Who: Corwin and Delilah
When: About an hour after sunset
Where: Delilah's house

Corwin was later than he'd meant to be, when he showed up at Delilah's house that night, Jade at his heels and his van parked in the driveway. Yes, he'd driven. Even though it wasn't all that far to Delilah's house. But he'd been watching the news, and...

... and he was nervous.

He refused to think that they were vampires. Corwin didn't know much about anything supernatural besides his own family and kind, so it could've been anything. It didn't have to be the Acherus. It could be a feral pack of werewolves, or some kind of group-traveling demon. It could just be some very psychotic humans. That was the most likely, some trumped up city gang high on violence and making a name for themselves in the small towns. But even that was enough to make him glad he was bringing Jade to look out for Delilah.

He climbed the front walk, looking around apprehensively, and knocked on her door.

Delilah was standing in the kitchen, listening to the small radio on the counter. She usually had it turned to a classical station, and tonight was no different. But they were interrupting the music regularly to keep listeners updated on the chaos that was happening in Marquette. It put story behind the sirens she was hearing, and the muted boom that had been the gas station blowing. Or so she assumed. Alexi was whining softly, pressed up against her leg. She knew enough to check all of the doors and make sure they were locked, as well as the windows. She wasn't sure what was going on, only that it wasn't the gangs or whatever they were giving as a reason. No, it was something Else.

She jumped a little as the knock on the door came, pulse picking up sharply. Delilah pushed off the counter and made her slow way toward the front door, the dog right at her heels. She knew that she was to be expecting Corwin, but that didn't mean that was who was on the other side of the door. One hand dropped to Alexi's collar and she hesitated, debating on whether or not to make her presence in the house known.

Scooping up Jade, Corwin waited quietly for a moment outside. Delilah was home, wasn't she? He was currently ghostless, Eric still "asleep" as he'd never really gotten his schedule back in place after waiting up mornings for Shannon, and Theresa had worn herself into disappearing again by constantly changing the tv news stations in the middle of something Corwin wanted to hear, or turning off the television entirely, so he couldn't send one of them in to check if she was actually home.

Oh, god, what if she wasn't home? What if she was out in all that? He didn't even want to consider that. She had to be home.

"Delilah?" he finally called through the door, knocking again, if just to assure himself that she was home and was, maybe, in another room and hadn't heard the first knock. If he didn't get an answer this time, he was circling the house and peeking into windows.

She'd frozen up and she knew it, she should really answer. The voice coming through the door was familiar -- or she thought so, anyway -- and that got her moving again. Delilah ghosted up to the door. If only she could see, that would make this a bit easier. "Who is it?" she called, putting her ear to the door to listen even better. For someone faking, or for more than one person on the porch. Alexi whined softly in the back of his throat, still stuck to her side.

Corwin put his free hand on the screen door with a relieved sigh. She was home, she was okay-- he hoped. Even better, she was being cautious. Or maybe not better, because she had reason to be cautious. "It's me. Corwin. With the cat I said I'd bring. Are you okay?"

Her impulse was to just open the door and pull him in, but she wasn't sure if that was intelligent or not. Her hand did fall to the deadbolt knob, but she didn't turn it yet. "Yes, I'm fine," she confirmed, still listening as hard as she could. "Are you? And you're alone?" She hated to ask, but if he wasn't ...

"I'm fine. Feeling a little nervous, but glad you're okay." He chuckled weakly. "It's just me, and Jade, the cat. Do you want me to leave him outside?" He didn't want Alexi to freak out, and he had promised Jade would be an outdoor guard-cat.

"Please," she said, sounding a little bit relieved. "Alexi is here with me, tell me when he's out of the way and I'll open the door." She bit her tongue on telling him that he could come in for a moment, just in case it wasn't Corwin.

Corwin obediently set the cat and tried to shoo him off. "Go on, there's trees in the neighbor's yard, you can sit in those once you've looked around." The gray tabby gave him an offended look, just standing there, until he frowned and added, "Don't look at me like that, you know this is important." Flattening one ear, Jade finally did saunter off, as if he, at least, were unconcerned. He was definitely the only one. "All right, he's gone," Corwin added, louder and for Delilah's benefit.

Keeping her hand on Alexi's collar, lest he try to make a break out of the door after something, Delilah opened it and stepped back so Corwin could come in. She hoped he did it quickly, at least. "Close it behind you, please," she said, moving backwards and taking the dog with her. "Corwin, do you know what's going on?" She knew there was something coming, just not ... the sort of destruction she was hearing about. Which was possibly naive of her.

"Invitation," Corwin reminded her with a little smile, still stuck just outside. "But I... I have a few ideas. I'm just really, really hoping I'm wrong." If he was right, at least he could keep Delilah safe, but it didn't bode well for... anyone else. Even him.

"Oh is it ... every time?" She hadn't known that. "Please come in," she stated, looking worried and fretful. She didn't like hearing that, but was glad at least a little that he had ideas. She didn't have many, besides vague 'demon' type ones. "What do you think it is?"

Coming inside with a little sigh of relief, Corwin shut the door behind him and leaned back on it, as if that could keep the trouble out. "I don't know much about the supernatural except ghosts and vampires... but there's a kind of vampire that lives to cause trouble like this." He caught himself on the "lives" part and winced a little. "Well, unlives. Or dies. Or... god, I don't know how you'd say it. They're vicious. They live in packs, while most of us live alone, and... I'm really hoping it's not them." Because that thought kind of scared him. "It could just be crazy humans, trying to cause trouble."

She listened, taking to nibbling on her bottom lip after a moment. Vicious vampires. That did not bode well at all. "The world has it's share," she murmured to his last assertion. "But somehow I think this is not human." It probably had to do with the literal slaughters that she'd heard about in the other towns. They'd been on their way here. Delilah reached out, hand finding Corwin's arm. "You will be careful, won't you?" she said, clearly very worried.

He returned the touch with one to her shoulder. "There's not a lot they can really do to me, unless they carry around things that would kill them in the wrong hands... but yes, I will." He didn't like fighting, he was horrible at it and clumsy and pain wasn't exactly his friend, and he really doubted he could win against an Acherus. He was strong, but they were fast, and what was the use of being strong if you couldn't catch whatever you were up against? Worse, when you were afraid of them.

Shaking his head a little at his own cowardice, Corwin continued, "I'm more worried about you. Even if it isn't vampires... just try to make sure you're inside before sundown. And, you know, don't invite someone in unless you're sure you know them. If it is vampires, that'll keep you safe, and it'll help against other people, too."

"And now I have a watch-cat," she said, with a very faint smile. In before sundown, don't invite anybody in. She thought she could handle that. It made her feel slightly better that he said there wasn't much they could do to him. He had to be out after sundown, after all. "I'll be very cautious, I promise. I have a feeling that they'll be closing the school for tomorrow at least, so I will remain at home. Please keep me updated if you learn anything more? And stay safe." She squeezed his arm lightly.

"I'd hope so, isn't tomorrow Saturday?" Corwin said with a little smile of his own. "Maybe we'll be lucky and they'll leave again by Monday." Acherus didn't stay in one place very long. Maybe they'd find a town full to the gills with supernaturals less to their liking and leave before they caused too much damage. "I'll let you know of anything else I find out, I promise." His hand on her shoulder gave a gentle pull, and if she let him, he took her into another hug. Forward of him, he knew, but since it was Delilah... he didn't think she'd mind.

"Oh! Is it?" she asked with a soft little laugh, as she moved forward to hug him back. "I've lost my days, it's just been ... so distressing." Delilah gave him a good squeeze, not minding the contact in the least. She'd known from the start that he was good person, vampire or not, and he'd done nothing but continually prove her right. She felt grateful to have him as a friend in town. "Thank you, dear," she said with feeling.

"You're welcome. Very welcome." Things like this were all he ever wanted to do, make sure people he cared about were safe and happy. "I'll call or drop by when I hear something, if I do." He expected he would. Resisting the silly urge to kiss the top of her curly-haired head, he let her go and stepped back to the door again. "I've got a few other people to check on." And dinner to buy, though he'd not thought about biting anybody, distracted as he was by all the news. Better sooner than later, though. "I'm glad you're okay. You, too, Alexi," he added, smiling a bit over at the dog.

Delilah nodded, having known that he likely wouldn't stay long. "Please do. And feel free to call ... just to check in," she added with a faint smile. Though she was useless at it, her instinct to protect people she cared about was strong and rather motherly. There just wasn't much at all that she could do. "Be safe, Corwin, thank you for everything."