Chapter 2: Farsides
A/N: Let me tell everyone now - this is supposed to be the slow burn to end all slow burns but I'm not one to drag a tension filled story along lol. However, I'll try my best, especially considering Blade's personality.
Sidenote: RIP to the actor that portrayed Whistler, he was quite the gem on and off screen.
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Glancing at the small bedside clock, it displayed that it was a little after twelve in the afternoon. Even after sleeping her entire morning away, Kaia can't confidently say that she felt significantly well rested. Days of not sleeping properly will do that to a person.
She was operating solely on a fragmented sleep schedule. It hasn't been this bad since her days in college where she spent long nights and early mornings cramming new information into her brain.
Exhaustion still clung heavily to her limbs as she slowly dragged herself out of bed.
Raiding her duffle bag, she pulled out a few articles of clothing - a simple sweater and under a pair of long overalls to compliment the cold weather outside. It hadn't taken her long to dress and she finished after slipping on her favorite pair of converse.
She neatly maneuvered her braids into one long braid before tying a hair tie on the end to keep them in place.
Given that she was likely the first to wake and both men were probably still resting in their rooms, Kaia lightly crept downstairs so as not to make any noise, carefully descending the steps to the ground floor.
The interior didn't look nearly as rundown as the exterior of the industrial complex. From the outside, one would never know that the warehouse housed a generous and expansive storage of technology and data. The facility housed a number of spacious, interconnected rooms including the laboratory where she and Whistler often worked. The setup had only become familiar to her over time.
At first glance, nothing about the space appeared homely, especially considering dimly illuminated, overhead lighting.
Even with light in certain places, darkness still lingering in specific places in the expansive factory. The place smelled faintly of oil. It was a place she somewhat regarded as another home. It had taken quite a while to get used to the complex set up that Whistler had assembled. In fact, Whistler hinted that he possessed connections and was decently financed for his work.
It certainly wasn't the ideal place for a person to live but it suited the men just fine well before she came along. All they needed was space and discretion and this warehouse provided just that.
Before long, she entered into a room that served as a kitchen-like area, that was relatively organized and stocked with food and a refrigerator. When she looked into the fridge there weren't any leftovers which meant someone had already polished them off. Which consequently meant that the trio needed something else to eat for the night.
She rummaged through a cupboard in search of various items. It appeared that she would need to take a trip to the store.
Moments later, she was almost startled by the sudden appearance of a cat leaping onto the counter next to her.
The instant her hand made contact with him, the furball lazily rolled over to show his belly. Smiling at this, Kaia proceeded to give the cat his highly coveted belly scratches.
She decided to give him the name 'Rice' after she happened upon him for the first time while eating a bowl of rice. Instead of finishing it, she gave it to him to get, to which he polished off quite quickly. She discovered that he was a ragdoll breed who happened to have the most beautiful coat of hair.
He displays all the characteristics of a normal, curious cat. His favorite thing seems to be exploring the lab and sniffing around.
He tended to show up at specific times each day to be fed and pet regularly. Not only that but he occasionally sneaks into the warehouse much to Whistler's chagrin, who merely tolerated the feline's presence within the workshop. Frankly, the woman is clueless as to how he keeps sneaking into the moderately secure industrial facility.
Every now and then, the stray cat would find its way inside the secure industrial facility.
Surprisingly it didn't take long for the feline to become comfortable in her presence. She knew the cat was different when he didn't run away like the other whenever she tried to get close. That indicated some level of human interaction and she suspected that he might've had an owner before.
The strays typically kept the mouse population in check around the factory. A number of stray cats generally roamed the area due to the mouse that lingered around the fields surrounding the old factories.
She'd never seen a cat that just politely invites itself into a place for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. While Kaia doesn't necessarily consider herself a cat person, she'd go so far as to say she merely possessed a general fondness for animals.
Even so, Kaia hadn't expected to bond with the cat so quickly.
As it turned out, their covert operation resided in the heart of the downtown warehouse district where numerous abandoned and degenerate neighborhoods were also present. Although the area was somewhat isolated from the city, the location provided the necessary seclusion and privacy one could ever want.
For that reason, there's virtually no way to hail transportation where the base of operations was set up.
Grabbing her coat from her work chair, Kaia prepared to head out. The second she stepped outside, she felt a chill against her cheeks that made her shove her face closer to her chest.
Kaia began her normal route towards the city which typically took an upwards of forty-something minutes if she kept a brisk pace. She didn't mind, she actually enjoyed the somewhat long walk as it gave her time to think and reflect. Stuffing her hands into her coat pockets, Kaia stepped into the cool outside air and set out on her trip into the city.
The city was considered a large, central metropolitan area and the streets are typically crowded and noisy during the day to the point where it took her some time to learn to tune it out. Not only that but the weather can be pretty unpredictable most of the time. Even now, the sun was hidden behind expansive gray clouds, forming a somewhat dim overcast over the entire city.
It hadn't taken her long to reach a local store she regularly frequented to buy the goods she needed.
She easily found the isle that contained cat food, having done so many times before.
Perusing the shelves, Kaia grabbed a few essential ingredients to make a pot of chili, a meal she hadn't had in quite some time. The woman didn't want take out for dinner this time, she found that she preferred a cooked meal instead.
Even though no one had assigned the role to her, Kaia had taken it upon herself to become the resident cook. Normally, she'll have both men fend for themselves but she quickly had a change of heart when she found out about Whistler's debilitating illness. The man's cancer was something rarely talked about but its effects showed in the man's daily movements.
Like any sick, ailing old man, Whistler had his limits, the cancer wrecking his body made that very evident. It's bad enough that the weaponsmith regularly indulged himself with cigarettes and beer. Both of which, he had no intention of giving up under any circumstance. His reasoning for doing so was simply that he was going to do what he wanted with the intention of going out on his own terms. It's the exact kind of explanation she expected a stubborn old man to give when he was faced with the choice of giving up their harmful vices.
At the very least by cooking occasionally, the woman could help him maintain somewhat of a healthy diet.
And Blade, well, she didn't want to get started on him.
Come to think of it, the woman had never even seen the man consume any of her cooking. In fact, Kaia never witnessed him consume anything. Who's to say he wasn't sneaking food to his room and eating in secret.
He was certainly the type.
In front of her, there's an elderly man at the counter slowly counting out his change to the cashier. Items in hand, Kaia stood patiently behind in line listening to the old man count each coin one by one. There were a few times where he got confused and actually started over.
Coincidentally, it didn't bother her, it wasn't like she was in a rush.
The cashier flashes her a small smile and Kaia provides the woman with a nod of understanding.
After leaving the store, Kaia heads towards a largely familiar residential area where her apartment building was located. Maintaining a measured pace, as she wandered on a specific street, Kaia's mind took her back to a notable moment in time where she recalled walking this same street some time ago.
Three months prior….
For nearly a month, against her better judgment and safety, Kaia foolishly attempted to linger among the streets after dark - just to try and catch a glimpse of the elusive hunter.
Elusive didn't seem like it described him all that well - a word like transient might suit him better. After some while, she was beginning to wonder if she'd just imagined ever encountering him.
She'd already summarized that he likely only ventured out around night and she heavily suspected that she wasn't wrong in the assumption.
So many nights had come and gone and she'd nearly given up the hope of ever seeing him again.
Until one night, she was walking home from work and the sound of a guttural cry rang out as she bypassed a backstreet. Following the direction of sound, the woman dashed towards the pained noise only to catch a miniscule sweep of dark leather disappearing around the corner.
Thoroughly confused, she didn't put it together; she noticed the small pile of ash decorating the pavement some few feet away.
At that moment, it all suddenly came together and she quickly dashed after the male.
Feet rapidly shuffling and adrenaline pumping, Kaia chased relentlessly after him, not wanting to lose him again. She went so long without seeing him and there was no telling if she'd be given such a rare opportunity ever again.
He moved extremely fast and he had already put some distance between them in what seemed like an endeavor to vacate the area altogether.
Kaia probably spent a solid two minutes chasing after the nameless male until she rounded a corner and managed to capture a glimpse of his back as he made his way to a midnight Black Charger parked conveniently on the adjacent street.
Just as she were about to call out to him, the man opened the door to the charger and smoothly slid into the driver seat. The engine started up shortly afterwards, loud and rumbling.
She watched helplessly as the vehicle promptly took off and she felt the crushing sensation of disappointment grip her.
Fortunately, a yellow taxi just happened to be ambling down the street from the opposite direction and she quickly flagged it down.
Without so much as a greeting the woman made her request before the man could inquire about her destination. "Follow that black car." She insisted.
Truthfully, hailing a taxi for the purpose of following as a person was something she would obviously never do outside of this one instance. It was an insane tactic to have to follow someone around in a taxi.
Although silently confused, the man did what was asked of him and made a small U-turn to pursue the other vehicle.
While clearly wanting to question the nature of what he'd been asked to do, the driver wisely kept his mouth shut. He'd be paid regardless, that was all that truly mattered.
As it turned out, tailing someone in a vehicle isn't as cut and dry as the movies and tv shows made it out to be. With how the man was maneuvering his vehicle, remaining discrete became quite difficult. The evasive man clearly had no regard for the speed regulations. Simply attempting to predict his traffic patterns was becoming nearly impossible. Taking into account that the road conditions at this time of night weren't particularly bad, the male was constantly accelerating and hitting various corners like it was nothing. It was borderline reckless how he was driving.
In the midst of this, the taxi driver breathed an uncomfortable sigh. By this point, Kaia could tell that he was becoming anxious about what was happening and how he was expected to keep up in these conditions.
Obviously there was much to learn about him but what she was learning now was that he was a highly skilled driver, one that had no issue steering the sleek, rumbling beast through the streets.
The taxi driver started giving her strange looks through the rear view mirror and the woman could practically sense his mounting unease about the situation. Nonetheless, Kaia can't pretend that she wasn't the slightest bit bothered by it - actively pursuing someone in this sort of manner was bothersome even for her.
Clearly driving etiquette wasn't at the forefront of his mind. The guy drove like a bat out of hell and the cab driver had a hard time keeping up with him.
Standing on the edge of the property, the woman internally weighed her options given the risks associated undoubtedly with making a decision of this magnitude. She was already taking an extreme risk just by being present.
However, the young woman was a firm believer of fate and that it was important for her to carry this out. Granted, she'd already come to the conclusion that she hadn't come all this way for nothing. Although, it was more about her being so close to having the answers she wanted.
By the looks of it, the place was an area isolated from the city, located right on the outskirts.
With that in mind, her unease began to mount, stomach churning uncomfortably.
She couldn't recall ever being on this side of town. It was clear that it was a massive railway transloading facility with many adjoining buildings and tracks. Just by the looks of it, Kaia had no idea of what she may stumble on in such a desolate place. Aside from the multitude of security precautions, there was barely any indication that anyone actually inhibited the property. She might've thought it was completely vacant. Perhaps it acted as a sort of hideout or a place where one could be isolated from the city.
Would her curiosity and determination lead her to engage in near borderline criminal activity?
In some ways, curiosity has placed her in situations and led to her places more questionable than this. It went without saying that her next choice of actions were a result of poor judgment and her inability to simply accept things as they were.
In careful movements, Kaia slowly climbed over the barbed wire fence, trying to keep her balance and not fall onto sharp spikes. As far as she can make out, the facility wasn't currently active. Regardless of whether that was the case, any 'abandoned' land still has the potential to be owned by someone.
Kaia anxiously bit down on her lip and a complicated mix of feelings hit her all at once. While she recognizes the danger associated with what she was doing. The woman understood that what she was currently doing was trespassing. At this point, whether she thought that she was committing a crime or not, her actions weren't safe or lawful from any standpoint.
Worst case scenario, she gets caught and the police are swiftly dispatched to the area before she could do what she came to do.
She nervously chewed on her bottom lip, hesitantly taking a step forward.
She wasn't following any particular path, merely stealthy ambling across the land. She didn't know where exactly she was going to find him, only that he had to be inside one of the buildings. Kaia was convinced that only the male could provide the answers she desperately sought.
Most of the building's exteriors were aged and visually deteriorating to the extent where she seriously doubted the structural integrity of some of these buildings. The old ironworks that could easily be mistaken as a junkyard depending on how one perceives it. There's a distinctive scent of metal, oil, and fuel wafting in the air as she gingerly traversed the lot littered with debris and rusty equipment.
Various parts of the dilapidated landscape were either overgrown or completely devoid of vegetation. However, the sense of neglect did not overtake subtle hints of preservation edged into the land. A pile of bricks lay on the ground some few feet away as well as railway tracks that ran parallel to the assortment of buildings. An unsettling quietness pervades the area. By all accounts, there were no sounds of machinery running or trains running along the tracks which led her to believe it was no longer active.
The woman cautiously wandered deeper into the premises, venturing past several smaller structures in the general vicinity, with no actual clue of what building the man would be in.
Kaia glanced up to see a bank of swiveling surveillance cameras mounted strategically along the building. The shocking realization coupled with the high probability that there was someone watching those cameras at the moment only amplified her unease. The cameras whirled on her person and she knew that someone was fully aware of her presence and they were watching.
The barbed wire fence installed along the edge of the grounds indicated a measure of care concerning security. That means that someone had taken security measures to ensure that people like her didn't get close. With the existence of the security cameras equipped along the land's perimeter, she didn't see the point in trying to be inconspicuous. She would just have to take her chances from henceforward.
Taking that into account, Kaia broke out into a brisk run with no clear idea of where to go. Glancing around frantically, Kaia surveyed the perimeter, not knowing which building to run into for a measure of safety.
Taking cover behind a pile of wood, Kaia breathed heavily, mind racing.
Just then two figures swiftly descended on her, encircling her hiding spot and while armed with weapons. Both of the individuals had surrounded her in dangerous fashion and it quickly dawned on her that the men were fully prepared to shoot her right where she stood. And considering her position the pair were well within their rights to do so.
The men, one an older male with unkempt gray hair and his leg encased in a metal brace, and the other - a hauntingly familiar face hidden behind shades and positioned at his right side was his own scary looking gun.
Without a single word, the old man brought his gun up and her chest immediately tightened at the sight of the rifle aimed directly at her.
Completely scared out of her mind, Kaia never held her hands up in a non-threatening manner so fast. "Please don't shoot!" She shouted, her voice shaking in desperation.
"Why not? You know we don't take kindly to trespassers."
The woman quickly drew it into focus how the very man she came to seek out was now standing solidly behind her but clearly ready to blow a hole through her if she so much as moved wrong.
"I can see that…but are the guns really necessary?"
"Absolutely." He calmly answered.
The old man brings the shotgun to point directly at her face, using it to inspect her by turning her face left and right. Seemingly inspecting her neck in the process. The barrel of the shotgun was cold and blunt against her skin.
"Teeth."
Kaia blinked in confusion. "What?"
"Your teeth…show'em." He ordered.
With the threat of a shotgun being held towards her face, Kaia provided a strained interpretation of a smile.
The man maintained an indecipherable disposition as he closely inspected her teeth.
"She's human." The other male confirmed.
The older man gave a curt nod before lowering the weapon previously aimed at her person - to which she breathed an internal sigh of relief. "Let me ask you something…what are you doing here?" He asked, arching a critical eyebrow.
"I came to find him." Kaia said, gesturing towards the leather clad man standing behind her.
The old man regarded her with a furrowed brow, looking over at the other man for clarification. "Why?"
"About two months ago, she almost became a vampire meal." The hunter voiced lowly.
Kaia internally cringed. While she wouldn't necessarily word it in that manner, she had to acknowledge that the crude explanation wasn't far from the truth. "I didn't come here with ill intentions…I just wanted answers."
"What sort of answers?"
She didn't even know how to pose the question she wanted to ask. But at the mercy of being blown away, it was imperative that she come out with it.
"The night he saved me. I saw something I never thought I would see. The existence of some otherworldly being. I didn't get the chance to ask him, so I waited for weeks, hoping to see him again…tonight, I finally did. So I followed him here without him knowing."
"Not quite."
Kaia promptly rounded on him, her expression questioning. "You knew I was following you?"
"You weren't exactly subtle about it." He droned unfazely. "If I wanted to lose you, I could've."
Hearing his words, that would mean that he deliberately drove like madman just for the hell of it.
The older man was quick to draw her attention back into focus. "Who sent you?"
"No one sent me…I came on my own."
"And what was the purpose of that?"
"I wanted to know who he was - what he was. But also…to find out if what I saw was real."
"Got a name?"
"My name is Kaia Emerson. I'm just an engineer."
"An engineer you say? We'll see about that." He replied in a dry, airy whisper.
"I have questions too. What are you people?"
"Well, I'm Abraham Whistler. Apparently, you've already met Blade. "We hunt them."
"Hunt who?"
"Vampires. We're hunters…vampire hunters to be exact." He affirmed.
She peered at the man thoughtfully, mulling over the new information.
"So they really exist?"
As the stark revelation sunk in…Kaia was momentarily speechless.
Regardless, she felt some vindication at last.
"But how…why isn't it widely known by the general public? Don't you think everyone has a right to know?"
"That's simple. It's because they don't want their existence known. Vampires hold a lot of power and influence. It greatly benefits them for most of society to remain ignorant that they're walking around. As it turns out, vampires are quite the fascinating lot. "Some of them are born as vampires - purebloods, you see. They're considered the top of the vampire hierarchy. Nowadays they tend to blend into society pretty easily, almost to the point of complete obscurity." He states with a cool headed certainty.
Even with all that in mind, part of her still has no idea of how to grasp this sort of information.
"How do you know all this?" The woman questioned.
"I've hunted them for decades, I know all about them. There's some humans that work for them - a vast network of collaborators willfully under their control."
"If you know all this then why haven't you revealed it?"
He titled his head, staring intently at her. "Did you really believe it even when you saw proof with your own two eyes?"
He had a point. She couldn't explain how even after seeing a man dissolve into ash that she remained unconvinced. After all, truth was stranger than fiction.
Even now, it seemed that internally she still had a hard time grasping the truth. How could she expect the vast majority of the human population to grasp such a consequential discovery - it would literally change the fabric of human history. Whether people actually witnessed the proof with their own eyes, there would undoubtedly be widespread disbelief that a whole other society was simultaneously existing right under their noses.
"Sometimes it's better that people don't know…yourself included." His voice relatively soft.
She shook her head in stark bewilderment. "I don't understand."
"It won't be long before one of them makes it their mission to after you once they find out you're aware of them."
The woman scrunched her lips together with the unpleasant thought. "Why would they come after me because I know?"
"You don't get it…you know their dirty little secret, eventually one of them is going to kill you. Your best bet is to pack up quickly and leave the city." The other man coldly interceded.
Kaia immediately balked hearing that. "Where would I go? I've built a whole life here."
"That's over. Start somewhere else." He bluntly shot back.
The man was so matter of fact about what he was saying that it was almost disturbing.
"Are there any other options?" She voiced, clearly taken aback about his words.
"No."
"Well…what! What if I joined you? What if I decided to become a hunter like you?"
She thought she heard a low snort from behind her.
The proposition was probably the most ridiculous they'd ever heard. The notion alone made Kaia want to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of it.
For a few minutes thick silence reigned.
"That's not the life you want to live." Whistler rejoined.
"According to you, I don't have a life anymore."
The crease between the man's silver eyebrows loosened as opposed to his partner's, whose brows were drawn downwards in what she perceived to be disapproval. She could tell that the men were silently communicating with one another. She understood their weariness. A newcomer suddenly choosing to become a part of their operation was something they regarded extremely cautiously.
Truth be told, she really should be asking herself if this was truly what she wanted - to be a part of something much bigger than herself.
Did she actually have the resolve to give up her entire life for something of this magnitude?
Present day…
Remarkably, Kaia hadn't come to a decision straight away, it had actually taken some time to figure out if she wanted to aid the pair in their crusade against the vampire menace. But as she came to find out, living with the knowledge that vampires existed meant that there was no going backwards.
As it turned out Whistler was very knowledgeable about vampires. He explained that he and Blade had been hunting vampires for decades in various locations and cities.
Firstly, the male informed her that vampirism was viewed as a biological virus or affliction as a result of the lack of and need to consume hemoglobin.
Compared to their human counterparts, the virus functioned like cancer only with a purpose.
Whistler took great care explaining the inner workings of vampire nature and politics. About how they viewed mortals as tools as well as a source of substance. Furthermore, how the vampire were established into two specific species - purebloods and non-purebloods. Interestingly enough, both species are designated into a class system based on status.
It was the first time she'd been at her apartment in a little over two weeks.
Whistler had mentioned that the pair would eventually migrate to another city whenever they'd wiped out all the vampire dens within the city. Although the woman didn't react at that moment, hearing it did give her pause.
What did that ultimately mean for her?
Granted if she intended to go with the man then she'd have to fully give up this apartment and the life she'd established in Chicago. The apartment was the literal last remnant of her life tying her to normal civilian life, the life where vampires didn't exist.
As grabbed a duffle bag and filled it with clothing and essentials, she glanced up at the photo on her nightstand.
She picked up the photo and stared longingly at it, her grandfather smiled brightly at the camera while holding a four year old her in his arms. It was one of the earliest memories she had of him and Kaia wondered what her grandfather might say if he knew what kind of life she was leading now.
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It was nearly a quarter past five when Kaia arrived back at the base with multiple bags in hand. Rice, as usual, had been waiting and greeted her the moment she stepped inside. She paused briefly to pour cat food into a small bowl for him to eat which he dug into immediately. As she began storing the rest of items away in their designated place, she noticed that Whistler had settled in the computer bay room, obviously in the process of continuing his research.
He'd probably been up for a while already, seeing as he was already blasting Bob Dylan on the radio that was sitting nearby.
It was quiet for a few moments until Whistler broke out into a series of agonized coughs.
Once the coughing fit had passed, Whistler moved to his welding machine, a favorite among his many tools.
As of late, she'd grown more concerned about his health and she felt that she wasn't alone in that concern. She's seen the way his stone-faced protégé gaze would linger heavily on his mentor whenever he experienced a painful coughing fit.
Just before he turned the machine on, he reached for his breast pocket where he often kept his pack of cigarettes only to find that it wasn't there. Brows immediately drawing down in irritation, Whistler's gaze flitted over to her oddly composed features.
"Those aren't good for your cancer." She stated mildly.
The firm admission earned a swift chorus of anger from Whistler as expected. "Neither is hunting goddamn vampires with a crippled leg but I'm still doing that."
Kaia wasn't hearing any of it and merely gave him a look.
"I need a goddamn beer." Whistler grumbled, leaning back in his chair.
Unbeknownst to Whistler, she knew where he kept a bottle of malt whiskey as well as several other hiding places where he kept it.
"I wouldn't bother looking for those either." She mentioned offhandedly.
Hearing that the older man proceeded to blow another gasket. She doesn't know why old men are so dramatic.
Having spent copious hours working alongside the man, through her silent observations she was able to determine just how sick the man was even though he tried to pretend that he wasn't. All he did was amble around in his leg brace and fuss about everything. If it wasn't for the brace he'd surely be in a wheelchair and she thought that perhaps his own pride kept from having to rely on one.
Kaia was familiar with those kinds of behaviors - her grandfather used to act the same way when he got sick. He hadn't wanted to appear weakened and dependent even when it was clear that he was in poor health.
Across the massive space, Kaia peered apprehensively over at the silent, reticent male standing over on the far side of the room near the charger. She stared at the towering, solidly built frame of Blade who was clad in black long sleeved shirt that would soon be concealed under his tactical attire as he casually prepped his bandolier of weapons for the next hunt that would surely take place by nightfall. Given the time, it would be mere hours before he set about securing his armor and gear into place.
Nothing amiable ever came from their interactions with one another. Even something as simple as trying to hold a conversation always went left. Even though she was pretty sure she knew what the outcome of approaching him would be, she still decided to give it a shot. Surely, he could endeavor not to be a prick to her for a few moments.
She retrieved the newly altered gun Whistler had diligently stored in the armory.
In the ensuing silence, the male kept his back turned to her dismissively despite obviously knowing that she was standing right behind him.
She cleared her throat loudly to get his attention.
He paused for a beat, turning his body halfway to give her a sidelong look.
For a brief moment, Kaia inadvertently managed to catch a rare glimpse of his eyes unhidden by the dark-rimmed sunglasses he often wore.
The process of repair and construction had been anything but easy but she definitely improved the weapon as best she could.
She couldn't tell what he was thinking. As well read as Kaia tended to be regarding many certain things, when it came to him - she felt like she lacked any real understanding. Whether she was standing near him or not, the distance between felt much larger, as if they were leagues apart.
He had no problem keeping his distance, that much was clear, so ignoring her presence came naturally.
While he seemed preoccupied, something told her that he was aware of her presence given that he reached for his sunglasses, intending to slide them into place on his face. As far as she could recall, he did that often when she came around, hiding his eyes behind those dark shades.
Strangely, the woman had come to learn that the most striking physical aspect about him was in fact, his eyes. Those brightly colored orbs which reflected rich amber hues were undoubtedly the most expressive aspect about him. He might not show his emotions on his face but his eyes certainly held them.
"You know…I didn't actually throw them out. I just hid them. I want to limit him to one cigarette and one beer a day." She explained, knowing full well that he heard the exchange between her and Whistler as he often did.
"He'll just go out and buy more." He stated.
"I know. I'll just hide those too." She shrugged.
With that the nocturnal hunter didn't bother casting the female engineer another glance, a sign he hadn't planned on extending the conversation for any length of time.
Instead of acknowledging her, the male continues carefully reloading his Mach pistol, something that was a daily ritual for him.
He only scanned the weapon with mild interest before reaching out and taking it from her hands.
Staunchly reminding herself of the fact that the male was prepping to go out hunting and would be for the remainder of the night.
There was nothing about him that suggested he possessed a warm disposition especially considering the nature of work he engaged in. Technically speaking, the silent male was in the most dangerous and unpredictable line of work there was.
Blade raised an eyebrow, presumably impressed but not enough to actually show it. Truthfully, she knew better than to expect him to show any sort of enthusiasm or excitement but still any reaction would suffice over none.
A cool ten seconds passed before he sat the weapons aside and turned to continue with his own ministrations.
Kaia frowned.
Honestly, she wasn't shocked by this - a man that seldom pays her any attention wouldn't be willing to show her any appreciation.
He's always been somewhat standoffish with her and she'd grown somewhat accustomed to his coldness. In fact, he regularly gave her the cold shoulder at every opportunity but she worked hard to perfect those modifications and she deserved to be acknowledged properly.
Despite not considering herself a confrontational person, Kaia wasn't about to let this slide without expressing how she felt. She refused to continue to let this eat at her.
"Is that it?"
"Is what it?" He replied dismissively.
"No thank you or anything?"
"Do you want me to give you a cookie instead?" He dispassionately noted, the lack of purposeful eye contact was even more infuriating for her.
Obviously incensed and thrown off by the bold retort, Kaia immediately flayed him with a scalding stare.
Granted, the young woman shouldn't be so put off by another person's attitude but Blade just seemed to rub the wrong way. The woman can add it to the ever growing list of aggravating traits concerning him.
Honestly, where the hell did he get his nerve from?
"What are you just an asshole for the fun of it?"
Even though well-intentioned, the male was still capable of being a huge dick when he wanted to be and that was turning out to be all the time. It never ceased to amaze her how quickly the male managed to gain her ire by simply speaking.
Hearing that, he raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "Sounds like you actually know me."
The comment doubled her frustration.
In moments like these she truly loathed him.
"I'm starting to wish I didn't." She rejoined peevishly.
"That makes two of us." Blade flatly responded with an air of nonchalance.
While she had long since come to terms with the fact that she can't force anyone to get along with her, the manner in which he acted towards her was just unacceptable.
The absolution attached to his words only served to make her angrier. Some days the feeling was manageable but other days it felt downright intolerable. Now it wasn't any different. If the woman wasn't so sure he'd block and dish out a few blows in return, she'd throw a punch in his direction.
Indignation quickly sprang forth.
"What the hell is your problem? All you do is treat me like I'm some kind of nuisance." She uttered defensively.
"Well I thought that was obvious." He responded in a bored timbre. "Wasn't aware that this was the friendship coalition. We aren't the care bears."
Kaia stiffened at the similarly harsh remark before making an effort to collect herself.
"I'd rather you be a care bear than an asshole." Kaia said, rolling her eyes and storming off, snatching the bag hanging from her work chair on the way up the stairs.
Decidedly pushing down the childish urge to continue bickering back and forth with the male, Kaia had simply chosen to walk away. She didn't see the point of doing so, he was like an immovable wall and maybe it was better if she started treating him as such.
Obviously, the relationship between him and his mentor was well-established beyond her comprehension.
It's not like she expected him to treat her with the same regard as his mentor but he could at least maintain a respectful conversation with her.
Dealing with him, she was convinced that not even years of emotional conditioning could make her as hardened as him.
xxxxXXXXxxxx
With the woman's swift departure, most of the tension started to drain from the hunter's body.
He accurately sensed the rise in her body temperature that had mainly been fueled by anger. Aside from her facial expression, Blade knew her mannerisms well enough to know when he'd garnered her anger. She'd stood squarely in front of him, her almond shaped eyes narrowed and brows drawn down in vexation. The woman looked at him like that quite often.
Nonetheless, he felt that her anger wasn't warranted in this instance. Just because he didn't verbally express it didn't mean he wasn't grateful for the work she put in to improve his weapons. The woman obviously took offense to his disposition, no matter how composed.
For a while, the hunter made a point to avoid her if possible, mostly unconcerned with her as a whole.
Although to his credit, the hunter didn't outright dislike her per say but he'd rather not give a name to the feelings he had regarding her. There was no room in him for desire, connection, or any other worldly pleasures. All of those things were lost to him the moment he became what he was.
At any rate, the male couldn't deny her prowess. She was extraordinarily skilled to be capable of modifying anti-vampire weaponry. In addition to this, it took long tedious hours to melt down metal to make silver bullets and modify the capabilities of high powered weapons.
Initially, Blade had regarded her warily but now he only exercised minor caution when dealing with her. When it came to his mentor, he found that caution to be somewhat lacking and he viewed that as a problem. In spite of his own prolonged wariness concerning the young woman and her motivations, Whistler seemed to have warmed up to her quite quickly.
The hunter needed to re-center his mind before he headed out to hunt for the night. The female repairman had a way of decentering his thinking just by being present. He didn't like that - he didn't like feeling disarmed.
"You could stand to try and get along with her better." Whistler said, wiping his hands on a rag.
Blade's stoic features gave away nothing, his unusually bright eyes hidden behind black shades.
Seeming to take the other man's measure, the disabled senior released a disgruntled sigh, having no doubt caught the tail end of the conversation and immediately picked up on the sudden shift in the room.
"So far she's been a valuable asset to our cause. She's managed to fix and upgrade a lot of the weapons and equipment in half the time. What has you so tight?"
There's a slight chance the man's sentiments held some validity.
Blade's steady, unrevealing gaze passed over to his mentor who was clearly upset over his lack of nicotine.
The wrinkles around his aged features deepened. "Yeah? Why's that?"
More often than not, it seemed like whenever the pair interacted with one another they were bound to bump heads. They'd always even up trading subtle venomous barbs at one another. The problem was his behavior towards her which toed the line between disrespect and outright lack of regard. In fact, he seemed not to pay her any mind.
"Hell, I don't understand why the two of you got such a goddamn hang up over each other."
"It was a mistake to let her join us." Blade spoke with an unapologetic directness that was typical for him.
"Oh yeah?"
Blade shook his head. "We can't trust her…not yet."
"Why the hell not?"
However, even after three months she'd proven herself to be a very capable woman. With her at their side, their work could go a long way.
"I don't want to hear it, old man." He spoke in a measured tone.
They couldn't see eye to eye on anything and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't sick of their bullshit.
Blade looked up at his mentor, an unspoken sentiment passing between the two men.
Whistler's cobalt-blue eyes flashed in response and a motionless, weighted silence fell between the pair.
Staring into Blade's steely, deep set, gold-flecked eyes. Despite him keeping his face blank and completely devoid of emotion, there's a miniscule tautness present in his jaw.
"You shouldn't have gotten her involved."
"I know…but I have a good feeling about her."
Blade scoffed.
While the woman appeared driven and adept, the overt curiosity and eagerness she often displayed could turn out to be detrimental later down the line. He's seen it before - it's the same kind of enthusiasm that entices humans to become 'familiars'.
"You know it's not like she's fighting on the front lines." Whistler mentioned.
To Whistler, it didn't come as a shock that Blade hadn't even made the slightest effort to try and warm up to the female ally. Maybe if he weren't so unapproachable, they might get along better.
They tended to butt heads over Blade's cold demeanor and Kaia's occasionally fiery temperament. The two of them could hardly stand to be in the same room for too long. There's always some tension between the pair although he couldn't necessarily blame it on a simple clash of personalities.
The man just couldn't understand or look at it from his perspective. The vampire hunting community always needed more hunters considering that the vampire population grew in numbers by the day. There were only a few hundred hunters against the unfair ratio of vampires, whose numbers were well into the thousand.
From the start, Blade was against the idea of allowing the young engineer to join their operation.
Even during his teenage years, his protégé displayed issues with socializing with others to the point of outright refusing to establish bonds outside of his rapidly aging mentor. By now, Whistler had come to learn that encouraging the latter would only lead nowhere and was a waste of time. It's like he subconsciously puts up a shield to prevent anyone from getting close.
Whistler believed it was solely out of shame and desire for repentance for who he was, or more accurately - what he was. His stubborn pupil can't let go of the notion that working alongside someone else could eventually prove hazardous down the line.
Not only that but he was only getting older. Blade needed something - needed someone to keep him anchored to his humanity. In order to do that, he needed to build better and stranger bonds with others and further his own connections.
To engage in the kind of work they did, required will and determination. With him getting older and a lot of things are becoming harder for him to tackle in a decent time frame.
Much like Blade, he could ascertain that she spent a great deal of time being naturally introspective and caught in her thoughts and in a lot of instances it can be very alienating. In addition to this, Whistler can't help but feel that Blade's mistrust of Kaia likely stemmed from something else entirely. Blade didn't particularly like or trust anybody.
Blade tended to display a cold rationally that almost made him seem entirely inhuman. The unrelenting coldness in the male's words and demeanor. It was exactly why she couldn't stand to be in the same room with him for longer than a few minutes at a time - almost like it would kill him just to be civil for a few minutes.
Moreover, Blade wanted to know why she was so willing to give up everything to aid them.
The sudden interest in vampires and their history was cause for concern on his part. Who knew how long she'd be 'on their side' and what would be the tipping point for her to finally cross over.
She'd stepped onto the scene as a citizen who knew next to knowing about vampires and their cause and despite her insistence on wanting to aid him and Whistler, she had no true concept of what she was getting herself into and the danger it posed.
Although it was mostly Whistler who accepted her, Blade was not so easily convinced. Similarly, the hunter didn't possess the inclination or capacity to establish any newly formed connection with others. Their relationship was something understated, sacred in nature - a trusted partnership that had spanned decades. It came natural to him to place trust in the man who taught him everything.
The old man wasn't privy to the fact that she still hadn't gotten rid of the old remnants of her old life. She still rented her apartment in the city and did work on the side for monetary reasons.
Where did he think she went during the day when she wasn't in the lab?
"A good feeling? That's your reasoning?"
For Whistler, it wasn't so much a question but more of a statement. Hell, if Blade had time to be a smart-ass then he could cut her some slack and actually acknowledge her efforts.
"Believe it or not, it's the same reasoning that led me to you and regardless if you trust her or don't, she's useful to us."
Blade lingered on the man's words for a moment, trying to understand the sentiment in his words but ultimately came up short. "She could wind up being a liability." He articulated in that austere baritone.
"Oh yeah? A liability for who?"
Blade's features hardened at the pointed question but said nothing. He'd caught onto the subtle implication hidden within the words of his mentor and he didn't like it.
Despite what she outwardly portrayed, he knew that Kaia was well aware of the distrust the male held towards her even with them being forced to work so closely with one another. Considering that she was practically hardwired and driven to research, build, and expand her knowledge. It's only because of her knowledge and being mechanically inclined, did she prove useful to them.
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