FURIOUS ROOFTOPS - WOLVES AND CROWS

[Thy Dungyeon Maestyr]

   On furious rooftops, Francesca held half a crowboy in one
  hand and exchanged words with the last crow standing.

           Francesca-
     "You thought you could escape me?!  Drown that crow stink
in your oil slick shadows?  My nose can find you in an upside
   down can buried six feet under hell!"
                                  
                                            Crow-
                                      "...You god damn monster..."

She gripped him by the ribs and stomped off his
kneecaps one at a time, then ripped his arms off
and jammed them into his chest criss-cross.

  Francesca-
"AhHAHAHAHahaaa..."
                                    




   Berthe-
      "..."
                                           
                                             Francesca-
                                          "A Dragomir?  Who..?"




   Berthe-
      "..."
                                            
                                              Francesca-
                                            "Who the hell are you?"




   Berthe-
      "Yeah, I guess you wouldn't know me.
           ...Letitia died."
                                               
                                                 Francesca-
                                            "Le...titia... Soeur Feu, Dio bestia!"
                   
                                                Francesca-
   "I guess it's not too shocking. I didn't expect her to live a month."




   Berthe-
      "Yeah. Longer than a month anyway.
          Not too long after she made me."
                                  
                                                  Francesca-
                                   "So it's kinda good news.  She lived hundreds
                                           of years, based on how  young you sound. 
                                                           That's a pretty good run..."



   Berthe-
"Uh, I guess so. She told me a little about you." 
                                       
                                               Francesca-
                                            "Sexy things, I hope.  So did she turn
                                                        anyone else, as far as you know?"



   Berthe-
"Among other things... Uh, she didn't turn
anyone else as far as I know.
Did you...?
                                                         
                                                     Francesca-
                                                  "Just one.  So.  Wanna help me
                                                         annihilate this loser lineage?



   Berthe-
"Oh-- uh, wow! I didn't... who are they?"
                                             
                                                      Francesca-
                                                "The trash that killed Letitia Two."



   Berthe-
"Oh-- oh man. Sorry... Damn. They working with that Theodore guy?"
                                                       
                                                         Francesca-
                                                      "Let's say yeah.  Why not?"



   Berthe-
"Er, I don't know if I'd be much help.
Good luck with that though, and...
glad I got to meet you."
                                                                   
                                                               Francesca-
                                      "Likewise.  Tish had interesting tastes, meow..."

   A crow corpse spasmed distracting Francesca and Berthe stepped
        off the roof, plummeting away from the hideous scene above.

                       

    Berthe left the roof with a quick controlled
          fall and walked briskly to Eli's car.

  Berthe-
"I did it.  It is done."
                   
                   Eli-
         "Well... sounds better than the worst,
              but not the best, huh?"




  Berthe-
"Perhap it is the worst.  I do not like to see
  vampires in this way - fighting like dogs."
               
              Eli-
"It's good that you tried.  Maybe everyone
    will chill out when this war ends."



       
  Berthe-
    "..."  Eli got the impression she had a less
pleasant prediction in the back of her mouth.
  She didn't let it out.
            
            Eli-
"Well, what's your semi-unhealthy coping mechanism
   of choice?  Wanna drive too fast and/or listen to
       the worst music too loud?"




  Berthe-
"You are a good boy.  Thank you...  Maybe we drive
     fast, just to start.  How fast can you drive?"

    He slipped on his shades.

   
         Eli-
"Fast enough that I hope you know how to hypnotize cops..."

[Thy Dungyeon Maestyr]

    As a night fell, a creature of unimaginable stealth stalked a creature with vast unnatural senses.  Farley was as tense in his dead heart as he was fluid in movement, slipping shadow to shadow.  He flew carefully up the side of the fancy building, settling on the glass in human form to make some quick notes about the number of stories and windows from the left.

   The next day near noon, he was on the streets with Gracie - and an unwieldy crate.

 
    Farley-
"This is the opposite building.  A half-assed invite might work,
 but you know 'tis always preferred to acquire the ass entire."

                                                              Gracie-
                                                     "Don't have to have too many fac'lties to pull
                                    this off, just point in the general direction yeah?

  "Just be cool when we--"

     Farley drew her up short and gestured to a couple of guys walking toward them briskly.

                    
    Farley-
 "Goddalmighty, it's Circle toads.  Take a butcher's."

                                                            Gracie-
                                    "Whaaat? Tch, we gonna hafta rumble?"
       Farley-
    "Y'know what?  Do 'em fast enough, maybe we luck out."

     Farley dropped the crate on the sidewalk with little ceremony and bolted toward the men.
  Gracie tore off one fluorescent spike heel and beaned one of the dudes in the face.

              

  Gracie and Farley jumped the humans as they started to draw guns.  Farley did a leaping headbutt on the beardy guy, sending him back headfirst into a parking meter.  Gracie kicked Mr. Slick with her bare foot, hollerin' about how he was a dirty boy.  Farley pulled her free of the mess quickly, and they were heading back to the building with only a few shocked stares and people going to check on their victims.

                           
         Farley-
      "I'll get the miss-ile.  Get in the lobby quick."

Gracie stepped into her flung shoe, and hustled into the lobby, affecting a bad high-class accent.

Gracie-
"Oh goodness, such riff-raff outside. I say. Dearie."
                              
                              Concierge-
                       "Er, yes.  Quite.  Say, are you a musician?"

         Gracie-
"I dabble, I dabble. Play me a mean harmonica."

   She waggled around a handful of fliff.

            Gracie-
  "Can a girl get a room, I'm just exhausted."
                   
                          Concierge-
             "Very well, just fill out this form and while you're doing
               that, I'm going to see my manager about something."

She heard Farley coming into the lobby as the concierge turned.

              
            Gracie-
  "Oh Dollface, did those ruffians disturb you?"
 
   Farley-
"Not at al--  SIR!  Yes, sir?"
                               
                            Concierge-
                              "Mm, yes?"

    Farley-
 "Where are you off to, precisely?"
              
                          Concierge-
       "Just to talk to the manager about accepting cash--"

       Farley-
   "On that.  Unless you can do it very quickly, can it wait until
tonight?  We're quite jet-lagged, what wiv the flight from Andatra."

      Gracie-
  "Yea luv, ain't a wad of cash good enough deposit?"
                               
                            Concierge-
                "Um, yes, of course, but you see, it's just customary
             in this establishment to pay with credit.  No problem."
    
       Farley-
   "So take the money now, if the manager decides
he doesn't like it, he can come up to our room, OK?"
                               
                            Concierge-
          "Mmm... OK.  Good point.  We'll get you to rest."

   Farley got them through the process and into the elevator.
      A suite on the 35th floor, explicit invitation.  In the elevator,

 
    Farley-
"This is not going well, luv."
                                                      Gracie-
                                          "Sorry doll, I ain't so good wiv the talkin. 
                                   But all's well that ends well, yeah?"
      Farley-
"Puts the pressure on to end it well, but OK.
Let me lay it out for ya, insofar as my brain can
 handle.  The jokers outside probly got a checkin
 routine, or were being surveilled if we're even
less lucky.  That means they're givin' 'er a heads
up as we speak.  She'll be gone, we lose the shot."
 
                                                     Gracie-
                                    "Well at least we'll wreck up that trollop's
                                             nice l'il condo. Bare minimums.
                                        But I ain't in the mood to miss."
Farley-
 "Damn right.  Then there's what we do
after.  Probly her flunkies will be 'round this hotel
 like a rosey ring.  We might get sniped or caught."

                                               "Meh, we'll go out like heroes innit?
                                          But I'm sure you got some thinkie plan."

"Can 'ardly think at all, but yeah...
Let's just lick a shot first, fast as fuck,
  then worry on the way down."

    Ding! The elevator door opened. Gracie worked the key card while Farley hauled the crate. They got into the room and went straight to the window. Farley drew the vertical blinds most of the way and stomped the crate open. Gracie fished the tool out of the old school hay packing material.

    Farley-
"All the parts in order?"

    Gracie-
"In all the orders, boss! Just tell me when and Imma pull this trigger!"
 
    Farley-
"Out-standing, private.  Ten-hut."


He pulled out binoculars, pointed out her condo to Gracie, and started scoring the glass while Gracie lined up the shot. Gracie realized she could see into the apartment through the range-finder, due to the way the sun was falling. She saw the target walking down some stairs into the main room, holding up a hand to block out the sun.  Farley knocked out glass with a hammer instead of the more discreet suction cups he'd brought - time being of the essence.

    Gracie-
"Ahahaha, take this, ho-bag!"

    The rocket tore through the clear blue sky between the buildings, impacting with the glass of the apartment building and blossoming into a terrible fireball.  A split-second later, everything there was black smoke.  Meanwhile, in their own room, the vertical blinds and a bunch of smoke were flapping out the window hole, and it was difficult to see in the room through the smoke and scorch marks.

   As they stepped away from the window, Farley buckled at the knees, then lurched for the door.

    Farley-
  "Shake a leg, I'm hit!"

    Gracie-
"Augh, sweetie! I'm on it!"

 Gracie threw the smoking bazooka on the bed and darted out into the hall. In the electric light she could see the shreds in his jacket. Dead blood drops spattered the floor for a few steps. She got ahead and hit the call button for the elevator. They had to wait.

   
    Farley-
  "Well I hope that did somethin'."
                                                                   Gracie-
                                                      "Bet it ruined her morning, anyway!"

     The elevator arrived...

((and that's all you get to read about the getaway, y'all. suspense!!))