<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">The hunter moved over to the porch, taking a seat on one of the steps. Like the post she leaned against it creaked under his weight, the shabby structure seeming to groan in protest. While she didn’t disapprove of his spewing vulgarities, an act he seemed to regret, it appeared that it wasn’t his only terrible habit. He reached into his pocket and produced a carton of cigarettes, lighting it to take a long draw. The nicotine eased him, and though she was averse to the scent she hoped that whatever relaxation it granted him was enough to make him cooperative. That hope was slightly dashed when he raised a finger to her slew of questions, the interrogation masking as curiosity. He was sharp, not entirely giving in as he mentioned her lack of gratitude and asked if she was a cop. Laughter escaped her, a lovely little bout of sound that didn’t last long, cut short by her desire to maintain her composure. “I am a cop of sorts, among many other things.” She responded, denying herself the urge to go through the list of professions she often impersonated in order to get information. Fortunately, she didn’t have to go to such lengths at the moment.<br/>
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Ava listened while he spoke of the Coven he had been tracking. For months he had been targeting its leader, a monumental task. It wasn’t easy to take out the leader of any supernatural group, a Coven no less. They surrounded themselves with powerful underlings, often content to do their dirty work from the shadows rather than sully their hands. He was but one man, making the endeavor sound like an invitation for suicide. While she would not discount the resourcefulness of mortal man, she was not ignorant to or too proud to admit the power of supernaturals. Vampires were face and strong, and their ability to heal and grow their numbers made them challenging to hunt. Still, the fact that he had managed to track them as well as he did was impressive. And while he may not have been as sophisticated in combat he held his own. There was something to be said about raw talent like that, things that she would keep to herself for now. <br/>
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He flicked his cigarette and finished explaining, expressing his thoughts as he rose to his feet finally. Though he sounded defeated and deflated before at his missed opportunity he sounded accusatory. She could see the anger glint in his blue eyes. It made her defensive, the implication that she had ruined his plot for revenge almost offensive. Had she taken her own emotions out of it she would have realized he was somewhat correct, that the coincidence had resulted in his target leaving prematurely. <br/>
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“I’m not really liking what you’re insinuating.” Ava said, easing off the wooden pillar to square her body toward him. “If you had planned, prepared, and accounted for any scenario other than you getting to kill your target a disruption like that might have proved more fruitful than a bunch of dead shifters. Even if that woman hadn’t screamed her head off, you would have been outnumbered-- and did you even see your target? Who knows who was in that car? It could have been the fucking Pope.” She stomped down the steps, ready to storm off with her feathers ruffled. It was rare that she lost her cool, but she was more frustrated with herself than she was with the hunter-- irritated and agitated still, but projecting nonetheless. Ava was a distance away when she realized she was back to square one, her limited knowledge of who she was dealing with proving troublesome enough to make her think twice about leaving the hunter. <br/>
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With an exasperated sigh she paused, her gloved hands going to her temples. For a moment she massaged them, before turning around. “Listen, I . . . I see what you mean. My part in your target getting spooked is my fault. But, I meant what I said.” She pointed a finger at him, jutting it for emphasis. “You’re one person. There should have been more to your plan than aim and shoot. I need to know more information about this Coven, and you have it. Maybe if we work together on this, we can both get what we want.” Ava let her offer hang between them, waiting for him to respond. </span>