23 Candles

[Zaine Reneva Cosinii]

The edge of night was starting to cause such a disarray among the humans, something that was becoming much more common nowadays. He couldn't believe the harsh and sudden increase of vampires in the are, and couldn't really comprehend the full situation as it was.

Nothing that was around this area was interesting to him anymore, having been here for a few years as it was. This time of night was even more boring for him, as people began scurrying to heir houses, hoping for some kind of safety from the wicked creatures on the outside. He sighed as he made his way down the now darkening streets. Surely there was someone here he could bother.

As he walked he paid close attention to the clouds, getting thicker and thicker in the sky. A storm perhaps, though he hoped not. He didn't so much care if it rained, but the storms were the part that he hated. Thunder was much to loud.

He made his way into a bar, the long, dark coat he wore keeping his identity more than enough hidden, after all he wasn't much liked in these parts anymore. "would you like something to drink, sir?"

"Uhh... Yeah sure. Just something light but tasty. Lemon water with a hint of mint and sugar." He responded. Such an odd choice for him, usually he preferred to get wasted. Silver eyes scanned the room,quickly looking from one side to the other. He was hoping he wasn't needed for anything tonight, as it had been a really really long week for him.

The lady brought his drink back, but he ordered no food, just sat there watching as the rain outside began to pour down. He was just thankful that he wasn't out in it, bleeding on the side of a road somewhere... that tended to happen a lot while it rained.

[Cassadee Break Constantine !]

Cassy stood plastered to the wall in the dark ally. Vampires were eaies to find now day and what made it worse was they didn't even try to hide. she took a soft deep breath and slowly pushed her self deeper into the ally way. she wasn't like a regural human nore was she like any of the other creatures that threatened lives. she was differant. immortal. hard to kill but not impossible. she only knew one person who knew her secret and he had dissappeared.

she closed her eyes and took a deep breath pushing her self out of the ally and past the hunting vampire. he cought the sent and took off toward her. she stopped turned around and staked the young vampire. no emotion. no remorse. nothing. she pulled the stake out and stared as small cuts started to form and and open in to larger wounds. the vampire fell to its knees and cassy couldn't help but stake him one last time. she stepped back as the young vampire was engulfed in flames, and watched slightly pleased with her self. one less vampire, who wouldn't be pleased?

she took a deep breath and picked up her trusty stake and walked off and the rain started to fall. all was fair after all someone had to cry for the lost soul. she took a deeper breath and looked at her shorts. there on the left leg a quarter sized blood stain. she stomped her foot and let out a cry of dissapointment, only to exzamine it a little closer. vampire blood. bastard. she glared and stared to walk off.

the rain started to come down harder and at the exact moment of thunder cassy whipped out and ran into the nearest building. she took a deep breath and sighed. a bar. go figure. she looked around and stalked over to the bar. "Hypnotic." to her it was like coolaid. she sighed as the bar tender asked for ID and then went a little dazed. "You already saw it, don't you remember?" she smiled as the fake memory crossed his mind and he immediatly appoligized. she was after all two hundred years old. she asked for a napkin and started to work at the blood stain on her shorts.

[Zaine Reneva Cosinii]

"You already saw it remember?"

He knew that voice. He knew it well. He had all but left everyone he had known behind, but he had expected at some point to run into her again.He just had not expected it to be during a thunder storm, during the one point of weakness he had. Another burst went off, and he cowered farther into the dark booth that he sat in, his hands wrapped around his ears as he shook, waiting for it to end.

It was kind of odd to see a grown man cower at such a thing as silly as thunder, especially one like him that had the ego to boot. After it had stopped, he stood and walked a little closer to try and further examine the bar for the voice he had heard. He knew it was her. It just had to be. After all, no one else had ever tried to use that trick in a bar and was successful with it.

He moved closer to the bar, spotted the person he thought it was, and sat a few chairs down, trying to see what she had ordered. "Anything I can get for you sir?"

"Uhh... no thanks." He held up the glass of water he had, taking a small sip, and the bartender moved on. Zaine's silver eyes continuously glanced back and forth from outside to the girl a few people away from him. He knew it was her. It just had to be.

[Cassadee Break Constantine !]

Cassy took a deep breath and exhaled as the bar tender handed her the drink. she took a sip and sighed. yep, coolaid. she took another sip and then looked around. she wasn't really dry and the people around her tended to moved out of the way away from her to avoid getting wet. she chuckled and then pulled her hair around to her right should and rang it out. she smiled a little more then slug her still wet hair around to hit her back.

"Excuss you!"

Cassy looked at the woman standing neck to her. "Excuss you for being a bitch. and sorry its raining out there and i cant control the weather." cassy's sarcasm was enough to through any one in to a fenzy, only this girl simply relaxed and returned to her drink as if nothing happened. cassy smiled and rubbed her hands, each in turn on her damp pants. she downed her drink and turned away from the bar.

she took a deep breath noticing a swore spot from the corner of her eye. wait not a swore spot. a white spot. she chuckled to her self and turned to look at the guy more directly. Zaine. how ironic. the first time they met was in the rain and ironicly it was raining now. she started off and stopped. now what kind of person would see an old...

her thoughts paused as she couldn't really decide what to call him and then turned back, and walked over to the seat next to him. she smiled a little and then sighed. "Is this seat taken?" she asked looking at him. to her his eyes were the part that drew her in, but truth be told she would never admit it. she assumed the seat wasn't taken and sat down not even bothering to wait for his answer.

[Zaine Reneva Cosinii]

A soft smile crept across his face. Alright, so not much a smile. He wasn't really capable of that, it was more like a half smile half smirk. He turned his gaze to her and lets his eyebrow quirk up. "Of course it's not taken, until you made it so. You're really wet you know." He stated it simply, as more of a joke than anything else. He ordered them both light drinks and went back to stirring his current one with a straw.

It wasn't like him to get nervous around a girl, but this was the first time he had seen her since that night. What had happened between them no one really knew, and even he couldn't fully understand. He was older than her by quite a bit, but that didn't stop his attraction to her. The mysterious ways of her entire being. Something that drew him in but he couldn't really tell what it was.

"So..." he paused, nervous. Why the hell was he so nervous now? What was it that was bothering him so much about this lady? "How's it been?" He mentally smacked himself for that. All this time and all he could come up with was, 'hows it been.' what kind of crap was that? He shook it off and paid attention to her for her response.

[Cassadee Break Constantine !]

"Your really wet."

she looked at him a little shocked that he had actually pointed it out and then sighed. she could of been nice but instead she stuck with her hard out look. "Well it is really raining out side. And honestly people don't hand over umbrellas so easily." not that she asked or even tried for one. she smiled a little and took the drink the bar tender set down. she took a sip and then set it down.

"How's it been?"

conversation starter. she chuckled internally and looked at him. "Been good i supose, can't really complain to much." she paused returning her attintion to the blood stain on hir pants. if it weren't for the fact that she already vented over it she would be pissed even more then what she was now. not that she was to pissy or anything. she sighed and looked at zaine once more. "Say how long has it really been since we've seen each other? the last i remember you were high taling it somewhere safe." she looked at him and then sighed. "Or was that some other guy?" she had her memory issuses more then she liked to admit and half of them were put the from her slave days. she rubed the back of her neck feeling the raised edges of the tattoo and then looked at the drink befor her.

it was a reminder that the world wasn't safe. she wasn't safe. she looked at Zaine once more and cracked a small smirk. "Well? Spill it where have you been?" the world, figuritively speaking, was small. people knew other people and if they didn't know they surely knew of them. she was one of those people, people just knew of. after all killing vampires for a living does earn merits and cons, more cons then anything but whoes counting?

[Zaine Reneva Cosinii]

Zaine chuckled a little bit. Had she really seen it as him running away? What choice did he really have at that time anyways. Oh well. "I just got back to the city last night actually. I've been spending my time in the mountains. I enjoy the snow." He said it in a non chalant way, as if he had just been on a vacation or something and hadn't really run away.

"I had an interesting meet up with someone up there. a small fling I suppose. But eh. I missed the pretty girls down here, the better booze. And you of course." He took a sip of his drink, he didn't know if she would consider herself in a different category in his mind, and if she would take offense to it or not. It wasn't his fault.

"Saw lots of vampires here now though. A small slave trade market thing was going on up there. I figured I would simply come back and see where all those kids were winding up."

[Cassadee Break Constantine !]

Cassy ignored the complement. she had heared it millions of times for other guys, telling her sister. ironicly they were i dentical twins so the complements went both ways, little did they know. Cassy had also ground tired of the boy attintion and had started to ignore it, so this was no real big surprize.

"A small slave trade?" she repeated in a question as her eyes adverted to the glass on the bar. "Theres a major one down town. and for the past few weeks i've been trying my best to shut it down. i've gotten most of the smaller ones around twon but this one is differant. she took a deep breath still running her mind over the times she was in slaved and then glared. she stood up and looked at Zaine. "Thank for the drink, but i have to go." she turned and stared off to the door.

as she opened the door a large clash of thunder echoed threw the bar. she paused for a moment and then walked out side into the rain. she stuffed her hand in her small pockets and walked off down the street. to her it was a big deal. she her self had ben enslaved, and she knew the horrors of being a slave. she feared for those cought in that moment.

she headed for the park and stopped at the edge. and open feild populated by nothing and surounded by trees. she stepped for as oanother clash of thunder echoed around, then quickly followed by a flash of light only sentameters away from where she stood. she grined lightly and threw her self into a horse stance following her finger to poin in differant directions. a third flash of blinding white light followed by a static sound, whipped out from Cassy's two fingers as she danced around creating her electricity.

it had been weeks since she had last released and honestly it felt good once more. she paused for a split second and sent the lightlining up into the sky. she then turned around to face who ever was behind her.

[Zaine Reneva Cosinii]

Zaine waited and watched as she left thinking that that encounter had been much too short. After all, he id have more important information than that to give her. He followed her out of the bar after paying for their drinks and stayed at a decent distance from her. He was good at sneaking behind people.

He watched as her power released into the storm. He flinched a little at the sound of the thunder in the distance. After all, he hated it. The sounds it created scared him senseless. He watched as she turned, yet he was still hidden rather well for as white as he was. He did rather like that talent. He slowly came out of hiding, slowly so that he didn't make her attack him right off the bat.

He held up his hands and made the rain around them cool to snow, just in case she was having trouble seeing who he was.

((wow i think thats my shortest post ever.........159 words wtf...))

[Cassadee Break Constantine !]

Cassy took a deep breath. there was no one there but she still had that gut feeling someone was there. it was only seconds later that the some one emerged from his hiding spot. she wasn't to shocked to noticed it was Zaine but she did find her self a little in awe at the fact that he followed her. she kind a like it for some reason.

she hung her head and watched the accumulated rain water fall from her nose. she had already been wet so it wasn't really like she care anymore. the rain changed to snow and she chuckled to her self. the last time it snowed he could only make the immediate soundings snow, now it was clearly a much larger area. time had surely pasted. she took a deep breath and sighed.

"I hope you didn't see any of that." she couldn't help but to be a little self conscious of her new and yet unstable ability. the last time she used it someone ended up getting hurt. she looked at the ground and stood straight. "I would say I'm sorry i left but truthfully I'm not." she stared at the ground as she stood there. she want to let him know what had happen and just in a two month time period, but yet she could bring her self to spill the information. she trusted no one, but her sister and even she was questionable. Cassy trusted no one and it was a major problem for her but yet she could bring her self to let anyone in. she looked at Zaine and stared. she had saved him once and to her that was out of character, but what was more odd was when he was around she couldn't help but to feel.

a feeling she had locked away. a feeling that would kill her if anyone ever truly found out. she locked it away hoping to never use it and yet this guy... Zaine. her eyes fell to the ground and she pulled her self back to reality. "Why did you follow me?"

[Zaine Reneva Cosinii]

Zaine bowed his head a little, chuckling softly. At least the snow wasn't as wet as the rain. His silvery eyes gleamed with the energy he was creating within himself. "You powers? Unstable a bit, yes? But honestly it was rather interesting to watch. Glad I could see it."

He took a few more steps towards her and rested his hand on his hip. "You seemed to leave so quickly when I mentioned the slave trade. I figured that maybe you were going to stop it. I know where it is." Was he going to mention the boy he had at his tiny apartment? The slave he himself was keeping more for his own amusement than anything else. Though. It wasn't like he was forcing the young one to stay, he had just wanted to. Slave by birth with the way his personality was.

"Anyways. All that time away from each other and after about 5 minutes you're on the move again. What if I just wanted to follow you to make myself feel better for leaving in the first place?"

[Cassadee Break Constantine !]

"I would like it if you didn't tell anyone. it's dangorus and as far as anyone is consered i picked it up for some one. they dont know its permanet." Cassy stared at him. she wasn't the type to admit anything that could show a potintial weakness and this was clearly a weakness. she looked away as her eyes narrowed. "A lot has happen and a lot is still happening. whether i take down that trade post is my own perogative." she wasn't trying to sound cruel but she could tell that was exactly how she sounded. she stared back at him. "Were you planing on stopping me, or just helping? cause either way i'm not the trusting one anymore. i've had one too many turn and i'm not going down that road again."

she took a step back looking at him as he enclosed the distance between them. she wanted so much to touch him once more, but she couldn't. she wouldn't. she took a deep breath and sighed. she was fighting what ever they were feeling and she was quickly losing. she looked at him and then sighed once more. she never once regretted saving him not once and now she wasn't even thinking it. she remembered him, helpless and hurt. but she wasn't the type to randomly save some one. just one drop of blood or even the smallest cut would bring a hord of vampires even from miles away.

"Anyways. All that time away from each other and after about 5 minutes you're on the move again. What if I just wanted to follow you to make myself feel better for leaving in the first place?"

she closed her eyes and looked at him. "I would have to say that's messed up. why would anyone want to torture them self?" she paused and looked at the ground. "Look what ever your looking for your not going to find it. It's going to sound cliche` but, i'm not the same girl i was when we first met. i told you a lot has change and we war." Cassy felt as though she was breaking up with him, not that they were together in the first place but things had changed and she couldn't risk losing him, even if she wouldn't admit it to her self.

[Zaine Reneva Cosinii]

The chuckles started out soft, then he started to lose composure of himself, laughing louder and louder. "Oh... oh my... I'm sorry but that is just the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!" But what made it so? Was she really as dangerous as she said she was? Well duh. But to him? He smiled softly and moved closer to her, lightly brushing his arm against hers. "Suit yourself. But please. Before you go come to my place for just one drink? You may have changed but I haven't. Plus I still owe you my life."

He started walking slowly off, glancing over his shoulder every so often. "Come if you want to. I may have something to show you. You can think about it." He waved over his shoulder and walked off. After all, she would come if she wanted to. He had slipped his address into her pocket when they touched.

He kept the snow falling around her, letting it melt as it hit the ground, but still, a smile crossed his face as he thought about being as free and innocent as the snow. Pure, white, drifting carelessly in the wind. He wished he were like that still. He wished he was like the kid at his apartment. He thought about the things he had been through. He had been a slave as a child, and even through his first 50 years. He shook his head and walked off to his apartment.

[Cassadee Break Constantine !]

"You own me nothing." she whispered.

Cassy held her breath as he brushed against her arm. typacally something so simple would of had an adverse affect on the person but cassy was learning to hold back she was learning to keep things in, but for what price. as Zaine walked away she could feel her self wanted to follow him. shivers ran down her spine as the snow continued to fall and charges of electicity sparked at her finger tips.

"Come if you want to. I may have something to show you. You can think about it."

his words echoed threw her head as she stood there watching him walk away. she should follow but she should also head back to the park, talk to gwen and get to work on shuting the trading post down. so many things and yet all she could do was stand there. she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly pulling her hand up to her face, brushing the paper in her pocket. she looked down and stared at it. oh he was sly. she pulled the papper out and unfolded it to see an address, his address. she looked up to see he was gone and then sighed. what a pain.

Twenty minutes later...

Cassy found her self staring at the close door to zaine's appartment. the whole way there she fought with her self. there was no real reason she was going to his place and there was no real reason why she should be there. but she was now and all she could do was stand there. her blue greens stared at the door as her hand slowly came up and knocked lightly on the door. perhapps she was the messed up one now. all she could think of was to see him once more. just once more. she took a step back not hearing anything and then paused... did he set me up? her mind instantly going for the worse. it was too quiet. she looked around like a crazzed fox and then froze. he wouldn't.

the only sound was the sound of the rain. she looked at the sky till a sound came from the door. instantly she stared at the door waiting for anything. paranoia was setting in.

[Akira Tovias De'Enguarde]

A soft small know hit the ears of the young boy that had been sitting alone in the house. He had hoped that maybe it was his new master, but Zaine had yet to return from his night out. He twisted his head towards the door, a little bit of his soft brown hair falling into his eyes. "Uhh... hello?" He asked lightly, standing on his tip toes and looking through the peep hole. A lady? He nervously unlocked the door.

He stood with his hands and arms crossed in front of him, down the front almost to his knees, a slight bow of his head angled towards her. "Umm... Hi there. Can I help you miss?" he asked softly, his voice just as light as the rest of his appearance. For being 16 he looked a lot younger. "If you're looking for Master Zaine he's out right now... He should be home soon." Just then the phone rang and the boy went to go answer it. After a few short words and an "Ohhhhhhh" look on his face, the boy returned to the girl at the door. "Come on in Miss Constantine. Master Zaine said he's bringing home dinner and he'll be here in about 5 mintues..."