A blur in the night air suddenly came to a stop, and coalesced into the form of a tall russian man. His skin was pale, in stark contrast to his hair, which matched the darkness around him. His dark hues scanned the night, and he found a small cafe with streetside tables. He waited until one of the customers had paid his bill, and intercepted him as the man headed along the street.
"Come with me, please." Nikolai's orbs swirled with color for an instant, and tendrils of power encircled the man's brain. He nodded dumbly, and followed the ex-communist into a dark alley. As soon as the shadows surrounded them, Nikolai turned with blinding speed. He sank his fangs into the man, feeling the racing pulse fade slowly as the sanguine liquid seeped into his mouth.
After he had his fill, and the man was still breathing, Nikolai nicked his tongue, and licked the man's bite marks, helping them close fast. He looked into the man's eyes again, and those same tendrils reached out once more as he cleaned the man's memory of the occasion. And just like that, the vampire was gone back onto the street, walking with a flush to his cheeks.
She had to get out of the house! The petite vampire could not continue to stay cooped up forever. She hadn't fed in days, and James was starting to get fussy with her for disregarding her health. It wasn't like she would die, well, not right off hand. She could last weeks, even months with just the barest sustenance, but it didn't help her mood any. She hadn't heard from Geller, she didn't know where things stood with her shaggy knight, and every night that passed she just kept wondering if she should do what her servant so desperately wished and leave it all behind.
She'd dressed conservatively that night, wrapping her tiny frame in a pair of black jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. Long midnight tresses had been brushed out and left to hang down her back in gentle waves. She'd promised James that before she returned she would feed, at the very least to keep his sanity in tact. Nike's was almost gone. She was starting to feel empty again, even though the others were still around, it just wasn't the same, as if something had shattered within her.
The vampire had traveled downtown, to a cafe with tables situated outside, ordering a cup of coffee that she never touched as silver eyes watched humanity swarm around her. The depth of her immense power was held so tightly contained inside her she would hit the radar as nothing more than an incredibly pale human, though her scent wasn't quite right for that. There was a man who'd been trying to subtly flirt with her for several minutes when she watched another get up, paying his bill and start to leave. Nothing would have been odd about that, except as those liquid silver pools followed the man, he was met by another.
Her preternatural senses heard the other vampire speak the command for the mortal to follow him, and she could feel the power in the air as the human's mind was rolled. Nike blinked, her curiosity piqued, as the vampire walked away with his meal following obediently behind. An ebon brow arched up high towards the night sky and with human slowness she got up from her chair, leaving money for the untouched coffee. Without the slightest regard for the man who'd been trying to flirt with her, her movements flowing smoothly as silk with muted footsteps and followed the other kindred.
She'd barely breached the shadows silent enough not to even make the slightest noise, when the other vampire struck his prey with a speed that no human eye would be able to catch. The diminutive vampire felt slightly voyeuristic as she watched the other drink his fill of sweet life giving nectar, leaving the human alive and again she felt power rise as he wiped the memory of the feeding away before letting his meal go. Nike moved, sliding into a slight niche in the alley, waiting until the vampire had walked completely past her, still unaware of her very presence so close by. She waited a moment before moving into action.
Within less than a blink of an eye she was there, simply walking at his side, her tiny frame completely dwarfed by his height. Her voice was the barest of whispers, lyrical yet so quiet, that only those with supernatural hearing would be able to hear her words, and even then only if they were walking next to her as he was. "You know, nowadays, there are actually some that would gladly feed the undead without having to worry about the hassle of erasing their mind afterwards." Her lips twitched, the edges lifting upwards a fraction as she tilted her head back, letting that stunning silver gaze move up to the other's face.
-- Edited by NIKE SPENCER on Saturday 16th of April 2011 01:29:11 AM
Nikolai was about to head back to his home when there was a sudden presence at his side. He glanced over, and the woman began to talk to him about feeding etiquette. He scoffed, and let his senses taste her biological footprint. Lots of wolf, and very small traces of both vampire and human. His thick russian accent was slightly muted by the low volume he spoke in. "And who are you to educate me in what I have been doing for three centuries? I am not like your kind, leaving a bloody heap of meat behind. I do not kill my victims." He continued to walk, making his pace appear as human as possible, his large USSR army issue combat boots striking the pavement with muffled thuds sounding of purpose.
He didn't know who this woman was, but she definitely had some gall, being catty with a vampire fresh after feeding. Had he still been a youngster, he may have ripped her throat out. "I make sure they are safe, and ensure they return home, never knowing that they encountered me. I do not wish to be remarkable in this land. I simply want to acccomplish what I came here for."
His voice was cold, and he made sure to put venom into his words. He was not looking for a fight, but if this shifter wanted to harm him, he would do his best to destroy her. He couldn't tell Cherry about it of course, because she would probably stop wanting to see him. He was not inclined to sever the connection between them this soon. He wanted to know what she was, and what she could do. He stopped his reverie, and turned his full attention on the woman walking at his side.
Hearing that Russian accent, her lips twisted slightly, it had been a while since she'd conversed in that language, and for a moment, she wondered what the vampire at her side might do if she did. His words had her dropping a mask of mock surprise over her face, though he couldn't have guessed more incorrectly at what she truly was. Sure, she had the smell of wolves that clung to her from constantly being around Geller's family, and that was probably why he assumed that she was a shifter.
The tone of his words was rather rude, in regards to shifters and herself. Even the fact that he so quietly spoke his age, as if it were supposed to impress her. Who was she to educate him? That was his first question and when she spoke, she responded perfectly fluent in his native tongue, "I am someone who has spent more years than you could dream of adapting to new situations. I was kindly offering advice. If anyone else had seen the stunt you pulled, you might be brought up on charges for assault. And humans do not take kindly to being mesmerized, or fed on without their consent. For our kind, it could lead to execution, but if you would rather continue you on doing things your own way, at least my conscience will be clear."
She listened as he told her that he made sure his meals were safe, were able to return home and that they did not remember anything, giving a nod of her head. This time when she spoke it was in English, with that soft British accent that she'd never let go of throughout her long life. "You can do what you wish child, I apologize for interrupting your time. Though, if you would like a little more." Nike stared up at his face, dropping her tightly held shields so that the force of her power crashed upon him like heavy waves, her eyes glowing slightly in the darkness of the night as they walked. "You would do well not to make assumptions about people you know nothing about." Though her voice had not lifted beyond the barest of whispers, it would echo through his head as if she'd shouted at the top of her lungs.
As fast as her shields had dropped they were pulled tightly into place, so for all intents and purposes, she was simply a petite woman standing next to a giant of a man. Giving him a small smile, she bowed her head, and then turned on her heel, walking away at a normal human pace.
-- Edited by NIKE SPENCER on Saturday 16th of April 2011 04:42:50 AM
The tall dark man barely had the strength of will to hold his mouth shut when he heard her speak in fluent Russian. The dialect was exactly the same as he was taught growing up, alive. He listened to her words, and nodded sparingly, until she dropped a small nugget of information from her lips.
"You are kindred? But you smell of werewolves, so intensely. Why can I not sense your nature?" And then it hit him. He knew this was the woman he had heard about. She smelled of shifters because she surrounded herself with them. She lived with them. He was about to speak of his search when she loosed her hold on her shields.
The power that suffused the air in that instant was overwhelming. It was like trying to stand straight in the middle of a tornado. The tidal wave of power crashed through his being, her voice amplified like Hiroshima on that fateful day. He staggered a few steps from the sheer raw power. "You are the one I seek. The one our kind calls traitor, though I do not agree. Please, let me have a few moments, and I am sure we can be on better terms."
He used his long strides to catch up to her, staying a half-step behind, in obeisance. He knew she was much much older than him, and he didn't want her thinking he perceived them as equals. So he stayed behind, letting her small steps glide forward, and his own muffled bootsteps resounding off the concrete. This could be the most important night of his life, ever since his death.
A small smirk touched her lips as he questioned her being kindred, and told her that she smelled of wolves. It was one of the many beasts she could hold influence over, and also happened to be the majority of what she lived with. When he questioned why he could not sense her nature, she chose not to answer him. She had learned over many centuries it was better to hide what she was. Even though America was supposed to be the Mecca for supernaturals, most vampires were still regarded with fear from the human population and lycan community as well.
She had already started to stalk off before his words hit her like a thousand bricks. He'd been seeking her out, strange, as she thought she'd covered her tracks so well. But that others called her traitor. Was she a traitor to her own kind? It was true that she preferred to stay away from most other vampires, it was easier to survive when you did not have to deal in kindred politics. But a traitor? She stopped, her eyes flashing as her head turned to look at him. "Traitor? A dangerous term."
She turned so that she could stare up at the tall man, a brow raising slightly That he didn't agree to the term was a point in his favor, but just a point. She switched back to Russian when she spoke next. "Why are you seeking me out? What the hell do you want?" Straight to the point, but that had always been the way Nike was. No point in wasting time fencing with words and beating around the bush.
Another question formed in her mind, and she narrowed her eyes as it came out of her mouth, still speaking his native tongue, "Who is it that calls me traitor, and why do they do so?" Slowly, she turned around and started moving again, motioning for him to walk at her side. The diminutive vampire didn't like people at her back, especially those of her kind that she didn't know. As she walked, she waited for him to explain to her what he wanted.
He patiently waited while she unmarkedly went through her gamut of emotions and thoughts. When she spoke about how dangerous the word was, he nodded almost imperceptibly. Her next questions had him frowning slightly.
~"I have been looking for you, because of the stories I heard. You feel more comfortable in the presence of beasts, than you do with humans or our own kind, do you not? I am the same. I feel a connection with nature's creatures, and shifters that I do not feel for any other being. I was hoping you could tell me why."~
His dark eyes were pleading, while her countenance gave no hint as to her thoughts on the matter. He walked beside her, at the gesture, and the demand for answers had him thinking back to his encounters with the few kindred who spoke of her as a traitor to their kind.
~"Since coming to America, I have met some few of the night-born, who speak of you in hushed tones. They say you refuse to mainstream with the humans. They say you prefer the presence of werewolves, and that you may be in love with one. They call you a name I prefer not to repeat."~
He sure as hell didn't want to repeat it. The power she had let him glimpse had made his mind up about that. If she wanted, he would meet the true death at her hands. He held his hands clasped behind his back as he walked next to her. She was an enigma to him, and he always loved puzzles. He was afraid, though, that if he picked up the wrong piece in the order, she would kill him before he saw the picture contained within.
As they walked, and he started to explain his reasoning for searching for her, a slender brow lifted up towards the heavens, the only recognizable reaction to anything he said at all. The rest of her face was a calm mask while she listened to his words. Apparently the man had done his research on her, though she was starting to suspect it had nothing to do with the business from New York at all. A good thing too.
"So, you came searching for me because you think you are like me?" She asked, still speaking Russian, it seemed easier to continue in his native tongue, for not many overhearing would be able to understand a word they said to one another. "Did your sire teach you nothing of our kind? Of what you are?" Hard to believe that anyone would have survived as long as he seemed to have without any sort of training, unless of course he had stuck to the wilds, or just been very lucky. "I can tell you why I have such an affinity for animals and shifters, for it is in my blood."
"Perhaps your sire was of the same bloodline, which is why you feel the same pull. Every kindred created gains powers from the progenitor of their line." She stopped speaking, as her footsteps whispered softly over the ground, listening when he spoke of the other vampires he'd met since being in America, that there had been rumors of her, living with shifters, being in love with a werewolf, and something they called her. For once, the rumors were true, not that she would ever confirm that out loud to anyone. Especially when it seemed the person she had feelings for had chosen to be with another.
"What do they call me?" He must have known she was going to ask. Even if he did not want to repeat it, she had a right to know what was being said behind her back. If nothing else to try and rectify the situation to the best of her ability. She would wait for him to answer, taking whatever it was they called her in stride, not even hinting at a frown, though she was seething inwardly, before she stopped and turned to look up at him. "Well, it seems you have found me, so I will be blunt. What do you want?"
-- Edited by NIKE SPENCER on Wednesday 20th of April 2011 12:17:44 AM
Her words cut him to the bone. They were the fingers peeling off a scab, tearign the flesh anew, and letting the blood and pain flow freely. ~"My 'sire' was a bastard. He killed my wife, and I thought he was going to kill me. Instead he made me kindred, and left me to fend for myself. I slowly found other vampyre, and watched them. I learned how to feed, and how to do other things. There was one of our kind who took pity on a young starving fledgling, and he taught me the more intricate parts of vampirism. But beyond that, I have been alone. For a time, I even forgot my name, Nikolai Kasyanov, was ever a part of me."~
He listened to her explanation of why she felt so about animals, and beasts, and his heart lifted a bit. ~"Perhaps this is true. I always felt stronger in the wild, than in a city such as this."~ He frowned in consternation, trying to piece it all together. The next question from her mouth shattered his cogitation. His eyes snapped over to hers, and he knew she would not let him leave until she had the answer.
~"Please, whoever you are, do not think I like this name they call you. They call you 'The Hound's Pet.' I do not know why they call you this, since I know your power is great. I do not know what to call you, other than mistress, or mother."~ He looked at the ground in sorrow for his words as their feet glided along the pavement. He had no idea of where they were going, but it was not important at that moment. ~"And I came to find you, so that I may learn more of what and who I am now. I only know a little, and I wish someday to fully understand my own capability. If this happens, I will call you master."~
-- Edited by NIKOLAI KASYANOV on Wednesday 20th of April 2011 02:16:12 AM
It was a little astounding, to find out so much information about a complete stranger so quickly, yet the vampire at her side started telling her of his sire and the horror that had been afflicted upon him at his introduction into the damned. "I'm sorry," she said softly, and actually meant the words. She knew first hand how cruel some kindred could be, had lived for centuries in her own personal hell, but that time was past now, not to be dredged up if it could be helped. In a round about way, he introduced himself, or at least told her his name, and she gave another small nod. She too, had at one point almost forgotten who she had been, under her own sire's influence.
When she asked him what they called her, a brow lifted up when he pleaded wit her not to think it was how he felt about the situation. "I am not in the habit of condemning those that simply provide me with the answers I have requested." His answer, those words had her silver eyes widening, though the serene mask never slipped from her face, her hands curled into fits. So, she was supposedly Geller's pet? At least to others out there that didn't know any better? It was an outrage! But only more so because there was a ring of truth to it. Before her shaggy knight had disappeared, before she had explained her feelings for him, and he'd revealed his own side of things that made her feel as if her offered heart was shattering into a million tiny pieces she would have done anything for him. Hell, she was still watching over his family to make sure they stayed safe while he had to take care of his own issues.
Taking in a deep breath, she expelled it in a long sigh feeling her inner turmoil trying to rise up and strangle her. Slowly, she willed her hands to loosen from the tight grip she'd held, and once more she was in perfect control of herself. It was then that she heard his answer to why he had come, and it made her blink. She'd never been anyone's master but her own. She'd never even created a childer of her own throughout her long lifetime, never wanting to condemn anyone else to the pain immortality could bring.
She stopped walking, and turned so that she could study his features clearly, even in the darkness that surrounded them. "My name is Nike, and that is what you may call me if you wish," she said softly. "Do you understand what you are asking of me? To take you under my wing? Someone I do not know from Adam?" She asked the questions, but even as she asked them, she knew it did not matter, this man was asking her for help, and even if it turned her life upside down, it was in her nature to do what she could. "If I can teach you, I will." As she spoke the words, something settled around her shoulders, perhaps the weight of new responsibility. A new beginning.
~"Nike. Beautiful name, for a beautiful woman. I would be greatly honored were you to teach me more about myself."~
He felt like dancing. He felt like singing, and jumping up and down. Finally, he would find out what the hell he truly was. What kind of monster that wife-killing bastard had made him into. His eyes shown with fury remembering that scene. He wasn't aware that a very low feral rumbling was coming from his chest, thinking of his so called sire. If he ever found said vampire, he would rip his limbs off, and leave them all in the sun to burn. He lost control of his powers slightly, letting a trickle escape his desperate clutches.
~"When I see you again, you will see what you made. And I will be your undoing."~ He spoke out loud and though Nike was the one there, it was the kindred who had turned him that he addressed.
She heard him say her name, and give her a compliment as well. Blinking, she bowed her head gracefully, "I'm not sure what I may be able to teach you about yourself, but I shall try." Her answer brought about a change in his demeanor, she saw the fury in his gaze, and felt the power rising up around him as his emotions consumed him. A frown tugged at her lips as she stood their calmly, even at his whispered words of threat.
A raven brow arched up at that, though and her head tilted to the side. "The first thing you should learn is better control over yourself. Our world is not a kind one. Other kindred can take advantage of your emotions if your wear them on your sleeve for all to see and feel. Control over yourself will also constitute better control over your abilities." She turned on her heel and started walking once more, this time, heading in a direction she knew. Her pace was still human slow, and she did not feel the need to hurry her steps at all.
The tall dark eyed man barely heard her words of teaching him. He was full on into his murderous thoughts. He was walking at a quickened pace, and too late realized she had stopped. When he turned to her, she told him to control himself. Only then did he truly notice he had been brooding, and seething with anger. He took a deep breath, not because his blood needed oxygen anymore, but to let the smells of the city permeate his olfactory glands. He caught the scent of everything within at least a mile. After a moment, he opened his eyes again, and he was calm, in control. However, she had started walking again.
His long legs quickly took him up to her side again. "Where are we going? And what kinds of things will I learn? Do you know the man who turned me? Do you have children?"
His questions came like machine gun fire out of his mouth. Now that he found someone who could bring him up to speed, he was curious about everything. Hell, he hadn't even heard of the bloodline thing before. Unless that was what the vampire over a century ago had meant by 'Who are you from?' Nikolai had figured it was a mistake in translation at the time, but now he knew it could have been about this.
