(DA) No one can hear you scream...

[Katherine Port]

Kate give a small shiver, realizing how close this monster with a beautiful face came to her neck. Her life seemed like such a thing thread stretched out before the beast and her scissors.

Lucas and Monty speak to the beauty, giving Kate a moment to take scragged breath. Kate steps away from the Stranger, another to align herself besides Monty.

Listening to the announcement, she had a thought for the other two, the ones who were away. Were they safe? Likely safer than us, she thought. This Stranger didn't want any further scrutiny, Kate decided. Is higher security about to happen or has some hitch happened? She's suddenly ambivalent- glad she didn't smuggle in weapons for scrutiny and wishing she had something stronger than her mascara. She clutched her purse in a claw of anxiety.

[Lucas Boucher]

Welp, this didn't bode well. Like the others he thought for a moment about the rest of the group outside, but they were all hunters and knew the risks coming in. Right now? The predator was scared, even if she didn't seem to show it. She wanted out, and no one would hear if something happened to her in here.

"Yeah, we're staying. All four of us." Was she used to being bossed around? One easy way to tell was to keep doing it and see what happens. "Tell us what your interest is in the book, and what you know about the man I was talking to earlier. Bald dude with the blueish shirt?"

Lucas goes ahead and inserts himself between the Stranger and the door, just to make clear she wasn't leaving without talking first.

[Cayce]

The Stranger blinked, a facsimile of humanity that betrayed her surprise.

But then she smiled.

"I take great pains to remain anonymous, but occasionally, I like to indulge myself. It is necessary to walk the path, after all, to delve the deeper mysteries. Much like Ozob, who was indeed wearing a blue shirt, as well as that garish golden watch. The difference between he and I, however, is that his mysteries lie without, but mine lie within.

Her smile grew wider, wide enough for the pink of her gums to show, wide enough to give them a clear view of the twin spikes of pearl that split her gums and slid down to pierce the skin of her bottom lip.

"So I'll give you a choice. You may obey me, or I shall explore your insides.

Sanityawol

[Cayce]

Friendly bump Sanityawol Monty Pennington

[Monty Pennington]

Monty remained filled with grim determination. He glanced at the other two hunters before turning his attention back to the lady. "Fine, you win. He ran a hand through his hair all pretense of civility gone from his voice. "That little stunt you pulled on my mind proves you aren't human. for the sake of his companions he said, "She was able to cloud my mind, if you didn't quite catch it."

His expression soured and he bit out venom, "I don't know what you are capable of but I am not willing to chance it, so what do you want us to do?"

OOC: My Bad, Very Sorry

[Katherine Port]

" Oh, so we're doing this?" Kate blinked, surprised. Just telling the Stranger that they knew.. would they all be eaten once she got what she wanted? She gave Lucas a conferring glance.

" I say that she gets caught out, people could get hurt. Innocents. I wouldn't be against helping her out to spare the security."

She does not look at the Stranger after that information from Monty, watching her with peripheral. She started taking deep, calming breaths to try and hold it together.

[Lucas Boucher]

Oh shit. So the mark is a vampire, which explains the neck thing. Also mind control? Might explain why the hunters were lining up to save their mark instead of the other hunters they came with, though she would probably emphasize like earlier if she wanted to control them.

"I need a gun to be useful one way or another." He really wasn't sold on this plan, and the thought did occur he could just shoot her when he got one. The thing is though he had no idea what was happening, which meant no idea what was happening with Tasi and William. And if the vampire is spooked there's a good reason to be worried about the two out there on their own.

"You two want to help the vampire to the nearest exit go for it, but someone needs to find our friends."

Lucas was always a team player, just not team blood sucker. Besides, she had already dubbed him unimportant. Without a weapon it was hard to argue.

Lucas begins backing out of the room, eyes on Satine. If she attempts to rush him or attack we can roll init for the foot chase as Lucas will attempt to run.

[Cayce]

Laughter barked out of the Stranger, the vampire's head thrown backwards, light glaring off of those ivory fangs as the impertinent little cattle lowed.

"Do you imagine that I care if you know, my wittle Montgomerwy?" the Stranger mocked, a cruel smirk twisting her lips.

"I've seen the tape of you pissing yourself over that little specter. As if anyone would believe anything you have to say. Your parents would cover it all up again without me even having to ask, and then they might disown you anyways. Why besmirch the family name time after time, after all. Although..."

The Stranger paused, as if taunting her prey wasn't enough, and her smirk stretched into a manic baring of teeth.

"It would be oh so fun to visit your parents. Perhaps I'll do that next. Arrange a little cover story of an accident for the news. Then you'd get to inherit it all, wouldn't that be nice?"

She cackled, the sound echoing as if from the torn larynx of some bestial throat until the madness was once more reigned in, and her attention turned to Kate and Lucas.

"And as for you little pets, I want you to follow close by and die for me should anything untoward happen."|

With that, the monster paced over to the door, placed a seemingly delicate hand upon it, and then with a stifled scream of tortured metal, the door handle was twisted off and the door began to swing open...

Monty Pennington Sanityawol Katherine Port Seryna Lucas Boucher Xander

[Monty Pennington]

Anger seethed inside Monty. He glowered at the mention of his parents. Over my dead body. he thought defiantly. "You leave my parents out of this." he spat, fear tingling his voice even as he tried to hide it. He brain raged to find a way to deal with this situation. How did we end up here? Be calm Monty, Be cool. Think. Play pretend. Lucas is going to try to bolt. Back his play. Buy him time. Watch Kate, make an opportunity for her to get away. Yes. They get away, get help. They will kill the bitch now that they know. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves.

Monty glanced at Kate, eyes pleading for her to understand his wordless plan. Get away! he screamed at her inside his mind. He walked over to the open door and stood close beside the woman trying to block her from Lucas with his body. He peered through the doorway to get a look at just what all the fuss was about.

[Katherine Port]

All of what the Stranger said was terrifying. She could manipulate the public perception, likely make all three of them out to be outlier lunatics or even mentally ill. That was why Kate trusted those who had lit their candle.

Kate frowned at Lucas.
"Finding our friends should of course be a priority. Yet they aren't here. They chose to split off. Did they tell you what their plans were?"
Hunters should stick together... She was sticking with Monty and hopefully Lucas. The very real possibility was however, that they didn't have a real choice. The vulnerability that she had felt when the stranger had been so close had assured her of that. She had the distinct feeling that they were only alive to serve the Stranger. If they could gather information about her so that they could strike her in her lair- she would take it.

Anxiety spiked as Lucas' words sank in her mind. He might branch off, and she wasn't sure how that was going to affect the Stranger.

She gave Monty a worried look as he spoke. She worried that he might feel the Stranger's retaliation. " I'm with you to the end.". She assured, even as her voice wavered and her hands free clammy. She saw what Monty was doing and held back to not prevent his scouting.
She leaned forward, reaching out for a weapon. The vase would do and she grasps it, in case there was someone out there preventing their movement. She carefully doesn't look at the stranger, so that picking up the weapon wouldn't be seen as an imminent threat
Kate resumes watching Monty and preparing to move quickly, if they had to.
"Knives are what I wish I had..if you see any." She says to Lucas and Monty.