Axle packed tobacco in to a pipe before lightning it with a snap of his fingers. Taking a slow drag he looked out from the cloth awning where he took shelter from the sun. It was setting and the sky was turning a brilliant red. Soon he would be able to walk the streets freely.
Sunlight wasn't instantly fatal to Alexander Crowden it was worst. It was slow and painful. Five minutes and his pale skin would be burnt a painful red, ten and he would start to blister and peel.
His long silver hair stood in contrast to his black clothing. He wore baggy black pants and a hooder sleeveless black shirt.
Essyrn really tended to take all kinds-- and due to the overall high traffic outside of noontime, it was fairly easy for folk who didn't want to be noticed to come to and forth, so long as they didn't cause too much trouble. Still, discretion tended to be the better part of valor, and so Ariadne traveled under the cover of a long, form-covering cloak that he had borrowed from the corpse of a man that he'd come across in the desert on his way here.
Ate the corpse, too, to prevent it going to waste-- He'd degenerated back into his most monstrous form, a mass of writhing arms and a mouth of horrendous teeth, and was well aware that he could not enter any towns or hail any wagons while in such a grotesque form. Thus did he take on the appearance of the man he'd consumed, of traditional Essyrn dark skin and coal black hair, though his eyes and skin still betrayed glimpses of his true nature as a monster.
Hours had passed, and while Ariadne didn't suffer traditional exhaustion as most humans did due to the weather, he'd grown tired of wandering for a time, with no human interaction. On a whim, he quietly strode beneath a nearby cloth awning, coming to rest along a sand-swept shop's outer wall, not too far from a certain silver-haired man.
He then proceeded to partake in his favorite pastime-- people watching. And as said silver-haired man was nearest to him, Ariadne thought he might start with him-- openly staring at the man from his flank, almost like a wild animal studying it's prey.
He meant nothing by it, naturally-- but such things as 'personal space' and 'common sense', well... the creature still had room to grow in the knowledge department.
As Axle smoked on his pipe and waited for the sun to set he was joined be a dark haired man. The new comer didn't say a word but he stared and it Axle the willies.
Pipe still in hand he turned towards man "can you knock it off, the staring is giving me the creeps." He drew back his black jerkin with a pale hand, showing off the large dagger on his belt as he rested his free hand on his hip.
Ah-- Ariadne was being addressed. He opened his mouth to speak, and the sound that came out was... very, very wrong. Like a man drowning within his own skin, or a deep-sea creature's slimy, dying throes of agony... or perhaps best put, like a monster-- and if one's eyes were sharp enough, you could just barely make out that inside of the 'man's' mouth, where a tongue should've been, there was a writhing, black tendril, with ominously glowing blue rings on it. The creature seemed to immediately realize the sound it made was unacceptable in some way, as no sooner than it attempted to speak did it close it's mouth, go quiet for a moment, and then attempt again.
"'Giving me the creeps'. An expression that communicates discomfort. Staring... Is causing your discomfort? Hm..." Now, the voice was much more 'normal'-- the voice of a young Essyrni man, befitting of it's current host body. How careless, to forget to adjust it's speech to match the muscle memory of the body it had eaten-- Having not expected having to speak to anyone, Ariadne admittedly didn't expect to have to do it at all. "I'm afraid I don't understand. But I will âÇ¥í£š--" He attempted, but stumbled on a word which came out once more like the foreign sound from before. Ah-- this body lacked the muscle memory for such a word. How strange-- perhaps it was an unintelligent man, or one who lacked much in the way of learning the common tongue. "...I will, a-cqui-esce... acquiesce, in your request." He eventually finished, before turning his head away toward the slowly-darkening roads before them. The sunset created unique hues of gold and red on the Essyrni evening-- It was as interesting to see in this human form as it was to sense in it's true form.
Axle couldn't help but notice that the man before was more then he seemed. As the man spoke it came out wrong. He looked closer and saw the black tongue.
"You're not human are you?" He asked, not the Axle had much room to talk. He was a vampire who had the misfortune of living in a desert after all.
"No," Ariadne answered in an almost matter-of-fact tone, shifting its head slowly to look back at the silver-haired man once again, glowing blue eyes meeting his once more. He briefly wondered if saying such a thing would put his life in danger, before remembering the tales of one trepid adventurer who spoke with him about how goblins, orcs, and other such creatures could find means of coexistence with human settlements— surely if they could, then his admission wouldn't be too unusual.
"Curious; does my not being human also, 'give you the creeps'?" It might've sounded like a sarcastic question, but it wasn't; Ariadne was genuinely curious of what made this man so weary of him. Most humans wouldn't have paid him any mind, in his prior experiences— it made people watching that much simpler.
Axle pondered what kind of creature stood before him.
He tapped out hi pipe and started to refill it as he spoke. "You not being human doesn't really bother me because I'm also not human at least not anymore. I do find it creepy the way you stare but I don't care for eye contact."
Ariadne's head tilted to the side, seemingly puzzled at the idea that this person before him could claim to be 'not human' at the present moment. Perhaps they were alike? From the distance that separated them, the creature could not comprehend any notable difference in biology between a normal human and this one, who claimed not to be-- perhaps it was simply too specific a difference between him and normal humans to be understood at a glance. And as he requested not to be stared at, Ariadne was not left with many options on discerning.
"Curious. If you are not human, then what are you? What are the differences between yourself and normal humans?" The 'young man' asked, the glow of his eyes intensifying a bit as he thought on just what this silver-haired man was trying to convey to him. Perhaps he was some form of magical being? A ghost? Perhaps a monstrosity like itself?
Axle again snapped his fingers and a small flame appeared at his fingertip which he used to lite his pipe. He took a long pull as he contemplated the creatures words. What was he if not human? Did he lose his humanity when he was turned? He had done things he wasn't proud of sure be did that make him less than human.
"I am a vampire. I was turned when I was just 17. Since that day I have had to feed on humans to survive." He exhaled blowing out a cloud of smoke.
Ariadne blinked; It was a slow, strange blink, as if the motion itself was foreign to the creature. Once it's irises were properly moisturized, it responded with a shake of the head. "'Vampire'. I have no knowledge of this species. And you were 'turned'... then, you were originally human, and now you are a vampire? How strange." The revelation would've worried a normal person, perhaps-- but Ariadne was not even a person. Er, well, not as much of a person as most. Rather than worry over the idea that the creature before it needed to 'feed on humans to survive', it was moreso intrigued by the idea.
"You feed on humans, to survive. Why is that? Do humans possess some unique form of sustenance for your kind?" This conversation was very interesting to the monster-- it had met other creatures before, but they typically lacked human levels of intelligence; Thus, understanding more about them was difficult without capturing and potentially killing them. Yet this 'vampire' creature not only held human intelligence, but resided among other humans, despite not being one-- implying that it might one day be possible for Ariadne to do the same. Very interesting.
Axle had thought information on vampires was common knowledge but here was a creature that had never heard of them.
"Yes, I was bitten by a vampire which has a slim chance of infecting. I was unlucky. Now to maintain my healing factor I must drink human blood regularly."
Ariadne nodded, as if coming to terms with some formerly unknown secret rule of life that it had previously not known. "I see... So this 'vampire' status, is a form of infection." This caused Ariadne to ponder for a while, having a better understanding of what, exactly, he was interacting with. At his core, the man before him was still very much human-- this 'vampire infection' likely caused some form of severe changes in his physiology, which resulted in his not being identifiable as human. Yet, it didn't seem the human passersby that glanced absentmindedly at the pair every so often seemed to notice any difference between him and anyone else. The changes were primarily internal...
The mention of a healing factor, and the need for regulated consumption of human blood, further intrigued the creature-- But before he could ask another question, a young woman passed rather close to the two of them, causing Ariadne to fall silent, and close it's eyes. Beneath the cloak that it dawned, it's tail lay still, wrapped around it's left leg to prevent it from touching the ground and being visible. Like this, the creature was as inconspicuous as it was capable of being, given the circumstances. "Thrice-damned merchant," The woman, a slender blonde with brown eyes seemingly in her early 30s or so, muttered to herself as she exited the building Ariadne and the vampire had been perched in front of. She began to walk right out into the streets, apparently frustrated, before she paused-- looking towards the two of them with a frown on her face. "You two-- you don't do business here as well, do you? I surely hope not, not with that oversized rat of a dealer." Her words were sharp, some obvious contempt behind them, though it wasn't aimed directly at either. Ariadne didn't respond-- it's eyes were still closed, and leaning against the wall as it was, it almost seemed as if the 'young man' was asleep.
Axle turned when he heard rhe door open. Out came a grumbling woman. "Honestly I don't even know who's shop this is. I was just enjoying a smoke and a chat with my new friend here." He held up his pipe as if to prove he had indeed been smoking.
He lady being so close made his mouth water. He hadn't had blood in several days and he needed to feed, but not here. He had regulars, ladies of the night who didn't mind making some extra gold.
"What seems to be the problem?" He ask partly out of curiosity and partly to be polite.
"'What seems to be the problem'? They give oversized rats license to steal from innocent folk, and you want to know the problem!?" The woman was clearly incensed, but hadn't seemed to realize that her anger was misplaced in this interaction— not until just that moment, as her eyes widened briefly before closing shortly thereafter and she shook her head in dismay. Ariadne's eyes may have been closed, but it was carefully monitoring the situation all the same— and it's ears, hypersensitive still due to not having had time to tune this body's senses to it's liking, could hear the woman's heartbeat slowly, yet surely calm.
"Forgive me..." Once she'd caught her breath, she bowed respectfully— an attempted show of remorse, before continuing. "My father... is dying, and the merchant here has... had, an arrangement with him for some time now to provide us with medicine for his ailment... but this morning, that contract went missing from our home, and the merchant refuses to provide us with medicine now." Her lower lip began to tremble, as if her word might be overtaken by tears, before she eventually steeled her tone with rage instead. "He claims we never held such an agreement, and has no idea of our family's contract with him— a bigger snake would not fit in those walls!" She fumed, cursing the merchant once more.
Once she'd calmed down again, she shook her head, pulling up a cloth hood over her head as she prepared to step out into the dwindling sunlight. "I... I must go. My father will not last another 3 moons without that medicine. I know not what brings you here, but do not trust that vile man."
"Before you go" Axle spoke up. He cracked his knuckles. "If you need this medicine so bad, I could go rough this guy up for you. I bet I can get him to change his mind."
He didn't care for this shopkeeper whoever he was. This lady was clearly upset plus he hadn't had a good fight in a while. This could be fun.
The woman turned back to the silver-haired man, a frightful look on her face. Ariadne could hear her heart skip a beat after the vampire man's words. "I-I could never ask such a thing of you! That man-- he is surely connected, with many 'friends in high places'... Else I might wring his neck myself." Just the thought of squeezing the life out of that arrogant jerk brought a bit of a smile to the woman's face, but she sighed and shook her head, walking closer towards the silver-haired man now-- as to not speak too loudly in uncertain company.
"That said... I know I cannot persuade you against what you wish-- But do be careful. Hanvall is a devious man, and very vengeful." She stepped back, and then politely bowed, her golden hair glimmering through displaced strands beneath her hood in the evening wind. "Forgive me-- burdening you with all of my troubles. My name is Sunya--I... should not stay close to this place for much longer. I must check on my father. We live in the slums south of here, if... well. We have not much to offer, but if you seek a place to stay." She explained, bowing again, before wishing the man well, and wandering out into the evening sun.
At long last, Ariadne opened his eyes once more, mulling over the data it had gathered from that interaction. Not just the words... the scents, the posturing, the tones, even the fluctuations in heart rates. With a nod, he looked to the vampire and tilted his head. "You would create conflict, with this merchant. Why?"
Axle turned to Ariadne with a fanged smile on his face and a glint in his silver eyes. "Yes, I would. She is in need, and I could use some excitement in my life." He said as he put his pipe away
"Come my new friend, lets have a word with this Hanvall." Not waiting for a reply, Axle turned and confidently walked into the shop
He looked around, making sure there was no one else in the shop and to familiarize himself with the new surroundings. He walked up and leaned on the counter. "So Hanvall what seems to be you beef with Sunya's dad?" he ask in a matter of fact kind of way.
Ariadne tilted it's head a bit, but otherwise did not reply-- it's silence seemingly showing acceptance both in the vampire man's explanation of his actions, as well as his plan to go against the woman's verbal wishes. Ariadne had very little exposure to the concept of desperation, or psychological need-- aside from it's compulsion to seek out and study humans, many-- if not most-- of it's impulses were driven primarily by logic, or basic instincts-- either of it's true body, or that of the bodies that it may have taken the form of. Such things as 'seeking excitement' and 'helping those in need' did not make much sense to the creature, but it had long since made the distinction of what these psychological human impulses were, and simply compartmentalized them into a box of miscellaneous concepts it would need to explore further at a later time.
For now, Ariadne followed the vampire in silence into the merchant's building, intent primarily on watching the interaction set to unfold, and glean more insight from this strange man's behaviors in doing so. It was a fair-sized space; Devoid now of customers with Sunya's parting, leaving--at least visibly-- only the two of them and the merchant himself. Said merchant was... well, Sunya's phrasing of the man's characteristics weren't entirely wrong. He was a large, plump man; Ariadne's current body stood about 5 foot and 11 inches, and the round, dark-skinned man stood at least half a food taller than he. His brown, beady eyes and bush-like mustache and goatee certainly gave off the look of a rodent at a distance, but no rodent would be dressed in such fine silks as the man before them. As the merchant welcomed the two to his establishment, Ariadne quietly stood back, watching as his newfound companion asserted himself before Hanvall-- much to said merchant's concern.
"I-I beg your pardon?" He began, the weight of his body echoing through his voice as he spoke, a welcoming smile on his face replaced quite suddenly by a confused one. "Sunya? The little urchin lass? I-- I don't understand, what is the meaning of... don't tell me, she sent ruffians to accost me!?" His voice seemed full with equal parts confusion and outrage-- as if he had no idea what situation he was in, or why he was in it. Ariadne's eyes were once more closed-- primarily to avoid alarming the man before them, but also to reduce the amount of sensory information his body was naturally taking in. Without sight, he could focus a bit more on his hearing-- which allowed him to realize that in their vicinity, there were not 3 heartbeats, but 7. How curious.
His eyes flashed silver as he looked up at Hanvall with a grin showing off his fangs. "Sunya didn't send me. I am here because her story moved me so. Now I ask again, why do you refuse to do business with the nice lady."
Hanvall, seemingly, understood the danger he was in-- He paled at the aggressive posturing that the man before him took, and shirked away as he bore his teeth at him like some kind of wild animal. "Out-outlandish! My good name is being besmirched by a street urchin like her!?" While the two spoke, the vampire's companion had turned away from the interaction and begun examining the building, like a potential buyer... or an inspector. Nooks, corners and crannies; Tables with wares and glass cases. Because he'd turned away from the two as they spoke, he was free to open his eyes without warranting distrust or concern.
He wasn't actually looking to buy anything; He was curious. The heartbeats that he heard, aside from the obvious two that stood within the building with him, continued to shift about, from place to place-- almost as if restless. Ariadne was following the heartbeats; Watching as they occassionally paused, and then moved around again, and tracking them accordingly. Before long, the cloaked figure had moved toward the entrance to the building, and without explaining to the vampire man, it... left. Hanvall's eyes occassionally darted to the cloaked Ariadne, but knew he had to keep most of his attention on the man in front of him. "I haven't refused to do business with anyone-- not even that street urchin. Coming into my shop, and threatening me with baseless accusations is NOT business-- not for her, and not for you!" He explained, trying passionately to explain himself-- somewhat frustrated that he was even having to do so, it seemed.
The floor boards creaked as Ariadne walked. Axle could hear him moving around behind him in the shop but he didn't dare take his eyes off Hanvall.
For all his bravado, he secretly hoped it wouldn't come to blows. He talked tough but knew there was always risk in a fight. He was good with his fist but there was always a element of luck.
"So tell me your side of the story, if you are willing to do business why would Sunya say otherwise and what is this about a missing contract." He spoke confidently.
Axle heard the door open and close but didn't know if someone else had come in or if the thing had left. Neither was particularly good. Either he had just lost his backup or gained a unknown player.
Hanvall, overly large man that he was, let out a sigh of relief and began fanning himself to cool off, sensing that there was at least some level of rationality to the man before him. "My word," He began, shaking his head in disbelief, "To think that street urchin... good grief. That girl's father and I were former business partners, and yes, we do have an agreement regarding some medicines-- But I've upheld my end of the bargain, and she dares to come barging into my shop demanding that I give them even more than what we agreed to! All I did was remind her of our contract, and then that urchin dared call me-- ME-- a thief. Ridiculous..."
Hanvall seemed genuinely upset at the notion; If he was acting, he was doing a very, very good job of it. While he spoke, there were sounds of a slight ruckus outside; Nothing that seemed to either bother or dishearten the merchant, however. It wasn't the greatest part of town; people tended to get shaken up here and there.
Before long, Hanvall shook his head, filing away a document he'd been looking over before the duo had even walked in. "I'd not get involved with the likes of them. I've no idea what's gotten into her, or her father, to think they can come to my shop and threaten me, but there are bad enough rumors spreading about the slums, and the daemon worshipers-- Better you didn't get mixed up in it all."
Axle was just about to ask Hanvall to elaborate on the daemons when the ruckus outside picked up. He turned around and saw that his new friend was gone. "Hold that thought, I most step out side and check on things" with that he turned and left the shop.
Once back outside he noted that the sun had finished setting which meant it was safe for him to walk about without covering up. Looking around he didn't immediately so the source of the ruckus not did he see the creature he had been talking to.
"Did you finish your interaction?"
Ariadne's voice echoed forth from behind the man; More specifically, as he'd turned one way to look around, Ariadne appeared from the alley opposite of his facing... coated in red. It was a potentially revolting sight, were someone the squeamish sort; His cloak was now freshly tattered with what appeared to be cuts or tears from short blades, or daggers. Crimson stains coated the outer layer of his outfit, and what appeared to be subtle bits of rended flesh-- or perhaps organs? Dripped lightly from atop and below his cloak. He looked as though he'd just walked through a human blender-- and yet, despite that, he appeared mostly unharmed. A unknown man's severed arm limply hung from his right hand beneath his cloak; His grasp was loose enough that it dangled from his fingers, and dragged against the ground as he walked.
"Were you able to determine the information you sought?" He asked, in spite of himself. Rather, it almost seemed as though he were woefully unaware of how disturbing he looked.
Axle's hand went to the dagger hanging across his chest. This man, or thing was dangerous that much was for sure. "Please explain yourself" he managed to get out. The gore was almost to much to take in but it was the smell of blood that bugged him the most.
It had been a week or more since he had fed on blood and smell was intoxicating. It stirred a primal hunger.
" why did you kill this man" man, men he wasn't sure how many. There was so much gore.
Ariadne, meanwhile, stared back blankly at the man before him, as if he couldn't even comprehend the question that had just been asked. For a moment, he held that stare, before his eyes drifted from the pale companion before him to the severed limb in his grasp, still slowly exsanguinating from it's flush tear. From there, he turned to the door, monitoring the trail of blood that had followed him in-- the muddied footsteps of crimson-soaked sand in his wake... And then at the splotches that adorned his previously ordinary cloak.
After a careful, thorough investigation, Ariadne... still didn't understand the question. But he had no reason not to answer to the best of his ability; This human hadn't harmed or wronged him yet.
"This one attacked me, and then I stopped it." He explained, raising his arm-- in which his hand carried an arm-- in acknowledgement of the question. He almost seemed like a wild dog, granted speech in how blatant he was in his response. "Should I not have killed this one?" Ariadne couldn't help but ask, genuinely curious as to where the question even came from.
Axle had to think about it for moment. While he didn't condone killing he also believed in defending oneself. Taking a deep breath he lowed his hand away from the dagger.
"If it was in self defense I guess it could be justified but why carry the arm back like trophy and you should clean up if anyone sees you covered in gore they are likely to attack out of fear" he replied. A note of uneasiness in his voice.
He wondered why this man had attacked. Was this a simple robbery or had he worked for the shopkeeper. He had many questions but few answers.
Ariadne paused, listening intently to the man's words. In truth, he didn't fully understand them. He could comprehend the concept of "self-defense"— His original host body held a layer of understanding of the concept— she taught it to him. If another attacks you, then you are allowed to attack them in order to preserve your life.
But...
"...But I have done nothing to cause people to attack me, have I?"
That part didn't make sense. These men attacked him unprovoked. Did they fear him? He looked to his cloak— eying the heavier bits of bile and flesh that yet clung to his cape, before taking the man's advice and scraping off the more obvious bits, and stuffing them into his mouth. Unnatural munching echoed from his mouth as splinters of bone and cartilage were crushed and consumed, and within a few moments, he was... 'clean'. Well, cleaner.
"...But I have done nothing to cause people to attack me, have I?"
Axle pondered this statement for a moment. It was uncommon for someone to get attacked in such a nice part of town. "It is strange that you were attacked here. Walk me through what happened step be step, I have guess but I'm not sure."
He had to look away as this creature ate the gore off his robes. It was all a little to much, that had been a living person not 5 minutes ago.
"I heard heartbeats."
Ariadne paused, wiping his face clean with his right hand-- which was now suspiciously free of a previously-dismembered arm. He could remember from his original host body that speaking with a mouth that was filled with food, or with food covering one's mouth, was considered rude in human norms. He didn't want to seem rude, after all. "There was yours, and the man you spoke with. There were seven of them. I was looking for them."
He turned to look toward the alley that he'd emerged from earlier, which itself was pained black by the shadow of the shop the stood before, as well as the waning light of day. "When I found the heartbeats, I was attacked. I killed the ones that attacked me, and let the two that did not attack me leave. Is that how self-defense works?" Ariadne asked, tilting his head a bit-- unnatural blue-ringed eyes glowing in the shadow of his hood. He was learning quite a bit today-- it was refreshing.
Axle looked back up at his companion after processing what he had said.
"I think those were Hanvall's men you killed. If I'm right there will be more coming for us and I would rather not have to fight." He replied.
Just as he was going to suggest they part ways there was shouting down the alley and the unmistakable swill of a guards whistle. " try not kill anyone else will you" he said as he turned and ran for another shadowy alley near by.
"Hanvall's men?"
The concept of humans belonging to other humans didn't quite register to the creature-- and while he had more questions than answers at all that his companion had just told him, it seemed he would not have them-- At a particular sound, his companion suddenly made a swift exit, warning him against killing before doing so.
Ariadne, confused as to why the pale human was running to begin with, merely stood there, quite unsure of what exactly was going on. He supposed he could try the 'not killing anyone else' that his companion suggested, as it seemed killing other humans-- even in self-defense-- was something that brought unnecessary scrutiny toward one's actions... if the pale one's reactions were anything to go by.
Thus did he find himself quickly beset upon by guards of the city, who, rightfully, tracked him to where he stood and began questioning him over his current state-- doused with blood as he was-- before attempting to detain him. This, of course, did not go well... for the guards.
But he didn't kill them. He ripped limb from body, shattered bones with unnatural strength, and even choked one of the human guards with his strange, slime-coated tail-- but he didn't kill them. Before long, understanding that not killing them was only naturally going to draw attention-- and further threats-- to himself, Ariadne fled the location as well-- darting inhumanly into the streets, down dark alleys and into darker holes.
All the while, a familiar woman hidden not too far away from the scene of the incident sat horrified at the entire show that she'd just witnessed-- Fearful for her own life, and the life of her mother, now.
Axle could hear the guards shouting, first commands and then in pain and fear. "F@#$er didn't listen" he muttered to himself. He raced down the alley putting as much distance between him and Ariadne as possible.
The other end of the alley opened up into a market square that was still moderately busy. He pull up his hood and slowed to a walk trying his best to blend into the crowd.