Pine Heath Town

[BladeRunner]

 

The large town of Pine Heath spans between two mountains, it has plenty of business and always seems to never really sleep. However despite its population the town is actually peaceful and quiet, abd sports a variety of shops as well. 

 

[BladeRunner]

May 10th, 10:25 A.M. 12th and Parker "Main Street," Pine Heath 

Sunday morning went about as well as it usually did, slow and steady. In the large, sleepy town of Pine Heath, business fluctuated with the traffic usually hitting at the hours of 6 AM, 12 PM, and 5 PM, usually with the city going into a near dead silence at night save for the overnight workers, party animals, and the occasional night owl. Today was no different, the sunny and warm Montana day was ideal for people to come out and participate in activities or take care of errands. Most folks were either off enjoying the day and staying home or working, business as usual. 

And that much was true for one (or more) particular individual(s). An old Dodge pickup truck was driving down Main Street, the engine a bit loud no thanks to the muffler that fell off long ago. Despite it being nearly twenty years old, it still ran... Decently. In recent times the old thing was running a tad bit heavier and struggled during certain times of the year. Despite how much he fixed on it, his pride and joy was running a lot rougher than what he's used to. 

Austin Windcaller was one of the oldest members of Pine Heath, never residing in town but rather the Half Moon Reserve where his home was; the very same reserve where his pack lived. As the truck made its way down the street he would notice how quiet it actually was, save for the stray vehicle and bystander here and there. Usually there would be more people out and about but Austin wasn't about to complain, less traffic meant more time to take his time running errands. Well, not necessarily errands, just spelunking around and getting a break from the Midnight. 

Days like this was when the Alpha of the Midnight Pack could step away and get some time to himself, he wasn't opposed to one or two of his members coming along and if any had. The trip to the city was filled with silence and music from the country station he chose. His truck, his rules. Austin sighed as soon as he stopped at a red light, so far his thoughts were empty but... He could go shopping...? It wasn't usually his forte, however the older he got the more he wanted to actually get out and do things, said things didn't even have to involve money just more a matter of fucking around. 

"I suppose the mall sounds good..." Austin said to himself, pulling onto the highway that would lead into another ten minutes of driving. 

[love_and_poprocks]

Evelina sat in the backseat of a black vintage sedan that looked expensive enough to belong in another century. It rolled silently through Pine Heath’s quiet streets, untouched by the rattling imperfections of modern life. No engine noise. No radio. Only the faint tap of gloved fingers against the polished armrest inside. Her crimson eyes lingered lazily out the tinted window as storefronts drifted past one by one. Small town America. How unbearably quaint. The Night Mistress of the Blackthorne Family had crossed oceans, empires, and centuries only to find herself trapped in a town where people worried about grocery sales and lawn care. It should have driven her insane. Instead, it merely exhausted her in a very old, familiar way.

The sunlight overhead should have burned her alive. Instead, enchanted black lace veils draped beneath the sedan’s roof dimmed the lethal rays into something tolerable, bathing the interior in perpetual dusk. Ancient magic woven into thread by hands long dead. One of the few luxuries she still appreciated. Evelina rested her cheek against her knuckles, expression distant. “…I miss the plague years,” she murmured softly. From the driver seat, her chauffeur remained perfectly still. “Understandable, my lady.” Not even a beat. “People were more honest while dying.” The old vampire’s gaze drifted toward the streets again just as an obnoxiously loud pickup truck rattled through the intersection nearby. The sound alone was enough to pull her from her thoughts.

Crimson eyes narrowed slightly. Old Dodge. Poor muffler. Smelled of pine, gasoline, dirt roads… And wolf. Well, that was mildly more interesting. She watched the truck pass through the sunlight, her expression remaining deceptively neutral, though the air inside the car grew subtly heavier. Predatory instinct stirred beneath ancient boredom like something massive shifting in deep water. “Austin Windcaller,” the chauffeur spoke calmly before she even asked. “Alpha of the Midnight Pack.” Evelina hummed quietly. “So the mutts still reside here.” Rhetorical but the chauffeur answered anyway. “They do.”

The truck disappeared further down the road toward the highway, country music faintly audible even through closed windows. For a moment, she simply watched it leave. Then unexpectedly, she smiled. It was small. Sharp. Interested. “…Follow him.” Hesitation, “My lady?” Her lips curled into a mischievous grin baring a fang on the rearview mirror. Though not like she had a reflection to show it off. “I wish to see whether age has made werewolves wiser or simply slower.” The chauffeur sighed almost imperceptibly before turning the wheel. Outside, Pine Heath continued its sleepy Sunday morning completely unaware that one of Europe’s oldest monsters had just decided she was bored enough to involve herself in local affairs.