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There were always oddities lurking around in the shadows. Sorts who didn't quite fit the correct molds to find more protection among the clans. Those who weren't just right, as if a person were a garment to be tossed aside if made by incorrect hands. Something Erica never fully understood, even if she pretended to be.

She sat along the top floor of an abandoned building, hiding just along the curve of a crumbled corner, as her eyes ran along the horizon. Erica, her mother, many of her siblings were among the ones who found themselves among the clanless. The blonde had never heard of a clanned one being publicly cast out, only to wind up being banished. The story was an odd one, creating a new oddity out of another vampire, and Erica found herself curious to take a look at the one who had managed such a feat.

For the moment she lurked with nothing more in her mind than to get a look at the one named Zapathasura. Sitting still was easy when she felt she was hidden well enough and for the time being all Erica could do was wait along the edge of the wasteland. Just a look, she promised herself. No words, nothing dangerous, nothing to stick her neck out. Just a single look before he would ever know she was there. Erica was convinced she'd manage that much without a fuss, her ego falsely boosting her skills above the line she normally held herself back on. After all, he didn't really belong to a clan anymore, right? What harm could come from taking a look at him?

She leaned forward slightly the second she heard anything, eyes straining to find him.

Erica leaned over as far as she dared and stared at the figure stumbling into view. He seemed so weak at first glance. There were plenty of details to pick out. Blood on his shirt, obvious signs that he had been wounded, and there was something about his posture to suggest that the man was dazed. Not a normal state of being for a vampire.

It was obvious he had been in some sort of fight, though Erica couldn't have been able to tell with who or what. Her thoughts circled the idea that he was somehow weaker than he appeared because of it. Or perhaps because he had yet to find her despite the fact Erica had long overstayed the amount of time she had promised herself.

The blonde edged forward a touch, allowing herself another step towards the very edge of the shadows to get a better look at him. Was he weak enough to over power? Strength was not her strong suit. Erica wasn't the most proficient at combat, and beyond a fleeting prey driven thought, the woman wasn't actually ready for any amount of action.

Instead she inched just slightly forward, pausing any time the man accidentally even glanced in her general direction. Her sense of caution had kept her alive this long but Erica felt that caution eroding away. Another lean forward caused a few small pebbles to shift along the edge of the crumbled corner of the building, announcing her presence to anyone who might have cause the sound.

The sigh that escaped him alerted Erica to the fact she had been noticed. Sticking her neck further out than she should have or so her mother would have told her. Erica felt a hiss of displeasure escape her own lips before taking the few steps out of the shadows. Nothing about her posture suggested she was doing anything she didn't want to do, and the blonde made sure to perch ontop of the crumbling lip of the building as if she meant to be there all along.

"Nothing for me?" There was a purr to her voice, one she used to manipulate and convince others she meant them no harm. But her blue eyes were narrowed and she moved no closer than what seemed a safe distance for the time being. "You look like s**t. That in and of itself is a gift." But the rasp in his voice was one easy to read. The same thirst every vampire felt if they went too long between a feeding or lost too much blood in say a fight. Easy enough to tell which one with the blood on his clothing.

"And what if I have something for you?" A plan began to form in her mind. For the time being he had little to no value to her, after all he was an outcast... and yet he hadn't been killed. Perhaps it was a long shot, but Erica couldn't help wondering exactly why it was he hadn't been killed in the first place. Her ears flicked slightly and a smile appeared back on her lips. Perhaps there was something to gain from this after all, when he was weak and unlikely to think too clearly.

Had she been more polite in the past? Absolutely. Had it also been an act and a half? Also true. But Erica sometimes tired of toeing the line and while other clanless ones were mostly free reign, the children of the powerful always seemed to get away with absolute murder. That was nepotism of course.

"That's easy enough. You're in need of exactly one thing at the moment." Her hand lifted and a finger raised in time with her statement. His laughter had sent a chill down her spine but the blonde refused to acknowledge that fear. "Or am I wrong in thinking you wouldn't mind me buying you a drink?" Perhaps he could find his own meal, but that would likely take time and Erica knew the territory around her better. She was always slinking around where others typically didn't in order to keep herself safe.

There wasn't much around in the way of blood, but Erica could manage if there was something in it for her.

The no stopped Erica entirely in her tracks. He was refusing blood while weak and dazed, out in the open where anyone else could have taken a stab at him. Erica wasn't exactly uncertain that she'd be able to take him if she had been someone a little stronger. Anyone at all with a grudge and some power could have taken him out... probably?

Her tail suddenly flicked, ears mimicking the gesture as a thousand different thoughts ran through her mind. What was he thinking? Did he just want to give up? Understandable. If she had been banished in that manner, Erica might have debated the same. Instead she sat there for a moment, trying to decide what to do next. No hadn't really been a consideration of an answer.

Perhaps he was just tired and done with the entire system, not too unlike Erica herself. And maybe she was way off base. Whatever the reason the blonde felt like she wanted to know more about him because of it. "There's a small encampment of some travellers just north from here that should do the trick to get you whole." The words just tumbled from behind her fangs. He was walking away. Whether or not he decided to take that information to help himself was entirely up to Zap. Instead Erica turned to leave as well, deciding to go before she changed her mind.

Erica didn't look back. Whatever the end result was, it couldn't be traced back to her. Whether he lived or died did not matter. But that no seemed lodged in her thoughts, rolling around every once in awhile as Erica tried to force herself to leave the area. There always seemed to be an excuse why she didn't leave right away. Something that caught her eye that she wanted to check out... and the burning curiosity of what the other vampire was doing.

It wasn't every day that someone defied the higher ranks of the vampire circles, and it wasn't every day that someone just straight up said no. More than enough to leave her thinking in circles and soon enough, her feet were dragging her back towards Zap.

She found him at the camp. Blood, gore, it really looked as if he had attempted to sate himself on blood and violence with the ones who had been there. No pity entered her heart for the mortals, but there was that odd twitch of something when her gaze landed on Zap. Sitting there with that look on his face that she couldn't place her finger on. She was just confused, that was all, and Erica didn't have to give it too much thought.

"Well, it looks like you're well enough now." He had likely clocked her appearance so it was better to act like she hadn't been following along for awhile. An act would be better. Erica sniffed once, letting her face wrinkle before she started to poke through what remained around the camp. Sometimes mortals had interesting tidbits of information on them. Things that could give her a head's up about events she might need to know about. Clusters of mortals in attackable numbers, news on the wind about attacks at night in specific areas... anything to help her survive in this unforgiving hell hole just a little bit longer.

What do you want from me? That was the question, wasn't it? The same question that Erica kept asking herself and failed to find the answer for. He was an oddity in vampire society and perhaps that was the entire reason she was so curious about him. "I know not." Her hands carefully moved a blood soaked scarf from on top of a bag. Not to avoid touching the blood, rather to ensure that no blood got onto the bag instead. It had been tied tightly and a simple switch of her claw let her open the leather satchel.

"Have you ever been on the bottom of a society before?" They had yet to say each other's name but Erica remembered his. Zapathasura was a mouthful, but it was important to remember names, faces, vibes... "Surviving means to gamble when opportunities present themselves. That is what you are. An opportunity. A good one or a bad one, I do not know. You could be the death of me quite easily, but... you are a chance I might not otherwise ever see as well." The blonde shrugged her shoulders as she threw things out of the bag and onto the ground. Trinkets, mortal money, none of it really mattered. Instead she found a leather bound journal and eased that out more carefully.

But she did not look at him. Nothing she spoke was a lie either. Now that he wasn't closer to the top of society, Erica didn't quite feel like lying to him either. There was no reason to. No need to kiss someone's behind or feed them words they wanted to hear to get ahead. She wanted to be in a better position than she currently was, but did not have an easy avenue to that kind of power either. "If you wish to kill me, then be about it. At least I'd be done with the stupid games and trying to figure out what to do next." Her tail flicked in annoyance. The journal was only filled with personal notes about the mortal's family. Nothing of importance.

He was much quicker with blood in him. Much quicker than she had an ability to be, but Erica had been mentally prepared for such a move. After all she had invited him to kill her and he seemed rather quick to anger. Another calculation, another gamble, but those pale eyes looked up at him even as fingers wrapped in her hair. A hiss escaped from between gritted teeth as Erica was pulled out of the tent and shoved against something that felt rough and oddly angled.

Zap delivered yet another warning and she stared up at him, trying to understand what might have been going through his mind without trying to pull out of his grasp. He let her go seconds later, moving back to where he had been before. She refused to do anything more than right her hair, fixing it before straightening out the rest of her clothing that had been tossed askew in the sudden movement.

She felt anger, frustration, and perhaps a hint of searing shame. Not because he had called her stupid, Zap's opinion on her intelligence was not wanted nor needed, but over the fact that he really didn't understand what it was like to be grovelling at the bottom of a food chain for so long. Erica Northman was nothing. She did not have famous parents or friends. No exceptions would be made for her. Even a chance that was likely going to end in her death would at least end that grind she didn't want to be apart of. Something she had never asked to be apart of, yet Erica knew little else.

Perhaps there was a part of her that was jealous Zap had been cared for enough to be an exception to rules almost all other vampires had to follow. Maybe she was jealous of his ability to take out his anger on others and still be standing there. She didn't know why he stuck out like a thorn in her thoughts, but he would remain there for awhile. Until more time had passed and something else interesting or traumatizing appeared. Like a cut on the inside of her cheek, not healing as fast as it should because her tongue would not leave it be in idle moments, causing it to limp along when it should have healed long ago. That sensation was mirrored the way Erica felt when she looked at him. An irritation she could not quite stop poking. "Why were you given banishment instead of death?" Maybe if she got an answer, she could leave the wound alone.