"Iron Maiden please come in."
"Abel?!" A startled sounding Sister Kate replied.
"Yes Ma'am, I'm checking in as requested." He reported. "I arrived early this morning and now settled for a short stay."
"I'm so glad to hear you're ok even if you're a day late arriving… we heard rumours of a few ships taken damage around the Uber Berlin region."
"Ah yeah.. we were um… shot down, but we are fine and in the Empire now."
"What!? Are you ok? Ooh I knew I should have pushed harder to take you instead!"
"No, what's done is done. My companions and I are all in good health."
"If I had taken you, there wouldn't have been any crashing." She grumbled. "Do you want me to connect you to the Professor?"
"Yes please, Sister Kate." Abel smiled as he waited for her to get William on the connection.
Seth watched as Abel talked on the communicator, hearing the familiarity between him and this Sister Kate. She tried to envision what his life was like at the Vatican, being a special agent yet still being held to old fashioned codes of conduct used by the church. She sighed softly, having so little experience outside of the Empire it was hard to grasp what Abel's daily life was like.
"Abel!" Williams smooth voice filled the room. "What a pleasant surprise, though you're a bit late checking in… causing trouble so soon?"
"What?" Abel chuckled, good heartedly from Williams teasing. "No, I haven't had a chance yet honestly... We were shot down and had to get picked up. I will tell you more about it another time though. Have you had any luck with the... supplements?"
"No luck so far, the virus seems to not carry well with any preservation techniques I've had a chance to try out. Dehydration and liquid suspension failed to carry the virus live. Freezing has been promising, though I'm not sure how portable that will be for you. I'm currently testing the limits of the freezing so no conclusive results yet I'm afraid."
Abel grunted, a bit discouraged. "Perhaps I can get some help with research here. My metabolism seems to have increased and the usual methods are just getting me by."
"That is a bit of a problem. I will contact you as soon as I have anything remotely to a success my friend… if this transmitter is your contact point anyway."
Seth nodded at Abel.
"Yes, this one will be for now."
"Good, I will let Kate know."
"How is Esther?"
William chuckled. "She's showing Albion that she means business. A new cabinet and House of Lords are in the works, poor Walsh is wearing out his boots trying to keep up I'd say."
"I knew she would be great."
"She is just what the country needed I think… Anyway, I need to get back to the lab, especially with you needing a bigger dosage.
"Thank you William."
"It's the least I can do, now to work I go!" William said before ending the call.
Abel looked for a long moment at the communicator, sorting his thoughts.
"Frozen capsules shouldn't be that hard to make." Seth mused.
"But at what volume?"
"We will start small. Let me gather some supplies and while you're at Astharoshe's place, I'll see what magic I can whip up." She paused a moment, taking a slow breath. "By the way, did you know anything about the electricity surges while you sleep?"
Abel's eyes widened and he shook his head slowly. "Has there been a problem? I know at times Lilith appeared in my dreams to stop 02's awareness from dredging up… unpleasant memories but I was not aware of any physical effects."
"Baybars mentioned it earlier, as he's leery about anything that seems out of place, especially after learning about Radu's fire affinity." She got up and walked over to the bookcases, not wanting to meet Abel's eyes. "I've never had the issues you're having, 03 has never done anything without explicit commands."
She turned around to study his reaction to her words.
He was paler than moments before. His icy gaze was downcast, staring at his hands like they were foreign.
"Just promise me Abel, that you will not fall like Cain. If he's as powerful as you say, I… don't know if I could stop him... or you if 02 takes over."
Abel stood up and walked over to her, his tall broad shouldered body towering over her small, lithe one. His hands reached out to hers and engulfed them. Sad blue eyes looked into the worried depths of her green.
"Seth, I promise I won't... fall to the crusnik… I don't know what the final outcome will be... but there is... no...other… way… no one else can stop him. I can not fail." His voice was thick with emotion, going lower and deeper as he struggled to formulate the words around the lump in his throat.
Seth pulled her hands free and hugged his middle, her cheek pressing into his lean stomach, several tears sliding down her cheeks. He leaned over, hugging her in return.
"Help me get back out there, to end this before more are harmed."
She nodded against him, unable to speak yet as she struggled to contain her own burst of emotions. She was afraid for him and of him, for what could happen with the full fusion. She had only found him again and to lose him now would be heartbreaking.
He shared her fears, the very real possibility of Cain destroying him completely, taking his body to fix his own and carry out the path of destruction the crusnik desired. He was shaken to find out that in slumber, activation was happening, going forward he would have to avoid sleeping so deeply.
Abel sighed and moved away from her, kneeling down to stop towering over her.
Her emerald eyes nearly glowed from her strong emotions, the wet eyelashes clumped slightly together and her cheek was reddened from pressing into his clothes. She reminded him of when he first met Esther, a youth with big eyes and all emotions except Seth was far more than that. She had almost a millennium of experience, like him except she has lived all of those years where he had lain hidden for most.
She looked at his pale features, the long silver hair pulled back into a ponytail except for the long bangs that swept around his face. A striking face of strong angles with high cheekbones, straight nose and a pointed chin that was classically handsome. Simple rimmed glasses with a double nose bridge accentuated his light blue eyes, though she didn't understand why he had glasses with his eyesight. She furrowed her brow as she puzzled over the glasses.
"Is there something on my face?" He asked as he felt her gaze focus. They had both taken time to really look at each other, reacquainting their eyes to the once familiar faces.
"We both know very well you have amazing eyesight… so why are you wearing those?"
"Headaches from light actually... I guess I spent too much time in her tomb and my light sensitivity it a bit high. Professor made these for me," he reached up and took them off, offering for her to look at them. He was secretly relieved at the change in topic.
"But they are not tinted, how would they help?"
"He felt I would be asked to remove my glasses if they were tinted, so he found a way to manipulate the glass fractures to do away with the glare of the sun without a tint. My other set were made a little off so that I didn't see the best, it helped with my clumsy act the Vatican accepted of me." She raised them up and peered through, seeing they did not change her vision at all, but did feel the reduction of glare from the lights.
"Why did you have to be clumsy?"
"No one pays attention if they think you're incompetent. And I was very… awkward when I returned to the world. Caterina and William helped me create the fool act as a way to keep gossip down and in a way hide me in plain sight."
"Interesting solution." She settled his glasses back on his face, adjusting them till they sat evenly.
"Do I pass muster now?"
She smirked and nodded, giving him room to get back on his feet. Walking over to her desk she picked up the vial of methuselah blood and handed it to him.
"I'll have more in the morning but this should tide you over till then."
"Thanks… do you mind if I grab a few books to read? There is really no history of the Empire on record that I found. Knowing now of extra power surges happening from me… I don't want to sleep quite so much, or so deeply."
"That is understandable and I'm sure Baybars would settle down some if you didn't affect the power grid," she moved past him and selected three books from the bookcase. "These ones are good, more to the point and less embellished than most." She set them in his hands. "I'm so glad we got to have some time together… it's been too long. Now, let's meet up in the morning over breakfast and then I'll help you get to the Asran estate."
He smiled warmly, tucking the books under his arm and the vial in a pocket. "Ok, your Imperial Majesty."
"Good night, big brother." She grinned and gave him a quick hug before going to the door.
Baybars was just walking towards the room, having found no source to the power surges from the maintenance side of things. His dark eyes flickered to Abel cautiously before settling on the Empress's petite form. Her body language was very relaxed and comfortable which meant the meeting went well. Abel was standing just behind her, holding some books… his stance was more awkward and unsure in position. Baybars had earned his position with unquestionable loyalty, fierce battle skills and the ability to read body language easily, especially the Empress's.
He stopped a few feet away and bowed respectfully.
"Our guest is ready to return to his rooms?"
"Yes, if you don't mind helping him find his way back. And I think we are ok without any monitoring, so rest easy tonight Captain." Seth smiled and patted his arm as she walked past.
Abel quickly found himself back in his room, Baybars being a quiet and effective guide. It seemed that the captain was really a man of few words, and while polite enough did not invite friendly overtures. Abel set the books down on the side table near the bed, followed by his glasses as his mind wandered over the conversation with Seth.
Was he in danger of losing himself to the crusnik? The electrical surges must be when 02 is more active, when the dreams take on more upsetting topics...which begs the question of how to stop them? Was the answer to sleep in short periods or was it because of the crusnik needing more blood? He sighed and reached for the vial in his pocket.
"What a troublesome beast you are." He muttered out loud as he popped the cap off the vial. As soon as the lid was off he could feel the buzzing of the nanomachines, his skin felt tingly and his jaw ached with the pressure of impending transformation.
"Crusnik activation level 0%." He hoped that would work, to command the nanomachines to stop their unauthorized activation.
There was a pause, either because Abel held his breath or due to processing the command but the buzzing faded and the ache eased off quickly.
"Good." He drained the vial, swallowing the contents in one gulp. Immediately a shudder went through his body as the crusnik absorbed the meager offering. He shook his head in disgust, thinking on the fact that this would likely become a regular occurrence then snapped the lid back on and set it on the night table.
It wasn't that late yet… he had already slept a fair bit of the day. He took off his jacket and boots, but not ready to get into his night clothes quite yet. He was anxious, he half wondered now if coming to the Empire was a good idea… he picked up one of the books and paced around the room, randomly flipping through and reading various passages in the book.
"This isn't getting me anywhere." He tossed the book on the bed, seeing only 45 minutes had passed. He felt jittery and needed to move around, quite different from the more lethargic energy levels he had most evenings.
A respectful knock sounded from the door, startling him. He furrowed his brows wondering if perhaps Seth had found something, as he walked to the door. Upon opening it he saw a maid with a large brown paper wrapped package held in her arms.
"Um.. excuse me Sir, I have a delivery for you, Sorry for the inconvenience." She said softly.
"Thank you Miss, I appreciate you bringing this to me." She handed him the package and an envelope.
"Good day Sir!" She bobbed a quick curtesy and backed away from the door and walked quickly down the hallway.
Abel watched her go for a few moments until his eyes drifted up to the lights, remembering Seth telling him of the power surges… he sighed and withdrew back into the room
He set the package down and looked at the envelope. "Guest of the Empire - A.N." Was how it was addressed in a bold cursive writing that bordered on some of the calligraphy he had seen in Rome. Turning it over nothing more was written, "How odd."
The letter within was written in the same strong, flowing style.
"Nightroad,
My mind can not rest until we speak again. Here are the Empire clothes you had before, so that you can blend in better. My Butler, Hector is waiting by the entrance of the palace for you if you are able to meet. I understand that you may want to wait till morning so he will only be there till 8:15.
Astharoshe"
He set the letter down and looked around the room for a clock. 7:52, so not much time. Was he ready for this? Seth felt that things would go better than expected, and perhaps it had been long enough dancing around the issue… the sooner the better perhaps was the best way to handle it…
He quickly disrobed and opened the paper package to find the long flowing coat, tunic and fitted pants he wore before. He enjoyed wearing them, the light soft material and the ease of moment was a treat after the heavy, course wool of the Vatican uniform. He smiled a bit at the freshly laundered fragrance as he dressed. The Empire seemed conscious of things like color, smell and movement… except for the odd hats that did nothing for the sunlight, though to be fair the barrier kept the strength of the sun to a low level.
The tunic was a simple cut, a deep V neck, black trimmed with thick borders of white, the hem ending near his knees. The pants a simple woven material of black with similar trim going up the outside seam, luckily his boots fit well under them as the armoured portions were still decorated with the red cross of the AX. The long coat, fitted across the torso but sewn to drape easily around the hips and fall to the ankles, which made movement easy. The coat was much more decorative with white and gold embroidery along the collar and down the outer seam of the arms, including some common jewels at the joints, his were azure blue stones. At the bottom of the package was the hat, done in a similar form to what the young pope wears. His eyes flickered to the clock, 8:05. He grabbed the letter and stuffed it into his pocket.
A few strides and he was out the door and going down the hallway that the maid had taken.
When the hallway opened up to a forey with two other hallways going in opposite directions. He paused, looking at each before going with the one on the right.
Abel's long strides quickly ate up the distance and again he was at another division but a maid was in this one, dusting a decorative display of musical instruments.
"Ah… excuse me miss?"
She paused a moment, and turned to look at him questionly. "Yes?"
"I've seen to have gotten turned around, is this the way to the main entrance?" Abel easily brought forth his fool persona.
"Tch, you should pay more attention when going in a building…. take the left hallway and you'll be at the entrance." She scolded before turning back to her work.
"Thank you miss." And he quickly went down the proper hallway. It opened up to a more elaborate room with soaring ceilings and stained glass of jewel tones colouring the dim beams of sunlight that poured in. Ahh, he remembered this room from last time, finally. He went out the large double doors and stopped at the bottom of the stairs looking around for this "Hector".
An older man stood waiting near a park bench at the left of the stairway. He wore a long coat that was a soft grey and trimmed with the dark blue that Astha wore on her empire clothes. His face was kind, showing some age lines around brown eyes that were friendly when they connected with Abel's. Ah yes, he remembered that face from his stay before, just didn't know the fellows name.
"Mister Nightroad, I am honored that we get to meet again." He walked up to Abel and bowed his head in greeting.
"Hello sir!" Abel returned the greeting.
"I do apologize for the late missive, but my lady did hope you would be open to a meeting… if you will, please come with me to the estate." He gestured towards the car parked along the curb.
Abel followed him, "by all means, I would be lost otherwise trying to find her estate." His insides were flip flopping with nervousness for when he saw Astha again.
Thankfully the car ride was short, and Hector talked of the early fall weather and that it was getting to be a busy time in the city, as the products of the farmlands came in to be processed. Luckily, most of that happened across the river on the Terran side of Byzantium. Abel absorbed the information as it was interesting, to listen to something not involved in politics, warfare or his current problems… which talking with Astha was one of them.
Once at the estate and out of the car, Hector walked ahead of Abel to the gate. "Please excuse the cats… they are always a pest when my lady has been away for a while."
Abel laughed softly, "these are more than house cats, in all sense of the term."
Hector grinned at Abel in agreement.
Two large tigers were waiting at the opening of the gate.
"Back off you two, he's invited." Hector scolded the large beasts, who flicked their tails and blinked at Abel before walking off.
"The Duchess will be here momentarily, please wait in the library."
Alone in the library Abel sat down in a dark blue velvet armchair, taking off his hat and setting it down on the table beside an ornate brass lamp. He ran his hands along his hair, adjusting his ponytail absently.
Should he show her the crusnik? To what level? Was that safe? Looking around the room… it wasn't exactly big enough for his wingspan and the scythe would be even worse. And honestly, he would have to disrobe some to avoid ripping his new clothes… perhaps she wouldn't ask that of him.
Abel's heart rate was elevated, stress was coursing through him, as his thoughts tumbled together, he flinched when he felt a twinge in his shoulders and down his arms. The lights suddenly flickered in the room.
"Holy Hell!" He cursed in surprise, this must have been what Seth was talking about… except he was awake for it.
"I know I'm impressive at times but that's the first time I've had that response." Astha walked into the room, having heard Abel's curse just as she entered the room.
His startled blue eyes snapped up to meet her golden ones, his expression was blank momentarily as she caught him off guard.
"Oh! I'm sorry Astha, th-that wasn't directed at you… but ah… good evening?" Abel reached back and rubbed his neck in embarrassment, his cheeks flushed slightly. He looked again at his statureque host.
She was dressed in her casual attire, a fitted blue low cut tunic, red leggings and a white cloth belt tied around her hips, her hair was wet still from her bath so it hung longer around her face and neck, sitting along her collarbone. She had a teasing smile on her face, having thoroughly enjoyed her entrance.
"My fault for walking in without knocking, bad manners on my part." She walked over to sit on the mate to his chair. "Thank you for coming on such short notice… I just couldn't rest my mind any longer… do you want any tea?"
"When I got your letter it seemed like now was as good a time as any... No tea for now, I fear I would need something stronger for my nerves." He chuckled nervously.
She smiled encouragingly, "anything you need I can probably find for you."
Oh lord, once she knows that her blood is what I need… he thought in despair. He felt that twinge in his shoulders from earlier start again and looked at the lamp to see it flicker once more.
"Usually my power is reliable but perhaps this lamp is on its last legs." Astha said as she too saw it flicker.
"It's not your lamp… it's me." He took a deep breath, dread making his stomach feel like lead.
She blinked in confusion and leaned ahead in her chair, reaching out to place her hand on his. He jumped a little at the contact but didn't push her hand away.
"Tovarish?" Watching his handsome visage pale, his blue eyes turn their focus inward and unseeing was alarming.
He took another steadying breath and then his eyes looked into hers. "What I will tell you can never be shared…very few know of my… condition as it's not something I willingly talk about, but for your safety and perhaps partnership to continue that I do this."
She gently squeezed his hands with hers, seeing how hard this was for him, wanting to give him comfort.
"Tovarish… I promise on my family's honour to not share whatever you tell me." He could see the sincerity in her eyes as she spoke.
He nodded, and lifted her hands off of his quickly as he felt another twinge start. Again the light flickered but thankfully no arc of electricity.
She furrowed her brows at his push away of her touch, and then raised an eyebrow as the light blipped again.
"So that flicker is being caused by you?"
A sigh escaped him. "Yes, apparently it has happened while I sleep… but this is the first I've had it happen while awake."
"So… that zap when I first saw you in Londinium and then the other night after I pressed you, is a part of your augmentation?"
He got up and walked over to the bookcase, needing space as he wanted to discuss this more clinical, like how William does with bad news. Astha was not Esther, she was sharp and technical… and would pick at him to figure out how he ticked.
"How much do you know about the start of the methuselah race?"
"The usual, a virus was discovered after Armageddon and it changed some Terrans over 800 years ago, it enhanced us, making us the new human Empire because we are the next step in evolution… What does that have to do with you and your augmentations?" She paused a moment, "what did the church do to you?"
He was about to tell her that he was the next step of the evolution she spoke of, when it registered that she mentioned the church. He blinked at her blankly for a moment before he remembered that Seth mentioned that Astha had glommed onto the idea that he was augmented by the Vatican. It would be so easy, he thought, to allow that lie to cover the truth, but it wasn't right to hide this any longer.
He shook his head, his hair tie loosened some by his movements untied and his hair fell around his face. Without his glasses and bound hair he looked so different to her, gone was all traces of the fool he portrayed not so long ago.
"No, the church never did this to me… I did this to myself a very long time ago, AX only helped me come out of a dark place in my life... I used the term augmentation as a handy explanation, but in truth it's not quite right…. What do you remember seeing yesterday when you um… manhandled me?" He stood behind the chair facing her, not quite ready to sit close to her. She tilted her head back a little to look at him. She felt a pang of guilt at the fact she had gotten physical with him.
"Your eyes flickered between red and blue, your skin darkened and… I thought I saw... fangs when you spoke, but that's impossible and I can't understand it." Her eyes touched on each part of his face as she described what she saw.
"You have very good instincts Astha, why do you not trust your eyes?" He asked quietly.
"Why would you change? Your eyes… your teeth? Even as a methuselah our changes are more subtle unless it's our hands." She looked away, her gaze wandering around the room. "You did say you're more like me than a Terran but that was more than a methuselah."
"I'm not a… Terran anymore and never was a methuselah… I'm a Crusnik." He looked down at his hands, not able to look at her now. "For those brief moments I... I was fighting an internal battle similar to when a methuselah fights their blood urges."
"What urges would you be fighting?" She looked back at him, studying his features. Unease and tension was starkly apparent on his face. Comprehension was dawning as her mind worked through his words and his nervousness.
"You wanted my blood." She stated flatly.
She watched him swallow slowly and his eyes were darkened with guilt.
"Yes…I can only take in… methuselah blood."
He watched her nod in acknowledgment, her golden eyes examining him critically, but no fear could be found.
"This… Crusnik is not natural? You weren't born like this?"
"No, it was something that happened while we were on our mission…perhaps it would have been better had I never found that ship...or he had just died, instead of us saving him." Abel mumbled distractedly, seeming lost for the moment in memories.
"We? There's more Crusniks?
He blinked as he heard her question, silently cursing his careless mention of Mars.
"The others who were with me long ago... We discovered the Crusnik and stupidly injected it into our bodies… for what we gained I don't believe it was worth it in the end. And there are only a few of us left." He didn't want to have her figure out the connection between him and Seth, as that was Seth's secret to share.
Astha was silent for a few moments. "How long ago are we talking? You don't look more than mid twenties for a Terran and if you're more like a methuselah then you could be a few hundred years old."
"I'm good chunk older than you, is all I will say about that." Connecting a very old non aging being to the Eternal Empress wouldn't be much of a stretch… Abel hoped she wouldn't press more about his age.
She smirked thinking he was sensitive about his age. "Ok, I'll leave that alone for now… so your Crusnik is a virus take over like those bitten by us?"
"It's more like semi sentient alien technology that needs the bacillus virus to power it." There, he said it… summed up in as technical terms as he could about what the crusnik was.
Astha was quiet for a while again, studying him.
"Can you show me?"
The lamp flickered again as his heart rate rocketed, even knowing she would ask, hearing it made his stomach drop with anxiety. Again the lamp flickered, making them both look at the offending object.
"I didn't used to be so... visible with the electrical affinity… until I was badly hurt and they gave me full fusion to bring me back. Now… it's stronger and less restricted than ever… I refuse to show you the higher level so this will have to do." He spoke quickly, apologetic in tone. "I won't lie, I'm quite the uh… sight… so prepare yourself."
She nodded again, her ivory hair swaying with the movement, the red strip contrasting against the paleness of the rest. He could see her muscles tense in her arms, her tunic tightened across her chest as she braced for what was to come.
He closed his eyes, whispering in his mind for Lilith's cool guidance if 02 tried to do more than what the restrictions were set to.
"Crusnik activation level 20 percent."
His long, loose hair seemed to get a mind of its own, rising above his head in a crown like form, the lamp was flickering intermittently now, casting odd shadows in the room. She could see the darkening of his skin, he clenched his jaw momentarily and then the contour changed becoming slightly elongated. Her gaze flickered to his hands… what had been long graceful hands in white cloth, black talons had pierced the fabric and the hands were stretching against the cloth. Astha could feel the hairs along her arms stand up, the air held a charged feel to it. She held her breath, waiting for him to open his eyes. There was dark beauty in the seamless transition to this Crusnik form, but even so there was a feeling of menace about Abel, the possibility of danger.
He could hear her heartbeat accelerate, her breath catch as she watched his wretched form take over. He had forgotten to take off his gloves… yet another pair destroyed. His stomach roiled with tension as he kept his eyes closed.
"Open your eyes Abel, look at me."
Red eyes peered at her now where blue ones should have been. She took in a sharp breath as she felt how his gaze was not entirely friendly.
"This is… the Crusnik, the… vampire to methuselah." He said slowly, his voice lower and rough sounding, she could see how all his teeth were now sharp fangs. His lips were quite dark and the fangs showed up starkly as he spoke.
She could feel the predatory intensity from those red eyes, her instincts telling her to move out of his reach, as those claws and teeth could tear her apart easily. Gone, was the slender priest who seemed as threatening as a newborn kitten and in his place, a being with lethal abilities seething just under the surface.
She watched as he closed his eyes again, the room was feeling charged with energy and the lamp was now brighter than normal… the loud snap of the filament startled them both. She half leapt from the chair and he jerked backwards a step. The room darkened some as the only remaining light was on the far wall behind Abel, giving him a slightly sinister appearance.
"What about the… wings when you caught me?"
He looked around the room and shook his head.
"Astha, my wings wont fit in this room and I don't want to go to that level… not with you so close."
Abel could feel Lilith's cool touch swirling inside his body keeping 02 out of this conversation, but it wasn't easy. The push for higher activation was getting stronger, his shoulders itched and burned where the nanomachines clustered to build his wings. He rolled his shoulders to get some relief.
"Crusnik activation level 0%." He faded back to himself, and picked at the shredded gloves to avoid looking at her. She watched, mesmerized at the shifting of his entire self from predator to his familiar features.
"Are you a… machine?"
"Not really… Nanomachines are what make up the Crusnik and it's integrated into my DNA now… commands are used to activate them into action, otherwise I'm still human."
"Is that how your wound healed up so fast from the gunshot?"
"They repair me almost as fast as the damage happens… in most cases as long as I have supplied it with enough… blood."
"And you were able to… feed when the church sent you out to hunt us?"
He flinched a little with her question. "Yes, the rogue terrorist and what not if it was a vampire, I was called and absorbed whatever I could. The Vatican is quite dedicated to keeping the methuselah out of the general populace so the partnership worked well."
"That was 20%... what happens at higher levels?"
"There is more crusnik and less… me. The highest I had ever went was 80% but since my fight with Cain I went to complete activation and that has caused me stability problems."
"Finally a name… Cain is the guy who almost killed you?"
"Ye-yes." Abel stuttered a bit again, Astha was quick to piece things together.
He walked back around the chair and sat down, the hardest part was done and she was still here.
"Do you drink from your victims? Given all the teeth… I can't see anyone surviving."
She saw him blanch a bit at the question, regretting it instantly. "You don't have to answer that Abel, I'm curious is all."
"Well… it's more by osmosis than oral ingestion, as the nanomachines are in my blood and skin is both the biggest organ and quickest way to get to the bloodstream… if you're asking about the more direct way, it's happened and no they don't survive, but I can drink blood as easily as water in a cup."
"That makes sense. So…being here at the Empire, isn't this a problem for you? Being around all of us?"
"Well… the medical research here is far more advanced than what I could access in other areas. The empress, who has been around a very long time, has agreed to help me find a way to make a pill much like your aqua vitra."
She nodded as he spoke, connecting now why Seth would know about his… condition.
"Are the urges a problem all the time?"
He looked down at his hands, instantly uncomfortable again.
"With the changes to my system at full fusion I am struggling with the demands for more intake."
"Are you having trouble right now?"
He looked back up and his eyes locked with hers searchingly.
"Not yet… I am handling things well and I took a vial earlier to steady myself. If I tax myself with higher activation or take a lot of damage then things get tough. Before fusion I unfortunately ran myself down too low and it was very painful when I would attempt activations… oh lord those are awful." He shuddered, remembering how his whole body would short circuit and electricity would feed back into him, torturing him for several moments. "I'm not sure what my threshold is now, it's like I have to relearn myself again and I don't know what all has changed being fully fused."
She reached forward and rested her hand on his.
"Does contact make it worse for you? I've noticed you avoid it unlike before."
He tensed up for a moment, waiting for a reaction but it seemed he was relaxed enough to not trigger the lights anymore. He looked down at her hand, the graceful lines against his ruined gloves.
"At times I struggle in close quarters, I… don't trust myself completely yet. When you were in my room at Londinium I had to get you out before anything happened and then yesterday after I was shot."
She took her hand away, her expression sympathetic.
"You weren't car sick when we went to the ship, it was because of Ion and I?"
"Car sick?" he looked confused for a moment before he chuckled. "No not carsick. Ion, bless his soul had enough silver nitrate that he was more human to me than anything, you unfortunately Miss Astha were sitting too close for me at the time."
"You were ok after the ship went down though?"
She watched as guilt again darkened his features. "The pilots… you were able to replenish yourself."
He nodded quietly, watching her to gauge her reaction, finding he couldn't tell anything.
"Are you afraid of me now?" He asked quietly, his voice low and unsure. "Knowing all of this now?"
"Afraid? No, not anymore… I'm trying my best to understand you better, Tovarish. I still have a lot of questions though."
He visibly relaxed into the chair, closing his eyes and letting out the breath he held.
"Phew! I have been beside myself trying to figure out how to tell you, been urged to tell you several times actually."
She smiled softly, seeing him more himself finally.
"Your coming to the Empire is for more than just as a trade envoy for the Cardinal I take it?"
"Ah well yes, the trade aspect is actually not me at all. I'm here to disappear from the Vatican since they declared me deceased due to my extreme injury."
Astha nodded slowly, her look contemplative.
"How bad was your head injury?"
"Well… I was um… without a-a... head for a bit of time before getting more nanomachines and hitting full fusion." He winced as he spoke, knowing how far fetched it would sound.
He watched as her eyes widened in surprise.
"And you came back from that bad a wound?!"
"Apparently," he replied dryly.
She got up from her chair and placed her hands on either side of his face, inspecting him like a mother looking over a toddler, moving his head this way and that looking for a scar. She tipped his head back slightly and there at the v of his collarbone was a small white scar, sort of like a jagged bullet wound.
"Ah… Astha?" He swallowed nervously, then placed his hands on her wrists to remove her hands from his face. "Please... you're uh… too close."
She looked to see she had his head nearly stuffed against her ample chest. "Oh!"
She blushed and quickly moved away. He coughed a little to cover his own embarrassment.
"Sorry Abel, I just had to see for myself, turning into the Crusnik is one thing, but having no head is unbelievable… you really are something… else."
He smirked slightly. "I think I'll take that as a compliment, probably one of the nicer things you've said to me." He was openly grinning when he finished his statement.
His humour helped break the awkwardness that had come between them.
"They don't happen often so enjoy it." She teased as she settled back in her chair. "So… who is Cain? Is he like you?"
Abel looked back at his hands, still in their tattered gloves. "Yes and no. He has been taken over by the Crusnik instead of coexisting like I do."
"Is he able to survive injuries like you did?"
"Yes… except he needs my nanomachines to stabilize his to stay in form."
She looked at him a bit puzzled.
"It's complicated."
"I bet. Are you going after him?"
"Yes." He looked up and met her eyes, never had she seen such determination in him before. "I'm only here long enough to find a way to manage my needs and I will be gone."
Astha was quiet for a moment, looking deeply into his eyes as she made her decision.
"Esther told me when she was in the Empire that you shouldn't be left to your own devices… and as my Tovarish I really can't let you go on alone."
Abel blinked several times in surprise, before a soft snort of indignation escaped him.
"I'm not totally inept alone. Miss Esther just seemed to feel the need to manage me so I let her." He pulled off his tattered gloves and stuck them in his pocket, fumbling for his long forgotten hair tie.
"Ahh, well I'm sure you benefited from the help," she smirked. "Besides, Seth told me she wanted you to help us stop the Orden."
Finding the tie caught in some trim, he smoothed back his hair and retied it.
"I'm not surprised that she gave you a heads up… Astha, I can't guarantee your safety if you come with me, even from myself in high activation... so this isn't an easy mission. He is deep inside the Ordens workings, possibly the head of it and we have barely scratched the surface of what they are capable of."
"To stop the Orden is the most important mission for our empire right now, and given what I know now I'm more useful with you than apart."
He looked at her quizzically.
"If they can't get you a method to handle your supply, taking one with you is as good as any. I don't mind needles just I don't want to be bitten by that maw of teeth."
Abels jaw slackened in surprise, he looked at her like she had grown a new head.
"Why? Why would you do that?"
"What's a little blood? I'm a healthy woman and honestly if that's all that holding you back from going after that guy, why not?"
"Isn't it taboo for methuselah to share blood?"
"I'm a little more modern thinking I guess… intent is more important than social graces."
Abel could feel the stirrings of the nanomachines as the conversation about blood continued. His mind still stumbled over the concept that she would willing give him, his monstrous side what it needs.
"I guess you never really understood, when I chose to call you Tovarish that it's a commitment to your well being. I'm a lady who is all or nothing, when I make a decision, be it good or not… perhaps its personal failing of mine to be so quick and a bit bull headed but it's me, to the core." She explained earnestly. "You have shared with me a part of you that you're obviously ashamed of but have no real power to change, in fact you are now more intertwined with than before. Let me help you go after Cain, he took you away from your life at the Vatican, and the Orden is too evil to leave unchallenged."
Touched beyond words, Abel felt the subtle tingle of tears as they slipped from his eyes. He didn't know what to say, he moved out of his chair and reached for her hand, once his bare hands touched hers, he pulled her up and enfolded her in his arms, not knowing if she would be ok with it, hoping the crusnik would stay away as he showed her his gratitude for her faith in him.
Initially he felt her stiffness at the hug but then she returned it, her arms around his ribs in a comfortable fashion. "This is far more... than I had ever hoped for... I was so afraid to tell you about that side of me… thank you Astha." He said into her hair before releasing her and stepping back.
She looked up at him, a soft smile on her lovely face.
"You're welcome." She looked around the room for the clock, it was well after eleven. "Seth mentioned you would be moved to my estate, so that we could do our research on the Orden without interruption. Given the time, do you want to just take your room now or go back to the palace?"
"I should return as to not cause Baybars a panic."
"Hector should be still up, come on let's go find him and get you back." She went to the door and opened it.