#okay but i have an idea ! Artair will offer for them to find a way to keep supernatural entities from entering the club that night

[townofcadence]

Honestly, it spoke volumes of her character, how the anger seemed to simmer in his own chest as they shared it. He might have assumed it was just his, if not for the way her lips thinned and her hands clenched. But if she was angry at the thought of what they did....then likely her motivations didn't align with most other hunters. She clearly wanted to help. He'd already had an inkling that was the case, but this cinched it into place.

Artair loosed a small sigh. "We're on the same page. This case... whatever is doing this, the attacks are indiscriminate. Not that most hunters would care about the fact that a few non-humans are missing." Maybe that's part of it? He frowns. By the dates, whatever was doing this switched between targeting humans and the supernatural. Human, oni, human, encantado, human.... it's possible whatever it was knew that spacing out the deaths of humans would keep it from getting caught longer, since it frequented the same hunting ground for targets. It was something to consider, but pure conjecture until he found more evidence.

Still, believing the enemy to be clever enough to consider that wouldn't hurt his chances of figuring out what it was.

He taps his finger on the table, eyes distant with his frown. "I've dealt with a lot of things over the years, but nothing really matches the description so far. A vampire wouldn't eat this much on their own, even if they were feral enough to do the kind of damage these bodies saw. Even a coven of them wouldn't want to draw this much attention. And the attacks are getting more frequent." If it was vampires and they were leaving mostly bodies.... then they wouldn't need more blood.

"I could believe a cult ritual. It is strange to bring the bodies to the same place. That speaks to some kind of ritual, maybe. If it's something that drinks blood, it should be smart enough not to keep leaving bodies in the same place. Unless it's confident it won't ever get caught. Or that the area is far enough from wherever it dwells. But then again.... why bother with the same place unless there's a reason for it?" He waves a hand. "But.... I don't know. How effective the bloodletting was seems more like some kind of siphon would be needed. They don't have any injuries in the right area for that which are the right shape, by the reports. It seems almost... random? And the mutilation is too....I don't know. Brutal. At least if it's about the sacrifice itself. Don't get me wrong, they all are cruel, but there's.... you know. With most ritualistic stuff, there's a sense that anything they do to a body is deliberate. It's meticulous and ritualistic. It wouldn't be random like this. And there'd probably be some kind of pattern to the injuries. But there isn't."

He exhales with a hint of annoyance. ".....which means I haven't narrowed it down either. I don't know if it's something new, but it's either not something I've seen, or it's some new configuration. Maybe multiple creatures partnering up? There are a lot that do feed on blood I know of, but.... Mmm." He shakes his head. "I just haven't seen anything with this kind of methodology."

His eyes flick up to hers, especially as the feeling dwelled inside him like a corruptive source. "But. Sometimes the best way to figure out the truth is working together. You clearly care about things here. I know that coming up empty is frustrating.... but maybe we'll get somewhere we couldn't before if there's two of us trying to figure this out." He offers her a smile. "So... hello. My name is Artair. I'm happy to make your acquaintance."

His understanding meant more to her than he'd probably ever know. It was easy for her to get caught up in her passion and allow it to flourish like a wildfire in a dry forest. If she wasn't reined in by someone else she'd burn it all before realizing the destruction left in her wake. It was rare for her to wield true malice except in an actual fight or if she felt they actually deserved it. In this situation, it hadn't been her intention but her desire to solve the case quickly blinded her.

Faye knew not all Hunter guilds were full of piss and vinegar and quick to throw accusations around. But the most active one she knew of was large. Spread out across the land like a spider web, they lay in wait for something to signal prey and then swarmed. There was a hunger for paranormal blood but if actively hunted individuals they'd draw unnecessary attention to themselves. At least, they could convince themselves they were doing it for humans. And if it was proven the supernatural creature hadn't done anything to endanger a human they'd claim it was only a matter of time.

She hated them. Hated their fear of what they didn't understand and how they allowed it to fester into hatred. Her fists clenched and her lips pursed the longer she dwelled on their existence. She only relaxed when he spoke, freeing her from her thoughts. Looking up, she listened to what he had to say. Her hands clasped one another as they rested on the polished tabletop

"I did hear of the oni," she admitted. She cast her gaze down. It was assumed the hunters had gotten to them for some other cause. Had she been more vigilant she might have learned that they had been drained of blood as well. Her brows furrowed as she began to think. If both sides were being attacked then this was bound to be something bigger than she could have imagined. She was aware that some creatures preyed on others but it was rather uncommon, especially for oni and encantado.

"That only makes this more complex then. I didn't believe it was a vampire or even a nest of them but I don't know many creatures that drain blood and are opportunistic. Most of the time they have a preferred taste. Do you think it's somethin' new? Or maybe the blood is bein' drained for a purpose of some sort. Maybe a ritual of some kind?" She began speaking aloud. Leaning back, Faye dragged her hands from the table and crossed her arms as she wracked her brain for anything. Demon summoning didn't require several bodies worth of blood. And there hadn't been any recent demonic activity.

Faye looked at him as she gripped her chin with her left hand, deepening her thoughts.

"I can't even begin to narrow down what it could be or why it needs so much blood," she admitted. "Not sure how helpful goin' to the club will be without knowin' what to look for. I can't find a link besides the club for any of the victims either so I don't know how we'd try and lure it out." Frustration with how little she had accomplished grew like a black mold. Her chest tightened and the corners of her lips pulled back into a grimace. Useless was how she felt.