Facing Hogan

Zeneviev changed from uniform and in to a pair of favored jeans and the white tank top she had under her Air Force blues. She stepped out of the cramped hotel bathroom and back in the main room with Dominik, propping her foot up on a rickety chair as she laced up her boots.

"I'm going to follow up on the meeting with Hogan, if you want to come. Or you can stay here and look at the bottom of another whiskey bottle." Suitably prepared she grabbed the case with her rifle, her wallet and the address, looking down on it before heading to the phone and calling a cab to meet her outside in ten minutes.

"Nah, I'll join you."

Dominik stands, stretches his arms widely for a moment with a yawn, and reaches over for his jacket. Slipping his arms in carefully not to damage the seams. He grabbed the red tinted glasses from the table and rested them on the bridge of his nose.

"I am up for another round of pontification. It is always a riot."

"You're going to get us both killed. Great." Zeneviev headed outside of the hotel room and walked down in to the lobby. As soon as the cab pulled up she headed outside with Dominik, getting in the back and giving them the address.

"I'll stay quiet, don't worry too much."

Dominik shrugs slightly, following her down and into the cab.

"This is not my deal after all, I am just in to make us look good."

The taxi driver eyed Zeneviev for a moment when she gave the address. Yet he complied silently, driving away from the small town. The drive seemed to be a long one, full of back road dips and turns of frightening angles.

The driver began to slow down when the road straightened out. The land on both sides of the road was of rolling, grassy hills. An old brown with chipped and peeling red paint stood several yards from the road. A small white trailer sat near the barn. An old Ford truck sat in the driveway, looking as though it had sat for some time.

"The ol' Jenkins place." The driver reflected, staring at it. "Never dropped any one off here before..." He quoted a price, a rather steep one.

"Wow. Really?" Zeneviev bemoans the cost while shuffling through her wallet for the payment, she hands it over exactly, already feeling robbed without adding in a tip. She gets out of the cab, starting up the driveway.

"Did you need some cash?" Dominik asks, following her side-by-side closely.

"Business has slowed a bit, but I still have plenty of funds to move around. Of course, you'd owe me, then."

"You are the last person on earth I'd want to be indebted to." Zeneviev says in a matter-of-fact fashion. She stops a few feet short of the trailer, looking around.

"I don't imagine Hogan is here yet, nor do I really know how to say 'Hi, I think someone I need to meet is going to show up here'." She glances around, trying to find something to work with.

"I hate lying but could say we're interested in the old truck."

As Zeneviev and Dominik move towards the house, a black clad man exits the barn. He doesn't appear to notice them as he's carrying a tool box towards the truck. Depositing the tool box, he turns to head back towards the barn. he pauses, straightening and beginning to turn in your direction.

"Then let me do the lying. I don't give a damn." Dominik says under his breath while looking side.

He brushes his hair to the other side and approaches the man.

"Evening Sir. We're looking for a priest. Really somber fellow, whatshisname..." he says, snapping his fingers as if he was pondering it.

The black clad man turns towards Dominik. He frowns, looking the man up and down.
"You don't look like a man who'd be eager to find a priest." He said slowly. He leaned around Dominik, giving Zeneviev a long look.

"And we're a good thirty minutes from any sort of town. Whats your name, son?"

"Nat, for short." Dominik says, offering his open palm.

"And it is true that I am not much for religion, but my associate there is having a bit of a spiritual conundrum and we heard we could get some answers here."

"Ah, good man. Come on into the barn. I expect he'll show up soon. He swings by every couple of days..."


The man turns and heads into the barn, clearly expecting you to follow.

"Thank you." Zeneviev cuts a cold glare at Dominik before she follows after the man.

"Are you a friend of Hogan's?"

"You could say that." The man replied. He appeared to be in his middling thirties with close cropped black hair. He was lanky, almost too thin.

As you step into the Barn, you wonder if this is a barn at all. There are no animals, animal tack or even a bale of hay in sight. Instead of wood, cement has been poured as the flooring. There is a drain at the center of the room, spotted with dark, ominous looking stains. Above the drain hangs a pair of manacles attached to a hoisted chain that looks quite sturdy.

Glancing around reveals the south wall has a wall of gun lockers, most of which appear to be locked. The center of the room has several dirty wooden tables with miscellaneous gear- rope, gas cans and one or two tools, such as a hammer or a power drill.

"Like I said.." The man continues, walking over to a pile of thirty pound non descript white plastic bags. He hefted one up and began heading back towards the truck. "He's usually here like clockwork-"

As he speaks, you can hear the sound of a car approaching. As you register this, the gravel driveway reports a vehicle has just pulled in.

"Ah, I bet thats him now.."

Dominik stands in a side of the room with his arms crossed. For now he just played the silent companion part.

Two black SUVs have pulled up into the drive way. These cars look identical to the cars you encountered the last time that you saw Hogan. Indeed, there is the man exiting the first SUV now.

Five or so black clad men exit the vehicles, heading towards the barn with purpose. They glance at you with indecision.

Dominik gazes at the approaching party with a bit of hesitation. Something reasonable when you see men descend from black SUVs and head in your direction.

Regardless he manages to stay put, with his arms crossed.

Zeneviev stood by quietly, not wanting to say anything and hoping Hogan himself would show up in short order. She felt strange enough without trying to put her foot in her mouth.

"Whose this, Rob?" Someone asked, walking into the barn and looking Dominik and Zeneviev over.

"Said they knew Hogan." 'Rob' replied, glancing between the two of you.

After a moment, Hogan himself walked into the barn, carrying a bloody sack. He gave Domini a passing glance, but waled closer to Zeneviev.
"Why if it isn't the bleeding heart." He remarked. "I suppose you're the reason why my last Fang skipped out to some houtie toutie 'rehab'?"

"I haven't dealt with any vampires outside Dino." Zeneviev responds coolly, not letting the slight get under her skin.

"Glad to see you well, Hogan."

" 'Well' is relative." The man replied, gesturing the the men who were gathering around Zen. "What you staring at? Get that truck loaded!"

With several glances over their shoulders, the men began to gather the items from the tables and transferred them to the truck.

"I know you didn't come out here to talk about that Fang. We take care so not just anybody can find us- and you two did. Makes me very curious, little sister."

"I came to ask for help on my task." Zeneviev speaks honestly, although stealing a glance over at Dominik.

"I won't dodge the point, I wanted to ask you to teach me your rite of protection."

"Ha!" Hogan barked. "One of the on high let you know what God has bestowed upon me, hm?" He glanced around the barn, frowning.
"The men are lagging on loading up, so I have a few moments. What makes you think God will grant you this protection?"

"I'm not so egotistical to say I am deserving. I am subject to the same fallacies as anyone else, but I at least have faith that I'm doing what I can to protect the flocks." Zeneviev rolls her shoulders in a shrug as she looks at Hogan.