order to blend in/understand formerly muggle vampires better, and because he's interacted with subordinate Hunters that lived a formerly muggle lifestyle.
Charon is Tarea's owl- we've met her before, she's the Greater Sooty Owl that brought Elaine both of the letters that Tarea has sent her while at Hogwarts. The owl is female, but she's named after Charon, the ferryman who transports the dead across the rivers Acheron and Styx to the Underworld, in Greek mythology. Charon requires payment in order to do this (a low value coin called an Obol, which seems to sort of be likes, dollar coins? Wikipedia says there's six Obol to a Drachma, but there were also smaller coins that made up Obols- two Diobols make up an Obol, three Triobols make up an Obol, and so on) but the reason I mention this is because the Athenian Obol (or, one of the designs at least), featured an owl on the reverse side. I also think that Tarea's owl transporting letters between him and the rest of the Hunters/his family, and receiving payment in owl treats is sort of a funny juxtaposition to the mythological ferryman transported dead souls to the Underworld for coins. Also, Charon in Greek mythology (and subsequently the owl) is Kair-on, but the moon of Pluto by the same name is Shair-on, because it was named after the wife of the guy who discovered it (Charlene), but had to fit the theme of the rest of the astrological bodies discovered, which had a Greek/Roman mythology theme.
So, yes. If it wasn't obvious already, Roland and Tarea have been assessing Vi, Hettie, Lou, and Pip to become Hunters. Roland (and subsequently Tarea) are much more interested in Vi and Hettie in particular, because they're the most outspoken + observant/skilled in various ways, but Lou also piqued Roland's interest by being the only one to notice Lisbet hitting up Evie at the bar. Pip hasn't really said much, so they can't get a read on him, but he does just sort of give off soft boy vibes, so yeah, they aren't all that interested in him.
Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to introduce the specific Hunter I REALLY wanted to (decided it'd be better if he wasn't present at this point in the story), but I did still have to come up with a bunch of names for Hunters, and as such, I had to figure out what sort of names I wanted the Hunters to have. Like, figuring out the naming conventions. I decided that, since the Hunters are literally hunting down vampires, they probably wouldn't want to use their full names, so that the vampires couldn't track them down afterward, if they escaped. As such, they mostly either go by nicknames or last names, but there are some outliers (like Tarea Hugar, and Anthophilius Meliflua, whose family names strike fear into the hearts of vampires everywhere, and their first name denotes their particular brand of ruthlessness, so they go by their full name). Obviously, new blood Hunters don't have that incentive to use their last name, but also, it's just sort of become a thing where if you become a Hunter, unless your last name is a mouthful or a better alternative presents itself, they're probably just going to constantly call you by your last name. Oz is Cleo Osborn, Conway is Sara Conway, Jax is Jack Fraser, then Darcy, Jefferson, and Neal are all last names, but Sawyer I'm leaving it ambiguous as to whether it's his first name or last name.
When I say Tarea's 'on deployment', I mean he spends weeks if not months away from 'home' (and I put home in quotation marks because he's barely ever there, and to be honest, he'd probably consider the Hunters as an organization his real home, but is like... possessive of his house, which is 'home'. After the weeks away, he'd probably go back to Audrey, Jay, and Elaine, and be like, 'I'll be here for a few weeks', then get called away after one week, disappear for a few days, come back for a few days, then rinse and repeat until he 'goes back on deployment', even though he hasn't really been NOT deployed that whole time.
So the thing about female Hunters being 'fierce' is that, one, they need to be tough to hunt and kill deadly predators like vampires, and two, I imagine that the Hunters as a whole probably aren't THE BEST about not being misogynistic. And by that, I mean... well, we'll get into it at a later date, maybe. A much later date. Say... ten years from now?
Trigger warnings for this next part: Rape, sexual assault, forced pregnancy (which has implications for characters of a particular heritage/background)
Basically, female Hunters tend to be targeted by more sadistic vampires- and pretty much the main difference between the sadistic vampires treatment of male Hunters and female Hunters is, er... well. The creation of half-vampires. Yeah. That's part of the reason why Tarea mentioned half-vampires to Audrey- because as the wife of a Hunter, she could be targeted by vengeful vampires, and what better way to punish Tarea, than to impregnate his wife with a half-vampire baby? Female Hunters (and women adjacent to Hunters in general) are a popular target because if you get rid of all of the women willing/able to get involved with male Hunters, well- no more born Hunters. And born Hunters are more of a threat than 'new blood' Hunters, albeit rarer.