A wondering one [open]

[Clear (DELETED 7068)]

I look at them like they are monsters and they look at me like I am crazy. These bloodied Angels act like what they have done is perfectly normal and perfectly just. I am no adolescent. I am not stupid. I know too well what horrors people can perform on each other. I know first-hand what brutality man is capable of and how he justifies it. I know how man can delude himself so strongly and act so repugnantly when he is confronted with his crimes, but I cannot believe that this savagery has followed me from Africa. I was told Canada was different. I was told it was peaceful and prosperous. I was stupid to believe the stereotypes. These people who think themselves so civilised are no better than animals! You are no Angel. You are the Devil.

I can barely believe what I am seeing, but I will not let this shock overwhelm me. I feel the adrenaline in my throat making it harder to breathe, making my whole body harden like a diamond. I feel my heart pounding anxiously in my chest and my fingers curling inward. If they are to strike me next, I will make them regret it. The Fire Lady is the first to make her approach and she is running toward me. I do not intend to strike her unnecessarily, but I will not allow her to attack and flee. As she approaches, I side-step; her attempt to jar me is annulled. I hear her words echoing in the air beside my ear as she continues to run. Dark Steel is quick on her heels, delivering the same kind of threat to me, but he does not attack me either.

I stare after them as they disappear around the corner, melting into the darkness like the Devils they are. With the authorities on the way, their only choice is to flee. They do not believe they are in the wrong. They believe the law will punish them, but they do not believe they are in the wrong. Their moral compasses must be inverted. I would follow after them, my body is vibrating with the need to punish them, but the flash of red, white and blue catches my attention first.

The bouncers are approaching, three more added to the two which had held the door. Five men are now attending to the line of vixens and foxes which look more like clucking hens. Twenty clucking hens have witnessed what happened here tonight, but the young boys have gone – forced to flee. I could have done more to help those boys and the guilt makes my searing body cool tremendously. Instinct makes me rub at my arms – the texture is the same as it usually is now that I have dropped my guard. No one is looking at me anyway. I hear the approach of footsteps, but I do not turn until I feel a hand on my shoulder. A man dressed in what looks to me like a police officer’s uniform is looking down at me with guarded eyes. I look past his shoulder for a moment to see that one of the bouncers is watching us.

“Hello, ma’am?” he asks, but the honorific confuses me for a moment.

“Yes?” I finally bleat.

“The men there told me what happened here tonight. Can I ask you a few questions?”

I hold my arms tighter. “Of course.”

He guides me toward the side-walk where a black, unmarked vehicle is waiting. I frown and stop, staring up at dark eyes in a very white face.

“It’s ok,” he tells me, but I am not sure I believe him.

For once I feel a longing to be somewhere familiar and safe, to be back at the hotel room perhaps. I tell him that I just want to go home, but he encourages me to get into the car. He says he will have someone take me home once the questions are over. He tells me not to worry. He promises that everything will ok. I am ushered into the back of the vehicle. There is already another woman waiting in the front passenger seat. She looks back as I settle in and put on my seat belt. The warm smile she is wearing puts me at ease, though only just.

“Are you ok, honey?”

I smile and nod at her question. My smile vanishes when the first man gets into the vehicle.

“You don’t look like you’ve ever been in the back of a police car before,” she says.

Those bright blue eyes on that taupe face remind me of Siamese cat. Those soft lilts of her voice are as soothing as a lullaby. I feel like I can talk to this woman.

“I have not.”

“Well that’s good news,” she beams. “You don’t have to worry about a thing now. We’re just going to make sure you’re ok and you’re not hurt.”

“If you’ve got any further information on what happened tonight, we’ll need to know it,” the first officer adds after he has started the vehicle and begins the drive.

“I am not sure what happened…”

“It’s alright, sweetie. You don’t need to talk right away. You just relax and we’ll talk once we’re at the station. We’ll get you a hot cup of coffee and a blanket, alright.”

I agree and nod my head. I smile, though I do not feel that I can rest, not even when I am in the company of these people. They are not suspicious, but I am overly sensitive after the ordeal tonight. I still feel sick with guilt and my thoughts turn to the boys who ran away injured and terrified. There is silence for a while before the radio chirps.

“Calling units within the Newborough and Redwood districts. We have reports of a 10-11F. Seven suspects are believed to be involved with five casualties in custody. Two suspects were last seen heading northeast toward Redwood. Suspects are described as a white male, six feet, with dark hair and eyes. The second suspect is a white female, approximately five and a half feet, with red hair and blue eyes. Female suspect is dressed in a red West University t-shirt. Suspects are believed to be armed and dangerous. Extreme caution is advised.”

A breath I wasn’t aware I was holding escapes me and I slouch into the seat at long last. They have found the boys and soon they will find the Devils. I hope they are punished for what they have done.

[Astrid (DELETED 6933)]

Not completely sure if the woman had heard or would even take her advice, but that’ s what it was. It was more advice than a threat. The woman needed to forget and keep her mouth shut. From the things that Astrid had been told and even witnessed, humans had a way of disappearing in this city, especially the curious ones, or the ones set on exposing or bringing any kind of threat to her kind. Her kind…

As the two running rounded a fifth corner, the red haired vampire heard the steps of the other come to a halt. She too stopped and stood there, staring at the man as he leaned against the wall of an abandoned building. Her eyes were narrowed down slits fixed into a glowering stare. With crossed arms she stood there, wanting to lash out at him and ask how he could put them both into so much danger. Didn’t he have a sire that taught him not to get involved with drama, much less with a crowd of onlookers? Speaking of sires, Alex was going to kill her. So many times she warned her, and it took what? One stupid moment. STUPID ASTRID!

With her eyes still locked on the man, whom Astrid had felt had a redeemer complex, she watched as he lifted his head while speaking of not knowing that it would go that far. Her lips drew a tight line before she found her voice to speak up, not quite sure of where she should start. Just as her lips parted for her to begin, the glow of a searchlight, lighting up the shadows of alleyways and buildings near them, could be seen coming from a patrol car. It was driving slowly. Obviously, they were looking for someone...or someones. Her back stiffened and she looked around.

“Now isn’t the time to worry of that, It seems that if we hang around here too much longer, we will be getting a free ride to trouble.” Astrid nodded toward the car. “I will be on my way now. Good luck” Already fishing out her Tome from her pocket, she was immediately whisked away from the scene before the light could be shined toward them.

[Stryge (DELETED 7204)]

The shadows had been long on the walls that night, drawn out by halogen street lamps and the blazing neon from the clubs. It was amazing how no one paid much attention to shadows, especially at night. Those dark stalkers of the the three-dimensional world, a two-dimensional tag along, wannabe objects.

But being shadows had advantages too. Observing, calculating, information gathering. One shadow in particular had been watching the dramatic scene in front of the club unfold. This shadow had watched from the corner as a woman walking alone had been confronted by some horny asshole who had taken it upon himself this night to put a nail in the coffin of chivalry. He had watched two people poke their noses in where they didn't belong, and do things they shouldn't have been doing under harsh streetlights and in front of twenty-some scared and bewildered club-goers. This shadow was very good at not moving, but it had taken everything in his power not to shake his head ruefully at that.

The shadow had even been able to anticipate the direction the two interlopers would take to beat their retreat when they had finally come to their senses. It was obvious that they were fang-types, like the shadow himself, and though he felt no specific kinship to them because of this, he had decided he was not done with his observing, and so he had crept around the corner ahead of their escape path. and waited for them to arrive.

When they did, seconds later, their exchange caused the shadow to smirk. Self-hatred fueled his contempt for everyone around him, but it was a remarkably efficient and clean-burning fuel.

I didn't mean for it to go that far. I didn't know it would.
the man dark-haired man with the accent had said.

The redhead had chastised him, and then suddenly she was gone, not in the way the shadow could disappear, but different and immediate. The shadow was intrigued, and decided he would have to look into that more later. But for now...

A police prowler had been crawling down the street with a spot light, and any second it would light up this particular side street like Christmas.

The shadow had decided the time had come to stop observing and act. His dark humor had left him sorely tempted to inflect his best Ahnald and deliver a "Come with me if you want to live," but this was no movie, and besides, he wasn't concerned that the Romanian would get himself killed; just continue to draw undue attention to his kind. And as someone who thrived on anonymity, Stryge couldn't have that.

When he spoke, it was with a Texas drawl, exaggerated slightly for effect:

"Well that was quite the little dustup y'all had back there. What's a matter Prince Charming? Did riding to the rescue not work out the way you planned? I think it's time we display the better part of valor..."

The light from the patrol car had just about rounded the corner. Stryge began backing slowly down the street, heading toward the large stone steps of Catholic church. Churches and bars, he mused. Always in such close proximity to each other.

"If you stick close to me," he continued, "they'll have a hard time seeing you. Things tend to get...dark, when I'm around."

[Forsyth (DELETED 6007)]

He watched the woman just suddenly disappear. Like that. In front of his eyes with no other words. What a lady she was....He had a few choices, to run back to where he lived, or to the apartment in the QZ - he had no contact with his Sire lately to even get her help in this type of situation. He was still a new one (even if it's been nine months), but he had so much to learn that he didn't get help with from his Sire before her sudden disappearance.. Their relationship kept them busy from him learning a lot that is missing. A second choice was to use his Tome to go to safety and hide for a while. But would that even help? He'd probably have to hide there for a long time.

He stood up straight and looked around him quietly, the police would come close to where he was sooner or later, and they were near to point out his location. He cursed at himself. The trouble he gets into lately. He should get a tattoo on his forehead that says 'Criminal' for all he does around the City.

When he was about to take off he stopped the moment a man came up to him, a hand instantly going to his blade - self defense, that could be an excuse right? But he lowered his hand when the man only seemed to want to...help? The man's words caused him to narrow his eyes. What did he know?! He could be a cop, trying to fool him. "I'm no Prince Charming. Now do you mind?" He turned again to run off, only to halt from the man's continued words. Stick with him...?

Should he trust the man by following him? He didn't even know him at all, he could be that undercover cop, or a hunter, or something! He didn't trust many people around the city, clearly. But at the same time, he had a vibe coming from him...like he was one of, well, them. Forsyth turned around and eyed the man a few feet away. "Fine. But if you make one move, I will slit your throat." He agreed, but also threatened just like that. Probably not a good first impression.. But, if he put himself in wrong hands, it was his own fault, not the mans. He needed to act quickly, and now. He couldn't get caught. It was the last thing he wanted to happen.

[Stryge (DELETED 7204)]

If you make one move, I will slit your throat.

Well bucko, thought Stryge. I'm going to follow the spirit if not the letter of that statement, or else we'll both be standing here playing at statues until the cops put us in handcuffs.

"Come on," was all he actually said, as he crept further up the steps of the cathedral-like church. Breaking and entering had kind of become his thing since his transformation into a vampire, and it was with ease that he jimmied the lock, not on the immense double doors that served as the main entrance into the foyer, but on a smaller door off to the side. Misdirection was one of the preferred tools in a shadow's bag of tricks, frequently proving just as useful their other, more supernatural abilities. Stryge motioned for the dark-haired vampire with the European accent to follow him into the darkened church. Simultaneously, the shadows seemed to deepen around the busted door, so that one would have to have been standing right in front of it to see that it was, in fact, slightly ajar. The light from the patrol car, on the other hand, could not penetrate the unnaturally rich shadows that were stretching over the front of the church like a languid lover, and so the policemen helming the patrol car were left with no visual impression to draw their attention down this particular street. The police prowler continued on in its patrolling.

From inside the cavernous dark belly of the church, Stryge listened as the the sound of the police car's engine fade away into nothingness. When he decided they were indeed safe for the moment, he turned to the other vampire and smiled. "Howdy there partner," he intoned, again drawing out the southern drawl for effect and tipping an imaginary cowboy hat. "Name's Stryge. It's a pleasure to meet you."

[Forsyth (DELETED 6007)]

He felt like he was lost as he followed the man, no clue on where they were heading until he saw the church. On the other hand he continued to survey the area around them, cautious of what may be lurking nearby to where they're about to - well, apparently hide. He also kept an eye on the curious stranger he was now trusting to guide him away from any more trouble that he could fall into. Which for him, was pretty easy knowing that he had so many abilities he wanted to figure out, and that's by testing them. It wasn't a good idea to do so, seeing as they caused him problems, like the current one.

When they were inside, of what seemed like a church. Which was odd, who knew that this place would be a vampires way of hiding or dodging anything. He stood there silent, mostly just to listen to the commotion outside, the sounds of voices, and the engine of the patrol car. Well, as long as he was hidden right now, and hopefully for a while, he'd be fine. But who knew how long this could keep up. He should of just took his Tome to safety, where he could find Pi, or Elliot, or any family member.

The voice of the other man drew him out of his mind, causing him to blink a few times back to reality, staring up at the man. Well, introductions were nice, so he didn't consider this man a stranger anymore. "Forsyth." He muttered out with a faint nod of his head. "And, uh, thanks." He decided maybe he should thank the man for taking him out of eyes hot, to possibly safety.

[Stryge (DELETED 7204)]

Forsyth. And, uh, thanks.

Whoah there buddy, thought Stryge with a smirk. Slow down, you'll talk my ear off. They were in the nave of what was obviously a cathedral of Roman Catholic influence. Though they had passed offices, and even a confessional that could have served as a hiding spot, Stryge preferred the safety of this wider room. There were pews to hide behind, but also plenty of places to run if it came to that. Stryge wasn't a big fan of being backed into a corner, and even if the police did appear to have ambled on their way like mindless insects, he wasn't sure how grateful this new vampire acquaintance would be. Or for that matter, how sane. Vampires could be off their rocker sometimes. He was "living" proof of that.

Some of the ambient light of the city filtered through the stained glass windows, casting a glow on the panes of green and blue and red glass that formed mosaics depicting such edifying scenes as the Crucifixion and the martyrdom of various saints. Trust the catholics to keep it upbeat. Stryge wondered how old this church was. It was very much in a style that mimicked the medieval French roots of many of the locals. He wondered if one of those locals had ever fled to this very building in the middle of the night hoping to escape beings like himself and his new acquaintance, Forsyth; hoping that the "holiness" of the building would keep the forces of darkness at bay. What foolishness, he thought. Everything he had seen about the power of the cross in those old Dracula movies growing up had been complete ********. He knew this for a fact, because after his turning, he had reached into the duffel bag that had come to be the repository of any earthly belongings that still held meaning for him, and had come away with his mother's silver cross, the one keepsake he still had of her since her passing. It had dangled from a chain between his fingers, and he gazed on it for a moment, contemplating its power. Then he had clutched it tightly in the palm of his hand, actually expecting it would burn him somehow, looking forward to the pain. But nothing had happened, absolutely nothing. It's all a big joke, he thought, and chuckled grimly. Then realized what he was doing; literally sitting in the dark with a man he barely knew, hiding from the police, and laughing to himself. Now who's off their rocker? he thought.

"Well Forsyth, pleased to make your acquaintance. And don't mention it. Always glad to help out a fellow brother of the fang." This wasn't strictly true, but there was something about the Romanian vampire's manner that had appealed to Stryge. This brother didn't mess around, just waded right into a sticky situation because he thought he was doing the right thing. (He also didn't seem too keen on looking before he leapt, but maybe that was something Stryge could help him out with). Stryge's smile shone from beneath the shadows of his dark woolen hood. He was wearing his black hooded leather jacket, jeans, and sneakers; what he had come to think of as his b&e ensemble. "It sounds like our friends in the black and white cruiser have passed us by, but just in case, we might want to sit tight here a little while longer. In the meantime, stories are a good way to pass the time. Tell me somethin' about yourself Forsyth. Where're you come from and how'd you end up in all this mess?"

[Forsyth (DELETED 6007)]

Forsyth took a seat instead of standing now. His elbows rested easily upon his knees and he stared at his hands. Running. Hiding. Running. Hiding. It's all this life ever consisted of. And he was getting tired of it. Can he just live a human life? No, he can't. With what he is now he had many restrictions that he had to follow. Though he still clung to his humanity a few times. But he also accepted what he was, to the point he moved on from his human life that he held onto so dearly back home.

He watched as the lights filled up the church, he gaze wondering along the area. From looking at each mosaics in the windows that caste on the ground. To all the crosses that hung along the wall, to the pulpit that was up from. He snorted to himself. He wasn't much of religion belief at all. Sure he went to church when he was a little child, occasionally when he was a teenager. But not since he became an adult, it was nonsense. He had nothing to believe in anymore. It was the same with his Sire, Aliyah. She was Catholic before changed, and now she can no longer speak Holy. But why a chruch? Why did this man bring him here? Sure it may look innocent on the outside to prevent any searches on the inside. But there were a bunch of other places too, he thought...

When the man laughed across from him his attention was brought back, staring at Stryge carefully. This man kept getting a little more interesting as the minutes passed by hiding with him. But why is he still here? Hiding with him? Forsyth thought he was just helping him by hiding him somewhere. But here he is, across from him. Laughing to himself. Well, apparently now they would be here longer, as he suggested. Lovely. Forsyth wasn't good with new people, most of the times he came off as a rude jerk, or strict, at times maybe a little intimidating. But that's what friends and family labeled him as back home. People here may see him differently.

Oh, questions, stories about himself. Wonderful, he had to open up to a man he just met. He let out a quiet sigh and lowered his head back down, staring at his fingers once more. "I came from New York," which probably would sound odd to the man, since Forsyth still had that accent from when he lived in Romania. He only moved five years ago to New York to help improve his fathers family business of fair trading. "Originally from Romania. I came here, passing through for a business trip. Only to get caught walking in the forest, not knowing a one or two thing about what lurked there. Got in a mishap with an animal, a wolf, attacked. Aliyah, my maker, saved me." He pulled down the sleeve on the left side to show a scar of where the wolf had bitten in and tore the skin. Vampire scarring, lovely curse..

[Stryge (DELETED 7204)]

"Woooeee! Will ya look at that! Well hombre, looks like we're more than just brothers of the fang." Stryge carefully unzipped his jacket. He pulled down the collar of his white tee-shirt until it was lower than his left pectoral. While he did so, he held out his left hand, palm first. On the palm of his hand was a bright pink line of scar tissue. On his chest , just above his heart, was a another scar, dime-sized, the shape of an entry wound from a pistol. "Guess we're also brothers of the scar. They keep telling me these should heal. but they ain't been going nowhere. Thought I was just a defective model. Kinda nice to see someone other than me don't heal up quite so fast." Stryge grinned, and this time it felt warmer, the charm a little more genuine. He pulled back the hood. His dark hair was slicked back. Though he had a thin face, his eyes seemed to float like ghosts out of it. They were almost all you could see. But then there was that smile. It sucked you in. When he smiled like that, you almost couldn't help but like the sonovabitch.

The air in the church seemed to have taken on an eerie stillness, like something frozen that at any second could shatter and break into a million pieces. That was what this moment had come to feel like to the pale young shadow, like something fragile that could not last much longer before the ugly world stomped all over it and smashed it to bits. And if that was so, he was going make the most of this moment, for both their sakes.

"You ever hear the saying about jazz music, that it's the notes you don't play that are just as important as the ones you do? Well there's a lot you're telling me by what you're not telling me. And ****, I don't blame you. You don't know me from Adam. But you seem troubled, brother. Anyway, fair's fair, you told me yours, lemme tell you mine. I'm from Texas. Shocker, right?" Stryge chuckled. "Came to Harper Rock not so long ago, not really sure why. But I was sure of one thing. I wanted to die here. More specifically, I wanted to kill myself."

"See," he continued, "back in Texas, I killed a man. Now I didn't kill him because I didn't like him. I didn't kill him because he deserved it. I killed him because I was a drunken idiot. And that's a tough thing to live with. But I was ready to do my time, and pay my debt. Problem was, my daddy wasn't, and he's one of the best goddamn lawyers in Houston. The guilt of doing what I done, and not even being punished for it? Now that I couldn't live with. So I cut all ties and hit the road, looking for something, well, honestly, looking for a place to die. And I thought I had found it when I got here to Harper Rock. I even got as far as putting a gun to my chest and pulling the trigger-" he gave a nod to the hole in his chest before releasing the collar of his shirt, the white fabric popping up and covering the scar. "But someone didn't want me to die. I like how you called yours your maker. That's good. Mine calls herself Pi, like the number mind you, not the dessert. She was my maker. Hell, she remade me. And let me tell you, for a while there, I resented the hell out of her for it. See, being turned didn't just automatically transform me into a better person or someone with a lick of common sense. I was still the same selfish piece of **** that thought I could fix everything by offing myself. It's taken a couple of vampires since then to knock some sense into me; get my head right. But now I see things different. See the light you might say." He chuckled again and glanced up at the glow of halogen light streaming through the panes of glass that made up Jesus's face, his robe, his blood.

"Now Forsyth, I gotta say, you remind me an awful lot of myself before I had that revelation, before I saw there was a purpose to becoming what I am. So tell me buddy, where is this maker of yours, and why isn't she around to tell you not to be picking fights with humans in public?"

[Forsyth (DELETED 6007)]

He eyed the scars on the mans body. So there were others out there as well who didn't heal from, well, battle wounds or their death wounds. It made him feel at ease in the way. He also had many from incidents he ran into. When he tried to feed when he became new to this life, he was quite successful, actually, he ran into a lot of hunters that caught him and reacted. He had many shot wounds on his body. Few on his shoulder, some on his abdomen. Even one on his god damn head. Luckily his hair covered the wound.

""... looks like we're more than just brothers of the fang.""

Now why was did this man keep on insisting they were brothers? It kind of bothered him in a sense, but he figured maybe that's the way the guy spoke. It didn't completely bother him by much. It was actually nice to have someone speaking to him, even if they were in hiding. It sort of soothed his nerves that sudden heightened with fear. Forsyth was a man who clung deeply to his humanity inside, even if he didn't play a part on it on the outside. He wanted to fit in. And if acting like a vampire meant it, then he' do it. He was still learning, who could blame him! And in a way, he sort of liked the new him. Strong, fearless...but a monster.

His attention got diverted back to the man in front of him who began to talk about his life, his change. Completely different from how himself came about Harper Rock. Business compared to wanting to kill ones self. It made him frown. This man didn't seem to deserve to harm himself. He seemed like quite the gentleman, helpful to him as he has seen so far. Forsyth liked Stryge already. His thoughts snapped away as the mention of Pi was spoken. He knew the woman, he ran into her a few times. Though they never got proper introductions besides the Pub. So this man was family then. But Forsyth wouldn't mention that until later. Especially when the question of his 'maker' came up.

Little did Stryge know, was that his 'maker' - who he's been calling that for some time now - was actually his girlfriend. He sighed, a sad sound, before he spoke. "She's well, He waved his arm in no particular direction, "elsewhere, disappeared. Somewhere. No one knows, not even the family. Not even me. No warning or anything. Deep down he was very concerned on where she went, what was wrong. "That's why I'm by myself. Learning by myself. I have yet to really introduce myself to much of the family. I know of a few, but not all. That is why this trouble rut that I'm in, happened." He looked at the man and shrugged. "I've been here for almost nine months now. I learned a few things, but," He smirked then, his eyes twinkling at the thought, "The maker and I got to caught up in ourselves and formed a relationship, not a childe and sire, but boyfriend and girlfriend. We got too deep into it, causing me to lack on learning many skills that I could be using. Learning how to stay safe, to stay away from trouble." He had no idea why he told the man that all of a sudden. But he asked, and why not tell him.