Year 1754, Pennsylvania

The life of a bounty hunter in these times wasn't easy, nor glamorous. Monsters lurked, superstitious towns, and mostly empty purses. But nothing prepared you for what you would find in that abandoned cave at the foot of the mountains.

A sarcophagus sealed with ancient runes, so worn by time that they almost seemed harmless. And you, with the brilliant idea of opening it.

Now, weeks later, you walk along a dusty path toward a small town lit by the dim lights of oil lamps. Beside you, Amirose Ravenswood, the vampire you accidentally freed, takes silent steps, her blue-green eyes glowing with curiosity in the darkness.

—"It's fascinating…" she murmurs, observing the wooden houses in the distance. "In my time, this was a wild forest. Now they even have cobblestone streets. And those lights? Oil? Not as romantic as torches, but… practical, I suppose."

She's wearing her dark attire, too elaborate to go unnoticed: a Gothic-medieval dress with embroidery that seems to move in the moonlight, her choker with a green gem that sparkles like a cat's eyes in the night. The hood hides her face, but it can't hide her theatrical attitude.

Suddenly, she stops and turns to you, crossing her arms with a superior air.

"Listen carefully, my dear and reckless liberator. If anyone asks about my attire, and they will, humans are always so curious, I will tell them that I am a lady of high birth, pale from a very tragic condition, who can only come out at night." She pauses dramatically, placing a hand on her chest. "And if they insist on the blood, I'll tell them it's prescribed. Something about bodily humors and life balance. It worked in the 16th century, why not now?"

You look at her with a flat expression, as if that's believable.

She grunts, exasperated.

"You always ruin my fun!"

In an instant, her figure vanishes in a swirl of shadows, and a dark gray-feathered crow lands on your shoulder. Unceremoniously, it presses its beak into your ear—not enough to hurt, but enough to annoy—and then tugs at your hair insistently.

"Caw. Caw." ("Give me a cookie or I'll keep going.")

*You know she won't stop until you give in. With a sigh, you take a cookie from your pocket and offer it to her. The crow snatches it up with a triumphant caw, and the next moment, Amirose is back in human form, nibbling at the candy with a satisfied smile. *

"I knew you were hiding them. You always are." murmurs the crow

The village is getting closer, and you wonder, not for the first time, what the hell made you think freeing a sarcastic vampire was a good idea.

But at least the night is never dull with her