rissen: the vampire sypathy story board

Orion held his arms aout wide as Zen slipped his ancient black armour over his head and began fastening the buckles along his ribs. The heavy metal Vampire frowned, squirming as he tried to make the plate sit in a comfortable position, unused to the feel of it after so many years.

He ran his fingers across the flaming pentagram design in the centre of his chest, matching designs were situated on the plates that extended out from his shoulders, ends tipped with something akin to modern day barbed or razor wire.

Holding his arms out when beckoned, he winced as Zen tied his leather wrist bands a little too tight, his brother grinning at him as he loosened them slightly.

Orion shivered slightly as a draft blew through the underground complex, shaking his head and wondering what drove him to let Zen armour him up without an under shirt on. "I'm going to stick to this when I step outside."

Zen chuckled. "One with the armour. Isn't that what you are supposed to be?"

"That doesn't mean I have to be bloody fused to it by this crappy cold weather."

"Stop you whining," Zen chuckled as he strapped Orion's thight plates over his leather pants, followed by the spiked metallic boots that Orion wore on stage and happened to be the only piece of his ancient armour he had been able to find.

"Where did you find my stuff, anyhow?" Orion asked with a raised brow. "It was pure luck that this vessel had my boots as his stage get up..." The presence in his head scoffed at being termed as a 'vessel'. "Where was the rest of it?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Orion crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at his older brother, Zen chuckling as he held his hands up in defeat. "Okay, okay...I found your armour in the ditch you fell into after you took that steak in your chest. When the battle had ended, and that old farmer couple took you in, they had to remove your armour in order to move you. I simply walked down there after they took you and collected your armour. I have looked after it ever since."

'Looked after it' was the understatement of the century, Orion thought as he glanced down the length of armour so polished that the torches reflecting off his armour was enough to light the chamber better than any modern light could have done. His pentagram symbols looked as though the had been recarved to perfection in his chest plate and there was not a dent or scratch to be seen.

"The restoration took quite a while, especially to fix the hold the steak made." Zen tsked and shook his head. "Fancy wearing armour that a mere wooden steak could pierce. You should have taken better care of your armour, brother, because it was simple wear and tear that ultimately allowed wood to pierce through the metal."

Zen slapped his chest twice with an open hand. "You'll be happy to know, though, that I have reinforced it with modern alloy. No wooded steak, nor many bullets or knives, shall pass through your armour now."

Zen stepped back, nodding his approval at Orions appearance. "That hair cut suits you. I like it. Makes you look tougher, meaner, like you mean business. Just from looking at you I can tell you're not a man to f*ck with." A pearly white grin split Zen's features. "Which is a good thing, because there is something I need you to do with me tonight."

Orion didn't like where this was headed. "A thing such as...?"

Zen chuckled as he turned his back on his younger brother and started to walk out of the chamber. "You'll see, brother," he replied without looking back. "But rest assured, you will like what I have in mind, even if the human side of you will be disgusted by it."

( Unfortunately I have some bad news. I have a HUGE project that I must do so I wont b able to post in awhile so please feel free to take control of my character so that he can stay in the story.)

(OOC: Sorry didn't post earlier, had a litte incident yesterday....but on the bright side, i'm gettin a new pair of keys. Anyways, here's something really quick...)

Yuri prowled through the narrow brick corridor on her lonesome, the occasional drop of a leaky pipe heard in the distance. Upwards, the sky was visible, a deep blue cerulean with the occasional twinkle of stars in the shadow, not a cloud in sight. Nearby, she could smell the heavy aroma of bread, a bakery around the corner.

It wasn't a journey through Simone's mind. Looking up to the fire escape, pristilline red, she was positive it wasn't a memory from before the war. Rather, everything seemed to be in real time, playful fireflies illuminating her path. Giggling as one touched her nose, she lifted the bug from her face, blowing it back into its party. She hated humans, sure, but nature was another story entirely.

Strutting casually in heels and capris, Yuri ran her hands past her curves, pleased to be back in her body. "Is it illusion or..." She wasn't even sure. All she could remember was waking up and the day before yesterday. The rest was simply lost to the abyss of her mind. Getting comfortable, she turned a corner, a voice bringing a chill to the air.

"Through the world and your dreams, do you only prowl alone...?" Yuri scanned the area with a frown, wondering where the masculine voice had come from. It continued with, "If I wanted to be seen..." Two hands wrapped around her neck from the back. The voice whispered menacingly into her ear. "You would have seen me long ago..."

Whipping around, Yuri broke the stranger's hold over her neck. Scowling, she bared her fangs, lunging out towards the cloaked figure. Inches away, she stopped...but not of her own free will. Frozen in her step, she wouldn't have been surprised if he formed a smile. Stepping up to her, he clutched her face. "You are in my realm, Yuri. The rules is simple enough, and there is no escaping it," He gently moved his hands down to her throat. "The person who created the realm, created the boundaries. The alleys were your safe haven. Once you exited, you gave yourself to me."

Yuri attempted to move again, a sharp pain striking down her spine. She grinded her teeth, balling up a fist at the trap she had managed to fall into. "And just who the hell are you?!?"

He squeezed, lifting Yuri off her feet, no small feat. "Who I am doesn't matter. However, your death does benefit me." He started to choke the vampire, she unable to move despite her best efforts.

Tears filling her eyes, she started to cough, a scream erupting in her head from the lack of oxygen. She used the pain felt from her movements as a catalyst, gaining the energy to break free from the invisible bonds restricting her movement. Growing her claws, she scratched viciously to the stranger's hands. He didn't seem affected, but sure enough, released her.

Massaging her throat, Yuri gave an evil glare. She went into a coughing fit, hacking blood out into the ground, embarassed she had been reduced into such a weak state. She felt a sense of defeat, curiousity creeping in with her anger. "Why do you not just kill me? It seems you can easily enough do so."

Holding his hands up to show he no longer meant any harm, he said vaguely. "Because I am his keeper..." From the hood, two identical glints of silver were seen. "I can not hurt what was once his. And besides," Directly in front of Yuri, he grabbed her face, giving a kiss to her forehead reminscent as to how a parent would kiss a child. He looked her in the eyes, voice growing warm. "This is only a dream..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yuri jumped up in a cold sweat, head bumping hard into the ceiling of the car. Falling off her seat and to the floor of the car, she coughed severely, massaging her throat. No marks were visible but she was sure they had been there, as if her life would have been taken away as she slept.

L turned back to her immediately, a slight change in his features. His face was a little flushed. However, the temperature inside the car was beyond comfortable. It was if he had somehow managed to overexert himself. Pulling over to the side, he stopped the car, headlights busily flashing on the iced over roads. Helping her back into the seat, he handed the disoriented Yuri a redbull, brushing a strand of grey over her sweat covered forehead. "You alright?"

Sipping curiously at the liquid, at feeling an instant relief overcome her parched throat, she drank thirstily for a minute. Finishing the purely caffeine beverage, Yuri rubbed her temples, ashamed a dream had gotten her so. Burying her head into her lap, she mumbled. "I am fine...I," She sighed, looking the jolly-go-lucky bartender in the eyes. His face had reverted back to its normal pale. "I had an odd dream is all."

He rubbed her shoulder, giving a weak smile. "Musta been odd for you to wake up coughing. Maybe a bit of nerves before your game...?"

Chalking it up to that, Yuri motioned him to continue driving, clambering into the front seat. She wouldn't get so comfy anymore, she didn't wish to dream so realistically. Pulling off from the side of the road, L continued on his path to the game, a loud sound of metal colliding into metal heard. "Car accident..." he murmured.

Yuri peeked into the rear view mirror. Sure enough, two vehicles to in back of them were completely torn up, fastly becoming blanketed in snow. She arched her brow, amazed he had predicted such a thing. Facing forward, she kept her eyes on the road, preparing for her two hours of dormancy in the depths of Simone's mind...

((wow, i've missed alot. Just letting ya'll know i'm out of town visiting a college, thats why i haven't been posting. I'll try to later.))

(BTW, it's stake, not steak... That's meat 😉)

Zechariahs smiled,
"I have a hunger for mortal ale. And I'm still hungry. So, take me to the nearest inn, blood brother."
The pair continued walking until they found a bar. Walking down some steps the neon lighting contrasted sharply with the snowfall outside. The dancefloor was bathed in blue, and along one side of the room ran a bar, behind which 5 bar staff awaited the influx of customers soon to arrive. Looking around, Zechariahs grimaced,
"This is what they call an inn nowadays?" Spotting some semi-circular booths at the back of the large square room, he said, "Well, at least we can have some privacy."
Ken grinned at Zechariah's naivety but covered it quickly as he realised that wasn't something Xzaar would have done,
"This is more of a dance club than an inn. Inns have stayed pretty much the same for centuries."

Leading Zechariahs across the floor, they sat down in their own booth and Ken relaxed. Then he realised Zechariahs was staring at him intently.
"Something's changed about you, brother. Could you not handle the imprisonment these sheep delivered upon us?"
Racking his brains and Xzaar's memories for an answer, Ken replied, "Of course I could handle it. Simply the repossession of a vessel has staggered me briefly. Soon you will see what I mean. Delve into the mortal's memories. See what he saw."
Zechariahs looked confused for a moment, then his expression became concentrated. After a minute or so, he spoke again.
"Yes. I see what you mean. His memories bombard my thoughts. I am letting them in one by one, so I am not put in their thrall. He was a student of the university academy. And his favourite drink was vodka." Zechariahs smiled, "Brother, order me one of those, and something for yourself, and you can tell me your story."

Einari woke with a jolt, feeling himself being picked up roughly buy tour strong arms. His eyes flickered open, and saw the bar still bustling around him. He turned his head and tried to focus his bleary eyes. Then he heard a door open, and, realizing what was happening, braced himself for the impact. He was tossed by the arms, and hit the concrete sidewalk with a loud thump. Einari cursed at the retreating backs of the bartender and his helper, and then stood, his legs quavering under him slightly. He regained his footing, fought off the splitting headache from all the whiskey, and made his way towards downtown.

Dark had just fallen, and Einari welcomed the cold that came with it. He much preferred the cold to the warm, why he would never know. Snow fell about him in small flakes, but he knew and cared not. He simply ambled his way downtown, not moving with niether the vigour nor the swiftness that he usually did. He reached his small abode at long last, a small, 4 story building, that was all but abandoned. He was the only one, besides the landlord who let him live there for free (he had been "coaxed" by the presence of Einari's knives), that lived there.

He reached his apartment at the top and opened the door. It was small, three rooms. A kitchen, a living/dining/everything else room, and a bedroom. In the bedroom their was a closet, which held Einari's extra shirts and all he usual stuff, but also held a 12 gauge shotgun, along with two other short barreled shotguns, two Glock handguns, and a smuggled M-14 full auto. Einari was well armed, and liked to keep it that way.

The furniture of the everything room was a bit mismatched, a worn brown leather couch, a winged armchair of velvet, then a small wooden table that still had a half eaten chicken on it, and two simple wooden chairs under it, along with a tv. In the bedroom was a simple double bed with black sheets, and the kitchen had only a chair.

Not bothering to go to the bedroom, Einari fell upon the couch, and closed his eyes in exhaustion. But he didnt fall asleep. Oh, he tried, he laid there for over an hour trying to. But something nagged at him. Finally he sat up, and sighed, trying to think of where it was. His mind flashed through picture of years long past, trying to remember where it was. Then he snapped his fingers, muttered "Thats it", and stood up, going to his bedroom.

Opening his closet, Einari rummaged through his clothes and weapons, finally coming upon the M-14. He picked it up and shook it slightly. A muffled jingle could be heard from with the stock. He knocked it on the table, again a jingling noise, and a slight sound of hollowness. He slid an unnoticable wooden door off the side of the butt, and carefully withdrew the newspaper that was packed so tightly inside it. Finally he withdrew a small box, and opened it, taking off the top cover of newspaper to reveal a small, emerald encrusted, dodecahedronal almulet, no more than half an inch in diameter, the contents of which jingled slightly.

He examined it for damage from every angle. It was still in perfect shape. He had never discovered the mysteries of the amulet, and so he had stored in away. Einari had twisted the top, the bottom, he had tried sliding all the sides off, nothing worked. He wanted to know what was inside, he wanted to know desperatly. For he had known, but in the centuries following, he had forgotten. And now he wanted to know again.

He looked at it from every angle, looking for hinges or seams. It was smooth except for the emeralds, seamless. Einari sighed, and placed the thing about his neck, and then walking back out into the cold, much more himself this time, and bounded towards one of his "friend's" houses.

((wow, i finally got caught up. that is a sh!t load of reading... I see Xornon isn't doing anything at the moment, but if anyone wants to control him, feel free, i'll be around later tonight))

Shards of glass decorated the area, raining down from a once perfect square to the polished wooden floor. An eerie silence overtook the crowd, a plain orange ball rolling aimlessly, untouched across the court. It stopped at the foot of a bulky brunette in orange shorts with a matching yellow jersey, a thick hand on the cross around her neck. Sheer disbelief blanketed the face of many.

Landing daintily back to her feet, head bowed in her recovery, Yuri got to her feet, scanning the quiet crowd in wonder. She arched a brow at the implausibly loud buzzer, the ending of the last quarter. A glance to the old-fashioned scoreboard was all she needed to know the little game was over, the team she had been playing for winners.

The next portion happened too fast for words. The hush that had devoured the crowd was replaced by a tumultuous roar, a cheer for the sight just seen, absolute euphoria for the season ending with a win. Yuri stood in a daze, blinded by lights and noise, basking in her semi-deserved glory. There was just something so lovely, so heart pounding, so wonderful about it all.

And to think this started over Miss Knock out my host… Yuri smirked, thinking back to the very beginning. As Yuri had promised, she had allowed Simone to play her silly little game, giving her control over her body for the first and last time. The youth had been doing well, teaching Yuri the basic’s in between pauses, but she gave up after awhile, frustrated over Yuri’s ‘I don’t give a f**k’ attitude and lack of interest over the pointless game.

Well into the last quarter, things were going a bit rough and it got worse when one of the bulkier players rammed Simone hard into the wall. Out cold in reality, Simone could barely form a proper sentence in her mind, thinking instead to sit out the rest of the game. However, for reasons unknown, Yuri agreed to take her place, Simone too tired to argue. Of course, she was given a few conditions, those being, ‘no super agility, no flying halfway across the court, no KILLING the other team!!!!’ Not being able to promise, Yuri gave a ‘sure’ with a smile, heading back into a reality with a vicious cold.

Her tactics were largely different from Simone. Simone had a thing for faking out an opponent, pretending to pass when making a shot and vice versa. She also rarely ever made anything other than a lay-up. Yuri went for purely three pointers, it helping in part that she had the accuracy of a demigod. The last five minutes into the game, she felt no worries, the ball having been checked to one of her shorter teammates, ninety four pounds on a 5’2 frame. She was meant to be the agility but the one thing Yuri hadn’t counted on was the ball being passed to her.

The other team didn’t give her the chance of day, blocking off any and all chances for her to make a long distance shot. A mixture of annoyance and anger started to rise, Yuri desperately wanting to win the game, no matter how inane it had first seemed. She frowned as she prepared a poor pass, her sense coming back. Wait, what am I doing? I’m a f**king vampire!

Remembering she wasn’t the average girl, Yuri made a twist and with an admirable ease, jumped, intent on sending the ball through its hoop. She slammed the ball through the net with the force only a century old vampire could possess. Though, the crowd saw it as damn near shocking, not the ‘jumping feet into the air’ portion, but more the shattering of the newly purchased backboards.

Coming to, Yuri saw the setting had changed, she out in the hall. A parade of white and blue uniformed girls ushered her to their bus with huge smiles, Simone’s teammates. Feigning a smile, Yuri stopped them, motioning to a pink door a few steps back. A large line had already started to form by the school bathroom.

Waving them ahead, Yuri stood patiently in wait for the lavatories. She watched as her team exited out into the dying blizzard, the lightest of flurries falling. The only sign there’d been a storm from the telltale coats of white painting nature and the surrounding grounds.

Waiting until she saw no hint of the cheerful girls, Yuri stealthily crept away from the line, backing up to the door of the main office. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t have an agenda of her own. After all, she was never that nice unless something positive came from it.

Twisting the silver knob, Yuri let herself into the cold dim room, pale moonlight the only source of illumination, bathing over a wooden desk and dull silver file cabinets. Going plainly on Simone’s knowledge, she pried open a top file, searching for the last name of her charge. Her target apparently attended Simone’s opposing school -according to the information left by Loth- so Yuri couldn’t resist a perfect opportunity.

Pulling out a bulky manila folder, Yuri skimmed through its contents, taking out the most essential files. Folding them neatly into her bag, she put the folder back in place. I will have to go over it more carefully once back at the grotto.

Exiting the room, Yuri gazed down the empty halls, nibbling at a dry bottom lip. She almost wished for a sole wanderer to appear, she hadn’t fed on a victim since Sarah. “Two days ago…” she muttered, breathing tiredly from the sudden ravenous hunger. Her vision grew swirled, black, a vice grip on her shoulder bringing her to. Whipping around, she calmed herself, seeing it was only the bartender.

Holding her coat in one hand, he stared to her seriously. Yuri started to grow apprehensive, wondering if she had said something bad out loud. He shook his head, messing up the front of her sweaty hair with an outstretched hand. “Un-f**king-believable…” He laughed, throwing back his head. “Do you know how high you jumped?! That was a Kodak moment, god damn!”

Taking her coat, Yuri frowned at her dissipating hunger pangs. She rubbed at her small belly, tracing a finger around the navel. Brushing it off, she swung her coat over her shoulders, coming up with a response to L. She started to talk, a shadow making her pause.

Turning round, Yuri found herself looking up to the bulky girl who had sent Simone flying. The girl, displeased with her loss, sent a wild swing into her cheek. Yuri evaded the tactless shot, landing a punch hard into the thick girl’s jaw. She flew down the hall, missing the trophy case by inches, unconscious from the blow. Cracking her knuckles, she frowned. She had meant to send the girl spiraling into the glass but by a stroke of luck, she had missed it.

The bartender, whose hands had previously been in a mock prayer position, blinked dumbfounded. “Damn…”

Yuri turned back to the pierced blond with a smile. “Shall we go now?” Not waiting for his answer, with a jovial whistle, she headed out into the near deserted parking lot. He gave a curt smile before following after, unlocking the door of his Lexus casually.

Exhausted from the night’s events, Yuri sunk her head down into the plush leather chair, refusing to submit to sleep. The bartender drove through the icy roads quietly, switching the station off from a heavy metal station to something different, that same song Yuri had heard not too long ago in an exotic tongue. Swaying softly to the beat, she hummed the song, eyelids growing heavy. At a thought coming to mind, she said groggily. “I thought you were going to leave…”

He had mentioned how he wasn’t a sports kind of guy minutes before he parked the car. The bartender shrugged, turning off of what would grow into a traffic-jam. “It was too snowy for me to drive straight. Figured I’d wait it out,” Facing Yuri, he winked. “Don’t tell me you’re disappointed?”

Smirking, Yuri crossed her arms. Pushing herself deeper into the seat, she simply said. “Watch the road, vanilla latte.”

The bartender turned his attention forward, instantly having to brake to stop himself from hitting a snow white Civic. Muttering a ‘shit’ beneath his breath, he massaged his heart, heading around the car to the back road. He sighed. “Talk about an inch away from death.”

Yuri bit her tongue to hold back a remark. It was a thought from Simone’s mind but on hindsight she thought it a little disrespectful. Glancing to the recovering L, she squinted at a visible necklace around his neck. Resting on the center of his chest was an object similar to a black glass marble. It was small with swirls, the universe on a chain. Connected to the sphere was a pale glass seashell, the universe in an alcove. It was stunning…it compelled her.

“It’s yours,” said L, smile on his face. He had seen her staring from the corner of his eye. Braking at a stoplight, he lifted the chain from his neck, playing the tip of the curled black shell into Yuri’s palm. Bringing it down, he folded the jewelry into her hand, curling her fingers tightly round the object. It was as if he was hoping to give her more than just the necklace with a touch of his hand. Seeing no recognition flash in her eyes, he smiled with a sigh, continuing on his drive.

Admiring the necklace, Yuri shook her head, resting it in the bartender’s lap. Closing her eyes, she leaned back. “I can not take that, it is far too valuable. I appreciate the gesture but I would be a thief if I robbed you of such an item…” She trailed off, vision growing darker with each sleepy breath taken.

L said nothing over the return of the necklace, careening at a breakneck speed down the roads. He ran a hand through his hair, resting two fingers in the center of his forehead. Tapping Yuri lightly at her throat, he trailed his fingers up her cheek and to her temple. “Whatever nightmare you had before will not occur again. Rest Yuri…dream.” To weak to lash out to the bartender’s audacity, her vision grew dim as she fell into a deep slumber…

*continuation

The sound of a car speeding past stirred her from her sleep. Feeling a pale light flash over her eyelids, Yuri turned her back to the source, snuggling herself deeper into the thick material covering her up. It was only when she realized she was lying down she opened her eyes, the pale lavender ceiling snatching her attention.

Sitting up slowly, she pressed her hands down onto her sheets in a daze. She wasn’t sure just where she was. Biting her lip, Yuri swept the midnight blue satin comforter from her legs, pleased to see her clothes were still intact. Glancing about the room, a familiar dresser standing in shadow and a framed mirror reflecting her tired features, she sighed. She was in her room…Simone’s room to be precise.

Slipping out from the bed, Yuri stretched. It was approximately two in the morning if she wasn’t mistaken, far too early for her to be sleeping. That had to be the first time she had felt so exhausted in her life. Pulling off her uniform, Yuri stood naked under the window, linen curtain blowing for the stars to spy. “I should be getting back to the cave…”

Running a hand through her hair, she scrounged around a drawer for clothes. She took out a fitted low cut black shirt which held the words ‘SARCASM: Only one of the services I offer’ in white font. Picking up several other shirts with some odd saying or another, she packed it into the bag resting neatly at her bedside.

Jumping into flared denim jeans, she packed those also in bulk, throwing in a few items hinted at courtesy of the voice in her head. Preparing to leave the dwelling once and for all, she stopped a handwritten letter resting on her table, on top of it a rose with rich black petals. Entwined around its thorn was the necklace she had refused earlier. “Hmm…” Picking up the letter, it read:

-Caramel latte
You fell fast asleep during the drive, ain’t that something? Hope you don’t mind too terribly I took a peek at your driver’s license but had a feeling you’d be a little b*tchy if you woke up in MY bed…sorry I didn’t wake you or get to show you that good time but what with my club burning down, I gotta head onto my new job. On a side note, even though a few hundred got killed, I DID get quite the bundle of insurance money…
Anywho…
Giving back gifts never works, the necklace is yours. Figure you should have something after breaking the backboard. Sure repairs are gonna cost you a pretty penny (not that I’m suggestion you pawn the jewelry, it IS an heirloom after all). Again, look me up if you’re in search of a good time…or a ride…or an accomplice. Just kidding with the last one, but really, ciao
-L a.k.a ‘vanilla latte’

P.S. If you happen to bump into your little friends, tell ‘em I said thanx motherfu...hello.

P.P.S. Nothing wrong with a rose between friends, right? Thought you might likes it.

Folding up the letter, Yuri placed it into a back pocket, twirling the rose through her fingers. She thought it a sweet gesture and an oddity of nature. Tucking the flower into her jacket to keep it warm, now outside, she continued on her brisk pace to her new destination.

Arriving down the block, she rapped at a silver gate heavily. Ten second later, it lifted to reveal a man in his twenties. He made a face, eyes tired with sleep. “Two in the morning Simone. You CALL first.”

“Forgive it,” retorted Yuri, arching her brow. Peering over his figure, she gave a broad smile to a blue and platinum motorcycle. “That is mine?”

“No f**king shit.”

Sitting on a folding chair, he rubbed his cheeks, Yuri ignoring his comment and hopping onto the bike. After a few minutes, she managed to get a sort of balance, revving up the engine. Smiling wildly, she sped out the garage and through the streets, aiming to get back to the grotto…

(ooc: meant to make more than even this but late on my side of the world so yeah...this'll have to do)

((*Disclaimer- Would you love a Monsterman belongs to Finnish rockers Lordi and whoever thier record label may be, it's not mine, and I dont pretend it to be...Rock on Lordi...

Also, I warn that there is a rape in the murder scene ahead, so, yeah, just to warn you before hand...lol...you'll start to see just how evil Zen really is...but it isn't even a tenth of what I have planned for him.))

'Would you love a monsterman?
Could you understand beauty of the beast?
I would do it all for you,
Would you do it all do it all for me?'*

The chorous to Lordi's 'Would you love a Monsterman?' roared through the stereo system of Zen's sleek silver Lamborghini Diablo, stolen of course, as they sped at breakneck speed through the icy forest track, Zen handling the car as no human could dream of doing.

Orion flicked the stereo of with a frown, its purpose of drowning out the screams of the couple stuffed in the trunk null and void out in the middle of no where. Right now, they might as well have been in space, because out here, no one was going to hear them scream.

Seeing a clearing up ahead, Zen smiled evilly,yanking on the hand break and jerking the wheel, sending the Diable into a furious spin. The world whizzed by Orion's window in a blur and the heavy metal Vampire felt his stomach churning, before the car skidded to a halt, parked perfectly, dead centre of the clearing, facing the way the had come.

Killing the head lights and then the motor, Zen exited the vehicle without a word, popping the trunk and yanking the couple out, one in each hand, tossing them several metres across the clearing. Zen almost disappeared into the scene, dressed as he was in pure white armour, the only thing making him visible in the snow being the golden dragon symbol on his chest plate, that trailed around his left side, the beasts tail ending in the middle of Zen's lower back. The armour, it was said, was made of the bones of their families ancestors. In reality, Orion imagined, their grandfather was having them on. He suspected it was merely made from the bones of one beast or other, but he wasn't about to voice such an opinion to Zen, especially now that he seemed three times as sadistic as he had been in the past.

The woman backed up defensively as Zen stalked them, tears streaming down her face to mix with the blood staining the gag that was only covering half her mouth, allowing her screams to carry somewhat.

"Scream b*tch," Zen taunted, licking his lips as his snowy white hair billowed about him on the breeze, "I love it when my victims scream." The woman screamed louder.

Zen's attention turned to the male, he slicing the mans bonds with his hunting knife and romeving the gag. The man tried to run, but at a gesture from Zen, Orion intercepted him, picking him up and locking the mans wrists behind his back, making him face Zen.

Zen grinned, his fist rocketing into the mans stomach twice, before sending a knee crashing into the mans face. "Tut, tut, Mister Minister...it is rude to leave the party early, don't you know?"

"Who are you...?" The Minister of Defence wheezed as he coughed blood up onto the snow.

Zen knelt next to Johnathan Kain, Minister of Defence, and grabbed a handfull of black hair, forcing the mans eyes up to meet his. "You can call me the 'White Knight'," he motioned to Orion, "He, you may know as the 'Black Knight'."

"Please, leave my wife out of this...I don't know what you want, but whatever it is, she can't help you...please..."

Zen back handed Johnathan across the face, sending him sprawling in the snow, spitting up more blood. "Get the b*tch!" He snapped to Orion, who obeyed instantly, in the midst of a strange hold that had fallen over him in the presence of his brother.

The presence in Orion's head squirmed and protested, trying to help Orion regain control, but it was no use. He had changed in the presence of his brother, and there was nothing he, or anyone else, could do about it.

Orion tossed the woman in front of Zen, who tore her clothes from her body in one single motion. With a hand clutching raven blue hair of the twenty five year old, Zen smiled. "Like them young, eh Mister Minister? Now, you will watch!"

Zen yanked Mrs. Kain's head back, staring down into hazel eyes with malice. Orion, in a trance he could not break, knelt before her, lips wrapping around the nipple of her right breast as his fingers went to work between her legs.

The scream that ripped through the forest was defening, but it affected Zen little as he yanked her head back harder, glaring at the distressed form of Johnathan, who was powerless to interferre. The Ministers veins bulged in his neck and his face glowed crimson in the effort to make his body function enough to save his wife, and eventually he managed a half hearted lunge.

Zen's white boot sent him sprawling back into the snow as the Orion inserted himself into Mrs. Kain, her renewed scream turning Zen's attention back to her.

Yanking her head back further, to the point that the neck was about to snap, Zen smiled, tracing his fingers across her throat. "So soft..." he whispered, before plunging his teeth into her neck and yanking his head back, tearing out her throat as Orion climaxed.

After a moment of complete stillness, Orion fell back on the snow, strangely exhausted, even though he had barely seemed to exert himself. He watched as Mrs. Kain's hair slipped from Zen's grasp, her from falling into the blood soaked snow, head hanging onto her body by only a few bits of skin and stringy tendons.

Zen spat out pieces of Mrs. Kain's spine, making sure they landed next to Johnathan, who wailed inhumanly at the sight of his wife in the snow.

"You mother f*ckers!" Johnathan lunged again, only to be met with both a black and white boot to the face at the same time, he falling back to the snow as several teeth went flying across the clearing.

Zen frowned, twirling his hunting knife through his fingers. "A pity I have mangled the face I am going to steal, eh brother? A good thing I have ways to fix it up."

Without elaborating, Zen grabbed Johnathan by the hair, lifting him up to his knees. Without hesitation, Zen began to slice around the outline of Johnathan's face, the Minister screaming, yet not thrashing, as if his body was held fast by invisible bonds.

When Zen had finished cutting around the outline of the Minister's face he took hold of a small flap of skin on the mans forehead. "Goodnight, Johnathan," Zen said with a twisted smile, yanking hard and tearing Johnathan's face off in one clean motion.

The pain being too much, Johnathan slumped onto the ground unconcious, blood oozing from newly exposed flesh, staining the snow. Death would be upon him soon enough.

Zen shook his head with a sigh, spitting on the prone form of Johnathan. "Humans...f*cking pathetic." With that, he turned and trudged back to the Diablo, his prize danging from one hand, dripping a trail of blood in the snow as he went.

Orion stood, staring down at the dead body of Mrs. Kain, his belt and thigh plates still unbuckled from his deed. The presence in his head drifted forwards after its retreat during the scene and surveyed the body with a sadness that washed through Orion's entire form, releasing him from the strange hold upon him.

Orion choked back the bile that rose in his throat, a single tear rolling down his face, freezing almost instantly on his cheek. "What have I become?"

The wind whipped his words away instantly, straight to Zen's ears, the White Knight pausing in the process of opening the drivers side door. Without looking back, and with a bloody smile playing at his lips, Zen replied, the wind whipping his words away into dark oblivion. "Mine!"

Einari bounded through the night streets, stealthily as a shadow and as swiftly as an arrow from a longbow. He ran through the streets, looking for a victim, for he hadnt fed in many nights, and he spotted a good one. Young and fragile, she seemed. His fangs appeared in his mouth, and he fell into step behind her, pulling the hoodie up to throw his hole face in shadow, though he was already shaded by the night's black. She seemed to be about 23, and he could smell the healthy blood from 100 feet behind. She was dressed provocativly, a plaid miniskirt and belly-button tank top.

Einari made a small coughing noise from behind her, guessing her profession. She turned around slowly, and looked him up and down. She couldn't see his face if she had nightvision goggles, it was so casted in shadow. He approached her, she with a smirk on her face. Einari smiled, his fangs casting a small glint from out of the blackness of his hood, and he muttered, less than six inches from his face.

"Well, well, well...I dont suppose you could show me a good time on such a lonely night..."

She smiled playfully and took a small step towards him, cutting the orginal distance in half. She could she the outline of his face, but no distinct features.

"Maybe I could..."

Einari took her hand and led her towards a nearby alley, and turned down it. She followed all-too willingly, and he made a few more turns, and then turned to her. He forced her onto her knees.

"Plead for your life, wench."

She did so, with a mocking tone in her voice. He removed his hood, revealing his face and fangs at last. She gasped, in complete and genuine horror this time, catching sight of the glinting daggers that poked out of his mouth. Then she caught sight of his eyes, nearly white, and stared into them, transfixed. Einari smirked, and deftly lifted her from the concrete by her neck. His eyes were gleaming with anticipation.

"I wasn't kidding."

He lunged forward, his fangs sinking deep into her neck. She tried scream, but his bite had punctured her trachea and severed a few of her vocal chords, so that all that came out was a high-pitched gasp, that died quickly, as she did. Einari sucked in the blood greddily, eeventually releasing her from his grasp and letting her fall to the ground. Looking at her with a face of distaste, he ripped off her top, exposing the dead whore's breasts. He then withdrew his switchblades, mutilating her neck so that it was impossible to see the killing fang holes. He punched her head about a bit, so that it would bruise, an then threw here in a nearby dumpster. He left the scene, no trace of blood on him, except for his fangs.

His feeding complete, Einari hailed a cab and took it to the address of a small, seemingly abandoned building, with boarded windows. He simply flashed his Colt .45 that he had tucked into his back holster as he had left his apartment, and the cabbie smiled nervously and let him go. Walking up to the front door of the small building, two guards to the door, disguised as bums, moved to intercept him. Einari simply growled, his fangs showing, and the bums scurried back to their posts.

Einari kicked open the door, calling in a sing-song voice throughout the lobby,

"Oh Matteo...Where art thou?"

Grinning evily, he moved to an elevator, hitting the button down, one instantly appearing. He moved inside and hit the 6 button, not surprised in the least when the elevator moved down instead of up.

The elevator grinded to a halt, and the doors opened. Einari found himself in a sort of parlour, with a bar on the left side of the room, and a few pool and poker tables on the right. The rest of the room was filled with ripped couches, winged armchairs, and smaller tables for drinks. It was fairly crowded, filled with some prominant looking men, and some poorer, all chatting animatedly with each other. A few of the men looked to see who had just arrived, and nearly a) stumbled and fell over, b) choked on their drinks, c) dropped their drinks, and d) shat themselves. Einari moved through the crowd, the entire room quieting at his onimous presence. They all knew of him, and the few that he knew he nodded to, and they, terrified of his wrath, nodded hurridly back.

Einari reached the door on the other side of the parlour, and the room was completely silent except for his footsteps on the carpet, and the giggling of girls and one man on the other side of the door. He knocked on the door, and everyone held their breath, the noise within the room beyond silencing immeadiatly. The door opened a crack, and Einari, not one to play games right now, slammed the door back, crushing the large man who had been opening it. Another bodyguard jumped forward, abiet apprehensively. Einari sighed.

"Jack, do you really think you can beat me?"

The bodyguard, Jack, looked defeated, and backed away. Einari looked back into the parlour, everyone inside the place watching his every move. He kicked the door shut again, revealing the man whom he had crushed to be groaning behind it, a bloody and broken nose, cluthing his ribs with one arm hanging limply. Einari now directed his attention to the opposite side of the room, where a fat man, dressed in khakis, a blue collared shit, a blazer, an un-done tie, and a barber hat, ushered partially dressed girls into an ajacent room.

The fat man looked nervously over his shoulder at the vampire, and saw Einari watching. He jumped slightly, hurrying back into a winged armchair behind a large wooden desk, as if Einari hadnt seen him up a few seconds before. The fat man was sweating profusly.

"Oh, Richard, your back! Long time no see! How are you tonight?"

The fat man's little eyes darted around for an escape route. Einari quickly strode across the room, and leaned on the desk, his face right in the little man's.

"Yes, I'm back, Matteo. And you, I see, are ever the wider."

Matteo laughed too heartily at the statement.

"Oh ho! You were ever the joker, Richard. So how can-"

Einari wove his hand to silence him.

"I do not like to be rushed, Matteo. You know that."

Einari waited for a response, but Matteo was not stupid, and took the hint, staying quiet.

"There is a new boss in town, Matteo. Her name is Khimaria. You will take orders from her, as well as me. Understood."

Although it was not a question, but a statement, Matteo nodded all the same. Einari withdrew his knife, and twirled it around his fingers, weaving a web of death in his hand. Matteo's eyes flickered nervously to the knife, having seen the deadly weapon at work before. He still stayed silent.

"You enjoy your women, dont you Matteo?"

Matteo, mystified by the sudden change of subject, nodded slowly. Einari's hand flashed out. He pricked two small holes on in the chair on either side of Matteo's head, then plunged down so close to Matteo's groin, that the fat little man edged back as quick as he could. Einari's knife buried itself twixt his legs, and Einari's white eyes bored into the small man's dark ones.

"Tread carefully with Khimaria, or you will not be able to enjoy them any more."

Einari ripped a large gash in the seat of the armchair, and stowed his knife. As he moved towards the door, he called back over his shoulder.

"That was a warning, not a threat, Matteo."

The vampire slammed the door so hard the parlour seemed to shake, leaving the fat man wimpering behind it, mumbling incoherently in Italian and rubbing his genitalia tenderly. Richard was much too prone to mood swings to be toyed with, Matteo thought. and if he was merely warning him...How bad could this Khimaria be?

The people in the parlour were laughing much too heartily and talking too loudly for them to be genuine, Einari thought as he slid over the bar, grabbing a few bottles of Jack Daniels, Bombay Gin, and Absolut Vodka. They were eavesdropping, Einari knew, but he didnt really care. He put his alcohol into a box, and carried it out into the streets, making his way home.

As he was crossing a street close to his home, a motorcycle came barreling out of nowhere. Einari threw himself to the side, his quick reflexes saving him. He managed to keep the box over his hands, only breaking a bottle of vodka, the lragest peice of with he threw at the retreating back of the driver, unintentionally smacking the motorcycle's tire. The tire hissed malovently, letting out a great deal of air. The driver stopped, dismounting and inspecting the tire,. She then stood up, and walked cooly towards Einari, who put the alcohol box down, and prepared for an easy fight.

But as the driver approached, Einari knew that this was a fight he could not win. For the woman was Yuri. He took a few steps back, startled.

"What the f*ck are you doing in this part of town?"

She seemed not to here him, vehement. Yuri seemed on the verge of killing him. Einari added quickly.

"Khimaria has pardoned me..."

No effect. Yuri just grunted and motioned to her bike. Einari looked at it, a face of surprise on his face.

"Is that yours then?"

Yuri stopped in her tracks, grunted again and nodded. She was tapping her foot impatiently. einari knew what she was after, and conceeded.

"I can pay for it, I suppose..."

Yuri looked somewhat pacified and nodded curtly. She looked around, her eyes now a bit helpless. Einari knew that she was headed for the cave, but they were far downtown now, and the cave was farther uptown. It was a fairly long walk, einari thought as he mapped it out in his head, and especially long if your planning on walking a motorcylce there. He thought for another solution, and could come up with none. He doubted she would accept, for Einari knew her hatred for him ran deep, but he might as well make a show of good will.

"If you dont feel like walking back, then my place is only a few blocks...You could stay the night, and then we could take your motorcycle to a repair shop in the morning?"

Yuri wasn’t sure how to respond. Trudging back to the grotto with her newly acquired motorcycle was not high on her list of objectives. Then again, neither was sharing a dwelling with the trickster standing before her. She glanced to her bike, the gaping hole in the tire, the feeling of almost the whole day being for naught starting to come.

“Damn…” she gave a groan of frustration, turning a sulky expression to the sapphire holding sparkling bleeps of light. Muttering rushed Latin beneath her breath, she clenched and unclenched her fists, a steady shaking visible. Finally turning to Loki, she crossed her arms as she grumbled. “Roll my bike to this place of yours. I do not wish to exert myself too heavily.”

He walked to the bike, passing the wooden crate into her arms. Sighing, he gave a slight frown as he began to wheel the just fixed vehicle to his domicile. Behind him, Yuri glowered, holding back the urge to smash his little alcohols to shards among with other strong temptations.

Remember…you can always kill him later… A maliciously evil laugh came, a mocking cruel cackle in the back of her mind.

Bemused, Yuri arched a brow. Excuse me?

A tinge of embarrassment was felt in Simone’s portion of her mind. Er…Sweet Tooth, character from my friend’s game. Somehow…that came to mind.

Giving a chuckle, Yuri waved off the youth’s comment. She was beginning to wonder if she was corrupting Simone’s mind, day by day, kill after kill. The first time she had even fed she had b*tched to her about the cops coming after her. And now…she was suggesting she make a kill.

Adjusting the crate to beneath her left arm, she wiped away an invisible tear, smiling all the while. “Like the daughter I will never have…” she whispered in barely a breath. Loki stopped to glance back, Yuri immediately dropping her grin. “Did I address you? Continue on before I change my mind.” She snapped, placing on an irritable air.

For a second, Loki seemed to regret his offer, grip tightening on the handlebars of her motorcycle. He relaxed his hold, attention forward to a four story building in the distance. Wheeling her motorcycle safely out of view of any petty thieves or crack addicts in need of something to pawn, he motioned for her to follow him up a set of stairs, eventually landing her inside his apartment.

Examining the simple setting, a flicker of disgust crossed her face at the leftovers of a chicken on the table. The furniture was, in Yuri’s eyes, dreadful. But who was she to complain over the condition of his home. After all, beggars couldn’t be choosers. Well, not all the time.

Stepping past the sofa, Yuri went to one of the last little doors in the room. She pulled it open, revealing a small bedroom, black sheets over a full size bed. She drummed her nails on the door, tapping a beat against the door. Feeling Loki’s gaze drilling through the back of her skill, she turned to explain. “If you had not messed up the wheel of my vehicle, I would be sleeping in MY bed…possibly,” She was a night person, she couldn’t rule out the chance that she probably would have gotten a drink or into a fight before she reached the cave. After a short pause, she continued. “However, you screwed with my only love in this era. So I shall sleep in YOUR bed for the remainder of this evening. You can take the sofa.”

Not waiting for a rebuttal or the soon to come complaint over her cheek, Yuri slammed the door heavily, hinges creaking from the impact. Dropping her bag at the foot of the bed, she threw herself onto the mattress, stretching her hands overhead. She lay down for at least ten minutes, finally groaning and turning to her stomach. She sighed, tousling her already messed up hair. “I need a bath.”

Peeking out the door into the living room, Yuri threw a bundled sock to Loki’s head. He caught it before it actually reached, leaning out from the white fridge innocently. Gently placing ice cubes into a small glass, he poured in an alcohol, Jack Daniel’s on the rocks.

Yuri teetered over to the drink in the movement of a drunken dancer, sniffing the alcohol curiously. Ignoring her thirst, she arched a brow. “Do you have a place where I can cleanse myself?”

Swallowing an ice cube, he motioned to a small blue door to his back. “Shower, towel on the right. Second thought, just bring your clothes inside with you,” Leaving her with that, he plopped down onto the sofa, indulging slowly his chilled drink.

Locking the blue door tightly, Yuri stripped from her clothes, staring at her reflection in the stained glass mirror. She was completely apathetic, more so than usual, a tinge of pale in caramel cheeks. Reasoning she was simply fatigued, she figured out the shower, stepping into the pouring hot water with apprehension.

On the showerhead were three settings, whirl, balance and rain. Trying whirl first, she blushed at a sensitive area being struck. She twisted it to rain, a soft flow of water felt. Grimacing, she turned it onto balance, a mixture of the two. Closing her eyes under the warm perfection, she sighed. “Balance is the key…”

Running her hands through her hair as the water washed out the spritz and gels keeping it together, she allowed herself to become off-guard. Closing her eyes, she angled her head, letting the water play at her neck, the healing bruises in her throat. Tracing her fingers over the fang mark, her eyes grew dim as her attention wandered fixed to a bar of lavender soap.

She massaged her neck, lost in her thoughts, a heavy shudder running up her spine. Biting her lip, a wave of dizziness came, the heat and a mixture of emotions unraveling her being. However, the sound of the bathroom door slamming quickly brought her to. Shaking away her less than innocent thoughts, she gulped, hand slipping on the silver knob. Grasping it after a few failed attempts, she switched off the shower, standing in a pool of slowly draining soapy water.

The wind blew in from a crack in the window, Yuri shivering, eyes wide. Staring through the glass, she cursed the human form she had taken, punching a fist into the tiled wall. Shaking, she stepped out the tub, slipping on a pair of black silk boxers from Simone’s home. She threw on a white T-shirt, the words making her think: It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.

“Is it…?” Yuri read and reread the shirt, questioning its truth value. Swinging the heavy bag over her shoulder, she stepped into the darkened apartment, flipping on the light switch in the kitchen. Grabbing the remaining Jack Daniel’s, she started to swig the liquid, pausing at the awake Loki on the sofa. She gulped down the liquor. “Do not tell me you are that apprehensive with me in the house that you can not even sleep?”

He smiled, eyes on the knife fluidly playing through his fingers. “Don’t flatter yourself. I told you, I met with Khimaria. She spared my life…” he frowned, missing a beat on the spinning knife. “Under certain conditions.”

A quarter of the liquid left, Yuri drinking heavily as he told the short tale, she held back a laugh. Death would’ve been fun but it wasn’t too hard to see what had been done. Dropping the glass neatly onto his stomach, she shrugged, heading back to his room. “I am not a complete and total b*tch…you will probably need that more than I will. Besides, you are being as nice as to get my bike fixed.” Finally bursting into a small fit of laughter, she retired into his room for the evening.

Her hazel eyes stared dully to the ceiling, hands hiding behind her damp hair. Blinking at a pale white light from a passing car staining the wall, she sighed heavily, no answers willing to come. The ring on her finger gave off its same impossible warmth, that same illogical calm, her rational senses enhanced in the silence of the night. At the same time, the necklace around her neck was starting to heat up, feeling as if it had been there all her life.

Extending her hand, she tilted her head, purring in the shadows of the dark. "It is...precious to me," It was a line borrowed from Simone's mind, borrowed from a recently seen movie. Clutching her hand to her chest, she stroked the ring, a strange sadness swelling up inside her heart...or where it would be if she had one.

Smiling at the thought, Yuri sat up. Slipping out from the black sheets, she stared around the room, lost. It is odd...this evening...this day for that matter. Scrunching up her eyes, she kneaded her forehead furiously, pacing the room. "Think, damn it...must be something!"

At nothing immediately coming to mind, Yuri pulled off her boxers, flinging them into a plain lamp. Growing angry, she pulled on a pair of denim jeans, buckles adorning the side. She was initially going to put on leather pants, but she didn't think now would be the right time. "No," Shoving on her black jacket with pink script holding the name SouthPole, she stepped into her heels, snatching a few dollars out her wallet. "When I am playing my role, then I will go all out. But until then...!!!"

Counting a little less than a hundred, Yuri pocketed her bundle of cash. Attire in order, she pushed open the bedroom door, muttering tiredly. "I need to get a drink." Waltzing past Loki, he capping off the bottle of Jack Daniels, he began to ask her a question, reconsidering at a glare from her. She arched her brow. "I am going out for an hour or so. You can follow if you wish but please..." She opened the door, peeking out into the hall. She feigned a miserable sigh, nails sharpening. "Please do not make me kill you. I would hate to commit such a travesty. And Orion would be sooo disappointed."

Then again, what he does not know makes life better for me... Yuri smiled broadly, eyes aglow at the thought of any murders being done at her hands. Glancing back to Loki with an apathetic innocence, she tilted her head. "Will you come with me?"

*TBC

((Eh? I'm confused...Is Yuri thinking of killing Einari? Least, that's how I read it...))

Einari raised an eyebrow at the proposition, sure that there was something devious working behind Yuri's innocent eyes. He did not trust her...Nor, he thought, would he ever. Einari shrugged, and then stood.

"Might as well, seeing as I can't do much else."

He retrieved his trucker hat, pulling it low over his eyes so that a cat, even with its dark-piercing eyes, could not see the irises of white. He grabbed his wallet from the kitchen and searched in it. Enough for a few drinks, he thought, stuffing the folded leather into his back pocket.

Yuri was waiting at the door, clicking her tongue impatiently. Einari made a mock smile to her, and then headed out the door, and down the stairs. He heard her follow. He made his way around the back of the building when they reached the street, and then disapeared behind a large steel door, next to what seemed to be a garage. After a few minutes of watching, the garage door against which Yuri was leaning rose. In front of her, a brand new looking, '68 forrest green VW bug convertible, with a leather interior and its top down, sat, its motor revving to go, and Einari in the seat. Yuri raised an eyebrow.

"Your car?"

Einari nodded and drove out of the garage, forcing Yuri to dodge to the side. Yuri grolwed menacingly, but Einari was unphased. He motioned to the passenger seat.

"Get in."

She did so, and Einari revved the engine once more before closing the garage door and speeding around the corner and down the deserted road, much faster than the speed limit. He pulled a case of CDs out of the back and quickly sorted through them, knowing that the CD that he wanted was on the 15th page. He withdrew "Appetite for Destruction" by Guns and Roses out and popped it into the CD player he had custom installed. The first song, "Welcome to the Jungle", blasted out of the speakers. Einari screeched around corners, fishtailing dangerously once or twice, muttering the lyrics under his breath. After two or three verses, his half-visible mouth twisted into a smile of sadistic pleasure as he sang the words "I wanna watch you bleed", his favorite line in any song he owned.

As they approached one of Einari's favorite bars, he slowed down a little, and pulled into a back alley, his mirrors inches from the wall on either side. He jumped into the back seat and then down the sloping hatchback, which was still a bit hot from the engine. He offered a hand to help Yuri, who ignored it blatently, and jumped down herself. Einari shrugged, again un-caring, and headed back into the main street, locking the car behind him.

As they entered the pub, Einari went to the bar, but the bartender had seen him first, and had Einari's favorite drink, now called "Richard's Wince" after the customer who bought it most often, Einari. He thanked the man, putting 6.50 on the bar and taking the mixture of whiskey, Coke, vodka, and a tad bit of grape juice. The bartender raised his eyebrow, his eyes focused over Einari's shoulder. Einari took a sip of his drink, and took a wild guess at who he was looking at. The bartender spoke first.

"Who's the lady friend, lad?"

Einari didnt take his eyes off the tv on the opposite wall, which was showing clips from the night's friendly match. He took another sip of his special.

"Her name's Kristin. She's new in town, and she wanted to see the town. So I brought her here, Ted. 'Cause at your place, you can meet the town."

Ted chuckled and shrugged non-commitedly. Ted's bar was indeed quite full for such a late time of night. People were playing pool, poker, other card games. Others were just drinking and watching the others or the tv like Einari. The bartender looked at Yuri.

"So what'll Miss Kristin be havin', then?"

Einari nearly laughed when he thought of Yuri's reaction to being called a "Miss".

Orion rubbed at his temples tiredly as they sped through the darkened streets, a million thoughts spiralling through his brain. The foremost of these thoughts was how he was going to explain this to Yuri. It was now, in the warmth of the car, that he finally noticed the sticky liquid upon his left cheek. Blood! More of it covered the mat on the car floor, perfect crimson boot prints.

Sure, he could always have a shower and wash the blood and...he frowned, certain other female liquids from his self, but he had a feeling that even if Yuri didn't smell it on him, she would sense what he had done. He, who had preached to her about her attitude and about how she had to curb her dark emotions...he who had just raped and assisted in the death of a woman and her husband.

It wasn't your fault,the human presence within him insisted. Your brother...

No, shut up! We don't know that it was his doing.

Oh please. Why do you deny what is before your very eyes? You know you wouldn't have done that without whatever hold he had over you back there.

From the drivers seat Zen smirked, hearing every word of the conversation going on in his younger brother's mind. Just one of his unique abilities that Orion didn't know about. With a mere thought, he sent the presence in Orion's mind scrambling back in retreat, shrouding itself in the safety of the shadows on the edge of the heavy metal Vampire's mind.

Orion frowned at the sudden retreat, but was unable to come up with an explanation, he not sensing Zen's interferrance.

"What are you planning to do with the Ministers face?" Orion asked eventually, glancing at the White Knight.

Zen glanced at Orion out the corner of one eye, while keeping the other fixed on the road. "I'm going to set the wheels in motion, brother, by stealing Jonathan's identity. Then, we will be but a few kills away from being in control of one of the humans very own military forces." Zen grinned broadly. "Once that is complete, it will be up to you to bring us another army."

"Me?" Orion frowned, confused.

"Yes," something flashed in Zen's eyes as his grin widened still. The White Knight, however, refused to elborate further, letting Orion stew on his thoughts for a while. After all, a distracted mind was much easier to keep under control.

(OOC: Bah, Yuri thinks about killing everyone, she’s just toying with the idea, nothing more….anyways, w/o further ado…)

"So what'll Miss Kristin be havin', then?"

Yuri scowled, hazel eyes flickering in vexation. Sitting down onto a barstool, she rested her forearms on the table. “It is better than ma’am but please,” She stuck her nails through the polished wood. “Do not address me as such again,” Scanning the row of liquors to his back, her eyes rested on a glass bottle filled with what looked to be an amber liquid. “A glass of Hennessy, Very Special please. I have learned my lesson pertaining to too many cocktails.”

Despite her attitude, he gave a polite smile, Yuri returning it as he filled her champagne glass. Holding the glass as if it were fragile, she looked around the quaint little bar, amused at how most had one of those strange pool tables. However, what she had not seen at the bar she was most likely banned from were cards or anyone playing them for that matter.

Hopping off the stool, she made her way towards a group of six men holding five cards up to their eyes. Settling herself in at the seventh remaining seat, she busied herself with sipping the Hennessey, waiting until the last round had been played before bringing attention onto herself. The men gave her mixed looks, some of curiosity, others of wonder, the rest a suggestive gaze.

Tilting her head, Yuri placed the glass down, folding her hands onto the circular table. “Would it be too much of me to ask to partake in this game, whatever it may be?”

A tan, curly haired man glanced around the table to his friends. A sly smile crossed his face, brown eyes fixed on Yuri. “Sure, why not? We’ve finished up a poker round. Care for blackjack, the rules are simple enough,” He explained out the game, Yuri anticipatingly nodding her head to play. He dealt her two cards, now asking. “Of course, we are placing bets. How much you willing to lose?”

Placing a ten dollar bill in the center of the table, Yuri gently turned her first card face down, focusing on not wringing the cocky man’s neck. She may be a novice but her first hand looked good so far. Requesting another card, Yuri answered the man’s question. “Not a damn thing…” Revealing her deck to the men, she showed a five, a six, and a ten.

The other men threw down their cards, some brushing it off to beginner’s luck as she swept in her winnings for the evenings. However, as the rounds went on, it seemed her luck was a little too unusual, she managing to win every other round and never betting too much in a losing one. Well near three in the morning, Yuri holding the most cash, a man holding a rich chocolate complexion pushed out all his cash into the pot. The other men followed suit, Yuri reluctantly doing as the rest.

A man in cornrows downed his third Heineken for the night, beaming as he dealt out the cards. “Final round, amigos!” Handing Yuri her two last cards, he winked. “And amigas! Winner takes all, a good twenty five hundred if I’m not mistaken. Back out now if you think you’re going to lose…”

The group held steadfast to their cards, Yuri especially. She knew she just might end up killing someone if she lost the round. She sighed, the game hardly enough to preoccupy her thoughts. So caught up was she that only when one of the men snapped their fingers in front of her face did she pay attention.

“Hit me,” The curly haired guy received a fourth card from the dealer, satisfied with his hand. Noting the frown that had crossed Yuri’s face, he smiled broadly, showing his hand. He held a four, a seven, an ace, and a nine. Snatching hold of the pot, his smile grew. “Twenty one, sweetie. Pity, you were good.”

He started to pull the cash towards him, Yuri placing a hand on his. Holding out a finger, she tsked. “You may have twenty one but…” Placing her hand on display, she revealed an Ace of spades and a king. “I have blackjack…” The men groaned in disbelief, Yuri smiling demonically as she swept in her cash for the evening.

Counting out her winnings methodically in front of the men, she counted a total of twenty nine hundred. Handing a hundred to each player, she ruffled the hairs of the two closest guys, heading back over to the bar. She stroked the cash affectionately, purring beneath her breath. “I am ever so slowly being corrupted but I love it nonetheless! Gods!!”

Giddy, she jumped up and down, slamming a twenty onto the counter. Motioning to Loki, she said. “Give him another of whatever he’s having and as a matter of fact,” She pulled out a fifty. “I want a bottle of Hennessey Very Special. Perfect for the winter nights I will be spending alone…”

The bartender took the liberty of gift wrapping her bottle, even being as kind as to put a gold bow on its top. Pulling Loki from the bar before he had enough time to down his special, she motioned him inside the car, following after. Relaxing in the chair, she stared out the window, the buildings speeding past.

Something has happened…

The thought had been nagging at the back of her senses since her head first hit Loki’s pillow. She wasn’t sure who or what it was even pertaining to but…she closed her eyes, kneading her forehead carefully. It was bothering her dreadfully, the feeling of being cut off from her comrades.

Hazel eyes burning a hole through the glass, she thought. Khimaria…did she? Yes, she would have arrived at the cave safely and Loki’s enchantment is proof enough. Xzaar…he was sleeping…perhaps he has fallen into slum…screw that one, no one sleeps for that long. Airy, she is, after all, a healer. No worries…Xornon? No…he’s almost as good as me. I would feel more pity for his enemies. Orion…Dante? They are probably doing some odd task or another…hmm…

Figuring she was being paranoid over nothing, Yuri turned to Loki, brow raised. He had just stopped at a red light. She drummed her fingernails on her thigh. “Loki…I do not like you and you do not like me. And yet, under some weird quirky twist of fate, we are sitting in the same vehicle with each other and have been doing so for the past half hour, completely civilized,” Eyes back on the icy stretch of snow, she sighed. “Before we head back to your place, do you think you can show me the best this place has to half within an hour?”

She had nothing to lose over such a question, the money having placed her in a good mood. And besides, it was the only diversion she could think of, anything to distract her from her thoughts…

"Yes, well, it is a full moon after all...Supposedly strange things happen on such nights..."

Einari shrugged. He didnt know why she hadnt torn his throat out yet, but didnt dwell on the thought, for the fear of jinxing his good fortune. He considered the best that the city had to offer...Really depended on what you considered "best". The best overall, well, Ted's was pretty good. He doubted he could just waltz into Matteo's again without starting a gun-fight.

Einari turned the thought over in his mind. Best view...The top of that 13 story building on Ashen St. and Walkon Ave...Best drinks, Einari preferred Ted's, but most of the city claimed that "Tiger's Eyes", a dance club/drink bar, was the best place for liquer...Best food was a tie twixt "Joe's Grill" and "Aroma d'Italia"...And then the best place....It popped into his mind. A nice little underground bar. Good everything...Even music, though it wasnt for dancing by any means.

"Hmmmm...I think I might know the place."

He made a sharp turn to the right, heading for up town. Einari sped past an alley, his usual keen senses obviously off, for a few seconds after passing the alley, a police car's sirens sounded through the night, and Einari spotted blue and red flashing lights in his rear-view mirror. Einari shouted a string of curses that would have made a sailor cower in fear, and sped up. Yuri, looking alarmed by the sudden appearence of a police car and Einari's great outburst, asked what the matter was. Einari responded with two words.

"Attemped murder."

Einari swerved through the streets, trying to shake the pursuer. Soon enough, there were three more cars on the bug's tail. They didnt dare ram the car, though, since the engine was in the back, which would cause the car to explode if rear-ended. Einari glanced in his rear-view mirror every so often, although the sirens would have been enough of an indicator. He looked everywhere for an escape, and one popped into his mind for the second time that night.

Einari fish-tailed around another three corners, and then kept a straight course, still swerving every once in a while so that they couldnt box him in. The buildings slowly got lower, and then they turned into warehouses. Einari began to serve around these now, but keeping the general course the same. Then they came into view...The docks. Einari glanced at Yuri before he headed towards them.

"Hope you can swim."

Not waiting for an answer, Einari turned the car onto one of the massive things. They sped to the end of it, buckles un-done, and the top down on the convertible. Einari didnt look at her as they approached the end of the dock, but spoke.

"Jump when I say.......Now."

He said it rather calmly, no extreme panic in his voice, as if he had done this for a living the past century of his life. They jumped from their seats, the bug crashing into the water. Einari landed in the rough river water, shooting down into its dark depths. He opened his eyes with their piercing white, and made his way for the docks supporting legs. He reached them and broke the surface, breathing fresh air again and looking around for a way to get back onto the platform. A few yards away was a ladder, and he made his way to it. Grasping at it and latching his cold limbs around the rusting iron, he looked around for Yuri, and spotted her, swimming somewhat awkwardly for the ladder.He helped her onto the first underwater rung, and she accepted the help this time.

"Right, so they'll probably call in a diving team now..."

Yuri did not looked amused at Einari's sardonic tone. He was being truthful, though, none the less. He motioned for her to follow, though she seemed like she would like very much to get out of the water and risk the police officers.

"Descretion, Yuri. Patience. These are the virtues that will keep us alive."

He gave a mock sage nod, then swam to the next supporting pole. He clung to this one, waiting for Yuri to catch up, then swam to the next, then the next, and so on. Finally they reached the end of the dock, though it was just sheer concrete up to the warehouse complex. Yuri scoffed.

"What now, oh great leader?"

Einari looked around, and then spotted a small ladder type thing, more like giant staples half embedded in the concrete, about ten yards upstream. The surrent wasnt that strong, they could probably make it. Einari motioned over to it, and made his way towards it. He reached it with relative ease, but Yuri had a bit of trouble with her limited swimming skills. He acended the ladder quickly, and peaked over the brim of the sea wall. It was clear. He hopped over the side, Yuri following. Einari saw two seal-like men jumping into the water and heard a faint splash. It seems they had indeed sent divers after him.

Einari looked at the sopping form of Yuri, politly averting his eyes from the shirt that clung to her body. He motioned for her to follow, and made his way into a nearby warehouse.

"That's the best this city has to offer."

Orion closed his eyes and let the hot water cascade over his muscley form, washing the blood from his face, clensing him of the atrocity he had committed just an hour or so before.

Yet, while it washed away the physical evidence on the outside, the water failed to wash away the knowledge of his deed within. Frowning, he knotted his brow. I am a Vampire. Why is this affecting me so? Have I not killed hundreds of times previously?

Do not forget what exists within you, the presence in his mind came forth. What you are feeling is all because of me. Suffer it, live with it, and know that it will never leave you. This is the price you must pay for what you have done this night. Your brother has alot to answer fo-

Leave my brother out of this! Orion snapped. I am a grown man. I made the decision to do what I did tonight.

Listen to yourself. You are in complete denial.

This conversation is over! Orion growled, pushing the presence roughly into the outer reaches of his mind.

His relaxing shower ruined, Orion turned the water off angrily, stepping out of the shower and blinking in surprise at the figure holding out a towel for him.

"I followed you," Dante informed him with a distasteful frown. "How could you do something like that after all you have said to Yuri?"

Orion glared at the man. "Firstly, I don't have to answer to the likes of you. And secondly, since when did you care so much about Yuri?"

"Since you bloody made her promise to change her ways, the way she has been for god knows how many years!" Dante snapped heatedly, unfazed by Orion's cold glare.

"And now you go and perform a deed that is probably far worse than anything she has done since she awoke into the world once again..."

"I doubt it," Orion scoffed in annoyance.

"Well, whatever. My point is you are a f*cking hypocrite."

Orion lashed out at Dante's face, and was shocked as the drummer's hand snapped up to block the blow, the other fist slamming into Orion's face, sending him sprawling into the shower.

Eyes burning with fury, Orion began to rise, only to find the barrel of a Colt pressed against his forehead.

"No, Mister High and f*cking Mighty. This time you will here me out in my entirety. I don't know what the f*ck possessed you to do what you did, and I don't know what you and that big white friend of yours hope to achieve from it. But you can bet your arse, if you do something like that again, I will not be along for the ride."

Orion blinked in astonishment at the outburst, then erupted into laughter. "Oh, that is f*cking rich. This coming from the man who roasted hundreds of his own kind to death."

"I'm not talking about the nature of the deed itself," Dante shook his head, frown deepening. "I'm talking about your treatment of Yuri. I am no fan of hers, but if you do that again, I will have far more respect for her than I will for you."

Orion rose, wrapping the towel around his waste. "Do not forget who you are talking to," he warned dangerously.

"Don't forget what I have at my disposal," Dante fired back. "I won't tell her, I should, but I won't. However, if you give me just cause..."

"Are you threatening me?" Orion asked incredulous. "After all I have done for you?"

"All you have done for me?" Dante offered forth mock laughter. Oh yes, I forgot, all you have done for me. Such as forcing me to kill Vorgal? Such as forcing me to set the club on fire? Such as putting me through the most painful experience of my life?" He ran his tongue over his new fangs, shaking his head. "The only thing you have done is forced me into a life I don't want."

Orion raised his brow. "Believe me, Dante, the alternative would have been much worse. You would not have wanted to be on the wrong side in this war."

"Who says I'm not now?" Dante shot back defiantly.

Orion's anger flared, but with a effort, he restrained himself. "Are you finished?"

"Not quite. I want you out of my house by tomorrow night."

"You're kicking me out?!"

"You've had long enough to search for your own place. It is time you moved on. Maybe you could go stay with your new buddy. You seem to share the same hobbies."

Orion winced, but quickly covered up the expression with a deadpan glare. "If that's the way you feel, you shall have your wish.But you remember one thing..." Orion slapped the gun from Dante's hand, picking him up off the ground by his throat.

"You just remember that I am still your master and you will obey my orders. And should you ever act again, as you have this night, I will not hesitate to kill you." With that, Orion threw Dante into the cold tiles of the bathroom wall, knocking him unconcious, before stalking off to bed and much needed sleep.

((TBC))

Orion was rudely awoken at the first rays of dawn by a sharp pain in his right hand. Flicking one eyes open, his gaze rested upon the form of the tiny golden flying snake, its miniscule fangs sunk into the skin on the back of his hand.

"Hey, you little b*stard!" Orion swatted the creature away, sitting up and glaring at it as he suckled his own blood from the wound.

"Pleassse, do not ssswear at me, Massster." The little snake hovered by his shoulder. "I am to inform you, your brother awaitsss your pleasssure."

With a groan of frustration born from lack of sleep, Orion swung his legs off the edge of the bed, rising gingerly. "Damn this body," he complained in frustration as he dressed in blue denim jeans and a plain white shirt.

"Go back to your little hidey-hole and tell him I will be there presently."

"Brother awaitsss in the car park below," the little flying snake informed him.

Leaning out the window, Orion saw that it was so, his brother waving up to him from his position leaning against the stolen Diablo. Orion frowned at seeing him dressed in a business suit, his long white hair cut short and coloured black, and his face covered by some sort of mask.

Hurridly making his way to the elevator in the hall, he hit the down button, descending to the ground floor and briskly making his way into the parking lot.

"good morning, brother," Zen greeted cheerily from behind his mask.

"What's so good about it?" Orion asked tiredly. "And what's with the get up?"

Zen reached up without preable and peeled the mask from his face, revealing the features, not of Zen, but of Johnathan Kain. Only now did Orion realise the change in Zen's eye colour, from violet to brown.

Orion stood dumbfounded as he stared into the eyes of the Minister for Defence. "I dont understand...?"

Zen smiled, the action with a dead man's face sending a shiver down Orion's spine. "It is simple, dear brother. I said I would take the man's face and I have, quite literally."

Orion frowned in thought. "I suppose Johnathan would have access to information that would be useful to our cause. What is your plan?"

"The Government Archives hold information on certain weapons and military personell that could be useful. As Johnathan, it should be easy to access the neccessary files." Zen held up a small esky with a smile. "In all the excitement last night, I forgot to grab these."

"These what?"

"Eyeballs," Zen clarified. "Well, actually, I didn't grab whats in the esky, because mine are in the esky. Johnathan's are the eyes you're looking into now."

Orion felt his stomach churn. "You mean...?"

Zen nodded with a chuckle. "Just a little trick I picked up over the years. These little beauties will come in handy for any retinal scanners."

"Palm scanners?" Orion queried.

Zen smirked, jiggling the esky. "I cut them off too. Thought they might come in handy." Zen paused to chuckle. "Handy...f*ck I crack me up."

Orion hopped into the passengers seat of the Diablo with a shake of his head at the lame joke. "So, what part do I play in your little scheme?"

"When I have the information I need, we will cover your role. All in good time, brother, all in good time. Patience is, as they say, a virtue." With a devilish grin, Zen fired up his stolen beast and rocketed out of the car park. Destination- Government Archives.

((lol...sorry about the length))

Xornon pased back and forth in the cave all night. Something wasn't right. The entire night, he didn't sleep, just walked, trying to understand why the hell he was so upset.

His insides screamed at him, an instinct that had let him know of on coming danger many time. But why? Nothing had happen. No one was in danger. Trying to get his mind off of the twisted feeling in his gut, Xornon unshealthed his sword and twirled it in a lightning fast combonation of parries and thrusts. He was just being wierd, everything was fine.... he hoped.

((i felt left out, so i posted sh!t. I figure sh!t is better then nothing, right?? 😮 ))