Newcomer (open)

[adrian]

Adrian walked slowly down a street with the hood of his cloak hiding his face, his eyes are slowly scanning window and door... or the remains of them anyway and his nose searches the air. He is looking for danger, for any threat, he doesn't know this city or its people.

The claymore in his gloved right hand making small circles in the air as he looks up at the half filled moon bathing the ruined city in its glow. He remembers the photos his father has, of lots of cities and places in the world, before all that happened happened. The moon light also lit up his face for any who was watching, he knew there was, there is almost always someone watching.

His hand tightens slightly on the sword and he drops his rucksack on the ground as a shape darts from the shadows... it is just a dog. His grip loosens again but his guard remains sharp as the dog approached him, it looks healthy, underweight but healthy, someone may be feeding it or it has become a fairly adept hunter. The young man bent down to stroke the dog's head.

The animal suddenly bit Adrian and ran of leaving the half breed cursing, "Heh! And I was just about to feed you to." he chuckled noticing that his skin was not broken. He placed the tip of the blade on the ground and leaned on it and yawned, "Urgh I need to sleep sometime." he muttered.

[Ciannait]

Reaching to grab the old peanut butter jars she had just filled with the mismatched nails, screws, and bolts, Ciannait wondered what else she would find tonight. She had been through, what used to be, two office buildings and three stores already and only made out with the form fitted black leather jacket she was currently wearing, a new pair of black converse sneakers, cans of both WD-40 and silicon, and the filled peanut butter jars so far. She had been searching for nothing in particular, just anything she could take back to her wear house. However, her next step was the auto parts store across the street. She had been working on getting a set of wheels together but she needed a few parts yet before the thing would ever have a chance to run.

She tossed the jars into the open tattered navy blue backpack before slinging the bag over a shoulder. There the backpack would be easy to drop and would not interfer if she needed to get to her claymore. Ciannait made her way toward the door that let out onto the street but as she cracked the door open she paused. Something was out there, she could hear movement. Withdrawing her dirk from the sheath at her waist she pushed the door open the rest of the way as quietly as possible. Ciannait was not in the mood for a fight tonight, infact she still had some bruising and fractured ribs from her run in with a dragon a few days before.

After a quick glance around the door to check the street, Ciannait made a dash across the crumbling asphult to the alley along side the auto parts store. The side entrance door was solid but Ciannait hurriedly twisted the knob, breaking the lock and let herself into the dark, windowless store room.

[adrian]

"Oh the sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow they'll be sun!" he sung in his Scottish accent, yet something was off about it, like it didn't quite fit him. He then closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, meditating like his father taught him and focusing on his hearing. Rats, stone hitting of stone and smashing or bouncing around, metal ringing - most likely from he steel rods in buildings - and... the faint hiss of an blade being drawn.

With possible danger around him he pulled the sword from the ground and held the double edged blade in both hands with his eyes still closed. Waiting, listening, planning. His head cocks one way and the other as he focuses on the sounds around him. His eyes shoot open from hearing the familiar sound of a breaking lock. Walking towards the sound with his blade ready, his feet making no noise as he did so, he reached an alley with a grin. Eeny meeny miny mo! he thought to himself as he picked a building to investigate, Good or bad luck will I have tonight?

He reached a door and took out his lighter as he kicked it open and threw the now lit lighter into the air to give him better vision. As he stepped through the threshold he started whistling the same tune as before from the old musical from the time of man... or vampires from how you look at it.

[Ciannait]

Leaving the door cracked just a hair Ciannait began sorting through the boxes that lined the walls and shelves of the store room. She had no need for gallons of windshild whipper fluid or the pink christmas tree air fresheners so those boxes were pushed aside. In the last box on that shelf she found a small supply of fuses. Sliding her bag off her shoulder she stuffed them with the rest of its contents. Bag in hand she moved on to the next row of shelves.

Before she could even make it half way down the aisle she heard the footsteps approching the door where she had entered. Ciannait stopped going through boxes to listen and see if she was beeing followed. The instant she heard the door kicked in with a crash and saw a small flair of light she droped the bag and had her hand over her shoulder removing her claymore from its holster. Both weapons in hand now, she spun and placed her back against the end of the shelving unit.

As whatever was following her entered the room she spun around and raced toward it while blocking the downward swing of her attackers claymore with her own. Pausing only breefly to process the fact that shed been attacked with a claymore not a sword in pittsburgh. This was knew. She shoved what she now knew as a male into the wall, pinning him at the chest with her arm and her claymore blocking his. She brought her dirk up with her free hand to flash a bit of light across his face so she could see. Easing her force only slightly she asked, "Why are you following me?"

[adrian]

Adrian saw the woman run at him and gave a lousy easily blocked weak swing at her just to stop her, "My my such a gorgeous little thing you are." he chuckled in his Scottish accent, his green orbs looking into hers and his fangs flashing as he smiled, "Tis not nice to attack people you know. All I wanted to talk, but if it is a fight you are after I can give you one." he said as he looked down on the small woman.

He raised an eyebrow at her claymore and cracked a grin, "Nice weapon choice there. Such a small lass swinging around such a big blade almost the size of you... You are obviously not human, not unless you are hiding serious muscle under those clothes. Wanna show me?" he laughed and winked before stepping back and sheathing his weapon. He loosened his katanas and placed his hands on the hilts incase she attacks again, "Now the main question is where do you stand? You gonna attack me huh? Or are the dragons you only enemy?" he asked her with a serious face "Cause I'd hate to hurt suck a pretty woman".

A yawn interrupted his serious looks and his lips tightening, "Guess there goes the look. Can't be all serious after a god damned yawn!" he told her with a half smile, "I'm Adrian by the way. I would offer you my hand but weapons and all that jazz." he said with a smile and a shrug.

[Ciannait]

Ciannait growl slightly at being called a ‘gorgeous little thing.’ She knew she was petite but gorgeous? That was streching it. Listening to his his Scottish accent gave her pause even more so when she spoted his fangs. Even though he had told her he only wished to talk, she did not like the fact that he was looking down into her eyes, it made her feel uneasy, jittery.

Backing off she swung her claymore back over her shoulder to sheath it across her back. Still not willing to place trust in the male she kept the dirk out but allowed her hand to drop and hold it at her side instead of in an attack position. Confusion came acrossed her as he asked suggestively if she would take her clothes off for him. She had just attacked him for following her and he wanted her to strip? The moment dragons were mentioned she was able to shake off her uncertainty to answer. “Dragons are my enemy, but a fight is not what I was looking for when I came out today. However, I am not fond of being followed.”

She couldn’t help but let go of a quick laugh when he joked about yawning. He was right about the seriousness of the moment being lost. After his introduction, Ciannait ran her eyes down his body then back up to his face. Noding Ciannait sheathed her dirk at her waist as well. “I’m Ciannait.” Returning his smile with one of her own she let her fangs peek out. “Now I believe there is no need for me to remove my clothing.”Smerking she stuck out her now empty hand to shake. If he wanted to bait her, he had no idea what he was getting himself into.

Determined to unease him just as he had her, she let her weight fall to one leg causing her opposite hip to stick out. This raised her shirt enough that a small opening appeared showing the skin at her waist, just enough to be suggestive. “You are new to the area. I would have heard of a vampire…”quirking her head, she thought he seemed rather young and that just didn’t feel right. Trusting her instinct she continued “… or perhaps a halfbreed that carried a silver claymore. Tis a tad uncommon for anyone other than a vampire hunter.” Only now did she let her eyes met his.

[adrian]

"Wow. All you women don't think you are hot do you?" he sighed after her growl, "You are not happy if I call you all beautiful, I'd be killed if I called you all ugly. Really guys cannot win with words..." another sigh, "Guess that is how caveman talking stayed with men. 'Beer now?' 'Yes!' end of our talking. While all you women do is talk. Even after the world ended."

He looked at his watch and chuckled, "Well that is my rant of the day." he chuckled and rolled his neck, the joints cracking, "Always satisfying that." he muttered. The half vampire watched as she sheathed the claymore and lowered her other blade, Jeeze here I am with my swords all sheathed facing a vampire and she just lowers her freaking blade! he said to himself with a smile. "Hmmm now how else am I gonna make friends? Not gonna walk into a bloody vampire base am I? Don't know how many of you lot will kill me for being 'tainted' and I am not gonna commit suicide. At least this way I have some chance of survival, I can hold my own against a vampire."

He laughed loudly at her name and had to wipe tears away, "Wow you have to love the irony right there. A vampire with a name meaning ancient." he said still chuckling and gasping for breathe. He then smiled at her and took her hand before kissing it, "And the name is almost as beautiful as you are Lady Ciannait. I am honoured to meet you... As for not getting naked..." he pulled on her hand as she teased him hoping to pull her into his arms, "Now I don't know about that milady." he whispered all sexily and seductively. He loves his accent! Gets all girls hot and bothered... unless they are Scottish.

"Now you see that just isn't right. And here I though we were past all this racism stuff? Shifters are half-breeds, half shifters are failures. Me," he grinned and winked at the female, "I have the strengths of a vampire and can walk in the sun... not like that is an advantage. I fucking hate the heat." he told her and blew her a kiss. "And silver kills shifters too you know. I generally kill anything evil. Humans, shifters, vampires, halfs..." he paused and shrugged hiding a small cringe, "Dragons. But that was just the once. And I just finished it off after everyone else was either dead or koed. It was gonna die anyway... maybe."

[Ciannait]

Pondering what was truly behind Adrian's "all you women" rant, Ciannait tried to follow the, what seemed to her as, madness spurting from his lips. She really wasn't conserned exactly with what he was saying at first, she was just enjoying his voice. It took her back nearly four centuries, to a place that was always at the back of her mind, never quite forgotten. That place was home. His voice soothed her in a way she hadn't been since the first few decades after her change. She listened as he spoke of women always talking. She didn't really talk, keeping to herself for the most part.

A lopsided smile broke the dazed look on her face as he chuckled, but she was quickly sobered by his mention of half breeds being "tainted" and suicide. She had never thought that, well of vampire half breeds anyway. Especially with how the world is now. She had not met many to speak of though.

Ciannait narrowed her eyes as he began to laugh at her name, or rather the irony of her name. Her name did indeed mean ancient and being that she was not born as a vampire did give it a certain irony, but it was nothing new to her. Arching an eyebrow as the young male as his lips touched her skin quite surprised that chivalry was in fact not dead yet. It had been ages since shed been greeted in such a way, but her body still moved in the age old response without a single order from her brain. She began lowering herself into a curtsy, but before she got very far she was pulled up against his chest unexpectedly. Ohhh no no no... Shaking off the jitters that ran up her spine as he whispered in her ear she forced herself to get a grip. Placing both hands on his chest she push away from him so she could meet his face as he spoke. His mouth near her ear along with all the memories of home would just not do.

She simply shrugged as he talked about the persecution of half breeds, then the advantages of being a half breed. As he blew her a kiss she smirked and quietly chuckled to herself. Short lived though was her amusement when the subject of Dragons was broached again. Seeing his cringe made hackles raise on her back. She had vowed to defend her kind and other against the montrosities that are Dragons. "Do not sell yourself short, Dragons are creatures that the world, even now, is better off without. Ending the life of one is a justice that should not be taken lightly. And yes I do know what silver will do which is why I am not fond of it near me." A slight throb at her hip where her tattoo now covered reminded her exactly what silver was capable of. Unconsciously her hand went there and rubbed.

When she noticed that action she jerked her hand away and turned to go pick up her bag. As she walked back toward the end of the shelves she raised her voice just a tad so he could hear her. She decided to give a slight hit at her true age. "Like you, although I am able to go out into the sun, I prefer the darkness. I am not fond of the heat nor the light." Slinging her bag back over her shoulder, assuming she would not get to search any further tonight, she walked back toward Adrian. Seeing him now with the slight glint of moon peeking in, she could see the exhaustion in his face. After eying him cautiously she decided to go with her thoughts. "You look tired and I am going to go out on a limb and guess that since you are new to the area it is possible you do not have a decent place to stay." She had never been one to dance around an issue. "If you want somewhere to crash for the night you can come back to my place. No funny business though." Shooting a look into his eyes, knowing she could easily manipulate his mind if did per chance try something. "Just offering a warm place and possibly some deer blood if it hasn't curdled yet." She wasn't quite ready to let the reminder of home go and had yet to decide what to make of Adrian himself.

[adrian]

"You should do that more often." he told her with a grin as she smiled before he laughed at her name's irony. His eyes lit up slightly when he saw her begin to curtsy, he has caught himself an old yin... he has never fought an old vampire except training with his father but that guy was a master long long long before Adrian was born. Still it would be nice to test his skills on an adult vampire out to kill him.

He winked and grinned at her when she placed her hands on his chest, a grin that soon turned into a pout as she pushed away from him, "Awww that's not fair." he moaned before sticking his tongue out at her. "Ah but you see I have no place in your wars, your hatreds for each other. Ideally all the races should be working together to rebuild the world, but then that will never work, especially not with humans. Killing that which the do not know, that which the do not understand, that what they fear. All they do is destroy." he said bitterly, full of so much hate that the flame from his lighter grows brighter, stronger and violent.

Walking over to the lighter he picked it up and after a couple moments of staring into the flame flicked the lid shut with a click, "Then stay away from this then." he told her going back to his usual self and waving the lighter around as his eyes flicked to her waist. Saying nothing about her action walked out into the night. "Sure sounds delightful... except the no funny business. You just had to ruin my fun huh?" he chuckled walking running to his bag.

Upon passing a door way after picking up his bag he suddenly swung around and caught the wrist of a kid around 17 or so, "Kid don't go around swing a pipe at random people. I could have killed you before you swung it." he twisted the boy's wrist until he dropped the pipe and his green eyes flicked to the blood on his forehead. The half vampire's body tightens slightly and his eyes hold well contained hunger, none of which the boy would be able to see. But if Cian could see it would be obvious he has drunk human blood... or at least that is what he is telling himself.

Adrian then let the boy go and opened his bag and tossed the boy food an water for a couple of days as well as a curve dagger in a leather sheath, "It is silver, it is better than that pipe you had." he walked past the boy and the door and tossed some bread to the dirty little girl hiding and chuckled as she smiled warmly at him.

"Be careful kid. Anything happens to her I won't be happy." he muttered before he walked back to the vampire, "Oh and sexy." he whispered in her ear, "The word is coagulates. Milk curdles, blood coagulates." he said moving to flick her forehead. "Jeeze for an old lady you should have known that."

[Ciannait]

Ciannait watched as Adrian retreved the lighter he had thrown when he entered earlier. It remained buring until he closed the lid. She arched an eyebrow when he told her to stay away from the lighter. Decideing not to correct him that only touching silver will not harm her, she’d let that to be an ace up her sleve if need be. She just laughed and shruged in response to his complaints about her ruining his fun. She had not been with a male since Amyntas and was not sure she was ready to move on yet, even though it had been over 400 years. Multiple lifetimes by human standards.


Stopping to stand just outside the doorway as he walked to pick up his bag she observed his actions as a young boy went at him with a pipe. He could have easily harmed the boy by lashing back at him. Instead he impressed her by disarming the kid only to give him a knife and some food for him and a young girl. As Adrian walked back toward her she and to force her face to appear uneffected by his act. She had used humans for many years as food. Hell she still did on ocassion, but it was never by force or to their death.


Her passive face turn to slight disbelief as he corrected her word selection and even more so as his hand moved toward her forehead. However before he was able to flick her she grabed his wrist and spun it behind his back so she was behind him. Using her ability to hover slightly she leaned over his shoulder to wisper something to him. First though, she slowly and sensually licked up the edge of his ear before finally wispering “So it does.” Suddenly she was back on the groud and he was stumbling two strides in front of her from the shove she gave him from calling her an ‘old lady’. “My place is that direction. It will take about 20 minutes to get there from here.” Old lady indeed!

[adrian]

Adrian stuck his tongue out at her from her reaction to his correction of her english. When she made her move to grab him he pulled a dagger from his belt and pressed it against her leg as she floated. He moaned slightly when she licked his ear and he chuckled, "So you impressed? I know it won't kill you but it will hurt like a bitch with this being a silver dagger and all the blood and slow healing and easy trail for an enemy to follow. Easy pickings." he said calmly before looking around and grinning cockily, "An toir thu dhomh pòg?" he asked in Scottish Gaelic knowing she would understand. She has the same sound to her accent as his father's except his accent never wavered, not in the thousand plus years he has lived still as thick and strong as when he was human.

From her push he figured that she was annoyed cause he called her old, "Didn't like the old lady part huh?" he chuckled as he sheathed the dagger, "Well you are a woman after all." he muttered before walking. "So Cian you got a boyfriend? Fiance? Husband?" he asked her with a flirty and kind smile as he walked, "You don't happen to have a shower do you? What I wouldn't give for a shower. Getting all hot and wet... Maybe you could join me, have some fun together?" he whispered in her ear again.

[Ciannait]

Ciannait laughed outright as he asked if she was impressed. He was correct that the silver would harm her, thought not kill her, enough that she would be “easy pickings” as he put it. But he would have to far greater control over her for such a thing to happen. She could still manipulate his mind and simply move away. Though she had to admit, she was impressed with his courage. As her laughing slowed to a faint chuckle she clucked at him as a disapointed mother hen would do at a chick. “Impressed?… for a half breed such as yourself to stand up to a vampire my age, we’ll lets just say it takes guts, a geniune nieve-ness, or at least a death wish. Assuming that you have guts… yes I am indeed impressed. Though you are a very imprudent… boy.” Her smirk faded into a catious glare as he asked, in a language she had not spoken to anyone elses ears in ages, for a kiss.

As they walked she saw him turn to her with a flirty smile, with a sence of forboding Ciannait waited, only to hear him ask if she was in a relationship. She arched an eyebrow at his inquiry only to be drawn aback once more ask he questioned if she had a shower and wispered his suggestion that she join him for one. Moving an arm in front of him to block Adrian from progressing forward, she stepped in front of him. Leaving that hand trail down his chest as she raised to her tippy toes as if leaning in to kiss him, she allowed him to lean down to her so their lips were a mere breath apart. Amused that he knew Scots Gaelic, Ciannait decided to respond in one of the other languages she spoke, although not as fluent as shed like. She wispered just loud enough for him to hear.“le póg? Tá mé pósta agus i smaoineamh ar an méid is gá duit a cithfholcadh fuar.” She let their lips slightly touch in a butterfly kiss before she turned and began walking in the direction of her warehouse again.

She had fixed up the second story into a fairly nice flat. Well, nice by her standards at the very least. There was a living space with an attached jerry riged kitchen made up of mostly early 21st century camping equipment. The shower was a system that she had created by collecting and purifying rain water collected from a drain on the roof. However when that water ran low due to lack of rain she was forced to make extended trips north to where there were some clear water springs that had yet to be contaminated. Another reason she wanted to get her in-progess mode of transportation working before another dry season. The last room was her bedroom which she liked to keep private. A few steps ahead of Adrian now, Ciannait yelled back to him. “I do have a shower and you are welcome to use it. Just be sure to keep it short as my water supply is not as excessive as I would desire.” As she walked the next block she began humming the tune of Loch Lomond.

[adrian]

Adrian raised and eyebrow at her laughing and smiled waiting for her to stop her laughter, "Finished?" he asked, a fang peeking out and nicking his lip on purpose to draw blood. "And by the way I plan on taking on a vampire I'd guess about twice your age and a master to boot." he said with a dark sad grin, "And I can kill him! I have to." he whisper the last three words and clutched the hilt of his black katana in frustration. He has to free his father from his madness and death is the only option.

Leaning down to kiss her he wrapped his arms around to press her against him even though he knows she is teasing him and she couldn't be moved unless she let herself, "I'd gladly do it if it was a shower with you princess." he said back in kind before she "kissed" him. "Nice place. Far better than most. I guess few immortals were as prepared for the end of the world as my father was."

"Thanks." he said wondering why she yelled, he would have heard her no problem. He slowly removed his leathers and hopped into the shower for a very quick one. When he turned and left he was hit by the memory of washing the blood of his father's group of vampires from his body before he left home, feeling the hot water burn his raw flesh as he scoured himself clean. He slipped into his bottoms and just sat down the scars on his chest, back and arms on show as well as the crest of his father, a master vampire over a thousand years old. I wonder if she knows the crest, will be able to place me as his son, I wonder if his stories have reached here... of how he tortures all humanoids for quite a few years. He could keep them alive indefinitely but he gets bored after ten or so years. he though to himself saying a single word aloud, "Father..."

[Ciannait]

Ciannait wondered who’d Adrian spoke of when he said that he was planning on killing a vampire twice her age. The only one she knew of in the area was Erikur, and if it was Erik who he was after, well hed be taking on more than one vampire. She eyed him catiously and decided to ask him more about that later. As he tried to pull her in closer she growled under her breath at being called ‘princess.’ She was not fond of pet names when she was human and that is one thing that has not changed over the last half of a millennia. And princess? That just made her feel like some shaved show poodle with pom pom feet.

As they approved her warehouse she looked up toward the sky. It was dark and overcast. Covered now the moon was beyond her sight but like other things in the night it was there, just unseen. As she raised the garage style door into the first level of her warehouse she made an ushering movement with her hand and pointed to the stairs that lead up the right side wall. She heard his compliment as she drew the door back down behind them. Pondering what he could possibly mean about few immortials being as prepared for the end of the world as his father, Ciannait slipped her bag back off her shoulder and left it on a work table alongside the stairs. As they walked up to the second story she pointed toward the bathroom and left him to take care of himself as she went to her bed room and shut the door, leaving him alone for the moment.

Inside her bedroom, she unstraped the claymore from her back, along with the dirk from her hip, and placed them acrossed a desk that had some of the doodles for inventions she had yet to create. Next she removed her new jacket and layed it across the the back of a large armchair in the corner of the room by the only window. Sitting down she untied the laces of her shoes and slipped them off her feet and set them along side the chair. As she leaned back to relax, knowing full well he would probably wonder her place if she wasn’t out there when he was finished – not that she cared- she herd his voice drift to her ears from the bathroom. Only a single word but so much pent up emotion, she couldn’t help but wonder what was truly going on. Ciannait cringed because she knew she should ask, espically if it concerned Erik, and talking about issues, let alone family ones, were far from her strong point. On a sigh she stood up and stripped off the newly ruined tshirt she was wearing and tossed it in a pile with the other ones as she opened the door and emerged back into the living space that connected all the other rooms.

Ciannait walked over to the kitchen area and took an old quart milk container filled with blood out of a cooler. She poured it into the top of the double boiler she had sitting on the burner of a hunter green propane camping stove, circa 2005. It was old but it worked far better than filling the place up with smoke from a fire. After lighting the burner, she grabed two mugs, just incase she decided to have some as well, and a thermometer from the shelf along the wall and returned to the stove to waited for the blood to heat to the perfect temperature as well as the male to get out of her bathroom.

[adrian]

The half breed's mind suddenly just jumped back to the start of the day, before he had vampire blood to wash off, before he left home. "You have done well my son. There is no more I can teach you." his father in his black armor inspires by a bat, "This manor is yours to look after while I am away. I have you present in your room, today my son you become a man!"

Entering his room he nodded to the two guards outside and closed the door. His smile fell as he heard a whimper and looked on his bed to see a girl around sixteen naked on his bed, he sat at his table and looked at the woman for a couple hours with his eyes frequently darting to his mother's katana above his bed, all the she was whimpering and saying 'please don't' over and over. He could smell her fear. He threw some clothes at her and drew his black katana from his hip and then took his mother's katana, "Put those on and come with me."

Stepping out from from the bathroom with his swords and tunic in his hands he smelled blood. Adrian was grateful for the water hiding the couple tears he shed, "Hey beautiful!" he said to Cian before watching her with a sad expression, "So where is the boyfriend? There is no permanent male presence here."