A Dark Surprise

[Ciro Antonio Carrado]

SO WHAT IF YOU CAN SEE, THE DARKEST SIDE OF ME?

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NO ONE WILL EVER CHANGE THIS ANIMAL I HAVE BECOME[/color][/font]
help me believe, it's not the real me; somebody help me tame this animal![/color][/font]

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The city was almost too much to take for Ciro as he walked slowly down the deserted city sidewalk. Not a streetlight was shining; it was obvious that no one came through this alleyway very often... not after dark anyways. Stopping briefly to look around Ciro couldn't help but to smile a bit, it had been over seventy years since his last visit to the city that never sleeps and boy had it ever changed. As he stood there admiring the now dingy city a slight feeling of disgust came over him. " Filthy humans," he stated out loud.

Continuing to walk now; attention still focused on the dingy side of the big American city the thoughts and feelings of absolute hunger came over him very abruptly. Although Ciro was well over two thousand years old and he could resist the hunger much more easier than most of his kind, he had never starved himself before like he had been doing since he entered New York. The only reason he had been doing so now was because Ciro did not want to start a war with the local clans that inhabited this city. But unfortunately he could no longer contain himself; not for much longer anyways.

Quickly a door opened towards the end of the alley and two men came stumbling out rather intoxicated. Smiling and his fangs in full view Ciro quickly moved towards them and cut them off several yards from the ally's exit; a bright smile showing on his face. " Enjoying yourselves tonight gentlemen?" He could see the surprise in both of the men's eyes which made him laugh quite histareically. One of the men stepped forward with a knife being pulled rather abruptly from his back pocket. " Back off old man!" The man stated calmly.

The smile on Ciro's face did not fade as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his heels; his hands behind his back now showing his uncaring of the human's weapon. " I said back off.... or are you too old to hear me gramps!" Suddenly Ciro stopped his rocking and his smile faded as he looked up into the sky at the full moon. Taking a deep breath in with his eyes closed Ciro quietly stated to the human which was now approaching his with his knife aimed right at him. " Such a beautiful night to loose your life on.... wouldn't you say?" Before the man holding the knife could say or do anything Ciro swiftly moved behind the stranger snapping his neck causing him to drop lifelessly to the ground. The second man attempted to run and yell but Ciro abruptly cut him off biting into his neck while covering his mouth.

The taste of the drunkard was really bitter for someone as young looking as he was, but no doubt the alcohol was a good cause for that. At Ciro's age it was easy to tell and taste everything a human had just consumed over the past forty eight hours prior to being fed upon. Although the blood was bitter Ciro still drained him dry. Throwing him to the ground he proceeded over to his dead friend and smiled at him brightly. He had no desire to feed upon this man; he was just as drunk as the other younger man was and surely that would taste just as bitter if not more so. Looking around Ciro disposed of both bodies in a garbage bin just outside of the door they exited from.

Taking another deep breath in while staring up at the full moon Ciro murmered to himself, " Much better". Quickly Ciro made his way from the alley to a nearby subway entrance. Smiling as he made his way down the stairs Ciro pulled out his comb and began to groom himself accordingly. He wanted to look presentable for anyone who may find him; especially local clan members. Making his way through the empty subway station Ciro took his seat on an empty bench that was near the exiting place of the subway trains. Ciro enjoyed studying his prey, and their habits prior to making them his prey. This helped ensure he got a good feed unlike that stale and rather bitter human blood he had just obtained.

As he sat grooming himself while ensuring he had no blood on him or his attire a scent captured his nostrils. This scent seemed rather familiar for some reason but Ciro couldn't quite put his finger on it. For sure it was another vampire; which excited Ciro tremendously..... but why the familiar scent? And in New York of all places. Suddenly a train passed by him full speed and without stopping. Standing rather abruptly Ciro studied the opposite side of the platform.... he knew one of his kind would be there as the train passed. But who could it be with such a familiar scent, and were they friendly?

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wordcount: 838
tag: Justinian
lyrics: animal I have become by three days grace
credit: thavron @ caution
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[Justinian Argente]

Justinian had heard rumors of a rogue vampire in the area from his contacts underground. It wasn’t all that unusual, people passed through all the time. But when the vampire was said to be old… Justinian wished to investigate for himself.

So far, to Justinian’s understanding, the vampire had been lying pretty low. No unusual deaths or disappearances as of late. Normally if anything was potentially vampire-related and going on in New York City, he knew about it from any one of his foot soldiers or liaisons.

He rarely ever walked around the city on foot anymore. Having grown accustom to the purr of the Ferrari or Lamborghini’s engine, he drove himself everywhere, despite having the driver on call at all times. He just left that for Lavinia or Haley, though he’d rather the latter gone entirely.

Justinian haunted around the city, checking the scents of those who were out and about with him, crawling from pub to pub or shop to shop. At first nothing really caught his eye other than the occasional rogue he knew about or repulsive werewolf that had strayed into the city. The filthy things seemed awful active as of late, which was disconcerting for Justinian. He had enough on his plate without fighting damned dogs.

He debated whether to turn in or not, as it was growing very late. Lavinia would be wondering where he had gotten off too, and if he was even going to turn up that night. He had always rationalized that she had Haley to take care of her if he ever got busy or anything ever happens to him, but their emotional contact always reminded him that he was first in her heart. This helped ease his misgivings about Haley, but not erase them.

It was never good for him to be distracted while wandering the city. He groaned when he realized how poorly he had been checking the surrounding area for the last couple blocks. “I ought to just turn in. It’s pointless for me to be doing this, when I have eyes all over the city.” He knew why he was doing it, but tried to ignore his curiosity.

It didn’t make any sense to him why an older vampire would be out and about exploring. Most of their kind was clanned and done with their explorations by then. He wanted to know what was making him… or her, he supposed, travel at such an advanced point in their lives. And he was wondering if they may have had a past. He knew many of the oldest vampires around, and many he had a positive history with.

He was walking back toward his flat, when he came across a darkened alleyway and some voices coming from within. Leaning against the wall outside of the alley, he casually lit a cigarette and smoked, listening in on the vaguely interesting conversation. It was evident that the argument was between an older man and two young boys, just barely legal.

A smirk spread across his face when the boys voices ended abruptly. The smell of blood was enough to overpower the cigarette, and Justinian casually grabbed a newspaper from the vendor across the street, waiting for the other vampire to clean up his mess. He would have words with the man if he didn’t. It would just be downright rude not to take care of the bodies in an unfamiliar city in which you are a guest.

The man moved on, and Justinian shadowed him, making sure he was staying a proper distance from him to avoid detection. When they approached the subway, Justinian headed down the other side, wanting to have some buffer between them if the rogue were to be less than friendly. Some, he knew, could be overly defensive even though he wished the other no harm. Yet. He would just have to wait and see.

He moved and sat down on the adjacent bench when the train was blocking him from view. Popping open the newspaper and threw it in front of his face, readying himself for whoever was in front of him. They would see each other on his terms.

When he pulled the newspaper into his lap, he eyed the vampire across from him. It was a familiar face, one that he had certainly seen before. Stunned, Justinian stared at the other man for a full minute, pulling the useless aviators off of his own face to make sure he was seeing the man properly. Standing quickly, he exited the train station and hurried to the other side, swiping the turnstile quickly and approaching the man, stopping a good ten feet away from him.

“Ciro?” he spoke cautiously and hesitantly, hoping he hadn’t made a mistake. The chances he had were slim, as he hadn’t made a mistake like that in hundreds of years, but there was always a chance because he never thought that he would see the other man again. He waited nervously, empty-handed as he had left his newspaper on the other side.

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[Ciro Antonio Carrado]

SO WHAT IF YOU CAN SEE, THE DARKEST SIDE OF ME?

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NO ONE WILL EVER CHANGE THIS ANIMAL I HAVE BECOME[/color][/font]
help me believe, it's not the real me; somebody help me tame this animal![/color][/font]

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Ciro was both unmoved and unsurprised by the vampire's movement towards him. Immediately he could tell that the vampire was very old, his quickness and demeanor made that very clear. Looking at the man now standing what Ciro normally considered too close for most to stand his lips pursed slightly. The full scent of the stranger along with his voice now gave the rather old vampire away.

It was almost shocking really to see this vampire standing before him alive. Ciro had gotten word along time ago; roughly around seventy BC actually that this particular vampire had been killed by the then waring Roman clan due to his association with Ciro. Narrowing his dark eyes Ciro's view and facial features changed to reflect an unknown expression. If it were truly the vampire he expected the stranger to be he would know that this was Ciro's way of showing a bit of vulnerability.

It wasn't often Ciro showed this emotion; especially being as old as he was. But he had trained this vampire and took him in shortly after he had been turned due to the abandonment of his maker during the wars. Never had Ciro considered any to be his child before; despite all that he had created. But this one was different.... he felt more like a father to this one more than any other he had come into contact with. In fact, no other had been called son, or child besides the one now standing in front of him.

Still expressionless Ciro lifted his nose slightly into the air and took a deep breath clenching his fists slightly. The air reflected confirmed suspicions; it was he indeed.... it was Ciro's beloved Justinian. For a moment he felt as though he would cry if he could, but that feeling quickly subsided as he unclenched his fists and stepped forward ever so slightly. " Had I had known; my beloved, that you had in fact survived the attacks I would have driven a stake through all of their hearts, and dove through fire to retrieve you."

The sorrow in Ciro's voice frightened him slightly, he himself had not heard himself sound as weak and as brittle as this in over a thousand years. As he now looked in the eyes of the vampire he believed to be dead he had hoped deeply that he would not be considered weak, or vulnerable. Better yet, he had hoped that his only so called son would not attempt revenge upon him for not seeking for him during the wars. Taking another deep breath in through his nose Ciro smiled brightly as his dramatic inhale had finished.

" You are surrounded by many.... particularly a female vampire." This could only mean one thing which is why Ciro was now smiling. Justinian was now involved with both a woman, and a clan.... Ciro highly expected his young apprentice to be the clan leader due to his age. Or rather close to the leader anyways. This pleased Ciro because he was looking for a place to call him, and if there was no grudge with Justinian he could possibly have a place to call home by dawn.

Quickly Ciro moved forward; he was now standing besides Justinian. " It is no longer my place to call you my child.... you have grown so well; and I could not be happier for you." Slowly Ciro grabbed the hand of his once young apprentice and keeled in front of him. " I do not desire to be a burden on you my son.... but I have no place to call my home. And if you could find it in you, could you please inquire to my sheltering just for the night. I promise to be no miscreant for you or your clan." Under normal circumstances Ciro would in no way be found humbling himself in such a manner; but tonight was a little different. No matter how old he was he had found his son, and a little emotion would surely be granted.

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wordcount: 638
tag: Justinian
lyrics: animal I have become by three days grace
credit: thavron @ caution
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[Justinian Argente]

Justnian rarely felt like a child before anyone on the earth. Even some of the other vampires that were older than him that he had come across in his travels never made him feel so young. It was their history, certainly. He was uncomfortable by this feeling of youth, but he smiled despite his unease. He was amazed by the sight of the elder vampire, for he too had assumed that Ciro was killed in the wars so long ago. The Roman vampires had been so close to catching him, despite Justinian’s best efforts to lead them away from his mentor.

It was in doing that where he got into the horrible situation that led Ciro to believe he had been killed. A few of the Roman vampires he had been distracting from him had finally caught up with him in Rome, cornering him and beating him without mercy. Still, they thought he had some sort of information for them about the whereabouts of Ciro. He did, but he refused to give up the intel to them despite the vigorous beating they were giving him.

He had been trapped in an underground apartment for a few weeks, being fed just enough to keep him alive. It was here that he met the Roman’s blood slave, a woman from which he fed off of at their command. The frightened young thing had been picked off the streets and threatened into servitude, something that Justinian detested greatly. He swore to get her out if she helped him, even though he knew it would be a lost cause, and she would been seen as a traitor, tracked and murdered as soon as she left.

Still, she obliged even though she feared for her life. One late night after the other vampires had gone off to hunt themselves, she removed the silver chains from his body and let him feed more fully. He carried her out, running off into the night, very weak and battered. Leaving her in a town miles and miles from Rome, he found a catacomb and recovered. He would never forget that blood slave’s face, even though he has long forgotten her name.

Justinian desperately wanted to know what had happened to Ciro after he was forced to leave Rome. A thousand questions buzzed in his head, reminding him of his unending quizzing of Ciro thousands of years ago when he taught him the ways of the vampire. He would wait of course, they would have time to recount stories later. They had only just realized that neither of them had perished years ago.

The strangest feeling overcame him when Ciro taked about his regret for not trying to save him. The idea was illogical, Ciro should have known that. There would have been no way to save him, other than the pure chance of the slave helping him. “Don’t regret not coming for me Ciro.” he looked down slightly, “I escaped by mere chance, with a helping hand. They would have killed you instantly. They were still looking for you at that point.”

Justinian smiled when he mentioned a woman. “You were always so perceptive Ciro, so it shouldn’t surprise me you knew about Lavinia.” He chuckled lightly, “I met her in France about six hundred year ago. I changed her and now we are married.” He was proud of what he was saying, which would please Lavinia greatly when she felt it too. She probably also could feel his astonishment and joy at finding Ciro alive as well.

“Many. Yes.” He smiled again, “My clan members and Dorian my cousin.” A train whipped by as they spoke. Justinian waited for a moment before speaking again. “I’ve travelled all over Europe and have been here.” He indicated to the ground casually with his hand, “For many years now.

What happened next, Justinian just didn’t expect from Ciro, his older mentor. The man was kneeling in front of him, holding his hand in submissive fashion, something that he had never seen before in Ciro. He was propositioning him for a home, for a clan of all things. There was no doubt in Justinian’s mind that he was to be part of the ever-growing family that he was forming all around him. “Stand up Ciro.” he smiled, clapping him on the back like and old friend, pulling him up in front of him. “You’ve got a home with me. I can call some people and get some flats for you to look at in the next week. You can stay in the guest room in my penthouse till then.” He shook the other vampire’s hand strongly. “Welcome to New York old friend.”

[Ciro Antonio Carrado]

SO WHAT IF YOU CAN SEE, THE DARKEST SIDE OF ME?

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NO ONE WILL EVER CHANGE THIS ANIMAL I HAVE BECOME[/color][/font]
help me believe, it's not the real me; somebody help me tame this animal![/color][/font]

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Standing both quickly and abruptly Ciro quickly moved to the side of his long last apprentice. " Surprised to see me act in such a way are we? Is it because of my age, or you remembering me to be so bold and powerful?" Ciro laughed heartily. " If I taught you anything Justinian it's humility; no matter the age of the vampire in question that is a trait worth having.... a trait that has kept me alive no matter the circumstances for nearly three thousand years."

With a quick slap on the back Ciro then pulled Justinian directly in front of him; both hands grasping his shoulders now. Taking a deep breath in and smiling brightly he couldn't help but to feel rather hopeful on the inside. " Let me get a look at you shall I?" Dropping his hands and still smiling Ciro circled his protease slowly. At this moment surprise and disbelief had gone completely and now joy was the only feeling that Ciro could describe or recognize.

Circling around for the final time he stopped abruptly and dropped his smile. Taking a deep breath in Ciro clasped his fist together and a low growl escaped from him. The wind was rushing in from the subway trails which carried a disgusting and rather distinct scent to them. " Ugg..... Justinian; you didn't tell me there were dogs in your city! Have you not killed them all, or ran them all off as of yet?" Ciro's smile only slightly returned; wolves angered him terribly as the last one he came into contact with lashed out without cause and anger. Even his own pack leader seemed to have a hard time controlling that one.

For a moment Ciro was lost inside of his own thoughts, but he quickly came back to reality. Lately he had a bad habit of doing that... perhaps it was because of age, or maybe he was just becoming senile. Whatever the reason it was important Ciro keep these distortions to himself. Both him and Justinian were quiet now, so quickly he acted. " So tell me Justinian.... when do I get to meet the lovely lady?"

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wordcount: 838
tag: Justinian
lyrics: animal I have become by three days grace
credit: thavron @ caution
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[Justinian Argente]

“Humility?” Justinian mused internally, rolling the idea around in his head a couple times. He was acutely aware of humility, though he hadn’t needed to experience the idea for quite some time. “Humility?” He vocalized, grinning, “Maybe I have forgotten some of these teachings.” Chuckling, he smiled and sighed, “Though I should start remembering apparently because you are here alive today as proof.”

When the older vampire started to circle him, he involuntarily straightened up. It was a throwback to the days in which they had first met, the days in which Justinian was constantly locked into this rigid posture. “I suppose not much has changed. Other than the dress of course.” He laughed, brushing some dust off of his shoulder. “I do miss the armor. I felt naked for decades once it was inappropriate to wear my military garments out and about.”

His nose crinkled in disgust when he caught the same whiff of the werewolves that Ciro had. He sighed, irritated that that problem hadn’t been resolved before his mentor had decided to reappear from the dead. “We’ve been working on the… infestation. They really don’t live in the city. Only venture in every so often and stink up the place thoroughly.”He crossed his arms and sighed, “The problem is balancing the hierarchy of the clans while waging war against the wolves, but we don’t have to talk about that now.” He smiled again, watching the older vampire as he seemingly dazed off.

Justinian felt his face spread into a smile without his say-so when he brought Lavinia up again. He clapped the other man on the shoulder, starting to turn to the door. “Well, shortly I would assume, as you will be staying with us until you get a flat of your own?” He started up the steps from the subway, turning back to Ciro, stopping for a moment. “Oh, and just as a warning, Lavinia and I have an adopted son. And Lavinia has a female sheep that stays with as well.” he nodded, his teeth gritting at the sheep bit for a moment, but he shook it off, not really caring.