**Exploration was a difficult thing at times - particularly if it was done the way his kind favoured: blind chance. It was nothing short of miraculous that he hadn't ended up in some frozen wasteland long before now. True, this was only a little improved from that detested possibility - Coma was no great fan of desert-like sunlight and heat either; preferring temperatures to be a comfortable, happy medium - a perfect middle-ground such as this was uncommon in many realms, but perfectly normal in his own.**
**As soon as he had stepped through the shimmering crimson portal on the outskirts of what seemed to be a large city; the sunlight had assaulted him, causing his lithe, muscular form to automatically flinch back for a moment, an aggravated hiss delivered through thin, pale lips as he allowed his vision the time to adjust from the sudden onslaught of light. Even before the curse of the vampire had invaded him, he had disliked bright light - a natural aversion for a creature that dealt so heavily with shadow and darkness by all accounts. However, the curse certainly hadn't helped and had heightened the sensitivity - still, at least he wasn't forced indoors by it like other Kindred. It would have been intensely annoying to have to organise his life around the rising and setting of the sun.**
**Long, deceptively graceful fingers had momentarily lingered expertly near the hilt of the concealed samurai sword at his side during this moment of dazzled vulnerability. His other senses instinctively heightening to paint a picture of his surroundings: there was the unpleasant stench of civilisation - something that was universally unpleasant, he found. Too many bodies living too close to each other; the underlying unpleasantness of pollution and waste. Even before his vision had cleared and allowed him an unblurred look at his surroundings, he had turned his handsome head away from the city of Arca, shunning it entirely for the open lands surrounding it and the fresher air that was promised out in the open. He could hear voices... a man's primary, but a fraction too far away to bother him. The slightly-troubled wrinkle of his brow lessened as the breeze gently blew dust and sand at him, tormenting long strands of his ebony hair to playfully flitter over his shoulders; but he remained motionless until his senses restored entirely. Instead, he allowed his hand to raise toward the gently reverberating portal; the gateway closed with a gentle, expert flick of his wrist and accompanied only by the soothing 'whoosh' of ethereal air and heat.**
**That task completed, he dared open his eyes fully; blinking quickly to dispel the starbursts of lingering brightness, before he glanced around to ascertain if his other senses had relayed correctly. Yes... in his peripheral vision, he could see the primitive buildings of a large city; a civilisation he accurately guessed at being on the very cusp of true progress and promise. Yet, he would make no comment to any of the inhabitants to suggest that he was from anywhere better or worse than this place - truth be told, his kind seemed to favour this sort of timeframe; rarely crafting their own buildings out of anything but strong rock and wood. Who was he to judge?**
**Yet, the city was still far too occupied for his liking - and he very much doubted that he would be a welcome sight to any of the citizens passing him in the street. From his experience with humans and mortals, they considered a demon an unchangeable threat - a dreadful scourge that needed to be chased away and forced back to whence they came. He couldn't blame those who thought that way - should he change places with any of them, his view would have been the same...**
**There was a wagon nearby - rudimentary; but perfectly useable as far as he could tell. A little further from the stench of the city, he might have picked up the telltale fragrance of wood and the mustiness of the two horses that pulled the thing. Thankfully, the beasts were sleeping now - animals rarely reacted well to the presence of a demon, he found. Obsidian eyes flicked to a movement from the wagon - a young lady dashing from the vehicle, hastily back toward the city. He didn't bother trying to hide - there were only a few trees dotted a fair distance away and he would only make himself more obvious by trying to seek cover by one of them. Out in the open, she couldn't miss him - he stood at 7ft 8", after all! His darker instincts picked up on her fear as soon as her terrified hazel eyes hit him - her pace increased to a full run and he battled back predatory instincts; instead allowing his form to approach the wagon instead.**
**His leather-like armour creaked very softly when he first moved, but otherwise his approach was silent and measured. He held little interest in the wagon if he were honest - it was purely a method to distract himself from the young woman who had inadvertently stirred deep-rooted instincts to hunt. He moved surprisingly quickly - something akin to a glide across the dusty, undeveloped ground. Just as he reached the shadow of the wagon, the angry sound of the male occupant reached him. For a moment, Coma had felt sure that the furious words had been directed at him and he felt himself bristling with irritation at the tone...**
**Until he saw the girl, that was...**
**He only had a second to take her appearance in - a poor, wretched little creature; clearly a child and malnourished. It was true that Coma had very little patience for children - even his own had annoyed him to some degree; yet there was no way he could allow this. Fury was expertly held down - but movements became utterly liquid. With one smooth movement, the samurai sword was pulled from its sheath, the darkened blade live with sharpness, its sheath was thrown back over his shoulder expertly... in the next second, there was a terrible noise; a deafening impact of hardened metal against the comparatively flimsy chain which held the child; hopefully freeing her from her tethering point at least.**
**His eyes had begun to shift from an expression of sheer curiosity and mild irritation to that the dreadful professionalism he was more famed in his race for. For a terrifying moment, he was no longer an intrigued traveller in a strange land; there was that horrifying chill to the air, the very epitome of an assassin. His expression remained unreadable, the huge sword rounded neatly back in front of him and ready. There was a minuscule tilt of his head and a vague shrug of muscular shoulders, his own shadow beginning to bubble and writhe around him threateningly.**
"...Leave her alone."
**His voice, only very slightly edged with the native accent of his people, was predictably baritone - but not nearly as much as would be expected from someone of his size. Instead, it was deceptively... 'normal'. Should the slave-master be observant enough, he might have seen a flash of elongated canines that gave Coma's vampiric side away; but Coma was rather hopeful that would remain an unpleasant surprise...**