Regroup (RP)

- Benji -

"How could you not know?" Alasdair says, sounding dubious about your claim. "Show me these demon-friends and we will see." He seems to feel he would be able to identify demons at a glance... but you don't have them with you right now.

What do you do?

"Well, they look a lot like rats to me," says Benji, with a shrug. "Anyway, they’re not here anymore. It was clear that you didn’t want them in your home so I told them to find another way out instead."

- Benji -

Alasdair wants to believe you, but it is clear he is sceptical about your story. You haven't exactly told him the whole truth about what you told your 'friends' and about your escape plans. He will need some convincing.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"'Eternal life'?" Henry muses. "You know, I'm not totally sure I want to live forever." He is restraining himself to avoid singing Queen. "But he can't get away with ... what he did. Let's take his power. And 'Sin's and the rest as well." He is obviously a bit but-hurt by the use they put him to.

Henry is a little distracted by your absentmindedly caressing your breast, but he pulls his eyes away and focuses on your words. "A party with your baby sister?" He says, reminding you that his a fair bit older than you and Emma. "I am not sure I would fit in there." He demurs. He does not know that said party has people like ... what was it? Jacob? Edward? ... whatever ... who are even older still.

What do you do?

"Anyway, just because I came here by accident doesn’t mean I can’t stay and talk a little while! Perhaps we could continue this conversation somewhere more comfortable now that my demon friends are gone?" Benji suggests, hoping that Alasdair’s desire for company might outweigh his suspicion.

- Benji -

"Well, that's alright then." Alasdair declares —to the chagrin of those waiting in the corridor.

"You say you are hungry enough that you broke your ribs? I know it sometimes feels that way." Alasdair does not know about your fight, and has always been a little dismissive of surface vampires' worries about food, 'when you are surrounded by blood-bags, you can never really go hungry' he feels.

"Why don't we retire to my chambers, see what we can do about your situation." Alasdair imperiously waves the guards away as he leads you out of the cell and back up the corridor. This time the demon alarm is silent, you can't tell if it extends all the way down to the floor, but presumably it does so your friends are unlikely to have snuck through here.

• What are Alasdair's chambers like? Are they much like we would expect from a sewer-dweller? Or are there significant surprise elements?

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"Really? I would like to meet you sister." Henry says, half out of politeness, half out of curiosity.

When you speak about not wanting to sleep alone, he calls over a waiter again, deciding to forego the temptation of visiting your place tonight... while he is still sober.

What do you do?

"No, I broke them earlier," Benji clarifies as he follows Alasdair through the tunnels. The bare rock walls have been replaced with brick and concrete. He can hear rushing water up ahead. "I got in a fight with a couple of demons-- not the same demons I had with me, mind you-- and one of them hit me."

The tunnel opens up into a wider chamber with a torrent of water roaring through it. Rainwater gushes out of a number of smaller tunnels (like the one Benji and Alasdair are standing in), and cascades down into the larger channel. There is a rusted metal ladder hanging on the wall beside the mouth of Benji and Alasdair’s tunnel which Alasdair quickly scrambles up, agile as a spider. Benji follows, a little more cautious.

At the top of the ladder is an old catwalk, probably used by maintenance workers at some point. Alasdair has apparently made himself at home up here. In the middle of the catwalk, there is a little table and a number of mismatched chairs. There is an empty goblet on the table and a game of scrabble, already begun.

- Benji -

"Good lad." Alasdair says when you talk of fighting demons. "Showed them what for, did you."

As you approach the table someone has just placed a paper on the pile already upon it and scuttled away. Alasdair picks up the sheaf and glances through it, setting most of the notes aside but dipping an old fountain pen in a ink-pot and scribbling something on one of them and holding it out without looking, someone different to the one who made the deliver appears and plucks it from his hand, glances at it and then darts out one of the many tunnels heading away from this central location.

Alasdair sits and motions you to do likewise. The sight of the goblet reminds him of etiquette and he seems to finally comprehend your words. "You are injured? That was not just hyperbole?" He says. "You must feed. I can send for someone...?"

What do you do?

"Yes," Benji answers immediately, eagerly, before his conscience has a chance to chime in. "Please."

- Benji -

Alasdair motions with his hand and one of the waiters (those who wait) slips over to his elbow. "Bring food for my guest." Alasdair decrees, emphasising the 'guest' part. The waiter fades away to do so, they are gone for a while.

"What news from up above?" Alasdair asks in casual conversation —but also, clearly, hungry for such news, cut off from the world has he is. "Do you want to play?" He asks, indicating the in-progress scrabble game, but also possibly including other options.

After a long while —the prison cells are a ways beneath Alasdairs headquarters— the waiter returns with a whimpering human, one of the ones you spoke to earlier, by the sound of it. The light is dim down here, and they peer around in horror at the scene.

Alasdair allows your conversation and/or game to be interrupted for snack-time, watching blandly. Do you intend to eat right here in the middle of everything, or do you retire to a private nook?

The 'food' is definitely not 'willing', they have probably been bitten before and might know what is coming.
• Do they try to put up a fight? It won't help them at all, fear does not make for rational decisions.
• Do you have an inkling about which prisoner you are being offered?

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"This is one of the few places that carries maple wood planks." Henry explains. "I got a taste for this while in Canada, but don't drink it too often, the overall effect diminishes if you don't mix it up with other things."

He does not resist getting another drink... or two... or three...

What do you do?

"It’s still raining," Benji tells Alasdair, picking up some scrabble tiles and arranging them on one of the little tile racks. "And I think you were right about the fae. I found traces of their magic elsewhere and, if they’re meddling in one thing, then why not the weather too? Oh, also Elliot is missing and there’s been a bit of a kerfuffle about that. I don’t think anyone’s officially claimed his territory just yet, although—" Benji abruptly cuts himself off, distracted, as the sounds and smells of prey draw nearer.

He feels a twinge of guilt as the ‘waiter’ drags the poor whimpering creature up the ladder, but the humans down here are all doomed anyway. Does it really make a difference if he kills them or Alasdair does?

The moment the human is within striking distance, Benji has him pinned to the ground. A distant part of his mind — the thinking, feeling part of him that was once human himself— recognises Leopold— the human he spoke to earlier— before his fangs close around the man’s throat. He feels a stab of pain in his broken fang and ignores it, biting down harder, drinking deeply.

He’s usually very careful when he bites someone. Even when he’d bitten Bev the other night, when he’d been frantic and desperate to feed, he’d made sure to be gentle. Controlled. Now — exhausted, hurt, starving — he simply surrenders to the Hunger.