A Long Walk {OPEN}

[Lothaire]

A fire crackled uselessly in the marble fireplace in Lothaire's quarters in Midnight. He had no need for the fire, but at times he just like to watch the flames devour things. He sighed as he glanced around the living room area. His pet fox Lily lay curled by the fire, and his fugitive friend Dimitri sat reading some Russian newspaper in an arm chair. Lothaire wanted something more. He was actually bored with being in Midnight among the screams of slaves being broken. He stood from his chair and looked to Dimitri and Lily and announced that he was departing, to go for a walk and clear his head.

Lothaire walked the long corridors of Midnight, but walking in a square can only offer on limited time to think. So Lothaire crossed the broad lobby and headed out into the night. He got out of range of the protection of Midnight and teleported into the city. He appeared in a back alley and headed out on the streets. It was late, but not to late for people to be out. Lothaire walked, thinking and scheming about things he wished to accomplish. The night was young. and at 236 HE was young. Much lay before him, but he needed to sort things out.

It was still early enough for crowds of people to be walking the streets, and Lothaire simply blended in with them and moved with the flow. The silly mortals had no idea that a god walked among them, or that he could bring death to them in seconds. He listened to the swirl of mortal thoughts around him. Yes this walk would be refreshing, as long as he wasn't recognized by another of his kind or a hunter. Lothaire had heard through an associate that the family of a girl he sold from one of his brothels may have taken out a contract on him. But the night was full of open possibility...he just had to find a path.

[Desiré Alys]

Desiré definitely wasn't a hunter, and actually didn't know that vampires even existed.  He was a shifter, that much was true, but he was still new enough that, while he realized that some people smelled WAY weird, he didn't know enough to be able to figure it out, yet.  Why would he ever think that vampires existed?  He might start thinking that other shifters existed, but vampires?  Yeah, whatever.

He'd stayed at the library for as long as he could, working on a project with a classmate, and then they'd gotten some food (because reading was hard work), but now it was home for Dez.  He has his parents' car (now the old one, since he'd wrecked the last 'old one'), and the only parking he'd been able to manage had been back by the school.  It hadn't been worth driving to get food, not when the hunt for a parking space was so often fruitless.  Everyone was amazed that he was even willing to drive after that wreck, but he was actually pretty okay with it.  He'd been made a shifter, after all, and he'd learned through some accidental trial and error (besides the major healing he did while he was sick with the shifter infection) that he could heal pretty damn fast.  It made him less paranoid about driving, though he still worried sometimes. 

Another cool thing about being a shifter were the senses.  Besides being able to tell that some people smelled funny (and that some just smelled bad), he could see and hear better.  In a mass of people, that wasn't all that important, but when going into a dark parking lot, it was nice and useful.  Since that was where he'd be going shortly, he was glad for it.  The city wasn't amazingly safe, even if he hadn't really had any problems, and it was good to be on your guard.

He had no idea.

[Lothaire]

Lothaire was wandering aimlessly, just lost in thought. Midnight was grand, but he yearned for something new. His brothels were steadily filling his bank accounts so no worries there. He wanted something amusing, something different for a change, however brief it may be. He stretched his mind, looking for someone in the sea of mortals that might provide that amusement. They were like useless drone ants, just running about wasting their pathetic lives chasing futile dreams. Lothaire chuckled as he brushed across the mortal minds, their lives were so brief...so futile...so pointless.

As he strolled through the crowd something stopped him. He reached a little harder to pinpoint the different mind. A shifter? And it wasn't any breed he had ever encountered before. He probed deeper and came up with...a house cat? That was a new one. How nice that would be to complement Lily. And what a prize it would be to have in Midnight. He probed deeper, this one was naive to the very existence of Lothaire's kind. How very amusing. Lothaire pushed the thoughts of biting and abducting the shifter to the back of his mind, this cat was going to find out how the mice feel when cats toy with them. Lothaire reached out with his mind and poked

I know what you are...

That ought to get his attention. Lothaire walked up the young man. If things got out of hand Lothaire was confident the boy was not threat, he had no connections, and he wasn't a massive shifter like a lion or tiger.

"Its true you know, I know all about your kind."

There, a simple ice breaker.

[Desiré Alys]

Fortunately, there are some benefits to being oblivious, and those include the mind's ability to explain things in a rational manner.  Did Desiré honestly think that he'd just heard that man's voice in his head?  Hell, no!  The thought didn't even occur to him.  With the way his senses had been since he'd been given that injection, it wasn't all that unusual for him to hear something he'd have never been able to hear before.  He was slowly getting used to it.

That explained hearing it, but not what was said.  He stopped dead in his tracks, glancing around for a second before he told himself that it had nothing to do with him and he should keep moving.  That was when he saw the man that was coming up from behind him (before he stopped and started looking), and he had to admit, watching this guy walk up to him really wasn't striking him as a good idea.  Besides the crazy long hair, the guy was just weird looking, and definitely had a weird way about him.  Then, there was the smell once he was close enough for Dez to distinguish him from the rest of the crowd, and that wasn't good.

It was one of those smells that didn't make sense.

"My kind?  Listen, mister, I think you're mistaking me for someone else.  I have to get home," he said firmly, giving the guy a very questioning, non-trusting look and turning to keep following his original path.  He would feel better once he got to his car and got out of there.  This guy was already creeping him out.

[Lothaire]

Lothaire felt the fear rise in the boy, that was good and bad. If he ran away scared, there would be no fun to be had from this little encounter. Lothaire rolled his eyes at the boys words. He knew the shifter would probably smell the lingering odor of fear that clung to most Midnight vampires, or the harsh smells of metal and marble...and blood. But he had to keep the boy from fleeing. He reached down and harnessed his Kendra abilities and projected calming images and feelings into the boy, just as he would a potential slave during the breaking process, but Lothaire wasn't attempting anything sketchy...he just wanted some conversation.

"Stop....you are right to fear me, but I mean you no harm. You seem rather clueless, and in need of some education and you are in luck that I am severely bored this night and I am willing to provide that education for free...."

Lothaire tried to project as non threatening of a vibe as he could, but really as a trainer it was hard to not be fearsome and intimidating. He easily kept pace with the boy as he walked, letting him know that he couldn't just run.

[Desiré Alys]

There was a lot that Desiré could smell on Lothaire with the man following him, right beside him, and none of it was reassuring.  Actually, a lot made him think of the wreck, and that was the big problem here.  He had limited experience with violence and anything similar to Midnight, so the smell of blood and metal made him think of the car, and the constant dripping he'd heard as his blood soaked the car seat and then dripped onto the floor.  He'd asked the doctors about it, and one of them had finally explained what it was.  Now, he almost wished they hadn't, but at least he knew.  Even with human senses, he remembered the smell of the blood and metal, and he had enough instincts to go with that cat form to know fear when he smelled it.  It wasn't the man's fear, though.  It was as though he'd been with someone who was very afraid, and Desiré didn't like that, either.

The feeling of calmness and harmlessness was just plain confusing, especially with what the guy was saying.  Education?  What the hell kind of education could he be talking about?  Why did the guy smell of fear and blood, yet feel comforting?  It didn't make sense, and even if he didn't bolt right then, he didn't think that sticking around for long was a good theory.  Walking into the dark lot with this guy matching his steps wasn't smart, either. 

Stay near people.  Yeah, that was the way to work it.  If there were other people around, less could happen.  This was still New York City, so weird things happened in front of 50 people, but it was less likely.  Safety in numbers.

The cat part of him didn't like that part, either.  It wanted him to slink off into the dark and get away from this guy.  What if the man could keep pace, though?  Desiré was in extremely good shape, and he'd realized that he was faster since being infected with the cat thing, but this guy was weird, talking about 'his kind'.  What was that all about?

"Dude, you have 30 seconds, and if you get any creepier or make any less sense, I'm screaming," he declared, and he meant it.  He wasn't so proud that he wouldn't draw massive amounts of attention to them to save his own ass.

[Lothaire]

Scream? For what, help? If he so wished Lothaire could easily silence the boy before help reached him. But he didn't wish to do any harm, just to toy with him. He increased the calming radiation. He felt the boy's memories of a severe car accident surface as his sense of smell picked up the odor of blood. He tried to help force them down, but they were strong in the boy's mind, and added to his panic at Lothaire's presence.

"I know you are a shifter, and you can sense that I am not a normal mortal. I am a vampire, and you are hopelessly naive to the world that you are now a part of. You are something unique, and I have never encountered one of your breed before. Certain cats are very rare....but house cats? I have never even heard of such. Oh, and don't even think of screaming...it would do you know good, and I have no ill will towards you."

Hopefully the boy would be reassured enough to talk with him. If there were others of this breed Lothaire would certainly find one to add to his "collection" in Midnight. This boy was fascinating....even if he had no idea what the night around him held. Lothaire could feel other vampires moving about the city, some randoms, some Single Earth, even a couple minor Midnight hangers on. How fortunate for this one that he ran across Lothaire in a rare mood.

[Desiré Alys]

Personally, Desiré didn't think he was all that fortunate.  He would have been more fortunate to have never run into Lothaire, or any other vampire, as far as he was concerned.  In fact, vampire?  Was this guy nuts?  "Seriously?  A vampire?  Is that the best you've got?" he asked, obviously not believing it, and actually a little unsettled by the fact the this guy was putting out so much in the way of calming vibes.  He hadn't at first.  What the hell was going on?

He'd said the Dez was a shifter, though.  The doctor had said that, too, and it had occurred to him once or twice that there might be other shifters, but he'd never really seen one.  It had been suggested that the doctor's ladyfriend (or whatever she was) was one, but Dez had no reason to really believe it.  He hadn't seen it.  He didn't know if she was a cat like he was, or what.  He was supposed to see her again sometime, because she'd offered to keep an eye on him and make sure everything went the way it was supposed to.  Whatever that meant. 

This guy knowing this, and even mentioning house cat, was even more unsettling.  He hadn't bolted yet, but that was because his fear hadn't spiked into something that demanded flight.  Why not?  This was way more than he should have needed.  "Listen, I don't know how you know that, but I don't really feel like talking about it in a crowd of people, and I'm not going anywhere with you."  That was for sure, but seriously?  Talk about turning into a cat in a whole crowd of people?  He'd sound more insane than the guy who'd just said he was a vampire.

[Lothaire]

Lothaire smiled as the realizations hit the boy. He also smirked at his desire to avoid talking in a crowd. The best way to remain anonymous was to stay in the crowd. The mindless sheep around them weren't paying attention to anything. The thoughts in the boys mind of a doctor telling him he was a shifter were interesting. How many doctors actually knew about shifters? Was if a guild doctor like that Victor he had heard about his sire foolishly stalking? Or perhaps, perhaps some doctor had figured out the genetics of a shifter and had crafted this breed. That would of the utmost interest to him and probably most of his associates in Midnight. Just thought of custom bred pets was enough to really key Lothaire into this kid.

"I do not wish to take you anywhere, or to harm you as I have already stated. And there are others like both of us roaming the city as we speak. Some of them would harm you, even kill you given the chance. But if you walk with me you will be protected for the time being, and you will have a better understanding of the world around you. Talking as we are in a moving crowd will draw no attention. I must admit  I am intrigued by your breed and I can sense that you were not born as you are....so how is it you came to be a shifter?"

Lothaire knew the burden of this new knowledge would be a great deal to process at once, but this boy seemed intelligent enough for it. He wanted to find out the origins of this breed. It could lead to great things for Lothaire. What a wonderful surprise this night had brought.

[Desiré Alys]

He had no doubt about the whole 'safety in numbers' thing regarding the crowd, but that didn't mean he wanted to just throw his whole, weird, story out there.  People he knew might be around.  He did go to school near here.  He still wasn't so sure about telling this 'vampire', anyway. 

"Kill me?  Who would want to kill me?  I haven't done anything," he insisted, and credit where it's due, he wasn't afraid.  That wasn't a panicked tone, but an angry one.  Nobody should have any reason to want to kill him, and he knew it.  Only a psycho would want to kill someone for no reason.  Being offered 'protection' wasn't nearly as much reassurance as it was supposed to be, but at least he wasn't focused quite as much on the smells that made him think of the accident.  Why not?  He didn't know.  He could still smell it, but it felt like it was in the background now.  It was strange.

This guy could sense that he wasn't born a shifter.  Yeah, because 'sense' made all kinds of sense.  No pun intended.  He still didn't get how this guy knew these things, and 'o hai, I'm a vampire!' really just wasn't enough for his satisfaction.  "I don't want to talk about it.  I was in a really bad wreck, and talking about it just makes me have nightmares all over again," he told the guy, and he wasn't even really sure why he admitted the bit about the nightmares, except that he just didn't want to talk about it.  It was true, he'd had nightmares worse when he was 'open and communicating' about what had happened, but he also wasn't going to give out any information on who'd helped him.  The doctor hadn't wanted that information getting out, and Dez was certain that the woman didn't want to be chased down by some crazy dude who needed a haircut. 

"Like both of us?  What do you mean?"

[Lothaire]

If Lothaire had still been capable of pity, he would have felt it for this boy. Dropped into a world he no clue about. The cruelness of it was fascinating. But since Lothaire had already breached that wall, he felt that he should explain some of the rules. He could probably dance around admitting what exactly he did for fun and profit for the time being. Midnight was only something he discussed with fellow Vampires, or the traders that brought him slaves. The boy's ignorance could lead to an early death, or some other trainer managing a snatch and grab on so rare a prize. That just wouldn't do. Lothaire would either take him eventually or try to find the Doctor who apparently had found a way to synthesize breeds.

"Well, as you have probably read in vulgar fiction...we vampires do subsist on blood. A hungry young vampire with no grasp of things could snatch you off the street and drain you. There seem to be many things that you are unaware of. I understand your reluctance to talk about your experience, trauma has a way of blocking things...making them painful. But there are things you must know. By both of us, I mean there are Vampires roaming the city as we speak as well as shifters. Some of these vampires are harmless, some less so. As a shifter you do enjoy free blood status, which will afford you some protection no matter what you are told.  You are a step above these pathetic mortals that flow past us. You are no where near as powerful or significant as a vampire, but still....you can enjoy your superiority over the humans.  But also, your unique breed sets you apart from the more mundane breeds that walk these streets. I have traveled far and wide in the past two centuries and you are the first of your kind I have encountered."

There, give him a taste of how things work. Build his confidence. That would lower his guard. Perhaps he would talk more, or at least relax his mind. The trauma of the wreck had indeed created blocks in the boy's mind. Lothaire had encountered such things before, sometimes from trauma HE inflicted. All he needed was some time around the boy and he could work past it, and try to peer in and discover the identity of that mystery Doctor.

[Desiré Alys]

It was probably a good thing that Desiré didn't want anyone's pity, since he sure as hell wasn't getting it here, but he was fine without it.  He didn't like having others looking at him and knowing anything about that whole mess, or his state of affairs.  He preferred to present a confident, strong front, and this vampire was messing with that.

An early death or being abducted would mess with it worse, though.

Really, vampires?  For real?  Yes, this guy was talking vampires.  Like, Dracula, except in quantity.  Brilliant.  Had he gone insane?

Actually, he'd thought that the first time he shifted, so was this really any different?  He knew that he could, in fact, shift, so was it really so hard to believe that vampires existed.  Yes.  Still, though.  He'd have said that turning into a cat was impossible a few months ago.  Being told he was 'superior' didn't really sit right, either.  He didn't want to be special, not like that.  He didn't mind being stronger and faster, but he didn't need to be something other than a human.  He wasn't an animal, and he wasn't immortal, so what superiority?  He was mortal and still human.  He was just a human that had a few advantages.  That didn't make him anything other than human, though.  No, it didn't.  No less human than his brother, or his parents, or even his asshole uncle.  The last thing this was going to do was build his confidence, since being told that not only was he not human, but he was the only one like him that this vampire had ever seen, pretty much meant he was a freak.  He'd thought that since it happened, but now he was basically having it all confirmed.  Great.

Well, being a freak who could turn into a cat was better than being a one-legged freak, right?  He thought so, most of the time.

"Freeblood status?  What's that?" he asked, and you had to give him credit for picking up on the important bits.  It was one of the things he didn't understand as soon as he heard it, so of course he asked.

[Lothaire]

Well at least he was a quick learner. The free blood bit was important. After all, it was the only thing standing between this boy and Midnight. Lothaire was know to bend and sometimes break the rules, but this just wasn't one of those situations. Too much knowledge could be gleaned for this one. He had to humor him, toy with him. He was already starting to unravel the memories of the wreck, and it was every bit as horrible as some of the things he had done in his time. No wonder there was a block there, involuntary as it was. He was trying to catch a glimpse or whisper of the doctor, but so far all he was seeing was twisted metal and the steady drip of blood. No wonder the boy had recoiled from him, he knew that the scent of blood clung to him, and probably that of all the iron in Midnight. He also had neglected to change clothes after visiting one of the donor slaves for dinner, so the blood scent would be extra strong. But free blood status...how to explain the subject without exposing himself and Midnight. Blaming slavery on Mayhem would be amusing, but foolish.

"Free blood...yes free blood. It is exactly what it sounds like. You are a free being. There are, how should I put this...vampires that collect shifters and humans. Humans are not protected, and can be bought and sold at will. Shifters are a bit more complicated. They must be sold in by a member of their breed or family. Some vampires of course will disregard the rules, but they are usually dealt with by another part of our community you should be aware of. There are those out there that hunt our kind...they are called appropriately enough Hunters. They have their own little factions and such, but basically they exist to hunt the super natural being or human that offends the wrong person and gets a price on their head. As I told you...giving me a chance to speak will provide you with much education. Our world does have rules to play by."

Yes, and hunters were a very real threat to one such as Lothaire. He had been hunted before, and it was not a pleasant experience. In fact, if it hadn't been incompetent Nazi hunting humans he might not be here today. Though now at least he had Dimitri for back up, and a small army of slaves to act as human shields. Lothaire wondered how true the rumor of the contract on him was as they walked the streets, suddenly very aware of how exposed he was. He again spread his mind above the crowd, the better to ensure his security. He would have to stall for more time to probe the shifter's mind.

[Desiré Alys]

He was thinking that maybe talking to this guy would be useful until he heard about people being bought and sold, and then he was of the opinion that everything he learned just brought on more nasty information that he didn't want to know.  "You're talking slavery.  You're saying that vampires make slaves of people.  That's insanity."

He didn't think the guy was lying, though.  This was too elaborate for a lie, and why bother?  If the guy was really a vampire, then he could probably kick Desiré's ass up and down the street.  He wasn't stupid, and there was also the fact that he was paying attention.  He'd said that you could only be sold in by a member of your breed or family.  His family sure as hell wouldn't ever sell him, and this guy had just said he was the only one of his 'breed' he'd seen.  God, 'breed'.  It sure as hell sounded like an animal. 

Hunters, too.  Wow, life was a blast, wasn't it?  He shouldn't have even gone out that night.  Then, he wouldn't be here, dealing with this mess or cat things, or anything.  No nightmares about trees and twisted, sharp metal or dripping blood, and no waking up and being relieved that he could move his left arm and leg, both of which had been pinned in the wreck.  He'd been lucky about his arm, actually, since it had been broken and cut up badly, but it would have healed up alright on its own.  It was the way that he let his leg rest against the floor, right near the door and that side of the car, that had meant that it was crushed upon impact.  The counselor who tried to insist that he talk all the time kept telling him that the nightmares would go away, but he didn't see that happening if he kept talking about it and thinking about it.  That was why shoving it off in the corner was for the best, but it was such a vital thing.  Every time he thought about his situation, being a shifter, all that, it boiled down to the wreck.  He wouldn't be here if not for that.

"What kind of rules are you talking about?" he asked, looking cautious all over again.  He really didn't trust this guy, or the harmless, comforting feeling he was giving off.  It didn't feel like it fit. 

[Lothaire]

Yes it was a mass of information to digest, and not all of it was pleasant, but thus was life. Lothaire knew that talking about slavery would put him on shaky ground. But he wanted this boy aware, in case one of his less than honest associates found him. Rarity was prized highly by trainers, and this boy was certainly a prize. The more he knew, the longer he would remain alive and free, and the greater the chance Lothaire might discover this doctor.  With the ability to create breeds, he could become a legend in Midnight, more god like than ever. He smirked to himself at the idea. Having that ability might even be impressive to their all powerful mistress. But back to the matters at hand. The rules of the game....they were simple, yet oh so important.

"Well, it is quite simple really. You are a free blood shifter, you can not be bought or sold unless your family first sells as I said. Or if you enter the trade willingly, as some have done. That should protect you from abduction. But just for your sake, if you encounter vampires, be respectful. If you encounter hunters well, you should fight or run if they have a contract on you, if not then just try not hinder their pursuits, some of them are trigger happy. The existence of our world is pretty much free knowledge, but it would probably be best for you if you kept these things to yourself lest you be thought crazy. And yes humans are bought and sold freely, and it is slavery...but really they are little more than cattle. Being apart from them grants you a unique freedom, a chance at a life that means more than their trivial pursuits and pointless lives."

He was rambling slightly, but of course humanity was just cattle for Vampires. Lothaire hoped that one day Vampire kind would put aside their petty squabbles or that those that opposed a glorious reign by Midnight would be destroyed. They were gods, and as they were worshiped as deities in ancient times, so he wished it to be again. Shifters would still fit into the equation in some capacity, probably still as pets and in some cases as beasts of burden. What a glorious day that would be indeed. But he was getting off track. He needed to concentrate on the task at hand.