The rain had started again by the time Rose had made her way to the convention center. It wasn't really rain in Rose's mind. It was more like a constant mist. She entered the building and rode the elevator down to the basement underneath the ACT Theater and unlocked one of the doors. It was well hidden from prying eyes because of all the props that were littering the floor and the space in front of it. She went inside and kicked her boots off and sat down on her bed. Her feet hurt so she massaged them a bit before standing back up to undress.

She wondered if she was the only one who still went through the whole "getting ready for bed" ritual. She was aware that some slept in coffins or any dark corner they could find but Rose liked to sleep in a bed and change her clothes and still go through the motions of being human, even though that part of her ceased to exist several years before.

She lay down on her back and tossed an arm over her forehead and stared at the ceiling. In her mind she thought she could hear Kornval saying "Not you Rose" but she wasn't sure. She'd worry about it tomorrow. She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep; her dreams full of images of werewolves, humans and blood.

Breathing exercises. That was what he needed right now. Some kind of therapy. Maybe his wife being away was finally getting to him. He did love her so much and her being away again was horrible to him.

And you breath in and you begin to enter your soul. Finding the entrance and knocking slightly. Your breath out and you enter your heart the doorway leading inside. Inside is your worry, your entire darkness and everything that drives it. Your pain. Now imagine your pain as a white ball of healing light. And hold it. Release. Feel the healing wash over you. Feel it cure every hurt you have every known. And you breath in and you are washed away. And your breath out, and you exist.

He felt better. Okay lets decipher today. Vampires. One asked him to join. He had a wife in Japan right now who would return next week. Yeah. He was going to give up his life so early. He guessed he would have to ask when he woke up. This was a step to his wish. Immortality. Though he better look further. Maybe he could force some items. He sook to be greater than his master soon. And to escape whatever stupid clan wars they had and getting back to normal human existence.

((fast forward to next day?))

((yeah XB))

Rose tossed and turned all day as she slept. She finally awoke and looked at the clock on the nightstand. Disgusted, she turned the clock away from her and rolled over, trying desperately to go back to sleep. Hunger soon overrode the desire to sleep. She pulled herself from the blanket she had wound herself up in and stood and stretched. She decided that today she would wear her black turtleneck with her black stretch pants with a long black skirt over the top of them. Once she showered and dressed she put on a red scarf and her black Doc Martins and strode out in to the dusk, looking for a meal.

Last night. It was the times that he had called his girl. And she had believed him,

"You don't lie about things like this. I mean you are the skeptic, not me. I know you wouldn't lie about this. I'm going to stay here a bit longer, till you know the whole situation. Families, past items, enemies. We will work this out together. These beasts are archaic. They want to believe age is beautiful. But we both know beauty is the future. Play the past, show them the future."

He was dressed now. Dressed like he was a mafioso, and tonight he was going to get made. She and her had always believed the universe could shift to them if they just understood the right words to say. So what were they planning? A vie for power. But first like every well made plan they needed a base. Some ground to stand on. Then if he could muster the talent he would grab these forces by storm.

"Oh Danny boy, the pipes the pipes are calling."

She could hear the floorboards creaking above her. The humans; pattering around in their daily lives, unaware of the threat that slumbered beneath their very feet, everyday. Grimacing, she disentangled herself from the pile of blankets she liked to curl up in. There was a dull ache in her shoulder, where that human had gotten lucky with his throw, and the vague stirrings of hunger were being felt.

Stretching out, she heard joints crack from disuse. When she felt a semblance of warmth, she scrounged through her pile of clothes. Putting on her undergarments, she reflected on what to wear. It was an entirely human way of thinking, of deciding what clothes to put on and how to look good, but she enjoyed the trivial nature of it. She finally decided on red tights, black short-shorts, her favourite black runners, and a red tank-top. After a pause, she shrugged on a black sweater, and zipped it half-way up. Never knew what might come in handy, especially with hidden pockets. A swiss army knife went into one pocket. While she trusted her fangs more than anything else, the switchblade could come in handy for the human Korval wanted to turn. She could stick him, and watch him bleed to death. A waste, yes, but a pleasurable one.

Slipping outside, she smelled a human nearby. After a few minutes of searching, she found a prostitute about to inject herself with a drug. Chesney whistled, and the dishevelled woman looked up in confusion.

"Here, let me help you," she said sweetly, and bent down. The woman's blood had a strange after-taste, but it was satisfying. Feeling refreshed, she clambered up onto a roof, and sat down for a short while. Where would I be if I was Korval?

She would refuse his offer; Chesney had no use for his ninja or whatever skills. She was content as was. It did not quite register that on this night, there would be a new hunter. One with supernatural abilities of their own.

Kornval was up before the sun set he could feel the moon giving him a little extra strength. His eyes seem to glow white under the moon. He could sense the threat now. What ever it was it was now in the city. He hates not knowing what or who it is. "First comes my new sires then I will hunt you like you have hunted my sires before." Kornval jumped from his perch on the tree next to his den transformed into a bat and flew to the tallest tower in the town and transformed back. He waited for one of three scents to reach him and to see where his feeling was leading him to his enemy.

Left right left. Stomping up the streets like a dream he swiftly weaved through product, judging people on their outward appearances, facial expressions, bodily movements. They all betrayed just a little bit every time they moved in front of him. Every time just letting a little bit leak out.

He let nothing show that was real. He knew all the signs, he even had his blood on control with some soft mantra and meditation in his head, it helped him weave the crowed a bit better. He was an illusion, playing on their eyes like a ghost. Just another man in the city.

He was on his way to the target of his domain. A new little place for him to visit as he kept himself down to just a few places often. Though of course it was just something for him to enjoy for now. He had to watch the backdrop, feel the risks.

He was on to something. The other day he had looked into a few vampire myths, and picked the least flagrant. Garlic spray, a formation of pepper spray well made around here. Silver bullets and a revolver. Odd request, but filled due to the money he had. A multitude of steaks, and a crossbow to shoot them in. He was packing heat this time. Not for his current comrades though, of course he would never hurt them, not yet, but the man had spoken of an enemy. And he was not going to be hit by another foolish vampire who knew he was on the other side.

He was just about there now,

"Tired of lying in the sunshine. Staying home to watch the rain. You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today. And then one day you find ten years have got behind you. No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun."

He looked up hoping his soon to be 'master' might here the lyrics play quite well. He thought 'Time' an appropriate song for the day he lived in,

"Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time. Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines. Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way. The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say..."

Rose marched in time with the humans as far as 7th St and across Union. She quickly moved up the steps and in to the park. She headed toward the small concrete building in the center and entered the men's bathroom. At first glance she didn't see anyone but upon further inspection she heard a relief filled groan coming out of the last stall on the left.

She casually walked up to the stall and pushed it open; an unsuspecting male sitting on the toilet, leaned back with his eyes closed and fully clothed. She smirked at this unsuspecting human who was completely unaware of the danger before him. She climbed in to his lap and touched his face to make sure he was breathing. His eyes fluttered and opened and he smiled at her. "Well, hello angel," the man said with slightly slurred speech. "What are you going to do for me sitting there all pretty?" Rose smiled and leaned forward, allowing her fingers to snake their way through his dark hair. She lowered her mouth to the nape of his neck and bit down. The man jumped slightly but gave no other fight. The blood tasted a little odd but Rose drank anyway until the man was completely lifeless. She pulled herself away and noticed the needle sticking out of his arm. Shit she thought. Drugged blood always affected her. She grabbed some toilet paper off the roll and wiped her face, stumbling back and hurriedly exiting. She tried to reach out with her mind but it was fuzzy and she couldn't focus. She sat down near a tree and waited for the feeling to pass.

She did not feel the familiar pull of someone she had met in some direction. Pursing her lips, she considered what to do. Seattle was a large city, but her instincts were telling her to pick a direction and follow it.

Without a better option, she set off at an easy lope through the streets, keeping to shadows and avoiding passing people and cars. She felt malcontent that no one was near enough for her to sense. While unable to communicate telepathically, and lacking the same strength that others of her kind possessed, she did have the uncanny ability to find people, even if she could not see, hear, taste, or smell them. It was her special gift, her secret she never mentioned to anyone.

It made it that much more relieving when she sensed Kornval. He was high up, very high up and the feeling she registered as his was very faint. Pausing, she craned her neck upwards. The tower did not make for good climbing, and so she decided it was better to wait on the ground. Glancing around her, she didn't see anything particularly comfortable to sit on. With the slightest of shrugs, she sat down on the curb, watching the cars drive by with their mechanical sounds and startlingly bright lights.

The briefest moment of longing for the countryside flashed through her mind, before it was squashed. There was no longer a place for her there.

Kornval received two scents at once. One being that of the young girl he had offered to give more strength to by making her his sire, but the other one he didn't recognize but it did seem familiar and this worried him. No scent from that far back should still be in the air.

He leaped down to the girl landing near enough for her to hear him. He quickly ran to her and said "some one who knows me is here someone that should be dead we must leave now or we will die."

The urgency on his face showed and his eyes showed only white and a pin prick of black in the middle. The moon was changing his appearance to where he looked older, much older. His hair was still dark at its roots, but as it reached the tips it was glowing white.

The quiet thump gave it away.

"Some one who knows me is here, someone that should be dead. We must leave now, or we will die."

There wasn't exactly anything to reply to such a statement. She got up, brushed off the seat of her shorts, and nodded. She had always had a paranoid fear of others trying to kill her, and she had a safety route planned and tested for such an occasion.

"Follow me."

She wasn't sure Kornval would follow, or even if he trusted her, but she turned and ran. She mentally thanked herself for wearing runners, as her feet silently pounded the ground with each step. She ran through zig-zagging streets, around in circles and up buildings and down others, to throw off a potential pursuer. They finally ended up on the shore, and as her runners sunk into the sand, she paused and turned around, to see if the elder was still there.

Kornval was right behind her. As she turned around he slowed to grab her arm but was shot through the heart and landed with a hard thud on the ground.

He cursed so loud that everyone on the street turned around and look at him and stare. He yanked the arrow out of his chest and threw it on the ground. He pulled out his katana. "You try to kill me with a shot through the back. I am the ninja you should have more honor than that."

Seeing nothing he leaped to the rooftops hoping that she would follow. But slipped and fell to his knee. The shot had actually weakened him. Not even holy water or blessed bullets hurt this bad. He looked over the edge of the roof and saw the arrow turning into a black snake. "Oh sh....." and he passed out.

(Oh yeah i haven't figured out what i want the hunters weakness to be yet i'm open for ideas."

She didn't know what to do when the male was shot through the heart and landed at her feet with an arrow protruding from his chest. It struck her as a very antiquated weapon to use, and it made her more uneasy for it. When he got back up, and sprang away to a rooftop, she followed after a moment's hesitation of looking around for the assailant.

On the rooftop, he was lying on the ground, seemingly sleeping. Her eyes went wide, and she nudged him cautiously with her foot. He didn't spring back to life, and his wound was still bleeding. Not knowing what to do, she did the only thing she could think of. She sunk her fangs into her wrist, and let the dribbling blood fall into Kornval's mouth. When there was no immediate reaction, she licked the self-inflicted wound to close it off.

On the verge of panic, she took off all the excess bulk of Kornval's accessories, leaving them on the rooftop, before hoisting him over her shoulders in a fireman's carry. Grunting from the effort of carrying added weight, she started carrying the male away, when she heard the lightest of thumps. Afraid to turn around, she simply jumped off the roof, to land awkwardly on the ground. Getting to her feet slowly, she started running as best she could with the male slowing her down, waiting every moment to feel an arrow between her shoulders...

(Ooc~ Who is this hunter, and what does he look like?)

(Kornval has seen him only once)
Kornval stirred "I think I can walk we got to get to the catholic church. They owe me, and only they can help anyway. That bastard he became Lucifer's right hand just for revenge. My master took his sister and turned her. The puppet killed her then my master and has hunted the last of Hengi's line. I am the last of my family. He has killed all whom i try to sire before the full moon ends it's cycle. Now he wants me. I would recognize him when i see him but he sacrificed his original body to deal with Lucifer. His aura will be like a fire cracker going off when you look in his eyes. That is tho only way to identify him."
He saw the church ahead. "If you have decided to become my new sire drink my blood before we get to the church or they will try and kill you. They will trust you if you have my blood in you and they can tell."

He saw them zip by. Well...that was interest... and something almost killed him right about then. He said almost cause someone just died in front of him from bad luck,

"Oh what the hell."

He ran behind him after them. This certainly wasn't going to end well for him. He fired off behind him for the sake of slow movement. Then ran as fast as he could wherever the hell they were going.

Rose finally snapped out of her stupor and snapped forward. She could sense that something was going on but couldn't pinpoint what. She felt pain and excitement and panic. Her newly discovered "friends" were in trouble. She berated herself for screwing up so badly and sped off in search of where they must have gone. She sensed something about a church and went off in the direction of the screaming thoughts she felt.

(OOC, sorry guys, now that the forum is almost back to normal I can post again. Wheee!)

She let him down without a word, and continued running, now happily unburdened of the male's dead weight. She listened calmly to his explanation, accepting his talk of the devil with stoic cynicism. If the hunter was what Kornval said he was, then it would be a long, stressing night.

The church loomed ahead of them, and she let out a silent breath of relief. If there would be allies there, than she would tolerate the presence of many humans without complaint. It was then he mentioned the little detail of being killed if you were a vampire other than Kornval or his sires. Cursing silently, she went over the possibilities in front of her. Be killed, or be sired again. Neither were particularly appetizing options. The later, however, was the far more pleasant option.

"Fine," she said,"if it is the only way." They were on the steps of the church, when Chesney reached out and roughly held his shoulders. Not bothering to be polite, she sunk her teeth into his neck, a rather unconventional and intrusive way of going about it. Kornval's blood had a peculiar taste, though she tried not to think about what she was doing. After a few drops of his blood, she let go of him, pausing to wipe the blood off his neck. "I suppose you already have my blood," she commented,"so we are now...connected."

There was the strangest feeling of bond between them, and her ability to sense familiar people had heightened to the point where she could have drawn Kornval with her eyes closed. Shaking her head slightly to dislodge the strange feeling, she gestured at the church door. "After you."

"For the next few hours your new powers will awaken." He saw her teeth, "Good your fangs have already shrunk to normal." He turned to the others that were following. His eyes still white as the moon and holding his chest. "Good instincts getting weapons. You'll be all right. Rose you must drink some of my blood if you don't feel like fighting a trained guard." He pulled out the cross necklace and knocked on the door.

He nodded in recogniton and quickly reloaded the empty sides of his revolver. Geh maybe firing off into nothingness like that wasn't such a great idea, these things were damn expensive. He stared behind nervously. He really didn't like looking behind without moving and prayed heavily that whoever was inside would open the damn door. He had to stare behind him and listen in front.

Just keep those eyes open.

Rose arrived at the church and went in. It was unusually quiet; the only flicker of light coming from the candles lit for loved ones and forgiveness. She eyed the large statue of the Virgin Mary and chuckled. She thought back to when she was a little girl sitting in church always staring at Mary as if she half expected her to come to life at any minute.

She brushed those long dead thoughts aside and shivered. She felt both Kornval and Chesney and to her surprise the human as well. She reached out to Chesney, "I am here... what use can I be to you and Kornval?

The church was cold. Chesney crossed her arms over her chest, and hunched her shoulders up, looking around. It was less from the physical chill, which she might have ignored, but the atmosphere within the church. When she had been human, it had been frightening to go to church with her parents, and listen to the preacher speak of damnation and sins. It had seemed to her that everything was a sin, that everyone would burn in hell. All the statues and paintings had seemed so grim, so depressed, that the little girl who was once Chesney had felt sorry for the poor things which could only watch them all grow, lose innocence, and then burn for all eternity.

Once she had been turned, she had never gone to church again. This was a particularly unpleasant experience, to say the least. It was then that she felt Rose inside the church, and that annoying human who had tried to killer. Tensing up, she kept a constant vigilance all around.

I am here... what use can I be to you and Kornval? came the thought from Rose. Chesney did not have an answer for the other female, as she did not know what use she herself was to Kornval. She delicately tried reaching out with her mind, and to her great surprise, she felt Rose's mind.

I don't know myself what use I am to him. He says that those of us who enter this church must have his blood, or be attacked by highly trained guards. Her thoughts scrambled for a moment, as a certain unhappiness invaded. She had not wanted another sire, and now feelings that were not her own had attached themselves to him, of kinship and kindness, which she wanted none of. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself, and again reached with her mind to Rose. I chose the easy way. I don't know what you wish to do. I am...frightened.

In the church they were safe. And right here he felt his connection above begin to replace itself. As a child he had went to church regularly, kind Sunday mornings when his Mexican priest would talk and joke and everyone would be happy. Watching those statues they seemed to be looking down upon him. Blessing him with their eyes, and somewhere nearby God himself looked into his soul. As a child the all forgiving form of God would breath, complete, and understand no matter how horrible you got. As long as you believed.

He reached his arms out and spun a moment letting the graces flood into him. Yes, losing the light may be his greatest regret when he finally became this man's sire. The connection with God, would he lose it then?

So much philosophy, so little time.

Kornval approached the priest, "Father I require your assistance." showing him the hole in his chest and the cross in his hand.

The priest was looking wide eyed at him and the rest of the odd group. "Your kind should not be in .... That is the mark of the knights templar." Noticing the cross. "How did you get that!?"

"I saved the Pope from a band of Vampires that had formed an alliance with Warewolves. Both were tired of being hunted by the Vatican and decided to but an end to it. Since that I have been granted help from the church and done tasks for the church when need be. This wound was made by an arrow that turned into a snake."

Kornval started to waver and he went town an a knee to keep from passing out again. "I don't have to tell you what that means do I."

The priest turned as white as if he had seen Death coming for him. "No I can recognize the dark ones right hand. Will you vouch for these that you are with?"

Kornval answered, "Yes and there is still one outside who is a friend as well. Her name is Rose. Chesney, will you reach her and tell her it is safe. I'm too weak right now."

"Ok then all of you into this back room." The priest opened a door for them to enter.