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A manhole cover popped up in the middle of an alley, grinding along the pavement as it was shoved aside to let Chia out from her favorite hidey-hole. The sewers were her home of sorts when she first settled in the city, as she couldn't afford a place of her own. While the blonde had been adopted of sorts by her rescuer and had a place to safely shelter through the day, Chia would still wander down to try to locate some of her lost possessions. However, tonight's search had not been fruitful, so she was returning to the surface to go look somewhere else.

She wasn't totally sure where she had existed the sewers at, so Chia slowly meandered through the streets looking for familiar landmarks. So many of the storefronts and buildings had changed in the last five years, making her search difficult because she couldn't recognize anything. As she crossed into Gullsborough, she spied the very familiar Necropolis Nightclub building. She had attended a few galas and meetings there, once upon a time. But the passage of time made Chia unable to remember. So the Spaniard continued on her path, trying to rememeber why she had attended social events when she was so adverse to them anyways. Probably something related to her role in Enforcement or Council business, which she would've felt honor bound to attend. As she came to a street light, and was waiting on traffic to stop she caught a glimpse of an old church looking building. If her heart would beat, it would've skipped a beat due to the familiar feeling she had on gazing at it.

The blonde hurried across the street to walk up to the door of the building to inspect the sign. A small smile passed her features as her violet eyes glanced over the Dragomir Temple sign. Her gloved hand reached to try the handle, and on finding it unlocked, Chia went inside. Memories came flooding back as she walked through the pews. Yes she had been here before. So of course she immediately started looking under benches, and in flower pots. After a solid ten minutes of searching, the Spaniard came up empty. She gave a dejected sigh and took a seat at the base of the altar at the front of the space. Chia leaned back against one of the marble legs of the table, and closed her eyes while she wracked her mind as to her next locations to look.

Nikolae Dragomir had spent the better part of the last few years cultivating a handful of relationships with people he found worthy of his oft fleeting attention. Those in that circle seemed to be well aware of his inability to hold focus for long, and he liked to believe they found his quirks endearing or even - dare he say - charming. Not that it much mattered one way or another; the dragon was who he was and nothing short of hell itself was likely to change that. And he had yet to see evidence of a hell, or any afterlife at all for that matter. Unless one counted this city itself. He had his suspicions, some nights. Perhaps they were all dead and trapped in this ******* purgatory of a town. That would explain the never ending melancholy of the place, interspersed with joy brought on only by the presence of others that he grew to care for. Yes. This place could very well be a purgatory for souls waiting to go to their own versions of hell. He so hoped his version included puppies. Who could be miserable when there were puppies in the room?

Nik banished the odd thoughts, at least for the moment, as he fired off an email to his first-borne. A holiday letter for his partner in crime. He had buried the mans gift somewhere in the city, and aside from the few clues he had included in the email itself, he couldn't really recall where he had done the burying. He hoped whatever he had gotten the male wasn't breakable.

Pushing away from the desk and closing the laptop for now, the dragon padded from his room in the Dragomir Temple. He was clothed only in his favorite jeans; the things were so worn they were threadbare in some parts and hung low on his hips, but damn they were soft from use. And he only wore them at home these nights, rather than risk further degradation in his nightly hunts. Bare from the waist up, he glanced at the clock to consider such a hunt. Not really worth it quite yet, besides he was certain he was forgetting to do something he was supposed to have remembered. He scratched his head, dust falling from his dark hair with the motion, and padded barefoot over the wooden floor. There was a noise up above, and he glanced suspiciously to the public area of his beloved Temple. It wasn't unusual at all to have visitors, but it was normal to have them pop by minutes before sunrise, ready to collapse on one of the pews or the floor - generally never the bloody alter where Raeth had done unspeakable acts on more than one occasion.

He couldn't remember what he had forgotten yet, so he shrugged and moved for the stairs. Perhaps whoever had stopped by would remember for him. He ascended the stairs quickly and nudged open the door, stepping through before closing it securely behind himself. Slitted-pupils swung this way and that in the open area of the Temple, inspecting the general chaos that was this safe zone. He spotted a female nearby and wandered toward her with ever silent steps. He was so stealthy these nights that he couldn't really control it anymore; it would take more effort to make his steps loud and his presence known than not.

Stopping a hairsbreadth from the creature, behind her and behind that same alter, his golden eyes lit with amusement.

"Boo." He stated loudly.

The Spaniard was lost somewhere off in her thoughts as she sat there meditating in the darkness of the temple. The only places she hadn't checked were Velveteen's old house and the old Enforcer's hang out. Neither of these places she thought still existed to her knowledge as Senor Staus was long gone. She was starting to think her links to the past were gone forever, well minus those that were inked onto her body. This was somewhat depressing, but she would endure. Maybe she would find a way for one of the local smiths to create a replica set for her.

As Chia processed this prospect, she was snapped out of her thoughts by a very loud boo. The Spaniard startled, causing her to tip over and topple part way down the stairs of the dais. Quickly, the blonde sprung to her feet, and drew her dagger out of its holster at her hip, before swiftly stepping up back onto the platform to be even with the individual that had snuck up on her. Either he was supremely stealthy or she was just so lost in her own daydream to notice.

As she stood there seething and irritated, Chia studied the mans chiseled face and body. There was something distinctly familiar feeling about that well defined jaw and mess of unkempt hair. As she locked eyes with the gentleman, Chia noticed that the pupils of his eyes were slits, much like a dragon or a cat. Then it clicked. Dragomir temple. Dragon eyes. Her violet eyes went as wide as saucers as she identified the man before her. "Nik!"

The nimble shadow vaulted the edge of the altar and caught the man in a tight, abrupt, bear hug. "I know you likely forgot all about me. It's been five years or maybe more but I remember!" She took a very long unnecessary breath to try to slow down the rapid pace of her words out of her excitement of finding one of the few people she remembered. "I've been stuck in the realm all that time." A brief flash of panic passed her features. What if he didn't remember her name or who she was? How embarrassing would that be.

"Arauchia, remember?" She gestured to herself trying to jog the man's memory.

Nikolae was still smirking when the woman spun around and started speaking to him. Before he had a chance to respond she had leaped at him, and he fought back instincts to defend himself in whatever way necessary. He was pretty sure there wouldn't be any need, and besides he had left all of his weapons downstairs. Aside from mister fist and his partner in crime, mrs. fisty. She was still talking, quickly, and he instead let his arms come around her in a soothing manner, patting her back gently as he angled his golden gaze over her figure. Seemed familiar now that she was up close and personal.

"I know that name," the dragon stated abruptly. He might have interrupted her, he wasn't really sure. But the name rang a bell, even if his memory was playing havoc with him again. He often forgot to remember things that he was certain he was supposed to remember.

Still, a memory surfaced of this woman. The last time he had seen her, no doubt. They had huddled together in the sewers, talking of the manic chaos happening above ground. They had had such big plans back then, the two of them. And so many others who had long since abandoned this odd little town. Now the dragon more or less lived for those he called family. What else was there to do? The Council was long gone, and things were turning to **** all over again for more reasons than ever. Vampires fighting one another was the least of their worries, really.

"The Shadow Realm? Why did you go there?" He asked with a playful smile despite the accusing words. What an odd place to go. He remembered looking for her, after that night. He had had other things to attend to and thought perhaps she was a heavy sleeper - maybe wounded and needed the rest? But when he had ventured back to that spot some nights later she was gone. And he hadn't found her afterwards. Truth be told, the Dragon believed she was dead and gone, like some in this town sometimes went. His own creations had died and he was certain they weren't in the Realm.

"What brought you back? Good news, I hope," he added with a nod, and tugged the ends of the womans hair gently.

Chia pondered Nik’s question, much like she had many times previously. None of her efforts since she had returned to this plane had given her any hint of how and why she left it in the first place. Frankly that was why she ended up here. She had been looking for the breadcrumbs. However, that smile Nik was giving her made her certain she had found the right guy. Always the jokester and Chia couldn’t be happier to have found him.

She shot him a smirk as violet eyes rolled at his remark as to her visit to the realm. “Why would I willingly go to that wasteland? I mean sure, shadows like us feel sort of at home there. The last thing I remember is falling asleep leaning against you in our usual hiding spot. Next thing I know I wake up in the Realm. Everything about how and why I got there? No idea. However, that place gives me the creeps and I have no desire to go back.”

A glance was given as she bent her head along with the tug on her wild blonde and black mane. What was this? Middle school where you teased and pulled the bra straps of the girl you liked? If he was going to be an *** so could she. Lovingly of course. Slender fingers reached up and tugged on the man’s left ear in the same way he had her hair. “I don’t know why I woke up per say. But some necromancer was performing a ritual and it looked like a laser light show from down there. So, I followed it out.”

Chia snickered at her memory of Jesse’s face and the shock painted all over it. “I don’t think he was expecting a naked lady to show up in his ritual circle though. But that’s where the good news ends. My body’s weakened considerably from the five years I spent down there and I’m overwhelmed with all the changes to the city and vampiric life. You’re the first familiar thing I found yet.” Despite holding his ear, Chia gave him a warm, happy smile. She was glad to be back.

The Dragon aimed a peculiar look at the other Shadow as she spoke, and he frowned in concern a moment later when she revealed she had no recollection of her trip to the Realm. He shivered at the prospect and attempted an understanding smile. He couldn't really imagine falling into the Realm against his will, with no final moments of fighting his opponent tooth and nail first. Still, he shrugged, because like so many other things in this town it was just another unexplainable happening.

"Well.... I'm glad you've returned. The how's and why's don't matter," he replied smoothly, and chuckled when she tugged at his ear. He squeezed her shoulder gently and stepped back to give her some room.

"You've missed much," he added once it really sunk in that she really had been gone all these years. He rubbed the back of his own neck awkwardly and aimed a speculative look on her from his golden reptile eyes.

"And many people." He wrinkled his nose in reflection. "Plenty of others have vanished just like you did. Including almost all of the ancients." He chuckled at that, though truth be told the Dragon was still uncertain how he felt about that. Sure, some of them had been little loss to this town or to the world at large. But others had seemingly promised much, and failed to deliver. It was a shame, he thought. He bit to his own bottom lip in contemplation. Those that had been around when she had been fighting on the streets were mostly gone or gone quiet. "Azraeth is still around," he offered with a nod.

He looked about the open area of the Temple, nearly uncertain for a moment, and then gave a shrug and extended the crook of his arm in a gentlemanly fashion that some might call surprising for the oft crazed Dragon. "Would you like to come downstairs? Strangers may stumble in to this part of the Temple soon. It's still neutral territory, safe for immortals seeking refuge from the daylight." He offered, aiming a crooked boyish smile her way.

"Always the gentleman." Adela demurred, looping her arm through Nik's. "That sounds lovely. Perhaps you can give me the cliff notes of the major city happenings?" She extended a hand as if to say, lead the way, as she offered the Dragon a warm smile. If her memory served correctly, Nik was a great storyteller and quite funny when he wanted to be. Therefore her history lessons from him would be far more enjoyable than reading the CrowNet. Every time Chia had sat down at the computer to study, she'd get through a few articles then find herself dozing off at the desk.

Before they slipped through the door to head downstairs, she remembered something. "I ran into Azraeth." Chia commented as she let her mind wander back to the brief encounter with the eldest progeny. "He thought it was proper to go reading my mind without my permission. Naughty dragon that one is. The boy tagging along with him was nice though." A large smirk was plastered onto her features as she spoke to her experience with the younger dragon and his boyfriend. However, her mind slipped back to the whole reason she stopped by the Temple anyways. So she might as well ask her host if he had a clue.

"I wandered in here looking for my daggers. Did you perhaps find them near where I vanished in the sewer? "