Medical City Hospital
Bright, wide lights hang from the ceiling, casting the clean and sterile surroundings with brilliant light. A reception area sits centered before the door where people can check in, or ask for directions to other areas within the hospital. Past the desk is a small hallway with elevators leading to the upper floors, and signs that point to radiology.
Two large metal doors to the left of the entrance lead outside to the ambulance loading dock. The doors are marked 'EMERGENCY ONLY' in large red letters.
Night has fallen, and the storms that threatened last evening bear fruit this. The rain comes down in fits and starts; at times hard and seemingly only seconds later, lets up to a gentle fall. This makes the hospital activity rise, if only in given areas.. areas that vampires would avoid if they didn't have the self-control necessary.
There is at least one vampire taking advantage of visiting hours, in a different part of the hospital than the Emergency Room, though he's sure that he's not the only one. Far from it— Charles, the vampire assigned by Marius, stands still, watching over the stricken Hugo. If the guardian vampire is less than thrilled over watching over a breather, there is no indication of it as Marius stands at the bedside of the man still recovering from injuries sustained.
Marius stands quietly, staring at the prone lamb, his expression deathly .. absent. He has the form of a human, but there is nothing else that suggests.. life. No twitch, no catch of breath to the lungs, nothing. His hands are in his pockets, looking the casual part, as far as a statue can.. and he searches for clues upon the man's body.
—-
Paige is coming to make her daily visit, as she's been doing since she was discharged from the hospital. She's certainly not family, but by dint of being part of the attack, and having the sympathy of the nursing staff, added to the state of the man now sleeping in a private room, Paige has had the freedom to come and go as she pleases from his room.
The rain certainly hasn't deterred her, though she does at least take a few minutes to dry herself up as best she can before she steps into the room, leaving the umbrella just inside, an automatic gesture as she steps in, pausing almost instantly as she sees the two men watching over Hugo's bed. There's a moment of confusion as she places them, but none at all as she picks up on the state of at least one of them. And after that, there's only anger. The sort born from a deep-seated protective instinct.
Her first glance, after noting the two men watching, is to look down at Hugo, still sleeping as peacefully as injuries and medication will allow. Her second is to stand to her feel height, her posture straight and tense. Ready. Or as ready as it's possible for her to be. Her body is almost fully recovered, her powers slowly replenishing, the bandage finally removed from her neck. But they hardly need to know that she's still the walking wounded, psychically at least. Her voice, at least is calm, tight, rigid with control. "Why are you here?"
—-
Marius is very much aware of the breather, first in the hall, then moving into the room. He can feel every breath, the heat that cascades off her, and can hear the rush of blood as it runs through her body with each and every beat of her heart. It rises slightly as her body tenses, and he doesn't deign to speak to answer immediately. In his own time.
A long minute passes until finally, he brings his gaze across to look at the state in which Paige is currently in.. his expression not changing a whit. There is no question what the man is. He takes in the injuries, the punctures.. all without a single flicker of muscle.
When Marius does speak, it is soft, low, and accented with a german clipped sound. "This breather was obviously mistaken."
Paige has certainly never heard the term 'breather' before, but it's certainly not difficult to parse. After all she does. And he doesn't. Nor, likely, does the man across from him. But where Paige might be angry, she's also patient. And she can wait as long as he can. At least, that's the mindset. When he finally does speak, she answers, not changing the tone of her voice. "Which breather would that me. Him, or me?" She's still standing in the doorway, though, not having made a single effort to step closer into the room.
"It had been reported to me by this one that the vampire had fled to New York before the attack. That is the first and last time I will take one at his word."
Marius' tones remain low, the words carrying easily in the quiet room. "Tell me.. what do you know of this? Speak now."
—-
"I'm afraid that I'm not inclined to give you any sort of information about anything that's happened, as I don't have any idea who you are. I have no way of knowing if you're friend, such as you can be, or foe. So no, I will not speak now until I know whom I am addressing and why you came here." She's not falling for that old trick. Who knows if these vampires are actually working for the one who attacked Hugo and herself or not.
—-
"I am no friend."
Marius looks to Charles, his expression still dead-panned, "But if I was foe, Charles would have died his final death where he stands. He has been sworn to watch over this lamb."
It doesn't take much for Marius to turn once again, his attention falling upon Paige once more. "I am here to solve a problem of Hugo's making. If you do not wish to be part of that, I can understand. Fear stands in your way."
Pulling his hand from his pocket, a half step is taken towards Hugo's head, and the blanket is moved such that the vampire can take stock of more of the injuries. "Has there been any contact?"
That question, Charles answers, "No."
"Shame."
Marius turns his crystalline cold gaze back to Paige. "Has there been any contact since?"
—-
"I am not afraid." That's said as simply and honestly as it's possible to be. There are many things Paige is afraid of. But setting her life against anyone who might wish to harm Hugo…not so much. Instinct is a powerful thing. "A vampire attacked us, as we were driving through the city. For whatever reason, cowardice or fear of retaliation, rather than attack us outright, he chose to drive a truck into the side of our car. That is what caused most of Hugo's injuries, and all of mine, save for the bite and the feeding. His decision to drag Hugo out of the car and use him as a living shield caused the rest. He attacked the officer who was in the area when he shot him in an attempt to injure him and cause him to release Hugo, and me, after I blinded him. But I have not seen him since, though his words led to me to believe that I am now his target, rather than Hugo."
—-
"He did attack 'outright'. I would call smashing a truck to a car an aggressive act," Marius corrects. "It is not strange for the target to be incapacitated before the final blow.. as long as the victim has his wits about him, the victory is still sweet."
The truck accident, then, is what caused the damage to the human, fragile body.
"He then used Hugo as a shield for flight, and the police officer shot at him.. and you attacked him as well, hoping to get him to release Hugo. Am I correct?"
Marius looks to Charles, and the pair simply.. regard each other soundlessly before Marius begins again. "In your apartment, you will find safety. When I find him, I will send word through Chloe."
—-
"I do not consider that attacking outright, though perhaps I do not know your kind so well as you do yourself. But from what I have seen of your kind, even the weakest of you could kill me where I stand, with no need to do damage to me beforehand." Yes, whatever gifts she might have, Paige is more than well aware that she is only human. "Yes, he seemed to believe that if he held Hugo in front of him, that we would not be able to attack him. I imagine he did not anticipate having to deal with a human who had the potential to damage or even kill him without needing to touch him. Or someone willing to shoot at him regardless of whether or not he was holding a hostage. The harm I did to him clearly enraged him. My gender did as well. Enough for him to threaten the lives of everyone I care about." But once Marius gives the order, Paige nods, "I have been staying at the apartment of a friend. Would I have the same safety there, or do I need to remain in my home?" It is an honest question, in her mind, "Thank you. As I told Chloe, I will not rest easy until I know that he has been eliminated."
—-
"If your friend invites the vampire in, you are helpless to do anything about it. You do not command another's residence, so I do hope for your safety that you trust them."
Her words, once the immediate information is imparted, brings him back around, and he appears as if there is some interest in them. "Tell me of this 'potential to harm or kill him' without the need to touch him." As for the police officer willing to shoot at someone holding a hostage, well, what does he care of that?
"That our weakest can kill you without thought makes no sense with your stated ability. Explain that."
—-
"He is my family. So I do trust him. But at my home I would have only myself to be accountable for. I will return there. Chloe knows where I live, so it would be easy for you to find me. I hope that I will still be able to go about my business during the day." Being human, of course, she does need food and water and other essentials. "My apologies. I mean as a human, facing even a young vampire, your strength and speed far outmatch mine. So it really would have been no contest, for someone like Hugo to be taken by the vampire who attacked us. He was still able to fly after what I did to him." As Paige hears Marius' attention, feels it in the look he gives her, she nods, not of the mind to keep secrets which might be helpful to Marius finding the vampire who attacked them. "I am a witch." As if that should explain everything. At least how a human was able to fight off a vampire.
—-
"Yes, during the day, you may continue with your life uninterrupted. If he had servants, they would have come by now." And Charles had indicated there was no trouble.
Marius acknowledges the apology as it is, correcting her speech so he can understand exactly what it is she actually means. The confession of sorts, however, does gain his attention. "A witch." Well, it doesn't explain much for Marius, other than why she thought that she could possibly go toe to toe with a vampire. False courage, undoubtedly.. but a witch? Marius' own feeling on the matter.. witches should be burned. Not something that will be broached at the moment, though.
"Which is why you believed you could do some harm to him."
—-
"Thank you," comes the answer to his affirmation that she can go about her daily life during daylight hours, Paige is used to people giving her the same look that Marius' non-look or rather, his comments convey. After all, in the world of normal humans, witches are people who dance around campfires and use witchcraft as an excuse to have tarot reading parties and burn incense. "It is why I know that I did do harm to him. The blinding was only momentary, but boiling the blood in his body until he was writing on the ground and the blood leaked out of his pores had a more substantial effect." Essentially draining him…the hard way. "That is what finally made him drop Hugo and escape while he could."
—-
Marius' eyes narrow slightly as he gains the information, of how the vampire was attacked.
"Interesting."
The vampire turns fully to the woman, his expression impassive, "You do realize that from your story, it has been stated that you had attacked him while he was simply taking what he believes is rightly his. Favours are powerful things, and by Hugo's own words, favours were exchanged as well as blood. A claim could be argued, technically. But, this vampire is being searched for."
Marius inclines his head ever so slightly and takes a step to the side to pass and exit the room. "The law could easily read that you were at fault for keeping a vampire from his own."
—-
"The vampire, regardless of whether or not he could say that he had a claim on Hugo, and I have no idea whether he does or not, because I did not know this vampire beforehand, attacked me and another innocent bystander. The blinding was done in an attempt to free Hugo, the second was after I was bitten, after he attempted to kill me by draining me of my blood. I was responding to his attack on me, and the person I was with. I was responding to his intentions, which were to do harm to Hugo, to myself and to Officer Winters. If he had simply wanted to take Hugo with him, he could simply have found Hugo when he was alone and dealt with him then. But he chose to attack him and those around him. And whatever your laws might be, if you attack me or mine, I will defend myself by whatever means necessary. You would do the same, I have no doubt." But as Marius moves to exit the room, Paige steps aside to allow him to pass unhindered.
—-
"Good evening. You will hear when he has been located."
Marius passes through the door without further comment, even to Charles, and when he makes it out to the corridor, another single step is taken before he looks as if he simply.. vanishes in a flash, disappearing from view.
