With the Tide [Forsyth]

[Lancaster]

The new endeavour the Pi had started by building the Sanctuary apartments was one that Lancaster clung to, like a drowning man clings to a piece of driftwood in the middle of a storm. This was what he needed to get by, he realised. Once, he had been a wanderer. A gypsy musician who’d never stayed in one place for too long. A man without a home, without roots, without any singular goal except to discover as much of the world as he could before death took him. Being turned had given him immortality, but it had also given him an obligation to stay in once place.

Becoming a vampire had never been on the cards. It was not something that he liked, and it was not something that he had ever come to terms with. There were times that he thought he had accepted it. There were times when he looked ahead with optimism. Immortality! Now there was no rush against time, no rush toward death. Now, there was eternity. But, there was still death in that eternity, and he lived in a city full of vampires who would call themselves reasonable, but they were monsters. And Lancaster felt that he himself was no exception.

Except that now he had this. He has Sanctuary. The things that he struggled with were surely things that others struggled with, too. The struggle between humanity and monstrousness. But, it had Lancaster thinking about those in their own small lineage. Where had Aliyah got to? The last he’d heard from her, she was having trouble with her family. And, more than that, where was Forsyth? The guy hadn’t really said much to the family, and Lancaster couldn’t remember – did he have access to the board? Yes… there was that conversation in the welcome thread. Was anyone else keeping in contact with him, and if Aliyah wasn’t around…?

For a second, Lancaster was worried that he didn’t have a contact for Forsyth. But, a quick scan through his phone and he found the number. He sent a text:

Hey, Forsyth. I don’t know if you have my number. It’s Lancaster. We should catch up, mate. Are you free? Can I meet you somewhere?

He sent the message, and sat back to wait for the response. Currently, the musician was at the docks; the party boat was empty, moored to the dock and rocking gently in the water. The air was heavy with humidity, but that wasn’t new to Lancaster. It was what he had grown up with, the humidity. It was like a small slice of home. There was a deck chair that Lancaster had dragged to the prow of the boat, where he sat to enjoy the weather. And to wait.

[Forsyth (DELETED 6007)]

Cleaning, working, repairing. That was all on his agenda on a day to day bases. It was all he seemed to ever do now. Either it would be going to Aliyah's apartment to check up on things and stock her blood packs for when she got up, even if it was just a second to feed. Or it was at his cabin home where he was still making repairs to make it safe, and livable. Otherwise, he focused on his work, which one, was a human job. Working at a gift store really never suited him. The way he looked, he should be in some sort of business. He was until he decided that it was time to move on. He was an immortal, he couldn't stick with the family business for long. Otherwise, the mortals would notice no change in appearance, or age.

He was stuck behind the counter of his job, counting up the money before he would close up the place. He looked around to see it spotless. Well, he has become such a pro in cleaning since that's all he does to occupy time, and keep his hands busy. Nothing much more to do in the City, that he hasn't learned. He knew there was so much more out there being a vampire, but Sireless at the moment, helpless in a sort of a way. He was struggling to learn all by himself. Like a boy struggling in high school math.

Once things were situated at the job he locked the doors up and headed out of the mall. He wondered where Sence has been, another Telepath, and his boss. Maybe he should contact her to see what she was up to. Wouldn't hurt would it? He was about to think up a telepathic message until a buzz of his phone distracted him. He stopped walking mid stride and took out his phone to look at the message. Huh, Elliot. It took him by surprise that that man specifically would message him. Was he in trouble? He was Aliyah's Sire, right?

Yeah I can meet up. Where are you? I'll come to you instead.

He hit reply as he left the mall building. He looked up and down the street and waited for a reply. He decided to pick a random direction, right, yeah that will work for now. Still, the streets were a little confusing on his part most of the time. Most of the time he doesn't even look at the street names, he just wonders to learn. He doesn't stay still it seemed, always on his feet.

[Lancaster]

It didn’t take long for a reply to come back, vibrating through the phone which Lancaster had settled over his chest. He picked it up and swiped the home screen, reading the message. Should he invite Forsyth to the boat, or go somewhere else? Lancaster leaned forward, gaze drawn to the ripples of water, the dim lights of the docks dancing over the smooth undulations. He shrugged his shoulders. It was a change of scenery; something different to the pub. And he didn’t know whether Forsyth could drink, anyway. So why invite the guy to the pub if he couldn’t partake of the beverages? Even if Lancaster served blood, too. It was pleasant here, though.

I’m at the Docks – Fisherman’s Wharf in River Rock. I have a boat – at dock 19. Let me know if it’s too far.

He sent the message and leaned back again, staring at the sky which was clear for once. At this edge of the city, at least the lights weren’t too bright. The stars were visible, and the moon with its quarter slice. After a minute or so, he got up and wandered down beneath deck, where there was a room that he kept locked when the boat was hired out to parties. There were different things he had for different events, and from one of the cupboards he found the record player. He carried it upstairs, first, before going back down for a couple of his favourites. The first one he put beneath the needle was Sharon von Etten, the album Are We There.

Lacking the inspiration to make music of his own, he would listen to music that inspired him. The music was played low, a background noise, soft and mournful, rather than something that might intrude on any conversation. That done, he poured himself a small tumbler of whiskey, downing it in a couple of mouthfuls before putting both the bottle and the glass away. He shuffled back to the deck chair and folded back down into it to check his phone again.

[Forsyth (DELETED 6007)]

On my way.

Was the mans simple reply before his phone was shoved back into his coat pocket. The walk wasn't too long, but it was long enough has this thoughts occupy the time to get to the dock. Even though he was tired, even hungry, he didn't feel the need to go home just yet. Plus his own Sire's, well, adopted sire, wanted to speak to him. About what exactly, he didn't know until he got there. It seemed like he was taking his time, or was it just his mind trying to avert him somewhere else. It tended to do that to him, where at one second he was walking home or to a pub, to find himself at an abandoned building. They were basically like a second home to him.

The dock was easy to find, since he tended to go there a lot to clear his mind. He always enjoyed the water, since he was as well raised near it back in New York. The smell, the sound of the rippling water, it sort of soothed him. Soothed his nerves. It was his hangout now since he found the faded portal that lead there. He walked along the docks until he came up to the specific one that Elliot mentioned. Dock 19.

He heard the music, and then saw the male sitting there. He stepped up behind and followed his gaze up to the sky. "Two weeks from now there will be a full moon. Where I will be weak as a human. My least favorite time of the months." He spoke up. And it was true, a curse he endured during his changing. Probably due to the bite from the wolf he came in contact with. Many of his curses had that quality.

[Lancaster]

On my way, the text said. Simple. Lancaster didn’t know where Forsyth was coming from, or what his mode of transport would be. He didn’t know whether on my way meant two minutes or twenty. But they had all the time in the world, right? And Lancaster wasn’t in any rush. He had no other plans. He was happy to sit and wait for Forsyth, if it meant he could relax. Which he did. With his legs stretched out in front of him and his phone dropped to the deck beneath the chair, Lancaster stared at the sky. There weren’t too many lights out this way – the docks were close enough to the edge of the city that the light pollution wasn’t so bad. And anyway, with their preternatural sight, the stars were always a little brighter.

Lancaster didn’t know how much time had passed before he heard the heavy footsteps on the wooden deck. He turned to greet the man who’d joined him, though no greeting was made. Lancaster smiled. It was refreshing. Although he indulged in small talk on a daily basis, it wasn’t something he enjoyed. It was exhausting. Empty, somehow. Launching directly into a topic worth discussing was something that Lancaster loved – and Forsyth had done just that.

”And two weeks ago, give or take, was the new moon. I was weak as a human then, just as I will be weak as a human in two weeks, too. Unlike you, it would seem, I enjoy it,” he said. He gestured to one of the other deck chairs, inviting Forsyth to sit if he wanted to.

”Do I take that to mean that you enjoy the vampire you have become, and don’t like to be reduced to the human you once were?” he asked. A pertinent question, he thought, when checking up on the wellbeing of those he did not know so well.

[Forsyth (DELETED 6007)]

He retrieved a chair and set it beside the man to sit down, his head tipping back to star up at the moon. It was a quarter full, only a week left until it would be full. He grinned faintly and set his hands clasped together in his lap. "Yes, I'm not very fond of the period. Though, it is nice to feel like a human again, it's not fun to feel weak when injured a day before." It was true. Many times he was caught injured a day before the full moon, which caused his wounds to heal slower at that time, causing him on bed rest - by himself with no help. But, he has been getting use to it, slowly, being alone.

Forsyth once hated the life he was in now, more so non-life. Being a fool of exploring the forest when he was human without knowing the truth that lurked there at all. For months he disliked being apart of the supernatural, having to feed off humans, or even blood packs. That heavy conscious that weighed on him constantly when he fed...but lately, he has accepted on who he is now. Having to live eternity on the world living off human blood. But in his absense for what seemed like two to three months, he learned that what he is now, is an advantage. The strength, his powers, his eternity life. The thought caused him to grin.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that. I use to hate what Aliyah made me into, but now," he paused and shrugged a shoulder. "I quite enjoy it a lot. Still though not a big fan of drinking..." He looked over at Elliot with that 'you know what I'm talking about' kind of look.