William Walter Wordsworth wasn't a man to admit defeat by anything remotely scientific but his latest lab was just rudely defying him at every turn. Sitting quietly, looking into the microscope he sighed as he watched the outcome of his newest attempt to suspend the bacillus virus fail.

"Damn." He sat back, aggravation radiating off him as he went through the memorized motions of getting out his pipe to absently chew on the stem, smoking in a lab was usually frowned upon.

The door to the lab slid open and a slender, well dressed man walked in, blond hair and pale eyes.

"Good evening Professor, having any luck?" Virgil Walsh asked in his ever polite Albion accent.

William shook his head, his slightly shaggy hair falling over his forehead.

"Nope, in fact it sped up the consumption of Terran blood and then the bacillus shrivelled up. What an odd behaviour."

"Hmm," Virgil leaned his hip on the corner of the bench. "The liquid that restored Abel, it was from a past host?"

William nodded, chewing on his pipe absently.

"Is that host still accessible? Perhaps we have been looking at this from the wrong side."

Williams dark brown eyes rose thoughtfully, looking past Virgil for a moment, he took his pipe out and tapped it against his knee.

"She's in the catacombs under Rome. I'm not sure I can or dare open the pod she's in though."

"It might be worth a look either way? All we are doing now is knockin our heads against the wall."

"Hmm.. Perhaps a change in scenery will help, as much as I have enjoyed your lab I do miss my own piece of chaos." He smiled crookedly, his pipe pinched between his teeth.

"Not that I've minded you here, but I do see the frustration mounting."

"Ah yes, it certainly has been a row of bad luck so far. Perhaps I'll catch a ship later today since Iron Maiden has returned to the Vatican already."

"I'll let Queen Esther know of your departure, as she has inquired a few times to your aid for Father Nightroad."

"Thanks, she's got enough on her plate to be worrying about an old dog like me." William got up, grabbing his cane from where it leaned against the bench. "I need a drink anyway, if you wouldn't mind leading me to where I can get passage times."

"Of course." Vigil smiled and followed William out.

Things at the Asran estate were for the most part quiet leading up to the trip to Panudorf. Astha, while not exactly avoiding Abel did her best to give him space, she had mumbled about seeing some belligerent behaviours from one of the younger male tigers that was in training before going to his new home. Abel offered to keep looking through reports as she spent some time with her cats.

He sat comfortably on the porch with a stack of papers on his lap, where he could easily see Astha worked with the unruly tiger. He found it intriguing to watch her carefully guide and coax the big cat to do various exercises that enforced compliance. If he did wrong she showed just enough disapproval with a touch of aggression to get snappy results, and when he did well, she peppered with praise without spoiling them.

Abel could see that Astha was drawn to their dangerous beauty. Perhaps it was because the methuselah was a top predator in all essence, that she appreciated their abilities. The revelation did seem to help lessen the outrage that burned when his mind would drift over her glowing words for his monstrous side.

Returning to his papers, he noticed there was an uptick in suspicious activity around Kràkow… a few crowds getting into a brawl, citing Vampires were not welcome. Dietrich was definitely in the area, now that he knew what to look for, he just hoped Petros was being careful… the hot headed overzealous inquisitor as not a bad guy just extreme in all aspects. Shaking his head Abel hoped they would get to the city before anything terrible happened.

Seth slipped over to see them later that evening. Abel was again sitting on the porch, a few maps set about him as he was preparing for their trip. Astha was just finishing a short session with the tiger.

"I thought you hated paperwork." Seth grinned.

"Hmm, well usually yes but it gives me something to focus on and I'm sure Astha doesn't want me to be a chew toy for that cat." He gestured with his hand towards where Astha was.

"So… how was the training? I'm all ears." She settled down on the ground near him, looking up expectantly. She was dressed in a medical uniform, he supposed it was one of her disguises.

He looked down at her, a tender smile on his face as the scene dredged up a familiar feeling to a lifetime before it all went wrong.

"Well, the crusnik seems to get sleepy with regular feedings"

An incredulous look cast across her face, her right eyebrow rising.

"I had to rouse Lilith before activating then afterwards I made sure to take the vial... and it's been quiet since. No cravings either which is odd given how I was a week ago."

"Interesting. How about during activation? How far did you go?" He could see her scientific mind cataloguing the information.

"I did go to full… I had clarity I've never experienced in form. And Lilith, she was right there with me and quite engaged. 02 was not trying to influence anything, she said they had it sorted I guess." He fingered the edge of the papers in his lap. "I felt like I could do anything, the want was there to just go after Cain that very moment… but I was able to curb it." He drifted off, looking at Astha again. "Being impulsive had my head blown off, I need to do better this time."

Seth turned to follow his gaze.

"And her?"

"See how she looks at those tigers?" He pointed again at Astha, as she was watching the tiger run after a ball, her expression was appreciative, as her gaze took in the tigers movements. "That's how she looked at me… and maybe that's all it takes... no fear from her is what keeps the cravings at bay?"

"I wish I could help more, but I don't think I've ever had the awareness with mine that you have. 03, it's been a very robotic relationship for me, it's more an augmentation than anything."

"Count your blessings."

"Chin up, with so many personalities in your head you should get some smarts." Seth grinned and ducked as he tossed a wadded up note at her.

"So all joking aside… Astha knows about my age. I kind of... well, lost my head for a bit… figuratively this time," he smirked a little at that, "and told her more than I intended."

"And?"

"She may have worked out our connection somewhat… at least that we are both long lived and knew each other during the wars."

"Well, it's not like it wasn't going to come out eventually. Your temper always got you in trouble before, why wouldn't it now?" She shrugged a slender shoulder, "She is an investigator by nature. I think I'll wait for her to come to me with questions... How about the normal training?"

"I have some opinions about her style of fighting as she leaves herself open too much, rushes in too quickly. But I've worked with worse, honestly Leon was so much worse." He rolled his eyes as he remembered Leon. "She does use whatever she can to get an advantage… she caught me off guard when we were sparring." A slight pink came to his cheeks as he reflected on how she surprised him.

"Really?" Curiosity was sparkling in her eyes as she spotted his flushed face.

"She's resourceful and uses her body… well."

Seth grinned widely, a laugh bubbling out as she looked at her brother.

"I see, being a priest does have its downfalls." That earned her a look, she coughed slightly to chase away her amusement so she could continue the conversation. "Otherwise it was a good match?"

"You have no idea how good it felt not holding back. I am a bit rusty but happy with my performance."

A smile spread across her face. "That's the best news I've heard all day."

Astha had finished with the tiger and was walking over, having seen Abel point at her a few times.

"Greetings Seth." She bowed her head in respect. "I hope things are well?"

Seth smiled and patted at the ground next to her.

"I'm sorry I missed the sparring, it seemed to have gone quite well, but I do have some news for you both."

Astha took the intended bit of ground beside the petite Seth, glad she was in more casual attire she used when training the cats so getting on the ground was no issue. Seth was in a medical student uniform this time, slate grey and white scrubs that were a tad baggy on her lithe form.

"I've secured passage for you both on a courier ship I trust, and the trader will be leaving the next day. " She looked at Abel, "Now… for Abel, I still have had no luck in getting a supplement working. I'm hoping that if you do a bigger feed here, that you'll be good for a while now that we've reached a saturation point, if you will." She dug into her pocket and tossed a small medical bag of blood at him.

Seth turned towards Astha, laying a hand on her arm. "If he seems off, all he should need from you is 10cc. Being that fresh it should give him a boost without needing volume since all the virus is alive that way." She reached again into her pockets, bringing out a small bag containing vials, a syringe and a capsule of needles. "I wouldn't recommend letting him bite you and slashing your hand to get blood is far too dramatic."

Out of the corner of her eye, Astha watched as Abel shuddered at the suggestions and set the bag to the side.

"Makes sense. I should be able to handle this easy enough if he needs it." She took the offered items.

Seth looked into Astha's eyes, searchingly for a moment before nodding. "You will be fine." Astha's cheeks flushed a little with the reassurance.

"As soon as things are done with the trade, we need to go to Kràkow… things are getting dicey going by the reports." Abel informed them. Astha nodded, agreeing.

"Send me communications as you can." Seth stood up and brushed at her pants a little. "Something is up in the air, there's a nervousness to it. Let's hope our first trade with Milan goes well or it will undo a lot of hard work."

"Once we stop the Orden, then perhaps a true agreement could happen, right now is such a powder keg of tension." Astha said.

"Yes, I feel like the known world is getting played like a piano, that whoever it is helping Cain is very cunning."

Abel and Astha nodded in agreement.

"Well, I must be off, Hector will have the passage information shortly I imagine..see you both tomorrow." She smiled at them both and waved goodbye.

A bit of an awkward silence surrounded them after Seth left. Astha looked over the syringe and needles in her hands, before sliding them into a pocket. Abel coughed and gathered the papers around him into a single pile.

She watched him fidget a little more, long elegant hands shuffling the papers again and again.

He wouldn't meet her gaze, and seemed agitated.

"I hate this, you know." He finally said.

Astha blinked and quirked an eyebrow at him. "Paperwork?"

"N-no not paperwork, being dependent on this." he picked up the bag, letting the red liquid swirl around the encasement before dropping it beside him. "I went so long without having to cater to the beast…. now it seems everything is relying on placating it… the fact that to avoid becoming a menace I'm going to have to choke down that bag… I hate it. How effective can I be if I'm always worried about my next vial? That you are willing to bleed yourself if I get acting off." He huffed a little, his big breath scattering a smaller sheet of paper to her feet. "I'm more than this, I have to be."

Astha picked up the sheet and moved to sit beside him.

"Maybe we've been looking at this all wrong? How do you know you need more blood?"

"Well… since waking, Lilith told me to take more because they needed more to work. Any blood had me activating without commands… being around you had 02 clamouring to well… it was gruesome what he wanted to do."

"They have names?"

He blinked and looked at her momentarily confused. "Yes, 02 was the first set of nanomachines I received when the wars were starting and Lilith is the second, given to me in Albion."

"Why is one a number and the other a name?"

"Well… 02 is because I was second to take the nanomachines, Cain being first and machines like numbers? It's how it's always referred to itself… 02 is dark, cruel and an awful awareness… he relishes combat, the bloodier the better ... and Lilith… well she was the last of us to take the nanomachines and the only one to die... Apparently the machines can absorb some of their past hosts, and when they gave me her nanomachines I gained her…" he paused, searching for the words. "Spirit? She talks to me as if it was still her, and I feel the calm she always gave me when we were together."

Astha reached over, placing her hand over his as he went to shuffle the pages again.

"She's who you lost and grieved for?"

He swallowed and looked down at their hands. He found it odd that she seemed to always find a way to touch him when he was upset, usually putting her hand on his.

"Yes… her and I were very close. It is a bit of a comfort that a part of her is always with me now."

Astha nodded, then bent forward to pick up his gaze. "So… I'm here, there's a bag of blood and I see no flickers of red in your eyes."

"I've been taking the vials on Seth's instructions and honestly it's been tough to choke it down. Everything has been quiet since I last activated." His frustration was easily heard in his voice.

"I thought in the car… that you were, well…" an eyebrow quirked and she slid the tip of her tongue over her own fang.

Abel focused on her mouth, the action was entirely too relaxed to be sensual but he felt himself react just the same, a coil of poorly timed desire rolled across him. He mentally kicked himself for bringing up that momentary lapse in behaviour… Of course she would ask more about it, the woman lived to embarrass him it seemed.

"Ah.. yeah well I… was distracted." He explained lamely.

She could feel his pulse jump under her fingers, and watched as he rolled his shoulders slightly. She watched him, bemused. "I see… you do react to having a woman in your arms. Here I was feeling so guilty for tempting your appetite… not knowing it was a different one."

"I may be older than dirt but I'm not dead." His eyes snapped up to hers before darting away. "And I did apologize." He grumbled.

A sly grin came across her face and she lifted her hand off his. "Ok ok, I'll leave off picking on you about it." She got off the bench to give him some space. "So back to the start here… How do you know you need of blood? What signs should we look for?"

He let out a long breath, his eyes searching past her to the lawn as he mulled over her questions. "The electrical field was the last to go… so let's go with that?"

Her ivory hair bobbed about her face as she nodded. "Alright, then don't choke that bag down. Let's wait for the need and we will solve that as we can. If your friend and Seth can't get a travel friendly alternative then perhaps I was right all along?"

He peered at her. "That could backfire, and you could end up a few litres lighter."

She shook her head. "Not if you stay open about it. Don't hide from me Abel. I'm not afraid of what you become."

Blue eyes drifted down to his hands before coming back to hers.

"We can always find a way back to Seth if we have to unless we really get side tracked in Kràkow." She pressed on as he seemed undecided.

He sighed, resigned. "My stomach flipped when she tossed it at me," he picked up the bag, letting it slosh in his hand. "I'm not entirely opposed to your idea."

"Good. Now put that thing aside and let's go over the maps before I have to pack." She sat back down beside him, reaching for the maps.

Morning came with startling swiftness it seemed to Abel. They quickly ate breakfast and were out the door before the sun was up.

Standing at the docks, they watched the early morning air traffic sorting themselves out.

"Will we need to be aware of sunlight at this town?" Abel asked.

"Yes… you will be on your own during the day for the most part."

They were alone as the activity was more commercial than passenger at this time. Abel was dressed in the blue clothes she had gotten him, and the long black Albion coat. She appreciated the striking figure he cut, a tall slim figure, the breeze buffeting his long silver ponytail about his head. Knowing more about him she found it hard at times to believe he was ever that fool priest from the Vatican... The weight she saw in those glacial blue eyes made sense now, the sadness and occasional guilt that would stain them. It made her want to wake him up from his past, to see that he had a life more than his transgressions. A brief smile curved her lips, remembering how she had rattled his cage a bit with her bolder moves. She didn't mind at all, it was healthy for him to remember that he was a man and not a beast. And if she was honest with herself, she was perhaps enjoying it more than she should given they were working together.

He turned his head, catching Astha watching him.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Astha flushed slightly at being caught red handed ogling.

"The clothes look good, blue is really your color."

"Hmm yes, it was also the accent color I had on my old uniforms."

Curiosity drove her to walk up to him a little closer, to hear a little more about his past.

"I thought the church didn't do much past black and white?"

"Before the church, wa-ay before… remember I'm carbon datable." He joked."I was a Lieutenant Colonel once."

Astha smirked a little, hearing him joke about his age, he seemed more relaxed about the topic than she anticipated.

"Did you like your job?" She decided to stay off the heavier questions that swirled in her mind.

He looked up at the sky, at the second moon, just visible at this time of day. It was called the "Vampires Moon" but he knew what it really was… the Ark, the ship that brought them back from Mars, where Lilith died and where he threw Cain out the airlock. That awful place, forever in the sky, reminding him always.

"I was bred for my job. Trained and enhanced to do it, like a tool with no thought to what would happen after the mission was done." Old bitterness laced through his words, his jovial mood gone as he gazed upwards.

Astha stepped closer to him, placing a hand on his bicep as she was still somewhat behind him. His gaze dropped from the Ark and to her hand, a slight smile on his face and he placed his gloved hand overtop.

"I'm sorry Astha, that wasn't really what you were asking. I was good at it, yes. Like it? No, I was pretty strict about security and the colonists didn't like that."

A squeeze to his firm bicep and she slid her hand away. A noise from behind caught their attention, making them both turn.

Baybars stood a short distance away from them, dressed in the daily uniform of his station, reds, golds and dark blues. His huge physique nearly engulfing the slim, almost elfin woman walking up beside him.

"Hey!" Seth waved and ran up to them. She was bundled in a long green jacket with white and silver braided straps across the front and along the shoulders.

"Good morning, your majesty." Astha bowed respectfully, Abel following suit.

"Yes, yes good morning and all that. I'm sending you both to Kràkow immediately, there's been a large explosion and Caterina has withdrawn the trade until things are more settled. My sources are a mess, the small consulate for the empire that was there was sacked and the church was bombed. Some Vatican zealot is causing a lot of trouble as well… might be someone you know."

Both Abel and Astha looked at each other surprised.

"That didn't take long. Will the ship take us?"

"Yes, it's got orders to take you. That one there on the end that just pulled up." Seth pointed down the end of the docks to their left.

Abel nodded towards Seth, and grabbed his bag as he hurried down to the ship.

"Report back once it's settled out, Duchess."

Astha bowed again before running to catch up to Abel.