Blood Ties

Of Easy Words and Faithful Friends

The impact of dismounting the motorcycle jars Oliver's newly injured ankle, causing him to wince as pain shoots up his leg. Maybe he should have taken it easy, instead of rushing into the next fight just two days after Bloodlust burned down. He had felt better than ever after Felicity healed him, but now he sees a complication he hadn't before: it makes him reckless.

He frowns as he gathers his bow, knowing he took stupid risks tonight. A sudden surge of vivacity made him careless. If Felicity ever heals him again, he'll have to compensate for that potentially deadly side-effect. He grips the bow tight, sighing. He should know better; he's survived five years and endured the worst, but a little extra energy makes him forget how to stay safe.

The leather sticks to his hand in the glove, held in place by the tacky feeling of half-dried blood. Again he examines the wound at his wrist. Bleeding, but manageable; there's no question the wound will heal on its own. The gunshot wound in his shoulder is another matter, but at least it was a through-and-through, even if it burns every time he breathes.

Oliver shakes his head as he makes a few steps toward the clock tower he calls a base. It would be one thing if he had made any progress tonight, but instead his injuries are for nothing. Still no news on who ordered the attack on Felicity's nightclub. He's threatened most members of the more radical anti-vampire groups, but, even terrified of him and begging for mercy, none of them talked. The implications of that are more troubling than the thought of someone trying to murder a few hundred innocent vampires with holy fire.

There's a new player in town.

Footsteps break through his train of thought, and Oliver whirls immediately, nocking his bow in a smooth motion. He squints against the darkness for any sign of motion, waiting. He knows this block of town is abandoned, and he also can't afford to have someone follow him back to base.

"Et tu, Oliver?" a voice calls in the night, and he relaxes instantly. He'd recognize that voice anywhere, soft with just a whisper of gravel at the edges. Even more unique is her accent, a lyrical lilt that belongs in not just another place, but another time. For not the first time, he wonders if anyone else alive can speak her dialect. "First men take torches to my business," she continues, "and now I find myself at the business end of your bow. I'm starting to feel unwelcome in Starling City."

As he slides the arrow back into his quiver, she comes into view. To the casual observer, she seems as human as him. No one would recognize Felicity Smoak as the vampire Oliver knows her to be. Her elongated canine teeth seem to fit comfortably in her mouth, not poking out like some he's seen over the years. Her eyes aren't red, either, though he's seen them turn crimson when she's feeding—or when she had her tongue down his throat two nights ago. Her skin isn't sickly pale, nor does her hair look thin with age pulled up into that bun. To the outside world, she's just another passerby on the street.

Oliver knows better.

"You were out of my range of vision," is his reply. "I didn't mean to upset you after the week you've had." Nearly burning to death by holy fire isn't something he'd wish on anyone, especially not someone like Felicity. Another thought dawns on him a moment later. "How did you know where to find me?" He hasn't had the opportunity to tell her the location of his base, and somehow he knows it isn't coincidence that she turned up here.

Felicity rolls her eyes as she walks up to him, absently brushing a speck of dust off dark, fitted slacks that somehow make her legs look longer. Oliver suddenly wants to have them wrapped around his waist again. "I'm a witch, Oliver," she answers dryly. "All I need is a drop of blood to track someone." She smiles, exposing white, razor-sharp teeth behind her deep red lips. "I have a pint of yours in my veins at the moment." She dismisses it with a wave of red fingernails. "I hope you'll forgive my intrusion, but I've been investigating the arson at my club. I thought I might share my findings with you."