Arya walked through the streets of the city, her footsteps silent despite the heel of the boots she wore beneath her dress. The sun was beginning to set, bathing the world in a soft pink glow. It would be dark soon, and the young woman had every intention of being home before that happened. Most people walked past, casually strolling through the streets, blissfully unaware of the monsters that lurked in the shadows, waiting for their prey to wander too far from their group or stray too close to a darkened alley and become their next meal. Despite how many people often fell prey to these monsters, most remained ignorant of their existence, and those who tried to warn them were labelled as crazy or hysterical, sometimes even thrown into an asylum.

She'd learned at a very young age just how destructive these monsters could be. But she had also learned to keep her knowledge to herself. Those who remained unaware often wished to stay that way. After all, ignorance is bliss and all that nonsense. Arya was content to work in the shadows, to protect those too foolish to even realize that they were in danger. Of course, she would be lying if she said that her motives were entirely pure. They were not. She didn't hunt monsters out of some altruistic desire to same humanity and protect the weak. Those were often simply convenient side effects of her true mission--to find out who slaughtered her family and why. She did care for people, perhaps more than she was willing to admit, but she would not make it her mission to save people who didn't want to be saved. No, her mission was the same as it had been since she was eight years old, and would be until she found the answers she was looking for, or until her death, whichever came first.

She tossed a warning look at a passerby who looked as if he might try something, but kept on walking when she looked his way, her blue eyes piercing through him. She kept her quick but still seemingly casual pace as she walked through the streets, the soft glow of the sun beginning to fade, her light curls bouncing as she walked. The dress she wore, though admittedly a bit heavy, didn't slow her down as she walked nearly twice as fast as any of the other women on the street. She didn't fear those who lived in the night, but it was, admittedly, rather inconvenient to fight in this getup, should one choose to attack her. She was armed well enough and could handle herself better than most, but it would be an inconvenience nonetheless.

As she walked through the streets toward her home, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her, or that something was going to happen. She eyed the carriages carefully as they passed, in case someone were to jump from one of them and try to attack her. She was also wary of walking too close to strangers or alleys, her astute gaze carefully taking in the world around her. Nothing seemed terribly out of the ordinary, except the feeling that she couldn't shake. It was mildly frustrating, to be quite honest. She sighed a little to herself and decided that it was best not to lead anyone to her home Even if they couldn't get inside of the home without her permission, it was safer if they didn't know where she lived.

Instead, she ducked into a nearby alley. She hated to do this, but it was better than leading whomever was following her to her home, and certainly better than waiting around for them to make a move. She was careful to ensure that the weapons hidden on her person were ready in case she needed them. Despite being more alert than probably anyone else on the streets, she appeared to all the world to be entirely relaxed, the air about her a casual nonchalance, belying the on-guard, wary, and deadly woman that lie beneath the mask of calm, sweet innocence.

She stared into the darkness, her eyes resting on a figure in the shadows, hidden well enough that most normal humans wouldn't have noticed, but she wasn't a normal human, not really. She waited patiently for the individual in question to reveal themselves and/or make a move. It was quite evident that she wasn't going to make a move, even if she was ready to jump into action at the drop of a hat, should such a thing be required. No, the next move was on whomever lurked in the shadows.

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"That really is a filthy habit." Arya commented casually, her voice airy and lightly accented. It truly was, but she was being more playful than anything. Being serious was dreadfully boring, especially in such a situation. This was definitely not the man who had been watching her. No, he was still watching, nearby, but he was not the man in front of her. "Well, that's disappointing." she commented to herself rather than him, playfully pouting for a brief moment, completely ignoring his question about whether or not she was lost. She wasn't and he knew that, this much was obvious. Good. He wasn't an idiot, or at least he wasn't completely oblivious, anyways. Although, if he were to try to hurt her, it would be much easier if he were to be those things. But she did so enjoy intelligent individuals, regardless of whether or not they were her targets, or she theirs.

The way he looked past her at someone else was not lost on her. She didn't turn around or look, she didn't need to. She gathered that he had spotted whomever had been following her. She tilted her head ever so slightly, curious as to how he would respond to this. Would he take advantage of the situation and try to attack her while there was someone else there to potentially distract her, or perhaps help him take her down? Would he stand by and let the other man try whatever it is he thought he was going to accomplish tonight? Or would he do something completely different?

She didn't have to wait long for her answer, as he soon strode toward her. She didn't flinch, or show any signs of fear or hesitation, despite knowing what he was. The way he spoke, the way he walked, the look in his eyes, none of it suggested that he was going to attack her. She was still ready, on the off chance that he was wrong, but this was not evident in the way she carried herself, the air of casual nonchalance surrounding her still, even though she was, for all intents and purposes, surrounded on both sides by individuals who were certainly not friends.

When he tipped his hat and apologized, claiming that she had someone on her shoe, she smiled lightly, something that managed to resemble both a smirk and an innocent smile all at once. "Yes, it is quite bothersome." she replied casually, allowing him to take her arm with no apparent hesitation. There was a slight hesitation, somewhere in her mind, but it didn't show. From the outside it simply appeared to be a relaxed, natural gesture. Nevermind the fact that a strange man--if you could call him that--just took her arm in a dark alleyway and was leading her away from another strange man who was following her, likely with the intent to either kill or kidnap her, neither of which would have worked out for him.

She gave the other man an innocent, polite smile as they passed, as if she had no idea what he was or that he had been following her. If the man was even remotely intelligent, he wouldn't continue to follow them, not now. His only options now were to call it a night and try again some other time, or better yet, send someone else another time, or he could attack her right here in the middle of the street with plenty of witnesses, which would be a fool's errand. Thankfully he didn't seem to be leaning towards the latter, as he made no move toward her and she thought she saw something resembling disappointment flash in his eyes before she looked away.

Now that she likely didn't have to worry about him, she could turn her attention to the man who still held her arm. Who was he? Why had he chosen to lead her away rather than either taking advantage of the situation or simply letting it play out however it may have otherwise played out? What was his motivation? So many questions. Yet she didn't bother to ask them. "You know, you really should at least tell a lady your name before you go grabbing her arm." she spoke in the same light, almost playful tone. She didn't make any immediate move to get away, despite the slight unease she felt somewhere inside because of what he was, even if she didn't know who he was. She supposed that he had saved her the trouble of dealing with the other man, so she should be at least a little grateful, even if she wouldn't show it. Of course, rather than believe he had pure intentions and trust that he wouldn't try to hurt her, given that he had just saved her the trouble of dealing with someone who had most certain had unfavorable intentions, she remained untrusting. After all, this could have been the plan all along, or he could have simply chosen to take advantage of the situation in a less obvious manner. Perhaps he was simply bored, or otherwise acted without any real ulterior motive, but she wouldn't take the chance in trusting someone she didn't know. She would be wary and keep her guard up, even if it wasn't obvious to anyone on the outside. Rather than leave, however, she decided to linger, if only for a short time, purely out of curiosity. After all, she likely wasn't in any real danger, even if she chose to believe that she was regardless, so what was the harm in trying to satisfy her curiosity?

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Naturally, the man hadn't actually introduced himself, despite admitting that he should. It wasn't surprising, really. After all, she hadn't given her name, either, nor did she have any intention of doing so just yet. She smiled lightly to his next words about how she should stay in the brightly lit streets. It was good enough advice, especially for most women. Of course, she could handle herself much better than most women. After all, she wasn't your average woman, or your average human, for that matter.. A normal human man posed little to no threat to her, and many of the monsters that were often found lurking in such dimly lit alleys didn't pose too much of a challenge nowadays. But she supposed that she looked harmless enough, like a fragile little flower compared to the man who held her arm. But that was part of the beauty of it. No one expected her to be capable of anything close to what she was capable of, and that was just the way she liked it.

"Yes, I suppose dimly lit alleys are hardly any place for a lady." she replied with the same calm, casual tone, not giving away the other thoughts that very briefly passed through her mind. Instead she simply let him lead her where ever it was that he was leading her, although he kept an eye on their surroundings to ensure they didn't go anywhere too terribly suspicious. She had no intention of leading him toward her previous destination, as that would lead him to her home and she didn't know him well enough for anything like that just yet.

They walked into the club and was immediately greeted by the smell of cigar smoke and hearty laughter. She was very much aware of the fact that she was the only woman around. The club was filled with a chorus of laughter and chatter but not a single female voice could be heard, and from her very brief, but rather thorough glance around, there were no women to be seen, either.

Arya gave the rather enthusiastic bearded man behind the desk a charming smile when he spoke to her. She didn't miss the way he referred to the other man who her arm currently remained attached to. A surname. Whether or not it was his true surname, she didn't know. "I'll have a scotch, neat. Thank you." she replied with a sweet voice and the same charming smile.

She followed along with the man as they were led to a table, which was soon separated after the man pulled a younger man, along with a divider would of thin air, almost as if it were by magic. She gladly took her arm back when he released it, glancing his way with her resumed air of casual nonchalance, not missing the hint of an order in his tone when he spoke to her. A small smile, almost a smirk, tugged gently at the corner of her lips, but disappeared just as quickly. She took a seat, not because he had practically ordered her to, but because she was rather tired after a rather long day, and was quite happy to oblige.

She gathered that he likely underestimated her, in one way or another. But that was fine by her. Everyone did, because she wanted them to. No one really knew much about her, who she was, what she did, what she was capable of. She was an enigma to most, and she was happy keeping it that way. No one needed to know the horrors of her past, and they wouldn't. They wouldn't guess it based on the way she carried herself, and she wasn't interested in telling them. They wouldn't guess what she was capable of, why would they? They wouldn't even guess where she was from or what kind of life she led.

Based on her appearance most wouldn't believe her to be of any real status or wealth, and she was fine with that. She had more important things on her mind than keeping up with the latest fashion. Her clothes suited her purposes well enough. They were less restrictive than those which were more common now, which allowed her more freedom of movement. Not to mention that the most fashionable attire now was acutely uncomfortable. She did own some newer clothes, she simply chose not to wear them unless it was strictly necessary. She was actually quite wealthy. Both of her parents had come from wealth and since everyone in her family, from her parents to grandparents, distant cousins and everyone in between had been slaughtered, she'd inherited all of it. Not to mention that she managed to make enough on her own to cover everything she needed and then some. But that was neither here nor there. It was meaningless to her. Wealth, status, fashion, none of it mattered much to her. All that mattered to her was surviving and finding answers.

She gave Mr. Hodge another charming smile when he placed the glass in front of her. "Thank you." she thanked him, her voice soft and sweet, before turning her attention back to the other man and cocking her her to the side ever so slightly, observing him for a moment before speaking. "So, what ever are we going to do?" she asked with a light and airy nonchalance. She observed him for a moment longer before sipping her drink and leaning back against the chair casually, her eyes never leaving him. She felt a slight disappointment as she sipped the drink, knowing it would do little to nothing for her, but she sipped it nonetheless. He didn't know it wouldn't effect her, which was something she could use to her advantage, should the need arise.

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The way his eyebrows perked up in something of a surprised motion was not lost on the woman. She gathered that he hadn't expected her choice in alcohol to be so similiar to his. After all, it wasn't the typical choice for a lady. Give that the liquid had little to no effect on her, she didn't bother watering it down, which would almost certainly make the entire point of drinking it moot. But of course, he knew none of this, so naturally, he would be surprised.

"I know your surname, yes, but I do not know your given name." she replied with a light, if somewhat coy smile. "But fine, My name is Arya. Or Lady Summers, if you will." she replied by way of introduction, sipping her scotch and smiling lightly. She knew that she must hardly seem like lady at times, based on the way she carried herself, the way she spoke, her choice of drinks, the way she didn't care so much about the latest fashion but that was alright by her. She wasn't always a lady in action, but she never had been. She'd never wanted to be a lady, even as a girl. She was such in title only, and she didn't particularly care if he or anyone else approved.

She supposed it may not generally be wise to give your name to someone you've only just met, and one who is less than human at that. But it would be rude not to. After all, regardless of his reasons, or the fact that she could have handled the man on her own, he had saved her the time and trouble of dealing with him. "Ah, yes. Well, troublesome though he may have been, I didn't need saving. But thank you for saving me some time, nonetheless." she smiled, a casual yet somehow enigmatic smile playing across his lips as she spoke.

Arya tipped her glass slightly in response to his gesture, smiling lightly as she did. "Yes, I suppose you would be. Although, I would argue that where I should or should not be is not really yours to decide. But that is neither here nor there." she added with another polite, somewhat playful smile before sipping her drink, eyeing him over the rim of the glass. "Well, it is nice to meet you, then." she replied once he gave his name. She chuckled, a soft, light, and airy sound, tipping her glass once more. "Perhaps." She smiled lightly, the light in her eyes dancing slightly, but in no way giving away whether or not she truly cared to earn such a privilege, as he called it.

She laughed lightly, bright and airy, at his latter words. "Mmmm. Well, assuming that said dangers were indeed untold and your motivation was purely out of the goodness of your heart, then I might owe you something of an apology. Unfortunately, it is against my code to apologize, so you may just have to settle for a feigned admission that an apology may perhaps be warranted." she replied with a somewhat kittenish, yet somehow innocent smile.

"You will have to forgive me. I do so hope that my words didn't wound you. After all, that is hardly the proper way to act on our first outing, or whatever it is that the kids call it these days." she added with playful innocence as she sipped her drink once more and replaced it on the table, leaning back ever so slightly in her chair. Never mind the fact that under any normal circumstances the wounding would be much more likely and much more real.

She certainly wasn't about to admit it, but she was rather enjoying herself. She generally avoided spending too much time with people, but she didn't mind his company thus far, and she was enjoying their conversation, or banter, as it were. The way the condensation hung on the window and the thick layer of darkness covered the streets made the outside world almost invisible. This coupled with the divider served to separate them from everyone else, as though they were in their own little world. This didn't bother her as she might have thought it would have.

"So, do you make a habit of saving women and bringing them to places like this? Or am I just special?" she questioned, though it was more of a playful question than a serious one. She didn't believe for a second that she was special to him. Why would she be? Intriguing and decent company, perhaps, but nothing more. It was a joke, playful banter, nothing more.

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Arya smiled lightly to his response. She couldn't say it surprised her. After all, he was right, it wasn't common to find someone like her in a place like that. Most women you'd find in places like that were not the sort she generally associated herself with. She might get information from them at times, but that was typically the extent of their interaction. "Fair enough." She responded with a light smile.

She finished her glass just before Hodge appeared to refill them. She gave him a smile and then took a sip of the liquid before replacing it on the table. A silence fell for a moment as Victor appeared to be contemplating something and Arya didn't bother to fill the silence. Silence didn't bother her. She'd grown rather accustomed to it. It was certain better than some other sounds she had be unfortunate enough to hear over the years.

She'd spent most of her childhood bouncing around in group homes, orphanages, foster homes, and sometimes living on the street, until she was old enough to get a job that paid decent enough that she could survive on her own, and eventually reach the age where she would legally inherit everything that had been left to her by her family. She was a lady by title, but she'd been a small child she had family was killed. She'd never truly known the life of a lady. She didn't have a mother to teach her, she hadn't even had an aunt or a grandmother. Those she interacted with on the streets, in orphanages and group homes were hardly good examples. She'd taught herself as she grew older and learned by observing those of status, those she interacted with at work, those she passed in the streets, or talked with at parties.

She could carry herself like a lady, dress like a lady, talk like a lady, and behave like a lady should she choose to, and she did so in many situations. Given, however, that he had caught her in a situation where this was not the case, she didn't bother to change her behavior. She still sat like a lady, she still had an air of grace and elegance, but her clothes were nothing special and she had run into him in an alley while she was planning to confront a vampire who was tailing her, so whatever aspects of her behavior might be ladylike were overshadowed by these things.

She was snapped from her thoughts when he spoke again and she chuckled lightly. "I do seem to spend a great deal of time being tailed by strange men. Occasionally women, too." She replied with her usual nonchalance and a somewhat playful smile. "But given that such things are hardly within my control, and certainly not my own actions, I would not say that it is how I spend my time. It's more like slightly irritating background noise. I do plenty other things. I work for example." She didn't tell him what she did, but then, she had both a real profession and one which was done in secret, on her own time.

There it was. The mention of family. She cringed inside and found herself even more on guard, but this didn't show. "Can't say I've ever been invited to a gentleman's club." She replied, not bothering to add the word "before at the end, given that this place didn't quite seem like a gentleman's club. Then again, she'd never been in one for long, but she knew enough about them. She didn't know what this place was, really. But she would certainly try to figure it out--in the most subtle way possible, of course.

The thoughts crossed her mind in a fraction of a second and then she spoke again. "Besides. I have plenty of adventure." She smiled, light but mysterious, pausing before speaking again. "Dead people don't need reputations." She stated simply, running a finger along the lip if her glass, smiling as though it was nothing, as though it didn't matter, not letting any sadness of hesitation show for even a fraction of a second. She dared not break the facade. No. She wouldn't show weakness or sadness. Nothing beyond the mask of nonchalance.

She wondered briefly what, if anything he might know about her family. Her words hadn't been careless as they might have seemed, nor had she given her name carelessly. She wanted to see his reaction, to see if he knew anything about the Summers family. She needed answers, and this was a calculated risk. There was a chance that if he did know who she was, he might try something, but there was also a chance he wouldn't. It was a chance she had to take to try to find some answers.

"And what do you spend your time doing? Besides lurking in alleyways, smoking, and rescuing ladies?" She asked casually, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly as she spoke.

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He gave her even less information than she had given him. Not that this was entirely surprising. If anything, it was likely surprising that she had given what little information she had given. But it was a calculated move, and one that was apparently paying off. Although, he was quite certain that she was lying about her identity. She supposed that, in and of itself, wasn't entirely surprising, either. And whether or not it was meant to, all of this gave her useful information.

She smiled lightly, calmly as he spoke. "Yes, well, I'm nothing if not honest." she replied honestly, picking up her glass and sipping her drink. "Of course, I'm hardly the most open person, so I suppose that I can see why you might think that. However, there is a big difference between being guarded and being dishonest. I will keep my secrets to myself, but if I do let you in on something, you can always be certain that it is the truth. Although, I suppose you have no real reason to believe me." she shrugged casually, as though it were no big deal.

"Yes, they do indeed." she agreed with a nod. She watched as the smile disappeared from his face, but her expression remained the same, calm, relaxed, nonchalant. She smiled lightly to his serious words. "To be quite frank, darling, what you believe or don't believe is irrelevant." she replied, her eyes staring into his for a moment before she sipped her drink once more. "But it does serve to tell me two things. First, you don't know half as much about what happened as I might have hoped. And second, you weren't involved. Otherwise you would have known that there was, in fact, a survivor. A small girl, no more than eight at the time, hidden away. The last gift her mother would give her. Or curse, perhaps, considering that she would spend the foreseeable future hunted as if she were some prized buck." Her expression remained the same as it had as she swirled the liquid in her glass, her eyes staring down at the liquid as though it held all the answers to all the questions that had filled her mind for years.

She glanced back up to him after a moment and smiled lightly, but the smile faltered, and for a brief second the nonchalance disappeared from her face and was replaced but a hint of sadness, and a glint in her eyes that told that she'd given up on hope a long time ago. The momentary break in her facade was quickly replaced by her usual air of nonchalance. "At any rate, who I am doesn't matter. It doesn't appear that you have the answers I'm looking for, although I could be mistaken. If you can't help me, then it doesn't matter if you know who I am, or believe me when I tell you that I am, in fact, Arya Summers." she continued on before falling silent for a brief moment.

She could tell he was thinking, perhaps torn between not wanting to believe her yet still being somehow curious, but she couldn't say for sure. Whatever it was, she supposed it didn't matter. Unless he, for some crazy, unknown reason--curiosity, maybe--decided to help her find her answers, then it didn't matter what he thought. But of course, if he didn't even believe her, he definitely wasn't going to help her. But she hadn't expected that he would, so it was neither here nor there, really. Though, admittedly, it would be nice to have some answers, even if it meant accepting help from someone like him.

"I suppose I can't fault you for not believing me. Many believe that every member of the Summers family is gone, and you have no real proof that I am who I say I am, nor can I really provide you any. Not at this juncture, at any rate. No offense, but I can't very well trust a stranger with all of my deepest, darkest secrets, now can I?" she added with a light smile. "Would you humor me, for a moment?" she asked, tilting her head and giving him an innocent and charming smile. She waited a moment for him to agree before she spoke again. "Just imagine for a moment that it was your family, not mine, that was slaughtered, taken from you when you were but a small child. To what lengths do you think you'd be willing to go to find some answers? To find out why they were killed? And why you continue to be hunted in secret?" she asked, her eyes staring into his, allowing them to briefly convey her feelings and her need for closure, before she looked down at her drink, staring into it rather than at him, pulling her walls back up and erasing the emotion in her eyes.

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Arya didn't seem the least bit surprised or disappointed by his answer, regardless of whether or not it was. She quirked a brow slightly, intrigued, when he said that he might know someone she might have better luck asking. Someone knew of her survival, of that she was certain. If no one knew she was alive, they wouldn't continue hunting her. It could be, however, that only those who were directly involved or who were entrusted with the task of hunting her down knew of her survival, or their continued hunt for her. She was a bit hesitant, however, she nodded "Very well." She replied, pausing. "Someone knows I'm alive, but given that it seems that it isn't common knowledge, which explains why I've had no luck finding answers, I'm happy to try something different." she replied, smiling lightly before speaking again. "I wouldn't have it any other way. After all, I may have given you my name, but that was a calculated risk, which may yet pay off. I don't make a habit of giving my name out of strangers." Especially not vampires. "My name, for our purposes, will be Adrianna Grey." she picked a name figuring that he wouldn't be terribly particular about what name she used.

Arya smiled lightly when he agreed to the name before she took his hand and stood when he did. "Taking me to meet your parents already? Well, this is moving rather quickly." She was teasing and that much was obvious based on the smile and the mischievous glint in her eyes. "Yes, I am ready." She replied, somewhere between slightly nervous--at the possibility of answers rather than meeting more vampires--and excited, although this was mostly masked by her teasing and her nonchalance.

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As they entered his home, Arya carried with her an air of confidence, of grace and poise, in addition to her typical air of nonchalance. She held herself like the perfect lady, a feat that came easily and naturally, despite the difference in her manner from his first encounter with her until now. She had no need to play it off this time, but rather it seemed beneficial to her, at present, to hold herself like a lady, even if her dress was still not quite up to par with the upper class ladies, as the manner with which she carried herself might suggest.

When they entered his home and his mother spoke up, she addressed Victor rather than herself, so she allowed him to answer, introducing her to the older woman. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Arya replied as she took the seat that was offered to her. When his mother queried as to what she occupied herself with, Victor once again answered the question for her. Clever. Such an answer wasn't far from what she would have given herself. If nothing else, he was at least intelligent, she would give him that much.

She smiled lightly as his mother nodded approvingly before going on about women's education. "Absolutely. Preventing women from partaking in such knowledge is most certainly a waste of fine minds. And I do so dislike wasting things. Knowledge is meant to be shared and talent, including intelligence, is meant to be utilized. It's a shame that many do not agree." she mused, her voice light and airy, nonchalant yet carrying a hint of passion. It was a delicate art, balancing such opposing emotions as calm and passion, and yet she managed it perfectly. After all, she'd had a great deal of practice with such things.

"In the interest of knowledge sharing, I have a few questions I would like to ask you, if that's okay?" she held the same polite, confident, yet calm air to her as she made the request. "Victor mentioned that you might be able to help me with something that I'm rather stuck on with this project I'm working on for one of my classes." she began, waiting to ensure that the other woman was up for answering the questions before she continued.

"You see, I'm doing a project on the Summers family, but I'm afraid I've come to a dead end. It appears as though they all seemingly disappeared over night. From what I've read, they were all killed? But I'm afraid I was just a girl at the time, so I don't remember much about the story." she went on. "However, while I was researching in the library trying to find a topic, I stumbled upon an article related to the event. From what I read, it seems like the entire family, even distant relatives, were all killed in a single night. As if that wasn't strange enough, the body count, from what I have read, doesn't quite add up." Another pause as she rummaged through her thoughts and observed the woman for any hint of a reaction.

"It seems that the body of a single child was never found. Everyone seems to assume that she is dead, or that she was taken by whomever murdered her family, but I must admit, my curiosity has gotten the better of me." she smiled lightly, making it seems as though it were almost idle curiosity, which had subsequently led her to such a project. "There is never any official conclusion as to what happened to the girl. As such, I'm rather curious to know if someone such as yourself has any thoughts as to what might have happened to the girl. I would so love to interview her, if she is still alive. Would that not make for a great end to my project? I'm certain I would Ace it if I could get an interview from her. I'd love to know if she had any thoughts on why everything happened. After all, it isn't every day that an entire family is wiped from the face of the earth without any sort of explanation." She managed to balance a sense of reverence for the dead and a sadness for the events that occurred with a smile and a hint of curiosity.

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Arya listened closely to Mary's response, and then to the back and forth that went on. She never really got a chance to get a word in edgewise, but that didn't bother her. Of course it wasn't a conspiracy theory. But if she were a university student as she claimed, rather than the sole survivor, it may be hard to distinguish a conspiracy theory from the truth. There was often just enough truth and enough facts to make a conspiracy theory seem like the truth rather than a simple theory, however, those facts were typically taken out of contest and twisted to suit the conclusion that the one behind the theory wished to draw. At any rate, it hardly mattered, as she never even got a chance to respond to the words.

She smiled politely at the newcomer who entered the room, his father, she assumed. Victor brought his father up to speed, tossing her an apologetic glance. She gave him a smile to assure him it was fine. She didn't take it as him not seeing her as capable. And even if she had, she was used to people underestimating her, so it would hardly matter, really. At least his father had seemed more interested in the idea than his mother had. Not that he seemed to know any more than his wife, but at least he hadn't dismissed the idea.

Arya smiled when his father spoke to her, asking if she read and going on about their library before being sidetracked by the idea of a feast. She did her best not to chuckle to herself, but a smile lingered on her lips nonetheless. He was quite a character. At least he seemed pleasant enough, and certainly more enthusiastic than either his wife or his son. She found it rather quite amusing, perhaps even a bit endearing.

Her gaze shifted to his mother when she asked her to stay the night. Interesting. Of course, most people, if they knew what these people were, would turn tail and run,screaming, as far away as possible rather than stay in a house full of vampires. Truth be told, perhaps she should do the same, minus the screaming, anyways. After everything she had gone through at the hands of vampires, she shouldn't even entertain the idea. And yet she was.

She doubted they would hurt her, and given that she knew what they were and they knew pretty much nothing about her, that gave her an advantage even if they tried. And anyways, she could handle herself one way or the other. Still, was it a good idea? Perhaps not, but she was intrigued, if nothing else.

She smiled politely in response to the question, giving a small nod. "Yes, I suppose being alone on the streets at night is far from advisable for a young woman such as myself." she replied, regardless of the fact that she could handle herself well enough, her alter-ego, if you will, was nothing more than a young university student, hardly a fighter.

"I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if I stayed the night. After all, it is preferable to the potential alternative." She replied with a gentle, polite voice. It was a lie, one that came with such effortless ease. She hardly even thought about it, just like before. It came almost as naturally as the truth. Perhaps that should be a bit disconcerting.

"I wouldn't want to be a bother. But I suppose that I can stay for just one night. If you insist." she replied with a sweet smile. She glanced Victor's way, wondering what he thought of the idea. Did he want her to stay? Or did he want her to go? Perhaps he was indifferent about what she chose to do? As good as she was at reading people, he was not always the easiest to read. She supposed he had to be careful about what he allowed his face to reveal in the present situation, lest he give away more than was strictly necessary for his parents to know.

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Arya turned her attention from Mary to Victor after bidding the woman good night. He seemed a bit lost in his own thoughts, but the shadows that were cast across his features by the light of the fire at his back made it impossible to read his actual features in order to determine any more specifics. He finally spoke up after a long silence, commenting about how she must be tired and explaining that being around strangers always tired him out. On the contrary, she was still quite awake. Being around others could, at times, be draining, but the idea of finding some sort of answers brought with it a renewed sense of focus, which sent her mind into a mess of different trains of thoughts all swirling around inside of her head, making the possibility of sleep unlikely any time soon.

Still, she didn't disagree with him or give any indication of her mental state. "Of course. Thank you." She replied when he asked her to follow him and they would find her a bed. She followed him through the labyrinthine-like halls of the large house, her mind taking in every detail, memorizing the routes they took, the number of steps between one place and another, the layout, everything she could see and hear, until at last they reached a door that stood out, having a leafy green door.

She peered into the room once the door had opened. It was quite beautiful. She chuckled lightly when he joked that it wasn't much. "It'll do for the night, I suppose." She replied in the same joking manner as she followed him into the room, taking it all in before taking a seat of her own in another nearby chair.

She shook her head lightly in response to his next words. "Not at all. I've long ago given up hoping for such things." She paused, smiling lightly, which stood in contrast to the cynicism that crept into her next words. "You know what they say. Hope breeds eternal misery." she smiled before falling silent and allowing him to continue uninterrupted. She smiled softly, noting the way the tips of his ears turned pink as he explained how his curiosity had earned him a beating as a child. "Perhaps I may yet get something out of this visit. Aside from your lovely company, of course." she added the last with a smile that made it impossible to tell if she were serious or simply teasing.

"Good night." she replied in a soft, nonchalant tone as he stood and walked to the door. She glanced at the key when he tapped it. She was slightly taken aback by this. Was he actually concerned, if even a little? Curious. She didn't let the surprise show on her face, instead giving a gentle nod. "Of course." she replied with a soft voice, watching as he left before she moved to close the door and, ask he requested, lock it. Naturally, she had no intention of actually sleeping any time soon, but she would wait until everyone else was most likely asleep, or more precisely when they expected her to be asleep, before she made any sort of move.

She was far too curious to get any sort of rest right now. She was dying to explore a bit and try to find this secret room containing a mysterious stash of news articles. Still, she wouldn't allow her curiosity to cause her to act irrationally or recklessly. She supposed late night skulking in a house full of vampires wasn't exactly the most rational decision, but at least she could try to be smart about it if she were going to do something so risky. Luckily, she was used to sneaking around and hiding from vampires, so that part should be easy enough.

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Arya relaxed in the chair by the window, soaking in the moonlight for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality had only been an hour or so, before she decided that it was time to make her move. She had taken the opportunity to come up with some sort of a game plan for searching the house, utilizing the things she'd learned in her short trip up to the room. Now it was time to put that plan into action. She removed the skirt portion of her dress to allow her more freedom of movement, leaving her with trousers that had been previously hidden beneath the dress. Once she was ready, she slipped silently from the room, closing the door so gently that it made no sound and then heading down the dark hallway without so much as a single sound. Thanks to her exceptional vision and her memory of the layout, she was able to carefully make her way through the halls with ease, heading to the room she had decided would likely be the best place to start.

She made it to the first room, ensuring that there was no one in the room before opening the door and slipping in silently and beginning her search. At first glance it appeared to be nothing more than a bedroom, and Arya suspected that it was just that, another bedroom for guests, like the one she was staying in, but she had to be sure, so she proceeded to search the room as thoroughly as possible without leaving a trace. She avoided touching things if possible, and was careful not to move anything, or to at least replace it exactly as she had found it. As expected, the room contained nothing useful or interesting, so she slipped out, gently closed the door, and moved on to the next room. She proceeded to search every room on the top floor in the same manner and finding nothing. Once she was satisfied with her search of the floor, she made her way silently down the stairs, retracing their earlier steps to find the staircase and following it down to the next floor. Once on this floor she found the first door, slowly and silently opened it, and slipped into the room, gently closing the door behind her before proceeding to turn around and take a look around the room.

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Arya slipped through the halls silently, stopping when she heard the faint sound of voices. She couldn't quite make out the words, even with her sensitive hearing. She thought that one of the voices sounded like Victor, but she couldn't be sure. Just as suddenly as they had begun, the words seemed to stop and the world was, again, quiet. She frowned slightly. She didn't know what was going on, but something didn't sit right with her. All of her senses were on alert and she felt as though something bad was going to happen.

She slipped into a room when she heard the light sound of footsteps down the hall. She felt her heart beating faster, but used her breathing to calm her racing heart, at least a little. Perhaps this hadn't been the best idea. Perhaps she should go back to the room, lock herself away, and wait for morning to come. Perhaps she should run and never look back. But how could she run now? Still, it was too big of a risk to keep going now. If there were people awake and moving around, then she shouldn't be. She had to go back and wait. Answers were no good to her if she ended up dead.

She waited but a moment to ensure that no more footsteps or voices could be heard nearby and then she slowly and silently slipped from the room and made her way quickly and quietly through the hallway and back up the stairs, back to the leafy green room where she was meant to stay. As she approached the room she noticed a shadowy figure, the face somewhat hidden by the darkness that coated the halls. It was too late. Whomever the figure was, he had seen her.







Arya was relieved to find Victor, rather than someone else, standing near the door to her room. She was a bit surprised when he apparently expected someone by the name of Henry rather than her. Who was Henry? And why did he want him to leave him alone? She wondered these things but did not voice them. The look of relief in his eyes didn't match the tone in his voice as he spoke again. "I'm sorry." she looked down rather than at him. "I let my curiosity get the better of me." she paused, glancing back up at him. "I was looking for archive you mentioned before." she explained. "But then I heard voices and I got a really bad feeling. My instincts told me to return to the room, so I did." she explained. "What is going on?" she questioned, wondering about the voices she'd heard earlier, and about this Henry person.







Arya quirked a brow when he mentioned relatives. So, more vampires. Awesome. The idea sort of made her skin crawl. "So, they want to kill me, is what you're getting at. Fabulous. Just another Tuesday." She spoke more to herself than to him. Her voice was calm but more monotone and the latter words were thick with sarcasm. She was a bit surprised when he suggested that they look for the archive together. "Interesting idea." she replied thoughtfully. "Well, why the hell not." she shrugged. She was trapped in a house full of vampires, and while she couldn't say that she quite trusted him per se, he was about as close to an ally as she thought she would find here, and so far he had demonstrated more of a tendency to try to protect her from harm rather than cause her harm.

She shook her head when he asked if she had checked the basement. "No, I never made it that far. I heard voices once I made it down to the first floor, and then I got the feeling that I should come back here rather than continue on my own, so..." she explained, eyeing him somewhat curiously. Why was he helping her? Or was he helping her? Perhaps he was simply helping out of curiosity rather than a genuine desire to help. But the reason hardly mattered now. If he could help her find answers, that was good enough for the moment. Of course, if he was simply curious, she may not be able to count on him as an ally in the event that she was attacked, but that was a bridge she would have to cross when she came to it. She'd made it this far without needing an ally. If need be, she would fight them on her own, just like she always did, no matter how hard it was or how unlikely the odds may end up being.

"Alright, then. Let's go." she gestured down the hall, waiting and allowing him to take the lead, given that he was far more familiar with the house than she was and thus he'd be able to get them to their destination more quickly and with more ease than she could.



Notes: Indented parts by @Fearless Sissy <3

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