In the first clash, the little snake was unprepared for the perils of battle in the sky. She twisted and struck with all her might— but her foe twisted and threw her from the heavens. She impacted the earth with an almighty crash, whose echoes resounded for a year and a day.
Eventually, the night's strength filled the little snake once again, and she rose to take flight. As she rose into the skies, she looked down—and only then did she where she had landed.
The crater had completely obliterated her old den. And the scent of her family's blood filled the air.~*~
I should have seen it coming— I watched enough anime to know about the Law of Inverse Lethal Magnitude. To summarize: the destructive potential of any given entity is inversely proportional to its mass. As such, small and cute will always beat big and scary.
The little Filipina girl wiped the blood from her mouth onto the sleeve of her shirt. "Sorry about the delay. I hadn't eaten all day, and this guy decided to catcall me on the way. You understand how it goes."
Music throbbed against my eardrums, and it was a conscious effort of self-control (which was definitely not my strong suit) to keep from grimacing. The other vampire looked perfectly at ease despite the deafening surroundings. Though intellectually I understood that the club wasn't particularly noisy, I nonetheless detested her for making me meet her here.
I met her gaze coolly, and she giggled brightly, the very image of an adorable eleven-year old. I have no idea how the sound managed to carry over the din. "Oh my! It was just desserts that he became my dessert. I rather like this language. There are so many delightful expressions. Don't you agree?"
I said nothing. After a rather uncomfortable silence, she pouted. "A pity. And Leah said you had a sense of humor. I suppose she's had some troubles with the concept of truth in the past, but it's disappointing nonetheless. Everyone in my clan at the moment is damn dour. I had been hoping for someone with a little more levity."
"Are you done fucking around?" I said after a pause. "When I heard you had my siblings captured and wanted to talk, I figured I'd have to deal with Leah or some higher-up like her. I didn't sign up for small talk with the Powerpuff Girls' psycho cousin. Get someone who can actually talk to me or get the hell out of my way. Any other option is not going to end well for you. Understood?"
The little girl watched me for a long moment, then sighed. "If you insist. It's a real pity. I had hoped you could be a bit more polite, but she did mention something about the excesses of youth. In any case, my name is Ayezza, of the bloodline Danag. It's...not quite a pleasure to meet you, but that's only to be expected. Do you like my club?"
That explained it. People in dark clothes, dyed-black hair, and truly impressive amounts of makeup writhed on the dance floor to some dubstep number (possible title: "Satan's Colonoscopy.") Clubgoers of various shapes, sizes and genders flowed around us like water, generating an odor of blood, sweat, and deodorant that left me simultaneously hungry and nauseated.
"It's just so gosh-darn delightful that I'm gonna hurl. Where's Leah?"
Ayezza shook her head and tsked. "Nowhere near here. You can be certain of that. My, but she was cross with you after that stunt you pulled last week! I was rather impressed, really; I don't think I could have riled her that much if I tried, and I've literally driven humans insane with rage. Everyone in our clan agreed that Leah should sit this out. I was the next best candidate to make you see reason; we're both relatively young Higher Blood. We both like to have a good time." She gave me a sidelong look. "Well. I do, at least. I think we could come to an agreement."
The throb of music made me wince. I saw Ayezza's eyes light up for a moment with predatory hunger at the expression.
"I'm listening. But not here. Is there a quiet place to talk?" She gave me a dazzling smile.
