Silent Entrance

[Rajst Kalizkhanavar]

*Nightfall had crept upon the lands of Titan hours ago, plunging the clan into darkness. If it weren't for the numerous lights from various edifices and establishments, the darkness would seem to consume all without discretion, buildings and beings alike. The population was mostly at rest this time of hour, with the occassional drunkard staggering home with the help of some friends or the patrolling guards. It seemed as if time had stopped, almost quite...depressing to some degree. No crickets chirped, and life seemed dead*

*But now a new figure would enter the streets, wrapped in a sable cloak that covered his figure. Every time the wind caught his cloak, it'd open long enough to reveal a pair of katanas and wakizashis, and, if one's eyes could truly perceive details in the darkness, even blacker clothes beneath. When he'd pass by a torch, his face was visible; barely, that is. His long, black hair was matched only by the darkness of his soul, which had long ago been tainted by evil. He held no emotions towards almost all; all except his deceased wife and lost daughter. His skin was pale, almost inhuman in whiteness, but of course, he wasn't a human now was he? Those that would heed any attention to his mouth would immediately notice the tell-tale canines of a vampyre. And, if one looked closer, they'd see evidence that he had fed recently*

*He had originally come to these lands by chance, steathily stalking his victims with supernatural ease. His victims were a pair of rangers that had trespassed onto some King's land and were caught poaching before they escaped. The contractor had given him the name of the king, kingdom, and the names of the men that he was to assassinate for their crimes, but Rajst hadn't paid attention to the names. The only thing that mattered to him were the details and the hunt. His thirst for blood was satisfied when he found them in the forests, and, with practiced expertise, slew them while they slept and drank their blood. Afterwards, he beheaded the two rangers and brought them back to the contractor and received his prize. However, the land where Rajst slew these men had interested him, and thus he returned*

*Now, as the vampyre approached the tavern, no thoughts were running in his mind. His conscience was as quite and gloomy as the very night itself, if not more. Rajst now stood in front of the tavern, glaring towards the oak door and the iron handle. Growling audibly, the vampyre entered and quietly shut it behind him. Rajst stepped lightly towards the bar and ordered a bloodwyne. While it was true that he'd fed just hours earlier, the lust for blood was still nagging at his senses, begging him for more. With the order placed, the vampyre made his way unseen to a booth in the back and sat to where he could clearly see the door*

[zipcat]

*zip had had a grand day; she had slept in and the blue berry bush she had planted had finally come to bare fruit. Over the weekend, she collected and dried the fruits, to have over the winter. She knew that the food she depended on most would be hard to find with the chill. Even her home, which was always humid and warm in a welcoming way, wouldn’t have all she needed to eat. She had been preparing it for hibernation, which the plants there could rest in for up to three years. With her plans to some day move to the Estate after the wedding, she didn’t want things to need as much care as they did now. The downside was that she wouldn’t get any crop out of her home.*

*Why fruits were important though, really defined her species. The natural sugars in the fruits she ate flowed into her bloodstream, feeding the plant that has its roots running through her. In return, she gets another source of oxygen. The plant sprouts from her back, its leaves covering her body in a tight dress. She had learned a few uses for this on her last journey, and planed to look into it—into herself—more.*

*She had taken her time walking into the main land of Titan, coming for a visit again just to look around town. There had been so many things to look at, and she lost rack of time. When the last store had closed, having brought nothing, the Amentan simply decided to spend her night in one of the Tavern’s rooms like she had done so many times before. She had managed to always get one with a nice bed.*

*Finding the Tavern was easy, but she knew that if she ever needed help one of the guards would point it out. They were nice too. Her brown hair was down, as usual, and flowed down her back in waves all the way to her thighs. The Tavern felt a bit gloomy, but she thought her mood might brighten things if her smile didn’t. She was hungry; looking at the pretty things without eating all day really wasn’t the best idea; even if she could be ok with less. She walked up to the bar, and waved the bartender over.*

*They didn’t have any hot apple cider, but an icy one would be just fine, the little change would be interesting as well. For a snack, she just ordered a fruit bowl; she would wait until morning for a warm and full meal. Sitting on a lonely stool, she twiddled a lock of hair around a finger while waiting for her little meal. She wondered if the fruit would be chilled as well. She glanced at everyone in the room, checking to see if there were any of her friends she could join to eat with or possibly new friends to make. The thought warmed her smile.*

[Rajst Kalizkhanavar]

*Rajst had already finished his bloodwyne when he noticed a new figure enter the Tavern. She seemed rather...different...from other women he had seen. Almost...plantlike. No sooner had that thought passed through his mind before he recognized the race: she was an Amentan. He had a few dealings with them in the past, mostly being paid by them to assassinate poachers, loggers, and other people that delighted in the destruction of natural wildlife and forests. They were a strange and unique race to say the least, but he held them with some degree of respect for their independence and their love of nature*

*Perhaps this Amentan would be interesting to chat with. She didn't seem the type who would pay him to take out anyone. She was too...friendly...for that sort of dark perversion. But nevertheless, Rajst was intrigued by his chance meeting with a member of this reclusive race*

*The vampyre waited until she had her drink, an apple cider, and had placed her order for a bowl of fruit. He had heard her clearly, even through the drunken noises of nearby people, due to his sharp senses. When she had her drink, Rajst closed his eyes and cleared his thoughts. If any were paying attention, they'd realize that Rajst was no longer sitting in the far booth. Instead, he was now a few feet directly behind the Amentan. A short range teleportation spell, one of the few forms of magic he had ever bothered to learn*

*The vampyre silently took a seat to the left of the Amentan. There was no noise or other form of warning that would betray his sudden arrival, save for those that were tuned to arcane forces. Rajst had long ago mastered this technique, using it countless times to get in close and finish his targets. Even if there were a spellcaster within this establishment, they were probably too drunk to even realize that a spell was casted. Mortals were quite prone to getting excessively drunk, especially at night*

*Rajst placed an order for another bloodwyne, the pangs of thirst for blood still present. When the order had been placed, the vampyre casaully turned to the Amentan and offered a rare smile before speaking*

"Good evening, m'lady Amentan. I trust that all is going well for you?"

[zipcat]

"Thank you."

*She spoke to the bartender, who had just brought her fruit bowl. They were chilled, some of them halfway frozen. She loved the way the bits of apple tasted like flavored snow; they were still soft and melted in her mouth like snow, too. The variety was nice too, everything from pear bits to black berries. It was so good.*

*She rolled a frozen cherry over her lips, making them wet before popping it in and licking herself clean. When she heard someone speak up, she quickly turned, freezing for a moment at what she heard. She was glad she didn't have anything to choke on at that moment. She had never seen this man; her smile was gone with her surprise. Her smile when she saw his grin, he seamed kind. Even though what he said--if she heard him right--meant a lot to her, she would give it a little bit of time so not to be rude.*

"Hello sir, and yes, everything is great, thank you. What about yourself?"

*She wasn't the best at being formal, but after spending time with Blythe she had learned a bit. Part of her mind was still fumbling over what she heard, and what it could mean. He could have heard of her, and known her race that way. Or, he could have seen another Amentan, read about them, there were so many possibilities. Most any could help her, other than if he'd only heard about her. This could mean so much.*

"I've never met a someone before that addressed me by my race, so I must ask, how did you know?"

[Rajst Kalizkhanavar]

*The bartender set the new goblet of bloodwyne in front of Rajst before he got a chance to answer the Amentan. The assassin paid him with several more gold pieces than the usual worth of the rare and expensive drink, mostly to buy his future trust when such a time would demand secrets that were hard to come by. When the drink had been paid for, the vampyre turned his attention back to the Amentan and spoke quietly*

"I've been better, perhaps. Or perhaps not. I don't know, nor do I really care anymore..."

*The vampyre placed the goblet to his mouth and took a long pull, feeling the cold, thick liquid rush down his throat. It was a delicate treat that was only matched by a dragon bloodwyne, which he had only drank twice. This bloodwyne was most likely Elven, though that really didn't matter much to Rajst. Finally, the vampyre set down the goblet and licked his vampyric canines clean, momentarily exposing them to see for those that were heeding any attention to him whatsoever, and he continued to speak*

"I've had a few...contracts...with Amentans before. Mostly to help preserve wildlife. Very interesting people, I must admit, though I do not recall what realm they are from. You see, for the past 7100 years I have never stayed in the same place for longer than a week or two. I constantly slip from realm to realm, kingdom to kingdom, land to land. I've met more exotic species in my life than have been recorded in all of history."

*The vampyre shrugged and took another sip of the bloodwyne before setting it back down*

"I have nothing left in this life. Or the next, if there is one. Well...nothing...save for..."

*Rajst's voice trailed off...*

[zipcat]

*She wished he was feeling better, or at least know how he felt. She didn't understand why he wouldn't care, it always meant a lot to her when she was happy, or sad. When zip saw the bloodwyne, she went back to her fruit bowl and asked the bartender for a refill, so not to watch him drink such a thing, but looking back the sight of a tooth confirmed her original thought. She had a bit of a fear of vampires, as well as creatures that hunted humans after what a friend had told her elsewhere. She didn't want to have her friend's warning proven true.*

*Her breath stopped because of her fear, other than when she needed to talk. She wasn't going to let herself become too timid though, she was in Titan. That, and she thought Rajst was nice, anyways. All of her attention was on him while he answered. She wondered what kind of contract would help the wildlife, but didn't ask. Her eyes widened when he said he's traveled for 7,100 years, and for going somewhere every week she could understand how he couldn't remember just where they were. She still had hope though, and she'd still look. It was reassuring too, to know someone had seen an Amentan other than her.*

*She found him interesting, how he'd seen so many things. As much as she was out, other than a Huldri cat, she had never spotted anything rare.*

"I hope I can see some of the creatures you have, one day when I'm out."

*What he said next sounded so sad; her eyebrows took on a frown with the rest of her face. She waited for him to finish, but when he didn't she thought it would be best to move on to something that might be more cheery. Her smile was back again, if not as big.*

"Well, what brings you here?"

[Rajst Kalizkhanavar]

*The assassin listened quietly as the Amentan spoke about her wish for adventures, and then her mentioning of what brought him here. He finished off his bloodwyne and set the goblet down before answering*

"It is a long, long story. Truly, it is. 7,100 years of wandering has wound up with me receiving a contract to...bring justice...to two rangers that trespassed and poached on some king's woods in some kingdom or another. I don't pay attention to names or details or other specifics like that. I'm interested mostly for the hunt...and the reward that comes afterwards. Most non-vampyres would never understand my ways, so I usually don't speak of my affairs to others."

*The vampyre leaned back against the chair he was sitting in*

"What brings you here, Amentan?"

[zipcat]

*She only sipped her next cider while he talked, so not to be rude. She could understand why the story was much longer than he said, she'd be up all night listening just to one years worth if he went in detail, she was sure of it. She could understand somewhat, like why he would focus on what to do rather than the specifics of names, but not as much for the hunt and rewards.*

*The rewards she always got were a bit of knowledge on some new plant, or a friend. She even picked up a bit on alchemy and healing from one person, and a way to know which direction a willing person is marked with one's mana from another. It really was a reward for her.*

*Setting her cup down, she was a bit surprised by the question. She thought that by now they would have exchanged names, too, but she didn't want to leave the interesting things they were already speaking of.*

"Well, I just stayed up a bit late it seams, from walks around town and near it. I decided that it would be easier to stay here for the night, rather than spend it walking back home towards the mountains west of here. I know I could have made it, but then I wouldn't have gotten a drink or sleep until early morning." she shrugged, "I'll go back in the morning, sit around here to talk to a few friends, or head off to the Estate to visit someone dear to me."

*She smiled at that, but went back to the introductions they missed a while back because of her curiosity. She couldn't become friends with someone if she didn't know their names.*

"Sir, I'm zip, what do you go by?"

[Rajst Kalizkhanavar]

*The vampyre listened politely as the Amentan told him about why she had chosen to stay here. It seemed odd to the vampyre that a female would choose to stay at a tavern rather than somewhere more safe and comfortable. Then again, it wasn't his place to be judgemental. He was paid to kill, not question, and that was all that truly mattered. Finally, the Amentan announced herself as zip. He hadn't asked her about her name, and he had purposefully kept his a secret up until now*

"My name is one that I tell few, but if you trust me with yours, I can trust you with mine. Rajst. Rajst Nikolai Kalizkhanavar. What I do for a living, however, I would prefer to keep as my own affair. No offense intended, of course, but you might be appalled if you were to find out."

[zipcat]

*zip didn't understand why he would only tell a few people his name, but seeing as he kept it a secret most of the time, she wouldn't speak of him. She was glad that she had earned that bit of trust, too. She always gave her name out when she wanted to be someone's friend, and reasoned that Rajst may be more secluded than he was being with her, or just traveled much more than she did. Either way, she was glad that she knew him by name.*

*She nodded when he told her what he does was also a secret, smiling again to let it say she wasn't offended at all. She didn't understand though, how a job that brings justice could appall her, and didn't press for it. Deciding to share what she does, she wisped her fingers over the pouch at her hip and the vine holding it closed relaxed so her hand could come in. She pulled out one of her treasured seeds, and held it out in an open palm for him to see.*

"I can't be hired for anything, really, but I tend to spend my time looking for these plants. I came here with these seeds, and I know that if I found one of them in the wild it would be close to my relatives. I've gone to all sorts of places, but not near as many as I'm sure you have. You may have seen one before, like with the other Amentans. They all mostly have a glow in their veins. They're so pretty."

[Rajst Kalizkhanavar]

*The vampyre watched silently as the Amentan explained about her seeds and what she had been doing. He had seen the same exact seeds before and they had intrigued him, but he had already been used to the paranormal by then. Appearantly, this Amentan trusted Rajst, which he found highly unusual. She seemed so open, yet not naïve. Perhaps if she trusted him, he could return the favor. Finally, when zip had finished speaking, Rajst cleared his throat and filled in the awkward silence*

"I have seen seeds similiar to those, and if you trust me with that knowledge, then I suppose I can trust you with my trade. And I trust you will keep it our secret. I am an assassin. A stalker of the night. I am not an evil assassin, one who kills for the pleasure of killing. I am more or less a benevolent assassin, one who brings justice to those who commit crimes and attempt to escape the long arm of the law."

*The vampyre paused long enough to take another sip of the bloodwyne*

"I work many different contracts, to be honest. The Amentans had me track and kill poachers and loggers that were illegally destroying the forests where they resided. Other times, I've been hired as a professional hitman to take down a criminal syndicate. Or, I take up bounty hunting and find criminals that way. But, perhaps the most interesting of all the jobs is working as a bodyguard. It usually doesn't allow me to feed on the blood of my victims, which are almost always criminals, thugs, other assassins, and smugglers, but it does allow me to see how mortals live their day to day affair."

*Rajst fumbled around for words to keep the conversation from becoming awkward*

"I'm sorry for trailing off earlier. Its just that...sometimes...I am reminded of someone. Someone dear to me. Akishira, my wife. We had a daughter named Jade. Jade was 10 when a freelance paladin came and killed my wife. I chased down and killed the paladin in rage, but when I returned, Jade had disappeared. I've spent the past 7 years trying to find Jade, but I doubt I'll ever see her again."

*Whilst he spoke, Rajst's eyes were distant and cold, and he absent-mindedly ran his right index finger around the rim of his goblet*

"I hope that explains a few things, zip."

[zipcat]

*She admired the seed for another moment before putting it back safe in her pouch which again closed on its own. She really liked talking to someone who had seen some of the things she valued most, it also gave her the comfort that she wasn’t searching for something that wasn’t there no matter how long ago he may have seen them. She took a moment to pop another berry in her mouth before putting her attention back on the vampire while he spoke.*

*She was a bit surprised to learn he was an assassin, she knew they were hired to kill people. However, she knew a lot of people had professions where they killed people, some of which were her friends. A bit of shock joined her expression when he mentioned killing for pleasure, she was glad she didn’t know anyone like that enough to know they did, as well as Rajst didn’t have the twisted enjoyment he spoke of,*

*As he went on, she understood that his job was to protect and help people, too. She had never known that her kind hired assassins, but she understood that they may do it to stop others from brutally destroying the forest. She had seen a man, or in truth a Feral, that would jump huge wild cats and begin cutting off the creatures’ fur and teeth when the animal was only walking. She would want those people to leave the forest alone, too, even if they had to be killed to have it so.*

“I don’t think you’re evil, Rajst. You’ve helped a lot of people, maybe in different ways, but you have.” She smiled, “Just because you have a job that most people use for something horrid doesn’t mean that you can’t use it for something that does things just as wonderful, that you have chosen to use them to help shows that you’re a good person, Rajst.”

*She started to ponder how much different a vampire’s life could be when he went started to speak again. The Amentan wondered how long he had gone without having someone trusting to talk to, something that has always been important to everyone. She listened with a caring ear; it must have been horrible to lose dear ones. She didn’t know what to say... and so she stuck with her thoughts as they came.*

“I’m so sorry,” she paused, “I’ve never lost someone dear to me as Akishire and Jade are to you. You’ll find Jade again, people don’t disappear... With how good you are at your job, I’m sure those skills will lead you to her soon.”

*She didn’t think he needed to explain himself, everyone misses those they love. She silently wished she could help.*

[Rajst Kalizkhanavar]

*Rajst nodded softly when the Amentan offered him a sympathetic ear. It wasn't often that he had found someone whom he could trust deeply enough to tell them about Akishira and Jade, especially on a first meeting. Then, zip mentioned that he would eventually find Jade, but he still had doubt. Perhaps...or perhaps not. The vampyre decided to take their minds off of things, but how? Maybe a walk would clear their minds*

"I agree that I am not evil...not totally, at least. I've attempted to control the wild passions of my vampyre blood, and so far I've been successful. And as for Jade...well...fate will tell all. Would you mind a walk? I have no particular place to be, and no particular place to stay. It might brighten up this somber mood, perhaps."

[zipcat]

*She didn’t understand what he meant by totally evil, but it seamed linked to the idea of him being a vampire. Hope wouldn't help him find Jade, but she still believed he would find her with time. She tried to smile when he offered to go on a walk, and figured she’d like to help the mood too. Her bare feet had rested plenty, anyways. She stood, picking up the last fruit and eating it then. It wasn’t icy because it had warmed up, but it was still good.*

“Sure, I’d love a walk.”

*She waited for him to lead the way, and followed him out. Once outside, she stayed to his side. She tried to think of something better to talk about, and so she stuck to her curiosity. She worried that the question wouldn’t be offensive though, and hoped it wouldn’t be.*

“What do you mean your wild passions? Couldn’t you just stick to drinking to the bad men you catch, or the wines?”

[Rajst Kalizkhanavar]

*The two were walking around outside with Rajst leading the way. With zip walking next to him, he finally felt...important. As if he truly had a friend. The feeling was so awkward to him. He was usually remote and anti-social. But suddenly, he had himself a fast friend. Perhaps Rajst would stay here for a little while longer to see if there were others like her. Then, she asked him about his "wild passions." It wasn't the best explanation, but it was the only way that he could think of explaining it without going in depth. So, the vampyre decided to make it clear*

"By wild passions, I mean that whenever I get annoyed, angered, saddened, or go through an intense emotion or emotional time, I can snap. Despite my attempts, I can end up slaying innocents because my vampyric blood beckons for bloodshed. I have it under control most of the time, but to assure that I don't have to face those emotions and the risks associated with them...I live a nomadic, solitary life away from others."

*Rajst looked at the top of some of the buildings they were passing. They were two and three stories tall on average. A thought crossed Rajst's mind and he smiled, knowing that it'd change the subject*

"Want to bet I can jump to the top of one of these buildings?"