"We're monster hunters. It's our job to keep the city safe from vampires and other creatures of darkness."
"Evil," Athena corrected. "Creatures of evil. Not everything that's dark is evil."
Nadine clenched her teeth. "Now's not the time, Athena."
Shuffling her feet, she continued. "Anyway, tonight's our turn to patrol. Athena detected an active vampire in the area, so we investigated. Lucky for you, we happened to find the vampire before it managed to bite you."
"Lucky for you in more ways than one, Jon," added Athena. "You wouldn't want to know what might've happened if you'd been bit. Nadine's very thorough about disposing of the taint."
Jon paled at the implications, but curiosity forced him to continue. "So, how'd you two get into this business? Is this a recent thing?"
Nadine shrugged. "It's not recent for me. It's a family legacy, you might say. My mom's a hunter, both her parents were hunters, and so on."
Athena smiled. "For me, it was my choice. As a witch, I have a few natural talents. One day, I decided I didn't want to join a coven like other witches. So, I became a hunter, instead. End of story."
"This is just too weird," said Jon, rubbing his forehead. "If I didn't see a vampire with my own eyes, I'd say you two were crazy. Vampires? Monster hunters? It sounds too ridiculous to be true." He chose not to mention that he had previously gotten an inkling of the truth from a magic stone. "And speaking of ridiculous, what about you two? I never would've imagined you working together."
Athena grinned, and even Nadine cracked a smile. "Oh, the craziness goes far beyond that, Jon."
