<i>In a closed society, where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. </i><br/><br/>Hunter S. Thompson wrote that truth, without knowing close to it he was, and<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.interviewmagazine.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F09%2Fimg-tom-ellis_13062361932-786x1000.jpg&amp;hash=daa5a89d58f8995c6391583cae418de3" href="https://www.interviewmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/img-tom-ellis_13062361932-786x1000.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Andrew Pimms</a>had the privileged of knowing him personally. His passing from the world was a loss for all, but his work remained behind for others to find it. Unlike Andrew, he had found another way to be immortalized- through his work. Andrew Pimms was born on August 18, 1823, roughly one hundred and ninety-five years ago. His father, James Pimm, was know for creating the Liqueur Pimm's (hence the name) and it had long since passed from his families possession.....at least, on paper. Andrew Pimms, as his father's sole surviving heir, still held his grasp over the ownership of the Liqueur and likely would forever. It was the only remnant of his old life he had left.<br/><br/>How did he live this long, you might ask? Andrew Pimms was a Vampire- Specifically? He was the Lord of Naples, Florida.<br/><br/>It wasn't as if unlife was his choice- Andrew had the unfortunate happenstance to have been converted by starving and insane vampire by accident, the vampire hadn't meant for him to survive. When it was discovered that he had, and the Mad Vampire had converted someone without the Shadow Court's approval, the Mad Vampire was executed and Andrew was forced to begin his new life as a Nightstalker. The only reason the Shadow Court hadn't killed him is because he didn't display typical Newblood Insanity, which happens normally when a human is converted into a vampire without preparation and consent. Thankfully, he was well educated and versed in politics by his father and his constant exposure to the royal family, not to mention handy with wealth. It allowed him to build himself up over his almost two-centuries of unlife into a position as a Lord.<br/><br/>As a Lord, he governed Naples, Florida on order of the Shadow Council. He was to keep track of all supernatural beings that passed through, who did what, and when. He did this via the homeless and vagrants of the city. Contrary to what most people thought, Vampire's COULD survive in the sun......it was just easier to kill them. Typically, you'd need a trained hunter to kill a nightstalker, but bring them out into the sunlight they become much easier to kill. He hid among them when he wasn't maintaining his persona as a Medical Student at Hodges University. Typically, he could simply use one of the many members of the supernatural world to do his tracking, but for this particular assignment, he was taking an active hand into it.<br/><br/>Why? Because someone close to his Marked Human was murdered.<br/><br/>Blair Killion- Ah, the very name was music to his ears. Controlled, Measured, always tactically thinking and perceptive. She was an ideal woman as a human, but more to than, her blood....he could hear it, taste it, and it was<i>divine. </i>He wanted to gorge on it, suck her dry for all it was worth, but doing so would leave him hungry for more, and from what his associates had told him, she was a rare breed- There was talk she might have a valuable bloodline, so when it was revealed she was in Naples, Andrew had marked her as one for conversion. She would join them as a mistress of the night, a Vampire Lady. He needed only to establish a relationship with her and ease the idea of giving up her mortal life for one of eternal pleasure.<br/><br/>The recent murder threw a wrench in that plan- He had humans be killed by roving vampires before, it wasn't as big an issue as one might think, but this hit too close to marked territory. He knew for a fact that the woman that was killed, Alyssa Stanton, was close to Blair. It was likely SHE was the intended target, and Alyssa was a causality of war. He briefly considered using necromancers to resurrect her, but that could pose severe consequences and in all likelihood, Alyssa wouldn't be the same. It would be needlessly cruel to simply bring her back only to kill her again. But that didn't make his job any easier- Whoever killed her, it was clear from the telltale signs that it was one of his kin, but more than that- he had seen it happened.<br/><br/>He was unable to stop it, he had been on the other side of the city when it happened, but he came just as they were finishing up. Killing a human was one thing, that could be excusable, but coming near marked property was a crime, and killing a human so viciously and so publicly was punishable by death. There was no room for discussion in his mind- when he found the vampires, they would die. What worried him was how easily the media cleaned up the mess. That hinted at friends in big places- They likely were close to another Vampire Lord. If so, when he caught them and prepared to execute them, he'd likely have hell to pay from the Shadow Council. For now, he had to keep Blair safe as he tried to find these renegades, before any of the other lords came sniffing.<br/><br/>He was in the alleyway around Maggie's Diner. He looked inside, before he lifted up his head, and sniffed around- they were close. He would walk inside, wearing<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F6e%2Fd7%2F01%2F6ed7018f49ed31c73116cf4513680fbc--hobo-style-urban-fashion.jpg&amp;hash=93a2eb73b60b9d61de3873f69fe692b8" href="https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6e/d7/01/6ed7018f49ed31c73116cf4513680fbc--hobo-style-urban-fashion.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">clothes</a>that matched someone of poor upbringing, before he sat down not far from Blair, looking around outside and hearing around with rapt attention. It wasn't long before he saw someone walk up towards him, finger drumming on the table, as he spoke up. "<b>Yes?"<br/>
</b><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ffff00">To his credit, the waiter was really polite and patient. "<b>Uhm,  sir, this is a public establishment, you need to pay to eat here. If you don't have any money, I'll have to ask you to leave." </b>He said.</span><br/><br/>Andrew would reach into his coat and set down a twenty. "<b>Bring me...something, anything. Keep the change." </b>He said, the waiter taking the money and (deciding not to question it) walking off towards the kitchen. Andrew didn't want to put Blair in harms way, but the odds were not with them on this one. These blood thieves were unknown and likely had powerful friends, so they were going to be cautious. He needed to make them act rash. He had one plan that would work, but it went against every instinct in his body- If he used Blair as bait, they'd come out like maggots on a carcass. He just needed to set the stage. That required Blair's help and cooperation, and knowing how most humans acted, getting her help would be a cakewalk.<br/><br/>Andrew watched as his food was brought over- it was eggs and sausage. Now, he didn't know if he could even eat solid food anymore, but it just didn't hold the same appeal that it did was when he was human. Pulling his hat over his head to cover his eyes, he took the small fort/knife napkin roll, taking the napkin from it and writing down with a little golf pencil. He pocketed the pencil and stood up quickly, walking outside, but not before tossing the napkin down in front of Blair. If she would look inside, she saw a simple message scribbled on-<br/><br/><i>I have information for you, but you're being watched- meet me at the Abandoned Everglades Hotel, but be careful. The same people that got your friend? They're coming for you. I can help you, but you have to trust me- I've dealt with these people before.</i><br/><br/>Andrew would quickly begin making his way there. It wasn't a terrible walk there- thirty minutes at most for a human- but if those Vampires moved too quick, she would be in danger. He just hoped his presence was still warding them off. He waited inside the dilapidated lobby of the old hotel, right as one would walk in, waiting for Blair to get in, so he could enact his plan on luring these bastards out.<br/><br/>It would be a long night, no doubt.<br/><br/>@eloquent