Bloody Thoughts

Wren sighed and slipped into the hotel lobby, flashing a nervous smile at the man behind the desk, before scurrying past towards the stairs. She hated when she had to hunt with avians, and as it was around full moon there were more about than usual. Still, at least they were better than humans...
Wren's nose wrinkled in disgust, as she thought back to her past experiences with the so-called 'higher beings'. The one memory that stood out to her was when her own lover had turned her over to a mob hunt, and watched coldly as she burned at the stake.
...Bastards. she thought bitterly, as she stomped up the stairs. The lot of them. And their women aren't pretty.
Shouldering the backpack hanging from one arm, she dug in her jeans' pocket for her key, before unlocking the door and entering. She kicked the door shut behind her. How could she have fallen for that bastard human back in England?!
The thought still enfuriated her, even now. Wren was usually calm and quiet, but when it came to humans...they made her blood boil.

Ryland uncurled himself from the chair that he had been sitting in in a dark corner of the lobby to follow the woman who had just stormed through. His lips curled into a smirk, and he whistled to himself as he approached the door.

"Hello?" He knocked politely. "An old friend wishes to speak with you.

Wren turned, not expecting anyone - much less an 'old friend' as they claimed - to come to her so late. She hadn't noticed anyone following her, but then again she had been wrapped in thought. Chancing it, she set down her bag and walked to the door.
"Yes?" she asked as she opened it.

"Hello," Ryland grinned. "Can I come in? You look great." He added the compliment hoping it would make her feel more at ease. He knew she was still upset after a certain incident he had learned not to discuss.

Wren blinked at him in surprise before stepping to the side. "Fine." she told him quietly, suddenly wishing she'd paid more attention walking up to her room. "You weren't following me, were you?" She didn't want him to think she was accusing him. He was the leader of the clan she was a member of, after all.

Ryland held up his hands in surrender as he entered. "No, I was just in the lobby and saw you come up. His voice switched to one of concern. "I like to check up on my clan members every now and then. How are you?"

Wren hesitated. "...Fine, thank you." she replied, closing the door behind him. "And yourself? I heard you had some trouble with your mate and Carden."

"I'm letting Carden keep my mate safe for awhile. I made a deal with him that gives us free reign for as long as the bargain holds. We'll have an heir soon though." Ryland smiled. "You're the first to know."

Wren's eyebrows rose at this. "Why the honor, my lord?" she asked calmly. Experience had taught her that putting pride before power was sometimes very foolish - you could think of pride after you had power.
She smirked as the reality of Carden's deal sunk in. "I trust you won't mind if I take advantage of Carden's lapse?"

"Of course not. He'd be dreadfully embarrassed at making a deal to stay out of our affairs if I took advantage of it, right?" Ryland said in an exaggerated, dramatic voice. "We wouldn't want the protector of the city to feel foolish now would we?" He rolled his eyes. "I thought you'd like the tip off. Mike's people shouldn't be coming after you for at least a couple months."

Wren smiled to herself. "Thank you." she told him quietly. "Well, since I'll probably head out some more now, is there anything you request in return?" she asked, her tone mild.

"Hmmm," Ryland thought a moment and dug in his pocket. "Nothing big but if you see one of these two men that Carden is friends with I'd like to know. This one is called Michael Guy Chislett and the other is Adam Siska. If you don't run into them it's okay. You don't have to go looking."

Wren studied the pictures before nodding. "Of course, my lord." she replied obediently. She'd found that life in Ryland's clan was quite enjoyable, once she'd learned the rules. She simply hoped an awkward silence wouldn't settle. "Anything else?"

"Nothing else," Ryland grinned. "Just have fun." You don't make deals with vampires, Carden. I thought you of all people would have learned that by now.

Wren nodded again. "I will, don't worry. Do you want me to pass it on or would you rather wait?" she added. To be honest she felt rather proud to be told first. Wren knew there was more than enough competition.

Ryland liked Wren, and there weren't many female vampires in the clan that he had any respect for. Most of them were vain, fickle, shallow things, but Erickson had a head on her shoulders. "Feel free to tell the others at your leisure."

Wren bowed her head slightly, unaffraid of showing respect. She fleetingly wondered if some of the 'women's palce is in the kitchen' rubbish that had been plowed into her head at a young age was resurfacing, before smiling at Ryland again. "Thank you again, my lord." she hesitated, wanting to remain in his company but unsure how to phrase it. She knew she had to tread carefully with him.

Ryland shoved his hands into his pocket in what he hoped was a very casual gesture. "I've been thinking that while my mate is away we should weed out the weakest of the new recruits he brought in. They're dragging us down. What do you say?"

Wren grinned, pleased to do something other than hack into humans bank accounts for kicks. Killing those unworthy to be one of her own kind...well, it was almost as good as killing priests, in Wren's opinion.
She smiled to Ryland calmly and nodded. "I say I would love to help you." she replied.

"Good good," He grinned. "I've let our new members be babied for too long. We've got a war on our hands now so times have changed."

Wren's smile widened. "Indeed. Have you anyone in mind? I'm afraid I tend not to associate with them, pretty much for those reasons." she made a face: she disliked them almost as much as humans (possibly more for dirtying her clan) but chose to stay away until allowed to kill them. She'd enjoy this.

"No one in particular," Ryland said lazily and chuckled. "I think they're afraid of me. I do notice they usually travel in groups though."

Wren shrugged a little. "At least they have the faintest amount of logic. Fear is one form of respect, I suppose." she chuckled quietly. "As for the grouping? I personally think it just makes them an easier target for Carden."

Ryland shrugged. "True but they don't seem able to grasp the fact that they're not invincible. Looks like they need to be taught a lesson."

Wren laughed. "Yes, they do. After all, you don't survive for as long as we have like that." she pointed out. "Where to first?" she asked calmly.