I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Part 1 (Open)

[Caine]

The night was cold. Every night was cold. The day wasn't cold. The day didn't even exist anymore. Every night was the same. An endless prowl through streets and alleys and clubs and hotels. Searching for someone. Who? He didn't know. He can't even remember if he ever knew at one point. Maybe he did. One time, before the carnage. Perhaps he had them once, but lost them sometime during the long years he'd spent wandering. He was so alone. For almost one hundred years now, he'd never encountered another like him. Nobody to relate to. Nobody to connect with. Nobody to share his stories with. What if nobody wanted to hear his stories? Was he destined to wander the galaxy, like some ancient mariner, looking for somebody to tell his story to. Was this his punishment for a sin long forgotten? What if it wasn't forgotten?

No. It wasn't forgotten. Not yet. Not for a long time. The hunger inside him was a constant reminder of the sin he had committed all those years ago. It would remind him every night he awoke for as long as he wandered the galaxy.

Though some nights, he wondered if it would be his final night. He would wonder, on these nights, if he would meet his final death by some twist of fate. But every night he thought this, he would survive, and return to his haven, wherever it may be, and rest. And the next night he would arise and continue wandering. Searching for one like he.

Perhaps tonight he would find them. Or perhaps he would meet final death by cold steel or burning light. Only time would tell. But for now, Caine was hungry. He felt the thirst the moment he stood up. He assumed that last night he wasn't fully satisfied, and so would have to find nourishment soon to avoid frenzy. But after all these years he had never entered frenzy on more than two separate occasions. And they were a long time ago. But he remembered them well. Just him. Nobody else.

It did not take him long to decide where to go this evening. He had not visited the club down the street for several weeks. Tonight seemed like a good night to go there. But why? He didn't know anybody who frequented the establishment. Nor did he need to go to that particular club. He just felt something telling him to go there tonight. And so he did.

Along the way, Caine had a revelation. All these years he had asked himself the same question. Why was he alone? Was it the punishment? Was enforced solitude his eternal pain? No. It certainly was not. Nor was he experiencing enforced solitude. It was nothing but mind-forged. He was alone by choice. He wanted nothing more than to be with someone like him, but shunned from anything and everything with sentience. Except for nourishment. Therein lies part of the answer to his question. He had to do more than simply look. Tonight he would.

He stepped into the nightclub. Not that he knew what a dayclub was or if indeed such a thing existed. He just knew that this was a nightclub from people he had heard talking about the place. So in he went, ready to look, listen, talk and feel. He hoped against hope it would bring him the answers he desired. he ascended the stairway and walked through the double doors, stepping onto the first floor. The music blasted everywhere, the band raged with their machines, and clubgoers danced the night away. he stepped up to the bar and paused momentarily before ordering a drink. He looked around whilst he waited for the fiery-haired girl to brink him his Eciff Onrims...

[imported_Ezra]

Walking amoung the night goers looking for those "undesirable" types that he feeds off of, Ezra passed the dance floor ,his brown eyes combing the scene for a potential "food source". His thirst wasn't that bad tonight, but he looked anyway. His long flowing black coat billowed as he walked up to the bar and sat down on a stool.

"Tylosian Rum"

He says to the barkeep with his head tilted forward looking at the bartop.

[Caine]

Despite the amount of both unpleasant and pleasant smells in the air, originating from various drugs, perfumes and bodily fluids he recognised the scent immediately. After one hundred years he had not forgotten it. Somewhere in this club there was another like he. Had his heart been beating it would have leapt up into his throat instantly. His anxiety was incredible. Any mortal man right now would be breathing heavily. But Caine was no mortal man. And all he had left now was his emotions and his mind. Both were tattered and torn. He hoped that tonight might be the start of his healing. He grbbed his drink and turned from the bar. It was incredibly hard to pinpoint the exact location of them, due to both the extraneous scents of the club itself as well as Caine's unfamiliarity with his powers since they had been dormant for so long.

He stepped onto the dancefloor and began looking. Surely if he could feel them? Surely they could feel him too? He observed they eyes of every person who looked at him. Would they be male or female? Human even? He hadn't seen any race other than human in here on any other visits. He would know soon enough. He inhaled deeply. It was horrendous. The alcohol and drug and vomit aroma's were unbelievably strong on his supernatural sense of smell. He cringed, but persisted. He walked around for a while, trying to avoid being hit by anybody who felt extra-wild in the moshpit and decided to lash out at him. There were muscular men, muscular women. Skinny men and skinny women. Young men and young women. Boys and girls. Long wavey hair, long thick hair. Short hair, no hair. Pink hair. Green hair. Burning hair. Any one of them could have been the one he was looking for. He didn't care. All he cared about was finding them.

But as he looked into their eyes, there was nothing. He couldn't feel anything from them. Perhaps his senses had become weaker than he thought. He made a mental note to practice somewhat on the following night. After several more minutes of this hopeless searching, Caine returned to the bar in defeat. He decided to order another drink before proceeding up to the next floor to search there. He would not leave this place until either he found what he was looking for, or until he had just enough time to return to the safety of his haven before the sun came up.

[imported_Ezra]

Listening to a conversation next to him off to the right, Ezra smiled as he found his source for replenishment tonight. A drug dealer making his wages. Ezra turned his head to see a man and woman talking. He watched the male for a bit, then was very suprised to see the female take the money and hand the male the stuff.
His eyebrow lifted as this wasn't usually the case. The male left her side, and she looked up pretty quickly to catch Ezra staring at her. She boldly walked over and he smiled. She leaned against the bar in front of him and spoke.

"Looking for a quick fix?"

Ezra smiled bigger. "Oh yeah.....And you seem to have what I'm looking for."

"Honey, I do have what you're looking for."

He softly laughed ""Yes you do."

"So what will it be and how much you need?"
He pointed to the rear exit. "Meet me outside there in about an hour and a half. I don't like doing this sort of exchange publicly, and how much? I intend to take all you got." He showed a handful of credits that made her eyes bulge.
"Hour and a half you say? alright, I'll be there."

And with that she walked away. He watched her leave and could already taste her life essence. He suddenly felt something else. another of his kind. But where? And how he hadn't felt this person as he came in. He thought to himself that he must be slacking or too much suffering from the "thirst" right now. He scanned the dance floor and the sides.....then he turned to the bar and there he was. Ordering his drink. Ezra sat there watching him carefully. He seemed to be looking for someone as he occasionally scanned the floor while waiting for his drink.
He kept his eyes on him till he felt the need to look back.

[Caine]

The drink was delivered and he devoured it effortlessly. A female bystander whistled with awe. He eyed her momentarily, but decided that she wasn't who he was looking for. Then, he noticed another man staring at him. He reciprocated out of politeness. Then, an inclination was born. Had the one he was looking for found him? Was it this man? Caine approached him in silence. He stepped up very close to the man and sensed. It was so much stronger now. The smell. The taste. The voice inside. The very emanations of his emotion. All meaningless to a mortal, but to Caine it was like a light being shone in his eyes and somebody shouting down his ears 'Hey, idiot - I'm right in front of you!'. Caine smiled. He inhaled deeply, which the man found to be rather odd. Then, Caine stepped back, still smiling like a child opening a gift-wrapped box of unknown treasures...

"Who are you? How old are you?"

[imported_Ezra]

He watched with interest. The way he acted, like a child who has just gotten the best birthday gift ever. Kind of like the way Kariss felt when he befriended her those many ,many years ago.

"My name is Ezra, and I am over 500 years old."

He gestured to the stool next to him, which the other took. Ezra sat there wondering why this person looked so relieved as to finding him. Even as to why he was looking. Maybe he needed a place or a face to be connected too. To belong. He knew how lonely it gotten sometimes.

"Who are you and how old are you?"

[Kariss]

Kariss walked into the bar, wiping the tell tale signs of blood from her lips and jaw as her eyes danced with merriment. She felt a very familiar presence inside and had to find out who it was. She scanned the building quickly, her eyes stopping on a man sitting at the bar talking to someone. Her mouth opened into a fang filled grin as she recognized Ezra.

Kariss took a step towards him, then halted when she realized he was deep in conversation with the man to his left. Kariss smiled again to herself, walking to a corner table to wait until her friend was free to talk. She sat back in the chair, bringing her booted feet to rest ontop of the table and placed her arms on the back her chair. Her eyes followed Ezra's every move as he seemed to be waiting for the other man to answer. She smirked, soflty whispering, 'Ezra', knowing he heard it as if she had said it in his ear.

[Caine]

Who are you and how old are you?

No sooner had the words left his lips did Caine sense a second one. This one was most definitely female. He didn't know how he knew, he just knew. His attention was instantly diverted from Ezra and his question. It was too good to be true. Two in a single night. And after all these years. As delighted and happy as Caine was, he couldn't help but bear a small suspicion. It seemed too good to be true. He quickly scanned the area, resting his eyes on a woman not too far from them, sitting at a table. She was looking straight at him, or Ezra. ONe of them at least...

"Is she...I mean uh...do you..."

He couldn't speak properly. He hadn't been this excited for so long now, he'd forgotten what excitement was.

"Do you know her?"

[imported_Ezra]

'Ezra'

Came a sweet sounding whisper. As if it were spoken right up against his ear. He recognized the voice right off the bat and smiled with his eyes closed. Kariss....... she must have wandered in on his location. Once in a while they would run into each other at the same place. He averted his eyes and saw her at one of the booths. He winked at her and answered the stranger's question.

"Yes, I know her....that is Kariss. A very close friend. Very close."

Ezra smiled keeping his fangs hidden away as the patrons around him would see. Ezra stood up and gestured for the other to follow.

"Come, let us sit and talk. I will answer some questions you must certainly have. And you will get a chance to meet another such as yourself."

They strolled over to the corner booth and Ezra slid in next to Kariss, giving her a kiss on the forehead in the way he always greets her. Then putting his arm around her shoulders, he relaxes and gestures with his free arm as he introduces her.

"This is Kariss, and you are......"

Ezra paused as he didn't catch the other vamps name before. He waited for him to answer with it as the vamp slid in on the opposite side of the table.

[Caine]

He sat down opposite the two. Judging by thier closeness and intimacy, he assumed they were lovers. Then again, all too often he had come to realise that assumption was the mother of all mishaps. He couldn't help but smile at the both of them as he flicked his attention from each face before him. He was so excited he almost forgot to answer the question directed at him.

"Caine. My name is Caine. Or at least that's what people used to call me. I can't remember my lats name, or if I even had a last name. I..."

He paused momentarily. Gazing off at some distant, invisible point past the dancefloor and past the bar and past the club and past the planet. His smile faded slowly as he stared and thought. He almost lost himself in his thoughts and memories. They were so real to him now more than ever. It felt as though they had all happened yesterday. The fires. The soldiers. The man. The woman. The fires. The children. The monster. The girl. The fires.

The fires still burned. They still raged out of control in some obscure part of his mind where even the darkest demons fear to tread. A tear formed in one of his eyes. He eventually blinked it out of existence.

"...I can't remember how old I am..."

He returned his eyes to the two with him now, and the smile quickly returned to his face. Seeing the two of them for the first time was an incredible feeling. It conjured up all kinds of images in Caine's mind and in his heart. He wondered if they were just impossible hopes or preconceptions of certainty.

"Kariss, is it? How old are you Kariss? Where are you both from? Sorry...there are too many questions. Start from the beginning...please..."

[Kariss]

Kariss kissed Ezra on the cheek and he started to laugh.

"You just fed, didn't you?" He asked, noticing the glazed, glowing look in her eyes. She laughed, a soft, musical kind of laugh that drew the attention of the patrons to look admiringly at the three of them. Ezra shook his head. Kariss heard Caine's question to her and she turned to look at him. Smiling playfully, she pulled away from Ezra and leaned in, her mouth just a breath away from the skin of Caine's neck. She inhaled deeply, hearing the shocked gasp come from him. A low, throaty chuckle escaped from Kariss and she pulled back to settle into Ezra's arm.

"Yes, Caine. My name is Kariss and I am 400 year's old." She replied softly, seeking his eyes out with her's. I am not pure blood like Ezra. I am turned. He helped me when I was attacked and for that, we will always be close." She let out a soft sigh, shuddering lightly from the fact that she was missing her friends who couldn't take the idea of living forever in darkness and surrended themselves to the instant death of daylight. She had thought about giving herself into the light for the last 100 years, hating the idea of living for eternity without someone to share it with. Suddenly at a loss for words, she turned to Ezra to continue their story.

[imported_Ezra]

Ezra looked at her and read her mind enough to know how she felt. When she looked at him ,he frowned and she could see the sadness behind his eyes knowing he couldnt stop her if she decided on that fate, but would sorely miss her if she did.
He looked back at Caine and smiled.

"You see, we are not lovers, but share a deeper love than that.'

Gazing out at the room of people. He spoke softer though both heard him clearly.

"A love these mortals could never comprehend or even strive for. A love only our kind has the privalege of knowing.'

He smiled from Caine to Kariss, Then continued on.

"I helped Kariss when a former aquaintance of mine thought it sport enough to half turn a human. As he left, I took her and hid her away. When the time came, I let her feed off of me.'

Smoothing her hair as he talked he looked at her and smiled again.

"We were inseperable at first, but she decided to grow wings and fly." He laughed as she playfully elbowed him. "We meet up now and then and always do missions together. So tell me Caine, are you searching for a certain someone? or by the looks of it, I would more likely guess you've been looking for another as yourself. Which I would say....you were successful."

He smirked at Caine, letting him digest everything that was unfolding. To gather himself from the surprise of finding the pair like he did.

[Caine]

"I've come to realise that success is very hard to see. In my experience, it only manifests at the end of the road. And even then it may not be a great success, only marginal."

He glanced o Kariss briefly, then back to Ezra.

"I don't even know what I'm looking for. So how will I know whether or not I've found it?"

He lost himself in the new song that had begun playing. A rather calm, opium-induced hazy song which swayed in the dusk breeze as the sun set. It was rather like being sedated whilst holding hands with somebody close to you.

"So yes and no to what you said. I've been successful - to a point. Time will tell where that point actually is, and how I may travel beyond it."

The moshpit had disappeared now, and people were all swaying in the breeze like in Caine's mental picture. He wans't sure if the mental picture was accurate, since he hadn't seen a sunset for a long time.

"I..."

He stopped in mid-sentence. No. He shouldn't say that. Not yet.

"I feel...alone. Perhaps you can help me find them. Maybe that's why we met each other tonight."

[imported_Ezra]

"If "them" means others of our kind, then I can help you find the way there.....IF that's what you mean."

Ezra sipped his drink as he started to think of what else it could be Caine was searching out. He partially squinted his eyes in thought and rubbed his chin with his free hand, as his other arm was draped over Kariss's shoulders.

[Kariss]

Kariss looked from her friend to Cain and smiled softly. She reached over and touched Cain's hand with her own.

"We'd be more than happy to help you in your quest, Cain." Kariss said, her eyes softening. "I know what it feels like to be alone. It's a feeling I'm not too fond of. If you truly want our help, say the word."

Kariss turned back to look at Ezra, a twinkle in her eyes as she was happy to have run across her old friend just about when she was ready to give up living in darkness. They had a habit of crossing each other's paths when something was going on in their lives. Kariss let out a sigh, slowly with drawing her hand from Caine's. She took her jacket off to reveal her bare arms and she tossed it behind her to settle on the back of the booth. Looking back over at Caine, she raised her eyebrow.

"Please, tell us more about yourself." She whispered.

[Caine]

"I knew you'd eventually ask me that question. I didn't want you to, but I knew you would!"

His eyes began to drift here and there. Over to the bar, the ceiling, the dancefloor, the moshpit. Over at the couples in the other booths. Down at his hands, down at their hands. Eventually he found Kariss' eyes again...

"My name is Caine, as you know. I don't know my last name, or if I ever had one. I don't know how old I am. I don't know where I come from. I don't know who my parents were, nor do I know the identity of my sire. One thing I do know is that I killed him, but I don't know when. I spend my nights feeding and my days sleeping. My knowledge of previous Kindred society is locked away in my memory and I can't find it, whilst my knowledge of current Kindred society is non-existent since I didn't even know one existed anymore."

He sighed softly.

"That's about all the information I can give you right now. I can't really tell you much more than that..."

He paused for a moment. They looked at each other...

"There might be a chance I could show you."

[imported_Ezra]

Ezra looked at him with interest.

"Well, If you can tell us....then yes, please show us."

He nodded and smiled at Caine. Then looked at Kariss. She had her interest piqued also. The music was getting good. A beat he liked....hard, yet seductive. He slowly bopped his head to the tune.

[Caine]

Not tonight. It was far too soon. And besides, they wouldn't have the time to complete the ritual before the sun came up. Best to leave it for a few nights.

"Very well then. I must be going now. I still haven't fed this evening and the sun will be up in an hour or two. I'll be here again three nights from now. Meet me as soon as you can once night has fallen. I'll show you then."

[imported_Ezra]

"In three nights then, We will be here."

Ezra nodded to Caine. Then he looked past Caine's shoulder and smiled as he gestured to the rear entrance.

"Oh, and if it's feeding time, I was supposed to meet a girl who is now heading for the back alley, for just that. Be my guest, I have eaten last night so Im not really needing it. Go ahead, enjoy it. Im going to catch up with Kariss here."

He said as he kissed her forehead again.

[Caine]

"Thank you, but no thank you. I prefer to earn what I get."

Caine stood, shook hands with Ezra, and kissed Kariss' hand lightly. He nodded to them with a smile on his face, knowing now that he was no longer alone. He departed for the next floor.

[Kariss]

Kariss watched Caine leave for a moment and then turned to look at Ezra, a brilliant smile lighting her face. On impulse she kissed his cheek and then settled back.

"It is good to see you again, my friend. I have missed your company since our last meeting." She whispered, pushing her own thoughts of sadness from her mind. "This union, if that is what it is, with Caine should prove interesting." She tapped the rim of her glass with the red nail of her finger and she let out a sigh, watching the patrons on the dancefloor. She suddenly grinned and looked at Ezra. "Come on, Ez...you're dancing with me!"

[imported_Ezra]

Smiling at her, Ezra nodded in agreement.

"Yes, It is always good to see you. Seems we always run into each other when we need to doesn't it? I HAVE missed you."

He began to like this club, the music was good and the atmosphere exciting. He forgot the drug dealer he was gonna make his meal as she stood and grabbed his hand pulling him up.

"Come on, Ez...you're dancing with me!"

He was yanked up and lead out onto the dance floor.

"Kariss...you know I don't like to dance this way. Kariss, you aren't listening. Kariss!!"

It was futile to refuse as she laughed heartily and began dancing, he stood there with a stern look at first, then by very little coaxing from her, he danced. Shaking his head laughing along with her. It was indeed good to see her again.

[Kariss]

Kariss grinned at her friend and after awhile, let him win and as he lead her back to the table, she remembered about his intended victim in the alley.

"Shouldn't you feed before it gets any later?" She whispered in his ear. "I don't think you want to leave who ever it was out there. Don't ya think?"

[imported_Ezra]

"I suppose you're right. I'll be right back."

Ezra got up and walked toward the back of the club, to it's rear door. As he crossed the floor, his coat billowed on unfelt wind. He exited through the door and entered the alleyway. There she was, leaning against the wall, one leg poised up with her foot flat against it.

"Hey! It's bad business to keep someone waiting."

She grumbled as he came into view. The shadows covering his face as he smiled at her. This one was indeed beautiful. Too bad her choice of lifestyle brought her to this.

"Yes it is isn't it? Please, accept my apology"

"Well you are kinda cute, what say after your purchase we party a bit? Just you and I?"

"Why that is an excellent idea. But why purchase anything? Let's just get to the partying."

His voice held the power of a snake charmer. Her eyes felt a bit heavy, she gently shook her head and giggled.

"Woooo!! Damn, you have a way with words. Fine, let's start the party right now."

She walked up and embraced him, and they kissed for several seconds. He then kissed his way down to her neck and as she was enjoying that, his eyes went from thier brown, to the icey blue of his true self. Smiling he held her tighter and sunk his teeth into her neck. She gasped and tried to push him off, but to no avail. He held her close drinking of her life's essence.

Although most lived after the bite, his were the opposite. Ezra never turned his victims. Instead his bites were for one thing and one thing only.....to eat. No immortality, only the afterlife. She went limp and he picked her up and deposited her within a trash bin. Wiping his mouth, he went back to the doorway of the club.

[Kariss]

She sat back in the booth, watching him walk away from her and she couldn't help but grin. Too much time had passed since they were last together on a mission. She shook her head, letting out a sigh.

Ordering another round of drinks for herlself and Ezra, she started to think about Caine, hoping he was all right. Something in the back of her mind told her he was. She smiled to herself, nodding at the waitress as she set their drinks down. Kariss took a long drink of her's, then raised an eyebrow as she saw Ezra strut back in, glowing from feeding. As he sat down, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and grinned.

"You missed a spot!" She whispered, pointing to the tell tale sign of blood at the corner of his mouth.