Down By the Sea [open], [Adult Content]

[Nathan Long]

Someone else listening to this conversation would say that Nathan was taking advantage of a lost youth. Someone else might have screamed at Cecil and warned him about the dangers of looking for more information about something that seemed a little too good to be true. Someone else might have fought Nathan off or at least screamed about how truly sadistic and cruel he was in the depths of his soul, especially when he had far too much energy to expend and no real way to vent it. But no one else was here to warn Cecil of the dangers.

So Nathan straightened to his full height and smiled a playful smile. “My people have been called many things over the centuries,” he said and stepped closer so that he was easily within arm’s reach of the other man so that he could be seen in the moonlight by humanoid eyes, “But there has been one name that’s been fairly consistent over the last half a century or so let’s see if you can take a guess as to what I am. I’ll give you three clues and the sooner you guess it, the sooner I’ll tell you about this bond we can create.”

The trick now was to make sure his clues weren’t too obvious without using obscure as all hell references. Technically he could use pop culture to make his point but he had yet to see a descent representation of his kind captured on film. Most of the examples he had seen were either depressingly poor representations or overly romanticized notions. He wasn’t even going to acknowledge the Twilight movies. He hadn’t laughed so hard in all his years of existence as when he saw the “vampire” main character for that movie series. The boy looked more like a faerie and even that was insulting to the fae!

“First clue is this: We are old and considered immortal by human lore but we can be killed by a determined enough hunter who wields the proper weapons against us.” Those weapons could be anything from axes and hatchets to swords and daylight. So long as a hunter knew what was needed to be done to kill them, just about any weapon that could get the job done was worthy of the task. Not many of them understood that while staking a vampire through the heart hurt like hell, all it did was put them into a state of suspended animation. To kill them for real would mean decapitating them and that was often the hardest part of the hunt for the newest of hunters.

He waited patiently to see if the half blood would understand what this first clue could mean, gauging by the time taken to solve it just how bright this human-raised being was. The fae were known for being smart creatures but humans… it varied often from specimen to specimen. He hoped this one wasn’t as dumb as his blond hair stereotyped him to be.

[Cecil Haldor]

Nathan's smile had Cecil easily smiling along and when Nathan moved closer Cecil's heart pretty much skipped a beat. And while he was wondering what exactly was wrong with him tonight that he could ever be so reactive to another living being, especially one he'd just met, it was hard to dwell on the matter without letting Nathan's words pass him by and so Cecil focused on Nathan's voice instead.

“My people have been called many things over the centuries. But there has been one name that's been fairly consistent over the last half a century or so let's see if you can take a guess as to what I am. I'll give you three clues and the sooner you guess it, the sooner I'll tell you about this bond we can create."

Oh god. Riddles? This ought to be fun. Spending the last couple years in the house of a professor had exposed Cecil to some interesting ways of thinking and incited an inherent curiosity to reach even farther for satisfaction. It was kind of like having an itch you couldn't scratch and it damn near drove Cecil crazy till he found the answer to whatever the particular question of the hour happened to be. The problem was that he tended to be hyper focused. Whatever held his attention for that moment effectively blocked anything else that was trying to get through. It wasn't something the Professor had ever understood when he'd tried to push Cecil into the university. All he saw was that Cecil wanted to learn and had a thirst for knowledge and a tenacity for finding answers he didn't often see among his students and he swore that Cecil would be the kind of student every teacher would sell their soul to have. Cecil had left it at that. He'd much rather be thought of in such a positive manner than for the truth to be known.

Withdrawing from his own thoughts, Cecil tipped his head to sneak a look at Nathan. The other man's face was impassive but judging by the momentary silence he was probably thinking of how to present his first clue to this whole 'riddle me this' idea. It wasn't long in coming, though, and Cecil focused on Nathan's profile to better hear and process whatever was about to be said...

“First clue is this: We are old and considered immortal by human lore but we can be killed by a determined enough hunter who wields the proper weapons against us.”

Silence.

Cecil raised an eyebrow. Old? Considered immortal? Can be killed by a determined hunter with the proper weapons?

Wait.

Hunter?

Cecil didn't like the sound of that. The idea that any sentient creature would hunt another was... Well, it was just detestable. And the idea that anyone would want to hunt someone like Nathan was even worse.

...and he wasn't focusing on the question.

Nathan was waiting...

The point was to guess what kind of being Nathan was, not to worry about his safety. Besides, someone who'd lived over twenty-five hundred years could hardly be that easy to kill. Could they?

Cecil's head turned back in Nathan's direction and he studied his profile carefully. Nathan looked every bit like a normal man. There wasn't anything remiss about his appearance. He wasn't sporting any extra limbs or antennae or for that matter wings. But then he'd already said he wasn't Fae and supposedly those sorts of traits belonged to Cecil's kind. Anyway... if Nathan was hiding something he was doing a damn fine job of it, because the only thing Cecil had to go on was this feeling of power...this intangible and inexplicable need to please...

So... What could Nathan be? Cecil bit his bottom lip as he considered the little he knew and his mind instantly went back to what he'd been thinking before Nathan appeared and the discussion he had with Heidi in the coffee shop.

"...You can usually find some folk at Cathedral, but they're vampy types. Though they probably have some more connection than I do." -Heidi

Vampy types? Cecil’s brow furrowed and he tilted his head ever so slightly. He had tried to look up Heidi's Others but an internet search revealed over three billion hits and none on the first several pages had anything to do with what they'd been talking about. That only left him with one word - vampy - and considering how she used it it could only be slang for vampire and the information available on that particular subject was absolutely exhausting. After several hours of mass media consumption and tired eyes Cecil had finally been kicked out of the library.

Still... Nathan as a vampire? He couldn't picture it, not with everything he'd read and seen. There had to be another answer. Something Heidi hadn't mentioned. Or maybe something Nathan himself had mentioned. Cecil rewound their conversation in his head.

Nathan obviously believed in gods...plural. He'd mentioned a sea god twice but not given the entity a name. Maybe he was a hybrid like Cecil? Son of a god? It sounded extraordinary - incredulous even - but with faes and vampires running amuck in Miami...why the hell not? Besides, it would sure explain this feeling of awe that he had standing so close to Nathan. Cecil was just about to suggest the idea when a question tumbled from his mouth instead, "Have you ever been to Cathedral?"

[Nathan Long]

A question answered with a question? Well this boy was amusing at least, despite his naivety on the matter of his being and who his people were. Still, being amusing alone wasn't worth letting the boy live in this world. He had met many amusing beings from various backgrounds and nearly all of them had somehow or another not lived out to their full lifespan, most likely because they were a smart ass with the wrong people and that just happened to get them decapitated or worse. He really didn't want to remember the dismembered fae he had found rotting in the woods in Ireland one day. Ironic considering the country was supposed to be one of their hotspots.

But how was he to answer the question to his clue? He had to be careful about how he said it. Part of the rules said that he was to be as perfectly honest as possible, though Cecil wouldn't know what was true and what was a lie. Still there was no fun in playing a game if one did not play by the rules right? So he just had to tell the truth, at least most of the truth. A lie by omission didn't exactly count in this game as far as he was concerned.

"I have gone to Cathedral before but I do not work or live there." Those Anne Rice wanna be vampires seemed to exist to piss him off and he wanted to stay away from them as much as possible. Still, to hunt in their territory when necessary, honestly, made it easier for him to hide amongst the crowds and shift any blame for accidental deaths to their shoulders. If they wanted the fame of the "popular" vampire culture, then they could have the shame of it too. Corpses on your property, regardless of the time of night or the frequency, never looked good in the eyes of the authorities.

As the first clue didn't work, Nathan instead tried focusing on the second clue. This had to be a little easier but still wouldn't give him away. He was on the right track though so it had to be fairly tricky too. Hm, so many options, so many things he could say but how to say them? Oh well. Might as well go easy on him and let him know he was on the right track. "Clue number two: It's been many years since I've seen high noon but I have watched the sun set and the sun rise." Okay, not for very long at at a distance but it still worked.

[Cecil Haldor]

He had surprised him with the question. Maybe Cecil shouldn’t have asked. Nathan sure seemed to take a bit of time considering how to answer or maybe he was considering something else, like whether or not he wanted to continue such a game with someone who asked questions when he was supposed to be making guesses instead.

Yes. He shouldn’t have asked.

And yet no one could argue that Nathan wasn’t fair or generous in his response. The fact that he had answered at all was a kind consideration. Cecil would stick to the rules of the game from here on out. No more questions. Only guesses.

Nathan had been to Cathedral but he didn’t work or live there. So... not the vampy type? A furrow creased Cecil’s brow. Clue #1: He was old and considered immortal by human lore but could be killed by a hunter with the proper weapons and enough determination. Clue #2: It had been many years since he saw high noon but he had watched the sun set and the sun rise.

“You’ve lived a good long time... twenty five hundred years or so... immortal if no one kills you and it doesn’t sound like that’s an easy task. You haven’t seen high noon so you can’t tolerate broad daylight but perhaps a little bit of light since you’ve seen the dawn and set of days.” Cecil was pretty much talking to himself at this point. Thinking out loud if you would. His arms were crossed over his midsection and his eyes were on the horizon in thoughtful introspection as he continued. “My original guess would have been the son of a god and yet such wouldn’t fit your clues. You’re far too attractive to be a troll and I’ve never heard of one that shape shifts anyway. Too balanced for a homunculus if such creatures even exist and... well you haven’t the temperament I’d imagine a goblin to have. I....” he stumbled over the realization that if this were a guessing game he’d just made several guesses aloud even if he had shot them down. Did they count? Uncertainly he glanced at Nathan.

“I think I have an idea,” he said a moment later. “But... maybe I better ask for your last clue to be sure.”

[Nathan Long]

The pattern of this fae’s logic was interesting to follow as he mused aloud. The first guess, the son of a god, was flattering. In some versions of the old lore, vampires were the cursed sons and daughters of an old god that had such a thirst for blood he nearly destroyed the world. Who this god was, Nathan couldn’t remember very well but it was a god even older than the gods of Greece and Egypt. Perhaps one of the elders of council would know seeing as how they were centuries older than he was and had likely heard the story.

The subsequent guesses, all rare and ugly creatures, were disconcerting attempts to solve the puzzle. What kind of lore was this boy using? He had heard of some of these creatures existing but only deep in the mountains where their ugly faces wouldn’t be seen by those who did not know what to look for. Others didn’t exist anymore and he happened to know that for a fact. While he personally hadn’t been much of a warrior, others of the Brotherhood were and anything that was considered too much of a threat to vampire kind or their food sources was systematically erased from the surface of the planet.

Still the boy was smart enough to understand that until he had all the facts, drawing a conclusion about someone could be disastrous. Good. “Last clue: My people have been a source of much human lore and there are many books featuring us circulating around the world yet few think to believe any of them to be true. Most are false in many ways, but some are not.” Like Twilight. Perhaps he should make note for the House to send a Brother to go see her and teach her what one of them was really like.

With that, Nathan waited for a response, hoping this would be final necessary cue. If not, if Cecil still got this wrong then there was no point in explaining what was going on. He’d just pull the boy to him and take what he wanted. He hadn’t had the blood of a fae before. He was curious as to how it would taste, although he wasn’t sure if he could quite stomach the magic well. The mixture of the human component should make it easier to swallow but he wasn’t sure. He hadn’t had the opportunity to ask anyone about that.

[Cecil Haldor]

Clue #1: He was old and considered immortal by human lore but could be killed by a hunter with the proper weapons and enough determination. Clue #2: It had been many years since he saw high noon but he had watched the sun set and the sun rise. And now... Clue #3: His people had been a source of much human lore and there were many books featuring them circulating around the world yet few thought to believe any of them to be true. Most were false in many ways, but some were not...

They didn't write enough books about Trolls... or Homunculi (unless you counted manga) and though there were countless books regarding ancient gods there was only one creature that fit the clues and could claim to have been the source of much human lore. Cecil cocked his head to one side and looked at Nathan - really looked at him. His arms were still folded across his chest in something of a thoughtful pose.

"Did Bram Stoker get anything right?" he asked casually. He'd read Dracula once upon a time for a school project and though Nathan didn't fit Heidi's descriptive of 'vampy types' he could only be a vampire. If he wasn't, then Cecil was simply lost. "I've heard: holy water is dangerous; garlic is a deterrent; possess no reflection; a stake in the heart will kill or rather place in suspended animation until it's removed; shapeshifting into a bat; and the latest famous addition of sparkling in the sunlight," not that Cecil even remotely got that one. He'd actually read the first of the Twilight novels on a dare from a girl and it was... just... no. He shook his head at the memory. There'd never be enough bleach to purge it from his mind.

Looking directly at Nathan - though damn if his head didn't duck just a bit - Cecil went on to say, "What I haven't heard about is this bond thing that you say you can create." He should have been afraid, he thought with strange detachment. Why didn't he have the common decency to respond in a befitting manner? There was a vampire standing next to him and it was entirely possible that given provocation he could...

Thoughts trailing, Cecil pushed that idea firmly aside. He didn't honestly feel as if he had anything to be afraid of. Instead he was more curious than ever.

"So...this way to connect... This symbiotic relationship that you mentioned. How does that work?"

[Nathan Long]

Well that was an interesting way to get the answer out. Typically people went for the Anne Rice stereotypes first. A boy after his own heart then; someone who would prefer to stick to the classics when it came to such lore. It was such a shame that most of the lore was warped by then but at least it had thrown many hunters off the proper path and therefore allowed for their kind of continue to survive a while longer despite the few times the humans did figure out the proper way to kill them. Those intelligent souls became hunters but the rest… vampire kind was not exactly the type to forgive and forget.

“Holy water might affect those who were born after Christ’s birth and death if they believe it will but it won’t work on me. Neither will garlic as I was from Rome initially. I have a reflection, a stake to the heart will hurt like a bitch but it won’t kill me, bats have never been part of the equation and if you must pick a pop culture aspect of my people could we please go with something a little less insulting than that infernal Twilight? I swear in the name of the Muses of Old, that woman must have seen a pixie or something to derive that kind of lore about us.”

Then went the part about the relationship that he had been talking about and now that he didn’t have to hide what he was, Nathan didn’t care to try anymore. He let his fangs extend a little bit but not enough to actually impede on his speech. Some newborn vampires didn’t realize how hard it was to talk without cutting yourself on your own teeth and were instead overly focused on being ridiculously showy with them.

“The Coven I am a part of is very very old and my Brothers have been able to create something of a symbiotic relationship between ourselves and what modern vampires call Blood Dolls. The way it works is simple: as you are a supernatural entity, once I drink from you I’ll always be able to smell you and thus be able to find you whenever I wish. In return you will be able to sense when I’m near and eventually you’ll crave the feedings as much as I will.” At least that’s what experience had shown him over the years.

“There is also the factor that I have much insider knowledge on the supernatural leaders of this city that I’m sure could be of use to you outside my coven as my duties have taken me around the world to meet a number of beings and their leaders.” Of course, he wasn’t an ambassador to that kind of extent but his Roman blood, especially because he was the son of a Senator in the olden days, almost compelled him into some form of diplomacy even if his primary duties have been accountancy and carefully maintained investments of large sums.

[Cecil Haldor]

Holy water not Nathan...nor garlic...he had a reflection...a stake wouldn’t kill him or apparently even suspend his life...he couldn’t do the bat thing (nor could any vampire)...and cross off Twilight (GLADLY!)...

These thoughts were ticking rapidly through Cecil's mind in the wake of Nathan's enlightenment right up until the moment when Nathan revealed his fangs and all thoughts vanished. Had he ever seen anything so entirely fascinating?

No, certainly not!

It had to be a little like staring into the open mouth of a viper. That moment of complete mesmerization - okay, so a lot of people ran off screaming when facing down a poisonous snake but Cecil was admittedly a little odd - where you realized one false move and your life could be over.

But it was more than that.

It was awe... amazement...respect...and maybe just a little fear... Maybe? Okay, so definitely a little, but the good kind. (It did exist didn’t it?)

The Coven I am a part of is very very old and my Brothers have been able to create something of a symbiotic relationship between ourselves and what modern vampires call Blood Dolls...

And that statement begged the question of: If modern vampires called them that then what did Nathan's Brothers call them? It had to be something with a far classier ring to it. The words to ask were on the tip of Cecil's tongue but he couldn't quite bring himself to interrupt.

The way it works is simple: as you are a supernatural entity, once I drink from you I’ll always be able to smell you and thus be able to find you whenever I wish. In return you will be able to sense when I’m near and eventually you’ll crave the feedings as much as I will...

Crave...

It was a nice thought to be able to know when Nathan was close, not to mention having his own close proximity noticed. Registered. Permanently fixated. Important. But what would happen to him if he did start craving 'the feedings' and Nathan changed his mind? And that thought was instantly shot down by the echoing truth that Nathan had just said he'd be craving them as well. If that were the case then he'd hardly refuse to be avail--

Crave?

Wait.

Was he seriously considering saying 'yes' to such an intimate proposal? Seriously considering allowing himself to be permanently attached to someone he barely knew’? Seriously con--

There is also the factor that I have much insider knowledge on the supernatural leaders of this city that I’m sure could be of use to you outside my coven as my duties have taken me around the world to meet a number of beings and their leaders.

And that was quite an offer from a being who was pretty much immortal and well over two millennia old. Cecil was young, juvenile by far in comparison. There was so much he had yet to learn... so much he didn’t know and he had a feeling Nathan could teach him. His head tipped slightly to one side, exposing his neck as his eyes held Nathan’s in open and honest invitation. “All right,” he said softly. “If you’re sure you want to be attached to me in that manner... then I accept.” He had to wonder what it was about him that would have Nathan making such a gesture of obvious trust. Yes, what Nathan was offering would effectively bind Cecil to him, but the reverse would also be true... It was a definite ‘give’ and ‘take’ and now he understood why Nathan chose to describe the relationship as ‘symbiotic’ - but would it be good for the both of them? Cecil didn’t know and he certainly didn’t understand what it was he had to offer that Nathan couldn’t find elsewhere in someone far more worthy and better experienced...

One thing was for sure, though. If anyone could find Cecil’s missing father it would be someone like Nathan - someone with intelligence and resources and a sense of where to start. And that was assuming Cecil still wanted to find his father. In that arena he was as of yet very uncertain....

[Nathan Long]

Nathan smiled what some might think was a cruel smile but in truth was just the smile of a predator that caught his prey. He had felt the first pangs of hunger when he had come out here but now that he was so close to actually enjoying a meal –a meal with a rare spice at that- the hunger came back strong than he was expecting and he could see the change in light that reflected a widening of his pupil in the night. He knew that if he were human, his hunger would be mistaken as lust. He felt a little bit of that too but most of his hunger was a blood thirst his kind was especially susceptible to.

Then there was the delightful added bonus that this handsome boy was more than willing to surrender himself to not just one feeding but at least several weeks of feedings. The blood of the fae was known to create a feeling similar to being drunk. He was just given the vampire equivalent of a fine wine or perhaps a good bottle of champagne. He wondered just how strongly the magic in this fae’s blood would end up affecting him. Plus there was always the unknown factor of a hybrid’s mixed bloodline. How would that taste?

But to drink out here in the open, where any creature with a slightly better than human nose could smell what he was doing was stupid on a fundamental level. Even the stench of the sea’s salt water wouldn’t be enough for someone who knew what to look for. He had to take Cecil with him to a place where even the most sensitive of werewolf noses wouldn’t be able to find them. He had just the place. It was where he had kept his last Blood Doll until he grew too disgusted with the junkie that couldn’t leave his body untainted with drugs and had the man drink his own filthy blood until he died.

He had since had the body properly disposed of and had cleaned up the place so not a trace of the previous Blood Doll could be found by the naked eye. Not that he had to worry about Cecil finding anything. This child in a world of ancient beings would have to have the supernatural punch him in the face for him to recognize them for what they were. As such he had nothing to worry about.

“We can’t do this out here in the open,” he said, despite the fact his mouth watered at the very thought of just sinking his teeth into that exposed neck, “Besides vampires, there are a number of other species that can and will smell blood and decide to come investigate. Some do not approve of us vampires and our ways and I’d rather not get into an unnecessary battle about that.” He was smart and fast but not strong. Some creatures just simply had to be felled by brute strength

[Cecil Haldor]

When Nathan mentioned 'a number of other species' that could smell blood and possibly investigate, Cecil found himself looking around in the darkness for some unexpected voyeur. The thing was... it was dark. Very dark. The sky was starting to lighten about the edges but it wasn't yet bright enough for him to see very far beyond where they were standing. But that's not to say that what Nathan was saying didn't make sense. It made sense. In fact, it made far more sense than his agreement to be bitten by a vampire... repeatedly.

Was he having second thoughts? Well, no...

He looked at Nathan, meeting the vampire's eyes just long enough for that thought to absolutely dissolve into meaningless nothing. No one had ever looked at him quite like that. It made Cecil feel... wanted? Such a pale word in comparison to what he was actually experiencing. His heartbeat had picked up and he felt warm and full of butterflies and... definitely out of his depth. Still, he had agreed and for some strange reason he couldn't explain he trusted Nathan - a man he'd only just met.

Why did that seem idiotic? It felt so completely natural and...

Quite suddenly he realized Nathan was waiting for his response to the problem of being out in the open. Cecil ducked his head and motioned with one hand back toward town. "If there's some place you'd rather go...?" he offered as his wings vanished from sight - hidden by glamour just long enough to retract without a show. He certainly couldn't walk through town - even at night - advertising what he was.

[Nathan Long]

Nathan smiled at Cecil’s willingness to follow him to wherever he wanted. The child was going to end up badly hurt if he stayed this naïve for too much longer in a city like this. No matter. He’d take care of that naivety and teach this boy how to look out for himself. If he could not find another fae to teach him the ways of the ways of the world, Nathan would teach him what he could about the world of the supernatural and at least find him a mentor to be able to teach him the finer points about being what he was.

“I have a place not too far from here that’s sealed properly,” he said, his hazel eyes glancing at the horizon just long enough to see the slowly rising sun, “where the sun can’t reach us either. Or at least me. That’s one thing that the myths have right. The sun is definitely not the friend of the vast majority of our kind.” The daywalkers were an exception but they were rarer than myth would give them credit for judging by the popularity of the Blade movies and other such films. Pop culture was strange.

So he reached out and gently touched Cecil’s arm to guide him toward the city. His home was toward the center of the town as he didn’t stay with the House of Caine. He was a vampire but he wasn’t a part of this exact coven. The presence of females and males who were so young bothered him so he preferred to be alone or at least in his own place. It wasn’t too far off from the House so if he was summoned it wouldn’t take all that long to get there but it was far enough that he didn’t have to deal with regular visits.

“Come with me,” he said softly, “It’s not overly far but we need to move before the sun rises.” He didn’t have a car so they really needed to hurry. Hopefully this boy could keep with him if he ran. He wasn’t incredibly fast but he was faster than a human by quite a bit. If Cecil still treated himself as human he may not realize the speed he was perfectly capable of as a fae but if he could handle his wings then perhaps he would already knew how fast he really could run.

[Cecil Haldor]

Nathan had given him a smile that had Cecil smiling in return and he immediately felt better about this odd decision to follow a man he'd only just met somewhere that was... sealed properly? He tipped his head back to check the horizon with Nathan and was immediately concerned for Nathan's well being when he spoke about the sun.

And then Nathan touched him.

Cecil looked down at the hand on his arm and felt the urgency in the contact. When Nathan beckoned him to follow he didn't hesitate to start down the dock with him. They stepped back onto the beach together and as they moved across the sand he said, "I have a car in the lot," and he pointed in the direction of the parking area beyond the beach. "It's nothing fancy," he admitted with a shy duck of his head, "but it's a lot faster than walking and if you're place isn't far then we'll certainly beat the sun."

Did Nathan seem a little surprised? Cecil gave him a crooked smile. "I did say I was raised by humans, did I not?" and he pulled the keys from his pocket and dangled the silver loop bearing two keys between them - one for the car and one for his apartment on the other side of town. Dropping his hand he let the keys fall into his palm as they changed directions, heading for the aforementioned car.

"I just got off work," Cecil admitted as they neared the edge of the asphalt and started for the only car in the lot. It was a small four door sedan - a used purchase by the professor as a graduation gift a couple of years ago. It wasn't perfect, having been nicked and scratched in a few places, but it was in rather good condition all things considered. It just didn't seem like the car Cecil would picture Nathan in if he had a choice.

"Well, maybe not 'just'..." It had been a few hours ago. "I work at the 305 diner in town," he went on as he unlocked the door for Nathan and headed around to the driver's side. A moment later he was pulling out of the lot and heading for some unknown location.

As far as jobs went the 305 certainly wasn't glamorous and he could only imagine what Nathan thought and yet Cecil had taken the initiative to get what he had and thus far was doing a damn fine job of taking care of himself - even if the cost of living sometimes meant that the only decent meal he saw was the one Lou let him have for free the evenings he worked.

Defensive much?

There certainly was no reason to be. Granted he had a strong desire to impress the man riding along in his passenger seat, but Nathan had certainly not asked for any sort of pedigree.

"What is it that you do?" he asked curiously after executing a turn in Nathan's directions. "I mean, if it's okay to ask."

[Nathan Long]

Nathan Long let Cecil guide him toward the car in the parking lot knowing better than to argue this close to the sunrise. He didn’t particularly care for the type of car or even its speed so long as it got them to the right place on time. “As long as it will get us to the place on time, you’re more than welcome to drive,” he said, his words clipped and snappish in his rush, “I can run as fast as any car to get to where I need to be. The question that lingers is if you can do the same.”

Either way once they reached the car, he slipped into the passenger side as soon as the door was open out of habit and waited until the half fae took his seat before he commented about the human part. “I was once raised by humans a long time ago,” he said in response, “but some would say the humans at the time were barbarians and their way of life was too cruel to be accepted in modern times. I suppose to the soft minds of today’s people it would appear so but we did what we had to in order to survive.”

Nathan was quick to buckle himself in while he replayed what the younger creature said on the way to the car. Cecil worked at the diner, no doubt as a server, and probably heard a good deal of daytime gossip if he happened to work days. Although supernaturals were not the type to frequent a diner if they were awake enough to walk in the sun, the few that were probably would just assume all of those around them were human and wouldn’t think twice about what they said or what they accidentally revealed.

“I work as an accountant,” he said after a while, “although I work more on the international scale than in any one country. My clients need to make sure that they money they need to have shuffled around goes to the right account when they need to change identities to avoid detection.” While the vast majority of his clients were vampires, he did help the odd ally of the House of Caine that happened to be something else. He didn’t really care about most of them but he disliked having to work with werewolves so he made sure that if he ever did have to work with them, it was at the absolute minimum.

As the pair of them drove around, Nathan made sure to carefully navigate with clear and concise directions, trying to sink further into his seat. His skin was prickling; a natural warning that the sun was slowing climbing toward the horizon and its beams would soon light up the sky so bright that it would sear the flesh from his very bones within seconds. He was afraid of that pain because in all his years of life he never hurt more than he did when he was made to feel the touch of fire on his skin.

[Cecil Haldor]

Cecil didn’t bother with the speed limit for several reasons. First and foremost, Nathan didn’t have time for him to obey the law. Second, he knew there were fewer cars out and about this time of the morning to even risk an accident. And finally, he was pretty sure he could spread his ability to camouflage around the car in the event that they were seen and pursued - at least as long as it took to be lost from view once more. And so, he followed Nathan’s directions implicitly barely slowing down for the turns.

In spite of the rush, Cecil couldn’t help but sense a change in Nathan. The charismatic almost commanding persona seemed to shrink into vulnerability the longer the drive took and the closer the sun got to rising. Cecil tried to focus on their sporadic conversation rather than the hammering of his own heart in order to hopefully provide a bit of distraction. "Someone once said: Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and..." he trailed off and shook his head. "I can't remember the rest but suffice it to say that years from now the present day will seem as barbaric to the next generation as the past is to this one and yet for the life of me I'm not entirely convinced that we haven't gotten even more barbaric rather than more civilized." Was he sounding a little like the professor? Hrmmm... Perhaps.

Sooo Nathan was an accountant. Cecil was actually surprised at that particular revelation. He had pictured the man beside him in a far more important role than that of 'bookkeeper'. And yet it was a little more glamorous to consider Nathan traveling all over the world to do the job that he described. Shuffling money between accounts that were no doubt pretty extensive in their resources - at least from the sound of it. "With so many people relying on you to keep their finances straight--

He made another turn as directed by Nathan and found himself on the outskirts of Miami in a neighborhood that was upscale enough that the houses weren't all that close together.

"-- I can imagine you stay pretty busy." And from the look of the house he was being directed to, Nathan wasn't doing too badly himself. Then again...2500 yrs? He probably didn't even need to perform the services he was providing.

Cecil slowed down only when he reached the drive and directed the car into an open garage just as the first rays of sun began to bleed over the horizon. And then the garage door was down and he was suddenly plunged in complete and total darkness. Cecil turned off the car but left the keys in the ignition. “Nathan?” His eyes were slowly starting to adjust to the lack of light and yet with the contacts still in place his non-human side couldn't offer much in the way of adaptation. He reached for the door beside him and felt for the handle. If he got it open the light would come on in the car and he’d be able to see. He’d be able to make sure that Nathan was all right.

"Nathan?” He was so quiet. Was he okay? Cecil reached over the console in an attempt to find him in the darkness, forgetting about the door as concern filled him to the point of worry. “Nathan?”

[Nathan Long]

Nathan could hear Cecil talking about something, babbling about quotes from someone or another who was really important and said something relevant to the situation no doubt but honestly, the vampire felt like he could care less about words. The sun was getting closer to the horizon and everything that he was now was screaming for him to hide, to find shelter. He hadn’t been stupid enough to let the sun burn him yet but he had seen what it could do to one of his kind if they were too young or too stupid to remember that the sun was a dangerous natural weapon against them.

There was talk of him staying busy with his given vocation and as he slid down further in his seat he nodded just enough to make his affirmation known… at least if this hybrid was looking at him. “Vampires who have lived for centuries accumulate a lot of wealth in all kinds of ways. It’s more difficult than one might think keeping over two thousand years worth of assets straight on paper and knowing how to balance the accounts these vampires create all over the world so that, no matter what their new name is for the next half century they’ll still be able to access their money and resources.”

By the time they had gotten to the home Nathan was living in –with his blacked out windows and carefully sealed rooms- his vampire senses had all but taken over in an effort to get him somewhere safe. Although he didn’t need to breathe his breath was labored and his heart was pumping unusually quickly for a supposedly dead being. It happened once in a while when he got excited but it was rare. The coagulated blood in his body tended to clog the organs and so forth from time to time until he expunged it.

Only when they were safely locked away in darkness did the vampire dare allow himself to calm down and refocus on where he was. In the blackness he could see much better than Cecil could and he could make out the concerned young half breed asking almost desperately if he was okay. He wanted to roll his eyes but he knew that it was useless. The other with his human limitations wouldn’t be able to see a thing. “I’m alright but that was a very close call.” Too close for his taste.

After a minute or two Nathan sat up in his seat and ran a hand over his face, trying to calm himself by the touch of his cool hand against his skin. The car felt warm to him. He couldn’t wait to get into the house and at least be able to change into something more comfortable. Well, that and finally get a taste of half fae half human blood. “Okay, before we step out of the car, please assure me that the garage door is properly sealed behind us. Even with clothing on it’s dangerous and can seriously hurt if it touches me.”