While a tavern wasn’t his usual place to go, there were times where even he couldn’t resist the urge to slam back a good drink.  Though for him it was usually trickier than that: his tolerance was almost impossibly high due to what he was and what lived inside of him.  But relaxing was the last reason for why he was here.  While everyone else was enjoying their time off or making friends, he was working.  His eyes moved to the tavern, watching people from the corner booth in the back where a woman was seated across from him.
 
Her hair was almost unrealistically perfect, held back in a tight bun with clothing that was too clean and precise for such an establishment.  Just looking at her would make one worry she’d get dirty.  But that wasn’t what had his nerves on edge or his heart pounding in his chest: it was what he knew was hidden behind those clean and curved lips.  A set of pointed fangs that he knew would want nothing more than to sink into his flesh.  “Mr. Uharu.”  
 
His eyes went back to hers, their natural emerald hue replaced with ironic crimson.  This was a rarity that he wasn’t used to, sitting so seemingly calmly with a vampire, but work was work…even if it seemed incredibly wrong.  A roll of parchment appeared on the table and she pushed it towards him, only moving her fingers from it when he took it by one end.  He opened it, looking down at the information that was filled in, so similar to cases he took yet so blood curdling knowing who the client he’d be working for was.  If he took the job that is.
 
The man looked like any other man, but his surname and crest gave him away for what he was: a vampire, just like her.  He hardly had any crimes against him despite what he was, but there was something even more treacherous about a vampire hiring a vampire hunter against one of their own, “Why do you want him gone?”
 
“I though it wasn’t in your nature to ask.”   She was right, a fact that he hated. But this was a scenario he had yet to encounter before and wasn’t sure if taking it on was the right thing to do.  His eldest brother would have thrown the request back at her.  Actually, he never would have shown up at all after learning what she was.  His mother never would have come alone, she would have made sure people were planted throughout the tavern and in the surrounding buildings.  But this wasn’t a setup; that he knew for certain.
 
“It’s also not in my nature to work for your kind.”   The two stared at one another, both unmoving and unwilling to be the first to break.  Their main difference though was that she needed him more than he needed her and she was the first to speak, eyes moving away with an almost irritated sigh, “My reasons are personal.”
 
His eyes never left her, “Distant relative?  Past relationship?”
“Nothing as simple as that.  I’m fulfilling a promise.”   He shuddered to think about the type of promise that would send someone against their own kind, as far as to hire a known enemy of their race to do it.  It didn’t get much more personal than that.
 
“Give me a day, I’ll let you know if I will.”   She looked back at him, her eyes moving along his face, studying him: he recognized the action.  For just a moment her eyes dipped to his neck but it was so brief that he was able to keep his hands from moving for a weapon.  “If you do this, I can give you something much more precious than currency.”
 
“I’m not interested in anything else you could give me.”   It wasn’t normal that he’d be so short and cold with a person, much less a lady, but her very existence had his skin burning.  “I have information that I think you’d find very interesting, about your family…”
 

She had to be lying.  Either way he kept any form of interest from showing on his face.  “I’ll have your answer in a day’s time.”   With that he stood up from the table, rolling the parchment back up and placing it into the inner pocket of his vest.  Each nerve stood on end as he walked past her, letting her be at his back but never keeping her away from his senses.  He sat at the bar, waving his hand up and ordering the hardest thing the tavern had to offer.

He had been through several small towns since he left his home behind. He had even fulfilled his first contract, and second kill. Yet he had never seen anything like this, and no amount of studying had prepared him for a city of this size. It was loud, crowded, full of good and bad smells, buildings chocking the surrounding area, a castle that was larger than anything he thought man could make stood guard over it all, and the ocean. Never had he seen anything so vast. He could lose himself to it just by looking. Its waves were mesmerizing, its size awe inspiring. Everything here was amazing. Every sight was like a dream and he didn’t know where to begin.
 
The stores were full of new things he wanted to explore. The people were like books, each with a unique story that he could learn. The smells were intoxicating and revolting, but both enticed his curiosity. He had been aimlessly wandering for some time trying to take it all in, trying to decide where to begin. For a moment he thought he had heard a small animal before realizing it was his own stomach. He had food, dried fruits and meats he carried during his travels, but it seemed such a waste not to try something new. In any case he had money now and a promise to keep to his mother.
 
He followed his nose through the city to a tavern. A winking mermaid adorned its entrance and gave it its name. The tavern was loud in a good way. People were merry, sounds and smells flooded the senses, this was a good place to get to know the inhabitants of this city. Whether you spoke to them or not. For a moment he just stood in the door, a slight smile on his face, before his stomach and the looks of some tavern guests urged him in.
 
As he sat at the bar it happened. The darkness spoke again. Like the first time the words of a hundred voices whispering at once were unintelligible to him but he knew what it wanted to say. It was more of a feeling than an understanding of language. There were bad men mixed in to this crowd and he should keep his guard up. He ordered the best the house had to offer in both food and drink. He scanned the room as he waited for his food to see if anyone was an immediate issue. One stood out amongst the rest.
 
A beautiful yet unassuming woman sitting alone at a table watching a green eyed man walk to the bar. He couldn’t say what it was about her that made her stand out but he could feel something was off. Not to mention the voices would not stop, although now they were not imparting any knowledge or requests, just a feeling of danger. As he watched he casually took a sip of his drink and almost choked as it burned down his throat. A few of his fellow bar mates were looking at him as if there was something wrong with him. In the wild food that burned was usually indicative of natural poisons but many of the others were drinking the same thing as him and it wouldn’t be good for a business to poison its guests. He took another sip which as not nearly as strong as the first, probably because he was prepared for it, and returned his gaze to the woman.
 
Well, to her table for she was gone. It didn’t matter. She had not done anything in the moment that required him to act, and the voices had merely warned him of her and had not compelled him to act as they had before. His food had arrived and so he turned his attention to it. Every bite was an experience, an adventure of its own. He was quickly realizing that in the greater world, food was one of his favorite things. As he ate and drank he felt happier and lighter. He began to have the most ridiculous conversation with one of the men next to him, nearly every other sentence making him question what he had just said, as if his mind was going slower.
 

Suddenly he found himself staring at the green eyed man. There was something off about him too. Not dangerous, just off. Even the voices seemed more confused than worried about him. It was something that he was going to have to figure out. He stood to go over to him but as soon as his feet touched the ground, so did the rest of him. His own voice in his head was now chastising him, “you are bringing too much attention to yourself. Remember you are not supposed to exist.” The other voices, the darkness, had gone silent. And yet all he could do, as he sat where he had fallen, was laugh.               

Even without his ridiculous tolerance to alcohol he still wouldn't have been distracted so easily from the thoughts creeping up on him. Could he really accept an offer like this…? Would it be going against his teachings to do so? It wasn't as if his family was unknown in vampiric circles, it would be easy for one to believe this were some type of setup, even if there was no physical danger as the threat. He wanted to contact his home, get advice, but he didn't want to give in so easily. No, he wanted to prove to himself that he could sort this out himself, so far he had yet to have such a predicament to deal with in the first place.


A disgruntled groan stuck in his throat as he let his forehead rest on his folded arms. Either way, there was a vampire with a target on its back, and if it weren't him to go after him then he had no doubt in his mind that she would simply find someone else to do it. Maybe she was doing this to protect herself. After all, what better way to hide yourself than going to the enemy for help? If he wasn't careful he'd start seeing her as human…The next person she might go to could be worse than he with no good intention. That was a risk he wasn't willing to take, yet he didn't want to swallow his decision.


Instead, he lifted his head and took down the last of his glass, lifting his fingers to immediately and silently order another. Well, at least he had a day to get back to her about what he was going to do, he'd relish in that time. But there was something else that wouldn't leave his thoughts: the information she claimed to have. What could she possibly have that he in particular would be interested in? She had said it had to do with his family, that worried him and he couldn't tell if it was more of a threat than any actual information. Had anyone in his family been harmed he'd know of it by now, or kidnapped, or replaced. It had to be a trick, a bluff, something to drive him mad so that he had no choice but to take her offer. Even if he did, he wasn't sure whether or not he'd want to hear whatever it was she had to say: it would show too much weakness, possibly desperation. That was something he most certainly couldn't allow, especially not to one of their kind.


Before his second drink was brought to him he heard and felt a harsh thud one seat down from himself. His eyes widened, looking over quickly, already tense from his thoughts and ready to defend himself, but it was only another man…a laughing man. He seemed young in the face but he knew well by now not to trust appearances alone for something like that. Now, it wasn't that he knew every person from every place he visited, but his was a face that he most certainly did not recognize. Maybe he really was as young as he appeared.

Moving from his own stool, he went over and knelt down in front of him, offering an arm to help him back onto his feet, "A bit too much eh…?"

It took him a second to compose himself, well, as much as he could. The green eyed man was kneeling in front of him offering his hand. He simply studied the man for a moment before taking his offer. “I believe I was mistaken about the drink,” he picked up his empty glass and looked into it, “must be some sort of poison after all.” Somehow he couldn’t help smile as he said this.
 
He turned his attention back to the green eyed man. The feeling was still there. His eyes, his demeanor, the fact that he instantly went to the aid of a stranger, he could tell this was a good man. But, there was something off. Something buried deep. Maybe pent up aggression, or anger? Or some sort of dark desire that he was suppressing because of his good nature. He thought of his father’s lessons on the minds of men. All men lie and they lie to themselves more than anyone else. And repressed emotions could cause the best of men to fall. But then again it could be something else, something outside of the man’s knowledge or power.
 
He found himself smiling, again, at the thought of his father. “You’re a good man, but there’s something off…..Not important though. Did you know there was a woman back there looking at you earlier? I did not like the looks of her, something, dangerous about her. I might need to find out what.”
 
Why was he rambling to a stranger? Must have been the drink. A potion to make him talk, or take down his guard? But why? And there seemed to be nothing wrong with the tavern keeper. His father had prepared him for much and warned of drinks and substances that could alter mood, perception, or thought. But, he had believed that the darkness would have warned him about something like that being done to him. So far she had been keeping safe whenever he was in danger. At the moment she was silent. He trusted her and decided that he must be safe. He extended his hand to the green eyed man. “Sorry about that, don’t know what’s come over me. Thanks for helping me up. My names Calix, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He barely had the words out and he had to move his hand to the bar to steady himself. His mother would be disappointed in his manners.

His lips pulled in to keep back the smile that tried to form. It seemed that this young man was new to the drink. No, certainly not poison. Well, now that he thought about it, technically it was, people had just grown a safe tolerance to it to be able to enjoy it as a luxury. Best to make sure he didn't have anymore though, not until he could get the legs for it. "Don't worry yourself too much about it, spirits like these are usually harmless in moderation."


The other's movements were so different, almost childlike, it was enough to make his eyes soften but unfortunately it was brief with his following words. He'd noticed the vampire he'd been conversing with, just thinking back to it almost made him look over his shoulder even though he knew that she had already left. His lips parted and he shook his head, moving back over to his stool and hopefully leading him to do the same, "She's of no importance, no need to concern yourself with her."


He had to make sure to keep him away, beings like her were dangerous and while he had no idea what level of skill this man had, he didn't want to be responsible for a possible attack on what appeared to be an innocent. "You're more than fine I assure you. You just need to become more accustomed to the drink is all." He smiled, sitting on his own stool as he lifted his hand for a glass of water, "Well it's very nice to meet you Calix. My name is Naota. Why don't you sit here with me for today…?"


Too many people had been taken advantage of due to intoxication and he didn't want the same thing to happen to him. Aside from that though, there was something about him that he couldn't shake. There was no harsh aura surrounding him, no dangerous feelings, so what could it be…?

He took the seat being offered to him, the world felt more stable when he was sitting. It was relieving to know that he had not let his guard down so much as to be poisoned so easily. But it was so very easy for him to get distracted with so many new sights and sounds in this city. “It’s good to meet you Naota. It’s always good to meet a nice person in this world.” He ordered a glass of water to possibly help dilute what was affecting him.
 
“So, what brings you to the city? For me it was the chance to try new foods.” The water was helping him feel a little better, though he would have to go use a toilet soon. His mind was still going slower than he liked but years of training didn’t just disappear and something was off. This man might not want him to worry about the woman, but he couldn’t ignore the feeling the darkness had imparted about her. He was most likely in some sort of danger and it was his job to help the innocent.
 
He was obviously a good person, and good men often let themselves fall into danger without help for fear of hurting others or getting others hurt. He would drop the subject of the woman with this man for now, but if he felt he was in danger he would help him. And in any case he would have to see about tracking down the woman. Even if she didn’t pose a danger to this man she was still dangerous. And that alone was enough for him to have to learn more.
 

But that was a worry for later. Now he would just enjoy the company and food. 

His eyes softened as he watched him.  How could someone that appeared to be so close to him in age give off such an innocent air?  Where did he come from for that matter?  And what was it that he was feeling off of him?  Well one thing he was right about for sure: it was always refreshing to meet a nice person in the world.  So many individuals had such blackness in their hearts that at times it was hard for even him to hold much hope for everyone else that filled in the rest of the gaps.  He lifted his glass up and drank down some of his second round, eyebrows raising as Calix ordered a water.  He gently chuckled into his glass as he pushed the water he had also ordered for him towards him.  Yes, let’s get you hydrated, flush some of that alcohol out of you…
 
What could he tell him though…?  He didn’t want him to worry about the vampire, but he didn’t want to lie to him either.  Best to keep it vague while still being truthful, “Unfortunately my trip this time around is due to work.  It keeps me constantly on the move, but so long as I get it taken care of quickly I’ll have some more personal time…”
 
Trying new foods.  It was such a pure reason that he couldn’t help but smile.  Part of him missed when he had the freedom to go about and do such things, but oddly enough that had been a thing of the past after he turned seven.  “Try the different foods eh?  Tell me, what’s been your favorite so far?”   It was something he’d never thought of before, something he’d taken for granted at times: food.  Though even he couldn’t deny the comforting tastes of cuisine from his homeland.  It was so different than what he found here.  And it was also a much more pleasant subject than that of the woman he’d come here to meet with.
 
“Have you had a chance to visit Ataiyo yet?  Try the different things there?  It’s a large contrast to what you’ll find here…”   His tongue began to tingle thinking about the dishes his father cooked for them growing up.  True that they had had staff, plenty of people to prepare their meals for them and while they still did so, his father loved being in the kitchen.  Unfortunately his mother didn’t possess such gifts.  It was always amusing to watch her moving around the kitchen like a pent up animal, not able to do anything but being unable to stand and do absolutely nothing.
 

“I suggest some of the fare from the sea.  Some of the fish are so fresh they’ve barely been tampered with or moved over fire.”   Hopefully he’d enjoy them should he ever make his way there.  He knew that not everyone was a fan of fish.  Now talking about such things had him wanting for home, or at the very least an authentic meal from there.  For now though, he rose his glass back up to his lips and took down another draw of his spirit.

Maybe he was a merchant. It would explain the travelling and why his demeanor and personality were better than most. An inhospitable merchant wouldn’t do well in life. Or maybe mercenary. Though that was unlikely. He just didn’t have the gruff air about him that one would expect, although he did seem to be quite strong. Either could explain why an unsavory character might be keeping an eye on them. Business deal gone wrong, extortion, or planed robbery. Speculating wasn’t going to help. The woman was the key to finding out if he was in danger or not. Or maybe he could convince this man to let him tag along long enough to learn if he truly was in danger.
 
The thoughts perished quickly at the question of the food. Since leaving his home he had been keeping his promise to his mother to try every new food he could. She had never left the town that she grew up in until she had met his father, and trying new foods had been one of her favorite things to do in their travels around the world. She had made him promise to never stop trying new foods because it could bring so much happiness and was one of the few things in this world that could bring people together. And with every new dish he tried he always thought of her.
 
“So far, on my journey, it has been a spiced meat pie that I had in a village at the base of the Ancense Mountains. They combined goat and cow and a mix of herbs and spices that they kept a secret.” Just thinking about it was making him hungry again. He also really liked the fish in this city. He had grown up with lake and river fish, and they had a much different taste to the ocean fish he had gotten in this tavern. It just didn’t come close to that pie.
 
Ataiyo. Merchant seemed more like for one to have traveled so far. And how interesting that he would bring that place up. He had grown up dreaming of the adventures and travels that he would one day have there, and no place attracted his attention more. Partly because it was a foreign continent and there would be so many wondrously different things to see and do, and his mother, but mainly he wanted to visit the continent where the art of making the katana was born. It had been the third Noctis Aeternae that had mastered the art while visiting the continent, and he who had begun the tradition of passing down that knowledge as a rite of passage or his successor.
 
It had also been the place that his mother had loved the most. He had herd so many stories of her travels there. His eyes lit up as he thought about her and his childhood fantasies of the place. “I have not made it there yet, but my mother spoke of it often. It was her favorite place to visit. I dreamed of going there often as a child to see the places that she talked so much about. And try the food. She also thought the sea food there was good. She said it was the best in the world.” He took another drink of his water and remembered his need to pee.
 

He excused himself for a moment and when he returned his mind was working much faster. But a pressure was forming at the base of his skull. Not really a physical one, more like a faint sense of unease. It wasn’t coming from this man or any other in this place. The darkness was still silent so it wasn’t from any immediate threat. What could be causing him to feel this way? The more he focused on it the more prominent it was becoming. He had to think of something else. “So, what kind of work do you do?” This would give him an excuse to get to know more about this man and to get his mind off of whatever was causing that feeling. 

Just hearing him talk with such exuberance about food was getting his stomach growling.  The way he talked about it, you’d think he’d never experienced cuisine at all.  And maybe that was true, but looking him over even at a first glance would tell anyone that this young man never starved or went homeless.  Where did he come from…?  It was hard to tell.  Well, it would certainly be interesting learning more about this fellow.  Despite the age he appeared to be, he made him think of his youngest brother, always bright eyed and excited to get from one place to another.  He pondered on whether that wonder would dim from his eyes when he started his actually work…this type of life wasn’t for everyone, no matter how hard they were trained or how learned in the subject they were.
 
He smiled as he heard him talk about his mother, being able to see where this connection to food stemmed from.  But he kept talking about her in the past tense…the corners of his lips slowly lowered as his smile faded, but he kept it from being too noticeable.  If she had passed, at least he was able to go on with the memory of her in such a light way.  Too many people lost themselves to the death of a loved one, and while he’d never think ill of them for doing so, it wasn’t a pleasant thing to think about.  Everyone grieved in their own way though, it was something you just couldn’t help.  Luckily he’d yet to lose anyone important to him in such a permanent way.  There had been scares over the years, but all of them still had beating hearts and blood running through their veins.  “Well then that’s something that your mother and I have in common…”  
 
True that he held bias since it was his homeland, but that’s as far as it extended when it came to taste buds.  There was sea fare that he could enjoy from other places, but to him the freshness was never the same.  The oils and juices they used for their fish or shellfish was never quite matched.  Maybe he’d have to make a trip home sooner rather than later, with how much he was thinking about it now.  Not until this ordeal with the lady vampire was over though.  He nodded gently as he excused himself and took the opportunity to close his eyes and let his ability to detect auras take over.  Each person glowed with a different color, some calming lilac or a gentle powder blue, but some were quickly spiking into aggressive crimson.  Most likely the starts of a possible tavern brawl, nothing horribly dangerous that couldn’t be taken care of.
 
Her aura was nowhere, and there wasn’t a speck of black that he could sense.  How could he have allowed her to get under his skin so easily?  He opened his eyes and ran his hand down his face, shaking it off as best as he could as he drank down the remnants of his glass and rose his fingers for a third round.  His head was just as clear as if a drop of alcohol hadn’t touched his lips.  Calix returned and his eyes softened back down without him even realizing it, but his lips parted when he was asked about his profession. 
 
Now, he was in no way ashamed of his work, contrary to what most would believe he actually enjoyed it, but it still wasn’t something you went around telling people about.  Usually just hearing his last name would tip people off since the Uharu line was known for this area of work specifically, but it was such a darker turn for the conversation and that was reason enough for him to not want to bring it up.  He instead smiled and folded his arms on the bar top, “I’m a hunter…”  It wasn’t a lie, that’s what he was, he just wasn’t being open about what it was he hunted.
 
“It keeps me moving, keeps me on my toes.  It’s what I was groomed to do from a young age and over the years I’ve actually grown to enjoy it.”   He took up his third drink when it was brought and sipped some down, “What about yourself?”   Best to keep the conversation on him to avoid this topic, even if it would have already been the polite thing to do when seated with a guest.

A hunter. The word brought back memories of his childhood, especially when he was six and he had gone hunting for the first time. It had been the first time in his life that he had questioned his father and in return he had learned the foundation for what he was to become, and coincidentally it seemed that this man had also been trained since childhood to take over a family trade. But, that answer was somewhat unexpected. Usually hunters did so in one area for a town or a city, or so he had read. What did he hunt that had him moving so much? Could he be a bounty hunter? He seemed too nice for that.
 
Except for the fact that he enjoyed it. That was not necessarily a bad thing, but it was a dangerous path. He had experienced that himself the first time he had to kill to defend someone. He had enjoyed the power that he had felt, how much weaker they had been than him, and the feeling of knowing he had saved people. But that was dangerous thinking. That was how monsters were made, and he strived to not fall off of his path. This was a good man, but even good men have the potential to fall. He knew he was overthinking it because of his own feelings, so he pushed the thoughts away.
 
Then came the gut punch. What should he tell him? Hi, my name is Calix and I assassinate the malicious people that I run into. Oh and periodically kill for money. Somehow he just didn’t see that going over well. Maybe also a hunter? That would be funny but probably lead to questions he didn’t quite know how to answer. What could he use to explain his travels? There was one thing that he knew a lot of because of his father’s training. “Well, my father was a historian so I have set out on a journey to study the histories of the world and its people. And I help people where needed for coin as I travel. I’ve even done some hunting myself.”
 
The best lies were riddled with truth. Another lesson he had learned. In his line of work he had to lie to be invisible. The pressure in his head pulsed, oddly making him think of laughter. That sense of unease lingering although nothing seemed amiss. Maybe it wasn’t a warning of potential danger, but of something to come. Maybe that’s what his dream in the mountains had been about. His whole life he had been thinking of the future and what it could have instore. But since leaving his home he had been living in the moment and the future was irrelevant. For the first time since leaving he questioned what was to come. “You wouldn’t happen to need some help, would you? I can always use more coin.” He tried to make his smile playful.