Take this for what it's worth (Tristan)

[Kali Le Fai Myst]

He had been beautiful. A guilded youth, naive and alluring and everything that Kali looked for in...prey. He was all of these things, and now he was gone. Dead. Drained of his blood, drained of his life. Remorse came to her quickly these days, as with any kill she always felt guilty afterwards. But she needed to survive. And if not her, some other creature of the night would have taken this one anyway. He was far too good-looking to go unnoticed. At least she was usually gentle with the way she hunted. There was no dragging frightened mortals into dark spaces for Kali. No, she always let them come willingly to her. They followed her into the alleyways - they let her get close enough to them for her fangs to meet their skin.

In retrospect it was probably far too deceptive. She didn't exactly tell them she intended to feed from them. As far as they were concerned something entirely different was on offer. So, essentially, Kali was telling lies. Sweet, little lies.

She straightened up out of her kneeling position; the young lad lay frozen on the floor. His expression was surprisingly serene, if not verging on shock. But she didn't spend too much time gazing at him, that only increased how guilty she felt. A frigid breeze sifted through her loose hair, sending a chill down her spine as it carried on its merry way. She wished she could be the invisible wind. Able to flow as it wished, over all things in this fabricated universe untouched and untainted. The wind feared nothing because it felt nothing. If only it were the same way with her...

Turning, she strode out of the alleyway and onto the street. Wiping the blood from her lip, she smiled. The night was still young, and so would she be for all time.

[OOC; Gah, sorry for the shortness. Had trouble starting this off!]

[Tristan - AWAY]

It was his second night in the city. And so far, he had found nothing.

Absoloutly nothing. No one even remotely like himself. He wasn't about to ask around; "Hey, do you know anyone else who craves blood?" so there was little choice but to search by himself. Along the way he'd done several things he was ashamed of. Two young girls were already dead by his...fangs? Is that what they were? He didn't know. It was terrible, this constant state of ignorance...

He had killed men before. So many of them it was hard to give an exact number. But never in search a violent, animalistic way. It was like a whole other being took him over, he could see what he was doing but had little or no control over it. His clothes, a navy-blue shirt and dark jeans, still bore the stains of his rampage. Blood. Dark and crimson, it was. And the taste! Oh, he would never get over the taste.

The night he was turned into...whatever he was (there were names for it but he wasn't never really sure), he had learned only one thing.

"Stay out of the sunlight. Or you will perish,".

These were words he had stubbornly ignored when morning came, more out of his resentment for the one that made him than anything else. Naturally he regretted it. And although he wasn't dead, he could have been. It all came down to how long he let the rays touch him. The skin was burnt yes, but for a few seconds it was nothing he hadn't felt before. Not to mention, much to his utter surprise, it healed very quickly.

This, he had thought with a smirk, would be very handy when it came to all the fights he intended to get into.

Time permitting, there would be several that night. Or so Tristan had thought. Per chance, as he crossed the street he spied something very peculiar indeed. Or rather, he sensed it (yet another new thing he would have to get used to) with his advanced instincts. This person - this young woman - was different. No ordinary person, she stood just in front of an entrance to an alleyway and reeked of blood. His steely heart thudded away in his chest, was she the same as he? Would he get answers from her?

There was no time to waste.

"Hey! Lady!?" He ran across the street to meet her.

[Kali Le Fai Myst]

Something in the sky rumbled. But that was how the city was. Always. Dark. Even in the earliest of evenings. Kali couldn't recall many days where clouds could not been seen amidst the black sky. Even now, gazing up, she saw nothing but those deep and fathomless things. Maybe they would break open. Maybe it would start pouring.

There was a breeze coming in. It smelled of salt, and of course water...and blood? Her senses alighted as she felt death wash over her for a moment. Another creature was having their feed not so far away, it seemed. And though most people might have immediately thought: 'Oh, it must be a tramp or something...' Kali couldn't help but wonder whether it was someone she loved once. In that way of things she was highly paranoid.

And then, something made Kali look around. A voice? Like that of a person calling out to another. How odd. To hear noise it what was otherwise quite a silent area. Her eyes scanned the area in search of the source, and it wasn't long until she realized that it was aimed directly at herself. Generally, she was never approached like this.

Surprising? Yes. That was the world to use. It wasn't everyday that she had someone running at her like this one. She realised that he was a Vampire almost immediately, and for a second wondered whether perhaps it was someone she knew. When his face came into view however she found that was not the case.

Both hands landed on her hips as she looked at him expectantly, still quite aware that the sky was threatening to spill above them...

[Tristan - AWAY]

She was much younger than him in appearance; but had the demeanor of one older than that, he could see it in her stance and the cut of her clothing. Tristan was a seasoned man in the dealings of the worst (and best) people, and this woman was a cookie cutter example of someone in between. Like she wasn't quite sure about what she was. She was a typical female. Like all the others before.

This is why, when she glances at him as he approaches he returns the judgmental stare. As if he sits on a seat much higher, for a few moments mightier than she, and his disapproval with himself stung just that little bit. He had probably been a bit too ready to run over to her. He hadn't even taken the time to consider what he was going to say. She was going to think he was an idiot. Still, at this point he was willing to try anything. Crossing his arms he nodded at her, without really making eye contact, and spoke in that low voice of his:

"So...Uh, what the hell are you?"

He wore his age well, his features were rough, but smooth on the edges with a weathered beauty he could never see. They told him he'd been blindingly handsome in his younger days - that much was apparent even now, though his expression spoiled his looks as he usually frowned. His decline was a shame, an opportunist would note, that long-forgotten smile of his was just a horrible loss.

After a moment he spared some of his pride to actually look at her in the eye, though he found staring at the pavement more interesting than this...Duchess. He spent just a breath looking at her, since females in general made him bitter. Ever since his ex-wife, well...there'd been a certain about of resentment shown to all women. He supposed making his distaste too obvious would be unhelpful though, she certainly wouldn't be willingly to part with any information if he acted like a jackass. It was time to show a little courtesy, but it wasn't his specialty.

[Kali Le Fai Myst]

'So, Uh...what the hell are you?'

The question was peculiar. In fact had Kali not been quite so aloof in nature she might have been more shocked. What kind of thing was that to ask? Surely he knew, he was a Vampire himself, wasn't he? Perhaps he was drunk, or stoned...or both. Those were the kind of things that prompted such absuridity, after all. His gazing at her -somewhat negatively- didn't go unnoticed; so Kali just looked back with anticipation. He had something more to say, right? He definitely couldn't expect her to respond now. Or maybe he did. Hmph, people were so puzzling.

What the Vampiress noticed in her inspection of him, above anything else - were his eyes. Probably because he kept glancing back and forth, not really holding eye contact but looking enough to make it obvious he was addressing her. They were a pale green, with flecks of gray: color slick like liquid and almost transparently unfocused, glazed by loss and liquor. Kali recognised this look, and the feelings that came with it entirely, but she wasn't about to sympathise.

After several moments of silence, Kali realized that he definitely didn't have anything more to say. Sighing inwardly, she looked at him with indifference.

"Surely you know, just the same as you of course," She scoffed a little, pulling a cigarette from her coat pocket, before lighting it. The smoke swirled around her head as she gathered her next word with a shrug, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Vampire,"

[OOC: Bah! I know you said it doesn't matter, but again sorry for the shortness. Don't know what it is for me at the moment, hope this isn't another writers block episode ]

[Tristan - AWAY]

The silence before her response gave way for thinking. He watched her in deliberation, wondering. He had approached her without really thinking, she who was obviously stronger than himself but who held the visage of a porcelain doll, just at the cusp of innocence. Except for her eyes. Those held wisdom, hatred, and a livelihood that was unusual. He shifted his weight, moving somewhat closer to her in a cautious manner. Any of his previous self-righteous bravado had quelled itself in the face of this woman. Though that little sliver of anger rose briefly when Tristan was absolutely positive that she had looked him over like a butcher eying a fine cut of meat. He glared, as it were, until she finally spoke.

As much as he hated the sound of a voice against the velvet silence (save perhaps for the noise of the wind) Tristan couldn't help but be pulled in some small manner to what she was saying. His body froze when he heard her last word.

"Vampire."

"Vampire."

"Vampire."
"Vampire."

[/u]

Then came that insufferable noise. It was a hollow sound, and bothersome in its familiarity. Empty and echoing. Just..kind of...there and nowhere. And it was nowhere that this man found himself, hollowed of his hallowed heart. Or, whatever might have been left of that bygone and rotten organ. His heart had stopped beating ages ago. He took a few steps back, his mind was utterly blown. Sure, he'd had his ideas about what he was. But to be told, to have it certified that he was a Vampire!? Part of him just couldn't believe it. He gritted his teeth, fists clenched.

"Look, Duchess - what kind of sick joke is this!?"[/center]

[Kali Le Fai Myst]

Duchess?

One eyebrow arched quizzically as she wondered whether he thought she was somebody else. Or perhaps he was just one of those with a penchant for handing out nicknames to everyone they met. And if he was, what exactly did he mean by calling her Duchess? She was not particularly amused, nor was she very happy that he didn't believe what she had said. She took a puff of her cigarette to numb her obvious exasperation. It was no more effective than ever (which is to say, entirely ineffective) but the chalky feeling in her lungs was a stale relief of tension. The smoke was blue-gray to match the scenery, fading up around her head.

"I would question whether you were making some kind of joke. Why would I lie? You are a Vampire through and through, the same as I and so many others in this Godforsaken city,"

Her mind idled despite his proximity and she titled head to the right slightly in thought, exhaling a thin feather of smoke, the buzz of the voices of other people around them blurring into the background where they belonged. She would not be frightened. She would not be moved. Clearly there was something wrong with this man, like he was searching for something but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Secondly, I don't know what you mean by Duchess. The name is Kali,"

[Tristan - AWAY]

He leaned forward with closed eyes, floating in the smoke of her cigarette. There was a daydream lingering beyond, but he didn't seek it, instead letting the raw winds of reality chip away at his features.

Tristan coughed slightly, distressing the smoke around them enough to send it scurrying. Her second batch of words carried no more weight than parlor records, set to wail quietly in the background of things with real consequence. Ancient pleasantries escaped the man, always had. His scorn for gallantry only deepened the lines that sometimes appeared on his face.

(Adversely, he also had an incredibly contempt for rudeness - when it wasn't coming from himself.)

He ground his teeth, soaking up his aggravation. A Vampire. He'd been right, more or less. He chalked up a point on some internal scoreboard, running a hand through scruffy, unkempt hair.

Tristan: 0. Life is a bitch: 1
....

His eyes flashed back over to the woman, this other vampire, silently mouthing her name before shaking his head.

"I just don't understand," He muttered to himself now, turning and planting himself on the edge of the pavement, legs stretched out into the road. "Why would he do this to me? I never even knew his name...."

Pale face fell into weathered hands, a woeful sigh escaping his lips. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore.

[Kali Le Fai Myst]

He ignored her introduction, a blatant disregard of a common social interaction. Kali kind of liked it. Pleasantries, small talk...they had never been anything that she particularly favoured. She did however comply to those unuttered rules. Generally it was polite to introduce yourself to someone...and she had, he seemed to see it and mouth the name back to her as if it were registering in her mind, but then hadn't introduced himself back. Maybe he was one of those people that hated sharing telling others their name, although really it was unlikely since he seemed far to open about other things...He had a lot of nerve. It was compelling.

In the following few seconds Kali witnessed what she would call a crumbling of composure, and her eyes dragged down to the pavement as he placed himself there.

"Boy, you're just full of surprises aren't you?"

It was a slow, contemplative mumble; followed by one last drag of the cigarette before she threw it on the ground and stopped it out unceremoniously. Then, with a flick of her hair she plonked herself down next to this man. She was far too empathetic to be able to leave him there, especially with the information he had given her. Kali knew what it was to be a fledgling vampire, but what about being one, but not knowing that you were? It can't have been a nice feeling for him, and certainly she wasn't about to just abandon him on the street in this...state.

Could she even call it a state? She didn't want him to think she was trying to Mother him (although really she had a tendency to do that to people)...

His words were the deciding factor in her decision to stay or go.

'I never even knew his name....'

She stayed.

"Surely you know the one who made you?"

[Tristan - AWAY]

DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO GET CUT DOWN?
h o w _ f a r _ d o _ y o u _ w a n t _ t o _ g o _ o v e r ?

Her kind intent did not go over his head, and with a sigh he muttered aloud, just enough for her to hear: "My name is Strider. Tristan Strider,"

It was said without any flourish, without the usual front of sadistic wit. He had already let her pass through the walls he had so hurriedly built up over the years. It was no good trying to act like he didn't care, like he somehow wasn't effected. The relatively stoic persona had vanished into thin air. Just saying his surname, Strider brought up a frown. He had always resented it, what came with it. It was a continuous reminder that he had let his father down. When Tristan had been a child, he was told being a Strider was like being a well-honed machine....you always had to be ready to give your all and be perfect. Perfect was one without emotions, like all the Strider men had been....

Great people, great men...great leaders. Patrick Strider was a fire-man; he protected people from the flames until it brought him to his own death.

What had Tristan done, EVER?

His brother Jonathan had always been more important anyway. By age eleven Tristan had already been a hell raiser. At this point in time he had done more things than he would have liked to admit to. Though he hands were clean, he always saw the blood. It was hard to see through a world that was tinted red.

And there was this. He was hideous. A monster. And too much of a coward to top himself. There was no escape.

"The one who made me?....No, I didn't know him. I don't even know how it happened,"[/center]

[Kali Le Fai Myst]

Strider?

Kali smiled, really now, what a last name...although he was certainly no Aragorn (She loved books, she referenced to them a lot, even when they were fictional...that series in particular was a favourite) in his current state...

”You know, I would inquire as to whether or not you have friends or family around here...but given the circumstances I suppose it would be sort of harsh..,” She paused, taking a breath to relive sweet silence. ”Don’t get me wrong or anything...I just kind of presumed since you’re out here like this and all...”

Another long sigh, something Kali had grown long-accustomed too, and she imagined it wasn’t a stranger to Tristan either. Tristan. She wouldn’t be calling him Strider that was for sure – even if he had seemed to imply she did so. He could festoon her with a nickname, but she wasn’t the type to use them. At least not out loud.

”Generally the process of making a Vampire is simple...a little draining of blood here and there...then the turning. Of course I’ve never actually made one myself...” She trailed off, it was probably fairly obvious that she hadn’t; Kali had never really been the type. One day maybe. But not anytime soon.

It was cold out, she couldn’t sense the disheartening atmosphere changing, but couldn’t bring herself to just leave the man here.

”Look, I know you’ve got trouble....why don’t we find a bar, hunker down and you can tell me all about it?”

[Tristan - AWAY]

Tristan scoffed. “Well, obviously...if I had a family I wouldn’t be sat here now, would I?”

But he had had a family. Once.

Not his parents or his brother...he didn’t think much of any of them, and the feeling was reciprocated.

No, he was thinking of Celia. Beautiful, golden-haired Celia who had turned his world upside down. They had first met when he was twenty, and were married in his twenty first year. Her Father hadn’t like it, but neither of them had cared. Tristan had loved her so much that he was blind to anything else. She had been there when the accident had happened...she had put up with his illicit dealings and the guns he kept under their mattress.

He now realized that her first three miscarriages were probably his fault.

Elijah was the name of their miracle baby. Tristan thought it was sissy-sounding, but he loved the boy anyway. It was something to devote himself to, something to draw him away from the drink and drugs and all the violence. In Elijah there was nothing but innocence, he would stare at his father with those big blue eyes and laugh....they all laughed.

He died anyway.

And now here Tristan was. Divorced, embittered and alone. Why not join this woman, this Kali? She seemed to have answers where he didn’t.

“Alright, then,” He stood without another word, and waiting for her to lead him off into the night. What else did he have to do after all?

[Kali Le Fai Myst]

Kali hadn't expected so swift an acceptance.

She had expected a no, accompanied by some clever remark as he so seemed to enjoy handing out. But his brashness seemed to die down during his moment of thought - yes, she had noticed and had left him to it. She knew what having a mind that was always on the go was like after all - and then he stood up and agreed.

Blinking, Kali rose to her own feet. "It's just around the corner here.."

In moments she was walking, it took about five minutes - but she knew every bar in this city like the back of her hand. As pathetic as that was admit...but hey, there was a time when she had been completely alone. All those years ago, as a fledgling...

She understood where he was coming from. Just as others had understood her. Although she wasn't the most powerful vampire in the city, Kali knew she could be of some help. And he intruiged her. Tortured souls were always more interesting than the undamaged ones. And most people in RavenBlack had experienced their fair share of adverity. It was probably why some sections of the place were so run down....

Including the bar she had suggested...

Ah well, beggers could never be choosers.

Pushing open the door, Kali strolled inside. There was a small table in the corner and she went straight to it. It was her usual place, and she nodded at the barkeep for her usual drink of choice.

"Same as always,"

It was a stingy, place yes. The wooden floorboars creaked, the lighting was dim and tobacco smoke filled the air. Tonight there were only a handful of people perched at the bar. All men. All drunk. All miserable.

Why then, did Kali find so much solace in such a disheartening place? It was odd...

[Tristan - AWAY]

He shouldn’t have started thinking about it. He should have left it alone in the corner of his mind. Now he couldn’t stop picturing their faces, remembering everything as if it had only just happened. He recalled every moment, not a heartbeat had he forgotten. The grief was renewed, and his face went sour.

Celia, Celia, oh my darling Celia

He knew he was walking, following behind his newfound redeemer, but it wasn’t really registering in his mind. Tristan was thinking about Celia as if she were standing right in front of him, he could almost see her in the distance, a glowing symbol of hope amidst the blood-stained city. She looked so elegant just standing there, so classy...long golden hair piled elaborately atop her head in a cascade of curls, framing her slender, unmarked face. Her eyes watched him, two glittering emeralds....

Tristan shook his head. There was nobody there. Of course there wasn’t. He wasn’t going to let sorrow take him over. But hot damn, he was a train wreck.

He watched Kali as she pushed open the bar door, and followed in behind her. He wasn’t used to women like her. She was nothing like the girls he knew. She was an island unto herself; a woman so shrouded in mystery that it felt to him there was a veil in front of her. He wanted to rip it away and reveal her for what she truly was. Were all Vampires this otherworldly? He certainly didn’t think he was.

One hand sliding into his jeans pocket made him remember that he had no money. He’d spent the last of it on a packet of cigarettes, but had lost them somewhere along the way...

He didn’t have anything other than the clothes on his back and the fluff in his pocket.

Well, damn.

He settled at the table, looking at her pointedly.

She ordered her usual, it seemed. It probably wasn't going to be to his tastes, but he hoped she’d go halves. Even if he didn’t have anything to exchange.

[Kali Le Fai Myst]

Kali let the silence set in, watching Tristan with heavily-lidded eyes as she drummed her pretty nails upon the table. Bottles clanged together in the background as the barkeep rummaged for her usual purchase, and when she coughed impatiently he brought it over to the table with two glasses quicker than you could say anything at all.

"Bourbon. From Kentucky," She nodded at the bottle before snatching up in her grasp and pouring. As she set it back onto the wooden surface her other hand pulled the cigerettes and lighter from her p0cket, thrusting them upon the table. "Help yourself,"

She'd presumed he had little or no money to his name; and charity came often to her in such days so it wasn't a bother to offer things. For Kali, intoxication - by the bottle, the powder, or at a gambling table - allowed her to tolerate the gap between the symbolic value of her activities and the reality of standing in the street waiting for a mortal to pounce upon. Her only preference when it came to booze was that it hadn't been previously swallowed.

Without keeping to close an eye on her companion, Kali lit up a cigerette herself and puffed gently upon it alongside mouthfuls of her drink. "Why do I feel lucky we didn't meet across a poker table?" She spoke quickly, and with conviction, not stopping for his reply as she continued with a grin...

"So, Tristan, what brings you to our 'fair' and 'prosperous' city?"