Liam smiled grimly, his gaze still lingering on the falling ash. He'd been a big fan of the sun - his family traveled more than they were home, and it was almost always in the sun. The hunter sighed as he heard Jaz return.
"I'm going to go lay down," she said, her sightless eyes narrowing as she heard her brother's sigh. "Could you tell me where I'm going?"
Her brother immediately moved to help her toward the bed, but Jaz growled and pushed his hands away. "I can do it, Liam." She stepped in the right direction until she was finally in the right spot. The silver-haired girl curled up near the headboard and fell asleep faster than Liam could reach for the blanket that Iyzebel had offered.

"I'm . . . sorry." He moved to lean against the bed and stroke Jaz's sleeping form. Her sleepy sigh was enough to make him look restful. "I thought you . . . " Again, the hunter paused and looked up at Iyzebel. "I mistook you for something else. I apologize for what happened."

Alistair practically shoved Kasimir into the building when Mizu opened the door. The vampire wasn't being mean, but the german was already caught in the throes of a coughing fit and not moving. Alistair just wanted him out of the ash before the human actually got sick. "...Your lungs are too easily agitated." His brow had furrowed with an expression that could only be described as concern, but the expression was only there for a few moments and then it was gone. When Mizu handed him a master key, he nodded slightly. "Thank you, but I shall not be far away." He did take the key offered him though.

Kasimir was coughing a bit when Mizu opened the door, the blonde stumbled from the shoving he recieved from Alistair. "Hiro..." He murmered just as his coughing died down. For a moment, just a moment Kasimir looked like he might vomit, but his expression cleared faster than the vampire's had. Shaking his head slightly and still coughing just a tiny bit he slipped closer to Mizu and put his arms around her waist. Hugging her tightly and placing a kiss on her cheek. "Wanna join me in the shower?" He whispered softly in her ear and then nipped at her ear lobe.

Walking into the hotel Tessa looked around. It wasn't too bad, she'd stayed in worse through blackouts. When James grabbed the key she frowned at him slightly, she just wanted to get the key and get to the room and get clean. She shook her head and rolled her eyes when Kasimir grabbed Mizu, that guy was really something. Remembering the good ol' days when her and James used to horseplay Tess grabbed for the key in his hand. Stealing it away she ran away down the hall to find their room, yelling over her shoulder, "Thanks Mizu!"

The unexpected blackout had caused more trouble for the hunter than he had initially been ready for. Both of his pistols were loaded with silver bullets not to mention that he had useful abilities to rely on when necessary. In all the fuss, Kanye had used seven bullets on seven different vampires to dispose of them. He even had a custom made kris with silver blades, in case a vampire thought he was vulnerable in close quarters, though he hadn't had to use them this time. It was somewhat of a relief when the lights came back on. Silver bullets were expensive and without a job at the moment there was no way for him to replenish them. It was an annoying realization that made him regret not using the daggers instead but what was done was done.

It was a dreary sight as the ashen snow fell from the sky giving the city a winter like feel even though it was quite warm at the moment. Kanye chest and eight pack were exposed underneath his light black leather trench coat and he found himself constantly wiping the ash off his chest. As he walked down the street he noticed a blue haired woman (Divine?) who seemed to be minding her own business, "Excuse me miss, but could you point me to the nearest gun store?"

James blinked when Tessa ran off with the key, not that he minded really, not with how happy she seemed, laughing and smiling now. Frankly it reminded him a lot of before, of the games they would play with each other. "You going to open the door or does the little kiddo need help?" He teased as he caught up, passed her with a tiny breeze, and passed her to lean against the wall beside the door to their room.

Mizu smiled softly as she watched the siblings as she walked into the building, suddenly missing her own baby brother and sister. The blue haired female gasped softly as she was hugged, starting in the embrace, before calming and blushing not just at the closeness, but the kiss and the words. Except, the blush faded as she noticed the slight coughing, and she frowned with worry. "Are you ok Kas?" Though remembering his question she flushed a pretty pink again. "Should you really be thinking of such things if you're ill? But lets get to the room so you can wash up. I may have a change of clothes for you and the others." She said, though she didn't look up at him as she slowly moved away to go open the door to her room.

(I almost didn't notice your reply Mar, sorry!)

"Don't... just don't... You never know, you could regret ever coming to know me Liam, and then I'll be sad." she said softly in response, not turning to look at him and keeping her voice soft but leveled as not to wake up poor Jaz, the child had fallen asleep almost instantly. She thought about what she'd just said and knew it was true. When she told him and Jaz the truth, he might very well come to hate her. But Jaz, she didn't see that gentle soul condemning her for what she'd done.

She feared that they would hate her, that they wouldn't give her a chance. When truly that's all she really wanted, was it wrong of her? Was she being too selfish, or was that her human nature surfacing? She supposed that it was. And she was just fine with that...

Divine was surprised that someone on the street had asked her something, having been lost in thought about how to cover up the latest incident involving her favorite vampire. She look this man over and surmised that he was probably looking for protection from vampires. Which she could understand. She smiled a bit gently, knowing that she should tell him. But after the whole watching Iyzebel get shot, she wasn't about to point someone in the direction of being able to shot someone else.

"Um, no... Is there any reason you don't have a shirt on?" she raised an eyebrow at this, had to either be a thrill seeker or a hunter. No one went out without clothing on, thinking that it's make vampires not notice them or something. But she supposed people were entitled to their own fashion statements.

((:boogie: Marsyas!!))

Liam frowned and kept his eyes on the ash outside. "I always regret stopping. Something always happens." He also didn't take kindly to meeting new people. The more people they avoided, they less chance they had of being betrayed. It had happened far too many times to count. With a sigh, the hunter moved toward the couch. "Thank you for this."

With that, Liam (who had changed into the shirt that was offered suddenly) lay down. The navy-haired hunter watched both Jaz and Iyzebel for a few moments before letting sleep claim him. They'd traveled far and it was time for a bit of rest. It had been far too long since they'd been able to sleep soundly.

((:XD And Iyz doesn't really sleep!))

(Lol it's alright no big deal ^_^ and hello Lady Es :hug: )

Now that he noticed it the woman seemed to be a little entranced by something but it was none of his business so he refrained from asking. The woman's words for some reason didn't sit right with him when she responded to his question. Maybe it was because she didn't give him a reason and simply told him no. It was a little irritating to be honest. He knew that there were vampire sympathizers and that was fine and all except for the fact that most vampires were feral. They lacked anything beyond basic instinct or preferred not to use anything else. Kanye had met a few in his day but most of them were old and quite rare to be honest. Then it occurred to him that she had the nerve to ask why he wasn't wearing a shirt, which was a logical question but unwanted nonetheless, "Is there some reason you're not going to tell me where the nearest gun shop is, or do you simply not know?" At this point he had already figured she knew but he wanted to see what she would say anyway. Then he thought about whether or not he wanted to ignore her question about his shirt altogether or just keep things civil.

After a moment of heated debate within in his head he decided to answer. . . partially, "Let's just say I have a hard time keeping up with them." It was the truth, kind of, but she didn't need to know that he had a tendency to burn them fighting vampires so this explanation would have to suffice. "Is there some reason you're just standing around out here," he finally asked, curiosity getting the best of him. "The lights have already went out once, it may be wise to keep inside just in case of another power outage," he cautioned neutrally. Being a hunter, it was his to look out for the well being of all humans without discrimination. Extending a hand out the golden eyed male grinned, "My name's Kanye by the way," trying his best to be friendly.

Alistair glanced over Mizu and Kasimir once or twice and smiled slightly. As if he knew a secret the two of them didn't. Maybe he did. He was old he probably knew plenty of secrets. The vampire slipped away easily, his attention quickly on other things. He would explore a bit, before settling down for some rest. Though he would most likely slip into a room close to the one Kasimir stayed in, he assumed Kasimir and Mizu would stay in the same room. That was good. In case something did happen, it was easier if everyone was rather close together. He would also try to keep an eye on Tessa and her brother, knowing full well her brother could probably protect her easily. That didn't matter. As far as Alistair was concerned they were all his friends now, and he would protect his friends.

Kasimir shook his head slightly. "I'm not sick...It's the ash, the stink of it always makes me cough some. I'll be fine now that we're inside." He let his arms fall from around her as she slowly moved away. Of course, Kasimir followed her, he did glance at Alistair once as the vampire silently moved off. He ran a hand through his hair. "I promise, I won't be gone when you wake up this time." His voice had gone quiet, very serious and his arms had reached out, grabbed her and pulled her back against him. Her back pressed to his front and he hugged her tightly.

Tessa was running down the hall when suddenly James was leaning next to the door. Right, vampire, she forgot. Sticking her tounge out at his remark she unlocked the door. Before pushing it open she stopped for a moment looking up at James. Since he had returned she'd felt that a huge hole in her heart had closed, she was happy with him around and it felt almost as if things were back to normal. Well as normal as they could get now anyway. Her childishness fading she smiled at him, "Glad to have you back brother." She pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Riku-kun wandered through the streets until he spotted the broken down hotel that Mizu and the others were staying in and, thinking it was abandoned, went to the front door and slipped in quietly. He closed the door behind him and simply curled up in the corner next to the doorway and closed his eyes, pulling out a pair of big headphones, not putting them on, just having them around his neck, and put on music, maxing the volume so that it was easily heard without wearing the headphones (the song is Devils Don't Cry, look it up, is cool). He smiled as he began to fall asleep to the music.

(I almost didn't notice your reply Mar, sorry!)

Iyz wasn't going to rest until daytime. Night was her world. Even if she couldn't let them know. So she would read until sunrise and finally crash. She hoped that Jaz was not a wild sleeper and that Liam didn't have nightmares that made him reach for his gun. That would be a sight, him waking up and putting bullet holes in her wall. 'Why did I convince myself they need me?' she thought to herself as she flipped the page. Humans didn't need vampires, vampires needed humans.

Affection had no place in her life. She would only end up hurt, and possibly dead. But one could not help it, no one was just inherently bad. They made choices to be that way, and in doing so could give others bad reputations. Such as vampires, not all of them were blood sucking killers. She was tame, preferred animal blood and when she needed to feed would find an animal. Or contact the Divine about a "transfusion".

Divi was taken aback by this man, who did not seem to know her. Then she smiled to herself, she observed him carefully from head to toe, he did not seem a thrill seeker as she'd first thought. So that left only one thing, a hunter then. "I'm not afraid of the dark... And do I know where the gun shop is... No need for me, I have a veritable fortress. Who needs that?" she laughed and continued to observe him. She was intrigued, this man indeed was a hunter. And looking for ammo or weapons.

She might help him, if he made it worth her while. After all, she had enough trouble by now with the release of that video. And she had to get to the office to take care of it now. She'd almost forgotten about that, her brows came together as she frowned. She was wasting time, but she also knew that she might need this mans help. 'How to get it though?'

Alistair hadn't gone very far when he heard someone enter the hotel, and scented the blood that person was covered in. Then the sound of music was brought to his ears. The vampire turned, returning to the entrance. He looked over the young person for a moment. Briefly he wondered why this person was covered in blood and dressed the way he was, but Alistair didn't think on it for too long. He turned and silently he was gone again. Somewhere down the hall a door opened, then closed. Alistair returned, a blanket in his hand. This person was a stranger, and any stranger could be a potential threat to his friends, but still. The vampire gently laid the blanket over the young person and stepped back.

Kasimir had thought he'd heard a noise, but it was probably just Alistair or Tessa and her brother moving about. He held to Mizu tightly, hugging her tight but gently.

][couldn't resist. I had to post. >.>; but don't expect much from me this weekend.][

(Again!!! O_O Idk if you read all of my post either, Kanye tried to introduce himself to Divine. . . lol)

Here he was again getting nowhere as of yet. She seemed to be studying him for some reason and maybe that was why she hadn't answered any of his questions. Pulling his hand back from the greeting he had offered he rubbed it as he looked down at it, "Alright, well, I'll take it that you don't want me to know who you are?" Maybe she was suspicious of him or something. Or it could be that she didn't trust hunters and had figured out that he was one. If so she was smart but it didn't seem like she was willing to help. "So then I understand that you aren't afraid of vampires and you know where the gun shop is but I still don't understand why you're not giving me the information?"

Sighing to himself he wiped a little more of the ash from his chest which exposed a portion of his dragon tattoo, a symbol of his family, then shook off his coat. "I guess I'll wonder around until I find it. Maybe I'll run into a few contracts as well." Since contracts were personal requests most of the time, they could be found anywhere. Sometimes people dropped them off at pubs with a number and address to contact them from and there were occasions where businesses set out bounties for certain vampires or even groups but they all varied in difficulty and time. Hunting was an art, so to be good at it, you needed to have your own style that worked for you and Kanye certainly had that.

Looking back at the woman, he suddenly realized how attractive she was but that was quickly being offset by how unhelpful she was being. It was irritating for civilians to be so stubborn when all he did was protect them. It was a rare day for him to hunt vampires for sport but admittedly he did have times of uncontrolled outbursts, though they were far from often. Shaking his head he decided he would ask one more time for her help before he went wandering about the city aimlessly, "Alright, last time. Could you please point me in the direction of the nearest gun shop. I have to replenish my ammo, before I go get a bite to eat. I'm starving." He grinned knowing that she already knew he was a hunter. He supposed there was no need to hide but he didn't like people knowing unless they needed to know.

(Sorry, I've been sick... I read it... it was all fuzzy... gomen! I feel better now, so hopefully it's better)

Divine smiled. "I'm Divine... but you can call me Divi... I truly don't know where it is, I promise. And if you think that your contracts are so important, why are you still here talking to me?" she asked with a saucy grin and a toss of her hair. She wasn't spoiled, vain or idiotic. She knew who she was, some men found her attractive others didn't. Some also thought that because she had confidence in herself that she was a spoiled little rich girl. She was just very careful about who she associated with. And this was the catch of the day, wait til her assistant got a load of this!

"I'm sorry, I am suspicious of strangers. While I'm not a hunter I come from a family of them, so I know a thing or two. If you agree to at least listen to me, I can give you ammo and guns for free..." she said as she crossed her arms across her chest and leaned to one side, she had a sly look in her eyes. Which meant to expect trouble because she was plotting and it was never a "good" thing for the party involved. She checked her watch and looked up at him waiting for a response.

He smiled at her as he ruffled her hair while she walked into their room, whistling at how clean and neat it looked compared to the rest of the place when he stepped in behind Tessa. "I'm glad to be back by your side sister." He commented as unhooked the clasp under his throat for the cloak, finally sliding it away from his body, hanging it off at the end of the bed closest to the door. He tensed slightly, it'd been a long while since he'd taken it off, and the short sleeve form fitting shirt didn't really hide much of the scars the vampires had 'kindly' given him or branded onto his body. Lifting a hand he the fingers through his long hair, it was brushing around his shoulders, and it really annoyed him. "Hey Tess? You still good with scissors? I need a haircut." He told her, mock pouting as he pulled the strand away from his face.

Mizu tensed as she felt his arms around her again, inhaling sharply as she heard the words. It was a dream, had to be, unless he was just saying what she secretly wanted to hear. She hoped it wasn't that but she'd grown up in a house were her secrets and emotions were played with like a violin, only for the sweet music to turn ugly and she'd been beaten or have it taken away later. Though she let herself enjoy the hold, she hung her head. "Don't tease me like that Kas. I won't have it happen again." She murmured, taking a few moments to breath deeply before she turned in the embrace and at first just kept her arms squished between their torsos till she seemed to gather her own courage to return the hug. "You should go get started on that shower. I'm just going to bring some spare clothes to Tess and James." She said, though didn't make any indication of moving yet.

Riku-kun smiled in his sleep, snuggling the blanket closer to his body and snored a single time. A second later, her eyes snapped open as he looked up at Alistair and a fairly seductive, but down right predatory smile came over his face as she stood slowly with a purely feminine grace and said in a purely female voice, "Well, hello there, what's your name? Actually, I don't care about your name, you can know my name though. My name is Rikku, but you can call me Rikku-chan... actually..." she giggled, her face becoming more manic as a black essence slid over her skin from under the sleeves of the straight jacket, covering her hands, the fingertips extending into long, three foot long shadowy claws as she said in a dark, dangerous tone, "I want to hear you scream my name as I peel your skin!" The black essence emerged from the collar and covered her head, making her head look like a silhouette for a second before purely white eyes snapped open and a large, sharp-toothed cheshire cat-like grin spread across her face as she giggled and started moving closer, the claws dragging along the ground and slicing through the floor.

Stepping inside Tess was suprised. Mizu obviously kept up with a few of the rooms, it was the nicest place she had seen in a very long time. Her childish side wanted to run and jump on the bed, but her adult side reminded her that she was dirty. It had been a really long time since she'd had a good nights sleep in a comfy bed, or a long steamy hot shower for that matter. Setting the book she had been carrying on the desk, she turned to see James removing his cloak. She gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Quietly she replied to him, "Yes..." In the next moment she was angry again. "Who did this to you brother?" she asked frowning, her fists balled up. She knew their parents murderers were their top priority, but if whoever did this to her brother was still out there somewere she wanted to make sure of it that they wouldn't be for long.

(I didn't know I'm sorry, well I's glad you're feeling better! ^_^)

Kanye smirked. She was a bit of a smart ass but that alright, he liked women with a little flare. "I'm not particularly interested in any contracts right now but I need to take one soon I'm getting a little low on funds," he admitted honestly. The hunter lifestyle was an expensive one, with supplies and equipment costs along with upkeep, so currency was of heavy value to them. Hearing that she was from a family of hunters told Kanye that she probably understood him better than most civilians.

The call of free ammo and equipment was enticing, but that little mischievous smile she had on her face said there was more to this than meets the eye. However, the honey eyed male was rarely one to back down from danger, hence the job choice, so he took the bait. . . "You have my ear Divi, what do you need?" His demeanor had suddenly changed from casual to business instantly. He knew that he would have to work for the reward but to be honest he would much rather work for his supplies than have to pay for them, it was just easier that way.

(Arigato! ;p and yeah I'll be around for maybe another half hr then I'm leavin til the early morn!)

"You see, I own my life to a vampire... One who was quite recently injured by a sharp hunter. She's clever enough to save herself, but not to get the blood she needs. I run something of a company, I am for vampires like her. They do not feed from humans, but from game, or take blood bags. I would like for you to come with me to deliver these bags to her after I hack the net for a bit... Should you do this for me, you get more goodies for yourself. If not, you get enough to get by. How about that?" she looked up at him with her bright blue eyes, the same color as her hair. She flicked her hair out of the way.

She knew that before the sun rose, she would need to get back to Iyzebel. The woman trusted and cared for her as though she were her own, though sometimes she did pick on her by calling her a stalker. She hoped that he would say yes, needed it. But if he didn't she'd hold up her end of the bargain and be done with him. Because right now Iyzebel was more important than some silly hunter who walked around half naked. 'Even if he had a bangin' body...' she knew it was wise to keep that thought all to herself.

James remained stock still, not even turning to look at her. He didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to remember. Remembering was bad, and he couldn't do that now. "Don't worry about it right now, the ones who did it are dead." He told her softly, eyes still refusing to meet hers. Finding a chair, he sat down, glad his cloak had protected his clothes so they weren't as dirty, and stared straight ahead. "Can you just cut a few inches off...Chin length should be fine." He murmured to her, trying to change the topic.

When James told her they were dead, she'd relaxed a little, knowing he had to be the one who did it. If she wasn't his sister, she may have been a little intimidated by him as a stranger in his present form. Still frowning towards him, Just as stubborn as always... she searched through the desk and found a few general office supplies, paper, some pens, ah there, scissors. She then walked into the bathroom and grabbed a towel, returning to drape it over James' shoulders. It was to keep the hair from dirtying his clothes, but mostly to keep her focused on cutting his hair, and not staring at his scars instead. Tessa didn't know what happened to her brother exactly, but she imagined quite a few scenarios, that liked to flick through her mind making her hurt for him. She tried not to think about it, knowing it would only make her ask questions, that James clearly did not want to answer. Before she began she walked to stand in front of the televison, "What are the chances this still works..." she mumbled, pressing the power button. Suprised the t.v. came on, but not as suprised it only had the single news channel, she sighed. "News is what I was looking for, but it's probably no good news...".

In a few more minutes she was laying the scissors on the desk and carefully removing the towel from James' shoulders to not get Mizu's floor hairy. Stepping back, smiling and proud of the good job she'd done, she'd cut it much shorter than he'd like but, she was doing the cutting and didn't want her brother walking around looking un-presentable after all. Shaking her head at herself, A vampire looking presentable... It would grow out in no time anyway, if he truely hated it. "Lookin' good brother" she said with a big grin, retreating to the bathroom before he could protest about the cut. Closing the door behind her she stood in front of the mirror. She truely was a sight... She had blood stains on her shirt, ash smeared across her face and arms and she was probably used to it by now, but assumed she didn't smell much better than she looked. She turned the water to the shower on high heat and kicked off her boots. The shower was already steaming up the bathroom and mirror as she removed her clothes letting them drop in front of the shower as she carefully stepped in. She stood, eyes closed, facing the water, letting it run over her face and hair. Her body seemed to relax and the stress and fears of the past year on her own seemed to wash away with the blood and ash.

((I'm going to leave her in the shower for now until something comes up she can get into :)))

Now this request was an odd one, not to mention it went against his creed. Never help a vampire. That meat directly or indirectly, but there were always exceptions. Truthfully, Kanye was in a minor predicament with the cash flow being non existent at the moment this was the best offer he could possibly get. Sighing out of disappointment in how easily he would break his own creed he nodded, "Deal. I'll go with you but under the condition that you keep the vampire out of my sight." The reason for this was because his tattoo was special. It was a bloodstained tattoo meant to draw out vampires for him to kill and it was also another reason he went without a shirt. Of course the scent was only detectable by vampires so a human would never notice and the only way to cover it up was to put something over it, which was the only reason he wore the trench coat as well. Having just arrived in the city, things were already looking lively. I wonder if things are always like this? It's not everyday a guy gets to work with a beautiful young lady.

Alistair frowned deeply for a few moments as he watched Rikku-chan approach him. The vampire sighed softly and shook his head slightly. "I am sorry..But I would greatly appreciate it if you did not kill me today. There are people I must protect and I'm sure one of them would be very sad if I died." He pinned the person with a serious look, crossing his arms across his chest. "However, if you insist, I assure you. I will not scream out your name." Alistair didn't seem afraid or too concerned, just a bit curious. Why was this person acting this way, and what was with all this odd shadowy stuff around this Rikku? In his long years, he'd never seen anything like this and was more curious than anything else.

Kasimir frowned slightly, hugging Mizu tighter. "I'm serious. I won't leave you this time." He kissed her cheek and slowly let her go. Already pulling his shirt off as he stepped towards the bathroom to take his shower. he didn't blame Mizu for saying that, afterall what right did he have to expect her to trust him after what he'd done? None at all. He sighed softly and turned the water on.

James smiled softly as he watched his sister turn the tc on, then complain about the news. Not that he could blame her really. He hated listening to bad news 24/7, especially because it was more popular than any good news that may have happened. When she placed the towel around his neck before clipping his hair, he allowed his eyes to close and his mind to wander in his memories. He startled mildly as she removed the towel when she finished, he'd been lost that deep. Murmuring his thanks, he moved to the bed he'd claimed as his, laying down on the comforter and storm grey eyes staring at the flickering tv screen, waiting till his sister was done with her shower.

The blue haired female nodded jerkily, one hand cradling the cheek he'd kissed, blushing as he stripped his shirt off before going to the bathroom. Hearing the water turn on, she jumped into movement, going over to her dressers and digging through them. It was this moment she felt glad she'd actually collected men's clothing too, grabbing underwear, pants and tops for both the siblings and stepping out of the room to knock on the door. She could have opened it herself, but she felt it better to give them such respect, and when James opened the door, she smiled and held the clothes out to him. "Here ya go. I doubt Tess would like to get back into those dirty clothes." She said brightly, though blue eyes widened slightly at seeing the different scars and brands along the males body. Unlike his sister, or most normal people, she didn't react, just blinked then smiled and walked back to her room without waiting for a response from the vampire. Digging through the drawers again, she set her change of clothes on the bed and, grabbing the ones she'd pulled out for Kasimir, moved to the bathroom. "Kasimir, I have a change of clothes for you." She called over the water before slowly opening the door and, keeping her eyes closed incase he was nude, went to set the clothes on the sink counter.