forum vespertilio sanguineus | sci-fi vampire rp | 1/3

Started October 13, 2022 by @knightinadream group

tune

When Crowley walked into the Vampire-Human International Protection Agency headquarters at 7:00 AM sharp that morning, it was safe to say that he was not expecting an assistant waiting to tell him he was needed in the boss' office immediately. It was even safer to say that being selected to assist on one of the biggest and most famed cases in years was something he'd never even dreamed of happening.

And yet, here he was, standing right outside of an interrogation room with the file of Rafael Báthory clutched safely in his hands and the vampire in question right beyond the door in front of him. Well, that vampire and one other, he mentally corrected himself.

Crow hadn't been told very much about Avital Sagire; only that they were a forensic scientist from the city and a vampire like himself. He assumed that the scientist, like almost every other vampire he'd had the pleasure (or displeasure) of running into, would be at least decades older than him. Distantly, he hoped to be taken seriously.

Sucking in a breath, he refocused on the door in front of him and did one last check on his appearance—business casual outfit included, as was his standard— before stepping forward.

He opened the door just in time to catch the tail-end of Avital's demand, and he paused to knock on the frame. His smile was sheepish as he needlessly straightened his glasses and said, "Sorry to interrupt." More like 'sorry to dampen your plans'. There was another small pause while Crow surveyed the other vampires, noting Rafael's narrowed, guarded eyes and the impatient demeanor of the forensic scientist as they turned to look at his entry.

'Well this will be fun', he thought wryly.

"Crowley Morton, at your service," he introduced himself without any further hesitation, finally stepping all the way through the entrance and letting the door swing shut behind him with a heavy thud. "I'm from the Protection Agency, and I'm here to sit in on the questioning of Rafael Báthory."

Rather than literally take a seat, he strode over to Avital and dropped his file on the desk, flipping it open to a list of every known victim in the last three years to view at his leisure. "So, where were we?" he asked, glancing between the scientist and the inmate and crossing his arms, a slight smile still present on his lips.

Guess he was staring in the wrong direction. The door handle clicked then someone finally walked in. Rafael reclined back into the chair. For it being nothing but metal, it was more comfortable than the cot that he has been sitting and lay on for the last sixth months or so.

He didn't respond to his name. At least the vampire said it right; he'll give them that. In the corner of his eye, he took a glimpse at this Avital vamp he has to deal with. Crossing his arms, he slouched down then crossed his left leg over his right.

Missing reports? His left brow rose. There are so many. Believe him, he knows. "They have noticed this one early," He mumbled to himself. Looking down at the floor, he bit the inside of his cheek. What does any of this have to do with him?

By the time he decided to say something, the door opened. Rolling his eyes, he looked back down again at the floor and his slippers. Whatever he thought about how he doesn't like being stuck in the cell, he takes it back. Actually he wouldn't mind being stuck in that chamber back home; if it's still there.

"Nothing…." was all that he managed to say. His voice was low. Running his fingers through his hair, he decided to take a glimpse at the two. "Just getting to know one another, I suppose."

Avital lifted their head as the door opened. 'Damn, there goes that…' They thought. Maybe an oversight. They leaned back, arms crossed. Five seconds into this and already something messed up.
They watched Crowley drop some files on the desk. Avital eyed him in a way that could have been described as judgemental; His eyes were surprisingly light. "Huh." But he was confident. Impressive, on this case already? It was a patronizing sort of respect, but they didn't realize this. Kind of ironic as well, considering they were only 188 years old.
Quick evaluations aside, Avital had to continue the interrogation in some form or fashion. How embarrassing. They attempted a confident front. They were aware it wasn't the young man's fault, but that didn't stop them from being a bit annoyed with him, however unfairly. "Thirty people have been reported as missing over the past three years, likely by a single person or group. Almost nothing to go on as to who they are or what had been done to the missing persons." Avital attempted eye contact with Rafael. "I don't suppose you know anything about this?" They looked around and grabbed one of the files, listing off twenty-two of the names of the people who'd gone missing before standing again. They set the file down and adjusted their sleeves. "Should have started this investigation way earlier…." They mumbled angrily.

Crow hummed at Raphael's response, raising an eyebrow as Avital plowed through the inmate's disinterest with facts from the case. The youngest vampire still wasn't quite sure how to interpret Avital's appraisal of himself, but he was certain that, at the very least, the other wasn't particularly thrilled to have him there. 'No matter, he thought, squaring his shoulders. 'I can work with that.'

"I want to be clear about one thing," Crow announced, finally pulling out a chair and sitting with his legs spread around the backrest. He leaned forward, hands clasped together on the table and staring intently at Raphael. "But first, a question: Do you know why you're being interrogated?" He tilted his head and waited a moment—not nearly long enough for an answer to be provided—before continuing.

"It's not because we—and by we, I mean the Protection Agency, of course. It's not because we think you have anything to do with this case." He let that sink in. "It's because you've been around for a lot longer than the majority of our kind. You're more knowledgeable and more powerful, and better yet, accessible–" Crow gestured around the interrogation room before his gaze landed on the tracker around Raphael's wrist. "—meaning you're currently our biggest lead in discovering whoever's responsible for this. Do you understand?"

This time, he did wait for a response.

(You guys are so good at drawing for real though.)

Rafael shrugged at Avital's question. "Maybe…" There wasn't a single ounce of an expression till he picked up what they mumbled. He chuckled underneath his breath in an instant. These investigators and VHIPA vamps and people are quite amusing. Perhaps he might enjoy this.

The names flew around his mind. When you are vampire his age, your memory can be faulty, even when memories are just recent. Some of the names sounded familiar, or at least the first names did. He wasn't sure why too. Well unless….

"Hm?" Rafael shook his head. The question may be rhetorical yet he replied with a simple "no". He copied the way Crow tilted his head. It gradually yet gracefully tilted to the same side. He didn't blink. Sometimes he finds it that it makes other uncomfortable, yet he never had tried it around younger vampires.

He noticed that Crow was looking at the bracelet. Faking sighing, he turned his wrist to take a look at the wretched thing on him. Believe him, he would have picked something much better. Defiantly something like a black leather watch.

Covering his hand, Rafael laughed for a moment or two. His hand rested on his knee. "Yes…I do, Crow. I understand very clearly." He rolled his eyes. "Hopeless as always."

"Are you laughing?" No, he wasn't. It was more of a soft chuckle, actually.
Avital felt their face color. Never before had they forgotten to introduce the subject. They scoffed at their own incompetence and rested their hand on the table.
The man stared- As if to try and prove something, Avital stared back. Vampire or not, it was second nature. 'Hopeless'. They couldn't help taking offense, but they knew he was right. Avital clicked their pen as a means of stimulation. They considered repeating their question, but waited. "Nothing?" They continued after a few seconds anyway. They counted, actually. Eleven seconds. Avital glanced up at an analog clock on the wall. Ten minutes to talk, wasn't it? Unless they tried to bargain for more time, but it was unlikely if there was literally nothing to be written. 'This is getting nowhere.'
Avital picked up a different file, silently this time, in search of something else that may connect.
(Thank youuuu :])
(Also sorry this is short and how long it took to get posted-)

Crow arched an eyebrow at the nickname. He definitely hadn't introduced himself as such, but he decided to ignore it, just as aware of the time limit as Avital. He chuckled at the bluntness of Raphael's statement, saying, "That's exactly right."

"We are hopeless… Kinda like you, locked up in a cell all alone for months." The amusement fell out of his tone entirely and Crow's face grew uncharacteristically serious. "As old as you are, you must know just how quickly the months can turn to decades. Centuries, even." He leaned forward even more, voice low, but not quite a whisper.

"I know that right now, you probably have no reason to care about these missing people. But you have reason to care about yourself—your future. Do you really want to spend it in a bright cell, isolated from the world? The Protection Agency, myself included, is willing to appeal your imprisonment if you cooperate in helping us find the ones responsible," he explained. "The choice is yours. Either tell us what you know, or suspect, help us find the ones responsible, and earn your freedom back. Or, in four minutes' time, you can be led back to your cell for God knows how long, rotting, wondering whether it would've been better to take the offer while it was there."

Crow leaned back, lacing his fingers together and bringing his arms up to stretch out a kink in his back, before settling comfortably with a far more neutral expression on his face than the one from moments before. He fixed his gaze on Avital all of a sudden, eyes flickering to the pen and back.

"Would you stop clicking, please? Raphael is about to speak." The barest traces of a prideful smirk flickered across his face, only for the scientist's eyes to see, before he turned back to the inmate with a polite smile and bright red eyes ablaze with a challenge—daring Raphael to disagree.

Another shrug. For already having terrible experiences being stuck in cells since before his afterlife, this is kind of amusing. There's something about making younger modern vampires annoyed or frustrated that is a bit funny too. The amusement fell short once he heard the other laugh a little.

Well the two are both trying to prove a point. He kept on staring at Avital, with occasional looking at Crow then at the pen. Rafael leaned forward with his hands on the table. Believe him, this cell he's stuck in is actually better than the one he spent only eight hours in. The thing is, he died and woke up as something different in those eight hours. Right here and now, he doesn't think there'll be any major changed to him.

Rafael eventually relaxed himself in the chair. He had to process a lot of English; you'd think a vampire of his age could do so in seconds, but no. Once the VHIPA vamp was done, he decided to stand up. He strolled over to their side.

He spoke in Hungarian, "Rafael wasn't going to say anything…" Glancing down at the files on the table, he picked up the first one. Flipping it open, he looked down at his picture amongst the other information. He saw the word "family" once with a bunch of other words, nothing else, then proceeded to throw the file at the tinted window.

Strolling back to the chair, he plopped himself down in it. "You know they threw me to you guys….just so they can keep you distracted from everything that they do. I'm always thrown around, it's been the same since I had a beating heart." He tapped his knee for a second. "Eh, the only thing that I know about some of them is that they're nothing but mortals. Might've slept with some….that's it."

A smile pressed onto his face. It dissolved in seconds before he spoke again. "And if you really do decide that it's best if I help you…please get out of this dull thing…." Rafael motioned to his gray prison uniform. "This is atrocious. I looked better wearing my peasant clothes and my own blood."

Crow was definitely confident, alright. And what he proposed was a big offer, and therefore a desirable one. 'You could learn from him,' Some kind of parental voice echoed in their head. They chose to ignore it. From yet another quick analysis, out of the corner of their eye, he seemed actually comfortable here. Hands outward, that'd indicate-
"Would you stop clicking, please?"
Avital's stare shifted from Rafael to Crow. He smiled slightly. Their hand froze and they set the pen down on the table, returning it to their hip. Instead of berating the man or completely losing it, they focused the energy on Rafael as he walked around the room. He spoke some other language at one point, just before tossing a file at a window. He returned to his chair.

"You are. It's going to take a while, though. I'll need to buy more time once it's up. But, as-." Avital glared at Crow. "As Crowley said, we still have… three, for minutes? It seems you actually don't know much about this. But even with nothing, I bet we could find something." They said vaguely. "So, how old are you? I assume you've got a few hundred years on me, let alone Morton. Again, to quote what he said, you're definitely one of the oldest around." Their voice was back to its normal, jaded tone, one they assumed the others hadn't heard. They hated it, but at least hoped now it'd diffuse any angry demeanor they'd previously put on. It was a swift change in energy, Avital knew, but mostly out of spite. Like they'd let that man- only, what? Twenty?- get one over on them. Ha! Avital Sagire liked to think they were merely driven, competitive at most. They thought, by suddenly changing their own mindset and attempting to be above someone else, they were competitive and not biased, spiteful, or an angry person in general. And by doing this, they also made themself a hypocrite.

Crow didn't speak Hungarian, but he was left with the distinct impression that he was being mocked. His brow furrowed at that thought, but relaxed when Raphael picked up one of the files.

'Well, there's no harm in informing him further', he thought, right before the eldest vampire promptly chucked the file across the room.

And indignant, "Hey!" escaped him–those were important files, entrusted to him nevertheless!–but he fell silent when the inmate continued to speak.

He glanced at Avital, gauging their reaction. His lips twitched downward at the drastic change in the other vampire's demeanor, and Crow decided right then and there that he would not be trusting of this Avital Sagire, no matter that he had to work with the scientist. Anyone that could conceal their emotions just like that was a beacon for trouble–Crow knew that firsthand.

He hummed in disapproval at the scientist's questions, interrupting with, "I think there are other things worth discussing with our remaining time. Getting to know each other can come later. Namely, I want to know," he shifted his gaze back to Raphael, an eyebrow arched. "What size clothing do you wear?"

It was as good as any official "Welcome to the team!", if Crow's inviting grin was anything to go by.

(yessss. also mad respect lmao)

Rafael pretended to yawn. He might know something related to the case. Even if he didn't play a part in it, he probably knows much more than the forensics specialist and VHIPA vamp. And he can get out….

He tilted his head. How old is he? Definitely is a question for the VHIPA and not him. Rafael leaned back, taking a look at the file he had thrown onto the floor. He remembered it said something, or at least there was a guess. Who knows? Birthdays weren't a thing for people like him.

"500?" He tapped his bottom lip a couple of times. It makes sense. "I have to be around 500, maybe 502 if it's been over four centuries since I was turned." How has he ever made it up to this point? Most vampires can't even handle losing their humanity or the realization that they'll never age.

His brow arched up. What's size again? Anything Rafael has worn was either big or tight on him, and it all worked out fine. He knew that society measured such things, yet he never really bothered to learn. If it fit one way, then he'd wear it.

"Hold on…." Rafael took off his shirt. There's always an annoying itchy tag inside these things. Holding it in front of him, he found a white rectangle that had two letters in bold. "XL?" He looked up at Avital and Crow. Rafael held it out so they can see it. "That is what it says…."