New York City had once been a hotspot, a haven, with nearly as many vampires as the Old World cities. But, like them, the population had been pulled out and spread apart after the Order declared all dangerous, supernatural creatures dead. Now it wasnâ€™t against any laws to live in the city but there were very few that did and then only for a short time. This was why Alexian thought the evidence of long time habitation in a small area was unusual.<br/><br/>Heâ€™d set himself up to watch the place. Under strict orders of course. Nothing happened for weeks, months, and he began to get bored. A wolf ran in Central Park under the light of the moon quite often, but they never spoke. It was possible the wolf didnâ€™t even know he was there. And if he didnâ€™t notice Alexian, it wasnâ€™t likely heâ€™d know of any other vampire in the city.<br/><br/>Alexian was starting to think that maybe it was just an odd pattern followed by some human psycho.<br/><br/>Then he saw her. His eyes gave him sight beyond most of their kind and he could see this one had no heat. It wasnâ€™t proof. He often couldnâ€™t tell the difference between a lost soul and another vampire at long distances. But like the other poor spirits, he would investigate this one too. He hoped it was her. If it wasnâ€™t, they were pulling him out tomorrow night. He was needed somewhere else.<br/><br/>Older than most of the elders, Alexian wasnâ€™t particularly attached to the States. Instead he traveled, passed from sector to sector as a free agent. These days there were few with his freedom. Most had to apply to move out of a sector, only free to travel within it.<br/><br/>Sprinting along rooftops, he followed after the girl. When she got into a car, he knew she couldnâ€™t just be a wandering ghost. The vehicle sped away from him while the sun poked its head over the horizon. At his age, he hardly felt the early morning burn that told the young ones to find shelter. He did pause to pull on gloves and secure the hood and mask over his head and face. It blinded him, but it kept the sun out.<br/><br/>Fixing everything he knew about the girl in his mind, he vanished from his perch only to appear on the top of the car. Missed. The teleportation was not always entirely accurate without knowing nearly everything about the target. One strong fist banged on the roof repeatedly. â€œLet me in.â€ He could have done it again, but didnâ€™t want to expend the energy. Already heâ€™d neglected to feed himself for a few nights.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">--------</div><br/><br/>By the time the sun had risen, Loki had found himself a navigator. Yes he had to threaten to kill the man to get any cooperation out of him, but that was only to be expected. Once heâ€™d gotten him aboard, there were no further problems. Loki was surprised to find out that what heâ€™d taken was a lot more complex than heâ€™d first though. But with someone who knew what they were doing, the little boat was soon flashing across the wave tops. The ride was bone jarring, but fast. He slept through much of it. The rest was spent watching his new navigator closely and tossing out thinly veiled innuendo to keep himself entertained.<br/><br/>He thought heâ€™d eat the man after his usefulness was spent.<br/><br/>When the sun finally went back down, theyâ€™d made it to a small island. This was where heâ€™d told Nebi to wait for him all those years ago. He had no reason to think she might do anything else. Where exactly she would be, he didnâ€™t know. But that she would be easy to find, he had no doubt.<br/><br/>To assuage some of the constant, gnawing hunger, he did kill and drain his companion. And after rinsing some of the blood from his arms and clothes, he shoved a book into a pocket and started off to begin looking for her. He needed her forâ€¦ something. Couldnâ€™t remember just now, but knew there had been a reason.