Emily: "Are you STILL on that thing?"

Mary jumped, spilling coffee and cocoa on her arm and the floor.

Mary: "Jesus Em, I'm going to get you one of those kitty collars with bells! Have some consideration for the recently kidnapped by vampires, okay? Walk louder."
Emily: "Actually, I think I might have a belled collar already..."
Mary: "I don't even want to know."

Emily: "How goes the research?"
Mary: "It's... going. Do you have any idea how many vampire myths, legends and tales there are?"
Emily: "No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me. You can skip over the part with the big claws."

Mary: "I started with Dracula, Vlad the impaler, you know? He was creepy. Kinda evil. Drank blood and whatnot. But was he a vampire, or was he just Jeffrey Dahmer-crazy from all those years in the oubliette? Who knows. But the vampire legend goes back much further. Every culture, as far back as recorded history, has some variation on the vampire myth. I guess I knew that, sort of, but I didn't really understand."
Emily: "Well, now you know why the myths are so pervasive."

Mary: "Yeah... they're real. Pretty cool."

Mary's voice was almost dreamy, her gaze focused somewhere off in the distance.

Emily: "Hmmmm?"
Mary: "I mean, evil. 'Cause you know what's not pervasive? The vampire with a soul. Aside from recent fiction, your friendly neighbourhood vampire just doesn't exist."

Mary: "So how come it takes a monster looking me in the eyes to see what you've seen all your life?"
Emily: "I can take things on faith. Granted, humans are known to be deeply stupid, but a few thousand years of legends the world over... there's something to that. And if you believe that... you see things you might be blind to otherwise. YOU, however... let's just say your world is a little bit more ordered than mine, shall we?"

Mary: "Yeah, yeah. So, you up for a little field research?"
Emily: "Field research?"

Mary: "Uh huh. As fun as the book learnin' has been, I'm starting to find it tedious and useless. There are too many conflicting stories, and I want to see what's real. Look at this- check out the article on page four, half-way down on the left hand side..."

Emily: "Dead cows?"
Mary: "Not just dead. Exsanguinated."
Emily: "But Mary, it says they were attacked by animals."
Mary: "Vampires are animals."

Emily: "So are, you know, animals."
Mary: "Well, if that's the case, then we really have nothing to worry about."

Emily: "Sure, 'cause people have never been killed by wolves. Or bears. Does Deception Pass have bears? Because I have this thing with bears ever since the incident with Old Smokey and the Frat pledges."
Mary: "Please. That bear was like a hundred years old and you led him right back into his cage. He sat on your command!"

Emily: "Uh huh. It was great fun. Except for the part where I was trying to calmly and slowly run away and just happened to end up in his cage."
Mary: "Whatever. You're good with animals. You're the bear-whisperer! We'll be fine. Check this out."

Mary: "See? It's a wooden cross, and this end is the stake. Religious symbolism doubling as leverage! Plus I marinated it in some holy water with crushed garlic."
Emily: "Oh brother. This is going to be a long night. I'll go with you, but I'm bringing snacks. And Mary?"
Mary: "Yeah?"
Emily: "Do I want to ask where you got holy water?"
Mary: "That depends... can they charge you with accessory after the fact?"
Emily: "Nevermind. Gather up your... equipment. I'll meet you downstairs in ten."