Guardian (Jiskastya X Promise)

[Jiskastya]

He woke slowly, face down in an alley, arms thrown out at odd angles. For a moment he lay there, trying to understand where he was and what had happened. Nothing. He was drawing a complete blank. Perhaps opening his eyes would help? They fluttered open slowly, and he was staring at a rough ground, a world before him, built in the highlights and shadows of the rough concrete. He blinked slowly, lashes flicking on the ground. Slowly he moved his arms, putting his hands back under his shoulders, and levering himself up. He rolled over slowly, using his hands for support, and was soon sitting upright.

It didn't help. He was still drawing a blank. He buried his face in one hand, rubbing it sideways across his eyes and nose. Slowly, his fingers returned to the bridge of his nose, squeezing it between thumb and forefinger. Was this his nose? It didn't feel quite right. But he was touching it, could feel it, could see it, it must be his nose.

His hand tracked up along his face then ran through his hair, short and somewhat spiky. There was stubble on his cheeks as well.

Something was off about the whole situation, but he wasn't able to pin it down. So slowly he stood, rising first to knees, then to one foot, finally standing upright on the other.

The alley was dark and narrow, only wide enough that, were he to fully stretch out his hands, his fingers would lightly brush each side. Where was he? What was he doing here? What had happened last night that he would be forced into this situation?

His clothes were dirty, coated in the grime of an alley, ripped in the knees. The old jeans were comfortable, the shirt loose fitting and black. He ran his hands slowly over his person, trying to re-familiarize with himself.

There was something in his pocket.

Gentle fingers probed into the pocket, locking around a small item that was shoved far in. He pulled it out, and a piece of paper fluttered to the ground as well. He reached down and picked it up. In one hand, a mirror, small, compact, folded up and closed. In the other, a wrinkled brochure, almost as dirty as his clothes. He slid the mirror back into his pocket, and opened the brochure slowly. It was somewhat fragile, and he didn't want to rip it. It was the only clue he had to his own identity.

He read it, forcing past the disbelief that was his first reaction. Amnesia. Yes that certainly fit. No matter how hard e tried he could not pin down... anything. His name, his favorite color, the name of his childhood dog. Nothing. But a vampire?

So this was his life now? Unable to remember anything, and expected to believe that he was now a vampire, one of the creatures of legend. Sure, why not? It was just as true as any other story he may tell about himself.

He pulled the mirror back out of his pocket, loosening the clasp and opening it. The man inside had aquiline features, a well-defined jaw, sharp nose, high cheekbones, and small lips. His eyes were a light grey, hair short and pale blonde. His hand came up and ran along the bridge of his nose again, down over the tip and then over his lips. This was his face. This stranger in the mirror, following his movements precisely. It was an unfamiliar face, but one he would have to get used to.

So be it. If this was to be his life now, he would accept it. There was no use in complaining, trying to change it. Whatever had happened was in the past, and he would have to deal with life as it was now. He closed the mirror with a sharp click and slid it back into his pocket.

Now what? The unknown brochure had said something about a Guardian, but there was no such person in sight. Did he wait, then? Pray that this mysterious human help would find him. Did he leave, walk away from this dingy alleyway with no memories, with no place to go except forwards?

For now he leaned back against the wall, letting out a weary sigh. Maybe this was just a joke, whatever or whomever had knocked him out and left him in this alley had put the brochure in his pocket just to see his reaction. Maybe the memories of who he was would come flooding back, and he would be able to just walk away.

No memories came. No one walked up and claimed him, and only the shadows watched him.

[Promise]

Dark eyes looked out over the night, sidewalks still packed with people and streets packed with cars getting home. She sat at a window seat, a bar was set against the glass to allow customers to sit and watch the people where as others sat at the main bar to watch the televisions. She ignored the cheers behind her, the night beyond the glass was just as chaotic and so she was used to tuning out the madness. Her black locks came down to her shoulders, sitting over her coat's high collar as it protected her neck from the drafts that came in through the door each time it opened. Her hair hid the wire, black along side her hair, it was hard to see even in daylight as it came up from inside her coat and ended at her left ear. The other end of the wire finished at her phone, she had a Bluetooth device, but it sat in her pocket with part of it broken, specifically the part that wrapped around the ear.

She lowered her head slightly as a ringing sound came from her earphone, street lights caught her pale skin for a moment before her face was again hidden by shadow. Her left hand reached up and pressed the answer call button on the exterior of the earbud, the ringing stopped immediately. "Nadia" the voice on the other end started quietly, "good evening Vivian" Nadia answered, the roar behind her did nothing to interrupt the call. "I guess asking if you are alone would be rather pointless" Vivian joked, but the amusement didn't quiet catch in her voice, they both knew Nadia wasn't in the joking mood. "Do you have something for me?" Nadia asked before the silence could drag on between the two women too long. "I didn't want to get straight to the point, I was hoping to see how you are first" Nadia's reflection in the window before her lit as she lifted her head and the light caught her face again.

"Vivian, that's nice of you, but you know what happened" the other's silence was enough to give her the answer she already knew. The long slim fingers of her right hand reached up and touched a chain at her throat, under a silver choker necklace it rested at her collar bone. Her finger tips gently took hold of the chain and pulled it from its hiding place till the locket which hung from it was revealed. Her thumb caught the locket and pulled it to her palm where she could look down at it, "it isn't going to be something to easily get over" she whispered as she clicked the locket open. "Nadia, they- " "he's dead, Vivian" Nadia interrupted her, "they tore out his heart and broke mine, now, you have a new one, yes?" Vivian said nothing, Nadia could hear her breathing though, "North side, I'm sending your phone the signal now" Nadia cut the call off with the same button that answered it before the words she knew were coming.
"I'm sorry"

Nadia looked down at the locket in her right hand and the picture within, hair not quite as dark as hers. But eyes that didn't even lighten when a light was shone right into them, so dark they were black, she had loved those eyes. Her fist closed around the locket until she hear it snap shut, then her fingers only opened once she had put it back into its place under her top right over her heart.
She turned on her seat and slid from it and headed for the door, her phone beeped in her ear as it received the signal, the computerised voice came through the earbud to direct her.

Nadia walked with her head down, her right ear listened to her surroundings while her left listened for directions. She only lifted her head when she needed to, when the phone gave another set of directions to the person it was tracking. She didn't exactly like the fact there had been the same set of foot steps at her back, the same distance for five blocks already. As she neared where her phone was guiding her to, rather who, she listened as the footsteps quickened and began to near her.


Another block away where Nadia was headed, was a blonde in a red dress, though dress was perhaps the wrong word for the skin tight - barely covering her derrière - piece of cloth she wore. She watched the strange man from the entrance of the alley, the darkness hid her reasonably well, though if he was what she was thinking then it probably wouldn't hide her at all. He on the other hand had a street lamp nearby, the darkness had allowed it to flicker on lazily and add a golden glow to the otherwise dank alley way. The blonde woman had a handbag with her, placing her right hand into it as it hung on her arm, she walked up to the stranger with a seductive smile playing on her dress matching red lips.

"Hello stranger" she greeted him as she walked up the alley towards his leaning form. Her footsteps were slow, even cautious to those with good enough hearing as she neared him, "waiting for someone, handsome?" She stopped a few feet from him, her eyes locked on his, "what gorgeous eyes you have..." she said dreamily, but the tone was just a little forced. "Tell me...what colour are they?" She finally asked.

Nadia saw a doorway ahead of her and walked up the steps to it, she stood at the door and fiddled with her pockets as her tag along walked past her and continued. Out of the corner of her eye she watched him take the turn her phone was directing her to take, she turned her head as he passed her removing what at first looked like a pistol. But as he disappeared into the shadow of the alley she recognised the weapon for a pistol crossbow.

"Oh hell...Hunters...." Nadia cursed under her breath and walked down the steps. Now she'd have to be careful, she had no idea where this one's partner was, and they never worked alone. She opened her jacket and pulled a pistol looking device of her own from inside, this though was a taser, good against her new ward if need but also these Hunters. A wind blew her jacket open, revealing a range of knives and other devices, ready with her weapon, Nadia took to the gloom of the alleyway her self.

[Jiskastya]

The woman wiggled her way up to hill, looking almost as though she planned to topple out of her abnormally high heels. There were two thoughts in his mind. One was just a hint of disgust. Why anyone would ever subject themselves to such impractical shoes he just couldn't understand.

The other emotion was harder to understand. Distrust. He felt an abnormal amount of distrust for this woman who had just tottered her way up to him. Beyond the distrust one would feel for any stranger who walked up to them. He could feel his whole body tensing, ready to react in any way necessary. Something in her didn't read as slightly tipsy and horny woman. No, she was cautious, and a professional. So why was she coming up to him? And the question about his eyes.

He had looked in the mirror. His eyes were a light bright grey, eyes that had a crystal clear color, even in the dark. Yes, those were the two reasons for his distrust. She had a purpose, a goal, and whatever it was wouldn't mean well for him in the end. But now was not the time to make that apparent.

He forced himself to loosen, and try and sidle his way up to her. He made his steps loose, a bit fumbling, but was careful to never get them so tangled that he couldn't dive out of the way if it was necessary. He gave a crooked smile. "You blind, beautiful," he asked, voice taking on a light Bronx accent. "They're grey." He took another step forward, watching her. If she took another step back it would confirm his suspicions. A regular woman wouldn't resist his advances, especially if she had been the one to approach him. But a professional would understand that letting him inside the reach of her arms might prove deadly. In close combat strength won out, and he would most certainly win over her light frame.

And if she decided to take the risk and let him in anyways, well, he would be ready for that as well.

A small portion of his brain wondered where all this had come from. He couldn't remember his name, couldn't remember anything. But this was beyond memory. This fell closer to instinct. Who was he that this situation fell under the category of instinctual?

The thoughts trailed to an end as he focused all of his attention on the situation. A professional also only worked alone if they were supremely confident that they would be able to succeed, no matter the situation. Somehow that didn't seem like what this woman was.

One more step, and he would be in range. But there were footsteps coming down the alley. Did he react? The instinct of a professional told him to wait. Wait just a bit longer, and react. Just make sure to react quickly.

[Promise]

This alley way was in fact a narrow road with its light blown out, a set back doorway on one side and a dead end turn off for the large rubbish bins, the turn off she was looking for. She could see a dim light from the dead end and watched crossbow guy stand at the corner of the entrance, his weapon ready. Nadia could hear voices and stepped into the gloom of the building at the other side of the road to get a clearer view without being seen. Her boots were what could be considered sensible if stylish. Rubber soles quietened her footsteps, while not too high heels stopped them from looking too much like military boots even with the high leg. Her jacket was a dark material but not leather as it had a tendency to squeak, leather was also heavy and with this jackets extras, more weight wasn't helpful.
She paused and holstered her taser at her hip then went for her under arm holster and the gun that was there.

They watched the blonde in the red dress react to something the man said, she guessed that the man they both seemed to be cornering was her ward. Especially as this guy was where she was supposed to find the fledgling, she just didn't know how these Hunters could have found him so fast.

The blonde woman grinned at the man, she didn't move back but she didn't move forward again either. "Blind? Honey...don't you see how dark it is here?" Her right hand grabbed tight hold of what ever it was in her pocket "but I guess your kind wouldn't-" "Valerie! No!" Crossbow guy yelled, causing the girl to turn with her taser half way in the air.

Nadia didn't care what happened to the girl, her attention had been and was still on crossbow guy, he raised his weapon to fire, but she was already beside him. She slammed into his crossbow, it misfired and the bolt clattered somewhere at the back of the dead end alley. Nadia was right handed and she had used her left shoulder to disable the man's weapon, he swore as he recognised what she was. She fired the pistol in her right hand to catch his leg but his left palm heel knocked away her right shoulder and the two shots fired hit the ground as did the gun.

Nadia's right hand grabbed his left wrist and twisted, he cried out and kicked at her, her move to the right out of the way of the kick freed his trapped arm with which he tried to grab her hair. Feeling his fingers wrap into her dark locks she left palm heeled his chin, his head snapped back but his right grip on her hair only tightened. "Son of a-" Nadia twisted his left arm she still held with her right hand, her left found the inside of her coat and the Hunter released her to jump back as she slashed at him with her knife.

"I can play that game too" the Hunter reached back under his own jacket to the back of his jeans, Nadia guessed what he was going for and used the knife for its true purpose. She threw it at him, timing, aiming and the fact she was usually right handed meant she hit him just over his heart, essentially, she missed. He still pulled the gun out with his right hand, even as he stumbled back with a shocked look on his face, Nadia shoved the gun out her way with her left hand and grabbed the knife with her right. Her momentum took them both to the other side of the narrow road, once his back was against the wall she ripped the knife from his chest and buried it in his wind pipe. To save him the time dying she grabbed his gun and without hesitation ended him.

Nadia dropped the gun and pulled out her taser, she turned to find the blonde dead and instead aimed the taser at her ward and fired.

[Jiskastya]

He reacted on instinct when he saw her grabbing the item in her pocket. So that was why she had let him get in so close. Getting close would make her job easier, especially if whatever she was holding didn't rely on stabbing power, but rather only needed to make contact. He twisted away from her, hands slipping out of his pockets, ready to block whatever she threw at him. The taser slipped out of her pocket and she lunged at him, he twisted sideways, but needn't have worries. The man who had been trying to approach the duo let out a shout, and the blonde missed him by a mile.

That, at the very least confirmed that he was her partner. Which in a way was a good thing. Backup meant that she had at least anticipated the possibility of failure. Which meant he could beat her.

He lunged forward again, hands closing tightly around the wrist that held the taser. It almost seemed like everything was moving in slow motion. He grabbed her wrist before she even had a chance to stumble away. As he squeezed her wrist he felt it cave way under his fingers. She screamed, but threw a punch at his face, two fingers extended to gouge into his eyes. His hand shot up, guiding her hand over his head with his forearm. She kicked at him suddenly, and he was forced to let go of her wrist to block it. She twisted wildly, throwing another kick, this one coming up from the side to hit him on the side of the head. He threw up a single arm, deflecting the powerful kick. Simultaneously he slid in, and a powerful punch to the gut left her briefly winded.

He used the brief lapse to check on her partner. The man should have been able to get in close during their conflict, or, if he had a long range weapon, fire it. To his great surprise there was a woman there, fighting the man. He hesitated for a moment too long, shocked by the scene, and the woman swept his feet out from under him.

He barely managed to roll out and avoid the knife that she was throwing at him. It nicked his shoulder, but he discarded the small stinging pain. Using the momentum of his roll he lunged at her.

Time seemed to slow down again. Her eyes widened, and the taser rose in her uninjured hand, clearly planning to intercept him. She didn't move quickly enough. He used one hand to lightly deflect the taser so that it passed just centimeters from his side. Then both his hands shot forward, closing around her neck and squeezing suddenly. The shock of getting chocked should be enough to slow her down enough so that he could get back into a more reasonable combat position.

What he did not expect was to have the side of her neck to cave under his hands. Her neck wrenched sideways, and a small crack echoed over the alley.

The unnamed man recoiled as the blonde fell limply to the ground, her head at an angle to her shoulders that no human neck was meant to bend. She lay there, like nothing so much as a giant discarded rag doll. He stood there, staring, the sea pounding in his ears.

The next second, or so it seemed to him, a bolt of electricity coursed through his body. every muscle in his body tensed, and he felt himself falling to the ground. He couldn't control his body, and as the electricity spasmed through his mind, the world suddenly went black.

[Promise]

Newborns, they could take more punishment than most Vampires decades older than them, after the first feed senses became more acute. As Nadia walked up to her ward she popped out the end of the taser and loaded a new set of probes as her right thumb clicked down the dial several times. She knew he wouldn't have to have that much going through him just to be stopped, maybe what it had been set at had been too much. If nothing else he could wake up with a head ache. Nadia crouched down on his left, balanced on her toes she reached out, pulled the probes from his person and threw them aside.

She sighed as she looked down at him, after a moments thought she reached out with her left hand and lifted his top lip, white teeth and pink healthy gums revealed themselves. Nadia frowned and looked at his canines as her right hand reached out and her index finger trailed along his gums. Her face twisted into grimace as she looked for the right spot.

She found it, the tell tale lump past the root of the tooth over the canine, her middle finger looked of the same on the other side and finding it, she pressed. It wasn't like pressing a button, the muscles reaction was closer to that of a knee jerk and the sensation had been disciples to her as irritating. For starters, fangs were meant to slide out slowly, it allowed for less situations of biting lips and tongues, this pressure point forced them out quickly. All it was used for was making sure a Guardian had the right person, Newborns were still rather warm after all.

Nadia stood from the young Vampire and pulled her phone from her jacket, she pulled out the wire and removed the headphone from her ear. Clicking open the phone she looked at him several moments before looking back to the small screen and keying in the number she wanted.

"Hello?" The male voice answered, "Dan" Nadia recognised the voice, she should have, she'd been working there long enough. "I need a clean up at my location" her request was answered with tutting, "feral?" He asked, "no, Hunters, two of them" Dan whistled, "we'll have the boys over soon, need a transport? There is a car nearby and I'm guessing you put the newb out?" Nadia frowned, "you're over a hundred and you use those terms?"
Dan laughed, "I'll have a car over" he hung up the phone, leaving Nadia frowning in the dark.

Close by apparently meant coming from a recent drop off, the black car stopped just at the mouth of the dead end alley, the wide car had barely made it down the narrow road. The two men who stepped out of the vehicle were unfamiliar to Nadia, but the silver collars at their throats were easily visible and not something a Hunter would wear. They'd be shot by any Hunter who caught them wearing it so openly, even Nadia wore it under a scarf or high collar. These guys wore it with black suits and ties, all they were missing were the black sunglasses, then they'd be the Vampire world version of the Men in Black.

This wasn't the clean up crew though, they turned up in bin trucks usually, they'd re also slow and would likely turn up after they had left. "He's new, be gentle and put him in the back, we're going to Night Inn" Nadia moved aside so they could pick up the stunned Vampire, she watched as they placed him in the back seat in a sitting position. Nadia got into the car once she was sure her ward was still out of it, she watched and waited as the driver and assistant got into the car. She had seen 'newbs' react badly, she didn't want to be in a cramped space with any new Vampire when they woke up from a stunning.

Since they made it to the hotel without incident, Nadia was sure she had put a too high voltage on the taser since he hadn't woken. Or he was faking it, that thought had crossed Nadia's mind several times during the quiet ride, but since she wasn't being attacked she was happy.

Night Inn was a rather sad name for an otherwise nice looking (and large) hotel, the owner was called Gail and had a thing for birds. Though she'd deny the reason for the naming of the hotel, it never took anyone long to work out the 'nightingale' reference. Especially since that had been the code name name of the Hunter who had taken Gail's right thumb in a interrogation resulting from a mistaken identity.
And the first Hunter Gail had decapitated.

Nadia had her ward taken up to the suite while she took supplies from the basement. "How is he?" Nadia was bent over looking into the back of the small fridge for the rarer blood types, she had two bags of A+ at her feet. "He's been shot with a taser, Gail, he's not feeling fantastic I imagine" Nadia answered without looking back at the small woman behind her. The Guardian her self wasn't exactly tall but Gail wasn't called 'pint sized' for nothing, her heels only just got her two 4'6''. "That wasn't who I meant, not your new corpse, the big guy" now Nadia paused. Though whether this was in reaction to Gail's words of the fact she now had hold of what she had been looking for, she wasn't about to let on. "You know how it is, we don't talk much" she turned and looked at Gail, gossip was this woman's currency and she was desperate for more, Nadia wasn't giving though.

The Guardian stood with the blood packs in her hands, she put two under her right arm and reached out with her left and took the clipboard Gail held. "I'll see if he's awake, let you know what name he picks." Nadia walked past Gail, as she walked through the lobby of the Hotel she passed the two men who had taken her ward upstairs.

[Jiskastya]

When the nameless man woke, it was a mixture of being skyrocketed into consciousness, and desperately wishing that he could sleep just a little longer. His whole body ached, every muscle protesting the abuse they had been put through. He sat up sharply, then groaned and flopped back on the bed, head pounding.

What abuse exactly had he put himself through this time. Vague images swam behind closed eyes. A narrow alley, a cute blonde in a bright red dress. Was that it? Had he had a ngiht of revelry. No, the scene was wrong. Aforementioned blonde wasn't laughing, but was laying on the concrete, head bent at an abnormal angle. He had killed her.

And then he had been tased. Tased over excessively. He had no clue how long he had been out, and had no idea where he was, either. Or who had tased him, for that matter. Had it been the blonde's partner, enraged at the death of his companion. No, if it had been that man, he had no right to be feeling even as well as he did. That man's posture had screamed torture.

The bed he was on was soft, comfortable, not something you put someone you are mad at on. He wiggled his wrists and ankles gently. No bindings. No, of course there wouldn't be. He had sat up, before the pounding in his head had forced him back down again.

Which meant that whomever was in the room also knew that he was returned to consciousness, which meant that lying here with his eyes closed served absolutely no purpose.

Light grey eyes fluttered open, snapped closed again at a bright flood of light, then slowly and carefully opened again. His eyes adjusted to the light in the room, then glanced around.

The woman. The woman who had been fighting with the blonde's partner. She was standing next to his bed, clipboard in hand. And logic dictated that she must have been the one to tase him. What reason exactly she had to do that remained a complete mystery, but he didn't seem to be a prisoner, which meant he had a good chance at surviving this situation.

He also decided that words would not be particularly helpful right now. He knew so little that there was a very good chance whatever he said would be more harmful than helpful. There was a chance, not a large one, but a chance, that this woman expected him to remember who she was and what was going on. But he still drew a complete blank as to any moment before waking in the alley.

Suddenly, his memory flitted back to the small brochure that he had found in his pocket, along with a mirror. What had it said, after all that nonsense about vampires? A company that would track down the newborns and help them. The Guardians. Would that make her his guardian?

Perhaps that was a practical question. One that wouldn't cause too many problems. If he was completely out of line he could always say that he had been in a state of delirium. She had tased him after all, and should be in a sate of at least mild sympathy.

His mouth opened, and the words slipped out. No taking them back now. "So, does that make you my guardian?"

[Promise]

Nadia stood at the door to the suite and fiddled with the clipboard and blood packs. The lock was a thumb print scanner, her thumbs were rather busy at the moment trying not to drop anything or even everything. After a few seconds and maybe a curse or three, the Guardian placed the clipboard on the ground and leaned it against her leg while she used her now free hand to unlock and open the door. She held the door open with her foot then picked up the clip board and walked into the room.

The suite was split into several parts, the lounge was combined with the dining room and there was a writing desk across from the entrance passed the rather large television set into the wall. The writing desk was positioned horizontal to the entrance, so that anyone sitting at it could see the door easily, behind that were several French windows covered by automatic curtains. These curtains were designed to open at night and close at the first hint of dawn, perfect for the most common visitors to this hotel.
The television which was vertical from the entrance and the writing desk, was horizontal with the sofa before it. Behind the sofa to the right was the dining table able to sit six people as shown by the leather chairs surrounding it.

To the left of the dining table passed the sofa and set into the wall was a small kitchen area, it was here that Nadia headed first and placed down the blood packs. Behind the sofa was a pair of smoked glass doors, behind that was the bedroom and large bed facing the doors. Facing the doors to the left was the drinks cabinet and mini fridge, a few feet past that was the cloak room, inside that was the sliding mirror door with the main bathroom behind.

Nadia had experience with Newborn Vampires to say the least, they were uncomfortable and they were thirsty. Five star comfort like this room was would be unfamiliar but safe and the blood she brought would satisfy his initial cravings and tonight's meal. There was a spare bed set out just behind the sofa. That was for her, while usually she would sleep in a different room she always chose to stay at least the first night with her new ward.
Nadia mixed the blood types in a large jug, she didn't want him acquiring a taste for one blood type too early. As far as she had been told the rarity of the blood didn't change its taste, is was generally a personal opinion between Vampires. Thus her mixing it.

Nadia looked at the list of names on the clipboard as she mixed the 'cocktail' she smiled at one combination 'Jonathan Harker' that would be a funny choice. It always had to be the Newborn's choice, it was the name they would be stuck with for eternity so they had to have something that fit, specifically that they felt fit them.
She took off her jacket and took a moment to throw it over the sofa, only then she remembered she had forgotten her gun at the alley. A sigh escaped her lips as she removed her holster too, only a silver stake on her right thigh was left, she didn't want to go in unarmed but she didn't want to be too threatening. She had seen the effect of Guardian's blood on Vampires, the effect wasn't lethal in small doses but it was certainly painful.

Nadia put the clipboard under her arm and grabbed a glass before picking up the jug from the work surface, she walked up to the glass doors leading to the bedroom and opened it with her elbow. Walking in she shut the door behind her with her booted foot and walked up to the left side of the bed where her sleeping ward lay. She placed the jug on the bed side table along with the glass and stood over the Newborn.

She put her head to one side as he sat up suddenly, she wasn't one to step back after all, that and his eyes were closed. She smiled as he flopped back down, 'no idea where he is' she thought to her self as she watched him. This was the part she liked the most, the brand new wake up, usually there wasn't a fight right when they were meant to meet but every case was different.

Her eyes didn't leave his face as he tested for restraints, that was a common thought, capture was always something Newborns considered first. Her head straightened as his eyes opened, her gaze became expecting. As his eyes settled open and adjusted to the light, she watched his expression carefully, she could almost see the cogs going round in his mind. Who was she? What should he say? Was she a threat? Was she though? She had tased him after all, she wouldn't be surprised if he considered her a threat to start off with.

Nadia's eyebrows rose as his mouth opened to speak, curious as to what his first words would be to her. She smiled at his words, a kind smile that touched her eyes, she moved slowly as she turned and sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at him. "A good deduction, correct too, most start off with asking if I'm going to hurt them" she thought about it a moment, "but I guess I already did, sorry about that, we had to bring you here calm to make sure you were safe."

She looked at him apologetically but it was as one would with a child, "how are you feeling? Aching all over?" She already knew he would be aching, but that could be caused by two things, hunger and her taser. Both of which could be cured by the drink she had brought.
"How much do you know about your condition? Do you remember anything from before you woke up?" She frowned slightly as she realised she had missed something. "By the way, my name is Nadia Blackwood, and as well as being your Guardian, I am here to help you choose your name" she tapped on the clipboard she held. "Unless you would prefer me to explain your condition first?" She paused now, she didn't want to overload him with information.

[Jiskastya]

Correct. That meant the strange little slip of paper in his pocket hadn't been lying to him. Or this was an incredibly elaborate joke. But what reason was there for this to be a joke. Why him, and how would they have known that he had amnesia.

And then there was the fact that he had broken that woman's neck with a single hand. Without even meaning to. He didn't have any specific examples to counter the knowledge, but he knew that was abnormal.

The question about aching seemed to be mostly rhetorical, so he ignored it. There were more important issues to deal with, after all. Such as the fact that, no, he couldn't remember anything before he woken up. The first time, since this was the second time that he had woken up in a strange place with no clear recollection of how he had gotten there. At least this time he had a general idea of what had happened. This... Nadia Blackwood had tracked him down, and probably seen the blonde's dark partner. They had fought, and, when she had seen that he had killed the blonde, she had worried that he would be a danger to her person.

She had thus tased him, and transported him to... wherever it was that they were now. Clearly she had a lot of expectations for him. Whatever they were. But they were there.

"Condition first." he replied. A name were nothing more than a word, a type of identification. Since he would be picking a name off a list this name wouldn't really define who he was. It may influence who he came to be, but it hardly mattered right now. Right now, the most important thing was to gather information. Information that might be essential to his survival. He had no reason to trust this Nadia Blackwood. The brochure had told him as much. He was safe for the moment, but ignorance was one of the greatest dangers of the world.

People didn't assume that a person they were meeting was ignorant. They automatically assumed that aforementioned person knew exactly as much as they did. They would act upon that assumption, and only realize their mistake after the other person did something to make that apparent.

The brochure had mentioned that too. Mistakes made out of ignorance. Which would only be protected as long as he had his guardian.

A small part of him, hidden and almost unnoticed, cringed. Now wasn't the time to notice it, to try and investigate what it meant. Nadia would answer his question, and he had to pay attention to every word she told him. But he did store it away in a back part of his mind for further examination at a later date. When he was alone, when he was certain that he really was safe, he would take that moment of cringing and examine it. Prod it and poke it and rip it apart. Figure out what it meant.

Despite his general calm, a part of this unnamed and unknown man longed for his past. His past was what defined him, had made him into the person he was. Right now, he was running blind, bouncing off of corners and edges in a giant labyrinth made of mist. A future would slowly give definition to his world, but a past would truly create it.

Not the time to be thinking about that. Information on the nature of his new existence first.

[Promise]

Nadia nodded, other Newborns had been far more curious as to their history than their current situation, she was already feeling hope that this case would be one of the easier ones. "Well, for starters, your diet will have changed somewhat, you can still eat and taste 'normal' food, but your body doesn't need it and will reject it without one ingredient" she nodded to was the jug of blood on the bedside table. "That jug is filled with Human blood, it's donated, not stolen, so don't let anything hold you back if you want some" she smiled reassuringly.
"You may also have noticed how strong you have become, snapping a woman's neck that easily is not something any guy off the street can do" her voice wasn't accusing by any means, it was merrily an example. "Your speed has also increased massively as well as senses, these lights are turned low and yet you had to wait for your eyes to adjust" she paused and thought about what to say. "You heart is still beating, it's slower than a Human heart, and your body is cooler, so avoid hospitals they'll keep you there for weeks" she tried to joke but didn't think it was really the right situation for it.

"The brochure describes you as a Vampire, that's....a general term, what makes you what you are is closer to a virus than a curse, it causes you to constantly regenerate. It can even bring the dead back to life...though perhaps virus is the wrong word" she shrugged slightly, "silver and sunlight are less than healthy for you, ultra violet rays, or UV causes you to weaken, silver acts as a poison, acid even if its pure enough. They've been working on cures for years though it's not been successful yet..." She brightened as she came up to the next part. "But you'll probably be around when they do come up with a cure as the constant regeneration stops you from ageing" she said it almost as if she was telling a child they'd be getting birthday presents a week early because their goldfish died.

Nadia felt she was laying the 'happy' tone in her voice a little too much and laid off it a bit. "The are drawbacks other than sunlight and silver to the super strength, immortality and the rest, you met two of them in fact, they're Hunters. They've been around almost as long as you lot and they have a reasonable sized chip on their shoulder" she was probably underestimating it but she didn't want to scare him so early on. "Likely at least part because of the regeneration abilities you have, your body can take a massive amount of punishment, gun shots do nothing so long as they aren't silver, if they are...then it'll start to hurt." She pointed at his shirt and the points the probes from her taser had attached, "electricity can stun you, as you have experienced, fire needs to be put out quickly or got out of the way of...some Hunters like to use flame throwers" she muttered the last part knowing full well he could hear her.

Nadia thought about what she may have missed, she knew she forgot something every time she explained this, repeating it without a check list did that to her. She also had to remember what he already knew from the brochure, he had been left by a transport so that meant they left it with him. "And your amnesia...that is almost always the case, very rare case people remember anything after turning. It was explained to me that as the virus transforms the body, to the point your entire form changes, the brain is starved for too long and begins to die, memories are the first to go before the body...restarts so to speak" she pushed a lock of hair from her face as it fell loose. "It restarts because the virus adds to it, you will find your gifts extend to the mental variety. Memory, is one of the ones I've been told is a favourite, but also manipulation of others, a glamour is something you can use, make others see you as someone else." Nadia paused as she remembered something, not a topic she was going to bring up though, glamour wasn't her favourite Vampire ability.

"Flight" she managed, "another commonly liked one, that is one I haven't been told the intricate workings of though" she smiled at him, but something seemed to have touched a nerve. "Did I miss anything? Do you want me to go over anything? I am here for you to question after all" what had bothered her was not centred on him so much as what something she her self had said reminded her of.