The sun is shining...

[Jade]

Ruth narrowed her eyes watching the horizon. No one was on the roof-tops but her. She was supposed to be looking for Dancer- the damn girl hadn't shown up for her report. There where no silhouettes where Ruth could see them. Disgruntled, the girl growled. Mina would keep Ruth looking until she became a crumpled piece of skin under the sun. It was not a nice thought or a good thought- but those where few and far between.

[Mina Crow]

"Are you expecting Dancer to appear out of nowhere, standing there? Or did you think your skin would look better with a tan, Princess?" Mina had climbed the steps to the roof-top, wondering what was taking Princess so much. Now she was standing a bit off, arms crossed over her chest, red scarf still wrapped around her neck despite the heat. The Crow's gray eyes were no more than a narrow line, as she squinted in the sun. How she hated sunny days. The world had no right to look so peaceful and undisturbed. "Move, Princess. I told you to look for Dancer, and that's what I expect you to do."

[Jade]

Snapping her head quickly over to look at the Crow, Ruth barely suppressed a snarl. The Crow insisted that she call Ruth, "Princess". No body else had the right. Taking a breath- it was supposed to calm her down, the girl answered.

" You know as well as I do, Crow, that if I was tanned you wouldn't let me out of the basement for fear of the others seeing me. Besides, if Dancer was alive and free she'd be on the wires. The girl never ventures onto the ground. That leaves one possibility." Ruth didn't insult the Crow's intelligence by telling her what that possibility might be. She had no doubt the Crow already knew and was poking her like a three-year old might a puppy. To see what reaction she might get. Of course, that was the only similarity between the Crow and a three-year old.

[Mina Crow]

The girl had wit, no doubt. A share of sarcasm as well, but Mina ignored it as she usually did. It was not her goal to start a fight with one of her Hunters. There were few loyal to her, and she kept them carefully. That's why Dancer's absence had dragged her into the sun. One of her best scouts - and she had vanished into thin air. There was no point looking for her at Wildcats' territory. Dancer never did what she was told. Mina had assigned her to the Wildcats today, knowing she would spy on another of the tribes. That left two tribes. And the Wharf Rats - Dancer kept away from them. So, she could only have headed to Cigarettes' ground. Stupid girl. Bloody Matthew. If Seraphim touched a single one of her hairs, it would cost him dearly.

Mina adopted her cold gaze, smiling faintly. "Very good. And what do you think is that possibility, Princess?" She always put a special stress on Ruth's nickname. It might annoy her, but it kept her alert, on edge - it served its purpose.

[Jade]

This time she only had to repress a growl. She was getting better at not showing her annoyance for her nickname.

" You know the possibilities better than I do. If you don't- which I highly doubt, Crow- she is either with the Wildcat's or the Cigarettes. She doesn't go near the Wharf Rats. I can't say which I'd prefer." Ruth smiled grimly. The Wildcat's where torturers of anything that walked- if it wasn't their own tribe. And the Cigarettes had no love for the Vampires since Matthew's... killing.

[Mina Crow]

[Matthew, not Mark.]

"She's not with the Wildcats. I assigned her there today. You know how much that means to her..." Mina smirked. "It must be the Cigarettes. I don't know how Seraphim managed to catch her, but I'm not going to tolerate this. He will not imprison one of my Vampires, much less Dancer. The girl might die of suffering, not seeing the sky. She is quite capable of that." Mina's voice was calm, but inside she was fuming. That's what feeling for something or someone leads you to. Suffering. Pain. Death. Screw the world. And how can the girl enjoy this weather? Bloody sun. Unconsciously, her hands tightened on her arms. "They want revenge for Serenity, that is plain. But they won't take the Vampires down with them."

[Jade]

Ruth just nodded. She didn't know Dancer's mentality as the Crow did. The girl was to hopeful and to happy for Ruth's taste, and those things where extremely contagious. It seemed like only the Crow was immune to those diseases.

" Are we going to assassinate Seraphim? Or maybe someone he leans on... " Ruth didn't consider the possibility of simply waiting for the Cigarettes to say something. There was a reason she had no command- she couldn't see the alleys of thought that leaders needed to have memorized.

[Mina Crow]

"That would be too simple, wouldn't it, Princess?" mocked Mina, turning around, her back to the sun. Much better. "They will boast about their capture. Seraphim will want to spread news of his power and abilities, that's just like him. They probably want my head for Serenity's", she added with an icy laugh. "As if I would have attacked her. They still have much to learn. It's a pity they might not live long enough for that. We shall wait for a while. Dancer can look after herself - she has survived until now. And she can take he share of punishment with the Cigarettes. A scout is not supposed to be caught by the enemy, is she?"

[Jade]

Ruth really did stay silent this time. She wasn't going to make more a fool of herself by dutifully answering yes. So- she stayed silent for the moment, and maybe- if it was possible- the Crow would grow unsettled by the silence. That wasn't a very likely thing though.

[Mina Crow]

Mina merely smiled. Ruth couldn't see her face from where she was standing. She stood quiet for a long moment, savoring the silence, then walked to the edge of the terrace. The building's shadow crossed the street, resting on a pile of rumble where the opposing buildings had stood once. Mina rested a hand on the rail, feeling its texture. Cold, despite the sun. That's how it should always be. Her eyes stood gazing onto nothing, her mind elsewhere. "Maybe Dancer will learn the dark side of life at last. She needs it", she muttered, barely loud enough for Ruth to hear.

[Jade]

Ruth heard Mina in the way that a normal person hears a mad one talk. Which meant she hardly heard Mina speak. But, she was not done voicing her opinion.

" What if Seraphim doesn't voice that he has her? What if he controls himself? What'll we do then?" She'd spoken entirely in questions, the way a curious child might, and she despised part of herself for it. But, then again, maybe she'd keep her neck longer if she did not voice all her thoughts.

[Mina Crow]

"As it that made much difference." Mina turned around and immediately regretted it, as the sun hit her eyes. Growling, she turned her back again, speaking to the air before her. "They have her, Princess. Dancer is never late. Whether they announce it or not, we know. And the probability of Seraphim keeping control is not that high. It's Serenity we are talking of. He was her faithful hound, everyone knows that. Her death magnified all his hatred for us. He will want revenge, but Dancer is probably not enough for that. He wants to make it big. That's me who he hunts, not a random scout. She is the bait. But the bigger fish eat the smaller who venture near the bait. Our steps are shrouded in darkness, and thus they shall remain."

[Jade]

Ruth nodded. She watched the horizon for a bit longer- there was a curl of smoke coming from behind one of those pieces of rubble. Ruth frowned- because when she blinked it was gone.

Soon enough, she realized that the Crow wouldn't have seen her nod, so she grunted- it was an affimitave grunt. And just to add to the effect, she gave a dutiful " Yes, Crow." That was something Ruth always did- she didn't call the Crow by her real name, ever.

[Mina Crow]

Mina stood still for a few more moments, a hand on the rail, another on the necklace, turning it over and over.
"I think we are done here, Princess. There's no advantage on staying in the sun any longer, I guess. There are reasons for us to be known as Vampires. Sunlight is one of them. The night is safer. Come, let's go down." Away from the wretched sun. No snow here - Mina gave a slight start, breaking her line of thought before she went further into the matter. Too far, too close.

[Jade]

Once again Ruth nodded and said a dutiful " Yes, Crow." She wasn't going to question right now. She was still peering towards where that smoke had been- but it was no longer there. She sniffed- her eyes hadn't played tricks on her like that in a while.

The girl turned away from the sun and waited for her leader to go down first. She never liked to lead.

[Mina Crow]

Mina had no special liking for walking in the front of anyone - who knew when a dagger might be slipped into your back? - yet she was not going to act suspicious in front of one of her subordinates; the wolf must be a wolf on the eyes of the wolfhound even more than on his own. And, anyway, the thought of snow and what it implied had disturbed her too much to care about it. A dagger would be all it took, and then she would be reunited with her brother. If they were such things as reunions afterward. No more than vermin and ashes, that was all.

Her right hand, the one touching the necklace, was trembling visibly. Mina clenched the pendant firmly to make it stop. The pattern would be marked on her skin - who cared about it? Shrugging, she started downstairs, not caring to check if Ruth was following.

[Jade]

And, of course, Ruth followed without putting a dagger in the back of her leader. She would never put the dagger in someone's back- she would've just cleaved their head off- but in the end, someone would probably put a dagger in her back. But, she didn't like to think of that.

So, the sun blinked out, as Ruth went back to the ground, dutifully following the Crow.