Azrael

Only Fools Walk Where Angels Fear To Tread

He could hardly disagree that in this, at least, he was near assured Raven was right. It did not exactly look like the vampires here had arrived for some sort of ridiculous speed dating night. Especially with a series of Hunters intermingled throughout the group. He had seen his own species take members of other species for partners before. Hell, he was an example of that himself and yet he'd never yet seen a vampire and Hunter relationship. At least, not a successful one. The Undead rarely choosing to take a mate outside their own species. Not that he supposed he blamed them. Being dead certainly seemed like it would put a fucking damper on most aspects of a relationship. His attention was drawn away from his own internal thoughts only by the sight of that balcony above and several other vampires who occupied it. Thay, apparently, far too great to walk amongst the rest of the rabble. The entrance to those stairs blocked by a rather decently sized individual. Just who exactly stood on that verandah remained to be seen. Azrael catching little more than a glimpse of a woman and several men. That room was quickly beginning to fill, space readily becoming at a premium, whatever the hell they were here for it seemed to be attracting a lot of damn attention. It hard took long for the first fight of the evening to break out. One vampire lunging onto the other several feet away in a hissing, clawing pile that reminded him more of cats then beings. Azrael managing to afford them both a disdainful look and yet- no one seemed to pay any attention. Fights, apparently, were not uncommon.

That near sudden collision of someone into Raven and himself readily saw the blonde Hunter react in an effort to prevent the woman falling over Raven entirely. His hands easily reached out to grasp her own arms and balance her once more. The Hunter pair left momentarily staring at one another before the recognition seemed to dawn within the woman's eyes. His disguise, evidently, not the best he'd ever come up with. Azrael managing something of a scowl at the notion of how badly it had failed before the realisation that he knew this woman too- seemed to dawn within him. In all the places he'd expected to find himself tonight, some sort of fucking livestock auction for people ad hardly been anywhere upon his list. Macy having the courtesy to provide him with the bare minimum of information and a catalog before insisting she could hardly be seen with him and disappearing into the crowd. Fucking hell. Raven's ready insistence they were 'being watched' momentarily saw his own golden gaze flicker down to the wolf at his side before the Hunter near pivoted in place to meet the gaze off a small group of vampires standing several feet away.

"Can I help you?"

Those very words were nothing short of....terse. His voice a veritable growl. Those vampires seeming to waver for several moments on whether or not they wanted to argue back before one of them flicked their hand towards him as if brushing off a piece of dust and returned to his conversation. Azrael a decidedly....temperamental creature at the best of times. His frustration and aggression over the very existence of this place at all perhaps beginning to chip away at his demeanor already. That hair on Raven's scruff having risen in her own response to that vampiric attention. Azrael reaching to smooth those bristles almost automatically.

"Let them bloody look then. What are they going to do? Yell at me? We're already in hell. We can't go much lower. I suppose though I could attract....less attention to us."

Those final words were near a muttered grunt. As if the Hunter could hardly decide whether he might prefer to fight them. That notion, he supposed, rather.....ambitious considering how desperately outnumbered he was and with Raven to defend in turn should those vampires decided to find them disagreeable. This would need to be a strictly.....information gathering mission. Maybe he could film part of it, or take photographs or something. Anything to bring back to the Council to convince the others to let him bring a veritable army back here next month- or however often it ran. Raven, in the least, might provide a credible witness. His consideration of the wolf prompting him to offer that insistence she stayed beside him. He hardly needed her getting abducted. Serafina would never let him hear the bloody end of it. Most of the crowd, for now, seemed to be heading deeper into that warehouse and beneath it. Azrael content enough to follow if only for the sake of blending in and catching sight of the poor fools about to hit that auction table. Maybe they could help one or two of them and yet he hardly liked his chances. Azrael, in that moment, oblivious to the vampire child that had reached for Raven. The Hunter strolling further forward into that crowd- at least until that cry of alarm from Raven herself saw him pivot. That flash off his own affinity seeing him return near instantly to the wolfs side, his hand batting the child's away.

"Keep your hands off the......merchandise."

That seemed like something you'd call a pet at this sort of place right? Merchandise? He could hear that low growl in Raven's throat. The wolf hardly appearing impressed. Not that he found he blamed her in any sense. The vampire child affording him a baleful look before reluctantly moving away. Only for an older vampire to approach with that offer to buy Raven from him. If only for her colourful coat. That very idea he could be on 'easy street' from that sale prompting the lift of one eye. The faintest touch of amusement finding his features then as his shoulders shrugged.

"I dunno, ten dollars probably won't do a lot for me."

That vampire merely blinked, his mind evidently slower to catch on to that very joke that Raven was worth no more than ten dollars. That look of surprise quickly rearranged into a grin of sorts as if evidently deciding Azrael was th sort of man he could have a joke with. Oh, how wrong he was.

"I'd give you more than ten dollars for her. How about.....a thousand?"

Hmm. Now he really was trying to short change him. Azrael pretending to mull over that decision for a few moments. One hand lifting to run through his hair.

"I think I could get at least five thousand."
"How about three?"
"How about ten?"
"What, mate, you cant raise your offer."
"Yeah, I can."
"Three thousand is the best offer I'm giving you."
"Well now i want thirty."
"You can just fuck off."
"So can you. Look how we negotiated that."

That veritable hiss from the vampire saw several more turn to face them. Azrael hardly flinching in the wake off that clear agitation. The man reaching down to grab the child and drag it along with them. Azrael content to scowl at the pair as they left. Several words muttered beneath his breath before he gestured toward Raven to follow once more. Foul creatures the lot of them. It was only once that wolf was at his side once more that Azrael begun to head towards that back door that lead down beneath the warehouse.His voice low once more and for Raven alone.

"I wouldn't have actually sold you, you know? Sera would fucking shoot me. Maybe if I could get a million for you..."

That soft snort of amusement left him once more. Azrael, it seemed, making a near desperate effort to find something....amusing in that otherwise rather oppressive place. That ramp that led down into that....dungeon, he supposed you'd call it, was poorly lit. vampires, he supposed, saw well in the dark. That entire underground section near akin to an underground parking lot in size. Those dim light glowing from every pillar and illuminating row upon row upon row of cages. Each one numbered. Each one holding a single occupant with that information sheet stuck to the outside. Most of those beings appeared terrified. Several were curled up as far from the vampires as they could, one or two looked......unhealthy. Several more had injuries. At least three were children. The youngest looked no more than four years old. Those words uttered from his lips now in near disbelief.

"Jesus christ."

Those vampires milled around the cages. Chatting as if oblivious to the people within them. Several others haggled with what he could only presume were dealers over prices. A number of those vampires wore company shirts with logos. The blue moon from Blue Moon Lagoon, the train with the skull for an engine rom Night Train, the bloodied cats paw from Syn. Buyers agents, he supposed, for those large bars and big money Macy had mentioned. Someone in a Syn short shoved roughly past his shoulder then. Azrael eyeing the vampire. His own features shifted into a look of surprise at the vampires mismatched eyes before he disappeared into the crowd. Apparently standing still in this place was a crime. Azrael's jaw set in hard line as he stepped forward to walk down that nearest walkway.

"Where the hell do they get them all from? Who gets them? Try not to make eye contact it's....easier if you don't look."