It was always difficult for him, waking up before sunset… but Azriel managed it most evenings, when he would lie awake in the darkness below the city and wait for night to fall. Such precautions were, perhaps, overzealous; he was perfectly hidden in this abandoned stretch of subway, and even if he was attacked… well, he’d almost certainly be outnumbered. He fought his nature anyway, and struggled out of foggy sleep before his body was ready, because at least it made him feel a little safer in a world that was becoming increasingly dangerous for his kind.

Shaking the dust out of the golden ringlets of his hair, he stirred and rose from the rusty tracks he’d slept between.

It was almost degrading, sleeping there on a stolen sleeping bag to keep the dirt off of his clothes. If he were to be seen on the streets like this, dressed so nicely in his pinstriped Armani suit, sleeping on a scrap of cheap fabric that rustled like fallen leaves every time he so much as stirred… why, people would think him a tramp in businessman’s clothing. They’d accuse him of thievery!

Of course, he more than made up for his present circumstances by carrying himself with all the rigid grace of the nobleman that he was—or at least had been, a long time ago. When he emerged from the tunnel, slinking up on to the platform and evading notice entirely, he walked with his back straight and his chin lifted, the better to look down his elegant, pointed nose at people.

In present circumstances, hunting alone was inadvisable at best… but Azriel had never been one for company when it came to other vampires. The majority of them were utterly insufferable; he’d only ever agreed with them on one matter, and that was that this new breed of vampire needed to be dealt with quickly.

Music played on, the sound of classical music flowed through the room as the sun began to fall. With the curtains down Alexander looking at his palms as they slowly began to return to color. His eyes red with lust for blood, he found today to be a perfect time to hunt. Alexander wore a pair of black pants and a plan black tank shirt as he sat in one of the lounge chairs. He scraped a layer of the chair with his nails and he waited for the last bit of daylight to sink down.

Who wants to be starving when there is so much food just laying around He thought to himself. He looked at the others in the room with him with discomfort. He hated the groups they were forced to be in while the war was still pursuing, and with the sun up and full it only made things worse.

The creatures in the room matched perfect in every way but one he had learned through the decades. Their personalities were that of a wet towel. First full of so much but over time their likes, dislikes, who they were just fell from them till they were as dry. Everyone wore jeans and a plain t-shirt that showed no personality. They only wanted to exist, not live as far as Alexander was concerned. Not him though.

He rolled his eyes as they began to get their stacks ready and getting at least four lighters in their pockets for the first meal of the day. Alexander did not prepare for battle every time he stepped out and hated how common was for everyone to. He only carried one lighter with him and it was not to defend himself.

He began to walk to the door to the outside world as he placed a new cigarette into his mouth. He moved his hand next to the cigarette and lite it. He opened the door to the seemingly ordinary apartment and stepped outside.

Azriel caught the scent of vampires long before he became aware of the presence of cigarette smoke. It was the smell that all vampires had in common, dusty and decayed, but it was almost overwhelmed by something saccharine and cloying that marked them as the enemy. He felt a familiar gripe of hatred turn into a subdued growl at the back of his throat, but he skirted around the building a little shamefacedly.

Confrontational though he may be, the vampire was sensible enough to know when he was outnumbered.

Oh, but was that one straying from the rest of the herd? He watched with clinical, almost scientific interest as Alexander smoked his cigarette and drew ever further away from the safety of the rest of his group. Cigarettes were marvellous things, he reflected absently, attention straying from the vampire to the pale coils of smoke rising from the orange glow near Alexander’s mouth.

Almost hypnotic.

Alexander took a breath of the cigarette and breathed out the think cloud. He began to walk toward a crowded place for amusement when he looked down to glance at his watch. It was only 8:30 when the sun finally decided to set and Lee took in another breath of his cigarette. Everything would be closing soon and couldn't stand another night of nameless eating so he began to go to the place that only opened at night. He took a turn at main street and slowly the population of people on the streets began to increase as his smiled to himself for only a moment.

Perfect He thought to himself as he was nearing the street that never slept. Broadway street lived up its name even if he wasn't anywhere near a theater. The streets were busing with the smell of alcohol and rum as he pressed forward. When he made it to the heart of Broadway street he looked for only a moment for a bar he could enjoy eavesdropping with the humans.

He picked on a bar that was near him and finished his cigarette. He stomped his left foot on the cigarette bud and walked inside, there music and laughter was everywhere.

He followed the unquestionably younger vampire from a respectable distance, gliding through the night-going crowd like a ship through gaudy water. Though intent on his quarry, the only noticeably predatory sign in his bearing was the dangerous glint in his darkly reflective eyes.

There was a half-developed idea for an eloquent ‘this is my territory’ speech in his mind, but he dismissed it. The vampire he was following was far from mortal, so Azriel felt no obligation to come off as suave and gentlemanly; only to see the enemy vampire off to somewhere that he could be dealt with.

Azriel rarely got his hands dirty with all this fighting. Though far stronger than the average human, by vampire standards he was neither particularly strong nor particularly agile. Perhaps that was why he spent his years in isolation or in the company of young vampires who didn’t know any better. Oh, sometimes he would return to his sire, lest he forget his place and become too cocky, but for the most part he kept his distance from their underworld.

When he stepped into the bar after Alexander, he stopped for a moment in the doorway just to close his eyes and relish the close quarters he was now sharing with so many humans. He could smell their warm blood, and feel their pulses thumping; it was heavenly. A dark smile formed on his white face, and he opened his eyes to locate the vampire he had been following.

Alexander rummaged through the thong of people till he was in the middle of a large crowd dancing out on the dance floor. Bodies slowly swayed back and forth to the music as the laughter and chatter was played in the background. The bar was big and populated to its limit which Alexander enjoyed. He looked around the dance floor for a "not quite that drunk yet" female and found her.

She wore a pair of black slacks with a red halter top looking around for her partner. Her eyes shined through the light lighting as she moved her golden locks away from her face. Whom Alexander assumed was getting her a drink. He looked impatient and annoyed at having to wait for her partner and Alexander found it a good time to make his move.

He moved through the crowd with easy and was inches away from making contact when he noticed something to familiar in the air. The smell of death that was unlike himself or his kind. He stopped dead in his tracks and hissed to himself. He looked back into the crowd for a set of eyes on him that didn't belong. He looked back behind him for a moment till he noticed his victim begin to walk away. It was then that he decided that if he was to be killed tonight, it might as well be after a good meal as he began to follow the woman out of the crowd and toward the bar.

She slouched into the stool in front of the bar and sighed. Alexander took a seat beside her, trying to get eye contact with her. When she finally looked over his face and body where fully placed in front of her. She looked taken back by the boldness then brushed it off and began to look annoyed.

"What do you want?" She asked in annoyed tone. She only looked into Alexander's eyes for only a moment then turned her attention back to the bar and the alcohol that was now in her hand. She took a sip of her drink before she turned back to Alexander for an answer. Alexander only had a smile on his face as he put his elbow on the bar and lowered his head on his hand.

"A bit to eat. . . Would you like to join me miss? You seem alone tonight and I am alone as well." He asked her almost knowing what the answer would be. He looked behind him for a moment and frowned but quickly turned back to look at the woman.