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This tavern was unusually quiet.

There were no jeering men, no roaring laughter. The music being played was slow and solemn, maybe even wary. As if everyone in the room was ready to run. The servers said nothing as the roamed aorund the room, but the direction of their gazes said it all.

By the bar, a girl in red was sitting alone.

There was a scythe propped up by the chair beside her, but the demon hunter bets that even without the weapon, people would still look at her with fear.

Alucard was sent to this town to investigate the cause of missing people. Taverns were usually the best places to go, as well as marketplaces, because they were heavily populated. This tavern was sparse of people and everyone seemed to want to stay silent.

A server boy passed by his table, carrying a stack of dirty plates. Alucard grabbed the boys's arm. "The girl in red. Who is she?"

The server boy readjusted his grip on the plates, looking nervous. "Uh, sorry, sire, but I'm afraid we aren't allowed ta-" The server was cut short as Alucard set a gold coin on the table.

"Apologies," Alucard said, a pleasant smile on his face. "I didn't know. I just wanted an entertaining story."

The server looked to the girl, who wasn't paying them any attention. He sat down, still holding the plates. "Um. She- she comes in once a week and orders a cup o' our finest wine... but that's not what everyone's so bothered 'bout."

"Go on."

The boy gulped, casting another fearful glance to the girl across the room. "So, so one day, a group o' boys come in, prolly celebratin' a birthday or somethin', and they try and sweet talk her. She clearly wasn't havin' it. She left, and the boys followed."

The server boy leaned in, and softly said, "the next day, a mother comes in. Askin' if they've seen her boy, Henry. A few hours later they find him, and his friends, by the forest, bodies torn ta' shreds."

Alucard nodded. "I see," the server stood up, grabbing the gold. Alucard put another one into his arm. "For your troubles," Alucard said. The boy smiled weakly and scuttled off to the kitchens.

Alucard understood the townspeople's fears. A girl who may or may not be related to the deaths of a number of young men, who only comes by the tavern once a week, meaning she lived pretty far, or-

Deep in the forest.

Alucard understood the people's fears perfectly. He took one last swig of his beer before standing up. He gripped his sword and walked over to the girl.

Everyone in the tavern was staring, now. Some were getting ready to leave. The musicians were packing up their instruments. Most of the staff quickly ran to the kitchen.

Alucard sat beside the girl. The red of her clothes was even more intense from this close. Like freshly spilled blood. Alucard didn't smell any on her, fortunately. "Hello," Alucard said, tentatively, as if he was embarassed to talk to her. The only thing missing, at this point, was a blush. "I'm Alistair."

The girl looked at him, gaze lingering on his sword and the Demon Hunter crest on his clothes. "Hello." She said.

"I'm Ruby. What's a demon hunter doing this far from the capitol?"