forum The League (small-ish group) (open, no need for a writing sample)

Started November 05, 2021 by Deleted user

tune

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Mina blinked, then rolled her eyes. Already? Dorian… “Calm yourself, Sanger. He does this sometimes.”
She looked around, then started walking to look for a more secluded spot. “Come with me,” she said, motioning to him.

Sanger thought for a second. Mina didn't seem like the killing type, except for when she did, which was most of the time, but also she could kill him very easily especially if she were truly a vampire. "Uh…" he followed, however.

Mina treaded lightly and cautiously. This vessel was unfamiliar to her, and she didn’t think Captain Nemo would tolerate recklessness. As she led Sanger along, her eyes flickered everywhere, taking in their surroundings and while also being careful of any crew moving past.
When she found a private enough spot, Mina stared fervently at Sanger. “Now, please do not scream, run, or anything else to that might cause a commotion.”
She closed her eyes, and in the blink of an eye, her form shifted into that of a wolf. She would come up to just above Sanger’s waist, with a black coat and, surprisingly, red eyes.

Sanger nevertheless let out a small whimper, backing away from Mina. So, she really was a vampire. "Uh, good puppy?" he said, fidgeting where he stood.

Mina huffed, swishing her tail in annoyance. Then she shook her body, trying to get used to it as if she had tried on a new dress. Licking her chops, she glanced around and sniffed the air. Dorian’s scent would be easy to recognize. Not only had she known him for a long time, she had noticed his scent was different from other humans, which may be due to the fact that he was immortal.
At first, her nose was attacked by an onslaught of various smells: humans, food, alcohol, iron, steel, and the like. And of course, the sweaty, but faintly woody scent that came from Sanger. She jerked back, squeezing her eyes shut and letting out a sneeze. Soon she recovered, and after a few seconds, was able to point out Dorian’s scent. It was minty, but also sour like a lemon. It was also faint, some ways away from where she and Sanger were located. Not wanted to head straight into human traffic, she found a more inconspicuous path to follow. She twitched her ears to signal to Sanger, then followed the scent.

Sanger followed. They tracked through the underbelly of the ship, to the upper decks, to here and there until eventually they reached a room out of the way of traffic, where Dorian was chuckling to himself just beyond the door. Sanger opened the door, and noticed Dorian had one less piece of luggage on him, the other open and currently being set up as a chemistry set. Mina in her current state would be able to detect the burning scent coming from the beakers, and Sanger and Mina both would recognize the state Dorian was in, slumped in the corner. Opium, and strong stuff at that. "Oh, Mina, glad you showed up. Would you like some?" he gestured to the pipe he'd used to smoke the refined substance, hanging loosely in his hand.

Mina had to jerk backwards again. The smells were so strong when she was like this. She shook her head rapidly, then transformed into a human. Or at least, her humanoid form.
She studied the sight before her. There was the strong desire to just walk up to him and confiscate the pipe, but Dorian was more subdued this way. And if there was anything that Dorian was good for, it was being subdued.
The smell was still strong, so Mina started waving her hand in front of her nose. “No thank you, Dorian. Have it all to yourself.”
Not only was it extremely difficult for her to consume anything other than blood, she had also learned that addictive substances affected the content of one’s blood. The blood of people who drank or smoked was disgusting to her, so she had quickly learned to avoid such people, and the substances they consumed.
“There’s something burning in here,” she said. “What exactly were you doing?”

"Opium." he said, if that weren't already obvious. "Strong muscle relaxant, relaxes the mind pretty well too. I asked a crewmate-" Sanger didn't like how Dorian said asked but didn't say anything… "-and the young man told me to come to these apartments. I did have a look-around, but I didn't find anything, either." he closed his eyes, he was feeling a little short of breath now but what of it? If this killed him, he'd feel better by tomorrow.

Mina just nodded. An obvious question with an obvious answer, but she wanted to be sure there was nothing else dangerous in the room. At least, anything that she would not have already detected.
“What were you looking for?” She then asked.

Dorian shrugged, not answering. He wasn't a fan of lying to Mina like this, and the obvious loophole was to say nothing. But, if you looked carefully, you'd see that Dorian's second suitcase was indeed missing, and if anyone cared to find it, they'd find it and some clothes used to mask the other things he'd brought onboard dumped into the sea.

Mina gave him a sharp-toothed grin, glanced at Sanger, then turned back to Dorian, starting to laugh. “Oh, darling, you really haven’t changed a bit. How can you be looking for something when you don’t know what it is? Come now, you can tell me.”
Quietly, she scanned the room again. A few possibilities circled in her head, but perhaps she could just ask. But first, she waited.

Dorian felt like a bit of honesty wouldn’t go amiss, so he decided to tell Mina a half-truth. “I’m looking for something quite dear to my heart, which a man named JM stole from me. M. promised he could help me get it back, naturally I refused as I didn’t and still don’t think he’d be able to help me. You know what it is.” his portrait. His soul, in a manner of speaking.

Oh, alright then. “Ha! And here I was thinking it was that suitcase!” She stepped closer, despite the smell, grinning devilishly. Her fangs glinted. “But yes, that blank spot on the wall was painfully obvious.” As she moved, she placed one hand on her hip and the other on the wall over where Dorian was slumped. “Do you want it back, Dorian?” She asked, as if he was some small child. Which, if we’re being honest, he is. “Do you want that precious… precious portrait?”

Dorian thought for a moment. He didn't know what JM, or M., or Moriarty wanted with his portrait, but he did know that the man was dangerous and he didn't want to risk something bad happening to him or it. He was also very high. "Mina, darling, you're making me blush. But yes… I do want it back…" he grinned lopsidedly, and grabbed Mina's hand resting on the wall, pressing it to his chest. It had been so long since she'd touched him, despite every mark of contact being platonic in nature. He liked how cold her hands were, though.