Meeting Up Again

Who: Harlow and Renaud
Where: Streets
When: Night

Harlow lived for this. The scales were ridiculously tipped and that was her cue to get started. She’d loaded herself up with ammunition, pistol in the back of her ripped jeans, knives scattered here and there along her person, brass knuckles already on one hand as the other held her cigarette to her mouth. Time to do some real research, some real work for the first time in what seemed like forever. And although the town was collectively freaking out and people were scattering around her, Harlow was grinning as she walked down the street.

Renaud wasn’t as amused. He’d run into trouble and had to shoot it which just put him in a bad mood in the end. It wasn’t helping it his hunting for his own food source either. He wasn’t expecting to run into anyone, least of all Harlow, which almost had him turning back. “Where are you going rambo?”

Harlow wasn't expecting to see Renaud but the voice she knew anywhere and it had her stopping, watching him. How did she feel about this? She was seeing him for the first time in...a very long time and it left her slightly speechless for a moment. Exhaling, she took her cigarette out of her mouth, watching him still. "If it's the end of the world, where do you think I'd be?"

He looked her over and shrugged one shoulder. “Saving humans? Or blowing them up? I’m not really sure which one is your style these days.”

"Trying to fix the balance," She said seriously, looking at him as she tilted her head a little. "But the correct answer is 'in the thick of things'. Where are you going?" How strangely...normal this conversation was. Was this the way people acted, civil to each other, after they'd stopped...whatever she and Renaud had had?

“In the thick of things does seem like a valid guess,” Renaud said with a sneer. “So this is your doing? To shake things up a little, see where they fall?” He was hoping it was her doing, her going soft was a little sad.

"My doing is to fix the karmic scale, not disrupt it.," Harlow said, looking back at the sidewalk as someone screamed again and ran past them. "You still didn't answer my question, Renaud. Where are you headed to?" There was a time where this would have been something she had done, but not anymore.

Renaud watched someone pass and considered following, but then she was speaking again and he turned back less than amused. “I was hunting. But it seems to be a waste of time. Everyone’s either in hiding or running. I suppose I could head back to Adele’s.”

"...If you need to feed, you need to feed... I'll help." That Harlow had no problem with. While she needed to tip the scale back, it was all fairly relative. And she planned on fixing it so that whoever was in charge of this little fiasco went down, hard, so what was one passing person for Renaud? He'd take them anyway.

Renaud shrugged considering it. “Why would you want to help me hunt? It doesn’t seem to make sense.” He fixed his eyes on her then shook his head. “No I’ll go home.”

Harlow watched him for a moment, eyes narrowing. "...You don't want my help even if you need it? Fine. Go hungry and be a grumpy old man for the rest of the day. You'll need your strength and when you don't have it, you'll be thinking that you should have taken my help."

“Please don’t motivate me to shoot you. I hate using my gun unless it’s to kill that awful vampire I agreed to start a family with. You know that.” Renaud’s patience was running thin. “Fine. Find me a target.

"...Like you could." Harlow glanced around, watching the chaos ensue, and nudged her head towards a street corner still covered with bushes. "Get hidden." She said, dropping the bag of supplies she had slung across her shoulder in the safety of the bushes then fumbling around for something sleek and silver, coiled in a rope.

“I could Harlow, please don’t test me. Shooting you might actually be enjoyable.” Renaud scowled more, almost enough to show fang. “Hide. Why in the fuck would I hide?” That sounded cocky. Agnes was rubbing off on him.

"Do you want to eat, you petulant four year old, or do you want to starve for another day? Get in the bushes before I push you there myself." Harlow snapped, glaring at him. "Go, we're missing out chance." She headed to the opposite side of the sidewalk, connecting the trip wire to a street sign and quickly stretching it across the road and sidewalk, holding it firm on the other side.

Renaud’s hand went to his gun, but he wound up not shooting her, no matter how fun that might have been. Giving up he went to the bushes, dropping lower and out of sight. This was annoying and stupid, but what else could he do? It was better than being hungry. But it was worse because it was Harlow.

Harlow watched as a man, mid age, stumbled along. He was unimpressive in Harlow's eyes but would do for someone or Renaud to eat from. It would work for now. She pulled the string tighter, watching him trip over it and hit the sidewalk hard just as another eeiry sound echoed in the air.

Renaud heard the thud of the human hitting the ground and got up looked down at the victim. He’d have to do for now. It was just a matter of replenishing himself anyway. Looking back up towards the sound he made a face. “So what are they?”

Harlow stood up again, collecting her wire then packing it back in her bag. "...Not sure yet. Seems like they could be Ravagers, though, just really bad ones...judging by the state of chaos in this place." It had been her job as a Ravager to create widespread chaos so maybe they were just new demons out on a spree. Not that they weren't technically doing a great job of spreading havoc, but Harlow's ego wouldn't let her say that.

“Ravagers,” Renaud said, reaching for his prey and lifting him up a little. The man was woozy and bordering on unconscious which Renaud helped him the rest of the way to with the butt of his gun. “Weren’t you a Ravager?”

"...Surprised you remember. I was better," She said instantly, glancing around before she stood up and nudged Renaud towards the bushes again. There were too many random people here though none of them would really care about her and him, Harlow didn't need to destroy another perfectly innocent human when she was trying to fix the balance. "Could be something else, though. They might not be Ravagers. I'd be for the best if they weren't out there giving Ravagers a bad name..."

Renaud took the man out of plain site, looking back at her. “We were sleeping together Harlow, I was paying attention to you. Glad to know you didn’t expect as much.” He looped his unconscious prey’s arm over his shoulder as if he was helping not hurting. “Giving them a bad name?”

"Still just as bitter as always..." Harlow rolled her eyes at him, already rummaging through her bag again as she snubbed out the cigarette on the ground. "If they suck at what they do, they shouldn't be doing it. If they haven't attacked in some grand way by now, they don't have a plan." And they really, really should. "...Plus they came into my town and thought they'd get away with this. They're mistaken."

“Harlow, you can’t play both sides. You can’t be an agent of change who isn’t a demon and a demon. You picked not to be the demon. I told you you were better off, but you wouldn’t listen to me.” He rolled his eyes and made his way away from where they’d been.

"...Thank you for the play by play of my life..Like I forgot." Harlow withdrew a bottle of Jack Daniels, lighter still in her pocket, and stood up again. "Just eat your damn dinner." Hoisting her bag onto her back again, Harlow watched him and ended up walking after him, telling herself it was because she needed to go that way anyway. "You think that you'd stop judging someone just because you weren't doing what they were anymore? Like hell, Renaud. You're too damn judgmental to stop judging anything."

Renaud eyed the bottle. “We should have given him that before I knocked him out.” He watched her for a moment. “I wouldn’t change myself so damn drastically. You’re the one who decided a massive life turn.” He moved them to somewhere quiet, somewhere out of the view of everyone and their grandmother passing by.

“You can get over him not being drunk for one night. I wasn’t offering you my liquor, just my help.” She said, taking another swig of it for herself. While he took the man into the bushes, she found herself standing by on the sidewalk, standing guard. And wondering why in the hell she was actually doing that.

It took a few minutes for him to take what he needed, but Renaud didn’t kill the guy, just taking enough to leave him unconscious and to keep him from needing to hunt for another few days. Once he finished out the man slipped down to the ground where Renaud left him propped against a wall. Stepping out of the shadow with his hair falling in his eyes and wiping at the blood around his lips. “You’re still here.”

Harlow glanced back at him and nodded, looking him over once then back out at the street. “...Not sure why, but here I am.” If she knew why, this would be easier. Story of her life. “..How was dinner?”

“Fine enough,” he drifted closer to her, hand against the small of her back. “Did you miss me Harlow?” he asked, voice low, something darker than his normal speaking tone. He was goading her. He shouldn’t, not with Adele at home, sworn to him for life, but Harlow had walked out and teasing her was fun.

She instantly snapped, reaching back to grab his wrist with her hand as she leveled her eyes on him. "About as much as I'm sure you missed me. You can pretend, but I know for a fact that you mourned us for less than a second. Playing games with me will get you nowhere, Renaud."

That had him laughing, breaking her grip easily. “Actually I was rather miserable for a bit. And drunk. I even considered shooting Agnes. But she gave me a gift and now...well now I’m better off.”

She didn't like this. Emmit had someone, Renaud had someone, who the fuck did she have? Pissed, she took another swig of her liquor and, just to try and piss him off, dropped the bottle on the sidewalk and watched it shatter, brown liquid with it. "You're never not drunk."

Renaud made a face when she wasted good liquor like that. “True. But I was more than drunk. Beyond drunk.” He grinned, perfect smile on a perfect face and since they were alone, there was even a flash of fang with it.

A perfect face that had her scowling. "Congratulations. What do you want me to say, Renaud? You're always drunk. You're so drunk consistently that it barely means anything anymore. You're probably drunk right now. Alcohol is tired of trying to keep up with you."

“Aw come now Harlow, here I am admitting that I missed you for a moment and you’re getting defensive.” He smirked, again, running a hand through his hair. “Why did you stick around?”

"You're defenseless when you're eating," Harlow said immediately, looking back at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Why do you care why I stayed?"

“So you’re protecting me now?” he asked. “That’s new. I didn’t realized I fell under your balance clause.”

"...everyone does," She said again instantaneously. "If anyone is going to rip your throat out, it'll be me. I am merely guarding you." She re-hoisted her bag on her shoulder and stepped on her cigarette butt.

“Ahh so you are guarding me to have my death for yourself. I understand that actually.” He actually did. It was the same way he reserved Agnes’ kill for himself. “Too bad I won’t let you killl me, but I do understand that.”

"I don't plan on killing you today, Renaud." No matter how annoying he got, she had a job to do and it involved her not destroying him. "...Just like you didn't plan on shooting me."

That made him laugh again, leaning in to kiss her lightly. “Good to see you again my Phoenix,” he said softly. “Thanks for the help. Good luck with your killing.”

Harlow hated that she actually softened a little. There was still something about him that she couldn't place, that she couldn't shake, and it annoyed her. And annoyed her more because she didn't actively push him away when he kissed her. Chalking it up to surprise, she watched him, eyes studying him. "...Watch your back, Renaud. Never know where I'll be next."