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Guy sits in a quite cafe, watching people come and go, a crumbled muffin and half-empty coffee in front of him. He’s Blushed, and quiet, but even then he sticks out, looking like a level-boss out of a beat-em up, and having the same aura of danger.
He seems deep in thought as he considers all the people.
When he prefers peace and quiet and to go unnoticed, Atalo can find it. It's as natural as breathing, if breathing was still something he did naturally. The Blushed vampire draws no glances when he enters, people in the cafe not registering him. He also has no predatory aura, at least, not tone that's detectable. Looking around he spots Guy and offers the other kindred a polite smile, stalking his way and resting a hand on the back of a chair opposite. "Yes?" He enquires, about seating. Dressed in a brown suit, of slightly faded nature, he has the look of being a tad dusty. A pendant hangs around his neck, whatever hangs from it hidden under his clothing.
He looks up at the newcomer, taking them in before nodding. He straightens his leather jacket slightly, shifting his food slightly. Atalo can feel that Guy’s beast is particularly vicious, seething under his skin. After a moment, Guy nods in greeting. “You’re...Atalo, right?”
"Yes." He offers a faint, wry smile before settling himself into the chair with a certain predatory grace. He takes no food or drink, using his lack of presence to remove the need. Eyes regard Guy's movements carefully, but without hostility. "And you're Guy? We haven't had much time to talk." He considers. "Good evening." He decides. That's nice and polite for two predators meeting directly for maybe the first time.
“Guy Dagenham, yes. I’m one of the cousins in town. It is...good to meet you.” He nods again, moving to sip his coffee. “Have you been well?”
"Tolerable." He decides after a moment. "I've focused on my store and efforts there. Enough to get settled at least. And I've started to learn more faces." His mouth curves in a sardonic smile. "I'm a long way from home in several senses of the word, but I've had a few years to adapt. And yourself?"
“I’ve been...adjusting to my new life. Learning the lay of the land, trying to find a new place, new...things to invest into. I’ve been at it about six months.” He sips at the coffee. “I’ve been...searching what what to do with my new life.”
"Purpose." A nod to that. "That seems to be what you need. Do your studies not give that?" Fingers drum the table quietly. "What was your old purpose?"
“To...stand alongside someone. And they’re gone now. My studies...are a means to an end, not a purpose. I’ve been looking for things that might help me find purpose.”
A slow nod, Atalo leaning back in his chair in thought. After a moment he sweeps a hand to the side to indicate the street outside. "What do you see out there? What are your thoughts on the world and the place it's become?"
“It’s loud, busy, impersonal, soft, peaceful, tense, uncertain...and an achievement.”
"Change." A small smile. "A lot of it. Good and bad. What parts of it might you see as bad?"
“It’s too complicated. There are parts that are complicated because I was ignorant before, but...in general, yes, complicated.” He looks down at the table. “Busy. Loud. Like a quiet war, but there’s no violence to keep me grounded...” He speaks softly, voice barely above a whisper. “And...she’s not here...”
"There's still violence." Atalo tells him, his voice shifting from quiet to, well, still quiet, but more intense. "There's the hunt. It's just hidden now, under the surface. The world is still full of violence and predators, Guy, but they dress in good suits and bleed people to death without spilling any blood." His head cants. "Who did you lose?" He asks softly. A hand is offered out in a shake. "Make contact with me, and I'll extend my cloak, to ensure no one except me hears anything you say."
He looks for a moment, then takes the hand. “That’s not the violence I mean. You’re right, there are silent screams and invisible blood all around us. But I lived through the hell of open war, until it killed me. And then I kept at it for centuries, I got used to it, comfortable with it...I’m nervous that I’m not behind a wall, that enemies don’t wear the same colors...” He pauses, focusing a moment. “My Sire. We were bound through the ages, inseparable, one. I was hers and she was mine, and we...reveled in our immortality. Now she’s gone, the bond is gone, and there’s a hole where I used to be. I don’t even know if I’m a real person without her...I can’t connect to anyone else, I don’t...know how...”
There's a flick of eyelashes, a lash of deeply ingrained abilities and both men are gone from the world. Oh, they're still heard, still seen, but, not recorded by any mortal mind. Ghosts in plain sight. "I died and was born in a war, a long time ago. And, like you, I fought in them over the centuries. So, I know the struggle of being in a soldier where sides are unclear and the world is tangled.
What I know less well is the loss of part of yourself. I can help you find enemies, purpose. As for healing, that might be a struggle you need to face alone, until you find ways to bond to others." A cant of his head again. "You have ways, but they're also prisons and chains."
“I’m...not...afraid of connecting, of being chained to others by...” He pauses, as if searching for the word. “Relationships. I just...the only person I’ve felt drawn to reminds me of her, and it’s not fair to them, but I still...I can’t help but want to see her as a surrogate for the one I lost.” He shivers. “I joined Mac Lochlainns so I could find purpose in protecting, to be given enemies and camaraderie to use as a wall at my back. I hope it works. I hope...I can find real connection.”
"I meant the blood bond." Atalo clarifies with a nod. "Relationships are often anchors, not chains. Though some can be, of course." He ponders. "Who are you drawn to?" He asks quietly. "And, that's good, yes. I'm more of a hunter, but, I have criteria for my prey and the outcome of the hunt."
“There’s a woman. She’s...one of a group of strange people I met, they aren’t human or like us. She reminds me of my Sire in many ways, but not others. She’s kinder, sweeter. I think...she might want to be my friend, but I don’t even know what that would mean.” He blinks. “I also was propositioned for sex by someone I had an excellent fight with, and I respect her and want to fight like that again, but...I haven’t been able to separate physical desire from my Sire yet...”
"The need for sex is tied to the Blush." Atalo supplies, a little clinically. "Without it, connections still matter to us, but the physical aspect is lessened. You might find it helps to sort through matters if you meet her without the Blush. If she's human, however." A light shrug. "That might not be an option. And, this other group?" That certainly gets his attention, eyes glinting in both caution and curiosity. "I've brushed with a few others over the centuries, but, for the most part we kept a mutual distance."
“No, she was one of them too, so that’s not a problem. And, it’s not that I...I was flattered, but I couldn’t...she wasn’t her, so I couldn’t feel...anything like that.” He shrugs. “I’m fine with that...being that way for now. I’m sure you know, older Kindred usually feel that less anyway.” He drinks some coffee, almost on routine. “I’ve met 4 of the others, only one I know for certain, though. They’ve been...nice to me.”
A nod. "Be cautious. But, you've been around long enough to know that. And, find me at some point if you need a hunt? As said, I hunt those who prey on others, so their blood and money suits a better purpose." He offers a quite plain business card for his thrift store. "And it might help lessen some of your emptiness for a short time."
He takes the card. “Yeah, I...need to eat, feels like all the time, and I don’t have people who want me to, which can’t be a surprise. So people to eat that aren’t just random humans...would be good...”
"I will see what I can find." He nods, releasing Guy's hand and standing, adjusting his jacket. "In the meantime, Guy, be well. And we'll talk again, I'm sure."
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