High Society

[Avenger Assembled]

We've discussed you judging me, came Jack's firm mental reply. He turned out to be fairly talented at juggling mental and social conversations, flirting delicately with a petite blonde in the corner while he and Elena "spoke." Unconscious, you say? Unbidden, a fairly clear image of the not-hugely-successful interrogation of Vulture came into his mind. Unconsciousness is not within the powers of that particular strain of undead. The exanimate body cannot be shut down. As for restraint, we shall see.

[N/A]

I'll meet you downstairs. Outside, the alley behind this building. Away from prying eyes and innocent bystanders. We'll stage the scene. Cut me open and splash enough of my blood around to make it look convincing. Then I'll hide. You lure your man down there, I'll make the necessary "adjustments," and he'll remember that he helped you shove my body in the dumpster after you killed me. Well, not "me," but rather, a fictional construct of a person who never actually existed.

[Avenger Assembled]

Right. Jack checked his watch, smooth as a criminal, and pecked the blonde on the cheek as they parted ways. Meet you down there, he thought, disappearing out of the party with a smooth, graceful economy of motion.

[Dr Archeville]

I think she's stopped paying attention to us. We could just slip out the-

We're not leaving.

Archeville stayed by Elena's side, but stood, and smiled and shook hands with any who came by. "Guten abend... good evening... hello, hello... lovely party, yes... must get the name of the caterer... oh, yes, quite busy; and you?"

[N/A]

"... good evening... hello, hello... lovely party, yes..."

Elena's ears perked up, and she did a double-take toward The Good Doctor. "Oh. Right. I'm sorry, Viktor. Something's come up. I have to go." She stood up, and hugged him. "But it was great to see you again."

I'm not going to be able to come back up after. Not without having to explain the fresh new cut on my arm.

[Dr Archeville]

Oh... um, can we be of any help?

I'd be glad to do the cutting!

Shut up!

Archeville returned Elena's hug, "Ach, of course, of course, you are qvite de busy bee. Do take care, liepshin; ve'll talk more about dose, er, business matters later." He soon turned back to the other guests who had surrounded him, "now, vhere was I? Ah, yes: I had been t'rown out de vindow. Well, fortunately for me mein assailant did not know dat I had arranged for...."

[Avenger Assembled]

Downstairs, Jack took a few moments to patrol the alley, keeping a close eye out for any potential snoopers in the windows or in the corners. Once he had a safe place by the dumpster, he kept his body still and his mind quiet as he waited for Scarab to come knocking. Well, not entirely quiet. He hoped she wouldn't object to him not actually biting her this time; he could do the "damage" with the claws he rarely used. He liked Elena fine and all, but that had been pretty nasty.

[N/A]

Elena fought her way through the crowd. She was stopped frequently by one socialite or another, and she struggled to strike a balance between politeness and brevity. Eventually, she made her way out of the ballroom and downstairs to the alley. Once outside, she also took a few moments to examine her surroundings, making sure they had no unwelcome observers. When Jack first approached her, she closed her mouth and put her finger to her lips. A moment.

Satisfied, she nodded to Jack. Do you happen to have a razor on you, or do we have to improvise?

[Avenger Assembled]

I haven't needed to shave in three years. When he was very, very sure that no one was watching, Jack extended his hand, the fingers there lengthening and sharpening out into long, malevolent claws. The transformation of his right hand looked like something from a cheap 80s horror movie, but was driven by a wicked necromancy entirely real. I can do this precisely if you hold still. Are you ready?

[N/A]

Elena raised an eyebrow when Jack popped his claws. "...That's new. You're just full of surprises tonight, Jack."

Elena brought her right forearm up to her mouth, and clamped her teeth down on a big chunk of flesh. Then she offered her left arm to Jack and nodded. I'm as ready as I'm going to get. Go long, not deep - a shallow cut will bleed plenty.

[Avenger Assembled]

Yes, Jack agreed. Part of him wanted to ask Elena if she really thought he had no idea how to bleed someone. Or something. But he didn't like those memories, especially not in the presence of his friend who had trusted him. They are a gesture of trust. Whatever arguments we've had, I know you've always... He slashed her on the arm, a finger-claw cutting a long slash along Elena's left arm from wrist to elbow, blood pooling down her arm. ...trusted me. He waited a moment for Elena to compose herself, almost licking the back of his hand before he remembered the nasty taste of Elena's blood.

[N/A]

Elena's eyes bugged out. She bit down on her other arm, hard enough to draw a tiny bit of blood. Her own flesh muffled her half-scream, half-growl. Fair enough. I honestly forget that this is a day-to-day occurrence for you. I can only imagine the level of restraint necessary for you to just stand there in the face of this. She whipped her arm toward Jack a few times, spraying him with cast-off blood. As the flow would begin to slow down, she'd periodically squeeze her arm like a giant tube of toothpaste, harvesting more of her own fluid. She painted the alley red.

[Avenger Assembled]

Better you don't know. The thought was a red-edged one. Even burning, painful blood was still blood, and there certainly was a lot of it scattered around right now. He tried to tell himself that it was just red-hot sauce, but the memories of old hungers didn't help matters nearly as much as he might have hoped. When it was done, when Elena's blood was all over the floor, Jack took a step back. "What a terrible party," he said distinctly. "All right. All right, I'll get Dave down here. You...make yourself scarce."

[N/A]

Elena nodded, then vanished from Jack's sight. She was there, then he blinked, and she was gone.

She floated up a few stories and perched on a fire escape. Crouching down, she watched and listened intently. As she waited for Jack's "friend" to show himself, she pulled some gauze and medical tape out of her purse and wrapped her arm up. It wasn't an easy job to do one-handed, but she managed.

At least I had the foresight to raid the first-aid kit on my way down here. And to wear a red dress tonight.

[Avenger Assembled]

When the deed was done and Elena was concealed, Jack neatly took out his cell phone and dialed Dave's number. "Dave. Gonna do the deed. Come down here." He spoke in English for Elena's benefit, pitching his voice loud enough for her to hear. Dave, no dummy, didn't respond. Both men hung up, Jack neatly placing his cellphone back into his pocket. He had blood on his hands, but he was experienced at dealing with that. A few minutes later, the kitchen doors opened, and the furtive figure of Dave emerged. His mind was surprisingly strong, but no match for Scarab's mental powers.

[N/A]

Only a few seconds had passed since Dave stepped through those doors, but in his mind, it had been several minutes. Several minutes of helping Jack tear the unfortunate imaginary telepath limb from limb. Of stuffing her parts into garbage bags and shoving them down to the bottom of the dumpster. He remembered Jack saying that the "sanitation engineers" would be here at sunrise to haul this all away, that she'd be in a landfill before anyone even noticed she was missing.

Elena projected the same story into Jack's mind, but not with the same force. Instead of dragging an eraser across his brain and scrawling on it with a pen, it felt more like she was showing him a movie on a projector.

Now that he thinks the deed is done, send him away, so we can go back inside.

[Avenger Assembled]

Through the link she'd established with him, Jack provided a few details to make the experience more convincing; the feel of soft flesh giving way before claws and teeth, the sharp smell of blood in the air to a vampire's senses, the orgasmically sweet way it tasted sliding down the throats of the dead. When the deed was done and Dave was licking imaginary blood off his lips, Jack told him with a wicked smile, "Go home, Dave. Tell Melinda what we did. I'll finish up here." Dave nodded at that, a satisfied look in his eye, and parted ways with Jack, licking his hands and face clean before heading back and away from the party. Alone in the alley, or so it appeared to anyone else, Jack stood by himself, looking down at hands still tainted with traces of Scarab-blood. What the hell; he licked a few times, wincing at the taste.

[N/A]

Elena flinched as she watched Jack lick her blood off his hands. Charming, Jack.

Then her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth hung open incredulously when he winced at the taste. Wait - what's wrong with my blood?! Wait - why do I care?

Elena shook her head, then floated down to the ground. She pulled the door open, took his arm, and grinned. "Well, shall we dance? Though I should probably grab some more hourderves first. I'm a bit lightheaded."

[Dr Archeville]

You're right this isn't so bad.

That's because you've been ogling that woman... and that woman... and that woman....

Don't forget those two!

... I do hope Elena's alright.

"... die Flipperwaldt gersput!" A few of the people around Archeville were in tears laughing, while a few were feigning polite laughter, and others were just scratching their heads.

[Avenger Assembled]

Jack hesitated a fraction of a second before taking her arm. "Yes," he said cordially, "let's. You'll find I can be good company." He was flirting, he realized after a moment, an automatic reflex with an even vaguely-attractive woman in an uncomfortable situation. "And you can introduce me to your charming friend," he added, "the one with the wonderful toys."

[N/A]

Elena and Jack walked back into the party. Her right arm hung on Jack's left, leaving her left arm fully exposed. The fresh bandage wrapped around her forearm drew even more attention than her outfit. Various socialites whispered out of the corners of their mouths as they stared out of the corners of their eyes.

Elena led Jack up to Archeville's corner. She waited until the conclusion of his latest anecdote before cutting past his hangers-on. She tapped Archeville on the back of his shoulder, and caught him up in a hug as he turned around. "Hello again, Viktor. Sorry about that." She then stepped back, opening up space between her two comrades. "You two really should get acquainted. Jack Faretti, this is Doctor Viktor Archeville."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Charmed, I'm sure," replied Jack with a warm smile, shaking Viktor's hand in a strong grip belying his narrow fingers. "Any friend of Elena's is a friend of mine. Where do you get your wonderful toys?" he asked with a perfect laugh, smiling as he looked the other man over approvingly.

[Dr Archeville]

Stay away from our appetizers!

I'm sure he's not going to take anything from us.

He... he looks like Rudolph Valentino! He'll take our women!

'Our' women? I think you are very, very mistaken on some things.

"I made dem meinself!" he said with a smile. "My, dat's quite de grip you haff dere, Herr Faretti. Are you a craftsman by trade?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Oh, I like to think I'm a man of my hands." Jack laughed again. Wonder what he...nah. Probably not safe. Though smart and handsome is usually a good sign... "But nothing like you, I might add!" he added with a rueful smile on his face. "I mean, I've seen people like Daedalus or Dr. Atom on television, but not many people I know just fly in the window using equipment they've built themselves. I think you quite stole the show."

[Dr Archeville]

Hrm... he shows deference. We shall let him live.

As if anything else is even an option.

"Oh, now I vouldn't say dat". Hs smile became more of a smirk, "I vould say mein entrance und mein stories are vhat let me steal de show!"