Usually Adrias was there to comfort her, to remind her that he was still there and he still loved her. Recently however, he was nowhere to be found when she woke. Part of her wanted it that way, she did not want to always rely on him, or else how would she ever grow strong enough to endure existence after his passing. The other part though, still cried out for him, still longed to wake up with him by her side. Yet in the cold earth she slept in last night, there were only the worms and ants to keep her company.

She rose from the dirt in the park, slowly making sure no one was around. Relieved to find no one around she rose completely out of the ground. Her heart sank with more thoughts about her behavior the other night. She had been, to say the least, disagreeable with her coterie. They had two new members, one a rather brutish, barbaric and ignorant five hundred year old gangrel elder, and the other a very strange Malkavian chemist, who had been given to the Tremere as a pupil. Although the Malkavian was alright, the gangrel was annoying and at some points frightening. Still she should not have been so course with him. He had after all been unconscious for four hundred years and she would have to teach him some things about the new world and times that he lived in. Aside from that he seemed to be the only person who also believed the Salubri were not evil. He could make a good ally in that respect.

She also had to take care of something. She remembered her arms twisted deformity of spines. It hurt her to look at it, how she had failed her love. She found a secluded area in the park, surrounded by dense foliage and bushes and took out her razor blade. She was very glad she lacked the ability to speak at this point. Each swipe of the blade across her arm made her want to scream. She would have cried again if she could. When she was finished she was all to glad to put away the blade and heal the gaping wounds.

She left the park and headed to the tower to look for Damien. She was met with the usual grunts but they informed her Damien had not come in yet, and that she would need to make an appointment either way. She left and went to Sin’s apartment where she remembered seeing Damien. She found him just leaving the apartment heading to a limo waiting for him out in front.

As usual he did not seem particularly interested in speaking with her but he relented as the walked down the stairs.

“Fine, what is it you wish to speak to me about?” he finally said.

“Although it seems like for some reason the name is taboo, I just wanted to know what the Salubri are. We met one three nights ago and it healed all of us before running away out of the sewer. It drank some of our blood before it left too.” She had to write it out for him because of her disability.

-Insert Daemon’s reaction here- (note I will not press the subject if he says its not my concern.)

She left Daemon with more questions than answers as usual in matters concerning the Salubri.

She decided now would be a good time to let the subject drop at least until she spoke to the other gangrel again. He seemed like the only person to look with favor upon them left in the city. However before she did that she needed to understand him first. She could hardly effectively communicate with him so long as he could not read English, so she was going to try other methods. Perhaps learning his language would be a better way to go.

She had one of her contacts dig up everything he could find on the Norse Language and Mythology. He turned up twenty four sites with the complete Norse alphabet, and runes, and 184 sites and books about how to learn the Norse language. With an ample supply of material to work with she spends the rest of her night learning about the Norse language.

She found her place in the park a pretty good place to sleep and returned there again. She was tempted to stand atop the ground and watch the sun but thoughts of Adrias made her slip under the earth. She slept once again under the earth while the world turned.

The next night was the same, as usual. She thought it would get easier to get up each night but it was never let up. This night she knew she needed to eat, she preferred the term eat over feed because it sounded less primitive and animal. After burning so much energy two nights ago she was feeling a bit hungry.

Hunting was the worst part about her existence. Although she realized that as long as she was careful she would not have to hurt anyone, she still found the idea and taste of blood in her mouth revolting. The satisfaction she received from it only made it harder to stand for. Still, doing what she had to for survival was important enough for her to endure it.

She had learned very little from the one who turned her. He was very vague in his instruction and did not have time to really teach her anything important before Adrias reaped his vengeance. So her experiences with hunting had been mostly self-taught and were still far from perfect. The slums were a good place to go but she was faced with competition from other vampires and less identifiable creatures. It was safer to try the other locations in the city. However, tonight she had a new advantage. She advanced her disciplines to a new level, on that allowed her to change into an animal. The first form she had was that of a white tiger. Not exactly what she needed at the moment. The second was a dove. It was her favorite bird when she was a child so it was a fitting form in her mind. She found a secluded spot in the park and took to the sky.

The experience was on the whole exhilarating. She had never flown before and to see the city from such view was marvelous indeed. She enjoyed the form for about an hour before she remembered why she had shifted in the first place. The task at hand kind of ruined her mood but she was not terribly concerned any more. She looked through out the city for a suitable target until she came across an open window in a thirty story building. It was twenty six floors up, but it was not the window that caught her attention but the person leaning out it. She landed on the edge a few feet from the woman who hardly noticed her at first. She cooed softly and the woman looked at Aerin’s form. She had tears in her eyes, and it looked like someone had beaten her across the face a few times.

Aerin hopped towards her and the woman continued to look at her confused a little. “You here to comfort me or mock me?” She asked the little bird. Aerin hopped a right up to her and nudged her with her soft head. “You know, I don’t have any bird food so you should go bug some one else.” Aerin hopped into the room and flew over to couch in the room. The apartment was clean but a lamp was knocked over and a dish lay shattered on the floor. The room was sparsely decorated and had a couch an end table, and a big screen TV. There were a few lights on the walls. The entrance to the kitchen was to the left with the open door to the bedroom on the right. A bathroom was near the entrance from the hallway.

The woman followed Aerin into the room and to the couch, watching the little bird move about the room. Aerin went over to the broken plate and examined it. This seemed to spark a reaction out of the woman who hastily cleaned it up while talking to the bird. “You know it wasn’t supposed to be this way. Marriage is supposed to be harmonious, and happily ever after.” She picked up the fallen lamp and sits back down on the couch. “But why does this feel so wrong. Am I not good enough for him, does he hate me, I don’t know what to think. I am so afraid that each time he comes home it’s going to be the same. I just want thing to be the way they used to be.” The woman went on for another hour or so telling the little bird everything, pacing around back and forth, and sometimes yelling. Until Aerin flew into the bedroom and landed on the bed. The woman followed her in and sat on the bed. “I don’t know if I can sleep right I have to much on my mind right now.” Aerin did not care though, she could tell some sleep would do this woman some good and make everything a little more easier. She used her powers over the beast to quell hers with sympathy and understanding. After that it was not to long before she was asleep.

Aerin left the room and changed back to her original form. She closed the window and turned off all the lights before she returned to were the sleeping woman lay. She bent down and bit gently into her neck. As she drank she could her the womans moans of pleasure and ecstacy. Another aspect Aerin had trouble getting used to, but at least it did not hurt. She licked the wound closed with out spilling a drop and left the woman there still slumbering peacefuly. She closed the door quietly and then sat in the darkness of the living room to wait for the husband to get home. Around midnight she heard someone outside and heard the lock on the door being undone. Yet Aerin did not move. The light from the hallway did not reach her on the couch and she sat in darkness as he entered. He saw her shadowy form sitting there and stopped in the doorway.

“Look baby, I’m sorry bout what I did earlier. Can you forgive me?” Aerin was silent and did not move. “I said I am sorry, what more do you want. How bout I take you out to dinner tommorrow, will that make you feel better.” Still nothing. He entered the room all the way, still unable to see anything. He closed the door and felt the wall for a light switch, fortuanately for her that was the light he had broken. “Could you turn on a light please. Then we can settle this like adults.” Now in total darkness except for some light off the streets she stood up and moved towards him. “Hey now, come on…” he did not have time to finish before he felt her lips on his neck and her arms around him and then then ecstacy. She drained him until she was full. He was alive but weakened by the experience.

She took him over her shoulder and set him on the couch. He would hardly be able to lay a hand on her for awhile, maybe this would show him how to appreciate her more. He would mostlikely be bed ridden and rely entirely on her. She quelled him as well and removed her hold over the woman. Leaving the woman in control. It was not much but it was the best she could do to help. She left the appartment and walked out of the building.

She went back to were she stashed her stuff and pulled out the Norse language materials. She had plenty more studying to do if she was going to speak his language the next time she saw him.