Probably not the best place to be.

Cain. An immortal menace upon the living. [ indie rp | open | multi ]

[sunsetsolomon]

prev. || @sclcmcn

Cain let his gaze linger on this brother of his who’d changed so much since he’d last seen him. But certainly not everything had changed: he still appeared to be a dreamer, someone who longed for a place in this world. He’d never been as detached from it as Cain had. Working at a gym? Well, there were surely worse places - at least prey would be plenty there.

“I can’t tell you what happened to you,” Cain told him with a certain softness in his voice that he reserved only for his kin, “Not based on what you’ve said so far. This woman - was she one of us?”

Something told Cain that she hadn’t been, but he held onto the hope. Niko had always had a softness for the mortals.

[sclcmcn]

prev • @sunsetsolomon

“Wait, you do know!” Niko felt a rush of excitement. He took hold of both of Cain’s shoulders, almost afraid the man might change his mind and just leave since Niko didn’t remember him, “No, you have to tell me! Something, anything! I’ve gone so long not knowing who I was, or what happened.”

How long had it really been? A lifetime for most humans. 80 years? It felt like the blink of an eye, watching his wife grow old and the kids grow up. Meanwhile he still knew nothing about the man he really was, or where he had come from.

He let him go, a frown settling in his face, “Yes, I see what you are. I know. But… Even that I had to learn from another.” He continued to study the expression of the man before him. It felt like who he was was right there on the tip of his tongue. He could almost for the man’s name. It was such a familiar feeling in the back of his mind, something he used to yell often. A much younger Niko might have been just as rambunctious, trying to get his own brothers attention.

He held his breath. The thought had come so naturally. Brother? Is that who he was? That might explain the feeling in his stomach, the tone of the man’s voice. Brother. It felt right somehow.

“Family… Right?”

[sunsetsolomon]

> @sclcmcn

Cain’s frown deepened. This wasn’t how he’d imagined their reunion. He wanted to make that joke: ’hey,’ he wanted to say, ’it hasn’t been THAT long, has it?’ But it wasn’t funny. It wasn’t funny when it wasn’t, couldn’t be, discarded with a laugh and a pat on the back.

The city’s hum was present between them, the night’s wind bitter and invasive. Cain felt it in his long hair and brushed his fingers through it, banishing the long curls off his shoulder and behind his back again. It was a nervous gesture, one he was more keen to let through than some of the more obvious ones - fidgeting, lip-chewing, nail-biting, all of which he’d been prone to as a child. He’d practiced his composure. It was important to him, important that he showed, at all times, that he had himself pulled together. No matter the circumstances.

”Family,” he let the word fall out heavy and meaningful, ”Yes. A long time ago. I thought you’d remember that much.”

He smiled, but the smile was sharp in his eyes as he examined Niko.

”You’ve changed. If I tell you about who you were, then you must tell me about who you are now. I didn’t anticipate such a... change.”

[sclcmcn]

prev • @sunsetsolomon

The figure was approaching him. Niko had to do a quick, subtle, glance around to see if maybe there had been another on the others path, maybe he saw something and was walking past to get to it. But, there wasn’t much other than the buildings and the gym behind Niko. With the way the figure seemed to be coming right at him, he doubted he was there for the gym.

There was no denying it anymore when he said his name. Niko stood slowly, confusion twisting his face. He stepped closer to him, trying to get a clearer look. Something strange started to bubble in his chest, a sort of warm feeling. It was the same sort of thing he always felt seeing his children, and yet… This stranger? Was he a stranger? He didn’t seem to be. The way he had spoken, even if it was just Niko’s name, there was that same sense of warm familiarity in it.

He furrowed his eyebrow, thinking hard. Now, more than ever, he was desperate to remember something.

“Uh… Hi?” He tilted his head a bit to one side, “Sorry, I don’t–” recognize him? But he does. He just can’t remember why, “You know me, who I am?”

[sunsetsolomon]

> @sclcmcn

Cain furrowed his brow. Had it really been that long? No - a vampire’s memory spanned longer than that. Something had happened. Or was he mistaken?

He ran his gaze over Niko’s form and shook his head quietly to himself. No. There was no room for error on his part. Certainly he looked different than Cain remembered him: worse for the weather wasn’t exactly right as he looked downright domestic here, like he all but belonged in the city where Cain had always struck out an outsider wherever he went, but changed and older in a sense that did not have much to do with aging. And at once, he struck Cain as much younger than he was himself; how was that possible?

Age was a tricky thing to an immortal. It lost its meaning after a while, its usual connotations and hierarchies. It had more to do with experience. Theirs... had evidently been quite different since they’d last met eyes. And speaking of eyes, well, Niko’s had not improved.

”I do know you,” Cain stated calmly, although he could feel disappointment bubbling in his chest. ”And you know me, although if you cannot remember, well, perhaps it’s better that I don’t outright remind you. I came here to see you. It’s been a very long time - of course, things like that hardly matter to those like us. You still remember that, don’t you?”

[sclcmcn]

closed starter  •  @sunsetsolomon ​

The city during the night was not much different than the city during the day, at least not in this vampire’s eyes. All the lights and noise pretty much didn’t rely on whether the sun was up or not. After so many years under those neons and skyscrapers, Niko was accustomed to them. He found his way around pretty easily, even despite the limitations to his vision. The bright lights started to define themselves even against the bright backgrounds, almost the same as they would in the dark. 

Being a creature of the night meant he could easily work shifts no one else wanted, and oddly enough in the city there were enough people who needed a personal trainer in the evenings. The 24-hour gym he’d been at for basically his entire existence– at least as much as he has memory of– was happy to have him. So much so, that they didn’t question why it seemed like he outlived pretty much everyone. 

Late one night, Niko decided he’d take his lunch break outside. He didn’t eat while he was at work, choosing water and the occasional protein shake instead. He sat out at one of the benches outside by the street and let out a sigh. The streets were typically pretty quiet this time of night, though he did often see a few brave souls wandering around. The lights of their auras passed by him, one as bright as another. Curiously, though, one seemed to be far darker than the others… He couldn’t quite make the figure out in the distance, but he knew what the darker lights meant– one of his own kind. But, something about that particular one was almost familiar… He just couldn’t quite place it.

[sunsetsolomon]

> @sclcmcn

Cain had never been one to stick to a place for too long, although to someone his age, a short time could be a lifetime from another’s perspective. Still, here he was a newcomer, fresh off the train for a single purpose: to find someone who’d been on his mind for a while now.

He wasn’t the nostalgic type, that had never been his burden to bear, but some days melancholy struck him hard, and on those days... well, he found himself looking backwards. Longing for some deeper connection than was offered to him amongst those who didn’t understand the weight of the years or the stark burn of sunlight on their skins. He’d met some who did understand along the way, but they were often steady and stable creatures, stuck in their habits, circling the same territory year after year after year, and Cain needed to change scenery, so in the end he always left those few behind just the same.

That’s what had happened with Niko, too. They’d grown up together, but how many times had they seen each other since Cain had first left? He wasn’t sure if he was welcome now, but he knew that even if he wasn’t, there was no price to pay for such an intrusion as he was about to make. At least not if Niko was still the same he had been before. Was he? And what about Cain? He stood there, watching, planning how he’d take those last steps, how he’d speak the first words. Wasted time. Little did that matter - unlike most, he had all the time in the world to waste. The night was young still.

In the end, he wasn’t sure how long he’d waited, but crossing the last distance between himself and his... target, his destination, was easier than he’d anticipated.

”Niko,” he let out softly, his voice resembling the growl of an animal, but it was not hostile, merely cautious underneath the initial warm surface.