Dragons Awakened [PM/Invite]

[Nikolae]

Nikolae had nearly talked himself out of the public appearance a dozen times this night alone. The exchanges made through the Worthington forum were easy enough and required no real social graces, but then he'd never put too much effort into those graces in person or online. Still, the dragon was no coward, and he knew if he were really to make an effect on the town he'd all but abandoned years ago then he'd have to be available in more than pixels alone. His comfortable life drifting through the town, silent and as hard to catch as a true shadow, couldn't go on forever.

He thought ruefully of the last time he'd been truly 'out' and about in the city of the dead. Things had been far different then, but no less hopeless. Groups and individuals alike had been filled with rage and an amusing desire to climb on top of one another to make themselves more important. Nikolae had never had much interest in serving any but himself, but he'd still stepped up when it seemed like only idiots were stumbling their way into leadership roles. He'd taken on more when his own sire had disappeared. Niko hadn't ever gotten much from the old ******** anyways, but he'd managed to make something of this vampiric life anyways.

One of those somethings was looming ahead of him as he strolled down the street with the usual silent grace of a Shadow. He paused under a street lamp and tilted his head back, looking at the impressive structure that had once served as a place of worship for humans. He didn't know why the former owners had sold the building to him, but it had given him a certain degree of satisfaction to see the holy grounds turned into a Temple for immortals. The alter at the front was the same that had been there when he'd bought the place, but he intended to place a ritual alter there soon. Busy, busy.

He didn't need a key to enter - the first floor had always been open to the public. In times past he'd seen all manner of friend and foe curled up on the pews to sleep the daylight hours away. For some reason humans rarely if ever ventured inside, so none worried about being caught out by the sun. The high windows were still in place, if thickened and coated for vampires protection, and the mosaics had changed from the familiar religious scenes instead to various portraits of vampires. Not so easily to pick out if one didn't recognize them, but still there. Nikolae himself was on one of those windows, as were the twins in their brooding poses. Another was of a wolf with too-knowing eyes, and a beautiful dark-haired female standing over it with a feral smile and crazy gaze. That one always made him chuckle, though he doubted his muses would ever step foot into the Temple to see it.

He was at the entrance now, hesitating more to steel his nerves than anything else. A full minute passed before he drew his hands from the familiar leather jacket that covered his black turtle-neck. It was cold in the city again, and he'd had to have the heating turned on by phone weeks earlier. Shoulders rolling back, he eased open the door and strode inside.

Serpentine gaze flickered over the familiar surroundings, taking note of the little things that needed both updating and cleaned. He was only a little surprised to see it wasn't that terrible - no dust, no garbage strewn around, nothing needing swept. His lips twisted in distaste at the obvious sight of old cold blood someone had filled the vessel that had once held holy water with.

"Hilarious," He muttered, half tempted to toss the thing out entirely. Still, at least there wasn't a dead body on the alter.

[CharlotteC]

Charlie slipped out of the building with a satisfied smile on her face, in and out with not a sound made, not an alarmed tripped, not a guard harmed or even aware. Yeah, there had been a close call, where she had been caught between a rock and a hard place - so to speak - and she had to go silent, her eyes watching as the guard passed her without even seeing her standing there. A good thing, but still a little nerve wracking. Now though, Charlie glanced back at the factory and smiled to herself, unzipping the leather jacket she wore so that she looked a little more natural and not like the cat burglar that she thought of herself. She had even slipped her mask into her back pocket as she had left the building.

Now she was wearing her usual 'smart' glasses that held only glass lenses. It gave her that 'human' appearance, after all what vampire would need glasses to see anything? She smirked at that idea, because she knew that she wasn't the only vampire that used the guise of glasses to appear more human. A friend - or at least a close-ish acquaintance - did the same thing. As Charlie thought of this, she nearly skipped down the street, heading for the shop that was near by and then she would hit the bank to turn in the cash that her haul would no doubt give her, with the added perk of her teasing tongue to work the owner into a more giving nature.

Then she noticed something odd, something that seemed a little out of place. A vampire heading into the Dragomir Temple, well it wasn't that there was someone heading in there, the last time she had been in the place - a curious glance in before she had cut some ties - there had been a vampire in the place that she hadn't recognized. No, the odd part was the timing, usually it was right before dawn that the vampires that didn't have a place to live would run for places like this. Right now it was still relatively early. Or, at least it was for her, in her mind. She watched the male for a moment and then decided to see what was up. Perhaps there was something going on in the place.

Current stolen property forgotten, she walked towards the temple and after a moment of steeling herself, she opened the door and took a step in. She hadn't been in this place for a while, but it hadn't changed from the time she had seen it. Her chocolate eyes traveled through the lay of the place once more before she turned her gaze on the male once more, studying him. And as she did, she took a look at the crownet through her mind, trying to peg who this person was.

[Kynan (DELETED 5832)]

Kynan hadn’t been in the city long. He’d gotten here, laid low, gone to a bar, and gotten turned into a vampire. Now he spent his nights in the Quarantine Zone getting better at defending himself so that he could, in turn, defend Azraeth. He would be the Hound for him. An even better, stronger, and faster Hound. One worthy of being in a line of Dragons.

Azraeth had left and so Kynan had gone hunting again, driving his blade into zombies left and right. It was getting easier, it seemed, every night. The speed and strength he possessed now put his human form to shame. If only his previous gang brothers could see him now.

He was still dressed in the shabby clothes he’d been in when he was turned: a blood stained, bullet ridden grey t-shirt, some ragged jeans with scuffed boots, and a thick jacket. His sire hated his clothes. Not even just because he’d died in them. They seemed to offend the ponce’s sensibilities. He laughed to himself as he walked.

Despite the hunting he’d done, Kynan still felt restless. He decided to walk through the town. Sightseeing was one thing, but if he knew the lay of the town, he could learn its shortcuts. He could be smarter and faster. He could certainly get away with things more easily.

A church caught his attention, though he didn’t recognize the figures in the stained glass. None of them looked particularly saintly, especially the wolf. What kind of church was it? Was there some kind of creepy vampire cult?

Naturally, he had to check it out. So the Welshman pushed the door open and instead of finding it empty, there were two people inside. A woman and a man. Hopefully this wouldn’t go south like the last time he’d been alone with two other people.

“Evenin’, folks.”

[Azraeth]

The streets were swept over by chilled wind, and winter threatened to breathe over Harper Rock. It was impossible to find true darkness in the city, with its lights that drowned out the night sky and killed the stars with their own artificial lamination. Above, it seemed the only manifest difference in the midnight blue as it made a gradient to black was the half full moon. Azraeth always watched the sky child with a little trepidation, because for one night out of the month, he lost his all of his powers and abilities. Aside from the need to feed, he had only his wits to separate him from the sea of humanity. It wouldn’t be long, he mused, before he needed to lock himself into his apartment and take an evening of rest.

It was good for contemplation, he usually told himself when he would pass the time reading a book.

He’d been down in the catacombs, pulling together pieces for a weapon with the aim to give it to the newly turned Kynan. He didn’t know much about the man, other than that he seemed to have lived a life of crime prior to having been turned. The mystic, upon finding that out, had originally been afraid he would draw attention to himself. Notoriety was not strictly a violation of the Masquerade, but dodging or attacking cops was not the best way to spend one’s semblance of life. It seemed Kynan had been smart enough to keep his head out of trouble and stick to places where he wouldn’t be spotted by humans. At least. Azraeth hadn’t gotten any calls to the contrary.

Az fixed his foot against the wall as he wrapped his hands about hilt of a sword half jammed into the wall with a skeleton wrapped about it like a kebab. He tugged with all his might and ended up flat on his *** a second later, with the new pommel of a sword in his grasp. Well not new, but it would just take a little bit of polishing up before he could use it properly.

Dusting himself off after he moved to stand, he slid the thing into one of the pockets inside his jacket, and that was when the alarm on his phone went off. He used them frequently as reminders, because he had this tendency to forget he was meant to be doing something. He wasn’t sure why, but since coming back a few days before, his mind had been more…scattered than before. For example, he hadn’t even done anything to address Kynan’s little problem with feeding. It seemed the moment his childe got a whiff of blood, he went into some sort of insane fit and just tried to guzzle it all down.

Az had found this out whilst sipping his own pack through a straw. While he had regarded the event with his usual unflappable outward calm, it was something that needed to be handled.

Nose plugs had been his thought.

He turned off the alarm, and concentrated for a moment, suddenly appearing right at the doorstep of the temple. One second he was not there, and the next he was. He occasionally dropped by so that he could summon some spirits from the surrounding area into the temple itself. Most churches strived to keep their grounds free of contamination. Cleansed of any and all spiritual presence. Sterile on a metaphysical level. Azraeth encouraged the opposite. But his kind, vampires, they drew from the energy given off by the dead.

He stepped through the doors that led into the church and found a familiar face there. Well three of them really, though he doubted Charlotte would have recognized him given the change in…well gender. “I see all roads really do lead back to Rome. How interesting.” He commented as he stepped towards his sire, head tipped down in a show of deference. Brief and subtle. He then brushed past to eye Kynan a moment without saying anything. How would his childe represent him? Time to find out.

“Don’t mind me, I’m just getting a bit of work done. What’s the hot topic of conversation?” He said, before he reached into his pocket, searching for a ritual knife.

[Nikolae]

Nikolae was used to the comings and goings of the Temple, or at least he had been at one point in time. He tensed now as the door swung open and a sprite of a woman strode inside. She didn't look altogether comfortable to be in his home, but at the same time was bold enough to stare right at him before retrieving her phone to surf the web. The dragon stiffened as he swept his gaze over the female slowly, before adjusting a blanket strewn haphazardly over a pew.

"Good evening. I don't know that we've met..."

They were saved from the awkward silence by the next swing of the door, and a disheveled looking man all but loped inside like he owned the place. Despite himself, the dragon's lips twitched with amusement. The smell of blood hit him and he cocked his head, concentrating. It had been a long while since he'd had those of his blood nearby but now that the pair was standing before him it became obvious.

"Hello. And who are you, little dragon?" He replied to the male, then wrinkled his nose at the creatures choice of attire. At least he knew one thing for certain, this childe was not of Azraeth's blood. No, his lithe Raeth would never be seen around a barbarian even if it appeared there was a diamond beneath all that rough. "You should go upstairs and change before you start frightening humans and get yourself arrested. The twins should have some clothing still in the rooms. ...Probably something from Ariel's closet would fit you moreso." He meant style rather than size, but then he assumed the male was about the size of the blonde fae-like twins.

The door opened again and Nikolae's gaze was drawn to it even as he nudged the secret door that led to the upper floor of the Temple - the place so many of his dragons had once congregated and called home. A stranger had entered this time, but as Niko's gaze drew upward he stilled in recognition. He'd never mistake those serpentine eyes for anyone else. Once again it seemed his first-borne had returned from the Realm a changed being. Niko wouldn't lie and say he wasn't happy - He'd never really understood the Superbia business.

"Raeth... I was just saying hello to these two. Do you know them? I don't think they were of the blood before I stepped from the limelight." He still cast what amounted to a kind smile for the dragon toward the two who'd entered the place first.

[CharlotteC]

The male spoke and Charlie couldn't help the slight, amused smile that came to her face at his words. "I'm pretty sure that both of us would have remembered if you had." She said with a teasing tone as her gaze went from the cloudy, far-off look that she had whenever she used to internet mentally, to the centered, focused look that now was locked on the male, her chocolate eyes warm and shimmering. "And if you didn't, I know I sure would, I never forget a face." She said, and it was true, then again, she never forget anyone she or anything she saw. It was a perk as well as a curse. There were times she wanted to bash her brains in it felt so full.

As she was about to say something else, another person walked in. Her brow lifted ever so slightly as she looked at the young vampire. It was pretty clear to her that he had had a rough go of things. His clothes were tattered and he smelled of blood and what she was pretty sure was zombie guts. It had been a long time since she had set foot in the quarantine zone, she tried to stay away from there because there were still too many memories of people in her past that she didn't want to be reminded of. "Greetings and Salutations." She said almost sweetly, but their was amusement in her brown eyes that caused them to warm even more behind her geek glasses. It was sadly, her inside joke with herself and rarely was there a person to get it.

Another male entered and suddenly Charlie wondered if she had interrupted on some kind of boy's club that was having a meeting. Her attention rested on the one that entered, because there was something in his eyes that said he knew her, but she was sure she didn't know who he was. Her brow lifted over her black framed glasses for a moment before she nodded to him "They often do... As for the hot topics..." Her eyes shifted back towards the first male and then the second "... apparently his clothes will scare humans?" she said with a slight smirk on her face "Though if you ask me, I've seen far worse." She smirked and then glanced back to the third male "Do I know you?" She asked, curiousness filling the tone of her voice.

[Azraeth]

It didn’t surprise him that his sire recognized him immediately. Magog had been much the same, and if you asked him, his snake familiar held a little piece of his spirit inside. In much the same way, he and Nikolae shared a bond that was deeper than flesh or blood. Those things could turn to ash with a little bit of effort from some like minds. Even daylight and creatures in the wild could rip apart the body and leave it useless. But those things did not erase the sire and childer bond. What seemed, on its face, like something as simple as a ritualized exchange of blood was vastly more. It was deeper. More powerful. Az suspected most did not realize that though. Or had not come to that conclusion.

Back when the vampirism had been new to Harper’s Rock three or more years before, people had rushed to be the very first to rebel against their bloodlines. The ‘cool’ thing then had been to assert independence and flake away from the core of a community that fundamentally designed itself. Everyone, in that time period, had seemingly rejected the idea of family in favor of trying to design their own factions, gangs, and covens. But it had been a case of too many cooks and not enough servers. It had hilariously failed.

Azraeth never had been much interested in trying to prove that he was a special snowflake though. He had enjoyed building something with the earliest of the Dragomir. Theirs had been one of the only working bloodlines. And while the majority of the city had essentially torn itself apart whilst people attempted a mad grab to be ‘the first’, and the most powerful, they had kept their silence and only acted when necessary.

But their bond had not come from those few moments of action. No. Their bond had come from those moments when they had seemed, despite their differences, much like a family.

The greatest irony Azraeth had ever seen, was that inarguably the most powerful faction in the city for years had been established, not as a gang, but as a bloodline. That was its origin. An origin he had briefly taken part in because of Mr. Scratch.

Another great dragon lost to the Fade.

“The first is Kynan, my most freshly turned. Kynan, this is my sire, Nikolae.“ He said nothing else on the matter, though that was largely because he wanted to gauge how his childe would react to the information.

“And this is Charlie. She was in the Daughter of Destiny.” The comment was made before he heard the woman ask if they knew each other. Of course, by that time, he stood behind the altar at the head of the sanctum so that he could drag the sharp edge over his flesh. Blood splattered onto the stone surface and suddenly a man caught in the midst of a silent wail was drawn up from the catacombs beneath the Dragomir Temple. There were rumours that the area beneath the church had once been used to house those who had suffered from a plague of some sort. The building was a place of death, rife with those who had passed on.

“You would know me as Superbia.” He said to Charlie, as if to clarify the situation. “And yes. His choice in clothing is positively atrocious. But I’ve already discussed that with him. How have you faired since we last spoke?” He asked of the woman even as the wound on his hand sealed over and he began to wipe the blade. His eyes were serpentine, slitted pupil that all of the older Dragomir seemed to possess. Where once they had the molten honey of Celestine Carter (the woman whose body he had taken), they were a deeply vibrant blue.

OOC: Kynan player is going to be away for a little bit, so I figured it would be best to keep the thread going. They can post again once they are back. <3

[Nikolae]

Nikolae watched the female with the silent stillness only a Shadow ever truly seemed to be able to master. When she spoke her face seemed oddly animated, as though she wasn't entirely here. He considered that she might be crazy, something regretfully familiar to those of his bloodline. Too often the dragon blood seemed to twist once bright souls into something quite a bit darker, and he couldn't entirely place the blame on the nature of vampires. No. There was something more to it, and he shouldered the blame entirely. Thankfully, even those whose minds had become warped still tended to find joy one way or another. Even if that way was disturbing to others. Nikolae always encouraged and faithfully watched over those of his blood.

"I'd wager my face isn't all that forgettable," He replied with a sardonic half-smile. His damnedable cursed eyes would always give him away, and those of his blood who developed that same gaze would always be easy for others to pick out. The fount of that bloodline, it was hard to miss when a vampire drew their immortality from him.

His gaze flickered back to the vagabond with renewed interest and more than a little bit of shock. "Your childe, Raeth?" He couldn't quite keep the surprise from his voice. He approached the youth now, then circled around him like a snake eyeing easy prey. "He should clean up nicely," He remarked with a flash of a predatory smile. A cold hand lifted to pass over Kynan's forehead. "Hearty welcomes indeed then, little dragon." He murmured, leaning close to peer right into the boys eyes with his own slitted gaze. He stepped back abruptly then, smoothing a hand down his shirt and offering a crooked smile to the woman he'd been speaking to, now that he had a name to go with the face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, formally, Charlie. I know Raeth helped form that group when he had breasts." He stated with all the bluntness of a cold-blooded lizard. He didn't see anything wrong with it. He tilted his head to his childe then again, giving a slight shrug to the question.

"Drifting. Alive, more or less. I still haven't gone to the Realm for any reason but to visit out of curiosity. The last two years hasn't seen much of any reason for me to venture out of my favorite secluded spots..." His voice drifted as his gaze moved to the alter, he really did need to get that particular issue done and soon. He hated having things to do and no checks marked by their boxes. "But I suddenly felt the need to return. And had a question ringing in my ears."

The dragon paused then and moved to the alter, leaning a hip against it as he crossed his arms loosely over his chest. His jaw moved as he considered his words. But ultimately he simply stated the question as it had cycled in his head.

"What is a dragon?" He said it, but it clearly had more weight than those four words. It went deeper, and he knew his Raeth would recognize it. What were the parts of a dragon, how did their blood reflect those traits, and how could they build upon them.

[CharlotteC]

A small, almost wicked smile came to Charlie's face as the man with the odd lizard shaped eyes spoke to her about it not just being his face that was memorable. It was one of those statements that just forced someone's mind to take a header into the gutter, and as Charlie's did, her eyes gazed along the rest of the guy's body. There was no denying that the guy was good looking, that his body was very clearly toned under his clothing. However, the confidence that bordered on arrogance was always something that made her take a step back - metaphorically speaking.

It was the other male speaking that brought her out of her thoughts, introducing them all to the guy that had followed her in as well as her. It was that that had her blinking for a moment, shaking her head. He clearly knew her but she was sure she had never once seen his fact. And then there was him saying that she 'was' part of his next statement about her. Was? Was she no longer part of that group? She was pretty sure she hadn't right out left. She may not have been a big talker, but she hadn't left them. She would still do things to help them out if need be.

It wasn't until the male said that she had known him as Superbia that her eyes went almost comically wide behind her glasses and she found herself blinking like one of those cartoons once, twice, a third time before her brain mentally kicked her and she was able to get passed the news bomb he had dropped on her. She vaguely remembered someone mentioning that Bia had been a man once before, and that mystics for whatever reason had to take on new forms and that was why. But seeing it, really seeing it. That was a bit of a shocker.

Nikolae's voice once again drew her attention away from the eyes of the person she once knew as a female towards him. She smiled a bit and nodded as she made her way over to lean against one of the pews. "That he did, and it is a pleasure to meet you as well." She said almost monotonously before she looked back at the person she had only really known as Bia "I'm doing well, much so now that I have pretty much severed my name from the man that made me. Maybe now I'll be left alone and not killed just because I was his 'kid'. That said..." she started as she looked between the three men "I still like to help out the main part of the family when I can. It brings me a fair bit of pleasure. I've also become a mentor for the Fledgeling Foundation. Though we haven't had new blood in there. A good thing I guess since it means people are getting stuck with sires like I had." She said with a wry laugh before she looked around again.

"Just after I met the guy he mentioned the name of this place, so every so often I drop in to see if things have changed..." She added in but it was more that she was talking to herself than the three men currently standing in the temple with her.

[Azraeth]

“Indeed.” An answer to Nikolae’s question. Kynan was his childer, a man that probably should have died a few days before. Originally, he had been part of a three course meal, but Az had been full after the first two humans, and hadn’t been able to consume more. The Welshman had very nearly bled out, and probably would have if not for Magog, Azraeth’s familiar and favored companion. Another human dead meant very little to the vampire, and perhaps that was a cold way of looking at the world, but his kindness only extended so far. Which…wasn’t to say that he hated people. On the contrary, there was a reason he only ever ate vagrants and criminals. He just didn’t have time for men and women that were powerless.

Earning his respect was not a hard thing to do. Most just didn’t try.

And then a ‘look’ was cast to Nikolae. When he had breasts indeed. Nikolae had never really understood that, the going into a female body thing. And hadn’t been shy about letting Azraeth know. Not necessarily a bad thing, considering Az was once again in the body of a man, and using his birth name. Maybe he was just a confused boy.

The dead walked amongst them as phantasms. With every few drops of blood onto the altar, another and another rose from the place beneath. Each of them was distinct in features, and they were all caught in states of different emotion. A man with a bloody smile carved into his neck sat in the front pew, rod straight, with his eyes shut and his lips still. To him was given silence. And then there was a woman with her two children. There was something vague going on with her. It was like she wore many different faces, and she kept slipping through them like masks while the small people beneath her trembled in fear. They were behind him, but he sensed them.

By the time they appeared, his wound was gone and he was descending to join the trio. He had been about to invite them all to slip into the catacombs beneath (which had long before been converted into a resting place for the Dragomir), when Charlie mentioned she had severed her name from Killian’s. Az had no feelings on that subject because he had never really met Killian. But he wanted to be sure there was no ill will before letting anyone into a place he considered to be haven. The way a person identified themselves was important to him, you see.

None the less, he stood before them a second later, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his suit jacket.

“That’s terrible. What happened with that situation? Your dying?” He questioned in a soft tone. But that was standard for Az. He never spoke with volume and rarely with more steel in his voice than necessary. “And if you are interested in helping out, I’m sure we could use it. It has been a long time since the Dragomir went quiet. Since then, many of ours have been lost to the Fade.” He knew that he had lost something of himself in that place of darkness and shadow. Maybe it was related to his blood. Like some kind of dark inheritance he didn’t know he had when he had first made his childer.

Though really, it wasn’t Az’s place to take anyone’s help. Not really – that was a role that belonged solely to his sire.

They were dragons, after all. Obedient to one. Father of serpents and cold blooded tactitian that was Nikolae.

“I’m not sure anymore. I know what the Dragomir used to be, but that was years ago. We were the detached. With ice in our veins when it came to any others but fire in our hearts when it came to those we considered family. Ours was a business, and our only dividends came in the form of protection for those who were also dragons. A culture unto ourselves, we were once shapers of politics. Well. Those of us who worked in unison. As one body. One flesh bound to the same goals and Machiavellian principles of self and family over all else.” They had been compared to the mafia in the past. The Borgias even.

Az had actually designed the Daughters of Destiny as a much more…tame version of the same. But ‘one flesh abiding’, had not been a concept that had been new to him by the time that faction had been born. He was interested to know Chalie’s perspective, since it was likely more up to date.