Chapter Text
This part of the job was honestly so boring, in Denki’s opinion. But it was something he was, regrettably, very suited for. Namely, sitting at a bar that he knew was a vampire hotspot. His blood was, for reasons unknown to him, very good smelling to vampires. They just seemed to flock to him, which was a pretty dangerous thing. But… It was also useful in moments like these when he wanted the vampire to come to him. He’d been having a difficult time finding out who these bloodsuckers were, or where their nest was, but he knew that this city was housing at least a few of them. Which is what led him to this bar. Knowing that some vampires liked to hunt here was really the only lead he had.
Denki had a drink in front of him, though he was just sipping at it. He really didn’t want to get drunk here if he could avoid it. He had some more stylish clothes on than his usual hunting gear, leaving the top button of his shirt undone so his neck and the scent of his blood were exposed. For all intents and purposes, he just looked like some bored, lonely guy at the bar. When some guy came up and sat next to him, he looked over with a casual smile. “Hey there, stranger,” he greeted. He had to get a sense for if they were a human or vampire so he didn’t accidentally send away his target or kill a normal person.
The tall purple-haired man glanced at the blond man he'd sat next to, offering a slight smile on the corner of his lip. "Hello," he said, voice low and velvety, tapping the bar with a long finger, quickly being slid a glass of red liquid in a rocks glass.
Denki took note of the weird drink, but couldn't actually tell what it was without tasting it. And frankly, even he wasn't crazy enough to try and steal a sip from some stranger's drink. Especially when it might actually be a glass of human blood. "So... What brings you here this fine evening?" he asked cheerfully enough.
"Company," the purple-haired man said, keeping his answers short, taking a sip of his drink, licking the stain away as he regarded the room through the mirror behind the bottles of the bar, watching the spaces.
"Company, huh? Well, I'm happy to give you that," he said, holding his hand out to shake. "Kaminari Denki, nice to meet you," he greeted, mostly just wanting to check if this guy had cold hands. If they were warm, it could be a sign he was wasting his time.
The purple-haired man glanced at the hand, not moving to shake it, "Shinsou Hitoshi," he said, taking another sip.
Denki kept his hand out for a bit too long before reluctantly pulling it back again when it became obvious the other wasn't gonna shake it. "Ah... Well, it's nice to meet you, man!" he repeated, a bit awkwardly.
"Pleasure," Shinsou said, the small smile that was the quirk of his lip being warm despite how minuscule it was. He took his drink and turned in his seat, finger tapping on the glass as he surveyed the room. "You're a hunter." It wasn't a question.
Denki froze, turning his head to stare at Shinsou in surprise. Had he seriously figured him out that quickly? How? He was at a loss for words for a moment before some nervous laughter escaped, which probably wasn't helping him act innocent here. "What? I mean, I used to like, hunt deer with my dad when I was a kid, but I wouldn't call myself a hunter," he said, trying to cover it up with a light-hearted tone.
The smile shifted to a smirk. "I know your name, Kaminari." Shinsou said softly, finishing his glass, setting it on the bar behind him, a thin film of translucent crimson coating it.
Denki frowned. He really hadn't been aware that his name was becoming public knowledge among vampires, but he made a note to start using a fake one more often when he could...If he survived this, at least. He sighed, looking at him from the side of his eyes. "...At least don't make a scene about it, okay? Most of the people here don't know shit about this kind of stuff."
Shinsou snorted, "I'm not your threat," he said low.
"Yeah? Then who should I be worried about?" he asked, though he wasn't sure how much he could trust what this guy said.
"Not sure," Shinsou murmured, eyes scanning, "I'm as displeased as you about you having to be here."
Denki sighed, "Trust me if I could be anywhere else, I would. I really don't like playing honeypot in a den of vipers, you know?" he shook his head, pushing the rest of his drink away from himself a bit.
Shinsou hummed, snapping his fingers at the bartender, "Dihydrogen monoxide on the rocks."
"Yes, sir," The bartender said, pouring the drink and setting it on the bar for Denki, replacing his prior.
Denki raised an eyebrow, then looked at Shinsou confusedly. "...Is that just water? Did you just tell the dude the chemical name for water?" he asked incredulously.
Shinsou laughed low, "You're ruining my fun. But yes, that is just a glass of ice water. Can't have you dehydrated."
Denki rolled his eyes, though his smile betrayed that he actually did find it kind of amusing. He pulled the glass closer and took a sip, honestly enjoying the water more than the alcohol, anyway. "Aw, worrying about my health now? I'm touched."
"Unfortunately, you're handling my dirty work, think of it as an investment."
"You know I'd be doing this anyway, right?" Denki pointed out, "Don't start thinking of this as a favor to you."
"I am aware," Shinsou nodded, "I apologize you have to. Tell me the total body count you're aware of."
He sighed bitterly. "Fifteen in the past month. That I could confirm, at least. It's either a nest or a couple just gorging themselves."
Shinsou sighed, "I wasn't aware it was that high," he murmured. "I think it's the red-head," he gestured to the large man with crimson hair cut short, a large scar covering the side of his face, "Todoroki Enji, old blood,"
Denki subtly followed where he was pointing, taking note of the guy. "Mm, all right... You really think one vampire would do that many people?"
"There are rumors he's drained a dozen women in one night just to do it again the next."
Denki grimaced, "Fuck... That's disgusting," he said, shaking his head. "Sounds like I have a target, at least."
Shinsou chuckled, "Qu'est sera sera," he grabbed another drink and downed it like a shot rather than savoring this one, standing. "Hunting tonight?"
"Uh, I don't speak whatever language that was, but yeah." Denki nodded, taking a swig of the water. "I was planning to, yeah. But if I've got a solid target, I might need to do a little more prep work before I go after him… And maybe dress a little less clubby." he joked. His clothes weren't that bad, but the pants were definitely too tight and the shirt was more suited to hanging out than a big fight.
Shinsou smirked, pulling a business card from his pocket, "French, 'what will be, will be.'" He held the card out, "If you need a place or more info on Enji, don't hesitate."
Denki took the card, looking it over before pocketing it. "Oh, I'm totally gonna be calling you. But maybe when there are less prying ears."
"I'd prefer you don't cut my head off," Shinsou said, bowing his head slightly, fingers pressed to his temples before turning on his heel and walking away.
Denki chuckled a bit, lingering at the bar long enough to finish his water so it'd look a bit less suspicious before he too got up. He grabbed his jacket, paid and tipped the bartender, then made a beeline for the exit.
Despite how inconspicuous Denki might have been trying to leave, there were still several pairs of eyes following him across the floor as he headed toward the door, but no one tried to approach.
Denki could practically feel the eyes on him, but since nobody was following him, he didn't focus on it too much. He just made his way back to the place he was staying at the moment. He saved Shinsou's number, opting to call him tomorrow so he could ask about the Enji stuff and make sure he wasn't going in totally blind.
Shinsou headed back to his house on the outskirts of town to check the ledger. His sire hadn't been an old blood or a pureblood, but he had been respected by the supernatural community for keeping the peace. He'd realized that as long as they kept their heads down, they could make it through. So, he had started keeping a ledger of every kill that someone made in the surrounding area. It wasn't that kills weren't allowed, they were merely frowned upon in small quantities, perhaps a disappearance or two a year, it was a small town in the middle of nowhere, people left without a word, it happened sometimes.
This year had been bad already, there had been reports of four mishaps that had happened this year already, as of last month, then six had been reported from several traveling vamps who didn't know the rules. That was three weeks ago, and he didn't know if those six were included in the fifteen Kaminari had mentioned or not. Maybe he'd be able to find a pattern to pass along if he went through previous 'accidents'.
Denki made it back just fine, double-checking that his inn room didn't have anything silly like a mat that said 'Welcome'. After ensuring it was at least somewhat safe, he went about his business as usual. The day was spent with investigations and such, and he waited until nightfall to contact Shinsou.