The cool, ever-steady voice of her brother disturbed Katya's line of thought, pulling her back to reality as he approached behind her. Opening her fingers to let what was left of the cigarette fall to the damp ground, she turned to greet her sibling, tilting her head up a fraction to meet his blue gaze. As a teenager Adam had often enjoyed sneaking up on his younger sister, but since she had changed he had never been able to. Everything had changed that night, and everything was still changing, Adam reaching 21 and taking leadership of the gang while Katya still looked 17, 2 years younger than she really was. But the one thing that had never changed was the siblings' love for each other, and Adam's willingness to accept his sister for what she now was, caring for her needs and giving her a home. Well, as much of a home as one could find around here.
The brunette blinked, relaxing her shoulders as her brother spoke again. "You sure you can handle this?" Katya had always found it both amusing and frustrating that he seemed to feel the need to protect his little sister, even though she could break his neck in a heartbeat. Such fragile things, bones. And yet, she played along, satisfied by the task that she was being awarded now, her first job in a while. It was simple, yes: go in, meet someone, get the money that they owed Adam. If they weren't willing to hand it over, then it could get a little messy, but otherwise it was a straightforward job.
"I'll be fine, Adam," She replied lightly, with a slight smile. "I know what to do." You've told me enough. He had drilled the plan into her mind over and over, until even Katya herself began to believe that she wasn't capable of even this. But there was something else, too, as she searched his eyes - an almost imperceptible hint of something that had appeared the day she was turned and never seemed to leave, making every moment he was with her seem unnatural, almost awkward. Perhaps it was regret, or unease, or even fear. Or perhaps she was making something out of nothing, and it was the natural process that slowly pulled siblings apart a little as they grew up. Yes; it was probably that.
Satisfied, Adam relaxed, throwing Katya a half smile as he backed away, before turning to leave. "Don't disappoint me then, Kitty Kat," He teased, evoking a flicker of a frown from his sister before walking off into the shadows of the alleyway, disappearing after the rest of the gang. She had always hated the various nicknames that he gave her, even if she wasn't sure why they irritated her so much. Still, there was work to be done.
Sighing, the vampire stepped deliberately on the last ashes of the cigarette butt with one boot toe, before turning and heading in the opposite direction. Her destination was the gently glowing light of a bar sign, and even as she started towards it she could already hear the pulsing music that radiated from within. By the time that she reached the doorway it was thudding loudly in her ears, the beat running down her spine and vibrating through her bones. She liked the intrusive loudness of it; it was distracting, a welcome override to the stop the senses picking up every heartbeat in the room. And there were a lot of them, dancing and drinking and talking in a throng of pumping blood, oblivious to the world around them. This was one of the few places where anyone could be without being attacked or excluded as long as they stood on neutral ground. To the east was the territory of the Reds, her brother's notorious gang, but in all honesty Katya wasn't sure what other gangs bordered this place, conveniently situated in the centre of the city. Just looking around she already recognised several various opponents, and no doubt they recognised her, but she ignored them all, taking a seat at the bar and deciding to wait for the person she was meeting to come to her. |
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