Shut Up And Dance

Jericho Thoughts:
8-14-21
 
Alright, let’s get to it.
 
After a quick search on where the hell we were off to we figured it would be best to backtrack to grab our car to make the 20 or so mile jaunt. We drive past the location all smooth criminal like but don’t see anything amiss. Time to make contact, I had this elaborate as hell plan but Rufus just up and knocked on the door. Jude popped his curly head out and ushered us all in. I guess that was a little less complicated than my plan.
 
He gave us the rub:
Being hunted by a slick shit killer
Acquaintance tipped him off
We had to stop the “Shrike” before she struck
Plop a stake through her heart and everything would be hunky dory
 
Easy? Right?
 
Well that coward wasn’t willing to be bait and he didn’t really have anything for us to go off of. The fuck boi even said “aReN’T YoU SUPposED to Be ThE MAstER HuNTERs?!?”.... What a fuck.
Anyway, we get a plan brewing where I get to be bait (yay) that will show that coward what for. I don some of his accoutremon and I’m about to head out before I realize it could be much more convincing if I have one of his friends with him. He reluctantly agrees and phones a friend. From the snippets I hear it looks like I’m gonna owe her a drink. Fine by me. I love drinking.
 
Just before Vlad and I head to the clandestine meeting we get a Sacred Hunt ritual going to make things a little more interesting. And we are off.
 
At the Jazz club I’m dumbstruck when Lauren walks into the place and sits with little ol’ me. She’s quite charming, much more than that fuck boi (maybe I have to stop calling him that after setting me up with this date). We get to talking, exchanging stories, gossip and discussing each other’s talents.
 
After a couple hours we part ways and I go try to get jumped. After the hair on the back of my neck stands up I lead my possible tail back to the pack and sure enough, thats when she makes herself known.
 
I’m surrounded by inky blackness, like nothing I’ve ever seen before and I take a defensive posture before running the last few houses down to Jude’s. Just as I make it out of the cloud I hear a voice behind me "So the rumors are true, there are dogs in the city again."
 
Well… I’ve been had, but I got her close enough. Time to get her talking. I turned around cool as a cucumber and lowered the hood to get a good look at her… only.. I couldn’t find the devil, only noticed there was this similar inky smudge near a copse of trees. Probably the target in any case.
 
I stall long enough for the rest of the pack to come out and practically surround her before I play my hand. This conversation wasn’t going anywhere it was like trying to talk Rufus out of a brawl. So I ask about her other name “IX”. She didn’t like me probing into her personal life like that and she told me so with a shadow dagger thrown hilt deep into my leg.
 
With that the pack pounced (closed? Is pounced too catlike?) I didn’t partake in the fight, my job was done here so I’ll skip the boring part. She was a whirling dervish, the pups had a hard time hitting her, nearly like the fated bar fight of 2020. They had to resort to War Form and burning every ounce of strength they had. Luckily. They had enough.
 
With her down for the count she was unceremoniously plopped onto Jude’s couch and he asked us to put a stake in her. After a hell of a time they got it done. I thought that was the end of it but Rufus was hungry. Rufus wanted more. This brute bastard said we were only tasked with stopping her and if he wanted to keep her then he was gonna have to pay extra. I guess that’s why I’m the negotiator. Well, Jude either didn’t want to say no to 5 werewolves an arm’s length away or he actually did like Rufus’ moxie, cause he agreed.
 
That’s where the night ended for ol’ Phantom X. But that blow got my blood pumping (Is that why Rufus is always so tense? Ready to spring and lash at anything?). I couldn’t stop thinking of that blonde with legs up to her armpits (enticing right?). So I shoot her a message and see if she’s still available for that drink….