Land of The Dead

Augustus sighed and followed beside her, "my family has no combat experience, they would be killed," he said softly. He looked at her, "as would the villagers, but I could use them as bait, if the council trusted me, but they don't, instead villagers walk around aimlessly at night, and pulled them in unpredictable ways," he commented.

He looked at her, "if the council does come up to see me at the manor, I may be able to convince them to give my plan a try," he said softly. "It that works, my family will come back without asking for assistance, which is preferable, a decade working for them was enough," he commented.

@ Joker;

Ada shook her head hearing his words, "They're not going to agree to it, Augustus." She whispered. "I wouldn't either, and that's because I'm scared. I almost died from one." She murmured frowning at her hands. "I hate how scared I was." She shook her head before looking back at him. "Come on." She started walking again with a sigh shaking her head again. "I don't know what they'll decide, but I have a feeling I know. If they have to risk themselves, it's a no, and that's sad, but it's the truth." She murmured. "Granted, them not doing anything is just a bad. They need to set a curfew or something in the least." She mumbled to herself.

@ A Drop On the Window

Augustus nodded softly, "I know, its a lot to ask of them, and you're right, a curfew would be helpful if they don't agree to playing bait," he said softly. He looked around the village as they walked, "that's the spot there, by the way," he said pointing to the square, it had building villages could stay in and assist with crossbows too. He looked at her, "and we have done this sort of thing before, your great great great grandmother I believe, played the bait," he commented.

@ Joker;

Ada pulled her cloak tighter feeling a cold wind coming and frowned feeling a forboding feeling. "I don't think i'd be able to do it without having a mental breakdown." She admitted to him looking around the village and sighed as she heard his words. "One step at a time." She reminded him. "Curfew first. It's going to be slow to get them to trust you." She told him but accidentally bumped into someone. She tried to apologize but the lady spit on her shoes and called her a suck toy. She flinched away, her back hitting Augustus' chest.

@ A Drop On the Window

Augustus sighed softly, and nodded, "yeah small steps, it seems the village still thinks I feed on humans," he said softly. He frowned clearly saddened by that. He led her back to her place, "have a pleasant evening Ada, I think I might just spend the night alone, talking about what happened has made me feel ill," he admitted.

@ Joker;

Ada frowned at the lady, she was upset but would deal with it. More and more people had started to act like that after word went around that she was living with Augustus. She looked up at him and nodded her head, "I'll head back to the guest house soon." She told him. "I hope you feel better." She told him before heading in to see her mother. She set the flowers down before putting them in a vase hoping her father and the council weren't harsh on Augustus.

@ A Drop On the Window

Augustus nodded, "be back by nightfall please, if not stay here," he said softly. He smiled gently, "tell your father, I meant no offence today, I always get a little mad, after I've had to be violent," he said softly.

@ Joker;

"I will." Ada told him before hearing his words. "I'll tell him, but I'm not sure if he'll care." She told him honestly. "Get some rest." She told him as she headed inside. She was doing things here and there at home while talking with her mom. Her dad walked in and she told him what Augustus said but he just snorted and walked off.

After awhile, it started to get to night and Ada grabbed her things making it back to the guest house right before nightfall. She sighed letting the maid take her things as she sat down feeling tired from the day's events.

@ A Drop On the Window

Augustus nodded, and left her to her business. Once he made it home, he headed to the bathroom before throwing up. He collapsed down, dry reaching. He groaned, as memories of his service continued to plague his mind. He moved through the house, once he'd pulled his body under control, and moved room to room. He ended his wander in a storage room, trailing his fingers over things.

He hoped that the council would give him a chance to talk soon, before it was too late. He made his way to the library flicking through a book.

@ Joker;

Ada was sitting in the main foyer as she started to embroider something not having much else to do. She heard a knock on the front door and looked up seeing the maid bring her father and the council members in. She blinked tilting her head confused. "Yes?" She asked.

Andrew looked at his daughter seeing her confusion before asking, "Where is Augustus, darling?"

Ada chuckled shaking her head hearing his question, "He's at the main manor. He doesn't sleep here." She told him.

The council members glanced at each other before Andrew said, "Ah, all right." He kissed her on the cheek before him and the other council members left and started for the manor. Once there, Andrew knocked on the door and waited. He was unsure of how this night would turn out.

@ A Drop On the Window

Augustus was surprised to hear a knock at his door, he was expecting the council the next day. He made his way downstairs, and greeted them, "Sorry to call you here, but I wanted to give you all some perspective on the problem the village faces," he said calmly. He led them into the house, "I know not many of you trust me, or my family," he said, "but for as long as we have called this place home, we have tried to protect the village from any threats," he said.

@ Joker;

Andrew looked around the manor, only having been inside of it a couple of times. He sighed as he walked with Augustus, following him. "What is it you wanted us to see?" He asked him, crossing his arms over his chest as he walked. He felt an eerie sort of feeling coming from the manor. One of the eldest members on the council cleared his throat before saying, "Why is that girl not staying here with you?" Andrew cast a sideways glance at the man wanting to know what he was getting at.

@ A Drop On the Window

Augustus smiled gently at the member, "Speaking honestly, its because I wanted something to remind me of my humanity close, my last trip away from the village, changed me," he said softly. He led them to a room, with a body laid out on the table. He sighed softly, "this is a youngling," he said. He moved toward the table, "a vampire created by someone who knows nothing about how to do it right," he added. He lifted its arm, "the process for the victim, is painful like nothing else, the venom burns through the system, tearing the muscles and reforming them, the organs shift and change," he began. He looked at the council, "the are made for one purpose, to kill," he said. "It's stronger than me, faster than me, and more feral than me," he said.

He pulled his cloak off, "I am pushing my fourth century, and have been hunting these things for much of that time," he said. He pulled the bandage on his arm off, to reveal a huge chunk bitten out of his arm, the venom from the youngling spreading through the skin visibly. "The reason we hunt them, the reason the Italian's despise them so much, is that if untreated the younglings venom, can change a vampire like me, into something with my training, and years of experience, but with its hunger," he said. He pulled his cloak back on. "I called you here, so you would have insight into the problem, so I could ask you for help, as the council has asked of me many times in the past centuries," he said.

He walked to the group, "I don't want to experience the hunger, a youngling has, for you and the village, I wouldn't stop and I've been invited into every home in town at one point or other," he said calmly. He looked at the lead councilman, then to Andrew, "we have a problem, and I have a plan," he said softly.

@ Joker;

@ A Drop On the Window
"I didn't ask why she was here, I asked why she wasn't living in the same manor as you." The councilman replied rolling his eyes a little, blatantly disrespecting him. He backed up almost immediately seeing the body on the table looking at Augustus suspiciously. Andrew frowned looking at the body and listening to Augustus speak. He nodded his head when he told them all about how they were made and how they were stronger, faster and more feral than he was.

Andrew watched as he pulled his cloak off looking at the chunk missing. "Can you heal from that?" He asked him raising an eyebrow as he looked at the flesh missing frowning again as he watched him put his cloak back on. Hearing him say he had a plan, he glanced at the lead councilman as he suspsiciously asked, "Well, spit it out."

Andrew shook his head at them feeling more than a little lost for words at how they were handling the whole situation. He looked back at Augustus simply giving him a nod and waiting for him to speak. "The problem is obvious, the solution is what makes this complicated." He murmured softly.

Ada sighed her hands stilling as she wondered how the meeting was going. She went to the window and sat down in the sill looking out into the night wondering if it would ever be safe to walk down the street alone again. She leaned her head against the class cooling her forehead as she closed her eyes and began to think.

Augustus kept his cool as best he could. "None of you will remember this, but the records might note that a similar issue has come up before," he said. He looked at Andrew, leaving his question alone for now, knowing the answer would piss off the council. He moved to the door, "if you follow me again, I'll explain," he said.

As he walked he continued, "the problem with the other night, one of the reasons I got surprised by one, is the villagers," he said. "They we walking around on the streets, pulling the younglings in any which direction," he said. "And my focus was on keeping the villagers safe, not the hunt itself," he said.

He lead them to the store room, and waited outside for a moment, "the least I ask of you, is to stop that from happening again, keep people off the streets," he said. "But my plan, is likely to need you to discuss things privately," he added. He opened the door and walked in, pulling the sheet off of a huge cage. "This is what we used last time," he said. He looked at the group, "a villager volunteered, to be in the cage, and we worked together to kill them all in one night," he said. He looked at the group, "fire is your best weapon, but a youngling would struggle to breach this cage," he said. He placed his hand on it, and let the cage burn against his skin, "I can't move it though," he added as the smell of burnt flesh entered the air.

@ Joker;

@ A Drop On the Window
Andrew watched Augustus listening to him and sighed. He followed Augustus throughout the manor before coming to a room where there was a cage. He glanced at the otehr councilmen as he spoke about a curfew before posing the question, "How do we enforce said curfew and make sure they are following it?" He raised an eyebrow figuring it was a good enough question. He ignored the others at the moment not wanting to hear anything from them.

Glancing at each other as Augustus started discussing his plan, Andrew grew pale in the face before hearing the elder gruffly say, "No one will volunteer for this! Absoultely not." Andrew sighed once more. He looked at Augustus wearily wondering what else he had in mind. He knew he was better off discussing with the council instead of speaking his mind at the moment.

Augustus looked at the council, "how about you start by being honest with them about it being dangerous at night," he said softly. He moved away from the cage, "That is understandable, but I thought it was important to give you all as much information as I could, and lay out some options," he commented. He looked around the group, to the one who asked about why Ada was in the other house, pausing for a moment as he began leading them back to the front door.

"The reason she is in the other house, is because I haven't fed on a human since I before I got back, but a decade of being forced to, to survive, gave me a taste for it again, I don't want that temptation and scent around me all day long," he said plainly. "Now if you would, please leave," he said to the council. He looked at Andrew briefly, "if you wish to, you are welcome to come back and discuss things," he said to him

@ Joker;

Andrew listened to Augustus giving him a nod. He knew that he himself hated vampires, but he wasn't rude to them and knew that it got him nowhere being discourteous to them. He nodded his hed hearing him before running a hand through what little hair he had left. Age was beginning to seep into his face, wrinkles surrounding his eyes and mouth.

The eldest council member just grunted hearing Augustus' reason before hearing him tell them all rudely to leave. He huffed before turning around and beginning to go towards the door. Andrew glanced at Augustus hearing him, "I probably will. It does them no good to sit here and argue. I can possibly get them to understand if I understand more." He pointed out before beginning to leave.

Ada sat down in her bed looking up at the night sky from the window wondering how the meeting went and if her predictions had come true. She sighed before laying back in bed, watching the moon her eyes beginning to close.

@ A Drop On the Window

Augustus nodded softly, "good evening gentlemen," he said softly to them. He looked at Andrew, with a soft concerned gaze, before he left the council to themselves. He was hoping that perhaps they would have some idea about the seriousness of the situation.

@ Joker;

Andrew just gave a nod to Augustus as he left muttering a polite goodnight as he did so.

Ada sighed getting up in her light blue nightgown and going into the kitchen. The maids were long asleep as she walked throughout the quiet house. She got a cup down lightly before making herself a pot of tea. She stared off into space waiting for the water to boil.

@ A Drop On the Window