17969/A bloody bath

A bloody bath
Date of Scene:	16 May 2024
Location:	The Firebird Banya
Synopsis:	Selene tracks Elektra at some Russian baths where the assassin is looking for info on Kraven. The twist? She does it during the day. There is a reunion, and so many questions.
Cast of Characters:	Elektra Natchios, Selene Corvinus

---

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Bare feet make their way across narrow corridors on these russian baths mid afternoon. Yet unlike many others that come here for leisure those feet move with purpose. Towards one of the many rooms on the second floor. A pause. A glance inside.

No, not in here.

And so they continue. Searching. For Elektra knew she'd find her targets here today. Remnants of Kraven's men who had made a resurgence here in Manhattan again. Did that mean Kraven himself was back in the United States? And if so for what reason? It had been a while since she'd been able to contact Selene so figuring that out with her had been out of the question. So it was left to her to understand what was going on.

Good thing she was a such a good interrogator.

Feet bring her to her destiny at last, opening the door. She has a towel around her torso and legs with the rest being bare. The better to hide the vest underneath along with the various weapons. It wouldn't do to create a panic. She steps in, a slim smile on her lips, "I am sorry. Is this room taken?" she asks the five occupants of the place who look at her.

One of them grins, boldly, "You are in the right place." thick accent to him. A russian accent, "Come. Sit here." he taps on his lap.

Selene Corvinus has posed:
In the past year, Selene had been all across eastern Europe. When she'd last parted from Elektra, she'd set out back to her people's home outside of Budapest. There, she'd confronted Viktor, after performing the ceremony to wake him from his long recovery slumber. He was not meant to be woken up until 2100, but circumstances had transpired, and questions needed answers.

After he'd reawakened, Viktor and Selene had shared tense words, only to be interrupted by Kraven himself. Still effected gravely by the gunshot wound to his stomach, the Vampire Lieutenant was eager to get his voice in on the matters at-hand. The conversation between the three had been filled with vitriol, and though no one had come to blows, Selene had stormed out, and she knew Viktor and Kraven would likely come to a mutual decision... that she must die.

She was on borrowed time, and her next destination was the remote home of Alexander Corvinus, the man with whom this entire ancient feud had begun around.

Selene, Michael, and their daughter Eve, had approached Alexander. The conversation was unfolding with a number of truths finally being aired, but the conversation was interrupted when an assassin's attack gave Alexander a mortal wound. Before he passed, he ordered Selene to drink his blood, and through that connection, she gained more knowledge of the true origins of the Corvinus blood feud with the Lycans, and the secrets of the Vampire Coven Elders.

A side effect that she also gained by consuming the blood of the Elder Vampire?

Selene's motorcycle arrives outside of the Brooklyn bath house, the rider atop it dismounting from the sleek black hued bike. Her brown eyes glanced around the city street, her shoulder-length hair gently waving against the collar of a black leather light jacket, light brown at its roots, her hair fading in to black at the tips of each waving strand.

The lithe woman turned toward the bath house, checked her phone's display screen, and upon black leather booted heels, she proceeded in to the establishment's interior, adorned in black denim pants, slim fit to her attractive long legs, and a white top worn beneath her leather jacket.

She pulled the door open, stepped out of the sunlight, and in to the bath house lobby...

Elektra Natchios has posed:
The dazzling smile that appears on Elektra's exotic features is as alluring as it's dangerous, the woman approaching the man that decided to talk, "I don't know if I should..." she murmurs softly, "I was looking for a friend..."

At the lobby things look quiet enough, a large man behind the counter looking over those that come in. He eyes Selene for a few good moments and then shrugs, "Bath rooms are on the right."

Elektra finally gets real close to the first man. She knows these won't be that easy to beat, fueled by Kraven's blood most likely with strength beyond the normal. Not vampires but his thralls, "... goes by the name of Kraven." those last words from the assassin registering surprise on the five men. It's a surprise that Elektra takes to her advantage, the towel dropping from her body, a pair of knives in hand. One goes through one of the men's shoulders. A kick sending another to hit a wall heavily. The rest scramble to get back, "Fuck. Kill this bitch."

While the fight is happening on the second floor sharp senses may catch wind of what's going on upstairs, namely the familiarity of Elektra's voice, along with the fight that just erupted upstairs.

Selene Corvinus has posed:
Once inside the lobby, Selene allowed her eyes to roam around its decor. She knew of the place, as she'd looked it up before coming here. She'd been told Elektra had been hunting members of Kraven's loyalists for the better part of the last year, which just showed how damn dedicated the assassin woman had become to Selene's cause, when she really did not have to. Then again, Kraven did want her dead now too, so perhaps Elektra had no choice at this point? Selene liked to believe otherwise.

She showed a slight grin to the man who boredly waved her through. "Thank you..." She softly replied to him in a near purr of her naturally melodic voice. The woman in mostly black proceeded onward through the interior of the building, until she picked up on the voices, the sound of a scuffle, the scent of blood being exposed to the outside of flesh.

Her hand dipped in to her jacket, and a silver handgun was drawn out, along with a single bladed shuriken that was dropped in to her opposite hand...

Side stepping up the stairs, keeping her back to one wall, Selene raised her handgun, and proceeded up the steps at a rapid clip. Elektra WAS here, and she NEEDED help!

Elektra Natchios has posed:
The assassin moves swiftly, knowing how important those first few seconds are. When that blade is buried on one of the man's shoulders and the other is kicked to the wall she is already bringing out another blade, using it to slice across the chest of the next that chooses to charge right into her. It's a daring move, and one that's effective due to that extra strength the man has, charging through the cuts to toss Elektra against a wall.

She feels her back hit the wall hard, gasping as air is shot off her lungs and the copper taste of blood is felt on tongue. She has no time to register much more of the pain, rolling on the ground just as a fist hits the wall, cracking a brick, "You are only mortal." the man says, sure of his victory, "And we are ..., better..."

Selene arrives right in time to see the man that had just spoken being thrown through the door, three knives on his chest. The man gurgles, eyes wide, dying while unsure on how Elektra got all those knives stuck on his chest..

Inside the fight continues.

Selene Corvinus has posed:
With the knifed man falling at Selene's feet, the Death Dealer takes a second to regard his fallen form. She seethes for a brief second before she raises her handgun up, moving the barrel of the gun to push the door aside, to give her a view of the interior of the steam room. She sees Elektra doing what she does best, but also sees a risky use of shots to aid her in such a closed quarters place.

Her hands clench the grip of her weapon, as she moves her left in a quick motion, casting the bladed shuriken at the back of one of the men, landing it directly in to his spine.

"Hello there." Selene says, announcing herself to the steam room's occupants.

Her freed-up left hand darts out, grasping hold of the black-out curtains hanging on the wall beside her. With one hard yank, she tears the long line of curtains from the hallway windows, allowing the late afternoon sunlight to flood in to the hallway, and a wide beam of sunlight to pour in to the steam room itself! The man she planted the shuriken inside of, is suddenly engulfed in sunlight, his shrieks echoing through the building as he bursts in to fiery flames! His burning Vampiric corpse lunges toward Selene, fangs out, hands up, as his body burns in the sunlight.

Selene pulls the trigger of her handgun twice, just as the burning Vampire reaches her, putting two ultra-violet loaded bullets right in to his forehead, bursting them out the back of his skull, as his body turns to ash, and dashes across the floor of the doorway in to the steam room, and out in to the hallway.

With the sun behind her shoulders, Selene stares in to the steam room, her handgun ready to fire again if needs be!

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Entering the room Selene finds Elektra doing some backflips, out of the way of a large man who continues to try and pin her down. Some blood is visible on the corner of her mouth and there's a dark bruise on her shoulder yet there's already two men taken out inside the room, along with the one outside. Leaving the two...

Two that become one when Selene opens that curtain to let the sun in. Elektra's attention goes to the entrance at that movement, blinking once at the figure there. Selene shouldn't be here, should she? And why is she pulling out the curtains? Eyes widen at the implications, "Don't..!" even if further complaining dies on her throat when Selene doesn't burn.

Almost as if she was human.

"I like what you did to your hair." She says smoothly afterwards, rolling out of the way and hitting the large man on the back of his knee, sending him tumbling forward.

Yes, she has many questions. But those will have to wait until this is done.

Selene Corvinus has posed:
Selene is bathed in the shadows with the sun behind her shoulders, but her eyes are inside the steam room, a grin ghosting her visage for just a moment at what she hears Elektra say. But, ultimately, her attention falls upon the single Vampire Russian inside the steam room. When he sees who has arrived, and sees the column of sunlight shining in to the steam room- along with what it did to one of his comrades, the man backs in to a corner as far away from the light as he can get.

"Selene!" he shouts out in a loud voice, before he begins shouting something in Russian at her. A long string of words, a frantic look on his face. His towel has fallen off, his saggy parts entirely exposed to both women, and wholely ignored by Selene.

The Vampire Death dealer, the newly chrissened Daywalker, steps in to the room, her boot crunching on the ashes of the still smoking corpse of her fallen foe. She keeps her eyes on the Russian in the corner, her gun aimed at his abdomen. As he frantically speaks in Russian, Selene quietly asks two words in response, both in his native language.

He nods his head to what she asks, a look of terror upon his face. He barks out one more word, before Selene pulls the trigger on her gun two more times.

Both ultra-violet bullets pierce through the Vampire's forehead, causing him to smash back in to the corner, leaving a streak of Vampire blood down the walls, as he drops to the ground, his body beginning to burn from the inside. The result is gruesome, and it doesn't smell good either!

Selene steps out of the light from the window, and moves toward Elektra. Her gun lowers down to her side, while her free hand moves toward the assassin. "Are you okay?" She asks, her voice possibly sounding a little more sultry than Elektra may remember it, though it may just be the time since they spoke face to face being well over a year.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
The conversation in Russian is followed by the assassin. Because what assassin wouldn't know at least some russian? Elektra does at least. She listens to the back and forth, only letting out a tsk when the vampire's privates are left to hang at the drop of the towel. No words though. She can't trust herself to talk just yet at the surprise of having Selene here. But more than that, that she just witnessed her walking in the sun.

The twin shots end the vampire's misery and her dark gaze finally rests upon Selene, "I have had worse." which is quite true. And Selene had witnessed it in the various fights they had in the past, both against lycans and vampires.

Boots echo on the floor of the Banya as Elektra then approaches, long hair swaying down her back. One hand reaches to rest on Selene's shoulder.

"How is this possible?" She asks, eyes studying the contours of her face. Similar but at the same time also different. She knew her enough to know there were many things different with Selene. Besides the obvious of walking in the actual sun. "You should had called. But at the same time, I am glad you didn't." forehead leaning forward to rest against Selene's.

Selene Corvinus has posed:
The Russian had explained that he wasn't working with Kraven any longer, while Selene asked him for the man's current whereabouts, and if he'd seen Kraven in the past year. The man denied knowing, but also indicated that he had been with Kraven by slipping up and stating he'd helped someone return to the US that was directly associated with Kraven's business here. Plus, she knew this Russian, knew he was a very bad person, prone to doing very bad things, and she didn't care to play politics anymore.

Her gun is slipped back inside her black denim light jacket, tucked back in to a holster, as her eyes rest on Elektra's own. She has changed in a number of small ways, but her half grin, ghostly tinted with amusement, remains as Elektra would remember it.

"I've been busy, I guess you could say." She states, the sun on her back right shoulder now, clearly not causing her the fear she once had of it.

"Michael and Eve are still in Hungary. Eve wanted to come back with me, but I told her she needed to protect her father and help the Lycans hold the line..."

She lets out a soft exhale, before she allows the pair of them to just enjoy a moment of standing together, head to head.

"I didn't want to put you in danger by risking a tracked call. I knew I could track you down myself though." She says in a soft voice, a sultry toned voice.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Now that the fight is done the blade she was holding is holstered back against her tight vest. Certainly not her usual garments but today required something lighter for infiltrating the place which is why the tight black vest that left shoulders bare and most of her legs the same had been chosen. She only needed enough to hold her weapons anyway, "I imagine the vampires are giving them no quarter.." she says when Selene mentions Eve helping hold the line.

She allows their heads to separate after a moment even if she remains close, just watching the other woman, enjoying that familiar half grin that Elektra hadn't realized how much she had missed. It's mirrored by a quirked little smirk of her own at those last words, "Am I getting so careless that I can easily be tracked now?" she jokes, brushing a thumb over Selene's cheek before finally letting go.

"Let's get out of here. This way." She starting to lead the duo over a side door on that same corridor that leads to a back exit for staff. Of course Elektra had an escape route planned, "Kraven is back in New York. I knew it. Is he the reason you came back?" she asks over her shoulder.

Selene Corvinus has posed:
One last look was given to the bodies still within the room, the dead Vampires still subject to needing disposal, but the curators of this place likely knew what their clientele were, as the drapes had been hung up for them afterall. Was it really Selene's problem to clean up these messes anymore, like she used to? Pros and cons, either way her mind quickly looked it over. She proceeded on with Elektra, however, stepping over the mess in the room's doorway before letting Elektra lead them along, the sunlight casting down on her left side as she moved through the hallway, giving her a nice glow upon that profile.

"Kraven is coming to persuade Amelia to join him. He wants to ensure she is on his side in this matter. Amelia... is likely to lean more toward my side of... whatever this has become... but the power involved may push her to do what she must to not upset Kraven, and there-by upset Viktor." Selene pauses there, and regards Elektra on her right.

"Viktor is awake. I confronted him." She explains. "He lied to me, all of these years... He was the monster who murdered my family, and told me it was the Lycans. He created a monster in me, to fight against an enemy that had nothing to do with the misery that fell upon my family. It was all Viktor, all along..." She quietly conveys a sense of weight with her words, looking away and ahead to their destination to get out of the bath house through a side exit.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
"I am handling it." Elektra noticed the look Selene gave to the room, of course. And with the tone she used to say those words? She most likely has a few people around ready to take care of the remains. Nothing left to chance for this world renowned assasssin. Or ex-assassin if one believes Daredevil. Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle.

A long side look is given to the other woman as they walk down the corridor leading out, she taking note of those pale features against the sunlight. It's surely a novelty for her. Not that it distracts her from the explanation that comes about why she is back in the city, her frown only deepening, "I remember your loyalty to Amelia. And she clearly favored you." But that was back then. Right now Elektra wasn't sure where the chips would fall. Vampire politics were not her expertise at all.

A pregnant pause comes after those last words, she opening the door leading out to where a motobike awaits, "Then let's end him." There's finality to her words, "Let's destroy him. For what he did to you."

Tone even. Sharp. She doesn't even sound angry but instead determined to see it happen.

Selene Corvinus has posed:
The talk of the Master Assassin dealing with the left overs has Selene showing another sly grin. She doesn't comment on it, however, as she is familiar with the well paid 'clean up' crews that exist out there in the underworld.

When they step outside, and Elektra speaks on the matter of dealing with Viktor, Selene gently nods her head. "My goal is to discover Amelia's intentions here." She states, a glance given down the street to her left where the corner turns to the front of the building, where she'd left her own bike.

When she looks back to Elektra, she lowers her chin ever so slightly. "I think most of the Covens will side with Viktor. They'll see me as a necessary loss, with only the Nordic Coven as a group that will likely wish no involvement. Kraven doesn't likely stand a chance to get them to dedicate any of their resources toward any of this. They wish only isolation. But, if I were to go to them, they would likely attempt to take me in to custody to return me to Viktor. Amelia... however, the New World Coven... I think we stand a chance of them fully joining us in changing. Amelia has been sick of this conflict for decades now. But she fears Vikttor's wrath."

Selene hesitates for a moment, not wishing to linger out here in the daylight for long, but for reasons other than fearing the sun.

"I found Alexander Corvinus. I met with him. Viktor sent assassins, they killed him. He urged me to taste his blood before he passed, I saw so many things. I saw the origins of this whole feud, and none of it was like they've told me it was. Alexander chose exile, and Viktor promised to leave him be, should he remain as such. His blood gave me the ability to walk in the light again, and the confirmation that this path I'm on now is the actual right path to take. Power and influence corrupted the Covens, to the point that they have been covering up continued evil deeds for centuries. I thought we were fighting to become isolated from the Humans, but that was never it at all. It was all about biding our time, until we could overrun them, through whatever means necessary. That is why so much time and money goes in to technological research, medical and otherwise. The Covens have been building up their defenses against the onslaught of eventual war with Humanity..."

She shows another soft grin. "But now I'm rambling, we should get on the move." She reaches out to touch the side of Elektra's hand again. "I thank you, yet again, endlessly, for all you have done, and continue to do."

Elektra Natchios has posed:
The explanation on how Selene can now walk in the sun gets a slow nod out of Elektra. She is no stranger to mysticism and besides she is more worried with the rest of what Selene says, no matter how amazed she is that she can walk in the sun, "What happens if Amelia decides to join with Viktor?" the most important question here now. "And I am sure Kraven must have realized Amelia's importance too. He already tried to kill her once..." she trailing off. She knew Kraven would be willing to try as many times as possible if it meant he became leader of the Coven.

"She will need you by her side. And soon." Elektra's long leg goes over the motobike that was waiting for her, she spotting Selene's not too far, "Follow me." she tells the other, "Even if I am sure you know the way back to my place." a sly grin of her own on the assasin's lips.

"There is much we have to discuss. But this is not the place." They were on borrowed time right now. The motobike's engine roars at last and she turns her hand to squeeze Selene's when she approaches to touch her, "I promised I would help you. And I don't take my promises lightly." she murmurs in a low tone back to the other woman.

Selene Corvinus has posed:
The two exchange the gesture of affection with their hands, before Selene simply nods her head a single time. "I remember where it is." She says in a tone that would suggest her continued subtle amusement at the style of the Human assassin she's come to rather rely upon, let alone enjoy the company of.

She steps away, though, allowing their hands to part again before she turns to proceed on back toward her own black motorcycle. Within moments, she's back upon its seat, its own sport engine fired up with a satisfying rumble of raw power, and the two riders are off together.