<span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">"I'm not mad." Asa reassured Carter, his body losing some of the tension as his arms settled loosely around the younger male's waist. "Hurt? Yes. Frustrated? Yes, at myself most of all. But I'm not mad at you. Your methods were invasive, but I can't blame you for seeking out answers. I understand why you did what you did, but that it no way means your actions are excused or that I forgive you." The repercussions of Carter's actions remained to be seen. And if there were to be fall out, he'd do his damnedest to shield Carter from the worst of it.<br/>
<br/>
"Now where to begin?" Carter wanted to know everything. But there were things even Asa couldn't admit to himself in the light of day. Things he'd only alluded to in his writings. Some secrets were meant to stayed to buried.<br/>
<br/>
<i>'You know... How long have you walked on the earth for. Are there more like you?...'</i><br/>
<br/>
"In all honesty, I haven't kept count of my age after the first century. Time doesn't hold the same meaning as it once did. Though I was born at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, to give you some idea of how long I've been around." Two centuries past. So long ago, and yet there were times when it felt like it were just yesterday. <br/>
<br/>
"And yes, there are plenty of others like me. Contrary to popular belief, vampires aren't 'undead'. Not in the traditional sense of the word. I may have courted death during the transition, but the idea of 'undeath' has always been ludicrous to me. One is either alive or dead. Vampirism isn't all that different from Lycanthropy." He trailed off, gaze somewhat distant as he searched for a suitable example, "It's a metamorphosis of sorts. Like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly," his smile wry as he considered the comparison, "You change, mind and body. And what you become...it isn't as beautiful as a butterfly, or as fragile." His fingers absently drew shapes along Carter's waist. "You become something else. And if you're not careful, you will lose yourself." But careful had nothing to do with it. Willpower was a foreign concept in the beginning. <br/>
<br/>
"Selena and Otto are the only two I've ever subjected to this life." It'd been during a weak point. The years dragging, flying, standing still, and he'd craved company. Companionship. </span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">Selena had been his first. She'd been reluctant in the beginning. And there came a time when he felt her resentment; resentment of him; of what he'd turned her into. It'd soon come to a point where they couldn't stand the sight of the other, and by mutual agreement, they'd parted ways. <br/>
<br/>
Otto had reveled in the change. Had thought himself invincible. Untouchable. Not very different from when he'd been human: hot-headed and prone to seeking out trouble just for the hell of it. Asa had had his hands full with that one. And then one day Otto up and disappeared. It wasn't uncommon for Otto to leave for days or months at a time, only that time he'd never come back. <br/>
<br/>
"But it's been years and I'd rather not delve into that particular subject." It'd been a long while since he'd given either of them more than a passing thought. Even longer still since he'd seen or heard from either of them. But time did little to mute the distant ache of their absence. </span>