RPG Misplaced Trust

[starlight]

Welcome to the continent of Anemia, home to Demon, Elvin, and Human kind alike.

After an unrecorded catastrophe took place over 3 milenia ago, the entire globe had to start from scratch again. Now in 3045 AC the species that had survived the disaster to begin, have evolved to a "modern day" lifestyle. (Think about 10 years ahead of us)

While "new" species have appeared on the scene... Others...

...Have become no more than mere legends...

One of those "legendary" creatures, is the Vampire. Hidden from the mortal world, these aristrocratic people have built entire empires away from the leering eyes of society. Covens, groups of vampire "families" live undergroud, for the most part. Ruled by a Master and a few handpicked "Nobles" of theirs, they lead a rather undisturbed way of life. Crosses and holy water affect few, if any vampires.Though the good ol' stake in the heart still works perfectly! As you know, the sun is their mortal enemy, so they are forced to live and hunt within the boundaries of the night. (which sucks if you ask me...especially for Daylight Savings Time) Though there is one coven Master, that no longer wishes for this to be so...

A Master that uses unorthodox methods, not only to keep his coven in line, but in punishment, and in...other feilds.

When the former Master was mysteriously murdered, he took the position from the young inexperianced heir before the word could get out about there even being an heir to begin with.

Now, almost 200 years later, this "Master" still rules, and the young "Heir" still sits in one of the lowest positions in the coven, for fear that if he was given any sort of power, he might try to overthrow the Master.

Why did this young heir not speak up during any of this? Why didnt he voice the truth? He would have, he truly would....

...had he possessed a voice to do so.

Back to present day: The Master, known better as Master Wakusei whom reins over the Aylward Coven is planning something that, if accomplished, could mean disaster for the more ...mortal type... inhabitants of Anemia. Breaking almost every law that applies to human/Vampire contact he has recruited a young female scientist; Satsuki Yukimori.

Hired to do studies on the anatomy of Vampires, she is to find a cure against their deathly sunlight intolerance. Working alone in a reasearch facility almost 50miles away from any known ciliization. Wakusei has obviously placed much trust into this young human woman to complete the cure he so desires...

Though the problem seems to be...in doing this, alot of things get kicked up...rumors...of vampires actually existing. A strange phenomonon of "slayers" suddenly appearing ont he streets, hunting these legends... and then there are those ...who strangely know of this...project...and will stop at nothing....to stop it.

---

Satsuki stared at the overcast night sky through the heavily tinted passenger's side window. The 1959 midnight black Bentley roared down the misused dirt doad, leaving a cloud of dust behind. The road ahead was lit solely by the cars twin headlights.

Glancing over at the car's driver, a young man with blond streaks in his chestnut brown hair and a kind face. Satsuki sighed inwardly before asking,

"How much further away from the city is this "lab" anyway?" asked Satsuki with a slightly worried undertone.

"Not much further now Ms. Yukimori." Came his reply.

Looking back out the window, Satsuki had to sigh again, this time out of boredom. [I]...And so it begins...[/I], thought Satsuki.

About a half hour later, Satsuki found herself staring at a dome-shaped building looming up from the otherwise flat landscapre, save for a couple of trees scattered about the property. Slamming her door shut behind her, Satsuki blinked a couple of times as she gazed in amazement at its smooth white exterior.

"I'm going to be doing my research [U][I]here[/I][/U]?!" Satsuki declared in awe.

"Yes. Mr. Aylward gave you the passcodes for the doors did he not?" Asked the driver with interest as he leaned on the hood of the car. Satsuki's reply came as a small nod.

"Good, good... Your belongings are already inside, have a good evening, Ms. Yukimori."

Satsuki turned around to thank Mr. Aylward's driver but he was already back in the car and driving down the gravel road by that point. [I]That was fast[/I]. Thought Satsuki with a small shiver as she turned to look at her new "home."

"Mr Aylward said he would send my partner tommorrow, so I suppose I'm on my own until then"

[Talon]

[color=crimson][i]Yuto grinned. She was here at last. His thoughts returned to the time he heard Wakusei's decision. Oh, how he wished, just once, that his left hand had not been severed. Wakusei would have been as handicapped as his own clansmen, the young Shizen. Wakusei had said he would send Satsuki's partner the next day. Yuto decided he wouldn't wait that long to be introduced to her. After all, he was the Noble. Pleasantries WERE his area of expertise.

He entered the lab, where Satsuki was busy trying to identify a few of the more....sanguine instruments.[/i]

[b]Yuto:[/b]That would be an electron microscope, Yukimori-san.

[b]Satsuki:[/b]Oh! Um...sorry.

[b]Yuto:[/b]No, I must apologize. I failed to introduce myself. I am Aylward Yuto, of Japanese heritage. And no, I am NOT the Aylward that employed you.

[b]Satsuki:[/b]Then...why....?

[b]Yuto:[/b]In this castle, we take the clan name. It is a pleasure to meet you, Satsuki-san.

[b]Satsuki:[/b]The same to you. But....your hand.....

[i]Yuto looked regretfully at his left wrist, where no hand was attached.[/i]

[b]Yuto:[/b]A mark of distinction I recieved for fighting a....wild beast away from the Master Aylward.

[i]With that, he left. He headed into a passage unknown to any but himself and Wakusei, though the Master had not been down here for centuries. He stopped when he found the cryo-tank he'd been keeping the young girl in. He reached up and looked at her.[/i]

[b]Yuto:[/b]Poor Yuki.....I promise you, I will find your father. Everyone needs a parent....

[i]The infant just slept on, perhaps dreaming about her murdered mother. What was her name? Shizu? Yuto made up his mind as he went to his bed from the chamber. He would send a party to seacrh for the Alpha of the Crimson Crescents at the next new moon....[/i][/color]

[starlight]

[I]More confused at her "meeting" with her new partner than anything, Satsuki went back to getting more familliar with the laboritory.

The first thing Satsuki had encountered upon entry was a flight of stairs leading down into a large rectangular room. Apparently all of the equiptment that she and her partner would need was all there.

An examination table and an operating table sat looking rather harmless against the wall nearest her, their smooth metallic surfaces reflecting the bright lights from overhead. A rather large wooden desk sat alongside of these.

The desk itself reminded Satsuki of a teachers desk, if only it didnt have all of those... interesting instruments laying out atop of it. She approached it for a closer look and cringed. [/I]

Satsuki: Now what am I to do with this stuff huh? Cut someone up? No way jose!

[I]Wincing slightly at the thought of actually having to do something like that Satsuki remembered her school. Sure they had cut up a few cadavers, it was part of the program for the gods sake! Even the thought of it was nothing like this! Slowly backing away from the table Satsuki decided to explore a little more before trying to find her dormitory. Walking around the perimeter of the room a pair of doors set into the wall caught her attention. Going closer to check this out she noted the keypad for a passcode. She also noticed that one of the doors was open peeking inside she saw, the it was no more then what looked like a small storage room, or a holding cell of some sort. How weird, what would we use a room like this for? Satsuki thought to herself with a shrug.

Wandering around a little more Satsuki found a few computer consoles strategically placed about. Usually near a few lab tables with empty beakers and test tubles sitting out, just waiting to be used.

Looking to the opposite end of the room was yet another flight of stairs leading into what she assumed was where her dormitory was. Deciding that was best at this time, Satsuki had to find the backpack she had brought along with her and headed for the stairs to her own dorm.[/I]


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
OOC: Valen asked me to do this part lol ^_^ so I am

[I][U]Back at the Aylward Coven House...[/U]

Arden crept slowly down the hallway towards Shizen's room. As hard as he tried, he couldnt stop himself from making the floor creak under his every step; he obviously hadn't been taught many of the "tricks" yet.

Pausing at his friend's door momentarily, Arden drew a deep breath before opening the door, making sure to slam it behind him when he closed it; it was something that really peeved Shizen when he did so. Walking over to where Shizen still lay sleeping, Arden looked down at his friend's sleeping form and rubbed his chin as if in deep thought.[/I]

Arden: He looks so cute when he's sleeping ^.^

[I]Cracking his knuckles in preparation, Arden took a few steps back away from the small cot. Bracing himself, Arden then ran full throttle at the cot and pounced at Shizen.[/I]

Arden: [SIZE=1][B]SHIZEN!![/B][/SIZE]

[I]Landing squarely in the middle of Shizen's chest, Arden shook Shizen frantically by the shoulders. [/I]

Arden: [B]Shiiiiiizeeeeeennnnnnnnnn!!! Wake up! Master is gonna kill you if you... Don't. Wake. Up.... NOWWWW![/B]

[I]When Shizen merely grunted and rolled over, throwing Arden off of him, Arden knew it was time to get serious. Turning on the waterworks, Arden climbed back onto the bed and sat on Shizen again.[/I]

Arden: Pleeeeeease Shizen! Ya hav'ta! *whimper*

Shizen: "(Screw....Wak..u...sei...)"

Arden: Shizen, seriously! Wakusei said if I didn't get your bum upstairs in 5 minutes... well...you dun wanna know what he said he would do! Though it was really really really bad!

[I]No reply came this time. Arden whimpered one last time before he jumped off of the cot. He slid underneath, and then, using his enhanced strength, kicked the underside of the cot, sending Shizen sprawling to the floor.[/I]

Arden: You can get yourself in deep crap if you wanna, but I for one, like breathing! SO GET UP NOW!!!

[Valen]

[size=2]OOC: Hai, I thank thee, Onee-San. *bows*[/size]
[center][size=2]

---

[/size][/center]
[center][size=2][color=darkolivegreen][i][b]Shizen...[/b][/i][/color][/size][/center]

[size=2]Shizen stayed there, staring at the hyperactive bugger that lay in a hunting stance, one that a lion would go into when it has found what it was looking for--it's prey. [i][color=darkred]What did I do to deserve to be woken up by Arden? Of all the[/color][/i]-- His thoughts were cut short as Arden leapt onto Shizen's back, still yelling for him to get up.[/size]

[center][size=2][color=darkolivegreen][b][i]Shizen... Wake up...[/i][/b][/color][/size][/center]

[size=2]Shizen's eyes grew to slits as his annoyance level arose as his arms flew behind him, grabbing Arden by the neck, and throwing him across the room. Arden went flying towards the wall. [/size]

[size=2]Just moments before his face met the wall, he did a sumersault that allowed him to regain his stance as he landed in the same position as before.[/size]

[size=2]"Get up!" Arden warned as he prepared himself to take anoter leap. "NOW~~~~~~~~~!" Arden yelled as he flew towards Shizen's left ear. He landed on Shizen's lower back and proceeded to pound on Shizen's head.[/size]

[center][size=2][color=darkolivegreen][b][i]This is your final warning... There are big plans that you are a part of...[/i][/b][/color][/size][/center]
[center]

---

[/center]
[center]OOC: Sorry it's short; I'll edit tomorrow, or if someone else posts, I'll just post the rest of this later. It's late and I must get to bed. Sorry.[/center]

[Talon]

[color=crimson][i]Yuto cocked an ear. In his quarters, he could hear the whole incident. He grinned. Wakusei must really want Shizen if he sent Arden to wake him up. Briefly, Yuto wondered what it would be like if Arden were to wake Yuto up. Yuto shuddered involuntarily.....[/i][/color]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[color=teal][i]Alastor crept thorugh the woods, heading for the town in the near distance. He could smell his hunters. Hell, he could practically taste their lifeless flesh as he maneuvered one of his hands to his bandolier. He squeezed one of his stakes when he tasted a new scent. He eyes darted backwards, the scent of the decayed flesh disappearing. There was one strong scent now. And it was too familiar.[/i]

[b]Alastor:[/b]****. Not-

[b]Ingrid:[/b]Hello, brother. Where have you been?

[b]Alastor:[/b]I was taken by the Cleric. I.....learned much about the Aylward coven.

[b]Ingrid:[/b]Well...that does not mean you had to leave with no warning. As well as the pack! You were our Alpha. We need you. Everything is falling apart!

[i]Ingrid almost smirked at that outright lie. If anything, the clan had grown in the last century. Not because of Alastor's absence, but because of the vampires hunt for the humans who hunted werewolves. Ingrid noticed the sword and bandolier on his back.[/i]

[b]Ingrid:[/b]You damned fool. You are going in there, probably by yourself, in order to avenge Shizu and Yuki?!?!

[b]Alastor:[/b]Shizu, yes. Yuki....you cannot avange what isn't dead.

[i]Ingrid's eyes opened wide with shock.[/i]

[b]Ingrid:[/b]She.....she can't be! When you came out....you were barely alive, your wounds were so terrible!

[b]Alastor:[/b]Yes, sister. My daughter.....your niece......is still alive. The Cleric told me she would be.....and.....I can feel it. I must go.

[i]It took ten seconds for Ingrid to realize he was walking away from her.[/i]

[b]Ingrid:[/b]OH, NO YOU DON'T!!!![/color]

[Valen]

[size=2][color=blue]Shizen didn't look too pleased with what was going on. As Arden pounded, Shizen blinked and was about to throw him off, when a sudden burst of energy came from Arden, sending Shizen flying across the floor and ending up up-side-down against the wall on the opposite side of the room.[/color][/size]

[size=2][color=#0000ff]"([color=darkred]...Fine, I'll get up... geez...[/color])" Shizen thought to himself as Arden beamed that he was able to complete his task and live to see another day. [/color][/size]

[size=2][color=#0000ff]"...About time, you old lech." Arden joked as he helped Shizen up, It was time to go see what all the fuss was about form Wakusei, who had been telling Shizen to wake up through telepathy. Shizen sent Arden to stay outside the door for a while, whilst he "changes."[/color][/size]

[size=2][color=#0000ff]The door slammed behind Arden. He waited outside the door for at least ten more minutes. "Wait... Shizen never changes his clothes! SHIZEN! Wakusei is going to have your head for this one, not mine!" Arden argued as he opened the door. Arden's eyes went wide with amazement, yet not really unbelieving. Shizen was [u]asleep[/u] again.[/color][/size]

[size=2][color=#0000ff]"...Oh I give up. You win, you old dolt. I'm out of here." Arden said sadly as he turned to face the door. Shizen's eyes opened a little as he smirked in amusement. Finally, it would be payback time. [/color][/size]

[size=2][color=#0000ff]Without making a sound, Shizen had crawled off of he cot and got into a pouncing stance. He leapt like a cheeta towards Arden, fangs out. Arden turned around just seconds before impact. Arden's eyes closed abruptly as he ducked out of the way of Shizen. Shizen passed right over Arden and landed behind the scared one. Shizen smirked and gave Arden a wink as he walked down the hallway.[/color][/size]

[size=2][color=#0000ff]"I... I wasn't...Scared..." Arden stuttered as Shizen continueds to walk along the long hall.[/color][/size]

[size=2][color=#0000ff]Shizen nodded and chuckled inside. "([color=darkred]Suuuure... haha... got him back. Now, to see what Wakusei wants... Joy.[/color])" Shizen thought to himself as he entered the main hall that led to Wakusei's room, if a room is what you'd call it.[/color][/size]

[Cyriel]

Ingrid's grip was strong, despite her delicate looks. Alastor could barely move, but twisted and freed himself quickly enough.

He snarled at her, losing his patience with his younger sister. "What do you want??"

Ingrid's expression matched her brother's, and her eyes were cold with contempt. "I want the Alpha to start thinking! You're going in there by yourself?? Don't you know how crazy that is?"

"Well, if you would keep your pretty voice down, then I wouldn't have to worry about anything. Leave. Now." Alastor turned, and started to walk again, but was once again stopped by Ingrid's hand on his shoulder. He was really getting irritated.

"And what about the pack? Are you just leaving them again? It's been so long since you went! Why won't you come back?"

He shook his head, and glared at her. "Can't you see? Are you blind? You're asking me to go back to being the Alpha of the pack, when [I]my daughter[/I] is still alive out there? Besides, they don't need me. You've been doing a fine job on your own."

Ingrid stood with her hands on her hips. Her voice came through gritted teeth. "Yes, I'm quite capable of leading the damn pack, but it's your responsibility! I didn't ask to have that position dumped on me!"

Alastor sighed, looking up at the sky. "...I...I won't go back. Not until..."

"Fine! Have your damn revenge! God, you would rip the entire world apart, if it was up to you. Can't you just let it go?"

He turned to her in disbelief. Was this Ingrid talking? "...Let it go...? Let it go??" His hands curled into fists, but then he saw her face. She looked so...tired. He had almost forgotten how much she had loved Shizu and Yuki. He could see glimpses of Shizu in her form...and he mentally blocked the painful memories. No time for them right now. "Ingrid...I have to find Yuki. I thought you would understand. But I guess not... You should leave. Go back."

Her voice stopped him, cutting through the night air. He turned back to her, to see her smiling sadly. "Do you think I'm letting you go alone? I miss Yuki too." She walked towards him, and he saw blades in her hands.

"What? No, I'm not letting you come. I said [I]go back[/I]."

The sad smile was gone from her face, replaced by a wry one. "I'm sorry, Alastor, but you relinquished the position of Alpha. Therefore, there's no way that I'm going to follow your orders on this. Besides, didn't you ever learn any manners? Always let the lady go first." She walked past him breezily, her hair fanning out behind her.

He followed quickly, swearing under his breath.

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=darkslategray][i]Someone was going to get a punch in the mouth. Either that, or he'd have to stop taking public transport. The whole hobo image from some, vampyre from others, was really starting to piss him off. The only good thing was that mothers tended to hide their children's faces when they walked past him on the street, meaning the little shits shut up for half a second.

There was something about sentient life that was pissing Kaarstein off more than usual. And that took quite a bit normally. Of course, it wasn't obvious, he wouldn't let it show, he had more important concerns. Besides, yet another failure.

The basic idea he was running with was isotopes of iron, haemoglobin being replaced with a large scale version of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydrogen ion carrier, and the conversion of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide to an oxygen carrying molecule. They could be obtained fairly easily, it was just a matter of getting his body to accept it. That was where he hit problems. For some reason, the Kreb's cycle wouldn't function with the altered NADPH2 present, which meant he might just have to revolutionise biological life as it was known, and find some decent alternatives to adenosine triphosphate. Which meant a complete cellular reconstruction. Which was not going to be pretty. Or easy. In fact, it probably meant irradiation to the nth degree, series of chemicals that didn't exist in anything but a laboratory, and definately a few million changes to the human Genome. In fact, it probably involved a couple more protein structures that currently didn't exist.

All in all, Kaarstein had his work cut out for him. Interestingly enough, quite a few other people also seemed to have Kaarstein's work cut out for them. And Kaarstein was more than willing to let them do it for him. Unsuprising really.

He checked his watch, it was only a few hours after midnight. He wasn't sure who's laboratory he was in anyway, but that wasn't really relevant. He had a nightstick on the table, and was fairly confident with it.

Besides, if any kind of biochemist walked in, and saw what he was doing, they'd be too busy gibbering in shock to actually do anything. Bunch of provincials.[/font][/color][/i]

[Talon]

[color=crimson][i]Yuto grinned and walked from his rooms into the main hall, moving into step with Shizen.[/i]

[b]Shizen:[/b](So he summoned you, to, eh? Just perfect.)

[b]Yuto:[/b](You aren't the only telepathic in this house, as you well know. Just be glad Wakusei can't hear anything aside from a direct thought.)

[i]This familiar conversation ended as they entered Wakusei's room, which was more like an elaborate egyptian tomb with modern touches here and there. Wakusei sat upon his high-backed chair, looking down on Shizen.[/i]

[b]Wakusei:[/b]Shizen, the girl has arrived. Yuto and you shall be her assistants. We must find the cure to our curse against the daylight. Do NOT fail me! And Yuto!

[b]Yuto:[/b]Yes, sire?

[b]Wakusei:[/b]Use your potions or incantations or whatever and find me the werewolf that took your hand. In his blood lies the secret to resisting wood, and to tripling our already formidable strength.

[i]Yuto his his surprise at this thought. He looked up, bowed, and left the room with Shizen.[/i]

[b]Shizen:[/b](If his blood holds the key, then why don't you hand over that wolf-girl you have in that secret room of yours?)

[b]Yuto:[/b](Yuki needs her father. Besides, I'm not about to stand aside and let Wakusei make us into something the Gods didn't. It's...against their laws.)

[i]Both of the vampires proceeded to the labs, hoping against hope something would take Wakusei out. Or at least cripple him beyond recovery.[/i][/color]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[color=teal][b]Alastor:[/b]Sunuvamutherfokkin'......

[i]Ingrid grinned as she looked out at the landscape below her. A bright light from the town below attracted her attention. Beside her, Alastor grinned.[/i]

[b]Alastor:[/b]They're hunting.....so am I!

[i]In the blink of an eye, Alastor stood a full foot taller, his calws extended. He loped down to the city, breaking into the wall of the tavern. A single human was backed into the wall, four vampires turning to face the werewolf that just interrupted their feast. In an instant, one vampire became dust as Alastor emptied one of the stakeholders in his bandolier. With a swipe of his claws, another vampire had an unbleeding wound opened in his jaws. But Alastor no longer had the element of surprise. Instead, he had three angry vampires ready to drink HIS blood.[/i]

[b]Alastor:[/b]Oh, perfect. Just what I need. This'll go on all night![/color]

[Valen]

The thin crescent moon shone down on Shizen and Yuto as they walked across the small field to the labratory that they were instructed by Wakusei to report to.

"(So... what exactly can [i]we[/i] do to help this... girl in her research?)" Shizen wondered as he stared at the labratory, hesitant to enter. Something inside him was telling him that this was not a good idea.

"HEY! GUYS!" A voice cried from the building that the two had just left. Yuto and Shizen looked back.

"... Who invited him?" Yuto asked in a very disgruntled voice.

"(Not me.)" Shizen replied telepathically.

"WAIT FOR ME!" It was none other than Arden, Shizen's overly-friendly 'friend'. He finally caught up to the two, who were still standing there. "Let's go!"

"(I'm going to regret this...)" Shizen thought as he opened the doors to the lab, revealing a pitch black area. Something was not right.

[starlight]

[I]As Satsuki walked down the dim hallway that, according to the small paper posted by the entryway into the hall, was the dorms she felt a small twinge of worry begin to build up inside. [/I]

Satsuki: Stop it... Stop it... Stop it! No bad thoughts on the first night! I'm gonna be living her for a bit, I don't need to be scared out of my skin on the first night!

[I]Trying to get her mind off it, Satsuki began to pay more thorough attention to the room numbers on the doors. The hallway was white, like the rest of the lab building, it gave Satsuki the impression of a hospital. The doors however, were a different story. They were metal, each had a number painted in black on its smooth surface, they looked like very similar to elevator doors. The lights overheard flickered again with a small buzz. Glancing away from the wall to what lay ahead, she smiled as she caught sight of several small packing boxes that sat alongside of from what she could see, was room #6.

Reaching what she now believed was her room, Satsuki tested the code on the keypad on the wall next to where the doorknob should have been. With a buzz and the reassurance of a little green light that blinked on moments before the door began to slide open Satsuki knew this was the right one. Peering inside, all that could be seen by her was pitch blackness. Edging her way inside, the door slammed shut behind her, engulfing her in the darkness of the room. Fumbling blindly in the dark, it took a minute or two before Satsuki could find a light switch.

Temporarily blinded by the light when she flicked it on, it took a moment before she dared to open her eyes again. Unlike the rest of the lab, this room was painted a light green. This surprised Satsuki a bit. Looking around the room, she found that it contained a desk, dresser, a table with a pair of folding chairs, and a bed.

Satsuki smiled drowsily before checking her watch, the time surprised Satsuki and quickly wiped the smile off of her face. Groaning, it suddenly dawned on her that she was supposed to start actually working tomorrow... well... today if you wanted to be technical. Too tired to even want to think of unpacking, or changing for bed for that matter, Satsuki headed over to the bed and flopped down on it. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

This unfortunately, didn't last any more than an hour. Hearing the sound of glass breaking startled Satsuki awake. Groggily, she sat up and looked around the room in utter confusion before remembering where she was.[/I]

Satsuki: What was that?.... wait... the lab!

[I]Tumbling, quite literally out of bed, Satsuki stumbled to the door and put her ear to its cool metal surface. Straining her ears in hopes of catching even the slightest sound Satsuki felt a feeling of fear well up inside of her. Calm down, it's probably Mr. Yuto coming back in and he knocked something over, Satsuki told herself. Her conscience was telling her to believe otherwise.

Satsuki, not wanting to take any chances, knew it WAS her duty to at least check in on what may or may not be happening in the lab outside. Edging cautiously to the keypad on the wall, she punched in the code again, and opened the door.

Peering out into the now-darkened hall, she strained to hear something else, her ears were greeted by the sound of something bumping into a chair from the screeching sound it made as it moved across the tiled floor. Taking a cautious step out into the hall, she began to sneak back into the lab area.

...Oh gods...If this is really an intruder I'm so screwed! Thought Satsuki as she scolded herself for not thinking about picking up some kind of weapon. Slowly, she climbed up the three steps into the main area of the lab and looked around. The computer consoles in front of her abstructed her view of the rest of the lab. Edging along the wall, she moved until she could see a large portion of the darkened lab. She couldn't see anyone at first, but when she noticed some kind of movement near the lab tables she began to panic. Trying not to be spotted, Satsuki darted along the wall. Her goal: get the hell out of here and find Yuto or someone else who could help her.

Dashing around a corner as she drew close to the stairway out she suddenly ran headfirst into someone and bounced off of them, falling to the floor in a surprised heap. Suspecting that she had been found by the intruder, Satsuki let out a terrified scream.[/I]

???: (Whoa! What the?!)

[I]Satsuki stopped screaming immediately as she heard the voice... [B]In her head no less![/B] [/I]

Satsuki: That voice... was...in my head?!

???: Well that's no good, I 'spose that there's doctors out there that can help ya fix that.

Satsuki: Huh?!

[I]Looking up again, Satsuki could only see three silhoettes directly in front of her.[/I]

Satsuki: What's going on?!

[Cyriel]

Alastor watched as one of the heads of the vampires seemed to float through the air and fall at his feet. Ingrid slashed at another one of the vampires with quick flicks of her wrists; it received a deep cut in its arm, lucky that it had responded lightning fast because of the death of its fellow. Ingrid leaped back, lithely dogding the vampire's own attacks.

The other remaining vampire turned its attention to Alastor, who had moved into action as soon as he had recognized Ingrid's blades. His claws slashed out, cutting deeply into the undead flesh, and shearing bone and marrow. His hand came out the other side, and when he pulled out his arm, a gaping hole was left in the vampire's chest. A surprised expression was on its blood-spattered face, and it fell to the ground. Alastor turned his attention back to the last vampire and his sister.

Ingrid was still in human form. She tried to remain human as much as possible, due to a certain condition that only immediate family knew about: Ingrid could not fully transform into a wolf. Instead, she could only turn into one partially, looking like a mutated crossbreed between a wolf and a human. The wolves in the pack that had actually seen this were under the false impression that she could control her transformation, which added to their respect for her. She had done nothing to correct them.

Now, she seemed to dance through the air, leaping and twisting gracefully out of reach, her hair following her movements like a shadow. Silver blades disappeared and reappeared constantly in her hands, quick movements that the eye could barely follow, drawn instead to the quick reflections of light on the moving blades. The vampire had no chance. Lines of blood were forming in patterns all over its pale, milky skin. Its face was contorted in twisted expressions of pain and fury. Alastor was about to leap in and end the disgusting dance, when Ingrid finally delivered the fatal blow, cutting off its head as she had did with the first one she had dispatched.

"Why do you do that?" Ingrid asked quietly, her face expressionless as she wiped blades on a tablecloth. A total of ten knives were laid out on the table, and she cleaned them in an organized fashion. Alastor knew that many more were hidden under her clothing, rows sheathed in soft leather.

He transformed back into his human form, and shrugged. "Do what?"

She rolled up one of her pant legs, slipping the silver blades back into their places without a sound. "Why do you always go off like that on your own, without even a thought? It's definitely not something that you used to do, not even using your head. Have you turned into an idiot, after you left the pack?" Her tone was faintly mocking, but he was too tired to grow angry at her insult.

Before he could answer her, a cluttering sound was heard in the corner of the tavern. One of the chairs was knocked over as the human that had been there came hurtling out of their hiding spot, screaming bloody murder, eyes wide in shock and terror.

Ingrid sighed, and went back to putting away her knives. "You catch it."

[Talon]

[color=teal][i]Alastor sighed as he pulled out his longsword, aimed, and threw. It pierced the man through his vocal cords, preventing any scream from alerting anyone else.[/i]

[b]Ingrid:[/b]Now, answer me. When did you change?

[b]Alastor:[/b]Ingrid....I.....I changed when I thought I might become unfaithful to Shizu's memory. When the Cleric tok me in and taught me what I needed to know.

[i]Ingrid had barely listened after the unfaithful part.[/i]

[b]Ingrid:[/b]Before the Cleric. After Shizu. JUST WHO WERE YOU PLANNING ON LOVING AFTER OUR SISTER, AFTER YOUR OWN GODDAMN WIFE DIED!!!!!??????

[i]Alastor sighed, slashing his own wrist and licking the blood. He was thirsty and hated the taste of ale.[/i]

[b]Alastor:[/b]I was in love with no-one else. I AM in love with no other. it was and is a fear I still hold deep in my heart. It has forced me to become a freakish, tainted beast with only one purpose: vengeance.

[b]Ingrid:[/b]Where are you, Alastor Silvermoon? Where is that handsome, courageous brother who would galdly have given up an entire week's worth of red meat so that the youngest, scrawniest cub in the pack could be fed?

[i]Alastor sighed, looking out at the sea of hard, lifeless ground. He stared hard at the castle, not so far away, at the end of the main street of the city.[/i]

[b]Alastor:[/b]He's still chained to a wall in that castle, screaming for the woman he loves to be freed and his own life taken. Howling for his daughter and his youngest sister to be happy.

[b]Ingrid:[/b]What did they do to you?

[i]Alastor looked up, wondering where that statement had come from. He then realized his jacket was open, his large, angry red scar splashed contrastingly against his pale, musculat chest.[/i]

[b]Alastor:[/b]I can't remember. Nor do I want to.......[/color]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[color=crimson][i]Yuto sighed, his headache growing worse.[/i]

[b]Yuto:[/b]Shizen, please don't scare the poor girl like that again. And you, Arden....CALM THE HELL DOWN!!!!! We need this lab for our studies, we can't have you destroy it in one night......AGAIN!!! And now, Satsuki-dono, please allow me to escort you to your rooms.

[i]Shizen was up in a flash, chewing on his lip and shouting at Yuto in a sever mental barrage.[/i]

[b]Shizen:[/b](Nuh-uh! Not you! I wanna walk her upstairs! You saw her earlier! Besides, Arden woke me up barely ten minutes ago! I need a break!)

[b]Yuto:[/b]Fine, Shizen. Whatever you say.

[i]Satsuki simply stared.[/i]

[b]Satsuki:[/b]But he didn't SAY anything. Did he?

[b]Shizen:[/b](I'm a telepath, just like Yuto is. We can speak with our minds. Can't read 'em, though. Just basic motivations. Like hunger, anger, sex drive....)

[i]Arden was on the gound giggling at this. Shizen was sparing no expense as he took Satsuki upstairs. God, it was going to be a long night. Yuto popped a pair of pills, then grabbed Arden and dragged him away. Until Arden broke Yuto's grasp and bounded after Shizen.[/i]

[b]Arden:[/b]WAIT!!! I wanna hear about your first conquest, Shizen! YOU PROMISED!!!!!!!!!![/color]

[Valen]

Shizen and Satsuki continued to walk down the narrow, white hall. Shizen looked quite annoyed, but was doing his best to hide it around the new comer. She noticed that he was trying too hard and decided to break the silence.

"So, Shizen, does he always [i]have[/i] to follow you like that and be [i]that[/i] annoying to you?" She asked in a playful tone, awaiting a response that would lighten the mood. Hopefully.

"(Yeah... and he does get quite annoying. I don't know why I tolerate him really....)" Shizen thought about this for a moment, and knowing she couldn't exactly hear him, he nodded slightly and sighed... Then a smirk crept upon his face.

Satsuki took a step back, only to have Arden bump into her at full speed, sending her flying into Shizen. Shizen, being instinctively quick, put his arms out to catch her. She landed in his arms, but not without Arden giving Shizen one of those all-knowing looks. Shizen let go of Satsuki after she caught her balance again, then returned the look, only, more evil. Arden took this opportunity to giggle and amuse himself with the fact that Shizen actually hugged a girl, even though it was purely accidental and unintentional, but he knew he was in for it when they got back.

"(Arden, why don't you go help Yuto clean up, no?)" Shizen thought with a hint of annoyance.

"Awww, why? Do you two want to be left alone?" Arden almost giggled himself to death...again at this. He was amusing himself and having quite the good time at Shizen's expense.

"(NOW!!!!!)" The thought echoed through everyone's mind as Shizen's eyes seemed to glow a yellowish tenge.

Arden turned to go, but was greeted by Yuto, who didn't look too pleased. "Arden, leave Shizen alone, and Ms. Satsuki, have a good night sleep. We start early tomorrow. Good night. Oh, and Shizen... lower your thought level a bit. You don't want Wakusei to come barging in here and wake the young woman, now do you?" Shizen didn't answer. "...I thought so. Now, as I was saying, we start early tomorrow. I shall take my leave now. Arden! You come with me."

Yuto gave Shizen a nod and turned to go back to the lab, but not before grabbing Arden by the back of the neck and dragging him along.

"I thank you, but I must get to bed. Thank you again, Shizen. See you in the morning!" Satsuki told him with a weird happiness in her voice, more relief to have Arden out of her hair. Shizen returned with a nod and a smile and went back.

[Cyriel]

Ingrid watched as Alastor closed his jacket, hiding the angry scar beneath the folds of his clothing. His words were still in her mind. With the words came the memories, painful ones full of past love that tore at her heart. She closed her eyes, silently regaining her composure. There was no use in remembering the past, if you couldn't change it. [I]Shizu. Where are you? Why did you go?[/I] Familiar questions came rushing back, and Ingrid struggled to lock them back into her heart.

When she opened her eyes, her expression was cool and controlled. Ingrid watched Alastor finish licking the last of his blood, and the wound slowly closed. Watching him closely, she followed his every move, looking for something hidden, secret. She was so focused on him that she could see the slight movement of his muscles that hinted to which way he would turn. [I]What did the Cleric teach you, I wonder...[/I] But she didn't voice her thoughts out loud. Her brother was as secretive as she, and her temper had flared enough already.

Ingrid walked over the human, who was laying on the floor, pierced through the throat by Alastor's longsword. He was still faintly alive, at least alive enough to try to scream again as he caught sight of her. But she paid no attention to him, merely pulling out the sword with a lithe movement. The human gurgled a scream, drowning in his own blood. Ingrid looked at the human, wondering if it had suffered enough to deserve a helping hand to death. Finally, watching the air bubbles in the blood, she swiftly delivered the final blow, cutting the human's head off cleanly with the sword. Alastor watched in silence, uninterested by the minor death. Ingrid silently handed the sword back to him, and he wiped the blade on one of the table cloths, and sheathed it.

When Alastor looked up, he saw Ingrid staring towards the castle. She started to walk. When she called back to him, her voice was hard and cold. "Are you coming? We might as well search for Yuki now, before those ******** do something to her."

Alastor's head snapped up, and with a bound he was beside his sister, looking her full in the face. "Who said you were coming? This...is personal business..." His eyes looked haunted as he said this, and she could almost taste the hatred on his tongue.

Ingrid looked away, her hair hiding her face. "You're right, it is personal. But not just for you. Besides, it's not like you could ever keep me away." She looked up, and smiled bitterly at him.

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=darkslategray][i]Now, what Kaarstein really wasn't keen on was the security guard that he'd previously contemplated and ignored. Sure, the guy was more interested in the questionably meaty pie and the wireless he had, and by the looks of it his beer gut in centimetres was exponentially larger than his IQ, but corpses did attract attention.

Well, nothing else for it. Kaarstein flipped the nightstick up in the air and transferred his laptop from his right to his left, caught the truncheon, and sauntered up behind the man. A quick rap to the back of his head, and suddenly whatever was on the radio was less interesting. Of course, there'd be a large dark bruise in a few hours, making it obvious someone was messing around, but that wasn't a concern. Kaarstein severely doubted his records were on file anywhere. Normally, moving four times within a year was enough to destroy any trace of you. He'd been basically on the streets for years. There were probably traces of his blood on various instruments he'd used over the years in research, but with no one to match them with, he'd merely be an identity code in a cabinet somewhere.

For some reason, that notion was vaguely depressing for a minute. Then he considered that there was an otherwise useless bureaucrat somewhere devoting his life to working out who XY288893233 was, and why he was repeatedly taking and testing blood samples in various labs. No doubt there would be an elaborate model used to predict his movements, and a truly absurd theory linking him to the hostile foreign power of choice.

Being someone who you've never met's reason for existance is kind of uplifting...Especially when they're completely and utterly wrong about you and you know you can bring them crashing to the ground in an instant.

Kaarstein mentally shrugged sardonically at that, and wandered into the alley currently serving as residence. It wasn't that bad an alley, it was free of rubbish and drunks. It was covered in by an overhang on the other side, there actually wasn't a dumpster of any kind in it, and there was a rather nice little niche in the walls at the back where two buildings didn't quite match up. Chasing out the occasional rat was about all that was required.

That and the police. But they didn't count; you couldn't really get rid of them.[/font][/color][/i]

[starlight]

[I]Satsuki slipped quietly back into her room, making sure to turn off the lights this time before going over to her bed. She was definately in a confused and amazed haze.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she thought about those three that she had just been aquainted with.

She [B]knew[/B] from the moment that she took this job that she would probably be dealing with Vampires, but was any of those three a Vampire? Going into deep thought she began to think about each one, trying to see if they could be. She really couldn't tell. Especially since both Yuto-San [B][U]AND[/U][/B] Shizen-San appeared to be albino, which would naturally make their skin paler. What about little Arden though? Thought Satsuki as she thought about the little annoying one. He LOOKED around 13 to 15...and acted like a 6 year old... but was he really as young, naive and innocent as he appeared? Did [B]HE[/B] depend on blood for his survival?

Sighing, Satsuki flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling as she remembered when she had first met an Aylward representitive, at the bus station; the metting place they had finally agreed upon over the phone...[/I]
_________________________________________________

[B][I]Flashback to meeting...[/I][/B]

Satsuki paced the terminal platform, getting many a worried glance from nervous onlookers as they watched. Satsuki, oblivious to the onlookers, sighed inwardly and checked her watch again.

"It's getting late... maybe they meant another station..." She murmured as she cast another glance around the crowded station. Even at this hour, the bus station was still busy as if it was midday. Growing impatient, she moved off of the busiest part of the platform over to the red brick wall of the station building. Leaning against the rough bricks, she cast another half-hearted glance down at her watch. The neon-green numbers flashed the time again, almost a half hour later than what had been agreed upon.

"Dammit! Trust me to take a job with a stuck up, no good ***hole that keeps his new employees waiting! If he was here right now I'd--!"

"Ms. Yukimori?" A new voice cut into Satsuki's ranting causing her to stop immediately to face them. Her face was already bright red with embarrassment. The man that the voice belonged to looked a bit embarrassed himself.

"Y-yes?..." She stammered in embarrassment, praying silently to any god listening that he hadn't heard her.

"I am a represntitive of Master Aylward!" He said proudly as he held out his hand for a handshake. Satsuki shook his hand and smiled weakly in greeting.

"May I see the card that was left in your mailbox Ms. Yukimori?" He asked. Satsuki was taken off guard for a moment before remembering. "Y-yes, certainly... Give me a second to find it please." Satsuki said as she rummaged through her coat pocket for the small card. Upon finding it, she handed it over to the representitive. He smiled as he saw the unique emblem, which was all that was on the card except for a small note scribbled on the back that read:

[B][INDENT][FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium][I]Do not loose this card, it is an identification clearence for any of my representitives that I may send.[/I][/FONT][/INDENT][/B]
"My apologies for keeping you waiting Ms. Yukimori. The car broke down about halfway here so it took awhile to get it running again. I tried your cellphone, but you didn't pick up." The man tried to explain. Chestnut brown hair framed his kind youthful face. It seemed to move on its own when he talked, even with no wind. An emblem was sewn to the front of his black formal jacket, its stylized deep red phoenix stood out againt its light backing. The emblem matched that of what was printed onto the card.

"Thats okay, I was just worried you weren't going to come at all!" Explained Satsuki with a smile as she shifted her backpack on her shoulder.

"Yes well... the days are shorter now so I suppose I could have left earlier..." murmuered the representitive. This statment confused Satsuki entirely, but she didn't dare comment.

"Now... would you please follow me to the car? I am to escort you back to the House... I'll explain the details on the way and answer any questions you may have." The rep made a sweeping motion with his hand to the ancient car that Satsuki hadn't even noticed, even when it had apparently pulled up longside of the bus terminal. Agreeing to follow, Satsuki nervously headed over to the car...


"I'm going to WHAT?! Work with an actual Vampire?!" Declared Satsuki less than 10 minutes later. The rep cringed slightly and nodded as he re-confirmed it.

"Yes... Ms Yukimori... as I just said... You will actually be working with Vampires. Humans... maybe, I'm not too sure. But I know at least one of your co-workers will be of that nature so don't be surprised if and when they reveal that nature to you alright?"
________________________________________________________

[I]Satsuki sighed again as she rolled over onto her side. [/I]

"But which one of them is the Vampire?..." [I]She murmered just as sleep overtook her. Holding her firmly in it's grasp until morning... When the real work would begin...[/I]

[Dark-Eye]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][i]Meanwhile, a little ways down the from the entrance, an incorporal mass of darkness moves out of the shadows and begins to gather in the dim light there. The smoking mass begins to take form and move towards the entrance, slowy changing into what seems to be the shadow of a large skeletal figure. As it reaches the door it finally takes the form of what seems to be more acceptable, a tall, pale vampire with long black hair. In this form he entered the building and looked around to make sure that no one had seen his display of demon-like maneuvers out front.[/i][/COLOR]

[color=Darkred][b]Flogral: [/b] I am glad no one is here, I would hate to have to kill a member of my "family" for finding out too much about me without my permission. I'd better go find out where they all are.

[i]After saying this he moves swiftly up the stairway, this time staying in a vampire form.[/i][/color]

(OOC: Sorry for not posting sooner but I havn't had time to get online recently and I have just been able to check my pms to see if Starlight would accept my late character entry. And for those who don't know, my charcter is a demon named Dâgalûr who has be posing as a vampire named Flogral for some time now. Flogral was a man killed by Shizen about 100 years ago and I took control of his body and integrated it into my being. Read my Profile on the recruitment sheet to know more about Dâgalûr and Flogral.)

[Valen]

[COLOR=#33ooCC][I]In the shadows lurked Shizen, undetected by this quick-moving vampire, coming back home from what seemed to be a very long night. The vampire slammed into Shizen, just as he turned the corner of the hallway.[/I]

"(...)" [I]Shizen glared at this vampire that looked... familiar. Shizen's glance became more noticable as he overlooked this vampire. He backed away in shock. It couldn't be. Not this human[/I]. "(You're... I killed you!)" [I]Shizen's thoughts echoed through out the house.[/I]

[I]The vampire glared back, not saying a word as he passed by Shizen, trying not to be noticed, but a little too late for that one. But Shizen's vampire sense told him that there was something different about this one... something... better. [/I] "(You... I remember now... It was about a hundred years ago... You were that nobleman that I did away with... quite delicious in fact.)" [I]Shizen thought as he stared in amazement, but began to follow this "vampire."[/I]

"SHIZEN!!!!" [I]An all-too-familiar voice called out from down the stairway. [/I] "WAIT UP!" [I]The voice called again. Arden ran up the stairs after Shizen and the "Vampire." [/I] "So! Who's your new friend? C'mon! Do tell!"

"(It's --)"

"--Nobody." [I]Arden finished for him in a display of either being around Shizen too long, or just for the hell of annoying Shizen even more. [/I] "Haha, but seriously... who [I]was[/I] that? I've never seen him around here..."[/COLOR]