xiu-an

[xiu-an]

"Have to keep you on your toes, we can't all be so eager." They said as their eyes drifted over the room, a small smile on her face.

Xiu approached the woman, her dark brown eyes glowing a little more crimson with every step she took. It had been a while since she fed, she hadn't really thought about it recently. She had been too focused on tracking down and following the criminals she killed that night.

"Ah, as long as it's not your first time," She joked as she sat on the bed, taking her arm in her hands with a gentleness that looked worlds different from what had happened on the docks. Xiu could feel the warm pulse under her fingertips, hear Rory's heart beating in her chest. She attuned her ear to the sound as her fangs protruded from under her lip.

She looked at the girl one last time to check for any hesitancy, but found none, just as before. So Xiu sunk her teeth into her wrist, keeping complete control of herself as she slowly drank. When she heard the girl's heart begin to slow, she stopped, drawing her own blood to quickly heal the wound.

Xiu looked up at Rory, a small trail of blood trailing down from her lip as their eyes connected. She could already feel the ache in her arm alleviate and couldn't help but sigh gently in relief. "Thank you." She glanced down at Rory's arm briefly, making sure everything healed up nicely, before looking back to her face. "Feeling alright?"

Rory’s room was also a bit of a mess but since she slept in it, she tried to at least keep it cleaner than the rest of the house. Sure there were little tuffs of cat fur here and there but that was Goldfish’s mess, not hers.

“I’ve never met a vampire who had ever turned down a free meal,” Rory responded. “I know I don’t have to feed you but since you got shot protecting me, it is the least I could do.” She scrambled through her drawers and found a simple t-shirt, placing it on the top before taking a seat on her bed and patting the spot next to her.

She offered her arm once again. “Here. Don’t worry, this isn’t the first time I’ve done this.” Rory wasn’t completely defenseless and if the vampire took it too far, she had powers she could rely on. Not that the vampire seemed the type. Why save someone just to kill them later, right?

[xiu-an]

"It's nice to meet you too, Rory." Xiu listened to Rory ramble on about the stethoscope, watching her as her face lit up. She was finally able to get a decent look at the girl, now that they weren't surrounded by carnage and chaos, and she realized the young witch was actually quite pretty.

She hummed a soft laugh, glancing out the window as they parked. "I don't know, you're very pretty so I don't think people would mind too much." Xiu teased as she opened the door, stepping out of the car, ever alert to their surroundings.

Xiu followed Rory into the home, a bright smile blooming on her face when Goldfish came to greet them. It didn't matter if she was a hardened assassin- anyone who wasn't happy to see a cat was an absolute psychopath. "That's a compliment, look at him." She laughed, petting the cat's head gently. It was probably the orange cat survival skills or judgement of character, but Xiu wasn't about to say that. Not as a visitor to someone's home.

She followed Rory up to her room, her dark eyes trailing along the homey decorations and cozy atmosphere- much warmer than she had at her own home. "Are you sure? You know you don't have to, right?"

“Xiu,” Rory repeated, a grin on her lips. “I’m Rory. Aurora for full but only my parents called me that when I was in trouble.” Which turned out to be more often than one thought. She was never seriously in trouble—Rory didn’t have a rebellious bone in her body—she just frequently forgot to take care of herself and it led to worry from everyone around her. She was the type of girl to jump in first and think later so she had many of lectures from her parents about that. Not that it ever helped since she was bringing a vampire she just met home. “It’s nice to meet you!“

The car zipped around the city with Rory going into more details about the stethoscope and the history of stethoscopes in general, her busy mind filling up the empty silence as she drove. By the end of it, she was convincing herself that maybe it was for the best that she didn’t get what she wanted. “The spell was probably touch activated anyway. I don’t think people would appreciate me pressing my face against them like some sort of weirdo.” Not at all considering alternative objects aside from her glasses.

When they got to Rory’s quaint family home, she let Xiu through the door, turning on the light immediately so that Xiu can see an actual pathway (forgetting that she had invited a capable vampire into her home). The majority of the house had been covered head to toe with various gadgets and parts, her collection overflowing since her parents’ death. It was easier that way, to bury her memories in her emotionless passions than remember the warmth that once flowed through the furniture.

A little meow immediately greeted them and Rory grinned, picking up the orange cat. The home at least had one source of warmth in it. “This is Goldfish. My parents got him for me when I graduated high school. They said he reminded them of me but I don’t see it.” The cat leaned over to sniff the stranger before immediately reaching out its head for pets. Apparently Goldfish had no sense of danger either.

Without putting Goldfish down, she headed upstairs towards her bedroom. “Come on, let’s deal with that gunshot wound. You can borrow one of my shirts and we can get you fed.”

[xiu-an]

Xiu had been wondering where exactly they should go. They had hiding spots all over the city, as well as her own apartment, but it wasn't the best idea to lead a complete stranger to any of them. Her pondering was cut short when the witch beside her offered up her own place to regroup. She couldn't tell if she found the blind trust the woman had in her was cute and endearing or mildly concerning. Probably both.

"That works," Xiu nodded, unable to help the small incredulous laugh that escaped her. It was refreshing, hearing the stranger ramble on about their findings and what they planned to do with them. The people she usually talked to were either threatening her or the conversation was so superficial she quickly grew bored of it. "Well I hope you can get it one day, but may I suggest meeting in daylight?" She jokingly rose her brows at the woman as they approached the car, "Or somewhere a little less sketchy? I don't think a stethoscope, magical or not, needs to be a middle of the night at the docks type of deal."

She gave the docks one last glance over for any eyes that would track them, only sliding into the car when she deemed it to be clear of threat. "Don't worry about it. Really. I've seen much worse," She reassured. It felt weird, like she was taking advantage of the girl's trust- sitting in her car without her even knowing her name. Especially after the slaughter that just occurred on the docks. She wanted to return the trust a little, so she turned to the girl in her seat and said, "I'm Xiu, by the way."

“Right! We can go back to my place instead.” Rory couldn’t even be offended by the rejection since it made sense. They were standing around a crime scene so it would probably be best that they clear it before they get implicated. Unlike the vampire, Rory couldn’t mind-wipe her way out of this one. She pulled her sleeve back down and quickly fell in step with the vampire, admittedly giddy at the idea of the vampire answering all her blood related questions.

(Though the fact that she had no qualms about following said vampire when said vampire had just maimed a dozen people really said something about her lack of survival instincts.)

“Oh! I was meeting someone from the dark web. I tracked down this cool 19th century binaural stethoscope that was owned by a witch doctor back in the day. He enchanted it to read someone’s thoughts! Or at least that’s what the witch history books say… I just thought it would be cool to learn about and incorporate the spell into something like my glasses. It would really help in social situations since I find people confusing.”

Was that too much information? Probably, but Rory found that telling people straightforwardly that she wasn’t great with social cues made them more forgiving when she wasn’t acting the way they expected her to. She wasn’t great socially all together when, in her mind, being social was just a Sim meter she had to fill up among her other needs to ensure she wouldn’t die.

When they arrived at her car, Rory jumped in, tossing a few of the gadgets on the passenger side in to the back seat. “Sorry it’s messy. My house is kind of the same…” It wasn’t like she ever really invited people over so what was the point in cleaning up beyond making sure that no creepy crawlies wanted to make a home out of hers?

[xiu-an]

Xiu glanced down at the glasses, a ghost of a smirk pulling on her lips as the woman groaned about needing to fix them. At least she was alive to use the magic another day, right? She didn't expect the conversation to turn to her so quickly, looking down at her arm as the stranger pointed at it. It hurt, but she hadn't paid it much mind. It's not like it would kill her.

Her gaze returned to the woman with a quirked brow as she offered up her blood as... payment for rescue? A favor? As confused as she was, she couldn't help the small smile that tugged on the corner of her lip. The stranger might've been a little confused, or frazzled, but Xiu appreciated the spirit behind her words.

"Okay, that's very sweet of you- but no." She shook her head, obviously amused by the offer. "I'm not about to drink your blood out in the open- surrounded by that-" Xiu gestured vaguely towards the heaps of fresh corpses. "I can answer all of your blood questions once we're out of here. We should go. Come on." She nodded towards the entrance of the dock and began walking that way, scanning the area for anyone that might cause problems, assuming the girl was following along. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

The crowd of evildoers clearly didn’t appreciate Rory’s presence or her attempt to retreat but before she could even consider what spell to use, a body had flashed before her and yanked her behind some sort of crate. The sudden action caused her glasses to fall off and she was about to protest the crazy woman for going out to fight all those guns herself, only to be presented with glowing red eyes and the realization that the woman would be fine.

In fact, she was so fine that Rory even looked over the crate for a few seconds to watch her literally slice through the men. It was all a giant bloody blur of shadowy bodies falling one after another but even Rory could tell that what the woman was doing was super impressive. Scarily impressive. They were on the same side, right?

When she returned a mere minute or two later, Rory just blinked, speechless as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. The vampire had taken on a whole two gangs of men and was asking her if she was ok? For goodness sakes, she wasn’t the one that got shot! “I’m fine.”

Rory picked up her broken glasses and got up. “These aren’t though. It’s going to take me so much magic to fix them…” She sighed and put her glasses in her pocket--they were useless now--before looking up at the stranger. “You’re not alright either,” she added, pointing to the bleeding wound on the woman’s arm. “Would this help?” she pulled down her sleeve and offered her arm to the vampire, shaking it as an invitation. “It’s ok, I’m not anemic or anything. I’ve been told my blood actually tastes pretty good but I suppose all blood tastes good to vampire, right? Can blood even taste differently? It’s all the same chemical composition and I am not sure antigens come with taste…” she suddenly rambled, the idea fascinating to her.

[xiu-an]

NAME: Xiu An Ren

PRONOUNS: She/They

FACECLAIM: Jessie Mei Li

AGE: 220

SPECIES: Vampire

RANK: None

OCCUPATION: None

BIOGRAPHY: 

The first seven years of Xiu An’s life were full of love, light, and wonder. The lone daughter to a scientist and a noble woman saw the world as a big question mark and she knew that she was destined to find the answers. One night, after her father had presented some of his western gadgets that he had found and tinkered with to the royal court, they were on their way home. Xiu’s head laid in her mother’s lap as she listened to her father excitedly ramble to her mother about the ways they could alter the gadgets, put them to use. Just as they reached the height of their excitement, a loud scream pierced through the air outside followed by a heavy thud right before the carriage came to a sudden stop.

They were attacked by bandits who had heard of the valuable gadgets. Xiu hid behind her mother’s skirts under the seats as they were held at gunpoint and, tragically, saw the blood soak into the fabric as both of her parents were killed. With her mother’s hairpin in hand, tears streaming freely down her face, she wanted to run for help. The men caught her, and after she pierced one of their cheeks with the sharp pin, they decided they would take her and raise her as one of their own, liking the child’s fighting spirit.

For the next decade, they trained Xiu An to be the best criminal they could be. They could sneak, steal, and fight well enough to hold her own by the time she was fifteen. She always held that grudge in her heart though, the desire for revenge bubbled in her chest every single day, and only got more intense with each robbery and murder she witnessed.

One day they sent her on her first solo mission to retrieve a special piece of artwork from an estate. They said it should be an easy in and out job, but they couldn’t be more wrong. She made her way into the large building, prying open the window with shaky hands, and even though her footsteps were swift and silent, she was caught before she made it halfway through the estate. She thrashed in the guard's grasp and pleaded with them as they threatened to kill her, explaining to them through her tears what exactly was happening, and how she didn’t want to be a part of it either. Thankfully, Anna intervened. She offered Xiu a chance, become a vampire and use her skills for something more than petty theft. 

After a decade of learning to control her hunger and adjust to her new life under the close eye of Anna, who had become her new mother of sorts, that vengeful bubbling in her chest still raged on for the men who killed her family and took her from everything she knew. After careful consideration, and a lot of trust in her control, she hunted the men down one by one. To make sure she wouldn’t accidentally massacre them all, along with whoever else was in range, she stalked each of them for a while, made them think she was haunting them from beyond the grave. When they were alone, far away from anyone else who might get caught in the line of fire- she attacked.

Near the end of the 19th century, Xiu found themselves becoming a bit restless. She didn't do well in teams, and most of the missions she went on were with their siblings. She started going on solo missions again, doing anything her mother asked of her, using every mission as a chance to sharpen her skills. And when her mother decided the family should move to New York to build Anna’s empire, she happily followed along. 

Today, she continues to earn the life she was given, feeling indebted to Anna. She doesn’t like to get caught up in the politics of Anna’s empire, her main concern is completing the missions the queen sends her on. It’s a lonely life, the one she leads- but she doesn’t know how to live any other way. 

Wanted Connections:

Friends

Old team mates

Enemies

People they've stolen from

(up for pretty much anything!)

[xiu-an]

Xiu walked the perimeter of the deal silently, swiftly moving from shadow to shadow, wanting to track exactly where the art that was being sold was going, perhaps steal it en route to its destination. It was already beginning to get messy, it was supposed to be a one on one affair- but the ones buying the stolen art brought a small army of people, each one carrying large weapons. She was going to watch it play out, maybe knock out whatever stragglers were left and take the prize before they could wake. But then Xiu heard the soft, nervous voice come from the end of the dock and a new, fast, heart beat. The criminals began to panic, accused her of working with the police- wanting to know just who she was and why she was there.

They shouted at the girl, brandishing their guns and knives like they were mighty swords, wanting to intimidate the girl- and when they started to charge her way- with the intent to kill the witness-.. Xiu was moving before the thought about what she'd do. There wouldn't be anyone caught in the crossfire tonight.

She used her supernatural speed to get to the girl, groaning as a bullet hit her shoulder as she yanked the girl behind cover, a large wooden crate that supposedly held boat supplies. "Get down-" Xiu looked down at the girl, her eyes glowing red. "Stay here- don't run. I'll let you know when it's safe."

Xiu ran out to meet the criminals, pulling her own knives from her belt as she moved, sliding on her knees between one of the assailant's legs, supposedly the leader of the group, slicing the artery as it passed over her head, before hopping back onto her feet to deal with the rest of them.

It was only a few minutes later when she approached the crate again, sheathing the blades as to, hopefully, not frighten the girl more than she had already. She willed her eyes to return to their dark brown shade and turned the corner, "Are you alright?" She didn't smell any blood coming from the girl, but she was also surrounded by it, so she couldn't be sure.

Who: @adportasstarters

Where: Somewhere sketchy at the docks

Rory had a very bad habit of having her eyes glued to various screens so it wasn't uncommon to find her walking around with her eyes down and staring at her phone. She liked to think she had a good excuse this time though since she was simply following a GPS marker to her destination.

She had spent the last month tracking down a dealer who had in his possession a magical object that was from the early 1900s. It was rare and the moment she found him, she didn't hesitate to set up a deal with him and it didn't matter very much to her where or how the deal would be completed so long as she got a hold of the item in the end.

However, it was clear that they weren't the only people who thought the docks would be abandoned at night and when Rory found herself walking right into the middle of some sort of deal, with many people looking at her, weapons in hand, she realized she probably should have chosen a better location.

She pushed up her glasses and gave the group a small nervous smile. "Oh, um, sorry to interrupt, I'm just going to make my way back to my car now..." She awkwardly gestured back to the direction she had come from, hoping they would just forgive her and let her go.